 | General Description |
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| |  | What kind of ship is used for the Yangtze River cruises? |
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| | | | Let's Travel China features various first-class vessels for the Yangtze River portion of your tour, where applicble. Please visit the "Yangtze River Cruise" section of the Let's Travel China website for detailed information. |
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| | | How big is the ship? |
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| | | | The largest ship, the "Yangtze 1," is weighs in at 5750 tons. It's 340 feet long, 53 feet wide and features 6 passenger decks. The ship accommodates 218 guests serviced by a crew of 130. Other ships, just slightly smaller, may be featured as well. However, all ships are of comparable size and service levels. |
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| | | Do you always use the same ship on your tours? |
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| | | | No. Departure dates, ship availablility and other logistic concerns prevent us from confirming a specific cruise ship until after final payment has been received. Even then, operational decisions beyond our control may result in last-minute cruise ship substitutions.
In general...travelers who choose the Essential China tours departing Beijing on Sundays will likely be accommodated aboard the Yangtze 1. Those who choose Thursday tour departures will likely be accommodated aboard the Victoria 1, 3, 5 or 7-series ship. (Those who select the Sunday Essential China tour AND include a 3-night add-on to Tibet, Guilin, Lijiang or Jiu Zhai Gou will likely be accommodated aboard the Yangtze 1.) |
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| | | What facilities and amenities are provided onboard? |
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| | | | All ships feature lower berths (there are no "upper bunks" aboard any of our featured ships) and private bathrooms with shower. There's a main restaurant, a main lounge, several bars, a gift shop, a small fitness center, a swimming pool and/or whirlpool and plenty of outdoor space. Some ships feature accommodations with private balconies; the Yangtze 1, for instance, provides this amenity with every stateroom. Basic bathroom amenities (soap, shampoo, conditioner) are provided in each cabin.
For general information and typical deck plans for the Yangtze River cruise ships, visit our website's "Yangtze River Cruise" page. Please keep in mind that exact facilities and amenities vary somewhat from ship to ship. |
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| | | Does the ship have laundry and dry-cleaning services? |
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| | | | Laundry services: Yes. Dry cleaning: No. In fact, on those tours which offer the Yangtze River cruise, your time on the river provides an excellent opportunity to tend to laundry services. Be sure to arrange to have your laundry picked up at the earliest opportunity so that it's ready well before your final debarkation time.
There are no self-serve laundry facilities aboard the Yangtze River Cruise ship. |
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| | | What's the dress code aboard the Yangtze River cruise ship? |
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| | | | Casual by day, "Resort Casual" by night. Leave your tuxedos, ties and evening gowns at home! You won't need or want them aboard the ship (or elsewhere on this or any other Let's Travel China tour
During the daytime, your Yangtze River cruise journey includes several shore excursions along the way (included in the price of your tour) and these often involve considerable amounts of walking. So, comfortable, casual clothing is the rule.
At night, the dress code is "resort casual particularly for the second dinner which is the "Captain's Welcome Aboard Dinner." Avoid wearing shorts or tank tops for this special dinner. |
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| | | How many passenger decks are there on the cruise ships? |
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| | | | Passenger decks vary from 4 to 6. In all cases, an elevator is provided. All staterooms are located above the water line. |
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| | | Is there a spa or a gym aboard the Yangtze River cruise ship? |
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| | | | A small gymnasium is provided aboard most ships. Equipment is limited, however. Stationary bikes, treadmills, step climbers or similar equipment is provided, as well as a limited array of resistance machines. Fitness facilities are not on par with those aboard large, ocean-going cruise ships. |
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| | | How do I check in for the cruise? |
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| | | | On boarding, you'll be asked to provide your passport for identification purposes, and a major credit card for establishing your shipboard account, as is done on most every cruise ship today. |
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| | | How do I pay for my onboard purchases? |
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| | | | The Yangtze River cruise is essentially "cashless," allowing you to simply present your room/cruise card and sign for virtually all onboard purchases. Keep in mind that you'll be asked to present a major credit card upon cruise check in, in order that a shipboard account be established. |
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| | | How do I check out at the end of the cruise? |
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| | | | As with all major cruise lines, you'll be presented a complete, itemized statement of all charges you've signed for (spa treatments, bar services, gift shop purchases, etc.) during your cruise. This statement is generally provided on the final morning of your cruise. Your credit card will automatically be billed for those charges. If you have questions regarding your account, or if you prefer to pay those charges by cash or traveler's checks, you may do so at the Front Desk. |
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| Accommodations |
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| | | What kind of accommodations can I expect aboard the cruise ship? |
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| | | | Every stateroom aboard every ship offered by Let's Travel China features a private bathroom with shower. All rooms are twin-bedded. Some twin-bedded rooms can be converted to queen-size bed configuration.
Many ships offer staterooms with private balconies, small gyms and other "big-ship" features such as a swimming pool and/or whirlpools. Please note, however, that facilities and amenities may vary from ship to ship. |
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| | | Will I be able to choose my stateroom on the cruise ship? |
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| | | | No. Stateroom assignments are made by the cruise company just prior to embarkation. However, the stateroom category is the same for all tour participants and private bathrooms and balconies are provided to all guests. |
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| | | Is the drinking water in my stateroom/bathroom safe to drink? |
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| | | | Yes. However, complimentary bottled water is provided to all guests in all staterooms and thoughout the ship. |
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| | | Are there wheelchair accessible staterooms aboard the cruise ship? |
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| | | | No. There are no ADA compliant staterooms aboard the Yangtze River cruise ships. |
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| | | If I don't like my stateroom on the cruise ship can I change it? |
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| | | | Perhaps. We suggest you contact your Let's Travel China Trip Guide and request re-accommodation, if available. |
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| | | Can I upgrade my Yangtze River cruise ship stateroom? |
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| | | | Yes. For those who choose a tour which includes the Yangtze River cruise, "Standard Stateroom" accommodations are included in the tour cost. A limited number of "Deluxe Stateroom" accommodations are available, as well. For 2007 tours, the upgrade cost is $255 per person for the 3-night cruise. Deluxe Staterooms afford almost twice the space as the Standard Category and on most ships, the upgrade provides a bathroom with tub/shower rather than shower only. |
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| | | Can I upgrade my stateroom once I'm aboard the cruise ship? |
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| | | | Probably not. The number of "Deluxe Staterooms" aboard the various cruise ships is limited - on some ships there are only three such accommodations; on others, there may be up to six. In any event, it's unlikely Deluxe-category accommodations will be available to guests on embarkation day without advance confirmation. |
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| | | Can the staterooms aboard the cruise ship accommodate third and fourth persons? |
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| | | | As a rule, no. The Standard Staterooms aboard the Yangtze River Cruise ship can accommodate a maximum of two; there are no upper berths aboard the ship. There is some limited third person capability for those who upgrade to Deluxe Category staterooms as these cabins provide room for rollaways. In all cases, we suggest you contact a Let's Travel China Tour Specialist for details regarding 3rd person accommodations or family travel. |
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| Food & Beverages |
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| | | Are meals included on the Yangtze River cruise? |
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| | | | Yes. All food is free aboard the Yangtze River Cruise. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the main ding room. |
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| | | What beverages are included or not included? |
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| | | | Complimentary tea, soft drinks, domestic beer and wine are provided with most meals. Imported wines and spirits requested at meals will likely incur an additional charge. Bar and lounge drinks incur extra charges. |
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| | | What is the food like aboard the Yangtze River cruise? |
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| | | | In general, the cuisine is "mainstream Chinese." Breakfast offers both Chinese and Western-style cuisine. Lunch and dinner tend to feature traditional Chinese dishes, although some Western-style cuisine may be available, too. Typically, lunch and dinner offer a broad range of tastes, exotic dishes are avoided in favor of the mainstream Chinese dishes most Westerners are quite familiar with. |
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| | | Are meal times and tables assigned as on most cruise ships? |
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| | | | Yes. Once onboard, you will receive your table assignment for dining. Breakfasts are served " buffet-style" with both Western and Chinese selections available. Chinese cuisine predominates for lunch and dinner and are served to you at your table.
In all cases, single-seating dining is offered and you will be asked to arrive at the dining room at specified times. |
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| | | Is there a bar or drink service available onboard? |
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| | | | Yes. There is at least one bar (usually adjacent to or within the main lounge) aboard every Yangtze River cruise ship. As on any cruise ship, staff circulate throughout the public areas (bars, lounges, deck areas) offering beverages. Soft drinks and alchoholic beverages ordered in bars, lounges and deck areas incur additional charges; those charges are simply billed to your shipboard account. |
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| Tour Highlights |
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| | | What sights and attractions are there on the Yangtze River cruises? |
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| | | | You'll travel downriver for about 400 miles - from the Sichuan Province city of Chongqing, Southwest China's largest industrial city and famous for its savory "hot pot" cuisine, to Yichang, gateway to the mammoth Three Gorges Dam project. The city of Fengdu with its historic Ming Shan Temple; the scenic Three Gorges; and the Shennong Stream where you'll transfer to wooden sampans for your boat ride up the stream - portions of which require your sampan to be pulled by "River Trackers" - and of course, a tour of the Three Gorges Dam are just some of the highlights offered along the way. Visit our "Destinations" page and select "Yangtze River" for more detailed information. |
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| | | Will I see the Three Gorges Dam project? |
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| | | | Yes! The Three Gorges Dam - the largest such project in history - is just upriver from Yichang. On the final morning of your cruise you'll debark your ship for a land tour of the project, then reboard for your travel on to nearby Yichang where the cruise concludes. |
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| | | I've heard that many of the sights and attractions along the Yangtze River will be lost once the Three Gorges Dam is complete. Is that true? |
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| | | | Not really. Although many important historical sites will be lost to the rising river levels, China has been working hard to protect or relocate the most important temples, fortresses and other significant sites. Even after completion of the dam, the gorges along the Yangtze will retain impressive scenery and scale. |
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| | | I've read both good and bad about the Three Gorges Dam. What's the story? |
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| | | | Over millennia, hundreds of thousands of Chinese have perished in the seasonal, often violent flooding caused by the Yangtze River. Yet, as a vital link between coastal plains and the fertile, inland regions, the river is revered and respected by the Chinese; its gorges and banks are lined with numerous ancient temples, fortresses and deeply cherished towns. Controversy surrounds the project, of course, but the Chinese are confident they can minimize environmental impact while finally "taming" the Yangtze. |
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