China's largest domestically built cruise ship, Adora Flora City, arrives at the Nansha International Cruise Home Port in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Thursday. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

China's largest domestically built cruise ship, Adora Flora City, completed its first trial voyage on Thursday, arriving in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

The vessel departed from the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on Monday and arrived at the Nansha International Cruise Home Port in Guangzhou on Thursday morning.

During the voyage, the crew comprehensively tested the cruise ship's operational capabilities, covering maritime operations, navigation safety, products and services, ship-shore coordination and information systems, according to Adora Cruises, the ship's operator.

Nearly 1,000 teachers and students from 16 universities in East China, including Fudan University and Nanjing University, were invited to take part in the trial voyage and arrived in Guangzhou aboard the ship, the company said.

Following the ship's arrival, Adora Cruises will continue to improve home port berthing operations and port entry coordination while preparing for its maiden commercial voyage.

The Adora Flora City will conduct its second trial voyage from Saturday to Monday, sailing from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. During the voyage, the crew will test regional cruise itinerary arrangements, as well as immigration, customs clearance and other related procedures in Hong Kong, the company said.

The vessel will launch its inaugural season from Guangzhou on Nov 22, according to the operator.

Adora Cruises said it has taken into account the travel patterns of consumers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and designed a portfolio of cruise itineraries combining short-, medium- and long-haul routes.

From Nov 22 to Jan 2, 2027, the Adora Flora City will operate six international cruise voyages from its core home port, the Guangzhou Nansha International Cruise Home Port.

Featuring a balanced mix of route lengths, the voyages will cater to both casual short getaways and longer, more in-depth exploration, offering tourists from across the country a new option for Southeast Asian maritime vacations, according to the company.

Built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the Adora Flora City is the second vessel to emerge from China's decade-long endeavor to independently build large cruise ships, which are regarded as among the most difficult and sophisticated civilian vessels to design and construct.

Construction of the vessel began in August 2022, and it was delivered to Adora Cruises earlier this month.

Compared with China's first domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, the new vessel features an optimized design and a larger size.