Asuka Cruises, the Japanese cruise line owned by NYK Group, will offer a world cruise aboard its classic cruise ship Asuka II next year, with the 103-night itinerary departing Japan on March 31st, 2025, and featuring South Africa as one of the destinations on offer.

Asuka will also offer Cape Town as a departure port for a shorter leg of the World Cruise.

The sailing will mark the final world voyage for Asuka II, which is soon being joined by a newbuild. Guests will be able to board the vessel for the world cruise in Yokohama or Kobe, sailing to 18 destinations in 12 countries around Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and the Pacific.

Asuka II will sail the coast of Japan and visit Singapore and Reunion before sailing to South Africa and Namibia. She will then head north, visiting the Canary Islands before arriving in Europe for destinations in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

The ship will call in Portugal, Spain, France and England l during this segment, before setting out on a trans-Atlantic crossing ahead of visits to Boston, New York, and the Bahamas. After a visit to Colombia, the Asuka II is set to transit the Panama Canal on its way to the Pacific coast of North America.

The itinerary features visits to Costa Rica, Mexico, San Francisco and Hawaii before returning to Japan in mid-July.

Overnight calls are among the highlights of the cruise, which feature two-day visits to Cape Town, Rouen, New York City and Honolulu. Asuka is currently promoting the world voyage with a series of information sessions in Tokyo and Osaka set to be held through late January.

According to the company, passengers are able to book segments of the cruise.

In 2025, Asuka Cruise is also taking delivery of the new Asuka III. The 744-guest ship is scheduled to debut ahead of the upcoming summer season and is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

The overnight stay and cruise from Cape Town will mark Asuka’s first-ever call to South Africa.

The world cruise itinerary reflects Cape Town’s growing popularity as a cruise destination and turnaround port amid the ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea, which have forced all major cruise lines to cancel cruises through the region and instead re-route ships around Africa.