Tag Archives: Asia cruise

Costa Serena to Sail from Taiwan to Japan this Fall

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Taiwan International Ports (TIPC) announced that the Costa Serena, which returned to sailing in Asia this year, will offer cruises to Japan in the fall of 2023.

The Costa Serena will sail three cruises to Okinawa, Japan from the Port of Kaohsiung in time for the mid-Autumn and National Day holidays in September and October.

In addition to sailing to Japan, the ship will return to Taiwan for regular homeport cruises first based out of Keelung and then Kaohsiung from July through October.

The Port of Kaohsiung has already set an all-time record this year with 157 cruise ship calls as of May 28, including 27 port-of-call visits.

The TIPC has recently opened a new Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal Building where automated smart passenger handling systems are being tested at the moment.

Upon completion, TIPC also plans to expand and upgrade the Penglai Cruise Terminal.

Royal Caribbean Back to China in April 2024

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Royal Caribbean International will sail from Shanghai with the 2019-built Spectrum of the Seas in April 2024, marking the brand’s return to China.

The Anthem of the Seas will reposition to Singapore for the 2024-25 cruise season, starting homeporting operations in October 2024.

Singapore was the first homeport in Asia to allow ships to restart cruises in late 2020.

Since then, the Spectrum of the Seas has been sailing cruises primarily from Singapore ranging from three to four nights.

The Spectrum of the Seas will reposition to China and will start offering sailings from Shanghai in April 2024. The ship will visit ports in Japan including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagasaki.

From Hong Kong, the Spectrum of the Seas will offer eight sailings with visits to Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Hong Kong to Focus on Increasing Cruise Ship Arrivals

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After reopening for cruise ships in January, Hong Kong is expecting to receive a total of 160 calls from 16 cruise lines through the end of 2023.

“We are still doing a lot of engagement, so, hopefully, towards the end of the year we’ll be able to receive even more ship calls,” Kenneth Wong, Hong Kong Tourism Board General Manager for MICE and Cruise, told Cruise Industry News during an exclusive interview.

Enlarging the number of arrivals is currently one of the priorities of Wong, who noted the city has had a strong return to the cruise scene.

“I now look forward to receiving more cruise ships in Hong Kong. That’s the number one priority,” he added.

To do that, the city came up with a “total package” that includes funding support, marketing cooperation and help with itinerary planning along with neighbouring ports, Wong explained.

“I also look forward to creating more interesting itineraries because, during the pandemic, all ports in the world and in Asia closed. Now, some of the destinations and ports are trying to reopen and pick up a bit,” he noted.

The scenario gives Hong Kong an opportunity to work with other ports to create new itineraries, Wong added.

According to him, the city currently offers a mix of deployment with not only ports of call but also homeport operations.

“We want to bring in more homeporting, which could actually give a very sustainable business for Hong Kong. We welcome those turnaround calls as well as ports of calls,” he explained.

Reasons for the transit visits include the new developments and attractions introduced by the city, Wong said.

“I think the cruise line as well as their customer would like to see the new happenings in Hong Kong through their excursion programs.”