China's second domestically built large cruise ship Adora Flora City prepares for its first sea trial in Shanghai, on May 15, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's second homegrown large cruise ship, Adora Flora City, was officially delivered in Shanghai on Friday, marking a key leap for China's large cruise ship program from a single-ship breakthrough to series construction.

A Chinese expert said that the second vessel validated the ability to build large cruise ships in series with greater efficiency and systematic rigor, and helped establish a preliminary engineering system that can be replicated. It has also further sharpened the international competitiveness of China's manufacturing sector, helping it build a leading-edge step by step, the expert noted.

These two Chinese-built large cruise ships are not simple replicas of each other. The new ship, Adora Flora City, is larger in scale, features more advanced intelligent technologies, and was constructed with significantly higher efficiency.

Chen Gang, chairman of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, the shipbuilder, said in a CCTV report that having been tempered by the complete development cycles of two large cruise ships, the team has not only fully mastered the three core technologies of weight and center-of-gravity control, vibration and noise control, and safe return to port, but has also advanced from overcoming technical challenges to initially establishing an engineering methodology. 

"From upgrades in hardware and equipment to a comprehensive leap in digital capabilities, we have built a relatively complete system of design, construction, and management, along with design selection standards," Chen noted.

Chen Jianwei, deputy general manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, also said that the construction efficiency of the Adora Flora City has improved quickly. The second ship required nearly 4 million fewer total man-hours than the first, with construction time cut by eight months, and the domestic content of interior outfitting materials has reached 80 percent.

Cruise ship construction is a large-scale, complex systems engineering endeavor, and the second domestically built ship represents a clear generational advance in technological mastery, manufacturing efficiency, and functional experience, laying a solid foundation for subsequent standardized and serial production, Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times on Friday.

Bian noted that large cruise ships are known as the "crown jewel" of the shipbuilding industry, involving tens of millions of components, complex systems integration, and stringent comfort and safety standards. Their delivery is itself a demonstration of comprehensive industrial strength.

China's second domestically built large cruise ship is 341 meters long - longer than three standard football fields laid end to end. With 2,130 cabins, it can accommodate more than 5,200 passengers, equivalent in scale to six mid-sized five-star hotels on land.

The hull is 37.2 meters wide, more than the lateral width of a 12-story residential building. The broad hull greatly enhances the ship's stability, giving it stronger resistance to pitching and waves at sea - even in relatively rough seas, the ride remains smooth and comfortable.

With a gross tonnage of 141,900 tons, it adds 6,400 tons of displacement compared with the Adora Magic City - equivalent to carrying an extra medium-sized ocean-going freighter. All cabins throughout the ship have undergone professional noise-reduction and vibration-damping testing. Under the ship's maximum operating conditions, indoor noise is strictly kept below 45 decibels - equivalent to the environment of a quiet study. In addition, the ship features 28 restaurants and bars, an 800-seat grand theater, a 200-meter circular running track at sea, and more.

Bian noted that the progress from the first vessel to the second is all-encompassing. It stems from China's strong industrial base, supporting supply chain, and advantages in manpower and capital - advantages that are rapidly being translated into new product development capability.

After delivery, the Adora Flora City will undergo trial voyages and preparations ahead of its maiden voyage as planned. It is scheduled to arrive at Guangzhou Nansha International Cruise Home Port on November 12 and to launch its inaugural season from Guangzhou on November 22. Guangzhou is dubbed the "Flora City."

Through continuous iteration, the third vessel is expected to achieve further improvements in cost control, quality, design functionality, and overall performance. This is precisely where China's industrial strengths come into play: leveraging a complete industrial chain and comprehensive capabilities to iterate and optimize continuously, thereby rapidly enhancing product quality and competitiveness, Bian noted.