Adora to Take Delivery of New Ship Sooner than Planned

Adora to Take Delivery of New Ship Sooner than Planned

Adora Cruises will take delivery of its new cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, ahead of schedule.

Based on an agreement with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard, the vessel will be delivered on November 6, 2026, the company said in a press release.

The ship will then launch international routes from Guangzhou, the capital of South China’s Guangdong Province.

Adora’s CEO, Roger Chen, said: “We are now fully focused on the early delivery of Adora Flora City and on preparations for her launch.  We will continue to optimise the deployment, deepen our ‘Cruise + Culture’ strategy and refine the guest experiences, bringing fabulous cruise vacations to more travellers at home and abroad.”

After being floated out on March 20, 2026, the vessel has now fully entered the commissioning phase.

According to Adora, the overall construction progress has reached 96 per cent, with interior outfitting 87 per cent complete and commissioning work 76 per cent complete. At the same time, sea trials are set to follow in mid-May.

Chen added that the ship’s maiden voyage plan would be announced soon.

Adora Flora City Touches Water for First Time in Shanghai

Adora Flora City Touches Water for First Time in Shanghai

Adora Cruises’ new cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, was floated out on March 20 at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard.

In a statement, the company said the vessel will now move into interior outfitting and system commissioning and is scheduled for delivery by the end of the year, after which international voyages will kick off from Guangzhou.

The company added that this is the second Chinese-built contemporary mainstream cruise ship, after the Adora Magic City.

“Our vision is to build a flagship cruise company in China with significant international influence,” said Roger Chen, chief executive officer of Adora Cruises.

“With the addition of Adora Flora City to our fleet and the newbuild program, we will continue to optimize the deployment, deepen our ‘Cruise + Culture’ strategy and refine the guest experiences, bringing high-quality cruise vacations to more travelers at home and abroad.”

Sister ship to the cruise line’s Magic City, the Flora City is 17.4 meters longer, has 2,130 cabins and can accommodate up to 5,232 guests.

As the name suggests, the ship will be flower themed, with elements from Chinese culture incorporated into its dining, entertainment and services.

The company added that the ship will feature a sleeker profile, larger public spaces and upgraded technology, including advanced smart and AI technologies to enhance guest experiences.

 

Costa Atlantica to Homeport in Shenzhen for 2018

Costa Crociere is making a big deployment move in China and announced earlier this week the Costa Atlantica will now homeport in Shenzhen starting in late January and continuing for the rest of 2018.

The move will help strengthen the company's position in Southern China, according to a press release. 

"The Southern China market is an important part of Costa's strategic plan in China," said Mario Zanetti, president of Carnival China. "In recent years, Costa has opened several routes, including sailing from Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Xiamen"

Starting on Jan. 28, the ship will launch its new program, offering a variety of itineraries, with six-day cruises to Japan, six-day cruises to Vietnam and six-day cruises to the Philippines.

Compared to other companies offering cruises in China, this Costa deployment features slightly longer itineraries. Most cruises offered in the Chinese market are four to five days.

Japan itineraries include two port calls, either Okinawa and the Yaeyama Islands or Okinawa and Miyako Island.

Shenzhen opened its new Prince Bay homeport facility last July and has since seen 118 cruise ships and 159,000 passengers, according to a statement. 

World Dream to Debut in China in November

Genting World Dream sistership to the Genting Dream

Genting Cruise Lines is set to launch World Dream, the newest ship for Dream Cruises, this November at her dual homeports in Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Nansha) to continue to grow the Pearl River Delta cruise industry and provide fly/cruise options for the region with new itineraries to Vietnam and the Philippines.

Genting said in a prepared statement that the World Dream has been conceived as a floating high-end, integrated resort at sea leveraging on the parent company Genting Hong Kong’s core expertise in both land and sea based businesses. The debut of World Dream will further enhance the brand’s capacity to offer a broad spectrum of multi-generational programs and facilities for guests, highlighted by Asian hospitality and a market leading crew-to-guest ratio.

“Genting Cruise Lines is reinforcing our position in the Pearl River Delta Region by welcoming the World Dream to begin her service with dual homeports in Guangzhou (Nansha) and Hong Kong, following in the footsteps of the Genting Dream,” said Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines. “Designed to cater to the growing Chinese market with tailor-made facilities, including quad occupancy staterooms to accommodate families, the World Dream will further build upon our ongoing commitment to this region, which has seen Guangzhou (Nansha) evolve into China’s second busiest port and the strengthening of Hong Kong as a premier fly/cruise hub.”

Six-day/five-night cruises will call at Manila and Boracay in the Philippines from Nov. 17 through March 31, alternating with same length sailings to Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang in Vietnam from Dec. 3 to October 2018, targeting both local and international guests.

The twin sister ship the Genting Dream, meanwhile, will be deployed at her new homeport in Singapore with new itineraries to North Bali and Surabaya in Indonesia, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia and Phuket in Thailand.

"By doubling Dream Cruises Fleet with the addition of World Dream, we are delighted to be offering our guests and valued travel partners diverse itineraries featuring new, authentic destination experiences," commented Thatcher Brown, President of Dream Cruises.

Princess to launch China cruises from Shanghai

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises will enter the China market for the first time next May, homeporting the Sapphire Princess in Shanghai for the summer.
The 2,670-passenger ship will offer three- to seven-day cruises to South Korea. It is expected to carry 70,000 passengers over a four-month season, mostly from China.

Princess would become the second Carnival Corp. brand sourcing passengers from China. Costa Cruises began sailing there in 2006.

Carnival Corp. has opened offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to support its operations in China.

The 2014 China season will feature four itineraries: the seven-day itinerary will take passengers to the Korean capital of Seoul, the beach resort of Busan and the island of Jeju before returning to Shanghai; the five-day cruise will call at Jeju and Inchon; the four-day itinerary will call at Busan and Jeju; and the three-day cruise will call at Jeju.