In 2012 Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line will have ships featuring China on their itineraries. Itineraries may include one or more Chinese ports such as Hong Kong, Tianjin (Beijing), Shanghai, Sanya, Dalian or Xiamen. Find out which ships will be cruising in Asia and visiting these Chinese ports of call.
Asia Cruises 2012 with Royal Caribbean
The Voyager of the Seas will be offering Asian cruises from June 2012 to October 2012. From June to September, the ship departs Shanghai on a choice of four-, five-, and seven-night cruises. For example, there are four, seven-night cruises in 2012 that will sail round trip from Shanghai. The cruises will visit two ports in Japan along with a stop in South Korea. In addition, there will be a number of cruises departing from Tianjin (Beijing) in September and October.
Royal Caribbean has also chartered one of their ships, the Legend of the Seas, to China World Cruises for four months in 2012. According to the Royal Caribbean Blog, Royal Caribbean will operate 21 cruises departing from Xiamen, Shanghai, Tianjin or Hong Kong. Cruises on the Legend of the Seas will vary from three to eight nights with the possibility of also visiting Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.
Princess Cruises in Asia 2012
Princess Cruises offers cruises to Asia in 2012 on the Dawn Princess, Ocean Princess, Sun Princess, Sea Princess, and Diamond Princess. Yet, the Dawn Princess and the Ocean Princess will not be visiting China in 2012.
The Diamond Princess offers a number of 16-day cruises that depart from Tianjin (Beijing), China with the choice of ending in either Singapore or Bangkok, Thailand. Other ports on these itineraries include Hong Kong and the countries of South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The Diamond Princess also offers a handful of cruises that start in Singapore or Bangkok and end in Beijing, China.
Alternatively, the Sea Princess offers a 42-day cruise round trip from Sydney, Australia, departing on March 4, 2012, that visits the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, New Guinea and China. The Sun Princess also offers a 40-day cruise round trip from Sydney, Australia on September 12, 2012 with a slightly different Asian itinerary.
HAL Cruises in China 2012
Holland America Line (HAL) will be positioning the ms Zaandam in Asia for 2012. There will be five different 14-Day Asia Explorer cruises throughout January, February and March 2012. Cruises depart from Hong Kong, China or Singapore and include ports in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. The Zaandam will also call on Sanya (Hainan), China. Look for the ms Volendam in China for 2013.
Crystal Cruises 2012 Asia Cruises
The Crystal Serenity will depart Singapore on February 26, 2012 for a 16-day cruise to Hong Kong. The itinerary includes stops in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. For a cruise that explores China more in depth, choose the March 13, 2012 departure from Hong Kong. The 18-day cruise includes the Chinese ports of Xiamen, Shanghai, Xingang (Beijing), and Dalian. The cruise also stops in South Korea and Japan before concluding in Osaka, Japan.
Cruises to China require passengers to obtain a Chinese tourist visa in their passport prior to entering the country. Unfortunately, there is limited information found on the cruise lines' websites regarding tourist visas, therefore check with the Chinese Embassy or Consulate website for additional facts on how to apply for one.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
