Viking China (Part 2)

[Peregrina651]

That "someone" was me, and you know I'll put up a pic at the drop of a hat. :)

 

Here's our duck being sliced up table side at Made in China. YUM!!!!!!!

 

Some others on our trip went to Da Dong for Peking Duck and loved it as well.

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

I thought it was. :D

Edited August 28, 2013 by Peregrina651

[rahrah50]

It is possible to make reservations online for Made in China. They were great to work with when I set up our reservations for 10 people. The restaurant is in the Grand Hyatt.

[79ti]

Thanks so much, guess we can check both out!

[Sandy70]

Lots of great information. Thanks so much.

[Peregrina651]

Lots of great information. Thanks so much.

 

Glad to be of service! Welcome to Cruise Critic. If you have any specific questions, just ask. We're here to help.

[Sandy70]

Thinking of the October trip. Do you know how rainy the "rainy season" is? We know India's Monsoon climate and Houston gets unpredictable days on end of heavy rain, but the rainy season in Tanzania just was thunder storms/showers every evening and didn't interfere with our safari. So what will it be like in the "rainy season" on the Yangtze (Beijing to Shanghai?)

[Queen of DaNile]

Glad to hear you got reservations. They got back to us within 36 hours. Really looking forward to the adventure - both dining and getting there - LOL

[cnrsf]

September 8 Jewels

September 11 Jewels --Just added

September 15 Explorer

October 11 Jewels

November 2 Cultural Delights

November 10 Jewels

November 17 Jewels

 

 

2014

April 28 Jewels

June 17 Jewels

July 17 Jewels -- Just added

 

 

That's better!

Sorry to give you a little more work, but I just started a thread for Viking - Emerald Imperial Jewels for April 26, 2014 (Shanghai to Beijing). Hope you can update your master list and others will join the specific thread.

[Kohola]

Thinking of the October trip. Do you know how rainy the "rainy season" is? We know India's Monsoon climate and Houston gets unpredictable days on end of heavy rain, but the rainy season in Tanzania just was thunder storms/showers every evening and didn't interfere with our safari. So what will it be like in the "rainy season" on the Yangtze (Beijing to Shanghai?)

 

Since this is a very common question for the thread I took the liberty of finding a map with China superimposed over the US to show the relative locations of the Chinese cities in relation to American cities most of us are familiar with. The weather patterns are similar except China tends to be more humid and therefore a greater heat index.

 

From the map it is pretty obvious you would be traveling from around Philadelphia to New Orleans and across the southeast if you were traveling across the US...dress for that trip and you will do fine in China. The area you're traveling in contains 4 distinct seasons although Shanghai rarely sees a snowfall. Most of the precipitation falls in the summer months in these Chinese cities not October which may be the case in Houston. The massive flooding that closed the locks at the Three Gorges Dam last year occurred in July or August 2012. There are averages complied from years of data taking, but no one can predict precisely whether you will see rain or how much you may see.

These are photos from a friend that lives near Beijing showing the results of a severe thunderstorm about a week ago. Flood waters filled the subway rendering the system useless.

Passengers were forced to use buses which in turn overwhelmed them.

This was the third such storm for them this summer.

[Peregrina651]

Sorry to give you a little more work, but I just started a thread for Viking - Emerald Imperial Jewels for April 26, 2014 (Shanghai to Beijing). Hope you can update your master list and others will join the specific thread.

 

No worries! It is a welcome task. I wish there were more work.

 

For now, here is the link to the roll call. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1908256

[Peregrina651]

 

.

 

GREAT GRAPHIC!!! Thank you!

[juliesaddiction]

So excited!!! Leavng in 4 days :)

[MrsTiggywinkle]

Advice please from anyone with experience...getting to and home from the restaurant.

 

We have reservations at BSK for the wine'n'dine on Wednesday, Oct 2nd. We are staying at the Ritz-Carlton Financial Street. I don't think getting a cab from the hotel to the restaurant will be a problem (but do correct me if I am wrong).

 

However, getting back to the hotel seems to be a problem since cabs apparently are not cruising that particular hutong (or maybe any hutong) at 10PM. So, what are your recommendations for getting home?

 

Will the restaurant help us get a cab?

Should we try to hire a car from the hotel to get us home?

If we manage to find a cab, will the driver refuse to take us where we need to go?

 

It will have been a long day of touring the Forbidden City et al. with another long day at the Great Wall ahead of us, so I know we will be exhausted and eager to get to the hotel and hit the sack. And quite stuffed from our dinner. Just want the getting back to the hotel part to go as smoothly and quickly as possible...

 

Any and all advice would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[rahrah50]

We have a group of 10 going to BSK and I was worried about the same issues and there were 10 of us. We would need several cabs. I emailed the concierge at the hotel and they were most helpful in setting up transportation for us.

[MrsTiggywinkle]

I would hope a concierge would be that accomodating to a party of 10! But we are a party of 2...

 

Which hotel were you staying at?

 

Did the cabs show up on time at the end of the evening?

[MrsTiggywinkle]

Rahrah50,

 

I will be emailing the concierge at the Ritz Carlton tomorrow (after I get my hotel confirmation number from Viking) to see about arranging transportation to and from BSK. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

One last question...the BSK web site says the dinner starts promptly at 7PM and ends at 10PM. Is there any lingering around at the restaurant after 10? Should I arrange for transportation to pick us up promptly at 10? Or should I put some wiggle room in there for a slightly later pick up time?

 

Thanks!

Edited September 4, 2013 by MrsTiggywinkle
correction

[id4elizabeth]

We have reservations for Oct 15 and have the same concern. I have read on these boards that the cab cannot get all the way to BSK, and you have to walk just a little bit down the hutong alleys to get there. This would be the same for the pick-up after dinner, so, not only do we need to know how to arrange the transportation, but also WHERE to meet them at 10:00 or 10:15 by the time you walk back down the hutong alley. Anybody who's been to BSK got any info on this?

[molymoo]

We were at BSK for a Friday night Wine and Dine and had little trouble getting there or back. The hotel called us a cab for the trip there (we were a simple party of 2) and we returned to the drop off point, crossed the street and hailed a cab back to the hotel. It was busy and others were also trying for cabs but if you aren't afraid to jump out there and hustle you shouldn't have any trouble getting a cab. Just in case there is a train station across the street from the entrance to the hutong and if you are really adventurous you could try that ... that was our plan B but we didn't have to resort to it.

 

The hotel provided us with a pre-printed card with the hotel name, address, and a map which we gave to the driver ... "easy, peasy"! With a party of 10 I would contact the concierge and arrange for private transportation ... it might be a bit pricey but divide the price by 10 and it may be do-able.

 

There is no lingering about at the restaurant after 10:00. Michelle explained to us that they observe a strict 10:00 PM curfew out of respect for their neighbors ... the restaurant/cooking school is in a residential neighborhood. We left promptly at 10:00 and were back at the hotel before 11:00 ... we were at the Fairmont Beijing.

 

Have a great dinner ... it was a wonderful experience and actually one of the highlights of the trip ... of course there were many highlights on that one! :D

[MrsTiggywinkle]

molymoo,

 

Thanks for the info on the restaurant's curfew. I know there is a subway nearby but we are not feeling that adventurous that time of night.

 

Since you have already done the cruise, perhaps you (or anyone else) can tell me if there is any kind of group activity (e.g., a welcome cocktail party or some such thing) in the evening on Day 1 (the travel day)...I want to make an early evening reservation for dinner at Made in China but will rethink that if it means missing some sort of get together.

 

id4elizabeth,

 

I will try to arrange transportation to and from with my hotel concierge and perhaps that will work for you as well. I found that with my Beijing hotel (Ritz Carlton Financial Street) they want your hotel confirmation number to do things for you well in advance. Viking says we won't ever have an actual confirmation number but the hotel may recognize the name on the reservation about a week in advance (that is when Viking releases the names to the hotels). So I may try to arrange transportation via the computer then. Otherwise, I will attack the problem upon arrival. :)

[Peregrina651]

 

Since you have already done the cruise, perhaps you (or anyone else) can tell me if there is any kind of group activity (e.g., a welcome cocktail party or some such thing) in the evening on Day 1 (the travel day)

 

There are no group activities on Day 1. You are on your own for meals on arrival day. Most folks are so tired on Day 1 (after the long flight) that they just want a light snack and then off to bed. The escorts are busy meeting all of the flights and getting folks to the hotels.

[id4elizabeth]

MrsTiggywinkle - sounds like a plan! We're at the same hotel and noticed that they do have an e-mail contact, so will try that as you suggest about a week out.

 

I haven't been on this "cruise" yet obviously, but on other Viking cruises there's been nothing the night of arrival. A lot of folks won't get there until later in the evening. However, my other cruises were on the ship on travel-day night, not in a hotel. We plan on doing BSK on travel-day evening. We get there a couple of days ahead.

[Peregrina651]

The escorts are busy meeting all of the flights and getting folks to the hotels.

 

Those whose have bought transfers or whose transfers are included that is.

[juliesaddiction]

Those whose have bought transfers or whose transfers are included that is.

 

Isnt the transfer part of the package deal if you purchased air thru them?

Leaving on Saturday.......very nervous;)

[caribill]

Isnt the transfer part of the package deal if you purchased air thru them?

Leaving on Saturday.......very nervous;)

 

Yes.

 

But some people book air on their own and then the transfer is an optional extra cost option.

 

Also, if arriving before day 1, getting to your hotel is not included.

Edited September 5, 2013 by caribill

[Turtles06]

If you aren't using a Viking transfer from the airport to your hotel, you should consider treating yourself well after that long flight by hiring a car from the hotel to pick you up. We did this in Beijing, and it was truly the right thing to have done. They had someone meet us right as we exited the plane (can't do that here in the U.S.); he escorted us over to immigration and to baggage claim (and used some back halls in the airport to speed us through the crowds, I don't know how common that is) and then he brought us out to a waiting car and driver. Yes, it cost more than a cab, but there was no worrying about what was where, whether the cab was going the right way, etc. Definitely a good thing to have done.