Viking China

[land lover]

Thanks for the info......drop in and give us more advice or tips on our roll call. Lori

[Ocala]

One thing I wanted to clarify on the Viking Sky was that $10 glass of wine was a very generous serving. Also, if you need to charge up camera batteries, etc, go to Radio Shack and buy a $20 converter that plugs right into the Viking Sky power socket. I was also told by those that used the spa that it was beyond good (and booking was very brisk). They said the prices were very reasonable. We also did laundry on board that was very inexpensive. While in Shanghai, on your free time, go to the Shanghai Museum (it's in the book "1000 Things to See Before You Die"). It is very good. The hotel will give you a card to use with the taxi that tells the driver where to go & get back to the hotel. Taxis are ultra cheap.

Except for the long plane ride, I wish I was going back!! Cheers //Ocala//

[land lover]

Ocala...any suggestion on how much to bring for spending cash....Of course we will have tips on the ship that can be included on our charge, but did you just bring travelers checks and then have them changed at the hotels for the additonal tips or can you give your guide a travelers check..will the hotels give you american dollars for your travelers checks?I really don't feel comfortable bringing to much in cash and I don't want to brother with ATM's in China. Also it sounds to me that most purchases will be made with american cash rather than credit card since things are so inexpensive.I don't mind changing my money into yuan...but it sounds like US dollars are used more often. What was your experience and do cabs take american money?

[Ocala]

Good question. We brought lots of $1s, $5s, & $10s, but not alot of cash. Hotels take travelers checks (but no money exchange on the ship). We cashed travelers checks $20 at a time and that was sufficient. The lobby ATM machine in Shanghai hotel never worked while we were there. We don't use them anyway. VISA/AMEX in large shops. Smaller shops, street vendors, etc, took dollars (buy your Olympic Beijing 2008 ball cap, 2 for $1!) Cabs took chinese money - most rides under $2, no tipping. There was an optional tour in Shanghai to a silk factory which was very nice and we bought our chinese silk clothes for the Captain's Farewell Dinner there - believe they took both VISA/MC/AMEX. Some don't take AMEX but VISA/MC. At smaller shops, on the street, etc, silk-marked clothes were sometimes not silk at all:mad: . We're not big shoppers but got by with little US or Chinese money. Cheers //Ocala// :)

[land lover]

So are things really that inexpensive? Maybe I should bring lots of spending money......is there much free time? If I remember right you said you were on the Sky...so what tour did you actually do? We will be doing the cultural delights with 9 days on the river is that the one you did? We will be on the century sun.

[Ocala]

Hi. We did the Imperial Jewels which was upstream for 4 days on the Sky. In retrospect, we wish we had spent more time on the Sky and taken a longer cruise. Shopping? Don't forget the $10 fake Rolex watches (probably guaranteed to work for the rest of the day!). Things can, however, get as expensive as you want to pay for the really, really good stuff. Our silk shirts were, however, very reasonably priced for the real thing. The jade chop sticks we got are super! There is not much free time at all but lots of shopping opportunities (silk carpet, silk clothes, nik-naks, etc). We had one afternoon in Shanghai and after dinners to walk around if you like. Once bus-bound, we spent a lot of time in traffic getting from place to place. Traffic is unbelieveable! You'll be looking out the bus window a lot! Cheers //Ocala//

[land lover]

So then you went from Shanghai-Beijing? I was looking at the that tour with just the three day and adding Hong Kong.....but the two reasons I want to go to China is to see the warriors and The Yangtze....What did you think of each?

 

I figured I could do Hong Kong another time it just seems like there is so much flying involved with this trip and yours had one more flight than ours will, what was your take on that? Was this your first vist to the Far East? Oviously, it will be our first time.

 

Lori

[SqueakyDust]

Hope you don't mind my popping in, as we'd love to do China in the future.

Couple of questions.

 

How long is the flight from the UK?

Would this trip be suitable for children? We're thinking to possibly do the trip in 2007, kids will then be 12 and nearly 11. Or would we be better off waiting until they were older?

 

Many thanks

[San Diego Ronni]

We have booked this trip for September 30 (actually the 29th!). Anyone know the length of the flight from LAX???

Ocala: My $60 "Rolex" from Acapulco has been running just great since May! Even has the "perpetual motion." Maybe I can stock up on some additional styles...the jade chopsticks sound really fun. Can you pick them up just about anywhere?

[land lover]

12 hours direct more or less, if no one joins your roll call come and join our one for Aug, 25 at least we can chit chat and exchange ideas.

I am having a problem with my TA and Viking has stepped in...what a mess...decided to give another agency a try and now I am paying for it......

[Ocala]

Lori - The Terra Cotta warriors were magnificent! The Yangtze cruise was also a trip highlight and we wish we had been on the Sky longer. In a few years, when the river is fully dammed, much of the splendor will be gone. Now is the time to visit! The tour of the Lesser Three Gorges on smaller river cruisers (and lunch on the side of a mountain) was also a delight. One detail I've forgotten re money is that we had "local" guides at every stop that needed tipping. Bring those dollar bills for each day's different guide. I can't say if the trip is suitable for children since we have none, but I would think that unless the children really are into history that they would be bored. I could be wrong. Chop sticks (made out of just about everything) are everywhere. I bought our set in Beijing at a jade factory. This was our first trip to the Far East aside from a visit with friends in Tokyo, & business in Bangkok. We've lived and traveled extensively, however, in South Asia (India). Also, our "free" afternoon in Shanghai was a result of a later flight to join the Sky. Most of the passengers arrived at the Sky in the late afternoon but we arrived just after 9 PM. With the local flights and passenger loads, our tour group often flew at different times than others. Sorry this has been so long. Cheers :o

[San Diego Ronni]

Lori, please don't apologize for the lengthy notes! They are really appreciated! Our friends who are going with us are coming over tomorrow night for dinner and we're going to do lots of discussing! We are all really excited. Are you actually in Ocala, Florida? My grandparents lived there for many, many years.....

[Ocala]

Yes, we are in Ocala, but I'm not Lori (believe she is "land lover") - anyway, I have found the boards very helpful in several trips that I have taken so I have wanted to pay back the favor for the advice I've received in the past. This China trip was a great adventure. Keep the questions coming and I'll help the best I can. Cheers:D

[San Diego Ronni]

Oops! Sorry about that! We will actually be driving through your fair city in April. Going to Jacksonville to visit my granddad, then driving to Sanibel Island, where we will meet our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons for a week there. They live in Wyoming and will be ready for some sun and warmth! My mother's grave is in Plant City, so will stop there on the way. She was Strawberry Queen in her day! Hoping for not-too-hot-and-sticky weather yet. My other granddad was a contractor and built many homes in Ocala, many years ago!

[Ocala]

Hope April in Florida cooperates for you. It is usually pretty nice! Ironically, we'll be visiting family in the mid-west during some of April, while we usually try to figure out where to hide during the summer!

Cheers //Ocala//

[land lover]

How did most of you men dress on your trip and how about the ladies?

I heard no jeans and shorts.....but then I saw the viking DVD and several people are wearing jeans...of course you can tell it was taped in the winter...anyway need some tips also did you use the laundry on the ship? If you did what did you think?

bye Lori

[Ocala]

It was a real mixed bag of clothes - shorts, casual slacks, & (after reviewing my photos) even jeans. The nicer the venue, the nicer the clothes but for daily sightseeing either slacks or shorts - my typical "uniform" was shorts & a polo shirt or slacks & a polo shirt. Women wore slacks, peddle-pushers, & shorts and evenings were still casual but polo shirts for guys and nice casual tops for women. We wore our Shanghai-purchased silk shirts and tops for the Captain's Dinner as did many others. The laundry on the Sky was excellent, quick, & inexpensive. Naturally bring a good comfortable pair of shoes since some of the footing is inconsistant - I brought dock-siders & sneakers. Hope this helps some. We would have melted without shorts on a couple of days! :D Cheers //Ocala//

[land lover]

new subject H20............from what I have read you only drink and brush your teeth with bottled, but what is this about boiled water in the hotel rooms? Also do they provide bottle water on the ship at no cost, Do you trust the ice? Any info would be appreciated. Lori

[land lover]

OH and one more question about clothes...do the women wear skirts or dresses...did you notice.?. I am more of a shift(short dress/skirt at the knees) person rather than shorts, would this not be appropriate?

Lori

[Ocala]

Ah, water ... the hotels provided a bottle of water in the room. Water also can be purchased in the hotels. Same on the Sky. We noticed that on the Sky they would sometimes provide an extra bottle if one was partially used. The Sky said they used boiled water for ice. We did see people drinking mixed drinks with ice on board. Bottled water was provided on the busses. There appeared no shortage of places to buy bottled water. Skirts? We didn't see much of that at all. My wife suggests culottes instead of skirts or shorts (if shorts aren't your thing). What we remember is lots of shorts and slacks. When are you going? Cheers :)

[Little Toot2]

As this is my first time on this board, I'm a little hesitant to 'put in my two cents', but I do have an observation that I wanted to share with regards to the current topic. I sailed on Viking's Century Star in September 04. While touring the Forbidden City near the end of our trip, a lady in our group caught a local woman attempting to slip a half empty water bottle out of her bag. Back on the bus, we started thinking..... why would you steal water? Then it hit me! I asked everyone on the bus to raise their hand if they had had problems with dysentery on the trip. Then I asked how many of those people had purchased bottled water from a street vendor. Guess what.... nearly everyone had! My advise is simple, always check the seal on the bottles when you open them and don't buy bottled water from a street vendor, period! I believe that they are refilling bottles that they remove from the trash (or from people's bags) and then reselling them, yikes! :(

[land lover]

Little toot...please "toot" in, love your name. We'll take any tips...Ocala has been very informative.

 

Ocala........we are going late Aug, thru Sept.9th of this year, so it will be hot. Thanks for asking your wife about the clothes.....I really like wearing one piece of clothing, rather than a top and shorts, I think it is cooler too, but will already look out of place with long blonde hair so don't need to call more attention to myself. I take it the colors should be rather subdued....we can be pretty bright here in So. CA as I am sure you are in Fl...

 

Please but in any thoughs you might have TOOT on the clothes.

 

Thanks for the info on the water. Lori

[Ocala]

Good observation, Little Toot! I remember in Shanghai that it was impossible to throw away an empty water bottle. Street people would hang around tourists and collect empty water bottles (which I had assumed was to recycle). Now I know! We only obtained water from Viking or the hotel/ship and had no "tummy" problems. Hope you can help Lori re tips on clothes. I'm afraid I wasn't much help! Yes, it should be warm but being from So Cal, and I from FL, we know how to cope! :rolleyes:

//Ocala//

[land lover]

I know we briefly hit on tips, regarding money to bring and I know you went on a shorter cruise...but in the travel info I was sent they state you can leave money in an envelope at the desk or leave it on your account. Which did you do? Is the account statement pretty straight forward, is it in US dollars?

 

Toot did you do the same cruise we are doing Cultural delights?

 

Also about the visas, did you just use their company? It looks pretty simple was it?

 

Thanks, Lori

[Ocala]

We included our tips and incidential charges like laundry, wine, & bar tab on our ship's account. They swiped our AMEX card when we boarded and that's all there was to it! Pretty convenient. Tips in dollars are also welcomed. Yes, we used the company that Viking listed and the process went both smoothly and quickly. I was surprised at the cost of the visa but then I guess a US visa isn't cheap either. :rolleyes: Cheers //Ocala//