Global cruise lines set sail for China as passenger numbers are forecast to rise

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, will have its home port in China.

The $935 million ship floated out of a German shipyard last week and will spend the winter sailing between New York and the Caribbean before moving to its new base next summer in Shanghai.

It is a brave move for the world's second-largest cruise company. Cruise operators have traditionally sent older vessels to developing countries while saving their most advanced ships for US and European customers. But surging growth in China means it is a market operators can no longer ignore.