The first large cruise ship built in China complete with a water park, a brewery, and 5G will sail this year see inside
Brittany Chang
- Adora Cruises' first ship, the Adora Magic City, will sail later this year as China's first locally built large cruise vessel.
- Adora is a joint venture between Carnival Corp and a Chinese shipbuilding giant.
A new Carnival Corp cruise ship will hit the seas later this year. But unless you live in China, there's a solid chance you won't be vacationing on this upcoming ship.
In 2015, state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), the country's wealth fund China Investment Corp, and the recognizable Carnival Corp set up a contract to create a Hong Kong-based cruise company. A few years later, CSSC's Cruise Technology Development arm and Carnival announced its joint venture: Adora Cruises. But unlike Carnival's eponymous cruise line, Adora Cruises — formerly known as CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited — will only be servicing the Chinese cruise market.
When it debuts later this year, Adora's starter vessel will be China's first locally built large cruise ship, according to a press release from Carnival in 2018.
The Adora Magic City was built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding with help from its partner Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, Adora Cruises told Insider in an email. Progress is still steadily underway: The ship recently completed sea trials.
The US has a stronghold on the cruise market, but Adora is "very confident" it'll find success in the "huge potential" of the Chinese market as well.
The new cruise brand has remained quiet about the ship's specifics.
But while we wait for its debut, let's take a look at what Adora has said about the upcoming floating resort.
The nearly 1,062-foot-long ship will sail up to 5,246 passengers.
To compare Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas — the next world's largest cruise ship — will accommodate 7,600 guests.
These over 5,000 travelers will get to bunk in the floating "magical" city's 2,125 guest cabins.
Nearly 1,300 crew members will keep the ship running smoothly.
Several features — like its 5G capabilities and a roughly 21,530-square-foot duty-free mall at sea — will be industry-setting.
At this size, Adora says the shopping center will be one of the largest in the Chinese cruise market.
But the majority of the upcoming ship's announced amenities will be familiar to the US cruise market.
This includes the lineup of live shows, bars, and dining venues.
The 1,000-seat Metropol Theater will be home to productions like comedy-drama shows, "Marco Polo: An Enchanted Love Tale," and the eponymous "Magic City."
The latter will be a showcase of Shanghai's city life and culture.
There will also be a brewery aboard the ship to supply beer to several bars, a first in the Asian cruise market, according to Adora.
A floating brewery is not a new concept — Carnival Cruise Line also has a brewery at sea aboard its Carnival Vista vessel.
The ship will welcome travelers of all ages including families with children.
Like any cruise vessel, the Adora Magic City will have a children and teens' club with a three-slide water park, virtual reality game center, and a "rope garden" pictured above
When complete, Adora Magic City will home port in Shanghai and sail to nearby destinations in Asia.
The cruise line says this upcoming ship will also eventually embark on longer cruise itineraries like the Maritime Silk Road.
Adora already has another vessel, the 2,680-passenger Mediterranea.
But unlike the Magic City, the Mediterranea wasn't built on Chinese soil.
Instead, it previously belonged to Carnival Corp's Costa Cruises.
The ship is undergoing a refresh ahead of calling the port of Tianjin in northern China it's home in late September. Besides the Mediterranea, Adora's fleet also includes Costa's former 2,210-passenger Atlantica, according to a 2018 press release from Carnival.
We're still months from the Chinese brand's official debut but it's already charted a clear path into the future
Ahead of the Magic City's debut, Adora is already designing and constructing its next vessel, which will also be built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.
"From the current bookings, we can feel the excitement of Chinese guests finally able to cruise again," Adora said in an emailed statement. "We are confident the cruise market will soon return to the pre-pandemic level."
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