China handled 4.39 million cruise passengers last year, up 82 percent on the previous year. The country is expected to become the second-biggest cruise market in the world, after the United States, by 2020. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Shanghai and Tianjin are the main departure ports, but Xiamen in Fujian province, Qingdao in Shandong province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, now give travelers more choices.

Liu says: "People used to flock to Shanghai earlier, but many northerners now opt for Tianjin."

Now, travelers from the south can depart from Xiamen or Shenzhen, while those from central and western China can go for ports based on proximity, says Liu.

Also, ships departing from Shanghai, Tianjin and Qingdao mostly visit Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku; while those leaving southern ports mostly travel to the Ryukyu Islands, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

For now, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Nichinan are the top three destinations for cruise travelers, but Kitakyushu, Yatsushiro and Kochi are also attracting travelers.

For Lyu, the upcoming cruise is more about bonding.

"It's rare for us to spend time together, and the cruise will allow us to do things together," she says.