Tianjin to Launch Northern China’s First Cruises to Nowhere
Presale fares range from 500 to 1,200 renminbi per person, and passengers may board with a passport or an entry-exit permit.
Tianjin Oriental Cruises will add two three-day cruises to nowhere aboard Visio from Tianjin, departing Aug. 29 and Aug. 31 under China’s new pilot program. The roundtrip sailings will make no port calls. Presale fares range from RMB 500 to RMB 1,200, or about $75 to $200, per person.
The voyages will be the first commercial use of the cruise-to-nowhere format in northern China. Travelers will not need a foreign visa because the ship will remain at sea before returning to Tianjin.
Boarding rules and onboard services
Both cruises will leave Tianjin International Cruise Homeport at 3 p.m. Pricing varies by stateroom category.
China’s Ministry of Transport classifies the itinerary as a special international voyage. Exit-entry processing for ship staff and crew will follow international-sailing procedures, while passengers may board with either a passport or an entry-exit permit issued using a resident identity card.
Visio will also be eligible to load bonded provisions and supplies under the pilot. Tianjin Port Group said services and onboard products for the short sailings would follow standards used for international cruises.
The port described the voyages as a new option alongside its existing itineraries. The homeport hosted China’s first static cruise trial and recorded its 100th cruise call of the year in August.
Visio returns to South Korea sailings
Visio has been operating six-day roundtrips from Chinese homeports to South Korea. Following the Tianjin pilot sailings, the ship is scheduled to resume itineraries calling at Busan, Jeju and Incheon.
