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Viking China (Part 2)


BlueDevil75
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No, the habitats were beautiful and all the animals we saw were well taken care of. I've seen worse in some of Boston's local zoos. I've seen pandas before but there was something special about seeing them IN CHINA.

 

 

I agree.

 

In addition, when we have seen Pandas in US Zoos, they have basically been sleeping and were not active.

 

On the Viking tour, our guide "bribed" the keeper to bring the Pandas out and feed them. It was a highlight of the day.

1722141047_006100_475708_08.10Three-yearoldGiantPanda.jpg.2c722d80a550763560abc3963d316cd3.jpg

1897171665_007100_476008_08.10Three-yearoldGiantPanda.jpg.861bd44ccf67dd0b0dcf30b82f672443.jpg

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.

 

In addition, when we have seen Pandas in US Zoos, they have basically been sleeping and were not active.

 

 

Sorry for your bad luck ...

 

And I'm sorry this isn't a video (and that I'm in my office w/o access to more of my pics), or you would have seen romping pandas at the National Zoo in DC:

 

D7000testpics092.jpg

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

Edited by Turtles06
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Sorry for your bad luck ...

 

And I'm sorry this isn't a video (and that I'm in my office w/o access to more of my pics), or you would have seen romping pandas at the National Zoo in DC:

 

D7000testpics092.jpg

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

Yes, this is what we've seen at the National Zoo in DC. Very active pandas, over many years, they seem to have adapted well. But I'm sure it's amazing seeing them in their home country.

 

I'm glad to know that the trip is not as physically grueling as I gathered from the thread, but we are in good physical shape, so maybe we don't need days to acclimate.

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I'm glad to know that the trip is not as physically grueling as I gathered from the thread, but we are in good physical shape, so maybe we don't need days to acclimate.

 

Do keep in mind, though, that jet lag is still jet lag, and it's real. You'll be going halfway around the world, literally. As I noted, we flew to Beijing in business class, so short of first class, we were about as comfortable as could be. It was not a difficult trip over, but it was a very long one, and when we checked into our hotel at about 4pm or so local time, it was of course 4am body time. After we unpacked, we walked over to Tiananmen Square to watch the evening flag lowering ceremony, took the subway back, had dinner, went to sleep, spent the next morning and early afternoon touring with our private guide, and by about 2pm or so, we had pretty much hit the wall. Could not do more without a nap. We were good to go after that, and spent the next day climbing the Wall at Mutianyu.

 

I recommend giving yourself a little time to get over the inevitable jet lag. You'll enjoy things that much more! :)

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We leave tomorrow to fly to San Francisco and then fly to Shanghai on Saturday. From what I can tell, now is a good time to go to China weather-wise and crowd-wise. It is supposed to be about 70-75 degrees F. in Shanghai, and about 5 degrees lower elsewhere. Crowds are supposed to be less, too.

 

We chose Shanghai to Beijing so that the most strenuous, packed days would be at the end of the trip, when we had hopefully recovered a bit from jetlag. However, we really only have one day in Shanghai, so that may disappoint some folks. I am really wishing now that we had added a day or two before the trip, as I know the jetlag will kill me. I can't even fly from the east coast to the west coast without waking up at 3AM for several days, so I know I will be in a fog in China. Well, I may be in a pollution fog, too, I guess...but hopefully that's a little better in early October than it would be in August!

 

Turtles, that's a wonderful picture of one of the National Zoo pandas. I have a nice one of Tai Shan (or however you spell it), but that's about it.

Edited by roothy123
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We leave tomorrow to fly to San Francisco and then fly to Shanghai on Saturday. From what I can tell, now is a good time to go to China weather-wise and crowd-wise. It is supposed to be about 70-75 degrees F. in Shanghai, and about 5 degrees lower elsewhere. Crowds are supposed to be less, too.

 

We chose Shanghai to Beijing so that the most strenuous, packed days would be at the end of the trip, when we had hopefully recovered a bit from jetlag. However, we really only have one day in Shanghai, so that may disappoint some folks. I am really wishing now that we had added a day or two before the trip, as I know the jetlag will kill me. I can't even fly from the east coast to the west coast without waking up at 3AM for several days, so I know I will be in a fog in China. Well, I may be in a pollution fog, too, I guess...but hopefully that's a little better in early October than it would be in August!

 

Turtles, that's a wonderful picture of one of the National Zoo pandas. I have a nice one of Tai Shan (or however you spell it), but that's about it.

Have a fabulous trip. By the time you return we'll be starting to organize the packing. I'm looking forward to your comments and what you have to say about visiting in the cooler weather.

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We leave tomorrow to fly to San Francisco and then fly to Shanghai on Saturday. From what I can tell, now is a good time to go to China weather-wise and crowd-wise. It is supposed to be about 70-75 degrees F. in Shanghai, and about 5 degrees lower elsewhere. Crowds are supposed to be less, too.

 

Have a great trip, can't wait to read about it! Thanks for the helpful info :)

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Thanks, everyone! I'm about to go stuff everything in the bags and do a To Do list check. We leave around 2 for the airport, although we will "only" be flying to San Francisco from DC today. I'm now pondering how my husband and I are going to handle the meds timing issue. I only take one, plus an allergy med, and the timing isn't that critical. However, my husband has AM and PM pills. We are on the east coast, so China is 12 hours later than us. He thinks it might be best to phase in the switch, but I'm thinking maybe do the switch over 3 days at the most. I think there are one or two pills that are really morning pills or night time pills, so it's a little complicated. Can anyone suggest how to handle the time difference? I know our bodies will be totally messed up (and wish we were flying in early) but we'll try to manage. We get into Shanghai late afternoon, so I figured even if we're not sleepy then, we'll just take sleeping pills around 9 or 10 pm so we can hopefully start out the day in Shanghai with half a brain!

 

Also, in Xian, did you guys have access to your checked bag, or did Viking just hold on to those for the night? We are planning on putting everything we need for the overnight in the carry-on bag (11 pounds) for the Xian flight, but just curious how the baggage there worked - at least for you guys!

 

Thanks.

Edited by roothy123
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Also, in Xian, did you guys have access to your checked bag, or did Viking just hold on to those for the night? We are planning on putting everything we need for the overnight in the carry-on bag (11 pounds) for the Xian flight, but just curious how the baggage there worked - at least for you guys!

 

Thanks.

 

Yes we did. In every city, your checked bags are delivered to your hotel room; Viking does not "hold" them. (As you know, we were traveling B to S.) We didn't get to our hotel in Xi'an that early, though, and our bags still hadn't come up when we needed to get ready to leave for dinner. I had to go down to the lobby, where I found an entire cart stacked with Viking luggage, and got the hotel guys to bring them up to people's rooms. (We never put valuables or medicines in our checked bags, and I'm sure you don't either.)

 

The one time we wished we'd brought a change of clothes in our carry on was the day we flew from Xi'an to Chongqing to get on the Emerald. We did not board till right before dinner, we'd been on the go all day, it was really hot out, we were sweated out through and through, and to say that we could have used a shower and a change of clothes before dinner was an understatement. The checked bags did not show up at our cabins for several hours after we boarded. On the whole trip, this was pretty much one of the only things Viking could have done better --- given us a better handle on the schedule and told us we shouldn't expect to have access to our luggage before dinner. (The printed materials give you quite the opposite expectation -- relaxing on board after your arrival, etc.)

 

I'm not complaining -- it was an extraordinary trip! :)

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Yes we did. In every city, your checked bags are delivered to your hotel room; Viking does not "hold" them. (As you know, we were traveling B to S.) We didn't get to our hotel in Xi'an that early, though, and our bags still hadn't come up when we needed to get ready to leave for dinner.

 

We did S to B and the evening we arrived in Xi'an we went directly to dinner (and the show) and did not get to the hotel & our luggage until after dinner.

 

Of course, whether this happens depends on what time your flight to Xi'an is.

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Yes we did. In every city, your checked bags are delivered to your hotel room; Viking does not "hold" them. (As you know, we were traveling B to S.) We didn't get to our hotel in Xi'an that early, though, and our bags still hadn't come up when we needed to get ready to leave for dinner. I had to go down to the lobby, where I found an entire cart stacked with Viking luggage, and got the hotel guys to bring them up to people's rooms. (We never put valuables or medicines in our checked bags, and I'm sure you don't either.)

 

The one time we wished we'd brought a change of clothes in our carry on was the day we flew from Xi'an to Chongqing to get on the Emerald. We did not board till right before dinner, we'd been on the go all day, it was really hot out, we were sweated out through and through, and to say that we could have used a shower and a change of clothes before dinner was an understatement. The checked bags did not show up at our cabins for several hours after we boarded. On the whole trip, this was pretty much one of the only things Viking could have done better --- given us a better handle on the schedule and told us we shouldn't expect to have access to our luggage before dinner. (The printed materials give you quite the opposite expectation -- relaxing on board after your arrival, etc.)

 

I'm not complaining -- it was an extraordinary trip! :)

 

Dear Turtles06,

 

 

We are pleased to hear that you found your trip to China to be ‘extraordinary’! We truly value the feedback you have shared here. If you have additional feedback you would like to discuss with us directly, please feel free to contact us at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com. Thank you, sincerely, for being such an active and informative member of the Cruise Critic community. Your comments and input have been greatly appreciated by your fellow travelers and the Viking family!

 

 

Best,

 

 

Viking River Cruises

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BlueDevil75 -- Thanks for the great trip report. We are booked on the same trip starting 3/27/12, Shanghai to Bejing. Given your report, I plan to bring my laptop to access internet in the hotels and in bar areas of ship -- hope I have same luck you did. Thanks for the heads-up on tipping. Sounds kind of steep to me, but suppose its expected like on the larger ships. Just wondering if you found some really good deals on particular souvenirs that we should watch out for? Thanks agin for all the info....

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Just wondering if you found some really good deals on particular souvenirs that we should watch out for?

 

You can't beat the "waving Mao" watch. A few bucks on the streets in Beijing. Won't keep time well, but wind it up, and Mao will wave at you. Bargaining for these became a little running joke among some of us on our trip....:)

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For those of us who have been following this thread for a while, a heads up.

The CC moderators have added 11 posts from another thread to the beginning of this thread, including a fantastic review by BlueDevil75. Go back to post #1 to see the new additions.

 

 

Caribill-- LOVE the t-shirt.

 

Turtles, didn't see the Mao watches until the Summer Palace and there they were asking like $30 for the watches and weren't bargaining -- way more than I was willing to spend. I was so disappointed because I really wanted one for my son--and maybe even for myself (a fashion accessory??)

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Were there plenty of choices related to food? I have a seafood allergy and have some problems in Asia when travelling independently convincing the restaurants that taking the fish out of fish broth doesn't solve the problem.:p I don't want to draw attention to myself, so I always travel with peanut butter crackers in case I can't eat what's served. It would be nice to know that Viking would help in this regard.

 

 

I avoid fish and my wife is a vegetarian. We had no problem either on the ship or on Viking tours.

 

Onboard we spoke with a supervisor the first evening about the vegetarian needs and they would prepare a special dish if the normal choices did not include a decent vegetarian option.

 

On tour, our Viking guide was informed of our dietary needs and made sure at each restaurant we were properly taken care of.

 

We also have a friend who is fluent in Chinese and asked her to write in Chinese for us our dietary restrictions. We made several copies of that. One we gave to our viking guide and others we used at restaurants that were not part of the Viking tours.

 

I strongly suggest that your seafood allergies be documented in written Chinese so you can show this when necessary. If you do not have a friend who can translate this for you, possibly you can get this done at a Chinese restaurant in your area.

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I avoid fish and my wife is a vegetarian. We had no problem either on the ship or on Viking tours.

 

Onboard we spoke with a supervisor the first evening about the vegetarian needs and they would prepare a special dish if the normal choices did not include a decent vegetarian option.

 

On tour, our Viking guide was informed of our dietary needs and made sure at each restaurant we were properly taken care of.

 

We also have a friend who is fluent in Chinese and asked her to write in Chinese for us our dietary restrictions. We made several copies of that. One we gave to our viking guide and others we used at restaurants that were not part of the Viking tours.

 

I strongly suggest that your seafood allergies be documented in written Chinese so you can show this when necessary. If you do not have a friend who can translate this for you, possibly you can get this done at a Chinese restaurant in your area.

 

 

Thanks Bill, I have one laminated in 7 languages, but Chinese is not one of them! I'll get one for every dialect! When I tried to explain in Malasia, they simply said... "no fish, only anchovies"! .... In the US, an anchovy is a fish, but apparently it doesn't count in KL! :rolleyes: When in Rome... I began to like white rice a lot!:rolleyes: It was after this experience that I did get the laminated card that has been helpful in Japan, and Europe.

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I avoid fish and my wife is a vegetarian. We had no problem either on the ship or on Viking tours.

 

Onboard we spoke with a supervisor the first evening about the vegetarian needs and they would prepare a special dish if the normal choices did not include a decent vegetarian option.

[sNIP]

On tour, our Viking guide was informed of our dietary needs and made sure at each restaurant we were properly taken care of.

Jan, as Caribill points out, when it comes to food allergies, Viking does not mess around. It is in their best interest to keep you healthy and they will do their best to keep you that way. Still, you need to talk to them at the start of the trip--so they can put a face to the problem.

 

The two most important people to deal with on this issue are your tour escort and the maitre d' on the ship. They will both take care of you--one on land and the other on the water. For myself, I would arrange my dinner meal on the ship before leaving the dining room at lunch time; that was easier and less stressful than dealing with it at the dinner table each night--even if I was ordering right from the menu.

Edited by Peregrina651
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BlueDevil75 -- Thanks for the great trip report. We are booked on the same trip starting 3/27/12, Shanghai to Bejing. Given your report, I plan to bring my laptop to access internet in the hotels and in bar areas of ship -- hope I have same luck you did. Thanks for the heads-up on tipping. Sounds kind of steep to me, but suppose its expected like on the larger ships. Just wondering if you found some really good deals on particular souvenirs that we should watch out for? Thanks agin for all the info....

 

We ARE shoppers..... I bought several sets of boxed non-fired terra cotta warriors so cheap at end of the walk of imperial statues. It worked out to about 50 cents per warrior. They were the hit of the gifts we brought back!

 

People thought they were expensive! Took out of boxes and wrapped in newspaper and carried in backpack. About 50 pounds! One airport screamer called over supervisor and they had a good laugh. We also carried a silk rug on plane. Our guide "Iowa" said not to worry about luggage overages as long as we supported the Chinese economy!

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We ARE shoppers..... I bought several sets of boxed non-fired terra cotta warriors so cheap at end of the walk of imperial statues. It worked out to about 50 cents per warrior. They were the hit of the gifts we brought back!

 

People thought they were expensive! Took out of boxes and wrapped in newspaper and carried in backpack. About 50 pounds! One airport screamer called over supervisor and they had a good laugh. We also carried a silk rug on plane. Our guide "Iowa" said not to worry about luggage overages as long as we supported the Chinese economy!

 

Romeosc, please tell me more about the t.w. purchase. Where you bought, how big are they, how many per box, any problems bringing to US, etc. Did you buy at end of trip or beginning? (wondering about carrying them on smaller flights) Thanks! They sound like an awesome souvenir!

Edited by 5326jan
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It's early in the trip, and I'm in Shanghai, getting ready for breakfast and then our trip to the airport to fly to Wuhan. The trip so far has been great. That long flight over to Asia was, of course, a royal pain, and my body is a little out of whack, but otherwise all is great. Shanghai is a huge, huge city, and spent yesterday touring the Yuan Gardens, short trip to the Bund (pea soup but still pretty), embroidery factory (beautiful things there), lunch there, and the group toured the Shanghai Museum. We opted to take a ferry back from the Bund to hang around the hotel. At 5:15 we all met for dinner and the acrobatic show, which I loved.

 

Shangri la Hotel is wonderful; so is Shan Shan, our tour escort. Here are some comments as to things that people have wondered about before, although they have already been addressed in the previous thread:

 

Shan Shan told me that we don't have to worry about the 11 pound intra China carry-on bag limit.

 

For lunches out, she comes around and tells you what has been brought to your table. That might help our vegetarians readers.

 

She says small liquids CAN be taken on the intra-China flights, at least the one we have today (Shanghai to Wuhan).

 

Hotel has wifi and wired internet in the rooms at Shangri la. I was unable to get into gmail and google yesterday, but today all is fine. If you have problems, you may want to go to the biz center and ask for help. Someone there (won't mention a name, as it might have been a tourist, and this site may be monitored!) got me in using the HK (Hong Kong) address.

 

Food has been pretty good; breakfast buffet at Shangri La is wonderful, so if nothing else, you have a great selection of food with which to start your day - American, Chinese, and more.

 

I'd exchange money at hotels rather than airport, though Shanghai airport currency exchange was reasonable (50 rmb to change $100). Hotel can also give you smaller bills, as you'll want those. Coins are not very useful unless you take the ferry as we did, or subway.

 

I still haven't seen or ridden the subway here, but know it's close.

 

We took a chance on Mc Donalds hamburgers the night we arrived - I know, disgusting.

 

No tummy problems or allergy or cold problems, at least so far.

 

Immigration at Shanghai was fairly quick considering the large number of people coming in. It's a large airport, though - if you think you might need a wheelchair, order before getting on the plane.

 

Tour guide Shan Shan is wonderful. Finding the Viking rep when coming out of the customs area of the airport was easy, despite there being about 100 people standing there holding signs for transportation. Wish I had had my camera out to photograph that, as I've never seen so many signs. At least everyone is held back behind cords so you can see everyone easily. Viking spotted us before they spotted us. Took only about 20 mins. to round our busload up; almost an hour to get to hotel (airport is far).

 

Bottled water is ample in hotel and on buses. I tied a string around wash basin first night to remind me not to drink, but before that, had a small sip when I got in the room. so far ok.

 

Pollution is pretty bad in Shanghai -don't expect blue skies. DO, however, walk around hotel and up on the pedestrian ring to photograph Pearl Tower, etc. Also might want to walk down to the river. Weather is good - around 70 in Shanghai, but when that sun came out for a couple hours yesterday, it seemed quite warm. The humidity, of course, is what makes it seem warmer than normal. It wasn't enough to bother me (and certainly much better than in summer months) but it's there....I wore lightweight clothes, and brought a few heavier ones, but so far I haven't used anything no lightweight jacket, for example.

 

Today we have to leave our bags outside the door by 7:30 and meet downstairs at 9 to go to the airport. Then it's fly to Wuhan, visit the Provincial Museum, and on to the boat.

I feel pretty good today, and slept until the wakeup call for my husband woke me up. Considering the 12 hour (for east coasters) time difference, I'm doing well. The first night I slept poorly due to jet lag, but today is much better.

 

I'm not a shopper, so can't comment on that - especially after only one location visited!

 

Not sure how much time I'll have in the next couple days, and how frequently I can use Emerald computers to go one line, but if anyone has specific questions, fire away. I'm looking forward to our "western dinner" on the Emerald tonight and getting somewhere where I can unpack and stay a while (the Emerald).

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Turtles, didn't see the Mao watches until the Summer Palace and there they were asking like $30 for the watches and weren't bargaining -- way more than I was willing to spend. I was so disappointed because I really wanted one for my son--and maybe even for myself (a fashion accessory??)

 

Last winter, when I read through the original Viking China threadzilla, I made a mental note about the waving Mao watches, and mentioned to my partner that I would be on the lookout for them. Our first morning in Beijing with Viking, as we started to walk across Tiananmen Square, my partner saw a vendor selling those watches. Once she made eye contact with the vendor, it was all over ---- he followed her across the entire square until she bought a couple at $5 each. Not too bad.

 

Then some others in our group saw what we had and it became "the thing" to get the watches at even better prices. Another watch vendor was outside our hotel each morning as we got on the bus. The last morning in Beijing, people bargained him down to three for $10. A bunch were bought. As we drove away from the hotel, he bicycled off, only to reappear later outside the silk factory, our last stop in Beijing. More bargaining, more waving Mao watches were acquired! He had Rolexes too (LOL!), they were more expensive! :)

 

We had a great time with him, and as our bus drove away to the airport, we cheered and waved and he waved back. We definitely helped his bottom line that week! :)

 

Chinawatches.jpg

 

Watchvendor.jpg

 

(photos by turtles06)

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