Yangtze flows from West China to East. Upstream means sailing from East China-- lower part of the river (such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Jingzhou or Yichang) up to Chongqing. Unless it's a round-trip cruise from Yichang and return to Yichang, if your cruise journey's destination is Chongqing, then it is an upstream cruise. Downstream are the opposite.

 Everybody want to get the best experience, so downstream or upstream Yangtze cruise, which one is a better choice?

Here is a Yangtze Cruise passenger's feedback:

 The fact is upriver cruise was less crowded.

Our crew told us that this is generally the case. Our ship could hold 200 passengers. On our cruise there were only 60 passengers.... On the downriver return, they were expecting 190. It was very nice not having so many people to bump into; the dining room was less crowded; getting on and off the boat was faster and easier; and the crew was more relaxed and had more time to spend with us.....

Don't think you'll be alone on the river.... there will be many other boats. At some excursions, you'll have to troop through other boats to get ashore. There may be small and then even smaller boats to catch for excursions up the lesser gorges, and buses to board.

They'll have plenty of buses or boast, no matter how many are on your cruise, but a smaller number of passengers makes this seem like a more custom tour.... and that's what WE like!!!

On the upriver cruise, we had more time to see the sights, but not so much that we got bored. There are still sites like the Lesser Three Gorges to explore that are beautiful and places like the Ghost City of Fengdu to visit. Now that the water has risen behind the dam, they will also take you up the Mini Three Gorges... river valleys that were previously unnavigable. So with the dam, we've lost some things and gained some. Getting up into those lesser gorges alone makes the Yangtze River Cruise still worth it.