Where do you want to start?
Pick the question you came with. Each card jumps to the answer.
Who sails from here now
Eleven lines have turnarounds on Kai Tak's own 2026-27 schedules, and StarCruises sails from Ocean Terminal this autumn.
Jump to lines →Where the ships go next
Shorter East Asia loops into China, Korea and Taiwan, plus longer connecting voyages to Japan.
Jump to destinations →A runway and a shopping mall
A purpose-built terminal on an old runway, and a 1966 terminal inside a mall.
Jump to the explainer →Should you drive?
Kai Tak's own limited lot, and Harbour City's car park at Ocean Terminal, priced by the half hour.
See parking →From the airport to the berth
Direct flights into Hong Kong International, then MTR, minibus or taxi to your terminal.
Jump to getting here →Hong Kong in one page
Hong Kong is Asia’s other big cruise hub — it anchors the East Asia circuit alongside Japan and, less reliably, mainland China.
Our Asia guide calls Hong Kong and mainland China itineraries a market still finding its footing after 2020. That’s a different story from Singapore’s tight Southeast Asia loop.
Cruise calls and arrivals were meaningfully higher in 2025 than the year before — but the route map is still being rebuilt, not running a settled annual calendar.
The city has two terminals, and they share almost nothing. Kai Tak Cruise Terminal opened in 2013 on the former Kai Tak Airport runway in Kowloon.
It has two berths and a rooftop park, and most of its scheduled calls are turnarounds, per its own schedule.
Ocean Terminal sits inside the Harbour City shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. It opened in 1966 as Hong Kong’s first shopping mall and still handles smaller ships.
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own immigration system, separate from mainland China’s. Entry here tells you nothing about entry there, so check each on its own.
Who sails from here now
Hong Kong's season is still rebuilding after 2020, so this roster dates faster than the rest of the page. It lives in one sourced block, stated once.
Kai Tak’s own 2026-27 schedules, read October 5, 2026, show turnarounds for eleven lines: Royal Caribbean International (Spectrum of the Seas, many turnarounds from November 2026), Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Costa, Oceania, Cunard, Adora Cruises and TUI Cruises, plus Carnival (Carnival Splendor on August 29, 2027 and Carnival Luminosa on October 28, 2027) and Explora Journeys (Explora III on November 16, 2027).
Princess and Silversea only call in transit.
StarCruises’ Star Voyager sails short Xiamen, Okinawa, Sanya and Kaohsiung cruises from Ocean Terminal between September 30 and November 13, 2026. It isn’t on Kai Tak’s turnaround list.
Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity have their own dedicated Seabound line guides, linked below.
Per Wikipedia, more than 20 different cruise lines have called at Kai Tak since it opened in 2013, Carnival and Costa among them. The terminal's own site lists 20-plus operators across its lifetime.
Sources: kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk, its 2026 and 2027 schedules and cruise-lines page, for the current-season lineup (corrected October 5, 2026), and Wikipedia / kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk for Kai Tak's broader operating history — verified September 18, 2026. Check your own line and sailing date against it before you plan anything.
Where the ships go next
Sailings from Hong Kong come in two shapes — the short regional loop inside East Asia, and a longer voyage that connects Hong Kong to Japan.
Each stop below has its own page, and its own verdict on whether to book anything.
Common, not guaranteed. Which stops appear depends on the line, the ship and the season.
Our Asia guide describes this circuit as still rebuilding its route map, so check your itinerary rather than trusting the pattern below.
Destinations
Where a Hong Kong sailing actually goes
Two different circuits leave from here: a short East Asia run, and the Japan connection. Each stop below has its own page — the berth, the paperwork, and whether a tour earns its price. Check your own itinerary; these patterns move.
Showing all 7
The two working circuits
6Hong Kong's sailings split cleanly between a regional East Asia run and a longer Japan connection.
Shanghai
Mainland China
The mainland call, and the one where the entry rule decides whether you may leave the ship on your own at all.
Keelung
Taiwan · the Taipei gateway
A short hop, and an unusually good berth — the terminal sits in the middle of the city rather than outside it.
Tokyo & Yokohama
Japan · four berths
The far end of the Japan connection, and a departure port in its own right if you would rather start there.
Osaka & Kobe
Japan · the Kyoto gateway
The Kyoto call, an hour inland from either berth — the arithmetic matters more than the temples here.
The connecting stop
1Named in our Asia guide, but on a narrower set of sailings than either circuit above.
Busan
South Korea
Connective tissue between the Japan and China runs rather than a destination of its own — though it is the easiest port here to do without a tour.
No port matches that. Clear the filter to see both Hong Kong circuits again.
Not covered here: Hong Kong also sees calls from ships based elsewhere on longer, multi-region itineraries. That traffic isn't a standard Hong Kong round trip, so it sits outside this page's destinations story.
A runway and a shopping mall
Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is at 33 Shing Fung Road, on the former Kai Tak Airport runway in Kowloon. It’s the modern, purpose-built one.
It has two berths able to handle vessels up to 360 metres, a peak capacity of 8,400 passengers, a rooftop park and podium gardens. The government put HK$7.2 billion into it when it opened in 2013.
Most of its scheduled calls are turnarounds or homeporting — not simple stops, per its own schedule.
Ocean Terminal is a different world. It opened on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1966 as Hong Kong’s first shopping mall, and it’s now part of the Harbour City complex — one of Hong Kong’s biggest malls.
It has two berths for smaller ships. Confirm size limits with your line.
Kai Tak’s schedule shows which lines turn around there, and StarCruises’ Star Voyager sails from Ocean Terminal this autumn. Your cruise documents name your terminal, so read them first.
| Terminal | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kai Tak Cruise Terminal | 33 Shing Fung Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon | Modern facility, opened 2013; 2 berths; rooftop park; mostly turnaround and homeporting calls |
| Ocean Terminal (Harbour City) | Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon | Opened 1966 inside what is now the Harbour City shopping mall; 2 berths for smaller ships; StarCruises' Star Voyager sails from here September 30 to November 13, 2026 |
Kai Tak details confirmed via Wikipedia and the terminal's own site; Ocean Terminal's via Wikipedia. Kai Tak's own schedule shows which lines turn around there, but Ocean Terminal's line-up isn't published, apart from StarCruises' Star Voyager this autumn.
Recheck before booking — the terminal you draw changes the arrival plan completely.
Should you drive?
Kai Tak’s own lot is small — the terminal itself calls it limited. Ocean Terminal, inside Harbour City, has its own dedicated car park, priced by the half hour.
Kai Tak has 112 hourly spaces, at HK$20 an hour on weekdays and HK$24 on weekends and holidays since an August 15, 2026 rate rise. The terminal recommends a taxi or public transport as backup, not a guaranteed space.
At Ocean Terminal it’s HK$17 per 30 minutes by day, in Harbour City’s dedicated car park (P5). Recheck before booking
Our parking page sets the two side by side. Read it before you plan to drive.
Where should I park for a Hong Kong cruise?
Kai Tak's limited on-site lot and Harbour City's Ocean Terminal car park, compared on what's confirmed, plus the MTR and taxi alternatives.
Compare your options →From the airport to the berth
Hong Kong International Airport connects directly to most long-haul hubs.
Both terminals are reachable by MTR, minibus, bus or taxi. Kai Tak sits further from the nearest MTR station than Ocean Terminal does.
US citizens don’t need a visa for stays up to 90 days in Hong Kong — and that system is entirely separate from mainland China’s. Rules change, so confirm current requirements before you travel.
| From | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong International Airport | Taxi (~HK$310 to Kai Tak) or Airport Express plus onward transfer | Landing the day before gives you slack that same-day embarkation doesn’t |
| Kai Tak Cruise Terminal | Green minibus 86 to Kowloon Bay MTR (HK$7.1), several bus routes, or taxi | A free shuttle for debarking passengers to nearby MTR stations and malls on call days, and a paid one on turn calls; a ferry from the Kwun Tong and North Point public piers to Kai Tak Runway Park Pier on weekends and public holidays, per the terminal |
| Ocean Terminal (Harbour City) | Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Exit A1, a 5-minute walk to the Harbour City complex, per Harbour City | The more centrally located and walkable of the two terminals |
Kai Tak access details sourced directly to kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk, the terminal's own site. Ocean Terminal access based on its known Tsim Sha Tsui location within Harbour City rather than a dedicated transport page.
Recheck before booking — Kai Tak and Ocean Terminal sit on opposite sides of the harbour, so confirm yours before booking a car.
The night before, ranked: we’ve scored twenty hotels for the night before a Hong Kong cruise, from Kwun Tong to the Island and Lantau, on what each one publishes.
None of the twenty we ranked is near Kai Tak, and none runs a shuttle to a terminal. Four worth a look first:
| Hotel | Where | One thing to know |
|---|---|---|
| Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel | Harbour City, Canton Road | In the same complex as Ocean Terminal, per Harbour City; about 0.04 road miles by our routing. Its own page puts Tsim Sha Tsui MTR 10 minutes on foot. |
| Holiday Inn Express Kowloon CBD2 | Kwun Tong | The closest hotel to Kai Tak that we measured, about 2.3 road miles by our routing, with breakfast in the rate, per IHG. |
| Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui | Tsim Sha Tsui | Direct access to two MTR stations and a 25-metre heated outdoor pool, per Hyatt. |
| Regal Kowloon Hotel | Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East | A free airport shuttle, per the hotel. Its other shuttle goes to the China Ferry Terminal, which isn’t a cruise berth. |
See all twenty hotels, ranked for a Hong Kong cruise → Flying in? Airport to the ship →
For a nicer night, see the splurge list. Hong Kong Airport to the ship compares the taxi, the Airport Express and the buses.
Tell us what you’re booking
Name your line and your terminal, and we'll work out the rest.
East Asia loop or Japan connection, Kai Tak or Ocean Terminal: tell us what you're actually weighing, and we'll point you to the right sailing.
We check each answer against the line’s or hotel’s own page and date it.
Hong Kong, answered
Who sails from Hong Kong right now?
Kai Tak’s own 2026-27 schedules, read October 5, 2026, show turnarounds for eleven lines: Royal Caribbean International (Spectrum of the Seas, many turnarounds from November 2026), Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Costa, Oceania, Cunard, Adora Cruises and TUI Cruises, plus Carnival (Carnival Splendor on August 29, 2027 and Carnival Luminosa on October 28, 2027) and Explora Journeys (Explora III on November 16, 2027).
Princess and Silversea only call in transit.
StarCruises’ Star Voyager sails short Xiamen, Okinawa, Sanya and Kaohsiung cruises from Ocean Terminal between September 30 and November 13, 2026. It isn’t on Kai Tak’s turnaround list.
Wikipedia puts the number of different lines that have called at Kai Tak since it opened in 2013 at more than 20, including Carnival and Costa — most of those don’t maintain a regular season today.
Which terminal will my ship use?
Two terminals are in play, and they’re very different. Kai Tak Cruise Terminal opened in 2013 on the former airport runway in Kowloon.
It has two berths and a rooftop park, and most of its scheduled calls are turnarounds, per its own schedule.
Ocean Terminal is inside the Harbour City shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. It opened in 1966 as Hong Kong’s first shopping mall and still handles smaller ships.
Kai Tak’s schedule shows which lines turn around there, and StarCruises’ Star Voyager sails from Ocean Terminal this autumn. Your cruise documents name your terminal, so read them before you book a hotel or a car.
Where do Hong Kong cruises go?
Two patterns, per our Asia guide — shorter regional loops run into mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan (Shanghai, Busan, Keelung), and longer connecting voyages link Hong Kong to Japan.
Our Asia guide calls Hong Kong’s itinerary map “a market still finding its post-2020 footing”. Check current line deployment for your dates rather than assuming a fixed annual pattern.
What does parking cost at the terminals?
It depends on the terminal. Kai Tak’s own passenger-info page calls its on-site parking limited, and recommends a taxi or public transport instead.
It has 112 hourly spaces, at HK$20/hour on weekdays and HK$24/hour on weekends and public holidays since an August 15, 2026 rate increase.
Ocean Terminal sits inside Harbour City, which runs its own dedicated Ocean Terminal car park (P5) at HK$17 per 30 minutes by day. Harbour City prints no space count, so we can’t say how the two compare on capacity.
The parking page sets the two terminals side by side. Read it before you plan to drive.
Does Hong Kong entry cover mainland China?
No — and our Asia guide flags it specifically. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own immigration system, entirely separate from mainland China’s.
A US citizen’s visa-free Hong Kong entry (up to 90 days) says nothing about mainland China entry, which normally requires a visa. Ask your line which entry rule applies at any China call, and don’t assume.