Piano Land, the ship with which Corazul Cruises announced its operations, is now docked at a pier in the Hong Kong area after waking up yesterday from its "lay up" anchored outside the city and carrying out the first operational check maneuvers.
Camille Appeldorn, COO of Corazul, confirmed to Cruisenews that the charter contract for the vessel was recently signed and that the ship would begin its refit in shipyards this Saturday.
After 15 days of preparation, the ship will depart for Santos, Brazil, on September 20th, now renamed Buenavista. It will be a long 30-day voyage with some technical stops, as the ship has to travel practically halfway around the globe and will continue undergoing renovations and improvements during the journey.
The Buenavista was built in 1995 as the Oriana for P&O, where it served until 2019, when it was sold to Astro Ocean to operate cruises in China under the name Gulangyu or Piano Land. It is a 69,840 gross tonnage ship with a capacity for 1,872 passengers.
Corazul has hired Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement for the comprehensive management of the ship.
The company had announced at the beginning of the year the start of operations in the Mediterranean, focusing its product on the Spanish and Portuguese market, but a few weeks before the start of that season it announced its cancellation citing weak demand in a highly competitive market.
The winter season in Brazil was announced for November, but they are currently working to make an inaugural "shakedown" cruise on October 23, 2026.
The Buenavista will be doing 3 and 4 night cruises from Santos or Rio de Janeiro and stopping in Camboriu, for most of the season, although it will also have some 7 night cruises.
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