The international cruise liner Villa Vie Odyssey is scheduled to make its maiden call at Port of Hualien on September 13th (2025) and, after spending the night in port, will depart on the following day. Different from most cruise ships, Villa Vie Odyssey offers passengers extended residential cruise experiences and operates as a “floating town”. Guests may sign on for the ship’s full cruise cycle of around three-and-a-half years or for shorter stints lasting from 35 to 120 days.

The Panama-registered Villa Vie Odyssey is a mid-sized cruise ship of 24,300GT built in 1993, with cabins sufficient to accommodate around 900 passengers at a time. The ship circumnavigates the globe once every 3-1/2 years, calling at over 425 ports in 147 countries and territories and giving passengers a memorably satisfying “citizen of the world” experience. Passengers have the option of joining the ship for the portion (or portions) of the journey that most piques their interest.

Port of Hualien has continued in recent years to promote its harbor and surroundings as an attractive cruise destination. Beyond offering discounts and incentives for cruise ship calls, port officials have actively participated in international cruise industry gatherings and forums, introducing the rich tourism opportunities in Hualien and Taiwan’s (Pacific) East Coast as well as the port’s facilities. Port of Hualien anticipates welcoming 20 cruise ships and 5,919 cruise passengers this year (2025) and 24 cruise ships and around 15,400 cruise passengers in 2026. Many of these cruise ships, including Villa Vie Odyssey, are making their maiden visit to Hualien. Hualien’s port authority is confident that the cultural and scenic allure of eastern Taiwan are helping stoke cruise industry interest in the area and ensuring cruise ship arrival numbers will continue to climb through the coming years.

“Overnight calls” represent a strong selling point for cruise itineraries calling at Port of Hualien, providing passengers easy access to the wealth of scenic and cultural attractions in and around Hualien City and highlighting the potential value of Hualien as a cruise vacation stopover destination. Port of Hualien and its parent TIPC will continue expanding cooperation with Hualien County Government agencies to raise Port of Hualien’s international profile within the cruise industry and make Hualien a must-stop destination on cruise itineraries throughout East Asia.

Provided by：Port Business Dept., Port of Hualien, TIPC
Contact Person：Peggy Tsai,  Supervisor
Telephone No.：03-8325131-2421
E-mail Address：peggy627@twport.com.tw

Images 1 & 2. The Villa Vie Odyssey (provided by: Villa Vie Residences)