Featured article

MS Kagawa Sobu

From Minecart Rapid Transit Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
MS Kagawa Sobu
Azaleaarctic.png
MS Kagawa Sobu docked in Miu Wan
Entered service9 May 2021
OperatorKagawa Cruises
ClassSobu
Lore
Port of registryNew Singapore
Gross tonnage26,635 GRT
ICSO CodeKGW-01-K-KAGAWASOBU

MS Kagawa Sobu, formerly known as MS Azalea Arctic, is a cruise ship built for Azalea Cruises and owned by Kagawa Cruises. Part of the Sobu-class family of cruise ships, Kagawa Sobu originally entered service as the Azalea Arctic in May 2021, before being sold to Kagawa in November of that year. She is also the lead ship of the class and her port of registry is New Singapore.

History

The Azalea Arctic and her five other sisters in the Arctic class were ordered on April 21, 2021, by Azalea Cruises. She was originally ordered as Princess Andromeda and would have been a Greek mythology-themed cruise ship before her name and design were finalised. The keel was laid near Wenyanga that same day and construction commenced. The ship was 90% built by MineGroup L14 Shipbuilding and Wenyanga Shipyards built some floors of the ship.

On April 22, 2021, it was announced that the Azalea Arctic will sail on the Dogwood-Cape Cambridge-Wenyanga route for the 2021 MRT Summer Games and began operations on May 9, 2021, after being pushed from April 30 and May 3.

On April 24, after the ship was moved to its dock at Wenyanga Cruise Terminal by Frumple, construction resumed on track for a planned May 2021 launch.

On April 25, the Azalea Arctic was officially completed, claiming the title of the largest cruise ship in the MRT in operational service from the MS Lake Pearl, which was completed several days prior. The MS Lake Pearl briefly regained the title on May 12 after her gross tonnage was measured, but the Azalea Arctic was measured later that day and once again claimed the title until July 15, when the MS Lake Diamond earned the title.

The next day, Wenyanga mayor AirplaneNiner christened the Azalea Arctic, following a tradition that Azalea cruise ships should be christened by the mayors of their home port. The maiden voyage date was subsequently announced on the same day.

On May 9, the Azalea Arctic finally began its maiden voyage, departing from Wenyanga at 2:32 p.m. local time. The Azalea Arctic started calling at Miu Wan on May 19.

On June 22, her port of registry was changed from Wenyanga to New Singapore, in preparation for the construction of the MS Azalea Taiga.

On November 23, 2021, Azalea Cruises sold Azalea Arctic to Kagawa Cruises, renaming the ship to Kagawa Sobu. This decision happened in advance of Azalea's planned closure in 2022.

Ports of call

As of November 2021, the Kagawa Sobu sails to four other destinations from Miu Wan, her home port:

Facilities

Deck A of the Kagawa Sobu contains the Kagawa Promenade shopping mall featured in all Kagawa cruise ships, a one-screen Yamaga Cinemas movie theater, and the Showdown Casino. It also serves as the entrance for docks which are small and has no empty space. The stores on the Kagawa Promenade are:

Store Classification Builder
Nex Arcade Arcade STthecat
Giovanni's Aglio Oilo Food STthecat
Kagawa Takeaway Food LabCylian
Comet Cafe Food Melecie
revaty. Clothing STthecat
Pick 'n' Pay Grocery AirplaneNiner

Decks B and C contain 18 staterooms each, for a grand total of 36. Each stateroom has two beds, a TV, and a balcony with two chaise lounges. They only have simple amenities, hence no bathrooms are available in the rooms. Deck B has an entrance for larger docks where Kagawa cruise ships may stop, as well as a medium-sized helipad.

Deck D contains 8 luxury suites, which are popular among VIP travellers. The suites are much larger than staterooms, and in addition to the basic stateroom facilities, also has a bathroom and a small jacuzzi. A suite-exclusive buffet area, known as the Kagawa Union, is located at the back of Deck D.

Deck E is the rooftop deck, containing a 1.5m deep swimming pool and a basketball court. Deck E also has several chaise lounges for sunbathing.