It was a sunny warm afternoon in late February, when we boarded the Majestic Princess cruise ship for our two-week grand Asia tour of seven cities. Once we were all onboard, the ship thrust off the berth joining the slow waters of the Huangpu River. It took us almost six hours of maneuvering before we set a northeasterly course toward Hakata, Japan. On our particular voyage, the ship, which ordinarily serves Chinese passengers, was filled with people from all over the world.

Built in Italy, with a bright-white body and blue glass balconies, the Majestic Princess is beautiful and eco-friendly. Marble floors, perfectly polished handrails and a tastefully decorated interior provoke the feeling of a home, not a vessel. The engines were equipped with innovative scrubbers that cleaned the waste. Clean water was even produced onboard. The cruise ship traveled to China from Rome along the ancient maritime Silk Road from May to June 2017.

Some people compare luxury ships to hotels on water. That's not exactly the case. People love to cruise because we are thrilled to experience the latest fusion in the arts of technology and hospitality, along with the onboard entertainment and education. Our ship had it all under one roof, sailing under the skies of the East and South China Seas.

Basketball legend and inductee into the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Fame Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li were the "naming ambassadors" and officially named the ship Shengshi Gongzhu in Chinese.

Yao played basketball on the ship's court, encouraging passengers to exercise while cruising. We were challenged to duplicate the almost full-court shot Yao easily made. For me, there was not enough time on the cruise to begin to reach that goal.

After his NBA career, Yao became the first famous Chinese entrepreneur in the world of fine wines. I was able to sit for a wine tasting at the Maitre D'Hotel Wine Club where I had Yao's Sauvignon Blank, which was a superbly balanced and aromatic blend with layers of cherry, cassis and plum.

There were various themed restaurants onboard, but the gem of them all was the notable Harmony, which featured renowned chef Richard Chen's exclusive dishes celebrating Cantonese cuisine.

Next, there was moderate shopping and heavy window-shopping to be done at the world-class boutique gallery, which included Cartier, Coach and Effy, among others. We were pleasantly surprised to see innovation in such a conservative zone as diamonds. For instance, the Effy collection included an eye-catching ammolite, a rare Canadian gemstone with a distinct and vibrant rainbow complexion. The lighting angle highlights different luminous colors. It was only officially recognized as a gemstone in the 1980s. A young but knowledgeable Chinese sales manager made our visit even more pleasurable.

One afternoon in early March, the pilot led the Majestic Princess to the designated berth in Singapore. Our "do-nothing-enjoy" time had come to an end. But, it is certain that millions of sea adventurers will board larger and more sophisticated vessels in the future. From 2012 to 2016, the number of Chinese ocean-cruise passengers almost doubled to 2.1 million. Still, it's only 20 percent of the U.S. population that takes cruises every year.

The author is a freelance writer living in New York City

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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