Asia Cruise Holidays

One of the great things about the region is that Asia’s long seafaring history has led to many of those must visit destinations easily reached on a cruise holiday.
From the futuristic cities of the Middle East to the jungles of the Southeast Asia and from cramped cities of the Indian subcontinent to the desolate Siberia- and so much more beside- Asia is a great place to enjoy a cruise holiday but it is often a region that goes overlooked.
This guide is perfect for those who have already booked a cruise to the region and want to make the most of their time there and it also offers all that you need to decide whether visiting Asia is right for you and if it is, which areas you should head to.
Cruises To Asia
Finding the perfect cruise to Asia for you and your family has never been simpler. All you need to do is use the following search box to see what is available and if you are unsure on any of the ports listed in the cruise itineraries, simply follow the links in this guide to get all of the information you could ever need.
Cruise Holidays in Asia
For many of us a visit to the Asian continent is a once in a lifetime opportunity and trying to decide on a single destination to visit can be almost an impossible choice.
Even if you a fortunate enough to be able to visit the region on several occasions, there will always be somewhere that you wish you could visit but with the time and cost involved, it is an impossible task.
That is where a cruise holiday really comes into its own in the region as whilst you will still find it impossible to see all the top places you want to see in the region, you can see a lot more of them on one trip.
Asian Cruise Guide
Here at CruiseHols, we have written guides to all of the major cruse ports in Asia and bring you all that you need to know to decide whether you want to visit the port or not and if you do, how you can make the most of your time onshore.
Popular Ports
There are lots of fantastic cruise ports in the region with Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Mumbai been the ones with the most options for cruisers.
Asian Cruise Destinations
The continent of Asia has one of the longest seafaring histories and that has seen many cities build up around its coastlines and that of course makes it easy to visit on a cruise ship- especially as the region is still heavily dependent on the sea for transporting goods.
That has led to many of its leading ports to have huge investment in infrastructure, including the building of many of the world’s largest and most modern cruise terminals.
With so many ports of call on offer and so many great turnaround ports to start or end your holiday, it can be confusing as to where to visit on a cruise holiday to Asia.
The incredible size of the region and the differences between the sub-regions in Asia can also add to the confusion and that is where our guides come into their own in taking all of that confusion, breaking things down and making it easy for you to choose where to visit.
To aid in that, we have broken down the continent of Asia into 6 sub-regions and whilst even these regions can offer huge variety, these do group ports into similar areas of culture, climate and experiences.
The sub-region includes the Middle East and numerous seas including the likes of the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea- all of which are hugely popular with cruise lines.
The countries capital city of Istanbul is also it most popular cruise port and whilst it does straddle the European and Asian border, there are numerous cruise ports that are solely on the Asian side of the country including the likes of Izmir and Bodrum.
The country’s capital city of Manama is serviced via the port of Mina Salman-Manama, which is a large mostly container ship port that welcomes a handful of cruise ships each year.
The Arabian country of Oman has developed into one of the Peninsulas leading cruise destinations over the past decade or so, with its capital city of Muscat also been its major cruise port.
The Qatari capital city of Doha also acts as the countries only cruise port, which makes it easy to explore all that is on offer in Qatar.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has started to develop itself as a tourist destination and part of that has been to build up its cruising infrastructure including modern terminals in its capital city of Jeddah and the historic Dammam.
The United Arab Emirates has quickly become the leading cruise country in the region with the likes of Abu Dhabi and Dubai been the turnaround port of choice for numerous cruise lines and they are both great places to spend a few days exploring before or after your cruise.
Israel is one of those countries where history seems to be around every corner and it is for its importance to the three Abrahamic religions that many visitors head there, with cruise lines offering a good variety of itineraries calling into ports such as Haifa and Ashdod.
Jordan may have one of the smallest coastlines in the world, but its only seaport of Aqaba is well worth visiting as it is only a short drive from the iconic Petra- a world heritage site that is simply a must visit when sailing in the Middle East.
Although the island of Cyprus has strong links to Europe both politically and culturally, the island itself sits just off of the coast of Lebanon and Syria in the far eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and itineraries that call in there often take in other Middle Eastern countries.
India is a special country that has lots to offer throughout and thankfully it is now easy to explore onboard a cruise ship with more and more lines offering itineraries to such ports as Mumbai, Cochin and Mormugao.
The Maldives are known as a luxury beach getaways but the archipelago can also act a fantastic port of call of cruises of the Indian Ocean, with the capital city of Male offering a fantastic base to explore.
From the bustling city of Colombo to the national parks surrounding Hambantota, there is lots awaiting visors to the island of Sri Lanka which is increasing attracting cruise ships including those offering Spice Route itineraries.
China offers several incredible ports of call with the port of Shanghai now been amongst the busiest cruise port sin the region to start your next adventure from.
The famous streets of Hong Kong make for a fascinating day of exploration on a cruise holiday calling in there whilst the huge cruise terminal in the city state also offers a wide variety of itineraries starting or ending there.
As an island nation, Japan is ideal for exploring onboard a cruise holiday and numerus lines offer itineraries that call into numerous ports around its coastline to allow you to see the very best of what it has to offer.
Over itineraries start or end at Yokohama, near Tokyo, before heading to other Asian countries.
Although many will head to Seoul, there is lots to enjoy all around South Korea with the port of Busan featuring heavily on cruises around Japan.
The port of Keelung welcomes numerous cruise ships each year as visitors head to the capital city of Taipei, which h is dominated by the incredible Taipei 101 skyscraper.
If you were to ask people what comes to mind when thinking about Southeast Asia, it would be the stunning beaches of Thailand, the bustling cities (such as Kuala Lumper and Bangkok) and the space age Singapore that will instantly come to mind for most.
Thankfully for those who love to cruise, all of that and so much more can be enjoyed onboard some of the world’s biggest and most modern cruise ships.
Brunei may not have too many cruise ships calling in there but if you want to visit the Sultanate, it is possible.
Numerous cruise lines offer the chance to visit Cambodia via the port of Sihanoukville which welcomes ships throughout the main winter season.
As one of the largest archipelagos in the world, it is no surprise that Indonesia has lots of ports that welcome cruise ships with Benoa (Bali) and Jakarta (the countries capital city) offering the widest range of ships and lines.
Whilst many itineraries will visit the capital city of Kuala Lumpur (via Port Klang), there is lots more to enjoy in the country with Malacca a great option for those wanting a more relaxed day ashore.
The Philippines offers numerous cruise ports of call with the countries capital city of Manilla offering the widest choice for those wanting to visit the country on a cruise holiday.
The city state of Singapore is quickly becoming one of the leading cruise ports in the region with its modern cruise terminal been the home port of choice for numerous lines.
Many others add an overnight stop in the port on itineraries of the region to allow you to enjoy more of what is on offer in one of Asia best tourist destinations.
Laem Chabang, billed as Bangkok, is the leading cruise port in the country and is the home port for many ships in the region.
It is possible to see lots of the country outside of the capital however with other ports such as Phuket offering lots of itineraries stopping there from numerous cruise lines.
Vietnam has lots to offer visitors and more and more cruise lines are choosing to offer stops there with Nha Trang offering a great base for exploration.
The city of Baku sits on the Caspian Sea, which links the country to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia, and whilst there are some options to cruise the region on board ferries and plans for river boat like cruises, the regions political tensions make it difficult to cruise.
Popular Cruise Lines
Asia
Location: Eastern Eurasia
Major Cities: Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, Manila, Seoul, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City
Currency: Multiple
Language: Multiple
Demonym(s): Asian
Top Ports: Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Mumbai
Asia has seen exponential growth over the past 100 years or so and that seen changes to almost all aspects of life in the region.
That has included many of the traditions that makes the region unique and that differentiate the countries and sub-regions found in it but thankfully, a lot of its culture has been kept and can be enjoyed not just in the destinations that cruise ships visit but also in numerous cultural attractions.
Nowadays, much of the attraction of the region is found in the modern attractions found throughout Asia including many iconic buildings including some of the world’s biggest skyscrapers, fantastic theme parks and attractions such as Gardens by the Bay in Singapore that simply must be visited to be understood.
If you prefer a to stay away from the huge cities and city states in the region and would like a more relaxing and laid-back getaway, Asia has that it swathes including fairy-tale white sand beaches and nature reserves offering to chance to see some of the most endangered animals in their natural habitat.
Best Time To Visit
Although the region can be visited all year around it is during the northern hemisphere winter when the biggest variety of itineraries are on offer in Asia.
Asia Cruises From The UK
Whilst it is technically possible to visit the region on a cruise from the United Kingdom, the choices are limited to repositioning routes heading to the Middle East or to those with the time, and money, to enjoy a world cruise.
Asia Cruises From Southampton
If you would like to visit Asia directly from the UK, it would either be from Southampton or Dover but in all honesty, 99.9% of cruisers from these shores heading to Asia will fly to a great turnaround port such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo or Mumbai.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.