Best of China 22 day Princess Cruisetour

[forever$B123]

I just registered on the Cruise Critic today and this is my first post - Please provide your valued input.

I am looking at taking the Best of China 22 day Cruisetour on the Sapphire Princess in 2014. I cannot find any information on this cruisetour from anyone who has taken this cruuisetour (in 2013 or 2012).

I was trying to find out the best time to go August - November. Also, was hoping to find out what was best to take land portion first or last; details of excursions (e.g., did you get to climb the great wall or just visit, etc.) taken through Princess; comparison to the old Temples of China 22 day cruisetour; did you stay before the cruise or after the cruise; how was the flight to Xian.

I am a Platinum member with Princess and I am looking for detailed recounts of your experience on these cruisetours - if you could spare the time I would truly appreciate you assistance- tell it all, leave no stone unturned.

 

Thanks so very much,

[Pam in CA]

I haven't taken the cruisetours you're contemplating but I have taken Viking River Cruises 17-day "Cultural Delights" a few years ago and Princess' 3-day pre-cruise tour in Beijing last May before our Diamond cruise from Beijing to Whittier. A number of people on our Diamond cruise took a Viking cruise/tour from Shanghai to Beijing which coincided with embarkation in Tianjin.

 

The Viking trip is really, really good and all tours are included as are almost all your meals. Those who took it last May thought it was excellent. You do most of the travel on a boat rather than flying. Viking has a couple of different China trips. If it were me, I would definitely consider it.

 

The Princess pre-cruise tour was good with a few exceptions. One was that dinner was not included, which wound up being expensive. Another was that our bus was stuffed with just about every seat filled. When I asked why our bus had 44 people when the tour information said no more than 40, they just shrugged. I felt that overall, there was a lack of consideration or empathy if someone had problems keeping up with the pace. Very unlike my Viking experiences.

 

Both tours take you to the Great Wall where you have at least two hours to climb up as far as you can and/or explore the shops at base of the Wall.

 

Hope this is food for thought. It's certainly worth checking out Viking and compare costs.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Pam in CA

[windsor26]

Welcome to CC Perhaps also apart from the excellent advise from Pam you put this question on the ports of call listing area for their input

[RickEk]

To be fair, the cruisetour that the OP is considering would include meals and would be fully escorted. And Princess does offer the "Yangtze Experience" cruisetour also which includes a river cruise component... :)

[caribill]

 

The Viking trip is really, really good and all tours are included as are almost all your meals.

 

I have no doubt that Princess will give the OP a great tour.

 

However, I second Pam's suggestion about considering Viking. We have taken the Imperial Jewels of China tour and cannot imagine a better China tour experience.

 

If you have not been to China before, you will see more with the 12 day Viking tour which in addition to Beijing and Xi'an also includes Shanghai as well as five nights on the river cruise. Although up to 200 people may be on the Viking trip, all touring throughout the tour will be in groups of about 35 people.

[dorisis]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I would also vote for the river cruise.

[Bill B]

The best weather will probably be mid-September to the end of October. Stay away in August unless you like 100 degrees with 100% humidity (I go to Thailand to 'cool off' in July & August).

[forever$B123]

Thanks to all for your valuable input.

 

I am looking at a Princess cruisetour rather than a river cruise as the Princess cruisetour gives you a nice introduction to Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, and Xian). I realize you are not in one area very long and trips like this are very hectic and expensive. However, you still get to see the highlights and as I always say a vacation should be excruciating fun till you almost drop or you didn't have a true vacation.

 

The Yangtze Experience is a nice option but adds $2000/person to the cost. Unfotunately with Zair and excursions through Princess the trip will be our most expensive trip to date. I know that there are cheaper ways, but from past experience this approach is the safest, most reliable, and most efficient manner of seeing the hightlights of many destinations in a short period of time.

 

I am still hoping that someone that has taken one of these Princess cruisetours will see my post and have time to post a detailed recount of their Princess cruisetour. However, any all input/tips is greatly appreciated Many, many thanks!!!!!

[caribill]

Thanks to all for your valuable input.

 

I am looking at a Princess cruisetour rather than a river cruise as the Princess cruisetour gives you a nice introduction to Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, and Xian).

 

Those of us who are suggesting the river cruise are not suggesting it as a substitute for the Princess cruisetour, just for the part of that which is the tour.

 

If the timing (and your vacation time) works so you can take a China river cruise that ends near your port of embarkation in China for the Princess cruise you will have a more complete China experience plus the Princess cruise you want to take.

 

It may be a little more expensive to take a two week river cruise (which includes land portions with Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing) than the six day tour part of the Princess cruise tour, but it is a great combination with the Princess cruise. Considering the airfare it takes to get to Asia and back, you would save money compared to retruning to China again to see the Yangtze and Shanghai.

 

That said, if you do decide on the Princess cruisetour I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy it. We have been on Princess cruisetours in other parts of the world (Africa, Alaska and the Galapagos) and have enjoyed each one of them.

[HJH]

Do not, I repeat, do not do the China land tour during the first week in October.

 

We did the tour October 2-7 of 2013 before boarding the Diamond in Tianjin. The first week in October is a gigantic national holiday throughout the entire country. Not only are there hoards of people everywhere during that time, there are an equal number of cars totally chocking the roads to cause gridlock.

 

I had a long conversation with Princess encouraging them not to offer the land tour during that week in the future, to no avail. Book during that time at your own extreme discomfort.

[Bill B]

The first week in October is a gigantic national holiday throughout the entire country. Not only are there hoards of people everywhere during that time, there are an equal number of cars totally chocking the roads to cause gridlock.

 

Yeah, only the insane (or the ignorant... who will driven insane) would travel during Golden Week holiday in China. I forgot about that!

[Bill B]

http://www.miniharm.com/2013/10/07/ancient-monuments-discovered-beneath-tourists/

[forever$B123]

Thanks for that insight, as I may well have booked then. Were you on the Best of China or the Temples of China cruisetour?

 

As you have taken the cruisetour, and so far you are the only one, I was hoping (if you have the time) that you could provide insight into the Princess excursions (Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, and Xian) if you took any. Any you would suggest?

 

Also, can you expand on each day on the land portion, as Princess only provides a very brief sentance on each day? For instance, on the land portion did you get to climb a small portion of the wall or just get to view (the description was simply "visit"). The Princess excursions provide better detail than the land portion.

 

Additionally, did you fly in early or extend on the other end and if so what are your thoughts. As you did land first, after the long flight were you too exhausted to enjoy the land portion. How was the flight to Xian and what airline?

 

I know I am asking for a great deal of information (and therefore a great deal of your time). Any information would be greatly appreciated, especially on the land portion and excursions by Princess.

 

Thanks so very, very, ... much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mreasier]

We did the Yangtze Experience thru Princess in April 2012 and would highly recommend it. Briefly, our itinerary was 2 nights in Beijing, one night in Xian, 3 nights on the river boat, a night in Wuhan, a night in Beijing, and then boarding the Diamond Princess for a cruise back to Vancouver. We arranged our own flight to Beijing but we were met there by a Princess rep. From then on all transportation and luggage handling was done efficiently and painlessly. The hotel we stayed at in Beijing (the Shangri-La Kerry Center) was one of the best we have ever stayed in. All meals during the cruisetour were included. In the hotels we had hot buffets with both western and Chinese food. Lunches and dinners while on land were Chinese and very very good. The evening dinners included entertainment. We uses 3 different internal Chinese airlines for our flights. The planes were 737's, similar to Southwest in layout (no 1st class). We did have assigned seats. Because of fog on the Yangtze, we had to spend an extra night on the river boat and skipped the night in Wuhan. It was actually kind of exciting. The company that Princess used for the tour went to extraordinary lengths to rebook our flight back to Beijing - the guide stayed up all night to get us seats on a different plane. We had ample time at the major sights. We were able to go quite a distance on the great wall. We used a special entrance to the Forbidden City so we did not have to wait in the long line to get in. The river boat portion was excellent - we all had balcony cabins. The passengers were about half westerners and half Chinese which made it much more interesting and informative. If you have any specific questions, please ask. Wayne

[The Wilkies]

We did the Best of China precruise tour on the Diamond in April 2011. Absolutely fantastic, possibly our best cruise. Had plenty of time at the Great Wall, as with other sites. 45 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave for Xian, we hadn't arrived at Beijing airport. Total madness, but everything worked out. The good thing about the pretour was that the Marriott let us leave our luggage in our original rooms, could also leave tickets, etc in safe. Don't know if this applies to all pretours, or if hotel not full.

 

It was a very hectic tour, but well worth it, would love to go back for a longer land tour in the future.

Edited January 12, 2014 by The Wilkies

[HJH]

We arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, October 2. Transferred to the Marriott Great Wall, an orientation meeting followed by dinner. Thursday started with a visit to the Summer Palace and we were quickly introduced to the effects of the national holiday. Very difficult to move through the masses of people and we were glad to finally leave to visit the Great Wall. After almost three hours creeping along the motorway, we stopped for lunch. We finally arrived at the Wall at 5pm in the fading light for about an hour visit. 2 1/2 hours creeping back to Beijing, arrived just before 9 for dinner that was scheduled for 7:30.

 

Friday morning we visited the Temple of Heaven, had lunch and then took a Hutong tour on a Rickshaw before leaving for the airport to fly to Xian, where we stayed at the Sheraton.

 

Saturday morning we bussed about an hour to the Terra Cotta Warriors. An absolute mob scene that totally ruined the experience. It was estimated there were 150,000 people there the day before.

 

Sunday we visited the Shaanxi Provincial Museum and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda before returning to the airport for the flight back to Beijing.

 

Monday morning we checked out of the hotel and started at Tian'anmen Square followed by two hours at the Forbidden City. After lunch we got back on the bus for a 3 1/2 hour ride to the port of Tianjin to board the Diamond, arriving at about 5:15.

 

Our guide Glen was outstanding as well as the itinerary and sites visited?However, the experience was deeply dampened by the effects of the holiday and I would strongly advise anyone thinking of booking the land tour during this period to take this into account.

 

We took Princess Excursions in every port except Thailand as we had been in Bangkok previously. Will be happy to provide info on excursions if requested.

[forever$B123]

Hello to all. I am trying to do more research and ask more specific questions.

 

1) I am a US citizen and have been looking into visas and vaccinations. It appears we will need a multi-entry visa for China (not sure if that includes South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Vietnam).

 

2) Regarding vaccinations, not sure if we will need any (State Department says none required and the CDC lists a whole host of "recommended" vaccinations), very confusing and Princess is not very knowledgeable. Any past experience on these topics?

 

3) I plan on booking an inside cabin with the hopes of a free upgrade, any insight into this process?

 

4) Regarding Zair, any experience on when to book (how far in advance)?

 

5) What about air pollution (I know it is bad), was it so bad that you could not get around without a mask? Would you reccomend a mask?

 

6) Also, I am getting different information from Princess Representatives regarding the following: if I book a cruise and flexible Zair with Platinum insurance and applying a "future cruise credit" (FCC) - a) if a I find a lower price on the cruise thru Princess and notify Princess, will they lower the fare? b) if I see the airfare drops, same question as 6a? c) with an FCC, does this indeed lock in the airfare?

 

Again, thanks for all of your assistance, insight, and knowledge!!!!!!!!!

[cruisin'grandparents]

We did the 5 day land tour, Beijing and Xian, prior to diamond repositioning in April 2010 to alaska.

 

Did get snow on the Great Wall but plenty of time there. We found the hotels and food to be very good, definitely Chinese and not American Chinese so some dishes definitely different. and used china airlines to fly to Xian.

 

We are currently booked on sapphire for sept 3 sailing with land and river cruise beforehand. Would have preferred the October sailing but completely sold out (land portion) so went for late August rather than November and for sept sailing, tour starts in Beijing but actually board ship in Shanghai and ends in Bangkok.

Do need Chinese visa but we got ours before from visa agency in Washington, DC and they were very good. According to princess website, need a Vietnam visa but it is secured when on board.

 

We did our own air fare before and probably will this time as have enough miles to fly both ways in business. Have used EZair on other cruises and prices have been very good but if you want to lock in airfare then also have to pay cruise in full I believe.

 

We also had good weather that April, apart from snow, but air was very clean but think end of August could be worse with summer heat.

 

Hope this helps you.

[caribill]

Hello to all. I am trying to do more research and ask more specific questions.

 

1) I am a US citizen and have been looking into visas and vaccinations. It appears we will need a multi-entry visa for China (not sure if that includes South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Vietnam). The visa for China is only for China, not for the other countries. When we were to Vietnam with Princess, Princess obtained the Visa when we reached the country and charged us $21 each (not sure if price is the same now). No visa required for US citizens who are tourists for this short a time in South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore or Japan.

 

2) Regarding vaccinations, not sure if we will need any (State Department says none required and the CDC lists a whole host of "recommended" vaccinations), very confusing and P incess is not very knowledgeable. Any past experience on these topics? As you indicate, none are required by thge countries you will be entering. The CDC suggestions are not requirements, but some may make good sense no matter where you travel. Also, sometimes CDC recommendations cover only certain sections of a country.

 

3) I plan on booking an inside cabin with the hopes of a free upgrade, any insight into this process? The process is that when you book your reservation, it should be marked "will accept upgrade." Your booking agent should ask you about this. Of course, most people will accept an upgrade but obviously not everybody who wants one will get one. Only the "upgrade fairy" determines who will get her special touch.

 

4) Regarding Zair, any experience on when to book (how far in advance)? When you see a price you are willing to book, do it. Mosdt people do not have a crystal ball that will tell them what air fares will be in the future.

 

5) What about air pollution (I know it is bad), was it so bad that you could not get around without a mask? Would you reccomend a mask? When we went, we had no problems with this. Others went at different times and reported they had severe air po9llution problems. Just bring a few appropriate masks with you to use if necessary.

 

6) Also, I am getting different information from Princess Representatives regarding the following: if I book a cruise and flexible Zair with Platinum insurance and applying a "future cruise credit" (FCC) - a) if a I find a lower price on the cruise thru Princess and notify Princess, will they lower the fare? If the price change is before final payment and does not come with a restriction that it is for new bookings only, you can call Princess (or your TA if you are using a TA) and get the new price. Rules for this may be different for those who live outside the USA and Canada. b) if I see the airfare drops, same question as 6a? Depends if you booked the unrtestricted air fare or the restricted air fare. c) with an FCC, does this indeed lock in the airfare? The FCC is just a way of making the cruise deposit. The rules of a restricted or unrestricted fare do not depend on how you made your deposit

 

Again, thanks for all of your assistance, insight, and knowledge!!!!!!!!!

 

see above in red

[skf]

1) I am a US citizen and have been looking into visas and vaccinations

You may want to use a visa service. We used Zierer in 2009 & they did a fine job. If you do it on your own you must use the Chinese Consulate for the area in which you live. If you have a Chinese name you have to be able to write it in Mandarin.

Steve

[forever$B123]

As always, thanks to all for the answers to my questions. For those of you that have made this journey, can you please let me know what vaccinations you had before the cruisetour, how much they were, and where you obtained the vaccinations?

[forever$B123]

I know it has been a while. Do you recall what airline carrier and the type of aircraft you were on to Xian?