When one thinks of a luxury cruise, images of the rocky Mediterranean or pristine, turquoise Caribbean come to mind. But the Yangtze River Golden No.1 is out to change such thinking. The cruise ship, hailed as the world’s most luxurious inland cruise ship, departed on its maiden voyage down the Yangtze River out of Chongqing in Southwest China on Sunday, May 22 and received its first batch of tourists on Saturday, May 28.

The Yangtze River Golden No. 1 was designed to match the luxury of a five-star hotel. It features conference facilities, a helipad, golf courses, and sight-seeing elevators, displaces 12,000 tons, has a 350-guest capacity, and is the height of a six-story building.

A four-day cruise down the Yangtze from Chongqing to Yichang, Hubei Province goes for 3,000 yuan ($461) per person in the standard room, but for our haute travelers the presidential suite will set you back 36,000 yuan ($5,532) per night.

With 15,000 passengers already booked even before the Golden’s inauguration, China may be well on its way as the next elite luxury cruise destination.

[Source: Global Times]