The Blue Dream Star, an 836-passenger vessel last operated by Blue Dream Cruises, has become the third ship to leave mainland China this year following its reported sale to Turkish owners.

Cruise Industry News understands the deal represents the ship's full withdrawal from the Chinese market, though additional details of the transaction remain unannounced. The vessel spent several years sailing from ports in the region before entering an extended layup in mid-2024.

Travel agencies in other markets are already selling the ship's next deployment. Packages currently on sale include three- and four-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean starting in 2027, signaling a complete repositioning of the vessel away from Asian source markets.

The Blue Dream Star is not an isolated case. The Piano Land is also leaving the Chinese market after approximately seven years sailing for Astro Ocean Cruises. As Cruise Industry News reported in early September, the company confirmed a deal with Corazul Cruceros that will see the 1995-built vessel targeting the Brazilian national market.

The 1,862-passenger ship has already departed Hong Kong and is en route to South America under its new name, Buenavista.

A third exit, with a different model

The former Zhao Shang Yi Dun also wrapped up its China deployment earlier this year, repositioning to the Mediterranean. The ship had been sailing in the Far East since 2021 under a joint venture between Viking Cruises and China Merchants.

Unlike the Blue Dream Star and the Buenavista, this 922-passenger vessel keeps its connection to Chinese demand. Now renamed Viking Yi Dun and back in Viking's main fleet, it is offering Mediterranean itineraries customized for Chinese guests — a shift from homeporting in China to exporting Chinese passengers to European itineraries instead.

Costa Serena follows

A fourth vessel is leaving the Asian market later this year. The Costa Serena is wrapping up a decade-long deployment in the region, one of the longest continuous commitments by a major international brand.

The 3,000-passenger ship will reposition to South America before returning to Europe in 2027, according to the source report.

For travel sellers, the pattern is clear: capacity is draining out of Chinese and broader Asian homeports across multiple operators and ownership structures, from domestic player Blue Dream Cruises to Carnival Corporation's Costa brand. The one exception in this group, Viking Yi Dun, suggests the more durable route to Chinese demand may be selling Chinese guests into overseas itineraries rather than deploying ships into Chinese ports.