I am thinking about going on the Yangtze cruise either on Victoria Katarina or Yangtze Explorer. Read many bad reviews not recommending it anymore. Risen and dirty water, little to see, boring food. That scared me a little and I am wondering if it is worth it to spend 4 days on not so exciting cruise (quite expensive as well). Any views/opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I did this cruise with my son maybe 10 years ago. Lots has changed of course, but it was marvelously interesting then. The Three Gorges Dam was just being constructed. The ship was a converted Russian military ship so was quite different from usual cruise ships. Amazing food. About 1/2 the passengers were very proper dress-for-dinner older Brits, and the other 1/2 were teen-aged boys from a Brit boys' school (apparently slightly bad/troubled boys). We didn't fit in at all of course, but lots of interesting meal conversations. I was intrigued with the coal mining operation we saw along the way, the lock process, and lots of other sights. Early morning mist that the sun gradually burned away made for views just like you see in photos and paintings. An unforgettable trip.

Definitely not NCL and other such nice cruises, but wonderfully different. Totally off the US tourist beaten trail.

Romelle

I did one 2 years ago on the Victoria Empress. At that point the water was almost to the top but you could still see the empty buildings that were abandoned and soon to be underwater. I did enjoy watching all of the industry along the banks and the folks who live along the river. At this point, that's the majority of what you'll see since everything is under water. Cruise itself was pretty good. food wasn't spectacular but you can tell they tried. Boat was comfortable, but cheaply made so it wasn't holding up to time very well. Personally, I enjoyed the cruise but wouldn't do it again. Might be more worth it to do a land tour of a couple cities instead.

Just returned this past weekend from a two week trip to China that included a Yangtze River cruise on a ship called "President #4" on the HUBEI YANGTZE CRUISE LINE. Primary reason was to see the solar eclipse. Deluxe Room was huge by cruise standards. Boat was not very glitzy but adequate. Food was pretty good, but after nearly two weeks in China, we were ready for something other than Chinese. Watching the eclipse from chaise lounges on the top deck was the highlight of the trip.

The Gorges are still quite dramatic so there's usually some nice scenery at hand. Also the new dam is interesting. Going through the locks there (about 6 of them) is pretty cool.

There were three excursions. I'd recommend the Shennong Stream and Three Gorges Dam excursions, but not Fengdu Ghost Village.

All in all, not an incredible 3 day cruise, (except for eclipse) but an interesting way to see the Yangtze River and kick back for a few days while touring China. Even with the new dam, the current is quite swift and there are a lot of boats on the river.

btw I booked this through a tour company called China Highlights. I'd highly recommend them. There were only five people in our group. Wasn't expensive at all and they put us in some nice hotels in Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai in addition to the ship. Guides were great, too.

Just in case someone is looking for a more recent review, I travelled upstream(4 nights) on Yangtze Gold 1 in June and I loved it. The food was fine and, on the last night, there is a Chinese Banquet which came out course by course. The excursion to the Three Gorges Dam project was interesting but the best side-trip was the Lesser Three Gorges. Make sure you pay the extra to go right to the end. I was able to get a room by myself(solo traveller) without paying a supplement by "sharing" and when taken to my room, I was asked if I would like to pay to have the room for myself. I said no and then waited for my "room mate" to show up. Of course, no one did as, I suppose, they hadn't fully booked the cruise and they were just trying to get more money out of me. Most of the passengers were Chinese, in fact, I only saw one other person, who was from Germany. But a few of the staff spoke passable English so I found myself talking mostly to them. Also on the excursions, they made sure we had an English speaking guide too. All in all, it was a great way to relax and enjoy the sights on the way.

We went about 4 years ago so it was not fully flooded but the scenery was beautiful at the end part. We enjoyed the ghost village so I guess it is a personal thing. We used Victoria Cruises ship was ok for what it is and it was mostly European, North American and Au .