Star Navigator
| Company type | Cruise ship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cruise line |
| Predecessor | SuperStar Virgo, Explorer Dream, Resorts World One |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Papenburg , Germany |
Area served | Asia-Pacific |
| Owner | V.Ships Leisure (since 2022) |
Star Navigator is a Leo-class cruise ship constructed in 1999 at the Meyer Werft shipyard located in Papenburg, Germany. Initially launched as SuperStar Virgo for Star Cruises, this vessel has also sailed under the names Explorer Dream with Dream Cruises and Resorts World One for Resorts World Cruises.
The ship measures 268.6 meters in length and has a gross tonnage of 75,338 GT. It can host up to 1,856 passengers in lower berths and accommodate a total of 2,800 guests, supported by a crew complement of 1,300. Its propulsion system consists of four MAN-B&W diesel engines generating a total output of 58,800 kW, enabling a top speed of 25.5 knots. The vessel comprises 13 decks, with 10 accessible to travelers.
Ownership and operational control have shifted over time: from Star Cruises between 1999 and 2019, then Dream Cruises from 2019 to 2021, and currently under V.Ships Leisure since 2022. The ship's registration began in Panama but was transferred to Nassau, Bahamas in 2014. Serving as a key player in the Asia-Pacific cruising sector, the vessel’s brand alignment has evolved strategically to meet changing passenger preferences.
Concept and construction
On 22 November 1995, Star Cruises commissioned Hull 647 from the Meyer Werft yard in Papenburg, Germany, marking their second newbuild and the second ship in the Leo class. Tailored specifically for the Asian cruise market, her keel was laid on 18 November 1996. She was floated out of dry dock on 23 December 1998 and departed the shipyard on 28 June 1999, navigating down the River Ems toward the North Sea. Delivery to Star Cruises occurred on 2 August 1999, ahead of schedule by approximately four weeks.
SuperStar Virgo
Following her transit from Papenburg to Singapore, SuperStar Virgo commenced operations out of Singapore on 10 October 1999. Due to the SARS outbreak in Southeast Asia, she was redeployed to Perth, Western Australia on 24 April 2003. Although originally intended as a one-month reassignment, she remained based in Perth until July that year.
On 2 April 2008, her homeport shifted from Singapore to Hong Kong until late October, coinciding with the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing. She then returned to Singapore later that month. During a dry dock period in January 2009 at Singapore, Star Cruises installed a waterslide onboard, followed by an updated hull design and livery implemented in January 2012.
Between April and October of 2014, SuperStar Virgo operated out of Hong Kong. In late 2015—from November through December—she completed an extensive 48-day voyage across the Southern Hemisphere visiting over twenty ports. The following year, from January through November 2016, her homeports included Nansha, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. She continued operating from Hong Kong through December and from January to March 2017 sailed from Shenzhen, serving itineraries that included Vietnamese destinations and Hong Kong.
Explorer Dream
Following transfer to Dream Cruises, SuperStar Virgo underwent a refurbishment valued at US$65 million at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore before being renamed Explorer Dream toward the end of 2018. During the 2019–20 season, she operated cruises departing from Australia. In April 2019, her homeport changed to Shanghai, where she was re-christened with Grace Chen as godmother. From October to December of that year, Explorer Dream was based in Sydney, marking her initial deployment within Australia.
Plans for returning to northern Asian itineraries by mid-2020 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including an anticipated Australian season beginning in October. By March 2020, all Australian cruises were also suspended.
Notably, Explorer Dream became the first cruise vessel awarded Infection Prevention certification (CIP-M) by classification society DNV GL. It was also the first ship reactivated during the pandemic period in June 2020. In July of that year, she resumed operations from Keelung, Taiwan, offering island-hopping voyages among Taiwanese destinations such as Penghu, Matsu, Kinmen, and Hualien.
Resorts World One
Following the insolvency of Genting Hong Kong, the parent company of Dream Cruises, in January 2022, the vessel Explorer Dream was taken out of service near Port Klang, Malaysia. On 13 January 2023, it was acquired by an undisclosed party and subsequently chartered to Resorts World Cruises as their second vessel. Renamed Resorts World One, the ship commenced operations on 17 February 2023, temporarily substituting for a fleetmate undergoing dry dock maintenance. By 1 March, the ship had repositioned to Hong Kong, where it began offering cruises lasting 2, 3, and 5 nights.
In February 2025, Resorts World Cruises underwent a rebranding that divided its business into StarCruises and Dream Cruises. The vessel was designated to StarCruises and received the new name Star Navigator. Its maiden voyage under this identity departed from Singapore on 4 March, after which it relocated to Taiwan to conduct an eight-month schedule of cruises to destinations in Japan and South Korea.