Viking China

[no fuss travel]

I wonder how Brenda, Jim, Dale and Arlene are enjoying their trip. They have been gone over a week now.

[arlenez]

I wonder how Brenda, Jim, Dale and Arlene are enjoying their trip. They have been gone over a week now.

 

Hi:

 

We returned from our Imperial Jewels tour yesterday and had a fantastic time. The weather was quite warm and we never needed a jacket or sweater. The dining room on the ship and the restaurants were never cool, most were warm at times, so I suggest anyone going in the near future to dress in light weight clothing.

 

Our luggage was never a problem. I carried a purse and a carry-on and didn't have any problems. I also carried sanitizing hand wipes in my purse and they did not take them away from me. The carry-ons were never weighed.

 

No one in our group had a pick-pocket problem, but one gal did get counterfeit Yuan for change when she made a purchase from a street vendor. I bought the fake Rolex watches for $2.00 and I love them! I also bought the silk jackets for $10 and wore mine to one of the shows and received many compliments. The custom made silk jackets are absolutely beautiful and many women had them made while on board the ship.

 

The shows were really wonderful, and the Chinese Opera and Peking duck dinner were not as bad as some people on Cruise Critic have stated. It was not the opera of singing that I expected, but rather a storytelling performance.

 

The tours were all interesting and we enjoyed all of them and saw things we never would have seen if we weren't on the Viking tour.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, I would be most happy to answer them.

 

Warm regards,

Arlene

[no fuss travel]

Is the Chinese opera something like the Japanese kabuki (sp?)

 

How did you find the hotels?

 

Did they change anything on the river cruise due to the earthquake?

 

How was the bargaining? Can you give me an idea on the prices?

 

Thanks.

[no fuss travel]

I forgot to say, glad you had a good trip. Makes me more anxious to be on my way.

[arlenez]

Is the Chinese opera something like the Japanese kabuki (sp?)

 

How did you find the hotels?

 

Did they change anything on the river cruise due to the earthquake?

 

How was the bargaining? Can you give me an idea on the prices?

 

Thanks.

 

Hi:

 

I think the Chinese Opera was similar to the Japanese kabuki. There were 4 different stories acted out with instruments and some high pitched singing (but very little singing).

 

The hotels were really beautiful. My favorite was the China World in Beijing. It was really incredible. They had indoor tennis courts, a huge fitness center, a very large pool, a travel agent, tanning booth, several restaurants, music in the lobby all day. Our meals were all buffet with with an unbelievable selection of both Chinese and American foods.

 

Nothing was changed on the river cruise and we never saw any damage in Chongqin.

 

As for bargaining with the vendors, we paid $2.00 for fake rolex watches, $10 for silk jackets, $7.50 for Chinese pajama sets for children and we even bargained in one of the hotels for t-shirts. The street vendors will ask for much higher prices and they come down as soon as you start to walk away. I also bought a few different types of fans and the most I paid was $1.40 for the large fans and 40 cents for small fans (they sell them in quantities of 4 or 5). Be very careful when using Yuan with the street vendors. Try to get small bills because they give counterfeit money as change. I brought 200 one dollar bills and went through less than 100. I only changed $100 into Yuan and it was more than enough as most street vendors will accept U.S. dollars. If you plan to take a cab you must have Yuan, they will not accept U.S. dollars.

 

I bought some beautiful pearls on the ship, but they were tough to bargain with and only came down a few dollars, but the pearls are beautiful.

 

I hope this information is helptful.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[no fuss travel]

Thank you for your replies.

 

Now for the questions:

 

Did they make the lunch stop in the Three Gorges or did you have a longer cruise and then go back to the ship for lunch?

 

Did your tour do the Snow Jade Caves?

 

What was the highlight of your trip? This is probably a hard question to answer.

[arlenez]

Thank you for your replies.

 

Now for the questions:

 

Did they make the lunch stop in the Three Gorges or did you have a longer cruise and then go back to the ship for lunch?

 

Did your tour do the Snow Jade Caves?

 

What was the highlight of your trip? This is probably a hard question to answer.

 

Hi:

 

Yes, we did make the lunch stop in the Three Gorges and had a very nice barbeque lunch.

 

The Snow Jade Caves are closed to tourists since the earthquake so we did a city tour and went to a farmers type of market which was very interesting.

 

The highlights of the tour were the Terra cotta warriors, the Great Wall, The Forbidden City and the Summer Palace and a visit to a zoo to see the Pandas. The visit to the school was also one of the highlights. The children were adorable and we were greeted by a marching band and then some of the other children entertained us with songs and dances, and then we went into a classroom where they asked us questions, they sang a song and then we had to sing a song for them. It was a lot of fun.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[no fuss travel]

Thank you again Arlene.

 

We will not be seeing the Pandas as we are coming from Beijing to Shanghai. I was hoping to see pandas, but maybe another trip to China somewhere down in the future.

 

My husband and I have been busy watching documentaries on China and are starting to look forward to the trip. We have not had time to read any of the books that they suggest, as reading time in this household is limited to professional books and the newspaper so that we can keep current. At his time in 3 weeks we will be on the plane flying to Hong Kong to catch our connection to Beijing.

 

Our tickets should be arriving next week. We have got all the vaccinations and just have to fill the prescription for going to Siem Reap. Then of course I guess I will have to pack for the two of us.

 

What did most people wear for footwear? We have been told to bring waterproof sandals for when we go to Siem Reap as they dry out quickly and do not stop you from sightseeing in the rain. That is on our to purchase list too.

 

We finish with our daughter's grad ceremonies tonight and then we can concentrate on getting ready for the trip in our few bits of free time.

 

Thank you again for answering my questions.

[jandacruise]

Hi Arlene,

 

I'm so glad to hear you had such a great time on your trip. My husband are leaving for China on June 28, and are so excited! :p We just had a few questions for you.....

 

We are a young couple (I am 28 and my husband is 31) are there any other young couples on the ship?

 

I do not eat any meat (only fish), do you think there will be enough vegetarian and fish dishes to choose from in each of the destinations? I was thinking of bringing some cans of tuna or salmon just in case. Do you think that is necessary?

 

We are planning on checking one bag each and bringing one carry-on each. However, I am bringing an additional duffel bag in my luggage for souvenirs. Do they allow for an additional carry on towards the end of the trip for souvenirs? What did the people in your group do with the treasures that they purchased?

 

How many children are in the classrooms that you visit? I already purchased 15 boy gifts (fun little pens) and 15 girl gifts (little bracelets). Is that enough? Or should I buy some more?

 

Thanks so much for your help and advice!!

Andrea

[arlenez]

Hi Arlene,

 

I'm so glad to hear you had such a great time on your trip. My husband are leaving for China on June 28, and are so excited! :p We just had a few questions for you.....

 

We are a young couple (I am 28 and my husband is 31) are there any other young couples on the ship?

 

I do not eat any meat (only fish), do you think there will be enough vegetarian and fish dishes to choose from in each of the destinations? I was thinking of bringing some cans of tuna or salmon just in case. Do you think that is necessary?

 

We are planning on checking one bag each and bringing one carry-on each. However, I am bringing an additional duffel bag in my luggage for souvenirs. Do they allow for an additional carry on towards the end of the trip for souvenirs? What did the people in your group do with the treasures that they purchased?

 

How many children are in the classrooms that you visit? I already purchased 15 boy gifts (fun little pens) and 15 girl gifts (little bracelets). Is that enough? Or should I buy some more?

 

Thanks so much for your help and advice!!

Andrea

 

Hi Andrea:

 

We did not have any young couples in our group, but there were some young people traveling with their families.

 

There was always fish and vegetable selections for all the meals so I don't think you should worry about that.

 

DH and I both checked one bag and each brought a carry-on. We also packed an extra duffle to bring home all the goodies that we purchased. The intra China flights are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on, but when you fly home you can also bring the extra duffle with no problem. However, I really don't know if they counted the bags or even weighed them on the intra China flights.

 

There were 69 children in the classroom that we visited, but you don't distribute the gifts to the children directly. You are asked to put them in a special gift box and the teachers distribute them to the children. They also have a cash donation box for anyone who wants to contribute cash. I bought pens, pencils, crayons, markers, stickers, pads, balloons, lollipops and post-its that were all made in the USA. They took up a lot of space in our luggage, but it gave us some space for some of our goodies that we purchased so that worked out well for us, and we packed the extra duffle on our flight home.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[jandacruise]

Thanks again Arlene! If I think of any more questions I'll be sure to ask :D

[amandajess]

Hi - i have been reading your wonderful advice. Question - what was the general attire for sightseeing - skirts - capris - bermudas? Trying to bring limited quatity of clothing but cant figure out which is best = any help would be appreciated

[arlenez]

Hi - i have been reading your wonderful advice. Question - what was the general attire for sightseeing - skirts - capris - bermudas? Trying to bring limited quatity of clothing but cant figure out which is best = any help would be appreciated

 

Hi:

 

I wore mostly capris, a skirt and bermudas and they worked out well. It was very hot so I mostly wore sleeveless and light weight tops. My DH wore shorts each day.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[jandacruise]

Hi, I thought of two more questions.... were the state rooms on the ship and the hotels comfortable temperatures for the most part? I want to know if I should bring winter pajamas or summer pajamas. I get cold easily, so if the air contitioning is on full blast I usually sleep in warmer attire. What would you suggest?

 

Also, do a lot of the hotels provide you with shampoo and conditioner? If so, is is good quality. I would like to cut down on as many toiletries as possible! Thanks again for your help!!

Andrea

[MSEm]

The cabins and the hotels rooms had individual thermostates. I found light weight PJ very good. I like the light weigth cotton blend carpi bottoms with pull over top for PJ's.

 

The hotels and the river vessel had great shampoo/conditioner, lotion and other items. Even had laundry detergent in some rooms for a sink load of wash. Also had toothbrush with little tube of toothpaste.

 

Have a great trip.

[Lady Meer]

A favour Brenda and Dale. Will you please post how you found the tour when you return? I still have to wait until July 4th to leave on my tour.

Comments re: change in tour due to earthquake, shopping(ug)( I do have to bring something back for the younger generation), best memory, etc.

Thanks.

We arrived back from Cultural Delights on Saturday. The excursions have been covered in detail previously so won’t go over them again.

For the most we enjoyed the trip – seeing all the sites we expected. The trip was very well organised, for example we arrived at 5 am (there were 4 Brits in total). When we were met our guide told us that our rooms were ready as he had contacted the hotel the previous evening to arrange an early check in. We were so grateful. There were some aspects of the holiday we didn’t particularly like. Having said that it was the first “organised” trip we have been on.

Shopping. There was, as previously reported, very little time for shopping although there were street traders at almost every stop. The best opportunity for shopping was in Wuhan, after lunch we were released for a whole 2 hours to go out on our own!!! We got a few bargains (Miu Miu, Gucci, etc) in an indoor market on the way to Walmart!! The other opportunity was after the garden visit in Shanghai – there is a bazaar type market / shops adjacent to the gardens but we only had 45 mins there. There were quite large shops at the wall and the terracotta soldiers but these were expensive. We didn’t really like the trips to the organised shopping stops at the carpet factory, silk factory, ceramic factory, embroidery shop, etc. The 2 pieces of embroidery we bought were cheaper at Shanghai airport!! At these stops we were given plenty of time to shop!! If we were to have shopping time I would have preferred it to be less organised!!!

Internet access. This was terrible on the boat. There was an internet café in Wuhan which some people used – it was very fast and not expensive.

Internal flights. Viking checked our bags in for both flights. No liquids at all were allowed in carry-on bags on the internal flights but there was no problem with hand wipes. At Xian airport as we were waiting to have bags x-rayed, a visual check on size was made and anything big was taken and checked into the hold. This was not up for negotiation!

Hotels. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in both Beijing and Shanghai, and the Sofitel in Xian.

Best memory. The visit to Mt Jui - the Buddhist temples - to me this was the "real China".

Worst memory. The trip to the ceramic factory - it was not worth the 2 hour bus ride each way!

If anyone has any questions I will be happy to answer them but please note the above is the opinion of my husband and myself– others will almost certainly differ!

[arlenez]

The cabins and the hotels rooms had individual thermostates. I found light weight PJ very good. I like the light weigth cotton blend carpi bottoms with pull over top for PJ's.

 

The hotels and the river vessel had great shampoo/conditioner, lotion and other items. Even had laundry detergent in some rooms for a sink load of wash. Also had toothbrush with little tube of toothpaste.

 

Have a great trip.

 

The river vessel had shampoo, but they did not have conditioner.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[Dale]

We arrived back from Cultural Delights on Saturday. The excursions have been covered in detail previously so won’t go over them again.

For the most we enjoyed the trip – seeing all the sites we expected. The trip was very well organised, for example we arrived at 5 am (there were 4 Brits in total). When we were met our guide told us that our rooms were ready as he had contacted the hotel the previous evening to arrange an early check in. We were so grateful. There were some aspects of the holiday we didn’t particularly like. Having said that it was the first “organised” trip we have been on.

Shopping. There was, as previously reported, very little time for shopping although there were street traders at almost every stop. The best opportunity for shopping was in Wuhan, after lunch we were released for a whole 2 hours to go out on our own!!! We got a few bargains (Miu Miu, Gucci, etc) in an indoor market on the way to Walmart!! The other opportunity was after the garden visit in Shanghai – there is a bazaar type market / shops adjacent to the gardens but we only had 45 mins there. There were quite large shops at the wall and the terracotta soldiers but these were expensive. We didn’t really like the trips to the organised shopping stops at the carpet factory, silk factory, ceramic factory, embroidery shop, etc. The 2 pieces of embroidery we bought were cheaper at Shanghai airport!! At these stops we were given plenty of time to shop!! If we were to have shopping time I would have preferred it to be less organised!!!

Internet access. This was terrible on the boat. There was an internet café in Wuhan which some people used – it was very fast and not expensive.

Internal flights. Viking checked our bags in for both flights. No liquids at all were allowed in carry-on bags on the internal flights but there was no problem with hand wipes. At Xian airport as we were waiting to have bags x-rayed, a visual check on size was made and anything big was taken and checked into the hold. This was not up for negotiation!

Hotels. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in both Beijing and Shanghai, and the Sofitel in Xian.

Best memory. The visit to Mt Jui - the Buddhist temples - to me this was the "real China".

Worst memory. The trip to the ceramic factory - it was not worth the 2 hour bus ride each way!

If anyone has any questions I will be happy to answer them but please note the above is the opinion of my husband and myself– others will almost certainly differ!

I must agree with Brenda on the above, especially Mt. Jui.

 

A couple of observations on the weather and walking.

Be prepared for the weather. They call it fog, smog would be more accurate. People with respiratory problems should be aware and take precautions.

I guess being from South Florida has spoiled me weather wise. In the 15 days we were in China there were only a couple of days we saw what could be called the sun. These were only for short periods of time. Visibility on most days was limited. I would compare the visibility to an extremely bad day in the Great Smoky Mountains. I think the best weather we had was in Beijing and the Three Gorges area. For those with up coming trips the weather will be, really warm to hot. Don’t forget the umbrellas. The ship provides ponchos, but with these you only get hotter and wetter from perspiration.

 

For those that may have trouble walking, be prepared to walk some fairly long distances and climb large numbers of steps. One place was 200+ steps. This is one of the places that you can be carried up the steps in sedan chairs for a fee.

 

This is for Debbie. Sorry we never met so you could get that “iced latte”. We went thru a lot to avoid buying it. Here’s the story. In Miami we had what was called a “breach of security“, a polite way of saying bomb scare. They searched the plane twice, found nothing. They then decided to unload the plane and have dogs sniff the luggage. To make a long story short we missed our connection in LA, spent the night there and flew out the next day.

[dpump]

Heard about your delay Dale, I'd say, "Perhaps next time", but the one known fact concerning my trip to China was no more communist countries for this freedom loving gal! The umbrellas worked out great, the poncho's offered, when combined with the humidity and rain were like saran wrap, all we needed were blow dryers and we would of all been like shrunk wrap fruit ready for the produce aisle. I was quite surprised that there was no free coffee offered in the lounge-on the Grand European, it was always available,free.

I felt we were very 'controlled' on what we saw and what we did. Alot of gals wore hats to keep the sun off their heads, wish I had worn mine more. Didn't enjoy being brought through 'factories', and alas! we were in a shopping area! Our guide David was fantastic. If anyone can request him, do so, you won't be sorry. I don't see how Viking can keep these routes up, we only had 197 on our ship (of 350) and the one leaving after us 93. Found the dining room very, very noisy. Over the engine room and when all present, couldn't hear your neighbor speak. Can't imagine on a full ship. Dale is correct on the walking-this is definitely an very, very active trip with lots and lots of stairs. There is a 'secret' lounge on the 4th floor that was quiet, away from the crowds and lots of comfy sofas. At the end of the trip, in Shanghai, I had had it with the 'vendors'. One day we sat in the bus instead of going in a museum and counted 16 vendors waiting for the folks to come out and then the attack started!! 16 vendors to each person. Hated having them touch me all the time, what can one do w/6 fake Rolex's? But then again, I'm sure lots of folks who are home are finding they don't work anymore. Take some laundry soap. I had brought some single wash packs of Tide (found at WallyWorld) and washed all my tops in the room and sent my shorts out. Don't worry about dress up at dinner-no one cares, very, very few do it. Cool, lightweight, comfort is the key. A good pair of walking shoes and sandals will suffice. I had a pair of tennies and tevas that had black straps instead of the colors and worked out great. Tip, Tip, Tip. Started feeling like an ATM machine everyone was stopping at. Take lots of $1's. The one thing the Chinese sure can say is "one dollar". Stupidly, I had gotten rid of all my yuan before Shanghai and then saw a Starbucks! No yuan, refused american, ended up using my CC for a cup of coffee. Wonderful group of folks on this trip.

Lady Meer and "Lord Jim" (but we know who the 'queen' is of your castle), it was wonderful meeting you and having so many laughs. Perhaps we can all meet and do it again.

Keep enjoying your toast and beans each morning!

.........ding,ding,how

 

 

Debbie

[EJRIVER]

Agree with Dpump, Lady Meer and Dale. We had a good time but felt rushed almost every day. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, climbing stairs and learning how to say "NO" to the peddlers. Had to be on the bus or have the bags at the hotel door at dawn! Hotels were definitely the finest in town. During our bus tours, we ate at very many outside hotels, chinese buffet style with the lazy susan in the middle of a table for 10 people. Most of us were lucky and didn't have stomach issues until the end of the trip. Food on the boat was very good. The crew and our Viking guide David were all excellent. We seen many talented young crew members on Crew Entertainment Night. Seeing the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, the hutongs, and Mt. Jui were the high lights for us. The cabin balcony sounds like a wonderful amenity but it was so smoggy and hot during most of the cruise, it was best to stay inside. Couldn't see more than 1/4 of mile most times.

Hope we all will keep in touch!

Eric and Nita

[no fuss travel]

Dale

 

In comparison to Florida, how was the humidity?

 

We had one day at the Epcot Centre at Disneyworld that was incredibly hot and humid. You sank into the asphalt as you walked.

 

Does anyone know if it is more humid than San Juan?

 

Glad to know you all made it back safely.

[no fuss travel]

Shopping. There was, as previously reported, very little time for shopping although there were street traders at almost every stop. The best opportunity for shopping was in Wuhan, after lunch we were released for a whole 2 hours to go out on our own!!! We got a few bargains (Miu Miu, Gucci, etc) in an indoor market on the way to Walmart!! The other opportunity was after the garden visit in Shanghai – there is a bazaar type market / shops adjacent to the gardens but we only had 45 mins there. There were quite large shops at the wall and the terracotta soldiers but these were expensive. We didn’t really like the trips to the organised shopping stops at the carpet factory, silk factory, ceramic factory, embroidery shop, etc. The 2 pieces of embroidery we bought were cheaper at Shanghai airport!! At these stops we were given plenty of time to shop!!

 

I picked up on the shopping in Wuhan. Did they leave you in the shopping area or???????

 

With your early arrival in Beijing, Lady Meer, did you have a chance to shop then or did you just go to the hotel? We arrive just after lunch that day so we were hoping to do some shopping then and be finished for the rest of the trip.

[Lady Meer]

 

I picked up on the shopping in Wuhan. Did they leave you in the shopping area or???????

 

With your early arrival in Beijing, Lady Meer, did you have a chance to shop then or did you just go to the hotel? We arrive just after lunch that day so we were hoping to do some shopping then and be finished for the rest of the trip.

 

In Wuhan we were left on our own!:) On the way back to the boat it was very interesting to look at the bird and pet market - right where the boat docked!

 

The hotel in Beijing (the Ritz Carlton) was in the financial district. The hotel was attached to a shopping mall which had a very good supermarket in the basement but the rest of the shops were designer shops - Gucci, etc. (not really bargain shopping). We could have gone to the shopping area by cab but as we were at our weight limit for the internal flights we couldn't risk buying anything else! The Westin hotel is also in this area. We did eat at night in a Bar and Grill near the hotel but it wasn't that good. The hotel was very expensive for food and drinks. There was also a Starbucks and a KFC in the same block. So it really depends on which hotel you get as to what is in the local area, I think Viking uses 4 hotels in Beijing.

 

After dinner one night 4 of us got a cab to the street food market which was very interesting!! Needless to say we didn't eat anything. The cab was inexpensive - about 20 RMB each way.

 

I also agree with the others, David was an excellent tour guide.

 

Brenda

[Dale]

Dale

 

In comparison to Florida, how was the humidity?

 

We had one day at the Epcot Centre at Disneyworld that was incredibly hot and humid. You sank into the asphalt as you walked.

 

Does anyone know if it is more humid than San Juan?

 

Glad to know you all made it back safely.

It was about the same as here in Florida.

Check these sites out they will give the humidity for three of the cities we visited.

Beijing Weather

Chongqing Weather

Shanghai Weather

[dpump]

We had done the Grand European a year prior to doing the Cultural Delights.

Decided to list (in my opinion) the good, bad and ugly. The ship on the CD was far more superior, though I enjoyed the cabin layout of the GE much more, i.e, tv in middle of front wall and not on one side, the CD had a shower door, the GE had a shower curtain, though the GE had a push button soap dispenser vs the tiny bar of soap in the CD. I have read that the GE ships will be brand new for 2009 w/free internet. FREE coffee and tea all day on the GE vs pay for a cup on the CD, though you did have instant coffee and a hot water pot on the CD. Who wants to sit in their room and drink coffee though? The wait staff and the staff in general on the CD was far superior than the GE. Food on the GE was much better than CD. Anyone enjoy their beef except for the one night with the blue cheese sauce on the CD trip? We felt safe enough and did venture out at night on our own while parked on the GE, don't think we were even allowed to get off the ship on the CD, making for some looong days. Wine was much, much more expensive on the CD vs the GE - $10 a glass. On the middle of the cruise on the GE, we had a 40% off laundry day,none offered on the CD. The gift shop/jewerly shop had a 50% off sale the last day, yes, the CD delights did on their 'cheap stuff', though it was never advertised. The beds were the hardest I've ever slept on, still sporting a very, very sore back, the GE's beds were larger and much more comfortable. The internet svs sucks no matter which ship. On the GE we were told what famous, interesting sites, castles, etc we were passing by while on the ship, on the CD, nada. Our 'program director on the CD was like a dead fish, on the GE, Frank, the Program Director, had a full house each and every evening at 6, the CD, hardly anyone showed. Even though we were very, very busy on the GE, if we wanted to venture out on our own instead of seeing what the guide was showing us, no biggie, not on the CD. Was feeling as if we were 'controlled' wherever we went. The vendors were awful, words cannot describe what it is like to be 'attacked' wherever you go and constanty being touched and having to worry about your belongings, yes, there are thieves everywhere, but this was bad. I am used to city life throughout the country and was feel this was really something. Security at the airports are really something, one of the gals we were flying with, had all her and her husbands luggage checked because the Chinese were convinced the epi pen she had in her packed suitcase was a bomb! If it wasn't for our guide David,she'd probably still be there! She was also 'written' up over a pr of travel sized scissors you receive in some of those free sewing kits in the hotel. Yes, she was written up twice in the Shanghai airport! I'm glad I went to China and saw it, but will never be back, if I was offered to repeat the GE, I'd do it in a heartbeat (sans all the church tours)