The Delta Queen Steamboat Company is introducing
a new look with its 2005/2006 brochure-"This is Our America.”
Inside this exciting new brochure you'll discover new rivers
to explore in 2006, from Civil War and Fall Foliage cruises
on the Black Warrior River, with visits to Tuscaloosa and Birmingham
to the first all-Texas cruise aboard the Delta Queen.
The company’s New Orleans & Riverboat
Adventure Week has evolved into three new Adventure America
Vacations, allowing you to visit other venues with the Cajun
Country
& Riverboat Adventure Week; the Gulf
Coast & Riverboat Adventure Week; and
the Golf, Gaming & Riverboat Adventure
Week, beginning in November 2005.
Taste of New Orleans Odyssey Vacations -
Combine any back-to-back 3- and 4-night New Orleans round trip
vacation on the grand American Queen and receive additional
discounts, different ports each cruise, and a Taste of New Orleans
experience in the middle of the cruise-lunch at a famous New
Orleans restaurant and admission to a historic New Orleans attraction-including
transportation to both.
"This is Our America" brochure
will be available the first week of August. Call 800/543-1949
or visit www.deltaqueen.com
for a complimentary copy.
In recognition of its superior amenities
and exceptional service along China’s Yangtze River, the Victoria
Empress, a member of the Victoria Cruises’ fleet, earned
the coveted five-star rating from the China National Tourism
Administration. Evidence of its overall high quality product,
Victoria Cruises maintains the largest number of five-star rated
ships on the Yangtze River (a total of five; the Victoria
Star earned the five-star rating in late 2003, and the Victoria
Katarina, Victoria Prince and Victoria Queen received
the distinction in 2004).
The China National Tourism Administration
bestows the five-star rating (the organization’s top honor)
on cruise ships with the highest quality accommodations, amenities
and services. “In addition to maintaining the largest number
of five-star rated ships on the Yangtze, the majority of our
fleet holds this impressive rating, which is a testament to
our investment in China’s tourism and the level of offerings
that travelers can find while exploring this exciting part of
the world,” said Benson Wu, vice president of Victoria Cruises.
In 2004, Victoria Cruises launched a new
generation of state-of-the-art sailing vessels with premier
and classic ships. Premier ships (the Victoria Katarina, Victoria
Empress, Victoria Prince, Victoria Queen and Victoria Star)
are new or newly-rebuilt ships featuring enhanced facilities
such as private balconies in every cabin, more spacious public
areas, and a higher level of comfort, sophistication and décor
throughout the ships. In the Classic ship category is the Victoria
Rose (rebuilt in 2001). Although smaller than the other ships
in the fleet, the Victoria Rose maintains the same high-quality
standards of the company’s other vessels.
In April 2006, Victoria Cruises will welcome
the Victoria Anna, the largest ship in the company’s
fleet boasting the highest passenger capacity and the most suites
of all vessels on the Yangtze.
All vessels in the new generation of ships
boast the same deluxe style and décor from tastefully-appointed
cabins and elegant atriums with sparkling chandeliers and gleaming
woods to an overall décor throughout of American and European
influences with Asian accents. Each ship features Internet access,
HBO and BBC broadcasts, the Dynasty Dining Room, beauty salon,
fitness room, library, gift shop and elegant Yangtze Club for
colorful cultural presentations, traditional fashion shows,
and the sounds of traditional Chinese music. All ships maintain
the highest international safety standards.
Victoria Cruises’ vessels are completely
air-conditioned, including all cabins. Each ship is smoke-free,
except for a small, designated smoking area in the Yangtze Club.
Excursions with Victoria Cruises culturally
enlighten travelers with informative lectures, painting demonstrations,
acupuncture demonstrations, Tai Chi and lessons in the Mandarin
language, calligraphy and the making of silk kites.
Superbly-prepared Chinese cuisine and Western
selections are served (during a single seating) in the Dynasty
Dining Hall on each ship with American-style breakfasts, buffet
luncheons, and Chinese banquet-style dinners including a welcome
cocktail party and a sumptuous Captain’s farewell feast on the
last evening. Afternoon tea is also offered to passengers.
Victoria Cruises offers a variety of itineraries
of varying length, with journeys between four and nine days.
The nine-day Grand Yangtze Discovery itinerary brings travelers
on an intriguing journey between Chongqing and Shanghai. In
addition to the Three Gorges, highlights include exploring the
city of Nanjing, with its historical significance as the seat
of the imperial court by the first Ming emperor, and shore excursions
to cloud-misted Mt. Huangshan, a beloved retreat of emperors
and poets boasting unusual rock formations and cliff-side pine
trees.
The Three Gorges Highlights itinerary between
Chongqing and Yichang encompasses the famed Three Gorges – Qutang,
Wu and Xiling – showcasing dramatic scenery, deep valleys, verdant
landscapes and stunning vistas; shore excursions of the Small
Gorges with visits to either Daning River or Shennong Stream
Gorges; Shibaozhai; and the Three Gorges Dam Site, the world’s
largest construction project and an engineering marvel.
The eight-day Three Gorges Explorer program
takes travelers roundtrip Chongqing-Yichang-Chongqing and offers
different shore excursions in each direction. In addition to
the Three Gorges and Three Gorges Dam, guests can visit Shibaozhai,
known for its 400-year-old, 12-story wooden pagoda, the “ghost
city” of Fengdu, Yichang, and New Zigui, a new city built to
accommodate families relocated as a result of rising Yangtze
waters.
Based in New York, Victoria Cruises established
new standards of excellence for Yangtze River cruising in 1994
with the inaugural sailing of the Victoria I. Since that time,
the number of ships has grown year-by-year, and the company
has achieved great success by introducing the majesty of the
Yangtze River to travelers worldwide.
