Life's pretty easy at sea

Chefs bake fresh bread on Princess Cruises'Sapphire Princess. [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

Cruise routes for the golden week

A shorter route, cruising from Shanghai

This is a five-day trip to South Korea's Jeju Island and Japan's Fukuoka city leaving Oct 4 on Costa Altantica.

Prices: From 3,999 to 10,999 yuan per person for different guest cabins.

Itinerary: The cruise liner will leave Shanghai in the evening and arrive in Jeju on the afternoon of the following day. Tourists can opt to visit duty free shops, the folk and natural history museum or the teddy bear museum on the island before the cruise departs for Japan in the evening.

Tourists will have about 10 hours to visit Fukuoka on the third day and will spend the whole of the fourth day on the ship as it makes its way back to Shanghai.

Guests can try everything from sunbathing and spas, tasting Italian coffee, watching shows in the theaters and selecting souvenirs before they return to Shanghai on the morning of Oct 8.

A longer route, cruising from Italy

This is an 11-day trip to the Mediterranean Sea leaving Sept 27 on Costa Serena.

Nine cities in four countries - Italy, Switzerland, Spain and France - will be included.

Prices: From 19,500 to 23,500 yuan per person for different guest cabins.

Included in the price: Tour to Milan Serravalle Designer Outlet, the largest of its kind in Italy; ride the funicular car on Mount Titlis in Switzerland.

About Costa Serena: Passenger capacity: 3,780. Number of guest cabins: 1,500

Main facilities: Four swimming pools, a theater that spans three decks, a disco, an F1 simulator, a library, outdoor jogging area and shopping center.

Itinerary: Tourists fly from Shanghai to Milan via Dubai on the first day and will board the cruise on the evening of the second day after sightseeing and shopping.

From the third day to the fifth day, the cruise liner will stop at three ports, Florence, Rome and Pompeii, and the visitors will be guided around historical landmarks.

The cruise will arrive at Barcelona, Marseille and Luzern on the following four days, and guests can spend an entire day visiting Mount Titlis and enjoy a free ride on the funicular car on the mountain, which rotates 360 degrees to take in the views of the tallest mountain in the central region of Switzerland.

For all the destinations, the cruise stops at the ports in the morning and leaves for the next in the evening or night so that tourists will have enough time on shore.

Routes recommended by Shanghai Airlines Tours International (Group) Co Ltd