At 9.30 yesterday morning, 11 April, the “Century Emperor” cruise ship slipped her mooring in the Yangtze River, marking the start of the first regular luxury cruise service between Nanjing and Shanghai. The maiden voyage shall dock in Shanghai 4 days and 3 nights later.
The cruise line in question is Chongqing-based Century Cruises, famed for their breathtaking cruises through the Three Gorges on a service between Chongqing and Yichang that marks the demarcation point between the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze.
The new Nanjing-Shanghai route is the company’s first foray so far downstream. No wonder that a representative of the company was able to confirm to The Nanjinger that this maiden voyage was a complete sell out.
The luxurious nature of the Century Emperor undoubtedly lent a hand. Passengers can enjoy the beauty, sauna and massage centres, gym, boutique shopping centre, and, as this is China, rooms for both mahjong and KTV. Each cabin features a private balcony, minibar; in fact, everything one would expect from a standard luxury hotel room.
For the statisticians, the Century Emperor has a displacement of 8,040 tons, a total length of 126.8 metres and a width of 17.2 metres. 153 cabins are capable of accommodating 306 passengers over six decks.
In reaching an agreement with the Nanjing Tourism Group, and speaking with JSChina, Chairman of the cruise line, Peng Jianhu, promised, “We will invest no less than ¥1 billion to build five new cruise ships on the Yangtze River… and develop more of Nanjing as our homeports radiate upstream to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River tour route”.
Sailings to Shanghai depart Nanjing every Wednesday and tickets are priced at US$350. Tickets for children aged 2-12 are priced at 50 or 75 percent of the adult price, depending on whether an extra bed is required. Price is inclusive of all meals except the first and last suppers, and three day-trip excursions in ports of call.
