Norwegian Cruise Line adopts Alipay for debut Chinese liner

norwegian cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced the debut of the Alipay payment solution onboard its most recent addition to its fleet and its first cruise ship in the China market, Norwegian Joy.

Norwegian began accepting transactions on the Alipay platform on a trial basis beginning on a special preview cruise that departed from Shanghai on June 10.

“The great success of our trial on our June 10 preview voyage has allowed us to make this mobile payment method available to all guests much sooner than originally planned,” said David Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) China.

Norwegian said it’s the first time a major cruise operator has debuted a cruise ship with Alipay as part of its payment platform from Day 1 of operations. Alipay has more than 450 million users.

The inclusion of Alipay onboard Norwegian Joy is another step in a partnership announced earlier this year between Alibaba and Norwegian’s parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) to offer cruises tailor-made for Chinese passengers, said Herrera.

Norwegian Joy has sailed a series of preview cruises during the month of June, with the ship’s christening ceremony to take place on June 27 in Shanghai.

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