Viking China (Part 2)

[Turtles06]

We have received our travel documents today and in them it mentions the restrictions for carry on luggage on the internal flights. This is 5 kg and 21 x 15 x 7 inch. The carry on we were planning on taking is 8 inch wide because of pockets on the outside, I was wondering how strict they were and how they measure items.

 

Looks like I might have to do a rethink on our packing.

 

Pam

 

I hope some folks who have traveled this season will reply.

 

We traveled in 2011, and there's no question that the rules for carry ons that Viking sends makes everyone crazy in advance. They are the rules, though, so Viking needs to alert you.

 

That said, when we were there (the rule was one carry on weighing no more than 11 pounds, iirc), no one enforced any of the rules on any of our three internal flights. No one counted or weighed the carry ons. Our Viking escort told us that if the security folks had been in a bad mood, they might have enforced the rules. He also stressed that on the flights to Hong Kong, the baggage rules are enforced.

 

So you may well find that the rules still aren't being enforced, but without knowing for sure, I agree that it is hard to plan.

 

Have a great trip!

[juliesaddiction]

Just starting the research.....my mom and I are on the Sept 8 Jewels so time to get jazzed up and figure out what to bring, what to expect ect. This is my moms trip she wanted to do, me not so much, I dont like being out of my element....and I am a very picky eater, so this will be interesting. Great information here...........I am gonna just keep reading :)

[travelfirst]

Just starting the research.....my mom and I are on the Sept 8 Jewels so time to get jazzed up and figure out what to bring, what to expect ect. This is my moms trip she wanted to do, me not so much, I dont like being out of my element....and I am a very picky eater, so this will be interesting. Great information here...........I am gonna just keep reading :)

 

You sound like me. I never wanted to go to China but my friend wanted to go and her husband wouldn't go so I decided to go with her and I really enjoyed it.

I am a picky eater also but there was always food that I could eat.

The hotels were nice and the ship also.

You will see a lot of different things there and I bet you will really enjoy it.

[JP1320]

My wife is just doing the repacking job after we have spent seven awfully wet days in Phuket. We take a red eye at 01:50 from Phuket into Shanghai at 07:40 to start our Emerald tour/cruise.

 

Just hoping that the weather which has been horrid all over, will have past over and at least it is somewhat drier. Really looking forward to this trip and will hopefully have as many updates for y'all as is possible, if it is good or bad we will let you know.

 

Just have to hope that I do better on the photo front as it was an amazing seven days in one place and for me to only take some 225+ photos is a let down. Here's hoping for a whole lot more on our trip in China.

 

Look for my updates.

[GoInOnaCruz]

My wife is just doing the repacking job after we have spent seven awfully wet days in Phuket. We take a red eye at 01:50 from Phuket into Shanghai at 07:40 to start our Emerald tour/cruise.

 

Just hoping that the weather which has been horrid all over, will have past over and at least it is somewhat drier.

I hope the weather is nicer! If it is you will love the Viking China trip--probably even if the weather isn't perfect!

[GoInOnaCruz]

Just starting the research.....my mom and I are on the Sept 8 Jewels so time to get jazzed up and figure out what to bring, what to expect ect. This is my moms trip she wanted to do, me not so much, I dont like being out of my element....and I am a very picky eater, so this will be interesting. Great information here...........I am gonna just keep reading :)

I had NO desire whatsoever to travel to China--don't know why because I love, love, love to travel and we have generally been doing 2 major trips a year--mainly self-planned and independent. Now that I have been there I am anxious to go back and will probably do so as my husband has business interests there. I am the pickiest eater EVER and I never had a hard time finding something to eat--although I will admit at the end I was sick of Chinese food--but we were there for 6 days longer than the cruise. Keep reading you will learn a lot on this forum.

[GoInOnaCruz]

I hope some folks who have traveled this season will reply.

 

We traveled in 2011, and there's no question that the rules for carry ons that Viking sends makes everyone crazy in advance. They are the rules, though, so Viking needs to alert you.

 

That said, when we were there (the rule was one carry on weighing no more than 11 pounds, iirc), no one enforced any of the rules on any of our three internal flights. No one counted or weighed the carry ons. Our Viking escort told us that if the security folks had been in a bad mood, they might have enforced the rules. He also stressed that on the flights to Hong Kong, the baggage rules are enforced.

 

So you may well find that the rules still aren't being enforced, but without knowing for sure, I agree that it is hard to plan.

 

Have a great trip!

We traveled on the first cruise of the season--March 5th Jewels. No one blinked an eye at our carry-ons--I carried a small one just for my own convenience and since I had a checked bag which I usually don't do but easy with our tour escort taking care of our checked luggage all the time :) but my husband pulled a 21 inch wheeled case. Only one time did we have a little problem and that was on our last flight from Wuhan to Shanghai. We were on a plane with much smaller overhead compartments and got shuffled to last place boarding--it was first come, first served and basically became a push/shove match--people don't stand in line in China--and my husband couldn't find a place for his carry-on but the flight attendant took it and found him a space and was sure to let him know where she had put it. The intraChina flights were in very modern planes. Generally very comfortable and professional.

Edited June 20, 2013 by GoInOnaCruz

[JP1320]

I hope the weather is nicer! If it is you will love the Viking China trip--probably even if the weather isn't perfect!

 

We arrived on a delayed flight from Phuket only to be diverted because of bad weather to Hongqiao Airport. Worried if our Viking Escort would know about the change, no problem we cleared customs and he was waiting for us with a smile. His name is Adam and he gave us a lot of the do's and dont's while in Shanghai.

 

Took a walk from the Portman Ritz Carlton to Yu Yuan Gardens, a long hike, enjoyed it immensely, plus the dumplings for lunch. Took in The Bund at night time for some great photo shots, you need to see it at night, a bit different to Hong Kong.

 

Off to the Musuem today , plus, plus.

 

So far so good, will meet our Tour Director/Guide Jamie, not sure of the spelling yet this morning.:)

[Travel Girl TX]

Thanks for writing about your trip. We leave a week from tomorrow for Shanghai. We're arriving a day early and we're looking forward to some nice long walks around Shanghai.

[no fuss travel]

Make sure you walk along the Bund at night. It is an incredible site to see all that lighting and it is interesting to watch the various vendors at work.

[CTGirl]

We arrived on a delayed flight from Phuket only to be diverted because of bad weather to Hongqiao Airport. Worried if our Viking Escort would know about the change, no problem we cleared customs and he was waiting for us with a smile. His name is Adam and he gave us a lot of the do's and dont's while in Shanghai.

 

Took a walk from the Portman Ritz Carlton to Yu Yuan Gardens, a long hike, enjoyed it immensely, plus the dumplings for lunch. Took in The Bund at night time for some great photo shots, you need to see it at night, a bit different to Hong Kong.

 

Off to the Musuem today , plus, plus.

 

So far so good, will meet our Tour Director/Guide Jamie, not sure of the spelling yet this morning.:)

We had Jamie for our guide in April. You are going to love her. She is a wonderful guide. She goes way above the call of duty for her "family". Please tell her that Lance and Shelly say hi. We just loved every part of the trip.

[GoInOnaCruz]

Make sure you walk along the Bund at night. It is an incredible site to see all that lighting and it is interesting to watch the various vendors at work.

That's the only real disappointment re the VRC part of the trip--if you don't have an extra day/night you don't get to see to the Bund at night--it would even be nice if they swung around there on the way back to the hotel following the acrobat show--luckily we did have an extra night and also got to return after business and it turned Shanghai from somewhat of a let-down (except for the YuYuan Gardens) into a highlight! BTW we were on the Beijing-Shanghai itinerary of Imperial Jewels.

Edited June 21, 2013 by GoInOnaCruz

[JP1320]

We had Jamie for our guide in April. You are going to love her. She is a wonderful guide. She goes way above the call of duty for her "family". Please tell her that Lance and Shelly say hi. We just loved every part of the trip.

 

My mistake, our guides name is Jimmy not Jamie he is also very good.....so far.

Really enjoyed the Acrobatic Show this evening, plus the meal before was typical Local Chinese and very enjoyable. Also, The Museum is a big plus as it offers a great insight into some of the Chinese culture we could have spent more time there just reading and enjoying all of the artifacts.

[Turtles06]

That's the only real disappointment re the VRC part of the trip--if you don't have an extra day/night you don't get to see to the Bund at night--it would even be nice if they swung around there on the way back to the hotel following the acrobat show--luckily we did have an extra night and also got to return after business and it turned Shanghai from somewhat of a let-down (except for the YuYuan Gardens) into a highlight! BTW we were on the Beijing-Shanghai itinerary of Imperial Jewels.

 

Agreed, the Bund at night is not to be missed. Viking had us at the Westin Bund, which was just a short walk away, so we walked over after dinner on the day we arrived in Shanghai (from Wuhan; we started in Beijing).

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[dsulli]

Just starting the research.....my mom and I are on the Sept 8 Jewels so time to get jazzed up and figure out what to bring, what to expect ect. This is my moms trip she wanted to do, me not so much, I dont like being out of my element....and I am a very picky eater, so this will be interesting. Great information here...........I am gonna just keep reading :)

 

My wife and I are on the Sep 11 Jewels from Beijing. This will be our first river cruise. We have always eaten gluten free on traditional cruise ships with no problems. However, our TA says Viking does not have a GF program for China. We need to work with the waiters on the boat to identify GF menu items. The restaurants will be more of a challenge. I do have a restaurant card written in Chinese to identify the issue. Not much on this thread about GF.

 

Dennis

[caribill]

My wife and I are on the Sep 11 Jewels from Beijing. This will be our first river cruise. We have always eaten gluten free on traditional cruise ships with no problems. However, our TA says Viking does not have a GF program for China. We need to work with the waiters on the boat to identify GF menu items. The restaurants will be more of a challenge. I do have a restaurant card written in Chinese to identify the issue. Not much on this thread about GF.

 

Dennis

 

Your Viking guide can be a big help in making restaurants aware of your dietary restrictions. One he/she knows what you cannot eat, he/she can communicate with the waitstaff for you at each restaurant.

[dsulli]

Your Viking guide can be a big help in making restaurants aware of your dietary restrictions. One he/she knows what you cannot eat, he/she can communicate with the waitstaff for you at each restaurant.

 

That should really help with the restaurants! Thanks!

 

Dennis

[GoInOnaCruz]

That should really help with the restaurants! Thanks!

 

Dennis

We had a woman on our cruise in our group with a huge gluten issue and our guide more than took care of her. You will be fine--just put yourselves in the capable hands of the VRC tour escort. You will love the cruise!

[GoInOnaCruz]

My mistake, our guides name is Jimmy not Jamie he is also very good.....so far.

Really enjoyed the Acrobatic Show this evening, plus the meal before was typical Local Chinese and very enjoyable. Also, The Museum is a big plus as it offers a great insight into some of the Chinese culture we could have spent more time there just reading and enjoying all of the artifacts.

You are SO LUCKY! Jimmy is fabulous and you will soon be glad to call yourself a member of the famous "Jimmy Folk" group. Tell him Sue (of the "Chinese spirit") and George from the March 5th group send a warm "ni hao" and that we're going to Winnipeg to celebrate with Dan and Pierre from the March 5 group next week! Because of him and his "folk spirit" we have become fast friends! Enjoy--he will be strict seeming for the first couple of days--designed to get everyone into showing up on time and being considerate of other group members--and then he is a RIOT! Plus S-O-O-O knowledgeable--15 years as a tour escort.

Edited June 21, 2013 by GoInOnaCruz

[SatLhr]

Hello all! We just returned from our Imperial Jewels of China trip (Beijing > Shanghai route) and it was EXCELLENT as I expected from all of the comments here on this thread. I'll try to address a few comments I've recently seen.

• Yes our tour guide (Jenna) was excellent and kept us on time and informed. She also advised that they are talking about adding an additional ship in China in 2015. Viking used to have 2 and cut it back when the economy tanked but we seem to be on the upswing so it looks promising that they'll add another. She didn't mention if it was a new or refurbished ship.
  
• Baggage (even carry ons) didn't seem to be an issue at all. My carry on a basic rolling suitecase but with the exterior pockets it tends to bulge out a bit and we never had a problem during the intra-China flights.
  
• We ended up meeting both a vegetarian AND a person who had a GF diet and they both appeared to be accomodated fairly well. Jenna would even come over to the table to let them know what dishes were coming up that would satisfy their needs.
  
• We went to a very nice restaurant for the Peking Duck dinner and it was EXCELLENT. The only problem was us not being very good at passing & sharing. The lazy susan would take FOREVER to make a 360 rotation. LOL!!
  
• Packing tips. I cannot stress enough that you will need comfortable walking shoes (with options) and clothes that you can wash (or have laundered) because you will sweat! Some days, like the Shabaozhai Temple, are a real TREK. Another thing to know is that, depending on the time of year, the river is HUMID and the air conditioning on the ship doesn't seem to remove moisture from the air. Our trip was just this first 2 weeks in June and even though everyone kept telling us how lucky we were with the weather not being sweltering it felt as if we were always damp...and everything in your cabin feels a bit damp. You just get over it and enjoy the scenery passing by.
  
• Voltage converter vs. outlet adapters: The only things I needed to charge were my iPhone, Nook and Canon battery. All three of those charges have built in dual voltage. In the hotels and on the ship I was able to just plug the items straight in to the wall without either converter or adapter. My traveling companion, however, would at least use the adapter and we were both fine. Check your charges to verify if they have dual voltage. It will say something like 110-240 v on the bottom.
  
• The Emerald is a very nice ship and the crew are all willing to help with whatever questions or issues you have. The daily talks and the itinerary fit together perfectly. Disembarkation was a breeze. They figure out your final bill and get the payment taken care of like clockwork.
  

That's all for now. Let me know if you have any specifics you'd like for me to address since I just got back. :) Thanks to all who helped me prepare. It truly was the experience of a lifetime. I'm still trying to process everything we saw and did.

[Quincy126]

We have received our travel documents today and in them it mentions the restrictions for carry on luggage on the internal flights. This is 5 kg and 21 x 15 x 7 inch. The carry on we were planning on taking is 8 inch wide because of pockets on the outside, I was wondering how strict they were and how they measure items.

 

Looks like I might have to do a rethink on our packing.

 

Pam

 

Many thanks for all replies, I think we will be taking our existing luggage on the trip next week.

 

Getting really excited now and have picked up loads of tips from the forum.

 

Pam

[GoInOnaCruz]

Hello all! We just returned from our Imperial Jewels of China trip (Beijing > Shanghai route) and it was EXCELLENT as I expected from all of the comments here on this thread. I'll try to address a few comments I've recently seen.

• Yes our tour guide (Jenna) was excellent and kept us on time and informed. She also advised that they are talking about adding an additional ship in China in 2015. Viking used to have 2 and cut it back when the economy tanked but we seem to be on the upswing so it looks promising that they'll add another. She didn't mention if it was a new or refurbished ship.
  
• Baggage (even carry ons) didn't seem to be an issue at all. My carry on a basic rolling suitecase but with the exterior pockets it tends to bulge out a bit and we never had a problem during the intra-China flights.
  
• We ended up meeting both a vegetarian AND a person who had a GF diet and they both appeared to be accomodated fairly well. Jenna would even come over to the table to let them know what dishes were coming up that would satisfy their needs.
  
• We went to a very nice restaurant for the Peking Duck dinner and it was EXCELLENT. The only problem was us not being very good at passing & sharing. The lazy susan would take FOREVER to make a 360 rotation. LOL!!
  
• Packing tips. I cannot stress enough that you will need comfortable walking shoes (with options) and clothes that you can wash (or have laundered) because you will sweat! Some days, like the Shabaozhai Temple, are a real TREK. Another thing to know is that, depending on the time of year, the river is HUMID and the air conditioning on the ship doesn't seem to remove moisture from the air. Our trip was just this first 2 weeks in June and even though everyone kept telling us how lucky we were with the weather not being sweltering it felt as if we were always damp...and everything in your cabin feels a bit damp. You just get over it and enjoy the scenery passing by.
  
• Voltage converter vs. outlet adapters: The only things I needed to charge were my iPhone, Nook and Canon battery. All three of those charges have built in dual voltage. In the hotels and on the ship I was able to just plug the items straight in to the wall without either converter or adapter. My traveling companion, however, would at least use the adapter and we were both fine. Check your charges to verify if they have dual voltage. It will say something like 110-240 v on the bottom.
  
• The Emerald is a very nice ship and the crew are all willing to help with whatever questions or issues you have. The daily talks and the itinerary fit together perfectly. Disembarkation was a breeze. They figure out your final bill and get the payment taken care of like clockwork.
  

That's all for now. Let me know if you have any specifics you'd like for me to address since I just got back. :) Thanks to all who helped me prepare. It truly was the experience of a lifetime. I'm still trying to process everything we saw and did.

Great trip review and good advice! Thanks for posting. Re the damp: I learned something on this forum (well lots really but this is one of 1000's)--they have dehumidifiers at the desk downstairs--you just have to ask. It was very damp in March even and we got one and it made our cabin a little haven.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

SatLhr

Cool Cruiser

Thanks for the info ..

[molymoo]

Once again thanks to all posters here for the information and advice. We got our travel documents etc. from VRC last week and were concerned about the luggage restrictions on the intra-China flights. Although the carryons we have are within the size limits (barely!) I am not sure they will be under the weight limits set ... glad to hear there will likely be no problem.

 

We will start in Shanghai and took the pre-extension option so we will definitely have time for a stroll along the Bund at night! We got coveted reservations at Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing and are very excited about that!

 

They did change our hotels (original list was given to us for our Visa application) and will be at the Fairmont Peace in Shanghai, St. Regis in Lhasa, Hilton Xian and Fairmont Beijing. We had done lots of research on the original hotels so now we can research the new ones. Always like to have a feel as to location and nearby attractions. We are a little disappointed as we were originally slated to stay at the Shangri-La in Shanghai which is close to the Super Brand Mall ... not a big deal but supposedly the best dumplings in Shanghai are in a small place in that mall. Will have get our "dumpling fix" somewhere else!

 

Again ... thanks posters! :D

[juliesaddiction]

So...for all of you that have been before what are the things to buy in China?

 

Also, are some of the excursions optional and what is the cost for them?