Within 5 minutes before the interview, Liu Yang received two orders for international cruise tours.
Liu Yang, sales manager of Beijing Seven Seas Holidays International Travel Service Co., Ltd. in Greater China, told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that during this year's May Day holiday, international cruise travel orders for home port routes (routes departing from domestic cruise ports such as Shanghai and Tianjin) were "hot", with some voyages increasing in price twice in two months, and some voyages being fully booked a month in advance.
"More than 100 calls a day"
Liu Yang has been engaged in the cruise tourism industry for nearly 20 years, and when it comes to the number of international cruise travel orders this year, he bluntly said that "it has more than doubled". "At most, I received more than 100 calls a day, all of which consulted international cruise routes, and I was busy from 8:30 in the morning to 11 in the evening, basically non-stop. Liu Yang said.
According to the Regulations on the Replenishment of International Cruise Ships at the Ports of the People's Republic of China, international cruise ships refer to foreign cruise ships and cruise ships of the People's Republic of China that sail international routes.
Liu Yang introduced that during this year's "May Day" period, the home port route was hot, from past experience, the home port route was sold out 2 to 3 weeks before the trip, but this year some voyages were fully booked a month in advance.
"From around the Spring Festival to April this year, the voyage of Royal Caribbean's 'Spectrum of the Seas' from Shanghai on May 1 has risen twice, with a cumulative price increase of 500 yuan. Liu Yang said.
At the same time, Liu Yang also said that at present, there are relatively few international cruise routes departing from China, and the unit price of passengers is relatively high. Prices on international cruise lines are now 20% to 30% higher than before 2020 due to rising costs.
Liu Yang will share the various international cruise routes launched by travel agencies in the circle of friends. He said that the most recent international cruise travel lists are for the second half of this year, and some guests have begun to book round-the-world routes in May 2025.
Liu Yang's travel agency is currently selling products, the most expensive is the 10 countries in South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, the whole journey of 25 days and 21 nights, the route in mid to late November this year, the price of 168,000 yuan/person.
Liu Yang revealed that only 20 guests were accepted for the voyage, and 8 guests have paid in full, and many guests are applying for visas, and the age of tourists is concentrated in 60 to 80 years old. "Since the launch of sales in November last year, the voyage has received more than 50% passengers. Liu Yang said.
Recently, the relevant person in charge of AIDA Cruise Co., Ltd. told Zhongxin Jingwei that according to the schedule, as of April 25, almost every voyage of AIDA Modu since April has exceeded 4,000 people, and some voyages even exceed 5,000 people, and the voyages of the May Day route have been basically sold out.
As the first large-scale cruise ship made in China, the Aida Modu will start its commercial maiden voyage on January 1, 2024. The above-mentioned May Day route refers to the 6-day and 5-night voyage of Shanghai-Jeju-Fukuoka-Nagasaki-Shanghai that departed from Shanghai on April 30. Depending on the class, the price of the cruise ticket for this voyage ranges from more than 4,000 yuan to more than 10,000 yuan.
"You can still eat hot pot!"
Li Hua, from Beijing, is in his prime. Having been to more than 100 countries, she has traveled 6 international cruises since the Spring Festival in 2011.
Li Hua's last cruise was in September 2023, which was a 15-day trip from Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port on China Merchants Viking Cruises, with a ticket cost of about 30,000 yuan.
▲ Japan Loop Tour Photo provided by the interviewee
"I have a very good impression of this China Merchants Viking Cruise trip, the cruise ship as a whole belongs to the Nordic style, relatively simple, the hardware facilities, supporting services are very good, and the deepest impression is good communication. For Li Hua, in the past, the biggest challenge in international cruise voyages was the language barrier.
Li Hua found that the waiters, staff, and tourists on the China Merchants Viking Cruise were mostly Chinese, and it was more convenient to communicate with middle-aged and elderly people.
In addition to the language switch, Li Hua also found that hot pot can also be eaten on China Merchants Viking Cruises.
"In the past, there were some Asian restaurants on international cruise ships, but they served Japanese, Thai, and Korean food, and there was less Chinese food, but China Merchants Viking Cruises provided Chinese food, and we also ate hot pot. Li Hua said that the consumption is more in line with the habits of Chinese, no need to tip, except for more expensive wine, most of the drinks on the cruise ship are free, and the laundry room can also be used for free.
In international cruise tourism, Li Hua has spent about 330,000 yuan so far. She also pointed out that the cruise ship will not stay at the port of call for a particularly long time, in a limited time, it is difficult for tourists to carry out "in-depth tours", and the route stops of large cruise ships are generally relatively large ports, and there are fewer international cruise routes from the home port at present, more of a Japanese and South Korean itinerary, which may not be able to fully meet some tourists who like niche attractions.
▲ Japan Loop Tour Photo provided by the interviewee
In recent years, Li Hua has been included in the "wish list" of the "Light Adventure" international cruise route, and she hopes to explore more possibilities in life and think more about the world in her global travel.
"There is also Mandarin teaching"
Unlike Li Hua's China Merchants Viking Cruises, which departed from Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port, Nuo Nuo and her husband from Guangzhou boarded the international giant ship "Ocean Spectrum" under Royal Caribbean International Cruises on April 18 this year from Singapore, passing through Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, China, and arrived at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port on April 26.
Nuo Nuo refers to cruise travel as a "pig farm on the sea". This was her third cruise and her honeymoon. Nuo Nuo and her husband spent a total of about 15,000 yuan on this voyage, including ferry tickets, tips, Internet, shopping and disembarkation tours.
Nuo Nuo said that most of the activities on the ship are free to attend, and some programs require additional fees, and the tip that must be paid is US$18 per day.
What impressed Nuo Nuo was also a lot of "localization" changes made by the ship. Nuo Nuo recalled that first, the restaurant added some Chinese food similar to sweet and sour pork ribs, fried noodles, and stewed soup to the dishes, and also provided white rice to tourists, and the waiter would ask tourists if they needed hot water. The welcome ceremony dance in the restaurant became "subject three", second, all announcements were broadcast in Chinese and English, and third, the ship also held three Mandarin teaching courses for foreign tourists going to Shanghai during the trip.
In addition, while chatting with the crew, Nuo Nuo learned that a large number of Chinese employees had been transferred to Shanghai to prepare for the reception of Chinese tourists. "The foreign waiter in the restaurant may have been taking Chinese lessons and can pop up a few new Chinese words every day."
"I will definitely choose to travel on a cruise in the future, I can't wait to go every year, many people say that it is suitable for the elderly, but it is really not only suitable for the elderly. Nuo Nuo said.
On March 16, a month before the return of Royal Caribbean International Cruises, MSC Glory of MSC Cruises opened its maiden voyage to its home port in Chinese mainland in Shanghai. On March 24th, Lulu and her two sisters boarded the MSC Glory from Shanghai, starting a 6-day, 5-night voyage via Fukuoka, Sasebo, and finally back to Shanghai.
It was Lulu's first cruise, and for her it was like "opening the door to a new world". Lulu said that before traveling, it took time and energy to make a strategy in advance, and cruise travel needs to get a passport first, and after boarding the ship, you don't need to use your brain, and you can freely choose the daily activities on the cruise.
▲MSC Glory Cruise Tour Photo provided by the interviewee
On this trip, Lulu and her two sisters booked a balcony cabin, which cost a total of 13,800 yuan, and most of the food and entertainment items on the cruise are free, plus tips on board, management fees, transportation after landing, catering expenses, etc., the total cost of a single trip does not exceed 6,000 yuan. (At the request of the interviewer, Li Hua, Nuo Nuo, and Lulu are pseudonyms in the article)
Source: Sino-Singapore Jingwei