Blue Dream is expanding, as the Blue Dream Melody sailed from Shanghai in early June as the company acquired the former AIDAvita this year and continues to build up in the Chinese market.

“The goal for our first ship was to get started; the goal for the second ship is to differentiate,” said Helene Xu, general manager.

“While other companies may position by age group, we have no demographic targets, but instead are going after interests,” she said. “Our first ship helped us position ourselves as a national brand, while the second ship is about a lifestyle of health and sustainability.”

Also of note, capacity has been reduced as 633 staterooms are now 609, and the number of suites has increased from two to 47, she said, giving the ship a better premium cabin mix.

Shore Ex

In other moves, the company is intending to slow down its itineraries, and wants guests off the ship more. All port calls will be at least seven hours, she said.

“In the past, shore excursions for Chinese guests were all about shopping, and while we will still offer this for free, we will also have more in-depth tours available including cultural and food and beverage experiences,” Xu told Cruise Industry News.

Without a big new ship, the company is focusing on being small and beautiful, Xu said, and offering more time in port.

This summer the plan is to sail from both Shanghai and Qingdao, and the company is planning China’s first-ever interporting operating using Xiamen and Beihai. Itineraries are set to range from four to 11 nights.

Deployment

Investors in the cruise line include state-owned companies with port investments in Qingdao, Shanghai and Zhoushan, which are all expected to be homeports in 2025.

A regional office has been established in Qingdao, while the company’s headquarters is in Shanghai.

Xu said the government should be helping to develop the cruise market.

“We need to work together to expand the market pie and not share it,” she said. “We need to increase cruise awareness and the product understanding; it should not be perceived as a low-price tourism product.”

The big news this fall will be a 14-night sailing to Japan, and then a 33-night Asia itinerary with calls in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. Guests will be able to board in Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Excerpt from the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine Summer 2024