Peregrina651

Andrea,

Looks like you're off to a quick start.

Some of the questions you posted are answered in the journal -

Will be available - hope we can help.

Diane & Jerry

With your help! The link above is to one of yours posts. I started reading your journal last night and I am taking notes like crazy!!

If anyone is still following or subscribed to this thread, may we invite you to join the conversation at Viking Footsteps of the Cossacks (Ukraine)? We are looking for past cruisers to talk about their experiences and to help those of us who planning this cruise to learn more about it.

TIA!

Andrea

It took some doing but I finally found a CC post with links to photos and a blog: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=23351678&postcount=6

Facebook also has some links for photos and blogs on its FB page. It also has a discussion forum similar to CC and there are a couple of good threads for Footsteps. It is a good place to read but I'm not happy with the lack of privacy. At least here on CC were aren't posting with names and addresses that can be looked up on Superpages.

Hi loum140. Glad you are joining the conversation. I'm just about to call the TA to book this trip; we haven't picked a date yet and will depend on what is available. In the meantime, I'm working on gathering information about the cruise and getting more people to come to this thread to talk about it.

Andrea

PS -- feel free to contact me via e-mail. My address is in my sig file.

Calling all cruisers past and present who have taken this cruise to join in an all-inclusive discussion of this Viking itinerary. I'm hoping that this will become the 'go-to' thread for all things Viking Ukraine.

DH and I are looking to book this trip for May or June, 2012. I have plenty of questions that I know can only be answered by those who have taken the trip--and I hope to find you and bring you to this cruise.

Let me start this rolling with a couple of question:

• When is the best time to take this trip?
  
• Any suggestions on flight arrangements? There is nothing direct, so tell us about your flight arrangements and how you thought they went.
  
• What about visas? Do we need them?
  
• What about finding ATMs?
  
• Can I drink the local water or should I stick to bottled water?
  
• For the most recent cruisers, tell us about the ship and the cabins.
  
• Please, share your reviews, photos and travelogues. Do you travel blogs and photos on other websites? Would you share the link here?
  

Cruise Critic members are THE BEST source of information and I thank you all in advance.

Most of the digital P&S cameras have picture taking options which allow you the same range of control (f-stop, etc.) that you had with the old fancy film cameras.

Yeah, you have controls just like on a SLR but it's control of a very limited range of choices. I only get a handful of f-stops on my P&S (6 stops 3.3-6.3) while my DSLR can stop down to 16 or smaller (and yes, I do step it down that far). But that's not really the issue. I went to the DSLR for the quality of the sensor and the quality of the lenses--that's what determines the quality of the image. That and I hated the delay on the shutter; it drove me nuts!

There's no question that Canon makes great DSLRs, as does Nikon, but I would add that anyone who is looking for a good DSLR (or really any camera) should go to a camera store and try out a number of them from different manufacturers. Cameras "feel" different to different people, and you need to feel comfortable holding and working with yours, especially a DSLR. Also, you may find that the menu systems on some lines of cameras feel very intuitive to you and you'll find them easy to use, whereas others seem very strange.

 

Buying the camera that's right for you is a very subjective thing. Try out a bunch.

AGREED!! Take your time choosing; you are making a big investment. When I bought my DSLR, I went to a couple of different places (big box store and camera store) and played with the cameras. In the end, my choice went to the camera that felt best in my hands. Once I decided on which camera then I went shopping to find the best price.

The only thing I would caution you about re Capital One is that, in my experience at least, their customer service is horrific (think call center in a foreign country and someone poorly trained on the other end of the phone you can barely understand), and can't hold a candle to the folks who issue my Visa card. (I know others have had better experiences with Cap One, but I have found them to be awful.)

 

In addition, if, like most folks, your regular credit card gets you frequent flyer miles or something else of value to you, think about whether giving that up to save 3% (and having to deal with Cap One on top of it), is worth it.

CapOne does have a rewards program (multiple plans, in fact), so you aren't giving up any value just to save 3%. If you don't have one of their reward cards, you can call and have it changed. Last time I spoke with them, I spoke to a US-based rep who was very helpful.

I leave a card list (card no., phone number, security code, etc.) with a trusted realative back in the USA. If I have a problem, I place one call or e-mail to the relative who can easily deal with the credit card issuers.

That's a great idea. I never thought of that.

BUT make sure that you arrange with the credit card company for that person to be able to act for you or else the bank won't be able to talk to them even if is to report a stolen credit cards and arrange for replacements. DH has accounts that I'm not named on and even though I'm the one who signs the checks and makes the deposits, the bank cannot discuss the account with me.

Thanks for the link, Turtles06. I will say that Uniworld has inundated me with phone calls since I requested a brochure:mad:, but, hopefully will desist for awhile, since we're planning for 2013.

If you stop talking to them, they will stop calling. Just hang up. They will get the message--eventually.

Any other advice concerning this trip: what TO do and what NOT to do???? Would appreciate any help.

The best way to learn about this cruise is to read what has already been written about it. Lots of do's and don't's have already been posted in this thread and in its predecessor, Part 1. Some of us have posted journals and pictures. Some of us have written cruise reviews here on CC.

We are booked on this tour for next October. My question is: Is only one (1) piece of luggage allowed? What if you have more than one piece of luggage?

 

Would appreciate any advice....our trip is from Beijing to Shanghai and then the extended trip to Hong Kong.

 

Thanks.

That is one per person plus carry-on. The truth is that you just don't need that many changes of clothing. Most people don't dress for dinner so that is one less set of changes you have to worry about. You don't need formal wear and the men don't even need a sports jacket for dinner. It is October so you won't be melting in the heat. Bring stuff that can be washed out in the sink easily. There is laundry service on the ship--but no dry cleaning. You can send clothing out to be laundered when you get to Shanghai; it should be ready before you leave for Hong Kong.

I've posted some of my photos from our recent (October) Imperial Jewels trip from Shanghai to Beijing here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/china_oct_2011

Ruth, magnificent!!! The light was with you the whole trip! I am most amazed/jealous at at how crisp your telephoto shots are. Did you use a tripod? Your Warrior pictures are stunning.

It's finally here! Tomorrow we leave for Shanghai. We're both so excited I doubt whether either of us will sleep a wink. Thankyou everyone for all the helpful information posted here' date=' we've used most of it to plan our China adventure.[/quote']

 

LOL. Not sleeping tonight might make it easier to sleep on the long flight to China.

 

Have a great trip. We look forward to hearing from you on your return, if not sooner.

I have been reading your "journal" and it is helping us decide which type of cruise to take next year (river or ocean with land tour).... We find your journal extremely helpful in giving us more information as far as the river cruise experience on the Yangtze and your day by day account. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. The Shutterfly pictures are a plus too.

 

Thanks, sailaway. That was my goal--to help folks who are taking the same cruise or who are trying to decide which one to take. I can't tell you which one is better because I haven't been on the others; I can only tell you what I experienced and what I thought about what I did and how things were handled. Well, that and showing off my pictures and hoping that everyone is amazed as I am that there is anything more than blur on the screen.

Thanks to all of you returning sailors who are posting info. I don't go until next year, and am keeping track of the posts I want to be sure to review again. You are all so helpful.

I started a long document of tips from here that I cut and paste together as I read. However, after a while I just stopped doing it. I found that most of the information I had copied was repeated over and over again in the year prior to my sail date and by the time we sailed I pretty much had it all memorized.

Jim, BTW, nice sig file ;)

From roothy123: I did take some stuff I didn't use: hand wipes, which were plentiful in China and on the Emerald, a few plastic forks, Immodium and Pepto, Cipro,

I didn't really use any of the drugs I brought either, but my S-I-L was quite glad that they had bought a C-pak(?)when she developed a bacterial rash on her leg during the trip. When the ships doctor prescribed oral antibiotics, she already had what was needed. Personally I would rather have the drugs with me and never need them, rather than vice versa.

 

I'm now going through pictures. I will post them on my pbase site when done, and post a link here. However, I'm not planning to post a formal blog of my journey -

Why not (asks the procrastinator)? With the posts you've made so far, you already have a good start on some sort of a blog/travelogue. If you gather what you have written and add some photos and then post it someplace like Photoblog or Shutterfly, you're done.

Does anyone else think it is really cool that Viking monitors these boards!!

I do!

You should also be aware that they tread a very thin line when they respond to us here in that they must be very careful to stay within the guidelines that Cruise Critic imposes on them (which are different from the guidelines imposed on passengers).

Welcome home! Glad you had a great trip. Can't wait to see your photos and read your review.

For those of you who missed Ruth's paragraph about wi-fi fees at the Westin, it bears repeating.

Just a heads up for people like me who don't like to spend money for internet: The westin Chaoyang doesn't charge if you use wifi on your netbook on the first 5 floors, but it you use it in your room upstairs, they do. I paid $20 for a cruise critic message and an email or two. Of course, most of you will say that's a drop in the bucket, and it is, but I just thought I'd pass that on. Westin does NOT tell you that when you check in and give you your password for the wifi.

Ruth, it is not a drop in my bucket and I hope that you will say something about it on the passenger survey. Most hotels we deal with have an opt put screen that tells you that you will be incurring a fee. Since this doesn't seem to be the case here, it is something that the Viking guides should be talking about before checking in at the hotel.

I meant to add that yes, the leaves are beginning to turn here around the Great Walll. Don't expect the Northeast, and you'll enjoy a little bit of color in your great wall pictures! They are mostly reds, and seemed to be on the part of the mountain away from the wall parts - but I think it's still a bit early, so you may see more!

Umm, the Northeast is have a terrible year color-wise, so you might be getting the better show. We seem to be going from green to bare and skipping the color. :(

Peregrina, your tips on how to work this site are really helpful, keep them coming! I know I have to keep on top of the Roll Call site, which is fine, but this is my first time doing the lead on a Roll Call, so hope I keep it going. Anyway, it is coming up on Midnight here, but I wanted to see if anyone popped up. "See ya" tomorrow.

Jim, see one, do one, teach one. ;)

If you have any CC how-to questions, just e-mail me (it's in my sig file). If I know the answer, I'll be happy to share.

Hi all. Just opened a Roll Call for: Viking Emerald-Beijing/Shanghai-10/10/2012. I know it is probably too early, and won't get a lot of hits, but you never know. Anyway it's out there, under Roll Calls, "All River Cruises."

Jim, Never too soon! But, now you have to babysit that thread and keep it hot. (BTW, river cruise roll calls are not like mainstream roll calls; with 1/10th the number of passengers, there will be 1/10th the number of roll call participants--but don't let that stop you!!!!! Roll calls are great.)

I see that you have put a link to it in you sig file; I call it free advertising for the roll call--and perhaps the only 'advertising' allowed on CC. ;) Why not add a link for this thread as well?

AND, it is also another teaching moment (hey, there is no manual for this place, so we have to share what we know). So, here is how to insert an embedded link into your text. This is an embedded link: Viking Emerald Roll Call (Oct 10,2012). It says one thing on the screen but if you click on it, it will take you to another webpage. If you roll your mouse over it, you see the URL. Why take the time to do it? Because it looks good and is easy to read. Because CC servers sometimes truncate URLs when they display them.

How to: The secret is one of those icons that runs across the top of the compose window (either reply or when creating a sig file). The icon you are looking for is the one that says INSERT LINK when you mouse over it.

1. Copy the link you want to insert. e.g., your roll call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1501259
   
2. Type the text that you want to appear on page: Viking Emerald etc.
   
3. Highlight the text.
   
4. Click on the INSERT LINK icon.
   
5. Paste the URL into the textbox and hit OK.
   

You now have a link to your roll call embedded in the text rather that a URL. Magic!

You can also insert pictures into a text in the same way, as long as the picture has a URL (which means it is on some public server like Picasa or Flickr or whatever). Use the INSERT PICTURE icon to insert a picture at the point where the cursor is when you click the icon.(CC likes when we use this feature because it is less being stored on the CC servers.)

Jim, one last thing. You never saw the "show/no show" thing because it was BELOW the submit reply button -- and who reads past that??????

Main reason for post is to see if my new countdown clocks appear. We're going in Oct, 2012, and I think, after all the info I've gotten, I owe it to future cruisers to share my thoughts, assuming I can remember all this for over a year--lol.

Sig file secrets: Unless you have just added a sig file to your profile, you can check an update on any of your existing posts that already has your sig file attached. If it is showing an older version, re-load the page. (This is a lot easier than a new post every time you want to check changes to your sig file--but certainly not as sociable. :))

Even your oldest post will show your current sig file (provided that a sig file was part of the post to begin with). That is because, to save server space, each post has a short bit of code telling the server to show or not show your sig file when it displays your post. There is just one copy of your most recent sig file stored on the server.

There is a show/no-show option for sig files each time you write a post. It is found below the 'submit reply' button--which means for some of us that we never see it (especially when I'm working on my netbook).

 

I'm happy to report that the 8 computers on the Emerald have wifi and hard wire access right now, and I'm the only soul in the computer room. Of course, it IS only about 3:30 AM or so here - I have been to China a couple days now and still can't sleep past 3 AM...ugh! Also, there is no apparent restriction on what you send from the computers (photos, etc.), although obviously common sense would probably come into play here, as we ARE on a ship! The sign only says that we should limit our time on the computer to 45 minutes.

WooHoo! That is a distinct improvement over what was available on the Century Sun. The computers were so slow that we were asked not to try to upload pictures. Molasses was faster than those computers; even programs were slow to open.

Question for you guys: We did the long "Walk down the tiny steps" in Wuhan yesterday. Luckily it wasn't raining, because the steps weren't exactly fun. Is there a similar docking situation in Chongqing, or is Wuhan the only scary place?

.

Yes, those tiny steps were awkward but they don't come anywhere close to Chongqing in the rain. If it is raining in Chongqing then you will find yourself climbing up a waterfall. Along with arranging for a porter to carry your bags, put an extra pair of socks in your carry-on, shoes, too, if you can manage it.