TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The French luxury cruise ship Le Soleal has arrived in Keelung to take 200 travelers on an island-hopping tour of Japan, reports said Friday (March 24).

Several of the passengers flew from other countries to Taiwan to board the ship operated by the Compagnie du Ponant, per the Liberty Times. The report described the 11-day voyage as the first trip by a luxury cruise vessel out of Keelung since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The harbor authorities expressed satisfaction at the French company choosing Keelung as its home port in East Asia, while emphasizing six-star cruises are different from other travel programs because they offer an in-depth island-hopping experience.

After Le Soleal arrived in Keelung Friday morning, 100 Taiwanese travelers and 80 from other countries were expected to board for the trip to more than six small islands in Japan’s Ryukyu archipelago followed by a look at the cherry blossoms, the report said.