Viking China

[Romeosc]

How large are the tour groups?

 

We arrive in Beijing at 4:00 PM. Is it safe to wander around and do some shopping? I hate to waste a minute of waking time since we probably won't be back anytime soon. We are in late fifties and doing our "Bucket list".

 

 

This completes the 7 continents, now to fill in the gaps.......

[gb1466]

Were the inter city flights charter, for 300 passengers, or scheduled flights. Seems like it would take a couple planes.

[Lucky Granny]

The intra-China flights were not chartered, they were regularly scheduled flights. There were only about 100 in our group so I don't know what they do with 300 but they will get where they are going with Viking. Don't board the planes hungry - snacks were barely edible.

 

We wandered around Beijing looking for Olympics merchandise last July. We also took a taxi to the Silk Market to really shop! Ask the hotel staff where to go and be sure to get a card with the name of your hotel printed in Chinese - taxi drivers don't know where everything is and don't speak much English or read any English. Also, the taxis we took did not accept American money - one time we had to have yuans. We had to skip the Viking meal one night to have time to go to the Silk Market and shop. Only two of our bus load of 30 accompanied our guide to that meal - they said it was lobster and was delicious. We bought pizza at the Silk Market and it was also delicious.

[JamsA]

If your experience is anything like ours (July'09 Cultural Delight tour) arriving in Beijing at 4:00 won't give you a lot of time to go shopping. It will take you a bit of time getting 'sorted into A level, etc. groups, your bags tagged, a long bus ride to your hotel via very busy streets, then a hotel orientation, your room check -in , etc.... You can then choose to have dinner at your hotel ( we stayed at Raffles, and it was WONDERFUL) , or you can set out to explore the city. That's a great deal to undertake your first day, but I suppose if your a seasoned traveler - it can be done. But be aware the next day is a strenuous one. The bus will arrive early and your day will be PACKED solid with the sights and crowds of the city both morning and afternoon and at night. Get rest when you can.... the trip is an adventure. Have a great trip and enjoy. Jim

[gma1]

I'm sure you're right about enjoying my personal space. I guess the lack of personal space is just one of the things that goes along with China. Oh well, isn't that why we all travel--to experience new things? I know it'll be a grea trip!

I too just returned from that 17 day Cultural Delight trip and July is vacation month!! So it was crowded everywhere in Beijing, especially at the Forbidden City and also we were there during the eclipse! Viking tour guides really do their best to let you see as much as possible and know all the short cuts. Many of the "treasures" are now stored underneath the city and not viewed but there is a small museum. I was there 21 years ago and there was much more to view. It is a super wonderful trip and I know you will enjoy it all!!! GM1:o

[Romeosc]

If your experience is anything like ours (July'09 Cultural Delight tour) arriving in Beijing at 4:00 won't give you a lot of time to go shopping. It will take you a bit of time getting 'sorted into A level, etc. groups, your bags tagged, a long bus ride to your hotel via very busy streets, then a hotel orientation, your room check -in , etc.... You can then choose to have dinner at your hotel ( we stayed at Raffles, and it was WONDERFUL) , or you can set out to explore the city. That's a great deal to undertake your first day, but I suppose if your a seasoned traveler - it can be done. But be aware the next day is a strenuous one. The bus will arrive early and your day will be PACKED solid with the sights and crowds of the city both morning and afternoon and at night. Get rest when you can.... the trip is an adventure. Have a great trip and enjoy. Jim

 

I appreciate your input, we have never been to China before and wanted to make use of every minute. Wife can sleep anywhere, so she will be rested. I am going to try to gradually adjust to new time zone, changing bed time by 2 hours per day prior to departure. We did that before flying to Australia and it worked. Dogs thought we were crazy while we were home and going to bed at 6 PM. :D

 

I would have loved to have an extra day before tour, but Viking made that cost prohibitive.

 

Thanks for the tips, and any more you have please feel free to add. We are seasoned travelers, but new to river cruising and group tours.

[dpump]

I really enjoy Viking. The small ships make everyone much more accesible and seems friendlier to me. The folks in the group you will travel with you'll very quickly become friends with since it is such a small group. Towards the end of my trip, folks were borrowing Immodium from each other, cracking jokes with each other and just plain being comfortable with all. You're going to have a blast.

[Aussieflyer]

We are going on Viking in November (shortened - we meet the group in Chongqing on 12 Nov so not sure if anyone is on the same trip). We are really looking forward to it but the need to "borrow Imodium" is a little off-putting! I would hope not to need it :)

[gb1466]

During the 11 day boat ride, do any other groups get on and off? Or is the 300 people all on Cultural DelightsTrip. Did this trip stop at Viking sponsored school?

[dpump]

Yes, all are on the boat. Yes, the school is visited. Everyone brought their 'gifts', but as you leave, there is a place to deposit $$$ also.

[dpump]

We are going on Viking in November (shortened - we meet the group in Chongqing on 12 Nov so not sure if anyone is on the same trip). We are really looking forward to it but the need to "borrow Imodium" is a little off-putting! I would hope not to need it

*****************************************

Out of all the folks that went, very few were ill. Only one (that I know of) got really ill and that's because he came back from an excursion and proceeded to drink water straight from the tap in his room. I really think the stomach issues were dependent on how strong some folks bellies really are. Each morning I took a pepto bismol (pill form). Not a problem for me. This was an old trick a doc I worked with told all his patients prior to Mexico and/or any destination where stomach issues were a concern.

[no fuss travel]

Aussieflyer, no one on our ship got sick except the people that forgot and drank tap water and brushed their teeth with tap water. Viking keeps you well stocked in bottled water so you do not need to worry. The people that you meet on the bus are super friendly by the end of the tour and you know everyone by the end of the bus tour. Go and enjoy. We had a wonderful trip.

[Aussieflyer]

I am sure it will be fine and am not stressing about it at all. Have travelled to many places where food and water was suspect and never got sick. I just liked the quote that people were giving each other Imodium - sounded a hoot! We have cruised a bit and always end up with a bunch of new friends wherever we go, so we are looking forward to the same again. I have not found anyone else on the board who is on the same trip. From my itinerary, we get on the boat on 12th November so probably those on the longer tour will be leaving Beijing on about 8th November.

[seattle gal]

I too just returned from that 17 day Cultural Delight trip and July is vacation month!! So it was crowded everywhere in Beijing, especially at the Forbidden City and also we were there during the eclipse! Viking tour guides really do their best to let you see as much as possible and know all the short cuts. Many of the "treasures" are now stored underneath the city and not viewed but there is a small museum. I was there 21 years ago and there was much more to view. It is a super wonderful trip and I know you will enjoy it all!!! GM1:o

 

 

Thanks for in info. We're looking forward to seeing the sites in Beijing and are prepared for the crowds.

[Romeosc]

Thanks for in info. We're looking forward to seeing the sites in Beijing and are prepared for the crowds.

 

 

I was told the line starts at 5 AM and takes about 3 hours to see Mausoleum of Mao Zedong . Can I skip and walk around shopping & soaking in sights?

[recordmac]

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?

[no fuss travel]

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?

 

They generally weigh the luggage as a group, so some will be under and some will be over. They do ask that you stay fairly close to the limit. If it is crowded then they will be fussier. The carry-on luggage we found last year they ignored and never weighed our luggage. People were carrying more than one carry-on. If you are overweight, do expect to pay if they are being fussy.

[no fuss travel]

I was told the line starts at 5 AM and takes about 3 hours to see Mausoleum of Mao Zedong . Can I skip and walk around shopping & soaking in sights?

 

We never saw the Mausoleum while on tour. Line-ups were too long and they had too much for us to see. We went directly from Tiammen (I know I spelled it incorrectly) to Forbidden City. You will have very little shopping time that day in Beijing. If you want to shop, I strongly suggest that you go over a day or two earlier so that you will have time to shop. We found they spent too long at factory shops and we could have done with less time at those stops.

[Romeosc]

We never saw the Mausoleum while on tour. Line-ups were too long and they had too much for us to see. We went directly from Tiammen (I know I spelled it incorrectly) to Forbidden City. You will have very little shopping time that day in Beijing. If you want to shop, I strongly suggest that you go over a day or two earlier so that you will have time to shop. We found they spent too long at factory shops and we could have done with less time at those stops.

 

We tried to book extra day, but flights were "discounted" by Viking. It was cost prohibitive to change!

 

We scheduled to go from Beijing to Shanghai since we were told better shopping in Shanghai and limitation on luguage on Intra-China flights. On international flights we can each have 2 suitcases! Plus I am taking my FedEx account freight bills so we can ship home if we go crazy!

 

Originally Posted by recordmac

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?.

 

We are on your same trip fly from Memphis to Chicago to Beijing over North Pole! We are Steve @ Dina (romeosc@gmail.com) 1 other couple (from Cottonwood AZ) has emailed me that they are on same dates.

 

 

We look forward to trip... unfortunately I am in Baltimore on business until 3 days before trip. .... but I am an easy packer! I keep most items packed except clothes and toiletries. Some tips:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AQrqiYNMAU8lZGN2eHc5N2pfOGZwYng2eGti&hl=en

[no fuss travel]

We tried to book extra day, but flights were "discounted" by Viking. It was cost prohibitive to change!

 

We scheduled to go from Beijing to Shanghai since we were told better shopping in Shanghai and limitation on luguage on Intra-China flights. On international flights we can each have 2 suitcases! Plus I am taking my FedEx account freight bills so we can ship home if we go crazy!

 

Originally Posted by recordmac

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?.

 

We are on your same trip fly from Memphis to Chicago to Beijing over North Pole! We are Steve @ Dina (romeosc@gmail.com) 1 other couple (from Cottonwood AZ) has emailed me that they are on same dates.

 

 

We look forward to trip... unfortunately I am in Baltimore on business until 3 days before trip. .... but I am an easy packer! I keep most items packed except clothes and toiletries. Some tips:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AQrqiYNMAU8lZGN2eHc5N2pfOGZwYng2eGti&hl=en

 

If you would rather shop than tour, then while in Shanghai, I suggest you skip the Factory Embroidery tour. Yes, they were lovely to look at, but ..... The lunch the factory supplied was so so. After that we went to the museum in Shanghai. The museum in Wuhan (hope I have the correct city as I am not looking at an itinerary for this tour, I thought was much better and you just repeated in Shanghai what you had previously seen. The museum I am talking about is the one with the musical chimes. The other tour if you would like to shop is the day they take you to the china factory. Lovely country side, lousy shopping. The ship stays in a fairly large city, where you could shop and avoid a long bus trip. They did take you to a shopping mall where you could purchase seconds on china, but if that is not your thing then.... I do not know what the shopping was like in this city, but I imagine it would have most items you might be looking for. I did most of my shopping at the silk factory, the day you get off the ship. You get a tour of how they make silk and then they let you loose in the stores. The first store you see is bedding, then if you walk a bit further you will find a huge store that has clothing, and various gifts you can purchase. Most people found this store to be quite reasonable and did a fair amount of shopping. You could guarantee the quality here. You also do not have to worry about inter China flights either as you are at the end of your tour.

[Romeosc]

Originally Posted by recordmac

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?.

 

We are on your same trip fly from Memphis to Chicago to Beijing over North Pole! We are Steve @ Dina (romeosc@gmail.com) 1 other couple (from Cottonwood AZ) has emailed me that they are on same dates.

 

 

We look forward to trip... unfortunately I am in Baltimore on business until 3 days before trip. .... but I am an easy packer! I keep most items packed except clothes and toiletries. Some tips:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AQrqiYNMAU8lZGN2eHc5N2pfOGZwYng2eGti&hl=en

 

If you would rather shop than tour, then while in Shanghai, I suggest you skip the Factory Embroidery tour. Yes, they were lovely to look at, but ..... The lunch the factory supplied was so so. After that we went to the museum in Shanghai. The museum in Wuhan (hope I have the correct city as I am not looking at an itinerary for this tour, I thought was much better and you just repeated in Shanghai what you had previously seen. The museum I am talking about is the one with the musical chimes. The other tour if you would like to shop is the day they take you to the china factory. Lovely country side, lousy shopping. The ship stays in a fairly large city, where you could shop and avoid a long bus trip. They did take you to a shopping mall where you could purchase seconds on china, but if that is not your thing then.... I do not know what the shopping was like in this city, but I imagine it would have most items you might be looking for. I did most of my shopping at the silk factory, the day you get off the ship. You get a tour of how they make silk and then they let you loose in the stores. The first store you see is bedding, then if you walk a bit further you will find a huge store that has clothing, and various gifts you can purchase. Most people found this store to be quite reasonable and did a fair amount of shopping. You could guarantee the quality here. You also do not have to worry about inter China flights either as you are at the end of your tour.

 

I appreciate your input, that is why we did the reverse trip Beijing to Shanghai! We were told that Beijing is more amazing touring and some people save it for the end so not being underwhelmed on rest of trip.

[no fuss travel]

 

 

I appreciate your input, that is why we did the reverse trip Beijing to Shanghai! We were told that Beijing is more amazing touring and some people save it for the end so not being underwhelmed on rest of trip.

 

The only problem with leaving Beijing to the end is that you are on the run sightseeing everyday and then you end up being totally exhausted for going home. We were glad to have the ship to rest up after being in Beijing and Xian. We were not that tired as the pace in Shanghai is much slower. Enjoy the acrobatic show though. It is fantastic.

[Romeosc]

The only problem with leaving Beijing to the end is that you are on the run sightseeing everyday and then you end up being totally exhausted for going home. We were glad to have the ship to rest up after being in Beijing and Xian. We were not that tired as the pace in Shanghai is much slower. Enjoy the acrobatic show though. It is fantastic.

 

We Shanghai for end for that reason and because we can have 2 additional suitcases of shopping buys! (more junk that will be stored!)

 

 

"He who dies with most toys wins"

[no fuss travel]

We Shanghai for end for that reason and because we can have 2 additional suitcases of shopping buys! (more junk that will be stored!)

 

 

"He who dies with most toys wins"

 

You can almost fill one suitcase at the silk factory just after you get off the ship.:D That means you will not have to shop that much in Shanghai. Price wise, the silk factory had better prices than the shops in Shanghai. The airport prices for certain items were not that bad either. We used up the last of our Chinese currency quite easily there.:)

[seattle gal]

My husband and I, and both of my sisters ar going on the September 29th. We are from Houston and one sister and husband from St Louis and other sister from Decatur,Il. Does anyone know about the carry-on luggage limit of 11 lbs and the 44lb. limit on baggage? Is this strictly enforced or what?

 

My husband and I will be on your tour. We are first time river cruisers and live in Seattle. We are leaving on the 27th and will hopefully have an additional day to see some things that Viking doesn't cover and get used to the time change. Sorry I can't help you out with the baggage question. We look forward to meeting you.