April Fool’s Day 2023: Emirates launching a new cruise liner was a prank
Were you already planning a cruise? Think again
Dubai: Gotcha! Late last night, Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, announced its foray into an ultra-lux maritime arm - Emirates Sealiner. And in the spirit of April Fool’s Day, we can say – Gotcha! On this day, no one is safe from spoofed ad campaigns and made-up news articles. And Emirates indeed loved its gags.
Emirates said it placed a titanic, multi-billion-dollar order yesterday for an “initial ten cruise ships which are currently being fitted with the latest and best.” No, it didn’t.
Captain Jack Shallow, the newly appointed Chief Maritime Officer at the helm of Emirates Sealine, said: “While cities worldwide remain moored to challenges, Dubai is sailing smoothly at unimaginable knots and has outstanding cruise and other multi-modal transport infrastructure.” Did Emirates mean “Captain Jack Sparrow” from the Pirates of the Caribbean fame? A definite upgrade for him because the last time we checked, he was Captain of the Black Pearl!
And we all know how it ended for that ship. Bookings open June 31; hello, June has only 30 days.
So when Emirates said it was launching an ultra-luxury cruise liner, we were more than happy to take everyone along for a ride, or.... erm, a cruise.
Having been witness to some of the more outlandish April 1 gags the airline has pulled, such as that transparent plane or the one with the swimming pool in it, we knew the idea of a cruise liner was going to be a hard sell, especially at a time when the airline is rapidly expanding its route network and spending millions on its fleet refurbishment as travel demand surges to pre-pandemic levels.
So we did what any good publication would do. We allowed the news to have its moment of glory by publishing it for a few hours.
But like all good things, this cruise has made its final stop and will no longer be ferrying passengers. Hope you had a good ride.
This is not the first time Dubai’s most favourite brand has pulled a prank on April Fool’s Day. In 2018, the carrier royally fooled its fans by pulling a fast one with the impressive Sky Lounge announcement. A completely transparent fleet in its Boeing 777X fleet. A hoax!
And in 2017, Emirates unveiled plans to operate a triple-decker jet equipped with various amenities for in-flight leisure activities, including a swimming pool, a games room, a gym, and even a small park. Not true.
And honestly, when an airline of Emirates’ calibre announces a sea liner, most of us are likely to fall the gag. Did you enjoy this prank from Emirates? We most certainly did! Good one, Emirates!