We are flying in to Shanghai and transferring to our cruise ship immediately do we need a visa

You will be eligible for 24 or 144 hour visa free transit, but under the following conditions that you will easily check by yourself:

- Your flight from, I assume, UK to Shanghai is not allowed to have any additional landing in mainland China and in the country where your cruise will have its first port of call, immediately after Shanghai.
- Your cruise is not allowed to have its first port of call, immediately after Shanghai, in mainland China port.

If the above conditions are fulfilled, you will be eligible for 24 or 144 hour visa free transit and you don't need any kind of visa. Also, you will easily calculate whether you will be eligible for 24 or 144 hour visa free transit. If your entire transit time in Shanghai, from your scheduled arrival in Shanghai until your scheduled departure from Shanghai will be less than 24 hours, you will be eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and if this time is longer than 24 hours for just a minute, you will be eligible for 144 hour visa free transit. In every case, you will travel visa free.