Glassespro

Last year, while in Maui for a week, we went to the Luau at the Grand Wailea Hotel (we were staying there). Of three I've been to, it was the best for food and entertainment. BUT, not sure if it will work time-wise. Need to be careful about getting back to ship on time.

We've done the PCL 15 day once, and I think it is the best cruise I've ever done. We're scheduled for the same cruise (LA to HI and back) in October, 2018. Can't wait. Last year we did a family reunion on Maui for 7 days, and it was also great! But for me, the more days laying on my butt, sipping a drink, and reading by the pool is what I really want out of cruising. When I want to see ports and cities, I take Viking River Cruises, and will try their ocean cruises next year. They look expensive, but EVERYTHING is included on board. Had a friend who was given a gift of OBC, and had no way to use it. She bought two jackets, just t use up the money?!?!

Also, quick comment on weather. Many people say 1-2 days 'cold.' If you count sail away as one day, then it will be two days of weather similar to home port. If you don't count it, then it will be one day. Also, there can be some rough patches on those days coming and going. This has to do with the Pacific Current meeting on-shore winds, and the ship sailing outbound. They all meet at the same place, and can cause some roughness. For me, it only meant holding on to my drink tighter. LOL

As Easyboy said, the best place for this is on the Roll Call site. I didn't start it, because you might want to, but if not, I'll be happy to do it. And then, go to roll calls to participate.:)

Someone asked (forgot who, sorry) about going to Belgium. When we were on Tulips and Windmills, we left the group in Antwerp and took the train to Brussels. It was a highlight. Spent most of our time in the Grand Plac, and also found the Millennium Pis (famous statue of the little boy peeing in the garden). If time allows, I think this was well worth it, not to mention the scenery on the train.

Thanks so much for this review/tour book. It is fantastic, and i've got it ready to begin my planning with. You've really helped get me started and excited. We just booked a few days ago, so this has made it real!

Janteach, Mschloe. You indicated you are sailing in late October. We're booked on the Viking Brugi, sailing on 10/25. Would either of you be on that cruise?? If so, should we start a roll call, or talk through this one?

Well, there really isn't much to say. Gayle and I loved this trip. Gayle didn't even have a lot of complaints about food, and she has some very restrictive eating issues. Always found something to eat, and it wasn't an issue. (Even found a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Co, for those of us who hate Starbucks.)

We really didn't experience anything we would call a negative. Obviously, the bathroom situation when touring wasn't what we were used to, but thanks to CC, we knew it, and were prepared with TP, etc. Basically, she just tried to wait for the handicapped stall whenever possible, and that worked fine. Only stuck once.

Here are the two things I mentioned on my eval. 1. We would've liked a bit more time to shop, especially in the more local markets, instead of the touristy places. 2. I thought the duck at the Peking duck dinner was fine, but the rest of the meal was really bad. Having paid extra, it was very disappointing. That's about it. Everything else was a refreshing, new experience for us, and we either loved it, or appreciated the differences.

And, as far as I am concerned, based on our two trips with VRC, they are over-the-top wonderful. They seem to try to do anything to make the trip wonderful, and I've watched them put up--cheerfully--with some pretty weird complaints and requests.

BTW, regarding the malaria issue, as stated, I would not go contrary to your medical personnel. Ours did recommend a shot, and we took it, but she admitted to being a very cautious traveler.

Having just returned, you are correct about the lanyards and punched cards. But as already mentioned, the guides (for all of our groups) handed out a smaller name pin which they asked us to wear. It turns out that this was also used to alert some of the entry people at various museums and public sites. They would tell the person, "I've got 32 people with this pin on," and you see the entry folks counting the pins. Worked very well. So after the first day, most of the people wore the pins, with only a few using the lanyards.

HomeRun, forgot to respond to your question. We used Air plus, booked a flight that arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, 10/11. The first touring day was 10/13. Viking did meet us at the airport, as there were at least 40 people arriving that day, and also paid for the forced overnight on the 11th. Of course they also paid the overnight the 12th after the free day, and then we began the tour on the 13th. Hope that helps.

Hi all, I have so much to say that it took me 28 pages in a journal I kept. don't think you want to hear all of that, or even most of that, but if anyone does, let me know, and I'll send you an e-mail of the whole thing, once I get it all into the computer. You can e-mail me at jimmydear@aol.com.

I'll break this review up over some days, but for now here are many of the positives: Keep in mind, that IMHO your willingness to enjoy the differences and get excited about even the not-so-wonderful things (like non-western bathrooms, don't forget to take a picture), will really determine how much you enjoy any vacation, and certainly China. I remember hearing a person in another of the Viking groups complaining about the walk at the Great Wall, the food, the sounds of the Chinese Opera, and much more. Why did she come? Did she really think she was visiting Chinatown in SF or NYC? This is a great trip, as almost everyone has said, lots of amazing things to see and experience, I know that 99.9% of you will have a great time.

The places Viking takes you are wonderful. Some because of the history and size, some because of recent history, some because of overwhelming beauty, and some for what seems so weird to us. With one exception, Gayle and felt the food was wonderful. From my experience, living in Taiwan for over 2 years, the places that Viking picked for food were quite honest in their presentation and flavors. I especially enjoyed the Ming Dynasty show banquet and the farewell banquet in Shanghai. The last one was truly amazing, and I was able to get all the meat from the fish head, since no one wanted it. If you go, it is the sweetest meat on the fish--try it. I was blown away by the beauty of the Summer Palace in Beijing, and the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai. The Yangtse, of course, took beauty to new heights, and I urge you to go to the sun deck on the side where one of the ship's crew was narrating. Lots of good info and things to look at, that you'll miss if not aware. Same is true on the smaller boats along the "Lesser 3 gorges" side-trip. Make sure you can hear the narrator. Another great stop was the school. The kids are just wonderful, and really enjoy it when we read to them. I could go on and on and on, but will stop here.

Two last comments: One is that most of the info on how to pack and what to take already on this site are pretty accurate, so I won't repeat them, and two, Viking is an amazing company. Just about everything they do, the do well and with the customer in mind. I used to teach Cust Srv, and they do everything right. Bye for now.

Well, Gayle and I returned yesterday, or is it today, or is it AM or PM or November, or ....... Sure glad I don't get jet lag, just think how confused I'd be then!

Anyway, this is an amazing trip. I envy those of you yet to go, and join the chorus of China lovers who have already been. Some of you may recall that I speak Chinese, but didn't know how well I'd do, since it has been 45 years since I was speaking it on a daily basis. Well, it just came back to me, especially when Gayle and I got a bit lost coming off the Great Wall. Walked up to a janitor type person, and having no other choice, just dove in. He was amazed, we conversed for a while, and he gave me perfect directions, which I fully understood, and got us back to the bus with no problem. From then on, I spoke to just about any vendor I could find, bargained in Chinese, and did very well. Hate to brag, but I must admit I was surprised and very excited.

I'll put more together in the next few days, but did want to comment to rahrah50 about Shanghai. When we got into the city from Wuhan, and had a bit of free time, we went to the old (40's) Jewish Quarter (Don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it). There you will find the "Jewish Refugee Museum," which turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Very small, very quick to go through, but very emotional (remember these were escapees from Hitler). The curator/director, wouldn't let us leave, even at closing, as he showed us a short (5 min) film, and told us that he welcomed foreign visitors, and would stay as long as we wanted. He spoke very good English, and we learned quite a bit from him. If you have time, go--it's worth it.

Also, I know its been mentioned before, but go to the Bund at night. It's on the tour during the day, but comes to life at night. The lights on all the bldgs, neon across the river, and the fireworks that went off at around 10:15, were amazing, and you'll never see any of it during the day.

OK, I'll shut up, and tell you more later. BTW, had fun finding and then chatting with some CC buddies from this sight.

Gayle and I leave in about 1 hour for LAX for our flight to Beijing. Hard to believe that it is actually here. It is now 3:24 am, which is an ungodly hour, but what sacrifices we make????

If I can, I'll try to post mid-trip, but if not, I'll check in upon our return. 'Talk' to you all soon. Thanks for all the wonderful info, ideas, and other valuable stuff.

We leave in a couple of days--can't wait!!! Have a question about the free day in Beijing. We leave LAX on the 10th, arriving on the 11th. Is our free day the rest of the 11th or the 12th? On the 11th, just by chance, there is a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat. We got tickets, thought is would be fun to go to the Olympic Arena, surrounded by Chinese, to see the game. Cost is out of sight, but what the heck. So if that is our free day, it is taken care of. If it is the next day, we have to find things to do--shouldn't be hard!

'Talk' to you when I return.

Kbert, I went to the LA Consulate this past week (will p/u tomorrow) and had no issues. I did take a copy of the itinerary, which has the flight info on them. It didn't even look like the lady checked anything except signatures. I will let you know what happens after I pick them up. Wonder if I saw your daughter and didn't even know it???

So here's the fun part. My wife and I carefully assembled all the info, drove down to the consulate, got out of the car, and casually asked each other where the stuff was. Guess what--it was very neatly sitting on our dining room table. We had both forgotten it! Oh well, at least I knew where to go when I returned the next day!!!!:):confused::)

We also are planning to visit the consulate in LA but it's still a little early for us yet so I would love to hear of your first hand experience.

 

Our daughter lives in West LA and we are hoping she'll be able to take our paperwork in on our behalf and pick the visas up later ( she travels back and forth regularly LA to San Diego anyway.) The embassy web site says this is an option but I'd like to hear it firsthand.

I'll post my experiences as soon as we do this, in the next couple of weeks. Hadn't thought about asking for a 1 yr, but that certainly makes sense.

I'm getting very excited, as this draws closer!!!

Maredog, where in LA? We live in Northridge. Our trip is coming up--10/10 out of LA. Our current flights are listed as Air Canada to Vancouver, and on to Beijing. Do you know yours yet? We are still going back and forth regarding changing to non-stop, but the times for most of these flights aren't very good, so still wondering. We live very close to Viking's US Hq in Woodland Hills, so let me know if you need anything from them.

What trip are you on? I think you mentioned it a while ago, but I forgot. Anyway, maybe we can get together and compare notes. We also plan to use the LA Consulate for our Visa's. They claim the turn-around time is only about 4-5 days, but I don't want to wait to the last minute.

Kohola, thanks for the ideas. The pix are wonderful. Can't wait for this experience, especially since my Chinese is now at about 3rd grade level. Can't wait for this trip.

Hi all, I've been off the site for a while, so just finished catching up. Question regarding bringing pencils. I remember a post a while ago where the poster said they gave the kids the pencils directly, which was fun as all the kids gathered around. Now someone posted that they have a box where these things go. Less personal, but perhaps a better idea. Thoughts?

I lived in Taiwan for a couple of years, and duck was always served the way someone described it: pancake, hoisin sauce, cucumber and onion. Oh yea, the duck also--lol. I could eat this dish every day of my life and not get bored!! (P.S., In Taiwan in the 60's, this whole meal cost around $1.50 US.) The other thing that was always served with it was a duck egg dish with nuts and cooked exquisitely. Did anyone get that? Anyway, thanks to all posters. We can't wait until we go in October (Same group as cruisingatsea).

Meddykay, my wife is not a vegetarian, but limits her eating to no red meat, white meat only chicken, and other restrictions. While you're on the trip (or after if you prefer) we would appreciate any tips you have for special food requests. We're not too worried on the ship, but what about the cities? (If you'd prefer, you can e-mail me at: jimmydear@aol.com.) Thanks.

Hi all, Wife and I have been gone for a while. Our son was sent to London for three months, and the firm rented him a 2-bedroom, so we took our first trip to London and Paris! Totally last minute, but really great--and the 'hotel' price in London couldn't be beat (-0-)!

Just got caught up with everyone and everything. As usual, your info is sooo valuable. Thanks. Niv: a page or 2 back you mentioned getting tired of Chinese food. Quick story. When I lived in Taiwan, that's all we ate. After about one month, we went to the US Navy base and begged people to take us into the grill on base. That was the best hamburger and fries I've ever eaten in my life. As much as I love Chinese food, this trip to the base became a routine every 4-6 weeks.

Some of you talked about a roll call. I did start one for the Jewels trip on 10/10/12, (see link below) and will now go and try to get it back on track. Not much action as most of you have said.

What does seat guru dot com have to say. They will tell you detailed stuff such as how wide the seat is and the distance from seat back to seat back. All you need to know is what kind of plane you are flying and on what airline

You are the most helpful person!! Thanks for this info. I'm going to take a look and that should solidify our decision. We are taking a trip to London/Paris in a few weeks. Our son is working there for 3 months and has a 2-bedroom apt, so free room was hard to pass up. We booked the upgrade to Econ Premium because it was relatively inexpensive on Virgin Atl. Wish the China flight was the same.

This edit is to say thanks to ALL of you who responded. We have been checking on some non-stops out of LA, but it is such a loooooong flight!!!!

Forgot to mention that we recently returned from a cruise on NCL's Epic, and had booked using miles, and thus through the "Miles" TA. Cruise Critic said we could get a free drink card, but when I tried, I hit the same issue that some of you are. Because it was booked by a TA, NCL wouldn't even talk to me about this issue. Even after getting on the ship, going to the casino and showing them my card, and the article, they simply said they would only talk to the TA. I just gave up. Sooooo, it's not a Viking thing, I guess it is a travel process that everyone lives with.

P.S., If you're looking for a large ship cruise (Epic holds 5000+ passengers), this was very nice. Highly recommended, except the land staff that I tried to speak to (above) weren't nice or helpful. BTW, this ship has single rooms with no upcharge for singles. They are called Studio's, and my Father-in-law was in one, and really enjoyed the cruise.

We are booked on Air Canada (LAX to Vancouver to Beijing). I know there are non-stops from LA for similar prices to what Viking is paying, but Air Canada is configured 2-3-2, and we are in one of the 2's, so I thought even stopping might be better than the 3-4-3 on most of the other carriers.

We flew KLM (3-4-3) on our last cruise, and it was miserable. The food was good, and the AV system was great in coach, but the TV screen was almost touching my nose, because the passenger in front of me had his seat all the way back. When I asked him to move it forward a bit, he said, "NO!" He finally did, after I kept kicking his seat, and telling him it was because it was too close, and I couldn't help it. Not only did it make it more comfortable, it was also a bit of fun--sorry, but it really was....

Hoping Air Canada is better. Anyone know about their planes?

Just a note to say Hi, we're still here. Getting very excited about the trip, which is still far off, but getting closer. Just read the tipping info, very informative. I thank everyone who participates in this board and is helping to set up a great trip!

FYI, I have set up a Roll Call for our trip (see below for link) and a couple of people are joining in, so if anyone out there is on the same date, give it a look. I know river cruise roll calls are hard to keep populated, but one never knows....

My wife, Gayle, and I are booked on 12 Oct 12 Imperial Jewels. Our hotels will be Beijing--Ritz-Carlton, Financial District; Xian--Westin Xian; Shanghai--Portman Ritz-Carlton. Any info on these hotels will be appreciated.

Also, those of you who used the hotel transfer, I'm curious as to why you didn't use the Viking provided transportation? (Our trip document does say it is included if we fly through Viking.)

Also, I speak (spoke would be better) Chinese, but it has been almost 40 years since I was fluent, so I am scrambling to relearn my vocabulary. I gamble at a local (LA) casino/card club where most of the dealers are Chinese, or Vietnamese who speak Chinese, so they have all taken me under their collective wing and are speaking to me in Chinese. Very cool.

Kbert, I see you're in San Diego, come on up to visit us in Northridge, we live about 10 minutes from the Viking HQ, so you go over in person. They are the nicest, most helpful people I've ever dealt with on cruising!