First China-made superliner completes three commercial voyages, 10,000 tourists served

China's first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, has now concluded three commercial voyages since its inaugural trip starting on January 1, serving nearly 10,000 tourists.

"[We] went to South Korea's Jeju Island and Japan's Fukuoka. I slept well, ate well and the onboard environment is very clean," a tourist surnamed Zhao, who returned to Shanghai on January 16 after her trip, told China Media Group (CMG).

"The ship sailed very smoothly, and I didn't have any feeling of swaying," a passenger surnamed Zhang told CMG, before expressing hope that more people can get to experience the journey on the new liner.

Foggy conditions are common when arriving at the ports as it's now the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, but it's no big deal for the cruise ship, according to Captain Niklas Peterstam.

"We have tested the limits on everything, our engines and our stability and so forth," said Peterstam.

"It's very stable and it's very powerful, which means that if it's windy weather or rough weather, the ship is still very stable."

"The onboard hardware and software setting are in line with the consumption habits of our Chinese consumers," said Gu Pengcheng, director of strategic management department at China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Cruise Technology Development Co., LTD.

Taking the payment system as an example, Gu said tourists can directly use WeChat and Alipay for payment.

"The overall operation is very good, and we have served nearly 10,000 passengers in total," he added.

Services and entertainment

The cruise ship has covered different routes, departing from its home port in Shanghai to popular destinations in Northeast Asia such as Japan and South Korea.

Ticket prices range from about 2,000 yuan (roughly $281) per person to more than 10,000 yuan depending on varying factors such as time, itinerary and room types.

For example, a five-day, four-night trip starting on March 1 from Shanghai – Jeju Island (South Korea) – Fukuoka (Japan) – Shanghai for two with a standard interior cabin room will cost 3,549 yuan per person, the Adora Cruise website showed.

Once on board, tourists can enjoy gourmet food, entertaining shows and trendy shopping experiences.

Adora Magic City features over 20 dining venues and bars with different features. More than 400 world cuisines are served, including seafood buffet, hot pot and sushi.

Besides immersive music shows and operas, it provides an art exhibition themed on murals from the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. A series of lectures were given by experts from the Dunhuang Academy during the previous voyages.

It also accommodates a large shopping space that sells duty-free products from over 200 domestic and international brands.

A 'sister ship' under construction

The construction of a second large cruise ship has started, which will be a "sister ship" to Adora Magic City but with longer size and larger displacement.

The atrium of the new vessel will be lengthened by 17.4 meters, and the public area will be increased by about 3,000 square meters compared with the first one, said Ma Yongbo, project manager at CSSC-Fincantieri Cruise Industry Development Ltd.