The Yangtze's Newest

By Mimi Kmet

The recently launched Victoria Jenna is the world’s largest river-cruise ship

The world’s largest and most technologically advanced river-cruise ship was launched in September, when Victoria Cruises’ Victoria Jenna set sail on its inaugural voyage along China’s Yangtze River.

The nearly 10,000-GRT ship, Victoria Cruises’ eighth vessel, is 439 feet long, 62 feet wide and 56 feet high, and features five passenger decks and more suites than any vessel on the Yangtze. In all, it offers 200 staterooms and suites, including 35 junior suites, three deluxe suites and two Shangri-La Suites. Each stateroom and suite features a private balcony, marble-top bathroom counters, a refrigerator, safe, flat-screen TV (suites also come with DVD players), and international cable TV broadcasts of HBO and CNN. Guest bathrooms feature full bathtubs and high-efficiency, dual-flush toilets.

The Victoria Jenna also is the first river-cruise ship to have four elevators, two full-service kitchens and wireless Internet access through CDMA (the platform on which 3G technologies are built). The kitchens can accommodate customized meal requests, such as kosher, gluten-free and vegetarian cuisine for guests in the 350-seat Dynasty Dining Room and the 150-seat, upper-deck VIP Club restaurant. The VIP Club offers à la carte dining, as well as omelet and egg stations for breakfast, noodle and sandwich stations for lunch, and carving and Peking duck stations for lunch and dinner.

The ship offers two dedicated conference rooms, both of which can accommodate up to 40 guests and are equipped with AV-ready equipment. The AV-equipped Yangtze Club also can accommodate groups, with a capacity of 380. Other onboard features include a lecture room for talks about the river’s history and lessons in Tai Chi, Mandarin and mah jongg; a library and reading room; a cocktail lounge; the Oasis salon and mini-spa; a fitness center; a gift shop; a large observation deck; a business center; a health clinic; and a three-story atrium lobby.

The Victoria Jenna uses renewable technology and improved navigational design and weight distribution, giving it the best fuel-to-passenger ratio on the river, according to Victoria Cruises. Additional technology includes advanced SONAR, GPS, engine and navigation systems to ensure maximum safety; and a 24/7 video security surveillance system in the passenger areas.

The Victoria Jenna sails Victoria Cruises’ seven-night “Three Gorges Explorer” itinerary from Chongqing to Yichang and back. Passengers also can book the trip one way (the three- or four-night “Three Gorges Highlights” program) upstream or downstream between Chongqing and Yichang.

In addition to onboard activities, including nightly entertainment, the cruises feature such shore excursions as the “Three Gorges Dam in Sandouping” tour, through which passengers get an up-close look at the dam, the largest project of its kind in the world; and an excursion down the Yangtze’s scenic Daning or Shennong river tributaries to the Small Gorges onboard smaller boats. On the seven-night itinerary, passengers visit New Zigui (also known as Maoping), a city built to accommodate families relocated as a result of the rising waters brought about by the Three Gorges Dam project.

The “Three Gorges Highlights” program starts at $980 per person double during high season (April through May and September through October) and $920 during shoulder season (March, June through August, and November). Shore excursions cost an additional $90 per person. The “Three Gorges Explorer” itinerary starts at $1,820 during high season and $1,680 during shoulder season. Shore excursion packages, which include all of the scheduled excursions on the cruise, cost an additional $240 per person. Each of two additional shore excursions—to the Ghost City of Fengdu and to the White Emperor City—cost an additional $32 each per person when available (depending on river conditions). Cruise-tours also are available and can be booked through nearly three dozen major tour operators.

For more information 800-348-8084 | www.victoriacruises.com