Due to increased demand as a result of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Victoria Cruises is repositioning the Victoria Rose between Chongqing and the Shanghai area to provide additional cruise capacity to and from the Expo from September through October.

The Victoria Rose is Victoria Cruises’ only classic category ship.

The Victoria Rose will depart Chongqing on Sept. 13, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, arriving six days later in either Nanjing or Jiangyin depending on port authority approval. The classic vessel will embark on its return journeys to Chongqing on Sept. 19, Oct. 3 and Oct. 17.

Victoria Cruises will provide a motorcoach transfer from Jiangyin (about 50 minutes from Shanghai) or Nanjing (a little over two hours drive from China’s largest metropolis) and the reverse.

These sailings will augment Victoria Cruises’ existing service between Chongqing and Shanghai on the five-star Victoria Prince.

“We are happy to comply with the many requests of Expo participants for extra cruise capacity to and from Shanghai,” said Larry Greenman, manager of public relations and customer service for Victoria Cruises. “It provides the perfect opportunity to expose more passengers to the less often seen, but equally stimulating sections of the Yangtze River east of Yichang.”

Highlights of the journey include a magnificent sailing experience through the mist-shrouded Three Gorges, exhilarating onboard activities such as Tai Chi lessons and a host of nightly entertainment options, as well as the following scenic excursions:
- The massive Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric engineering project in the world.
- The “Ghost City” of Fengdu at Mingshan Hill, lined with statues of spirits and demons.
- A sailing experience through the impressive Small Gorges of the Daning River, one of the Yangtze’s tributaries, bringing passengers to a floating dock near Dachang, where they will disembark to board a traditional sampan for a tranquil ride through the “Mini Gorges” of the Ma Du River, a tributary of the Daning (Daning River excursion may be substituted with Shennong Stream depending on river conditions).
-  Huangshan, one of China’s most outstanding scenic attractions also known as “Yellow Mountain.”
- The city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province.
- Nanjing, capital of the Jiangsu province, where cruisers will experience the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and a Qing Dynasty-style Bazaar surrounding a Confucian Temple.