Transportation Guide of the Yangtze Cruise Ship Boarding and Disembarking Docks
Post on Sep,2,2013
Getting to and from the docks to disembark on the amazing Yangtze Cruise can be a challenge if you are not familiar with where to go. Being in a foreign country it is crucial that you have accurate directions or at least an idea of where to go and how to get there. In all honesty that was one of my biggest fears when I was getting ready to go on the cruise; that I would not make it there at all! Here is some information on different docks where you disembark. There are three main port cities where you can disembark from: Chongqing, Yichang, and Shanghai.
Chongqing
Choatianmen Dock
This is the most frequently used dock for the Yangtze cruise but it does not take you directly to the ship. Instead it takes you to one of the 13 other docks around. Before I go any further I need to mention that when you make your travel arrangements for the cruise you will not know right away which dock you are leaving from. They do not give this information until a couple of days prior to the actual cruise; no exceptions. To get there from the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport it will only take roughly 30 minutes.
The cost to get there will be about $8. Make sure to bring a little extra in case of slight currency changes. To get to this dock from the Chongqing North Railway Station first you need to take a CHR train from Chengdu to Chongqing. The ride is about 20 minutes long and will cost roughly $5. Since Chengdu is fairly close as well you could take the train from Chongqing to Chendgu which is a 2 hour ride. Call ahead for pricing. Other docks that can be used when there are low periods would be the Fengdu Dock and the Fuling Dock. Call a couple of days ahead of time to see if you need to arrive at either the Fengdu or Fuling dock and get directions.
Yichang
New Century Port
This port along with the Taohuacun Port are the most popular to use to get to the Yangtze River. The New Century Port is only about 3 miles from the Taohuacun port so the travel for both is pretty much the same. There are shuttle buses and taxis available from the airport to take you to one of these two ports. To get to the New Century Port from the airport is about 45 minutes and will cost $25 for the taxi ride (not including tip). If you are taking a shuttle bus then it will take about 50 minutes and cost about $4 per person. You will arrive at Qing Jiang Mansion then need to take a taxi to get to the port which will cost $6.
The railway station is East Railway Station and is about 14.5 miles from the port. Then you will take a taxi for about 20 minutes and will cost $10. You can also take the No. 1 bus near the exit of the railway and transfer to No. 10 which will take you to the port. The entire trip is about 2 hours.
The other option you have is to go by bus. Take the No. 9 and get off at No. 22 Middle School Station. Then transfer to the No. 10 bus and walk just under a mile. That will take about 80 minutes in total.
Taohuacun Port
To get to this port from the airport it will take 40 minutes and cost $17 if you go by taxi. The distance is about 22 miles. There is also the option of the shuttle bus and that takes 50 minutes. It will cost $4 a person and take you to the Qing Jiang Mansion and from there take a taxi to the port for $5.
The railway station will take 20 minutes or so and cost $9 by person if you go by taxi. The route is the same by bus as it is by railway and the total trip is about 2 hours. The bus route is the same as the railway route and the walk is just over half a mile.
Shanghai
Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal
This terminal connects the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River which makes it a popular option to get to the Yangtze Cruise. It is also known as Baoshan Cruise terminal due to it being located in the Baoshan District in Shanghai; keep that in mind when searching for information on this terminal. To get to this port you do have a few options. The port is about 15 miles northeast of Shanghai.
If you take the subway take line 3 and get off at Baoyang. From there take a taxi along Baoyany Road to the eastern tip. Coming from Pudong Airport you can take a taxi to the terminal. It is about 31 miles and will run you $30, not including the tip. This is the most popular airport traveled by Americans. From the Hongqiao Airport the taxi ride will be about 22 miles and cost $22.
The last option is to arrive via Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. To get to the terminal will be the same as from the Hongqioa Airport; 22 miles and about $22.
As stated earlier there is no way to know ahead of time which port you will need to go to so keep this information handy. Call 2 days prior to the cruise to find out which port you need to go to. Be prepared for them to not have an answer; sometimes travelers will not know until the day before the Yangtze Cruise where they need to go. Now that you have this information it will be much easier and less time consuming to plan your transportation to various ports.
