4D3N Yangtze River Cruise: Chongqing to Yichang by Century Cruise

One-of-a-kind voyage - the dream that came true!

It's been our desire for years, so once we retired, it finally came true. While placing the order via the front office in HK, we were extremely happy with their customer-focused attitude: not only did Ms. Joy Mao, who probably was the first to pick up our initial inquiry, prove most helpful and responsive, but remained meticulous and attentive event to minor details throughout the whole cycle- from the moment of our first email exchange and towards the end of the voyage. That was extremely critical as one of us observed a very strict diet due to health conditions, and Joy and the team were happy to render all necessary assistance in that respect. From the very onset we were cognizant that we would most likely find ourselves among Chinese fellow travelers most of whom well into their 70s; yet, we never felt ignored or discriminated- au contraire, we have always been a part of the audience and enjoyed the bilingual crew's support, whether aboard, or during excursions to the shore. Steven, Tylor and their colleagues from the hospitality team have always been around and happy to facilitate our access to all services and programs. The whole team was working tirelessly to ensure travelers' ultimate comfort and their logistics arrangements were just superb: 300+ passengers would embark and disembark seamlessly and without ado, each passenger was well briefed and monitored for our safety and comfort by means of top-notch digital technologies and no one would ever get missed. To this end, forget those preposterous prejudices about digital Gulag- even facial recognition- based devices were used only where necessary (e.g. to count and id passengers arriving after the tour). We had a regular cabin, which was spacious enough for 2 pax, with all the basic amenities of a 3+ or even 4-star hotel, except for the need NOT to throw paper into the toilet (that way, we believe we contributed to keeping the Yangtze clean, so won't mind at all). The cabin had a balcony, so we could enjoy sunsets and fresh air at any time. The cabin was so well sound-proofed that we did not hear our immediate neighbors. Plus, what we had not realized at the onset was that the giant cruiser was actually propelled by electric engines (!)- kudos to local engineers and shipbuilders, so it moved practically 100% quietly). As for catering, we have upgraded to the executive dining by paying and extra fee (a. USD100 per person), which proved a wise move: fewer folks around us and probably a broader range of meals, which looked and tasted really sumptuous ( at least, for one of us, as the other one, as mentioned earlier, was compelled to stick to a very special diet), and buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners were truly royal. In the interim, one could always grab a bite, which would be served even on a very short call. Needless to say, bottled water was available on all decks for free at any time. The crew seemed to be happy to engage with and entertain their elderly audience - looked like everyone on the team could sing, dance, and even wear traditional attire. Steven and his colleagues also proved great guides and narrators and kept sharing stories about beautiful places were were cruising by - and in both Chinese and English, mind you! The whole team is very young and superprofessional - even if some of them do not speak English, they are very smart and promptly react to the gesture language. There also was a shop that displayed traditional culture, arts and skills, which was most entertaining. The captain showed up twice- first to meet and greet us and second- to bide farewell. Both times he appeared very cordial and chivalrous, which was very much appreciated, too. Speaking of drawbacks, seriously there were none. Perhaps, for a sophisticated intellectual well abreast of China's history, the onshore guided tours may seem simplistic and local modern cement replicas of artifacts - primitive, one should bear in mind that such cruises focus on the local audiences in the first place, so they are poised to serve and educational purpose; plus, time is a merciless beast, and millenia of China's history have taken their toll and not so many relics have survived to date. That said, as foreigners, we would have appreciated a couple of classes, e.g. on calligraphy, music, and fin arts, and history, which would surely help us better absorb China's rich legacy.

via Tripadvisor

An enjoyable way to see sights along the Yangtze

To board this ship in Chongqing, we walked down a long staircase to reach a floating walkway that led out to the ship. That walkway was uneven in places. We thought the crew of the ship were great. The large majority of the ship (85%+) were Chinese, but there were a number of other nationalities aboard. The included shore excursions each day were offered in both Chinese and English with the passengers divided up so they could have a guide that spoke their language. A program of activities each day (in English and Chinese) was printed and delivered to cabins, available at the front desk and also displayed on large TVs on each floor. Several different drink packages were offered, but we thought they were priced too high for the limited amount of time we were aboard. A red and white wine along with one beer were available in the restaurant for no cost during both lunch and dinner. We did book the one optional excursion (a nighttime show about the Three Kingdoms which was great). We also upgraded to the VIP dining room (798 yuan per person) which was less crowded and had a few dishes that were not available in the main dining room. There was commentary in both English and Chinese on the top deck as we sailed through the river gorges. The ship had plentiful bottled water available free of charge at a table on every deck.

via Tripadvisor

Poor Price Quality Ratio

It was on the Century Oasis. With a supplement we benefited from the 4th level and the VIP restaurant. It was very decent , the room was superb but the Self Service meals were nothing extraordinary. Unfortunately the visits were lame.

Response from the operator: Dear Customer, Thank you for your feedback, I will use that to improve my service. Best regards Andy

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Beyond Excellent

Our journey from Chongqing to the 3 gorges dam was absolutely first class. We cannot recommend this experience with Century Cruises enough. The ship and its appointments were excellent and always immaculate. The crew were friendly and professional at all times. We were just smitten with the cabin and the quality of food and amenities on board. We particularly want to thank our chief steward/purser and cruise director Stephen who ran such an efficient operation and was always available for questions and a chat. His crew of house staff were a credit to him and faultless. Always on the ball, efficiency with a smile. Thank you all!! We have already recommended this trip to everyone we have met after our return. It was one of the unforgettable highlights of our 3 week trip.

via Viator

Yangtze River cruise

The Century Oasis is the luxary cruise ship made in 2023 for cruising on the Yangtze river. We enjoyed the entire cruise and found eveything- the facilities, rooms and amenities satisfactory. Only thing we believe and its just oour opinion, it's over crowded.  The services were well coordinated by the manager Allan and his well trained young crew. Allan is talented and was very friendly and accommodating. Foods were excellent. Some dishes which were new to us have been tasty and yummy.  Excursion options have been good and as everyone is different can find some positive and some negative things.  In summary we had very enjoyable trip on mighty Yangtze. Many thanks to everyone who made our trip so entertaining and enjoyable.

via Tripadvisor