Viking Emerald - Imperial Delights - Shanghai to Beijing - May 5, 2014

[Papa O]

Flying out of Houston to Shanghai for May 5th sailing. Interested to hear of others on cruise. Our first to Asia and curious about flying west instead of east to Europe. Really looking forward to river cruise since have enjoyed cruising in Europe and South America.

[Jobabe13]

Hey, Papa O...we did Shanghai to Beijing in October...we flew from Seattle non-stop...13 hour flight on Delta. It was pretty painless. No jet lag. Left at 150pm in the afternoon arrived at 620pm at night. Delta feed us so much we didn't need dinner...Walk around a little and then had a drink. Went to bed early which meant we were rested and ready for our day in Shanghai...We flew into Seattle the night before and stayed at Hampton Inn and Suites and ate at 13 coins restaurant. Made it and easy flight. Coming back flew from Hong Kong to Seattle (because of the length of flight) we spent the night in Seattle before flying back home (we booked Hampton Inn and Suites for Saturday and Sunday so we could check in at 8am in the morning...we let them know what we were doing so they wouldn't give our room away) crashed....ate at Sharpe's Brewery went back slept till next day. This plan meant we were ready to get back to our regular life without any jet lag or dragging around for days.

[Jobabe13]

This is a great trip. Be sure you take comfortable shoes and let your guide know if you have any limitations so they can assist...they have rain gear on the cruise ship...it will be warm so be sure to pack accordingly. Air conditioning in China is not going to be as cold as US or Europe. So be sure to bring appropriate clothing consider some that wicks moisture away or seersucker...the yogurt on the ship is a must every morning (super great)...

[Papa O]

Wondered if laundry service is available while on vessel. Thought I could save on packing that way. So temperature will be warm on trip, right? Is there much difference in climate from Shanghai to Beijing? What about smog in Beijing?

 

Thanks

[Turtles06]

Wondered if laundry service is available while on vessel. Thought I could save on packing that way. So temperature will be warm on trip, right? Is there much difference in climate from Shanghai to Beijing? What about smog in Beijing?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, there is laundry service on the Emerald. Chinese laundry. :)

 

Seriously, we went in mid-May (2011), and, along the river, we sweated through every shirt we owned. We sent them to the laundry on board and they came back clean and beautifully folded in tissue paper.

 

The temperatures were comfortable in Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, but it had gotten hot along part of the river.

 

As for smog in Beijing, I think it really depends on the luck of the draw. We had some spectacularly clear blue sky days. I hope you are equally lucky.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

(photo by turtles06)