Diamond Princess - 19 November - Air quality bad in Beijing

[billuk]

:rolleyes:

Did Warren Smith and his staff do a good job with onboard activities?

 

 

Warren Smith and his staff did a good job with the general activitys on the ship, but the quality of the entertainment was poor 2 great acts 1 ausie comedy magician and ond one comedy juggler. not a lot of laughs for 16 nights, an old british act who done well not to die (he was in his 70s) he was the low light, closley followed by the classical piano player zzzz. Princess need to have a close look at the acts provided for a 16 night cruise some of the nights it was a pleasure to lose money in the casino rather that sit through the "entertainers"

[VirginiaL]

We also disenbarked the Diamond Princess on Nov. 19th, 2010 on their bus transfer from Cruise Port (Xingang) to the Beijing airport around 7am. We experienced a 10+ hour ride to the airport instead of the "typical" 3 hour. The "famous fog" caused multiple series of accidents and the police closed the roads. Nearly everyone on our bus missed their international flight. We had to stay two additional days to get out of Beijing. Would suggest looking at a train alternative or simply plan an extra day in Beijing if disenbarking at Xingang.

[apple0604]

Hi everyone,

 

I am only new here. But I love reading on Cruise Critic. I hope what I am about to say will help. Pollution in Beijing, in fact any other big cities in China, is bad and has been bad for years. It seems that it is getting worse with more and more cars on the road and speed of modernisation over there. The government has been tryibg hard to "fix" it by implementing practical as well as impractical measures though none of them seem very effective. However, when after rain or strong wind, the air quality is a lot better and you can see blue sky or sun. The chance is that if you visit there during the winter period you have a better chance of seeing blue sky and sun. Sand storm normally happens during April or May. It can be extremely bad. My sister has allergy condition and she really suffers. Mask only helps a little bit.

 

Also the port where Diamond Princess docks officically is not in Beijing. It is near the city of Tianjin and about 230 kms from Beijing and about 3 hours one way. The traffic can be very bad on each end if you plan to do a excusion to Beijing. It will be an long tired day. Better stay extra nights in Beijing if you want to see the place.

 

For those who wants to see the Great Wall the best place to go is not in Beijing, and you don't need to travel that far. A place in Hebei Province, Mutianyu, is much more quieter and nicer. Best of all it is closer to the dock in Tangu. I am not sure Princess has organised tour to there. I doubt it very much.

 

Good luck with your stay in China.