SuperStar Virgo was ordered by Star Cruises on 22 November 1995 from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany as the second ship of the Leo class, and the second new build for Star Cruises. She was designed specifically for the Asian cruise market. The keel of the SuperStar Virgo was laid on 18 November 1996, and she was floated out of dry dock on 23 December 1998. She was delivered to Star Cruises on 2 August 1999.
Service history
SuperStar Virgo
Following the transit from Papenburg to Singapore the SuperStar Virgo entered service on cruises from Singapore on 10 October 1999. On 24 April 2003 the SuperStar Virgo was relocated from Singapore to operate cruises out of Perth, Western Australia due to the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome in Southeast Asia. Initially the redeployment was planned to last only a one-month evaluation period, but SuperStar Virgo continued to be based in Perth until July 2003. On 2 April 2008 the SuperStar Virgo relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong as her port of departure until 26 October 2008, the redeployment coinciding with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She returned to Singapore in October 2008. In January 2009, Star Cruises installed a 100m waterslide on the SuperStar Virgo during her dry dock period in Singapore, and in January 2012, received new hull art and livery. Between April and October 2014 she was based in Hong Kong. From 13 November 2015 to 31 December 2015, SuperStar Virgo undertook a 48-day cruise to the Southern Hemisphere with over 20 ports of call. From 3 January 2016 to 11 November 2016, SuperStar Virgo was homeported in Nansha, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. From November 2016 to December 2016, she continued to be based at Hong Kong. From January 2017 to March 2017, she was based in Shenzhen and cruised to Vietnamese ports and Hong Kong.
Explorer Dream
SuperStar Virgo was transferred to Dream Cruises and following a US$65 million refit at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore, was renamed Explorer Dream. She will operate from Australia during the 2019-20 cruise season.
