Blue Dream Cruises announced it would suspend operations as of Jan. 4, citing hardware updates and maintenance for the Blue Dream Melody, which is the former AIDAvita.

Chinese social media accounts painted a different picture and reported that the company did not have enough passengers booked on upcoming cruises to South Korea.

Similar to other Chinese cruise lines, previously announced itineraries to Japan had been adjusted and replaced with calls to South Korea in the first quarter.

The ship’s Dec. 28 sailing was being advertised through travel agents a week prior to departure with prices starting at 698 RMB per person ($99). The itinerary is sailing three nights roundtrip from Beihai, China to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

Blue Dream relaunched service coming out of the pandemic in 2024, and had swapped ships, with the 1,200-guest Melody taking over for the former 836-guest Blue Dream Star, which continues to sit laid up in Asia.

The company’s customer service department confirmed it would issue refunds and noted there is no news on whether operations will continue.