Yangtze - upstream or downstream??

[zelker]

Anyone who has cruised on the Yangtze - is there much of a difference sailing upstream or downstream? I read somewhere that if you sail upstream you actually sail during the night to gain more ground since it's slower but if you sail downstream, you dock at night and can get off the boat in some of the towns. (if it matters, we'll be on a Viking boat)

 

Have to pay deposit soon so any insight will be greatly appreciated!

 

Barb

[Druke I]

Gross generalization of course, but it is normally smoother going with the current (downstream) than against the current (upstream).

[JJPNYC]

I did the sailing upstream from Yichang to Chongqing. All in all it was a smooth trip, the currents aren't a major issue. Going upstream you get an extra day on board, otherwise all is the same.

[zelker]

All in all it was a smooth trip, the currents aren't a major issue.

 

 

Can you elaborate on your comment? When we're at sea, I usually live on Bonine "just in case". I hoped that on a river, it wouldn't be necessary.

[Spikesgirl]

We did the Yangtze from Chongquin to Yichang and we sailed both day and night. We would stop in the a.m. to have tours, usually the boat was docked before I work up at 6 a.m. The river was very smooth. I get horrifically sea sick and I was fine. The only time it was dicey was on the first night during which the ship leaned port to starboard several times. I nearly fell out of bed once, but that went away after the first night. We were at the very front of the boat and didn't have any problem with motion.

 

We loved the river cruise. We sailed on the Victoria Star, which is smaller than the Viking ships and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Charlie

[RJG1011]

We sailed downstream this summer from Chonquing to Nanjing. There are some currents, but this does not effect the ship in anyway. You will not get seasick; actually the ship sailing was smoother than some of the bus rides we took, especially the ones up into the mountains. We did stop overnight in a few places and we were able to explore a bit on our own. Sometimes we just docked, went on our excursion and sailed. We chose the downstream route because we wanted to start in Beijing and end in HK. That is a major consideration if you are extending.