Blue Dream Cruises Halts Sailings Citing Ship Maintenance

Blue Dream Cruises has announced it will suspend operations starting January 4, attributing the decision to required hardware upgrades and maintenance on Blue Dream Melody, formerly known as AIDAvita.

However, reports circulating on Chinese social media offered a different explanation, suggesting the company faced insufficient passenger bookings for upcoming voyages to South Korea.

As seen with other cruise operators in China, previously scheduled itineraries to Japan had already been revised, with sailings in the first quarter redirected to South Korean ports.

The vessel’s December 28 departure was still being promoted by travel agencies just a week before sailing, with fares starting at 698 RMB per person, or about $99. The three-night itinerary operates roundtrip from Beihai, China, to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

Blue Dream Cruises resumed service in 2024 following the pandemic and introduced a fleet change, with the 1,200-passenger Blue Dream Melody replacing the smaller Blue Dream Star. The latter, which has capacity for 836 guests, remains laid up in Asia.

The company’s customer service team confirmed that refunds would be provided and stated that there is currently no information regarding a possible resumption of operations.