Peregrina651

Community Manager Laura posted a link to this article about preventing identity theft while traveling. Good article!

I have a cabin on hold for the Oct. 5 sailing of China Explorer. From everything I can find online, it looks like Golden Week runs from Oct. 1st (a Tuesday) through the 7th (a Monday). If I am reading the itinerary correctly, it's actually Day 2 that the tour starts which would be Sunday, Oct. 6th. Would you be concerned that the first two days of the actual tour, which hit all the big stops in Beijing, fall over the last two days of Golden Week (which are a Sunday and Monday)?

 

From what I've read and from what one of my DH's co-workers who is from China told him, crowds can be overwhelming. Yet VRC says they "try to work around it" by starting tours an hour earlier.

 

Thoughts?

Not that I traveled in China at this time but here are my thoughts:

The crowds be damned! It will only effect the first couple of days of your tour and Viking has a number of years of practice dealing with them. Better with Viking than on your own; they will get you where you have to go and take care of you while you are there. We were in Ukraine (not quite as crowded) for a National Holiday and it was exciting. There was electricity in the air.

Community Manager Laura posted a link to this article about preventing identity theft while traveling. Good article!

Tell me more!

I'll pass along whatever I get from Oceanlady if she hasn't already posted it here. If you have any specific questions, post them here and I will pass them along for her to try to answer.

From Oceanlady aboard the Lomonosov, with her permission. She finally has wifi service.

Hi folks. Having a great, amazing time on our cruise. Few setbacks, one being no wifi for 3 days til now. Other is Opera house is closed until May 5. So no ballet or Opera. But, we may go to classical concert and will go to see a local Black sea Fleet band. Tomorrow we will be in Zaporozhye for cossacks horseman show and famous teatime of chefs pastries. Food, people, sites are all great!!!

Also, rooms all have hair dryers in desk, slipfree mats in shower, flat screen small tvs.

I missed the May 11 sailing and have added a 2014 roll call.

Don't sell yourself short, Peregrina. You're doing an AWESOME job and we appreciate it!

:o:o While I appreciate the pat on the back I still maintain that this is a group effort.

Links to roll calls for 2013.

May 18 Explorer

May 31

(Jewels)

June 3 Jewels

June 20 Jewels

June 30 Jewels

July 3

July 7 Explorer

July 20 Roof (Tibet)

August 2 Jewels

September 8 Jewels

You mean I missed one!? Dang! And here I thought I was being so good about keeping up on the additions. Sorry. :o

I added it to the list above.

Links to roll calls for 2013.

I started a Roll Call. Let's see what happens. :) Here's a link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1830900

Nice job!! Now Brandy and you can chit chat easily.

Next step is to add a link to the roll call to your signature file so that it shows up every time, and everywhere, you post. E-mail me for instructions if you want.

Hey, ocean!!!

It is here at last.

Bon voyage!!!

Post while you are traveling if you can.

In our family lore one of the most amusing moments is "the time Mom's legs turned to rubber and she couldn't walk across the swinging bridge over the gorge outside of Quebec City"--luckily I could crawl back on my hands and knees from the middle of the bridge (literally!) and double back around to see the rest of the gorge. Well there is only one way out to and one way back from the pagoda (unless the Emerald would just make a special stop for the quivering passenger--not!) and I wanted to see it--I'm glad I did!--and just kept saying to myself "You will never get to walk out to a Pagoda on the Yangtze again if you don't do this now." I actually met SteadyAT for the first time (wasn't that right Steady?) on my way back to the ship at the bottom of the pagoda so by the time I crossed back my group was gone and the bridge was a much more tranquil crossing on the way back --you do have a little extra time to walk back as they encourage shopping in the little town. As Peregrina says walk down the middle--much sturdier! You will be glad you did it and you KNOW you can! :)

LOL Hubby says he has never seen me walk so fast..:eek:

Actually, the bridge was not as bad as I had imagined and although I zoomed across on the way over, I actually strolled back--and I'm one who would have had the same reaction to the Quebec gorge bridge.

CTGirl, wait until you walk across the bridge to the Pagoda at Shibaozhai! I LOVED it when tons of people were walking across. One of my aunts however preferred lagging behind until most people have passed by!

Walk down the center of the bridge--and also keep in mind that ALL bridges of any length have to move like this else they will just snap. Is that too much information?

.

 

I have to say that nothing on this board prepared me for boarding the Emerald. I knew about the steps (we went down them) but I did not know about the pontoons on the river that held the walkway. The walkway shook with every step. What an experience. One of my bus mates joked "how does it feel to have walked on water". I would post some pictures but I think I just got blocked.

Your description of the walkway truly captures the experience.

I've tried but I was never able to describe that portion of the boarding process adequately.

The first 2013 sailing starts on April 21.

WooHoo!!

Last chance to post any questions for Oceanlady to look into while she is on board.

Wow..I finally found someone else on the boards doing the Viking Imperial Jewels of China on June 3,2013. Brandy we're a group of 4 and are freaking out a little at the UNKNOWN of it all. This will be our first trip with Viking and the first trip to Asia. We are SO excited though. I can't even imagine how you are considering you'll be doing this with no official traveling companion. From what I understand we'll all be in relatively small groups so hopefully you'll click with someone in your group...if not I'll keep an eye out for someone who seems to be "on their own" and will snag you to join us if at all possible. LOL! I'm still making my way thru this amazing long thread, so maybe I'll comment on something later. Take care! ~Missy~

Next step is to start a roll call for the June 3 sailing. ;)

Thank you & Peregrina for all of your helpful info!!

I'll say, "You're welcome," but on behalf of EVERYONE who posts information and answers questions here. It's a group effort, a very successful group effort.

Arriving into Shanghai (PVG) on June 20, 2013 need any information as to location of Visa ATM's and amounts you can draw per day. Appreciate any and all input.:)

You can find airport maps online. Here is one. It shows that there is an ATM available as you leave customs and immigration on Level 1.

Do I need bug spray?

For those going in April and May, this is what I observed. I can't tell you what later in the season will bring.

Not for touring and walking around the town. Mosquitoes were never an issue on our sailing. However, sailing on the river, there are the little bugs to contend with. They will cover the exterior surfaces and they will get into your cabin if you open the windows but they didn't seem to be interested in people.

Some thoughts about packing:

Don't stress. If you forget something, you will manage. The only thing that you have to worry about is your drug box. Anything else either you don't need it, you won't miss it or it can be replaced there.

Aloha, so sad you had to go thru this! I'm going to call Austrian Air (even though I know it's part of Europe and make sure that it's not crazy there. I guess it should be okay, but now I've heard a few horror stories about airports in Kiev and Odesa. Not fun at all! Glad we leave right from Viking,but I'm going to check on the return. My DH will kill me if something like this happens to me and will never take Viking again....

 

Forgot to say, it was completely out of Viking's hands. Viking can't control what the airlines and the airport personnel do. It could have happened regardless of the tour provider.

Aloha, so sad you had to go thru this! I'm going to call Austrian Air (even though I know it's part of Europe and make sure that it's not crazy there. I guess it should be okay, but now I've heard a few horror stories about airports in Kiev and Odesa. Not fun at all! Glad we leave right from Viking,but I'm going to check on the return. My DH will kill me if something like this happens to me and will never take Viking again....

 

A big part of Kohola's problem was having to buy a visa to get into Turkey long enough to collect his baggage that had only been checked as far as Istanbul because for some reason, they would not check it all the way to the US when it was checked in in Ukraine--especially after he was assured prior to traveling that he would not need a visa for Turkey because he was simply changing planes there.

You won't have a visa problem in Vienna because no visa is needed.

Since you are staying overnight in Vienna, you most likely will not be permitted to check your luggage all the way through to the US anyway; you will have to collect it in Vienna and check it again when you return to the airport.

Thanks for your tips! They were extremely helpful!

Thanks. Let us know what actually helps and what needs fine tuning or has even changed from last year. It helps us stay up to date since Viking is constantly tweaking its product.

I just sent my documents to Genvisa today for the July 7th roof of the world trip. I had to submit my license number and a copy of the drivers license. I also needed to get a special invoice from Viking that does not mention Tibet to submit. I should hear back in about 4 weeks.

I am really getting excited about this trip!

Will the July 9 Roof be sharing the ship with the July 7 Explorer? I haven't counted it out the days to figure it out but there is a roll call for the July 7 Explorer. You might not be on the same bus but if you are on the same ship...

I followed Peregrina's hints and I was quickly contacted by SteadyAT and we conversed for about a month before we left and then 3 others checked in just before our trip--I met all of them while on our trip--one I was talking to in the gift shop at the bottom of the Great Wall and asking where he found his diet coke and he said, "Are you ____?!" We found out that one of the lurkers had reserved at Black Sesame Kitchen and we caught a cab back to our hotels together--wonderful evening of food and fun! So hang in there--people will appear and you will connect. SteadyAT and I continue to talk to this day. It is all so incredible and you meet so many nice people and VRC does such a good job!

Love your success story!!!

Any more???