A view inside the Three Gorges Dam ship elevator on the Yangtze River, which can raise vessels up to 3,000 tons to a height of 370 feet.
Eight years after the Three Gorges Dam on China's Yangtze River was completed, another aspect of the ambitious engineering project could bring some renewed interest to the destination: the world's largest ship elevator.
The ship lift opened in the fall and has a ship-carrying basin that is nearly 400 feet long and 60 feet wide, elevating ships up to 3,000 tons along with a volume of water roughly equivalent to that of four Olympic-size swimming pools up 370 feet, the height of a 40-story building.
Beginning with its first regularly scheduled Yangtze departure on March 16, Victoria Cruises will include the ship elevator in its 2017 programs, enabling passengers to bypass the five-stage ship locks experience that was previously used to cross the dam.
"In addition to its truly humbling size and scope, the time saved by using the ship lift allows for a more optimal sailing schedule," said Larry Greenman, manager of public relations and customer service for New York-based Victoria Cruises.
The five-stage ship locks take between three and five hours to pass through, whereas the ship elevator can be navigated in as little as 40 minutes, according to Victoria.
The Three Gorges Dam project started in 1994, and construction on the ship elevator began in 2008. Its completion marks the end of the final stage of the dam project.
Victoria Cruises passengers will get to experience the ship lift on a specially designed sightseeing boat, which will be followed by a tour of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest power station.
The excursion will take place on the second day of Victoria's upstream cruises and on the fourth day of downstream cruises and is included as part of a one-time, $90 shore excursion fee that also includes a sailing along a Yangtze tributary onboard a traditional Chinese sampan (small boat) and a visit to Shibaozhai, a 12-story, 18th century, wooden pagoda.
Victoria Cruises' Three Gorges Highlights cruise starts at $880 per person, based on double occupancy.