Spectrum of the Seas Itinerary

What Spectrum of the Seas's Autumn Asia Season Is Actually Like

Autumn is when Spectrum of the Seas, the 169,379-ton, 4,246-guest Quantum Ultra Class ship (built 2019, refreshed in 2024), changes her address. She packs up, leaves Shanghai and moves to Hong Kong, and she doesn't look back. The season opens with Shanghai sailings, then she hops to Hong Kong and stays there for the rest of the listed dates. Be warned: this is not a Caribbean "wake up, it's a different island" schedule. Most of the autumn menu is short, sharp trips, and the weather swings a lot depending on which end of the map you board at.

The opening act: Shanghai, then a one-way repositioning

The 8-night "Best of Japan" sailing leaves Shanghai tomorrow, 24 October. If you're reading this with a half-packed suitcase, hello, and please find your socks. Timetable listings show Sakaiminato (26 Oct), Maizuru (27 Oct), Niigata (28 Oct) and Hakodate (29 Oct), with a return to Shanghai on 1 November. That leaves three sea days. Royal Caribbean's own itinerary page for this cruise also lists Maizuru. Our own data has no ports for this sailing, and Royal Caribbean says ports of call can change for weather, safety or operational reasons, so confirm with Royal Caribbean before you plan shore days around it.

The 5-night sailing on 1 November runs Shanghai to Hong Kong. It calls at Jeju (Seogwipo) on 2 November, 11:59 to 20:00, and Busan on 3 November, 08:00 to 20:00. It arrives in Hong Kong at 06:30 on 6 November, and she doesn't get a lie-in. The same afternoon, at 16:00, she leaves Hong Kong on a 5-night Okinawa sailing with an overnight in Naha, from 11:30 on 8 November to 14:00 on 9 November. She is back in Hong Kong at 07:00 on 11 November.

Weather: two climates, one ship

• Hong Kong: Official 1991-2020 normals put November at a 24.5°C average daily high and 20.3°C low, with 39.3 mm of rain. December drops to 20.4°C and 16.2°C, with 28.8 mm. Humidity still sits around 70 to 72%. Local sources say typhoon season runs to the end of November, so early sailings carry a small itinerary-change risk.
• Shanghai: November is cold and dry, with highs around 17°C and lows around 8 to 9°C, according to climate sites. Sea temperature is about 17°C.
• Okinawa: Expect mild days, roughly 20°C by December, but a north wind can make nights feel much colder than the number suggests. The thermometer is lying to you, politely.

I found no published wave-height data for these routes. Late-autumn winds generally make open-water crossings livelier than summer ones, so if you're prone to seasickness, check the forecast and pack your remedy.

Which sailing for whom

Holiday and foliage timing

The 22 November nine-nighter calls at Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Busan, so Thanksgiving (26 November) falls in Nagasaki. A Kyushu foliage forecast puts peak colour between 27 November and 10 December, so this sailing catches the start of it, in Fukuoka on 27 November. The 20 December sailing sails past that window. It is a Japan-only itinerary calling at Fukuoka (23 Dec), Nagasaki (24 Dec), Kagoshima (25 Dec) and Kumamoto (26 Dec), with Christmas Day in Kagoshima, so expect holiday atmosphere over leaf-peeping. The 29 December Okinawa sailing is in Naha from 11:30 on 31 December until 14:00 on 1 January, which makes it a neat New Year's choice.

Royal Caribbean's season announcement mentioned Tokyo and Osaka for the nine-night sailing. The current timetable listings don't show them, so check the live itinerary.

What to pack

Think layers. Pack a warm coat and scarf if you board in Shanghai or sail to Busan, Niigata or Hakodate. For the Hong Kong departures, a light jacket is enough in November, with something warmer for December nights. Add a compact umbrella and comfortable walking shoes. The Japanese ports are best done on foot, so your calves have been warned.

Still choosing a cabin? Our cabin size guide will help. Want the ship's details? See the Spectrum of the Seas page. Her latest CDC score is 100, from the 13 May 2026 inspection, and you can look up any ship in our CDC inspection lookup.