We did not choose this river cruise boat. It was part of a Cruise.co.uk bucket list tour. Three days on the Yangtze. The boat was boarded in Chongquin. A city that I would have liked to spend more time in. It was boarded via hundreds of steps. On reaching our cabin, over several metal floors that were seriously buckled and flipped you up as you walked over them, we were not at all pleased. There was a pervading smell of damp, the bathroom had black mound around extremely ageing bathroom fittings. They needed a deep clean and bleaching. Our single beds were falling apart, rust breaking off them. They were wet with damp. Our clothes began to smell and some hand washing done on board stayed wet for three days. Some from our party had mould growing on their washing. Cleanliness was not a priority. Bins were emptied and beds made. I dare not lift the covers to see what the mattress was like!! Our cabin was never hoovered. Cups were dirty. The room thermos of hot water was filled by the room attendant, from the same tap they used for their mops and buckets!! Our cabin floor was buckled and dangerous, especially on night time trips!! Drawers were falling apart and the wardrobe stank. Food was strange. Two hour buffet sitting resulted in food being taken away after just over an hour on two nights. Several items ran out early. The last night Gala Dinner was largely inedible. I resorted to biscuits in my cabin, but the damp had got to them. They were soft. In fact books and passports became wrinkled with the damp, my tin of mints became soft and crumbly and we all ended up with chesty coughs as a result of damp spores. I had previously spoken with Victoria at the World Travel Market and their literature dies not give a true image of their service. Our tour guide said this was their o,desk and cheapest ship and she should be retired! A really nasty experience, saved only by cheap drinks, which may have been reduced to placate us, and the young bar and entertainment team. One star rating, as lowest I could give!!! Read Less

A 4 night cruise on the Yangtze was part of our package tour. I have given this ship a 1 star rating only because there is no option for a lower one. Absolutely appalling in every respect - the cabin, dining, no entertainment as such. We had some locals attending dinner wearing singlets. The meals were self serve of a very basic standard. There is no option to upgrade dining not that I'd recommend paying for it. The floors on the cabin decks are "rippled" ie not flat, and they buckle when you walk on them. It was a standing joke amongst the western guests. Service - there was none. Dirty coffee cups, wine glasses were never collected from our cabin for the duration. Passengers had to ask at reception for toilet paper or soap as cabin stewards dont replenish supplies. We enjoyed our Yangtze trip despite this barge, not because of it. Avoid at all costs! Read Less

Born in China and lived in the US for more than 30 year, I chose the Victoria Cruises because the cruise line claims that they are the only 'American company' on the Yangtze River. It turned out that the advertisement from the Victoria Cruises is a total misleading. On November 11, 2016, we boarded Victoria Grace and started our 4-day Chongqing to Yichang (the three gorges) cruise and it is the worst cruise we even taken (we took more than dozen of cruises including river cruise in Europe). The ship. The so labeled “5-star” ship is absolutely outdated and nowhere close to a 3-star ship, and there is NO elevator. The floors are uneven and you can feel the metal sheet waving underneath the carpet and hear the noise when walking on the floor. Decoration is at the minimal and pale, at least. The embarkation. First, all passengers had to walk about 2 km to board the ship carrying all luggage and there was no help from the ship. When we asked for help to move our luggage to our cabin after we got on the board, we were told that we had to pay for the service by using the local labor whom the ship allowed to do so. During check-in, we were immediately asked to pay gratuities (150 RMB per person) at front because we are not Chinese citizen (however, the ship asked us to pay tip again at the end of cruise which we declined for the experience we had). Be aware that there is no food provided for the first night. The cabin: We had a standard cabin which is small, tired, dated and smelly. Bed is soft, furniture, sheets, bedcover and towels are old. We had toilet and door lock problems during our 4-day cruise. Food: Buffet breakfast and lunch were provided, and dinners were either buffets or Chinese style table dinner. Foods was boring with limited choices. Sometimes passengers had to wait for items to be refilled. Service: The ship provided absolutely minimal service. No greetings, and smiling was almost non-exist. There is thermal bottle in cabin but the room attendant wanted passages to fill the hot water themselves. It was a great effort to get the waiter/waitress to bring a cup of tea or coffee to you during lunch or dinner. Some of the staff were doing better job than others. However, if you complain, then the situation became worse! There was one English speaking person on board but she could not do much because all she could do was listening and reporting it to her boss. Excursions: There were couple of included excursions that were good but the poor air quality and visibility greatly discounted the true beauty of the three gorges. The optional excursions were very expensive and not worth to take. In summary, if you want to cruise the three gorges, go with other cruise lines and do a good homework. Do not simply believe the advertisement and DO NOT go with Victoria Cruises! Read Less