Beijing Service vs. Shanghai Tours (Chen Shen Shen) in Shanghai?

I am considering using either Beijing Service or Shanghai Tours (Chen Shen Shen) for a private guide for two days in Shanghai. Does anyone have any personal experience with either company? If yes, please share your experiences and advise me on which company I should use.

Thanks,

Shelley

We just returned from a cruise from Hong Kong to Vancouver via China, South Korea, Japan, Alaska, and Russia.

We used Beijing Serivice in Shanghai and Beijing - they did a wonderful job. Tracy was our contact - tracy@beijingservice.com. She was very easy to work with. Our first day in Shanghai was to Suzhou and the second was a tour of Shanghai - the guides were very good and there was excellent value for money spent. Our tours were much less expensive than the ship's tours and we only had 8 one day and 6 the other. Our overnight tour to Beijing was outstanding and less than half the cost of the ship's tour - plus we saw more since there were only 6 of us to get in and out of the van! The hotel was excellent and not expensive. I recommend Beijing Service and Tracy highly.

Doug

Thanks, Doug. I have been communicating with Tansy of Beijing Service,and I have been impressed with their quick responses. We are in Shanghai for two full days. One day we definitely want to see the highlights of the city. We also want to visit Jewish Shanghai. Did you do this? Was it part of your city tour day? Can you tell me a little more about Suzhou? Tansy recommended a day in Suzhou, also, but I'm not sure whether it makes sense when we only have two days in Shanghai to spend one of them out of the city. We definitely want to include Jewish Shanghai in our sightseeing. Please enlighten me with your thoughts. Thanks!

Shelley

One more question, Doug: What ship were you on?

Shelley

I sailed on Oceania in Feb/Mar. The ship docked very close to the jewish quarters, you can walk in about six minutes. You can do a tour on your own since the area is small. The museum is now open.

We are going to use Chen Shen Shen when we are in Shanghai as a friend has highly recommended him and we have found him to be excellent with his emails.

We are also using Beijing Service when we visit Guilin at the end of our cruise. I agree that Tansy is very efficient and answers every question that is asked of her.

I feel that they are both good companies and are hard to fault.

Jennie

Hi there

This is a long-shot, but I am looking for a private guide in Shanghai. I would like any info. you may have on Chen Shen Shen. Thank you

Catherine email - mbbravomike@gamail.com

Catherine,

I cannot believe that this thread has come to life after all these years. We did use Chen Shen Shen twice on that trip back then which was in 2009. The first time was when our ship was docked in Shanghai - Azamara's Quest - and he took six or eight of us around Shanghai. He was especially good when he took us to the wonderful restaurant for the best dumplings. We didn't have to stand in the long queue and we walked right up to the front of the queue.

We also used him when we returned to Shanghai at the end of our cruise and he took my DH and self to Suzhou for the day. I have just reread my diary and we had an excellent day with him where we used all Public Transport including the train from Shanghai to Suzhou.

We used Tansy whose address was at Beijing Service but whose new email address is tansy@chinatravelshangai.com. I believe it is the same company. We had a fantastic time using that Company with a private guide and driver in Beijing, one in Xian, one Guilan etc. They took us to the airport each time and made sure we were booked in for our next flight.

I have been in touch with Tansy as we were going to be doing a cruise next year which finished in Shanghai and we wanted to do the 3 Gorges cruise plus see the Pandas. We have cancelled that cruise for something better, but Tansy's quote was excellent and we were definitely going to use her Company.

Of the two guides, I would go with Tansy only because Chen Shen Shen's is hard to get in touch with him as often his email doesn't work and I think he may have been more expensive.

Jennie

Thank you so much for your reply Jennie! This will really help us out. It will be our first time in this part of Asia, aside from a few days in Singapore last Fall. We are doing a back to back that starts in Shanghai and ends in Singapore.

Thanks again

Catherine

Thank you so much for your reply Jennie! This will really help us out. It will be our first time in this part of Asia, aside from a few days in Singapore last Fall. We are doing a back to back that starts in Shanghai and ends in Singapore.

Thanks again

Catherine

What cruiseline and ship are you using ?.....Love this itinerary did Singapore-Shanghai and am disappointed it isn't available from RCI again....We opted to do both of those cities on our own using the HOHO in Singapore and since we've been to Shanghai a few times didn't need or want any tours there.

Thanks in advance for your response about your plans.

We are doing the cruise with Celebrity. It leaves from Snaghai on Oct. 17 and finishes in Hong Kong. Then we do another cruise that begins in HongKong and finishes in Singapore. We did Singapore on our own very easily and are considering doing Shanghai on our own (with a good guide book :), except for the water towns - not sure how easy that would be to do on our own. Any thoughts?

We are doing the cruise with Celebrity. It leaves from Snaghai on Oct. 17 and finishes in Hong Kong. Then we do another cruise that begins in HongKong and finishes in Singapore. We did Singapore on our own very easily and are considering doing Shanghai on our own (with a good guide book :), except for the water towns - not sure how easy that would be to do on our own. Any thoughts?

Sounds like a great cruise....Yes easy to do Shanghai on your own...we used taxi's and MRT.

One of our few trips there (Shanghai) was part of a land tour and we opted to add on the day trip to Suzhou ...it was a waste of time and money...but just our opinion....you might feel differently.