The cruise "Mariner of the Seas" of the Royal Caribbean Company stopped at the Tianjin Port on May 23. [Photo/people.com.cn]

The Royal Caribbean Company's Voyager Class cruise "Mariner of the Seas" arrived in Tianjin on the morning of May 23, marking the start of cruise season, according to the Tianjin International Cruise Terminal.

Nearly 90 cruise lines will be launched from Tianjin this summer, many of which are first time visitors. It is estimated that a total of 440,000 tourists will start their cruises from the Tianjin Port.

The "Mariner of the Seas" has set Tianjin Port as its departure place since 2012. The Royal Caribbean has spent $80 million in reconstructing the cruise ship in order to satisfy its consumers.

Targeting Chinese tourists, the "Mariner of the Seas" will provide more catering choices including Japanese cuisine, steak, BBQ, and Chinese hotpot, according to the Royal Caribbean.

Some rooms will be equipped with "virtual balconies". The 80 inch high definition screens will provide tourists with real-time seascape and the sound of waves.

The technology was first used by the Quantum Class cruises of the Royal Caribbean Company. The "Mariner of the Seas" is one of the only three cruises equipped with such technology in the world.

Although the cruise still travels to Japan and Korea, more stops will be set during the trip this year. Traditional cruise lines only stopped in Busan, Jeju Island, and Inchon. This year a stop will be added at Yosu, according to the Tianjin Jinlv Cruise Tourism Company. The time spent on land will increase two hours when the traveling days stay the same.

In addition, as a first time visitor to Tianjin, the "Sapphire Princess" cruise will launch a new ten-day cruise line to Japan and Korea targeting the Tianjin market. Tourists will visit the Seto Inland Sea, which is called the "Mediterranean of Japan".

The prices for cruises leaving from Tianjin will be more economic. A trip on the "Atlantic" of the Costa Cruises Company on Oct 13 starts from only 2,599 yuan ($419.2) per person. The "Voyage of the Seas" of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Company launches trips to Fukuoka in Japan and Hong Kong on June 14 with prices below 3,000 yuan ($483.9) per person.

The Tianjin Airport and the Tianjin Port promoted the idea of air-sea transportation during the Spring Festival holiday in late February this year and launched tourism products based on air-sea transportation in the beginning of April.