Have you gone to the cruise forum here? That may have some suggestions. I also have found TA cruise forum, and Cruise Critic site very helpful in arranging independent land packages. From the forums I have often gotten the name of a guide/driver and contacted them directly to arrange a land package. Also from the forums you will see other people who are on the same cruise and want to share the cost of a land package. It takes some work, but BIG savings can be had. Good Luck.

If you want to see China, don't go on a cruise. If you have your heart set on the cruise, then spend time before or after to see what you want to see.It is easy to travel independently in China. You cannot self-drive in China, but you can easily get a car and driver. Distances between major cities is large and you'll want to fly or take a train.

as you probably know many ports are not that near to the actual cities

Do NOT even consider renting a car in China! The driving is absolutely nuts in the cities. It's fun to go along for the ride, but trying to drive would not end well.


In Beijing, I used a private driver to get out to the Great Wall and otherwise used public transit/taxis.

You an only drive in China if you have a Chinese driver's license. I have one and driving there is not that bad actually. But being from Montreal might help! Ha! Ha!
Cruises limit you to coastal areas only and you would miss a lot. Some cruises say that they stop in Beijing but Beijing is actually inland so they dock at Tianjin which is nearly 200km away.

Thank you all in helping me decide how best to approach China. I am thinking that a cruise is not the answer. Now I have to decide on tour company or independent travel. Has anyone used China Odyssey before?

We did the Odyssey tour, I believe Victoria boat on Yangtze River. For us it was a good way to get get across a good portion of China via the river and see the sights along the way. We started out journey in Beijing, then Xian and then to Chongqing to catch the boat. 3 days I believe and then ultimately docked in Yichang. The boat had several hundred people, food was decent, the scenery was great! Stops along the way were interesting and included.

If one ranks the best places to see in order, the scenery along the cruise would not rank very high. But it may be ok if you do not mind this kind of travel where you do nothing.