River Cruise May 11

[katz]

We are looking at a cruise from Shanghai to Beijing. I have read a few things saying that traveling in China during the country's holidays is extremely busy and crowded. I googled the holidays and found that Labor Day is May 1 and the Dragon Boat Festival is June 6.

 

My questions is--Do you think we will be in the middle of a busy vacation time for the Chinese people, or a quiet time in between holidays? Or should I even be concerned?

 

Thank you for your help.

[Turtles06]

We are looking at a cruise from Shanghai to Beijing. I have read a few things saying that traveling in China during the country's holidays is extremely busy and crowded. I googled the holidays and found that Labor Day is May 1 and the Dragon Boat Festival is June 6.

 

My questions is--Do you think we will be in the middle of a busy vacation time for the Chinese people, or a quiet time in between holidays? Or should I even be concerned?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

From what I have read, it's wise to avoid the national holidays if you can, particularly the May and October holidays. The May 1 holiday is celebrated over a few days, so you should be fine by May 11. We were on a Viking River Cruise trip in China last May (which was fantastic, btw); we arrived in China on May 12 and left on May 26. We had no problems; it was a really good time to travel.

[katz]

Thanks, Turtles.

 

We are planning on the same cruise, I think. Viking River Cruises, aboard Emerald. I will be making the reservation in a few days. I have been trying to gather as much information as I can. The only thing that bothers me is having to pay in full by the end of this month. I guess that locks in the price of cruise and airfare, but I still hate to tie up that amount of money so far in advance.

 

Thanks for your help.

Kathy

[Turtles06]

Thanks, Turtles.

 

We are planning on the same cruise, I think. Viking River Cruises, aboard Emerald. I will be making the reservation in a few days. I have been trying to gather as much information as I can. The only thing that bothers me is having to pay in full by the end of this month. I guess that locks in the price of cruise and airfare, but I still hate to tie up that amount of money so far in advance.

 

Thanks for your help.

Kathy

 

Yes, paying in full upfront is probably the only Viking downside. But I can tell you it was one of the most extraordinary trips we've ever taken. (We were on the Imperial Jewels of China trip, in the Beijing to Shanghai direction.)

 

In case you haven't already found this: over on the "Other Cruise Lines" board (in Cruise Lines A-O) there's a thread called "Viking China 2" loaded with current info about Viking's China trips, and of course you can ask questions. The original thread, "Viking China," finally got to be so long it was closed last year to new posts but is still available for research. I found that going back and reading posts from the two most recent touring seasons was very helpful.

 

Have a fantastic trip, and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions.