Yangtze 3 Cruise Ship

Yangtze River Cruise Practical Information, Advice & Tips

Useful Tips for Booking your Cruise

1. Select your Favorite Ship Schedule

Yangtze 3 sail stably between Chongqing and Yichang during March to November every year. You can feel free to select a favorite date to perfectly match your travel time and budget.

2. Valid Documents & Real-name Registration

Once you decide to book a Yangtze cruise ship with us, please provide us correct passport information, like your name and passport number. Real-name registration is needed when booking the ship. If there is any change and update of your documents, please inform your travel consultants immediately and provide us your latest personal info that we should deliver to the cruise company once you changed.

3. Please Provide Complete Personal Information for Booking

Complete and accurate personal information is necessary for the booking. Please provide us complete information including your and your family or group members’ name, nationality, gender, passport number, date of birth, favorite cabin types, amount of cabins, and other personal requirements.

4. Confirmation Letter

Once your booking information is complete and we will inform the cruise company to reserve the room for you. Your travel consultants will send you the “CONFIRMATION LETTER” which contains important ship itinerary & transportation info, your personal information and other tips. Once you receive the confirmation letter, you can go on for payment.

5.What’s Included & Excluded in your Cruise

The following items are covered in your cruise fare.

1. Travel Insurance: travel insurance offered by China Discovery for your whole cruise;
2. Accommodation: a bed in your cabin for both daytime and night. You can enjoy 3 nights onboard for Chongqing Yichang downstream itinerary or 4 nights onboard for Yichang Chongqing upstream itinerary;
3. All Meals Onboard: meals listed in the above itinerary specified as “B”, “L” and “D”, and Captain’s Welcome Party and Captain’s Farewell Party included;
4. Drinks: selected wines and drinks on the list for daily meals specified as “B”, “L” and “D” and captain’s party;
5. Porter Service: luggage service between the port and the cruise for embarkation on the first day and disembarkation on the last day as listed in the itinerary;
6. Arranged Shore Excursions: all shore excursions arranged by the cruise company listed on the itinerary (including transportation to/back from the sites, local guide service, tickets, etc.);
7. Guide Service: Both Chinese and English-speaking guide service on the cruise;
8. Activities: Cultural activities, Chinese lectures as well as evening shows and entertainment listed on the itinerary arranged by the cruise company;
9. Some services like front desk service for any request, guest room service to clean your room daily, catering service in the dining hall;
10. Taxes charged by the government.

The following items are excluded in your cruise fare. If you want to enjoy the service, please pay extra fee accordingly.

1. The cost of your visa;
2. Transfers: air or train to Chongqing or Yichang; as well as transportation between Chongqing airport or railway station and Chongqing Chaotianmen Port; transportation between Yichang airport or railway station and Yichang Taohuacun Port / Yichang New Century Port / Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal;
3. Meals not listed in the itinerary;
4. Upgrade your room or deck;
5. Single Room Supplement: You need to pay extra if you want to stay in one cabin (usually two beds in one cabin) on your own;
6. Personal expenses such as laundry, internet, medical services, gift shop items, spa and beauty services, photograph, beverages, and so on;
7. Tipping: you need to pay the service charge around 150 Yuan/person when checking in onboard. Besides, the service charge does not include a gratuity to the river guide or cruise director, which may be given at travelers' discretion based on your satisfaction with services received.

Useful Tips for Boarding your Cruise

1. Call the Ship or Check Email ahead

In normal circumstances, no matter you take downstream or upstream Yangtze cruises, you usually embark your ships at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port and Yichang Maoping Port (need to gather firstly at Yichang East Railway Station / Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal for arranged tourist bus to Maoping Port). BUT, it may do some adjustments for special events, like weather condition, level of water, river navigational conditions, annual maintenance of the Three Gorges Dam, etc.

To make everything go smoothly, please call the ship (the phone number we’ll show you clearly in the Confirmation Letter) one day ahead or at least in the morning on the boarding day. Or, you can also check your mailbox on the boarding day or one day before to get the updated boarding information our travel consultant delivered. Please make sure your phone can be called through in China, so that we can also call you if there is any urgent change.

2. Find the Right Pier for Boarding

Chongqing Chaotianmen Port has 13 sub-piers that different ships dock at different piers. While Maoping Port in used in Yichang is about 50km from the downtown. For upstream embarkation, travelers (except people taking Yangtze 1) need to transfer to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal or Yichang East Railway Station for taking the arranged bus to Maoping for boarding; for downstream, they need to be transferred to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal for departure.

For the boarding piers in port cities, you can use our worry free private transfer service. The local guide or driver will take you to the correct cruise pier from the airport / train stations, etc.

3. Board the Ship at the Scheduled Time

Please plan your transportation to arrive in Chongqing or Yichang ahead and board your ship at the schedule time. If you are unsure to book the suitable flight or train, please discuss it with our travel consultants. If you have any trouble for your flight, train or local transportation to the port causing you arrive at the port late, please contact us at first time and we’ll try our best to help you solve the problem.

-- 4 days & 3 nights Chongqing - Yichang downstream cruise:

1. Pier & boarding time: board your ship at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port at 18:00~21:00;

-- 5 days & 4 nights Yichang - Chongqing upstream cruise:

1. Pier & boarding time: take the arranged bus at Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal at 17:00-19:00 and be transferred to Maoping Port for boarding.

4. Collect Cruise Ticket & Get Security Check

Yangtze cruisers need to collect your cruise ticket with real-name info signed at the corresponding port in Chongqing / Yichang (please make sure your passport and ticket with consistent information). After the ticket collecting, you'll be followed to get security check before board the ship.

5. Porter Hiring & Luggage Carrying

To save your energy, Yangtze 3 arranges the porter service to help you carry your luggage once you get off the taxi at the port. The porter will carry your luggage all the way to the ship. (payment included)

6. Check In

Travelers can get onboard and check in at least 3 hours before disembarkation. The friendly staff at front desk will ask your needs and please feel free to tell your personal requirements, like special eatery requirements, room or deck upgrading, transportation tips for departure and so on.

7. Ship Tipping

Almost all the 4 to 5-star Yangtze cruise ships require a compulsory ship service fee which is required to be paid when checking in at the front desk; it is the regulation of the cruise companies that travelers are supposed to follow. The tip amount differs from different cruise lines and will be specified in our Confirmation Letter, please kindly note this so that inconvenience can be avoided.

8. Life & Experience Onboard Tips

To know the colorful life and experience on Yangtze cruises, you can turn to the “Onboard Experience” page for details. You will have a clear understanding about the food & dining, drinking, entertainment and activities, services, facilities, health care & wellness and more.