Visa for cruise ship passengers

Hi, we will be arriving April 26th on Ovation of the Seas to Tianjin. We will then go directly to PEK for a flight return to US, is a Visa required in this instance? I have gotten several different answers from the cruise line as well as checking with China tour operators. The way I found your website was actually with a cruise agent who read your site and interpreted the 24hr, 72hr and 144hr to mean we do not need to obtain one. However I spoke with a tour operator and they said they believed I do need this as we will be transiting from Tianjin to Beijing vs going from the port of Tianjin to Tianjin airport, remaining in the same city for under 24 hours. We are concerned over the conflicting information we are receiving, please respond at your earliest convenience. Thank you.