Getting There · Shanghai
The ride is long; the paperwork is longer. Pudong is roughly 20 miles (31 km) from the North Bund terminal in a straight line by our pins, and how you enter China depends on where your cruise goes next.
Put in your landing and the ship’s departure. The defaults are a mid-afternoon landing and a 16:30 sailing, like Spectrum’s on CruiseDig; use your own documents.
Fly into Shanghai Pudong (PVG). The US nonstops we found all land there. The city puts a taxi from Pudong to People’s Square at around ¥180 and 50 minutes; the North Bund terminal is a little farther, roughly 20 miles (31 km) in a straight line by our pins.
Take a taxi with cruise bags. The meter is ¥14 for the first 3 km and ¥2.7 a km after that, rising 50% a km beyond 15 km, per the city’s guide. By our arithmetic that’s roughly ¥170 to the North Bund by day, before tolls — our estimate, not a published fare. Travelling light? The Maglev is ¥50 to Longyang Road, then Metro Line 2.
Then sort the entry rule, not the ride. US citizens need a visa, with limited exceptions, per the State Department. The 240-hour transit is the exception most cruisers look at, and it turns on your onward ticket. Read the entry rules before you book the flight.
Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.
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What we found, read October 20, 2026. Most dates come from listings, not the lines, so check your own ship. For US travelers it’s a short list.
| Line | What it sells here | Ships and dates we found | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Spectrum of the Seas, round trips to Japan and Korea | From late January 2027 on two- to eight-night trips; Global Journeys lists them into 2028 | Cruise Industry News; Global Journeys |
| MSC Cruises | MSC Bellissima, round trips | Four- to nine-night trips; nine-night departures Feb 2 and Feb 24, 2027 | Shanghai government; Global Journeys |
| Azamara | Shanghai to Hong Kong, 8 nights | Azamara Pursuit, Oct 23, 2026, sailing 1:00 PM Oct 24 | CruiseWeb listing |
| Holland America | Overnight call | Westerdam, days 11–12 of the Nov 8, 2026 voyages from Tokyo | Taoticket listing |
| Oceania Cruises | Overnight call | Vista, Hong Kong to Tokyo segment from Mar 29, 2027 | Luxury Travel Advisor |
| Regent Seven Seas | Call | Seven Seas Explorer, Apr 25, 2027 Incheon to Tokyo, days 5–6 | Taoticket listing |
We couldn’t find a Princess or Celebrity voyage that starts or ends here in 2026–27; Celebrity’s 2026 Asia page names other departure ports. CruiseDig lists Silversea’s Silver Muse leaving Shanghai in May, June and August 2027, and Azamara Quest in April 2027 — port departures, which may be calls rather than starts. Don’t infer a regular season from a few dates.
Fares and dates are on Booking.com. Land the day before, not the morning you sail.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
The taxi rows are our estimates from the city’s tariff and about 45 km by road (Marriott’s figure for the W), per car, before tolls. The hotel-car rows are each hotel’s published price, per car. The rail rows are per person.
| Taxi, PVG to the North Bund, by day (our estimate from the city tariff) | — |
| Taxi, same trip, with the 30% night surcharge (our estimate) | — |
| W Shanghai hotel car from PVG (Marriott) | — |
| Delta Baoshan hotel car from PVG (Marriott) | — |
| Maglev to Longyang Road (Pudong government, 2017) | — |
| Metro Line 2 to People’s Square (the city) | — |
One way, in yuan. Taxis add a waiting charge in slow traffic and holiday surcharges of ¥5 or ¥10, per the city. The city prints the night window as “11 am and 5 am,” which we read as 11 p.m.; confirm with your driver. Holiday Inn Express Pudong Airport’s shuttle is free, per IHG.
The Maglev ends at Longyang Road, not at either terminal. With bags, the taxi is the simple plan.
We couldn’t find published check-in cut-offs for either Shanghai terminal. The first row uses a sailing time from CruiseDig’s port listing; the second is our own margin. Use your line’s times.
Entry is the slow part. A 240-hour transit means an immigration check on arrival, and the ride is about an hour either way. Fly in the day before.
We ranked twelve hotels for a Shanghai sailing, by both terminals and both airports. Tell us the flight and the ship, and Seabound Journeys will pick the night that fits.
We couldn’t find a published disembarkation window for either terminal. Enter your flight and when you expect to be ashore; the planner sets out the ride and the wait.
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The default. “You must obtain a visa before arriving in China, with limited exceptions,” per the US State Department. It wants a passport valid at least six months beyond arrival, two blank pages, and says China doesn’t accept the 12-page emergency passport for visa-free entry.
The 240-hour transit. The Shanghai government’s page, updated August 20, 2026, lists the United States among 57 countries whose nationals can enter visa-free “when transiting to a third country or region,” with “onward tickets with confirmed seats and departure dates,” for no more than 240 hours. Its January 2025 FAQ disqualifies passports with under three months left — the State Department’s six months is the safer number. A US–Shanghai–US round trip doesn’t fit “third country,” as we read it. The city’s FAQ says Wusongkou counts as an eligible port, filed under “Shanghai Port (Passenger),” and that mixing modes of transport is allowed through open ports. Eligibility is decided on site by the Shanghai immigration station.
The 15-day cruise-group rule. Since May 15, 2024, groups of two or more on a cruise, hosted by a Chinese travel agency, can enter visa-free for up to 15 days, but “must depart China on the same cruise ship they arrived on,” per the city. That fits a round-trip call. It doesn’t fit flying in to board, or leaving the ship to fly home.
Flying in to board. On paper, flying from the US and sailing on to a different country, like Azamara’s Shanghai to Hong Kong, Japan or Taiwan, matches the transit pattern. Whether your cruise ticket counts as the onward ticket is for your line and the immigration station, not us. Ending here and flying out, arriving by ship from Japan or Korea and flying on to the US, is the same pattern in reverse. If your plan rests on either, ask your line in writing, or get the visa.
The advisory. The State Department rates mainland China Level 2, exercise increased caution, citing arbitrary enforcement of local laws, exit bans and the risk of wrongful detention. That advisory was issued October 19, 2026.
Money and phones. Most people pay by WeChat or Alipay, and credit cards may only be taken at large international stores and hotels, per the State Department. Overseas visitors can link Visa and Mastercard to both apps, with a US$5,000 single-payment limit, per China’s State Council site (April 2024). Cash must legally be accepted, but some vendors won’t or can’t make change. The State Department says the most popular US social media platforms are prohibited in China, VPN use is illegal in most cases, and you shouldn’t use public Wi-Fi. Set up a payment app before you fly.
Fly in the day before. A long-haul arrival, an immigration check and an hour’s taxi don’t leave much room on sail day.
Pick the hotel by the terminal. Four of our twelve sit within about 1.1 km of the North Bund terminal; two are in Baoshan near Wusongkou; three are by an airport.
Our top six, with the straight-line distance from Pudong to each. All twelve are on the hotels page.
What each of our twelve says about getting from Pudong to its door. Holiday Inn Express Pudong Airport runs a free shuttle and the Holiday Inn is on a walkway; the W and Delta Baoshan sell cars at printed prices; the Hilton’s shuttle serves Hongqiao only.
Pudong (PVG), where the US nonstops we found land. Hongqiao (SHA), about 13 km from the centre per the city, is mostly domestic and regional.
The meter is ¥14 for 3 km, then ¥2.7 a km, rising 50% a km beyond 15 km, per the city. By our arithmetic that’s roughly ¥170 to the North Bund by day; ChinaTravel says about ¥200.
Not directly. It runs from Pudong to Longyang Road for ¥50, per the Pudong government’s 2017 guide, then you change to Metro Line 2. With bags, take a taxi.
We could confirm Delta from Los Angeles, five a week since October 7, 2026, per Travel China Guide, plus Delta’s 2024 announcement of daily Detroit and Seattle flights. We couldn’t read the airlines’ current route pages, so check your own ticket.
Per the State Department, yes, with limited exceptions. The 240-hour transit can apply if your onward travel goes to a third country or region; the 15-day cruise-group rule requires you to leave on the ship you arrived on.
Yes, per the Shanghai government’s September 1, 2026 FAQ, under “Shanghai Port (Passenger).” Eligibility is still decided on site.
Sometimes. The State Department says cards may only be taken at large international stores and hotels; most people pay by WeChat or Alipay, which accept linked Visa and Mastercard.
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