Blue Dream Cruises to Sail to South Korea from China

Blue Dream Cruises is set to become the first Chinese cruise line to sail to South Korea in nearly seven years.

According to local media, the company will sail multiple cruises to the Asian country starting later this month with the Blue Dream Star.

Sailing from the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal in Baoshan, the program includes four- and five-night itineraries onboard the Blue Dream Star.

With departures scheduled throughout early October, the fall-themed sailings will feature visits to the Jeju Island, in South Korea, as well as Nagasaki and Fukuoka, in Japan.

According to Blue Dream Cruises, Jeju offers guests “famous scenic spots,” in addition to different cultural experiences.

During the visits to the island, passengers will be able to “check in many classic Korean drama filming locations,” the company said, or visit the “world’s largest teddy bear museum and Korea’s first love theme park.”

The ports of call in Japan, meanwhile, offer opportunities to experience local culinary, in addition to “quiet, artistic and exotic” locations, Blue Dream Cruises said.

Acquired by the company 2020, the Blue Dream Star was built in 2001. Originally ordered by Greece-based Royal Olympic Cruises, the 836-guest ship was one of the first to resume service in China, back in May 2023.

Blue Dream Cruises’ new program will mark the first time a cruise ship serving the Chinese market sails to South Korea since early 2017.

According to a report in the local media, the operation was made possible by the reopening of group travel to South Korea for Chinese citizens.

In Jeju, a total of 15 calls from China-based vessels are now expected this year, the report stated, including one in August, five in September, one in October, and eight in December.

The operation is expected to bring between 15,000 and 20,000 Chinese cruise passengers to the South Korean destination through the end of the year.

Local cruise lines have already applied for 38 calls in the first quarter of the next year, the report added.