Yangtze River Cruise

Answer #1

I took a four night upstream Yangtze river cruise on the Victoria Queen. The cruise started in YiChang and traveled upstream to Chungqing.

Ship – The Victoria Queen was rather typical on the exterior of other ships sailing the Yangtze. The Victoria Queen was ~12 years old but had recently been expanded and refurbished for cruising the Yangtze. Everything looked fresh and new. There was no smoking on board except outside on the back of the ship, so there were no bad odors onboard. This ship has five public decks and no elevator. If walking up and down stairs is a problem, then this may not be the ship for you.

The cabin was spacious. I had the cabin to myself and had lots or space. All cabins were at least 210 sq ft and had a balcony, which was the width of the cabin and only two feet deep, just wide enough for the two patio chairs.

The cabin had two comfortable twin beds. Each bed had two fluffy and soft pillows. The sheets were soft and the bed was topped with a duvet. This was the most comfortable bed I slept in, in all of China. The room had great air-conditioning. It didn’t seem very adjustable. I kept it on most of the time and was comfortable. The room had a TV with HBO and several other English speaking news channels. The TV was located high up the wall and was viewable from the two beds. There was no refrigerator, but I asked the room stewardess Annie for ice and an ice bucket full of ice appeared and was refilled with ice twice a day throughout the cruise.

There was a small closet and bench for placing your suitcase. There weren’t many drawers for storage that I can recall. There was a desk and chair.

The bathroom was quite large. There was a sink and large countertop, WC and large tub/shower combination. There was always plenty of hot water. The room was supplied with high quality shampoos, shower gels, soaps and lotions.

The food was very good. But if you are expecting all the choices, and quantities typical on an ocean cruise then you may be disappointed. Breakfast and lunch were buffets. There were western and Chinese choices and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I always found many things to try and enjoyed most of the selections. Dinners were served family style at the table. Most dishes were Chinese, but I feel that most people would find the food fairly good. There was nothing “unrecognizable, squiggly or slimy”. There were also some western items served. There were always ~10-15 different dishes served and no one went hungry.

The service was fabulous. Everyone was friendly and greeted you as you walked by. The cabin, as well as the entire ship was immaculate. There’s not much to say other then it would be difficult to have better service on a ship.

There was the Captain’s welcome aboard cocktail party held in the Yangtze club on the first evening, which was very nice. Sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres were served. We all toasted to an enjoyable cruise and had a great time.

This was a fabulous trip that I really enjoyed. Hope this review gives you some idea of what a Yangtze River cruise will be like. It was relaxing, interesting, and slow paced. But a Yangtze River cruise is the only way to see this part of China there will be undergoing dramatic changes during the upcoming years.

Answered By: Laura [ ]

Answer #3

My cruise along the Yangtze River was the most highlight of a fabulous tour. After a brief tour of Chongqing, we started our 4 days cruising down the Yangtze.. The ship we took was Victoria Queen, a ship with five public decks and no elevator. There was no smoking on board except outside on the back of the ship, so there were no bad odors onboard. The cabin I stayed was very spacious with two comfortable twin beds inside. The room had great air-conditioning. The room had a TV with HBO and several other English speaking news channels.

The food on board was good. We were served buffet for breakfast and lunch. There were western and Chinese style choices and lots of fruits and vegetables. I was happy to try something new to eat and enjoyed all the selections. Dinners were served family style at the table. There are about 15 dishes on each table and you would not be leave with hunger.The service on the ship was also fabulous. Everyone was friendly and greeted you when you walked by.rn There are also many Chinese style entertainments for us on board. For example, there was a Tai Chi lesson every morning or you can try some Chinese medical treatments like acupuncture, massage and suction cups. The ship staff put on a show at nighttime. They are not professional actors and actress but the performance was interesting.rn Everyday there was a tour. We left the ship and took the daily tour. What impressed me most were Fengdu Ghost city and Three Gorges DamsrnrnIn all, this was a fabulous trip on Yangtze Cruise with Victoria Queen.

Answered By: william_1973 [ ]