Experiencing
a
Yangtze
River Cruise
I prepared this web page to give you an idea of the
Yangtze River cruise
ship experience.
You're not roughing it on the better ships. Just the opposite.
Life aboard them is quite comfortable and a vacation in itself.
This page
gives you photos and brief insights on one of the
quality ships. I chose the Victoria Star cruise
ship for illustration purposes because I sailed on it and found its staff knowledgeable and hospitable.
Moreover, the Victoria Star is part of the fleet of Victoria Cruises, a company with a
good reputation.
The Victoria Star - basic info
This
cruise ship is almost a football field in length (89
meters or 294 feet). It has 103 cabins accommodating 206
passengers and moves at 28 kph (17 mph). The
ship was recently refurbished, renovated
and structurally rebuilt.
Main Lobby
Spacious. Includes a front desk and a
gift shop. The lobby is also used as the gathering spot for your shore excursions.
Dining room
The
Dynasty dining room is large enough to serve all
passengers in a single seating. Breakfasts and
lunches are buffets with Western and Chinese
specialties. Dinners are multi-course banquets
with table service.
Yangtze Bar
Pleasant
setting for pre- and post-dinner cocktails.
Yangtze Club
The Yangtze Club is used for seated cocktails,
late dancing, special events, and live entertainment (see next item).
Folk dances and fashion shows
The club is also the venue for folk dance
performances and traditional fashion shows depicting different dynasties and ethnic lands.
Ship staff
Photo
shows introduction of departmental managers and
the doctor. Staff to passengers ratio is high, about two staffers
for every three passengers.
Shore excursions
There
is at least one shore excursion per day. They
include the most popular side trip attractions:
Shibaozhai Temple, Three Gorges Dam, and either
the Lesser Three Gorges (see photo) or Shennang Stream.
Onboard activities
You
have a choice of many free onboard activities
including cultural lectures and demonstrations on calligraphy,
Chinese painting, Mandarin language, acupuncture, Tai Chi, Yangtze River history, and (see photo) kite making
& flying.
Fitness room
Facilities include a treadmill, exercise
bike, step machine, and light weights.
Spa
Offers
both Chinese and Western style massages.
Game room
Designed for playing mah
jong, bridge, chess, checkers, whatever.
Cabins
Standard cabin
Junior suite
Superior suite
Shangri-La suite
