The Chinese port of Sanya welcomed Astro Ocean’s Piano Land on Jan. 3 to kick off its 2025 cruise season.

According to reports in local media, the 1,822-guest vessel was the first to dock at the Phoenix Island International Cruise Port this year.

Sailing to Sanya for the first time, the Piano Land is currently offering a series of itineraries that also sail to Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Formerly operated by P&O Cruises as the Oriana, the 1995-built ship serves the Chinese market with cruises sailing from various homeports in the country.

After a four-year hiatus, the vessel resumed guest service for Astro Ocean Cruises in June 2024, kicking off a program of short cruises departing from Shanghai.

The vessel is now sailing from Hong Kong for four- and five-night cruises that also include destinations in Japan.

According to Hou Dawei, the company’s deputy general manager, Sanya was chosen as a port of call due to its strategic geographic location as well as its favorable weather.

Located in the Hainan region, the port opened its Phoenix Island International Cruise Center in 2006 and has since hosted over 1,600 calls. More than 2.03 million cruise passengers have visited Hainan in the past 18 years.

In addition to national cruise lines, Sanya seen calls from Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line, Resorts World Cruises and Viking.

In 2024, the port reported nearly 60,000 guests, which is said to place Sanya fifth in the ranking of busiest cruise ports in China.

The cruise terminal is now planning to build a new berth that would be able to welcome vessels exceeding 100,000 tons.

Expected to be completed by the end of 2026, the project is said to increase Phoenix Island’s annual guest capacity to 420,000.