Viking China

[land lover]

Thanks BaAnn, what time of the year did you go on your trip?

[jff50]

I recall seeing several posts indicating that the ships are far from full. At the same time I don't recall any indicating that the ship was full/near full. For those of you that have been with Viking in China; has the ship been nearly full, nearly empty, in between--and did you think that was good or bad.

 

We are on the Cultural Delights on Aug 7th. I'm sure that it will be hot.

[luv2bcruzng]

Our ship had a total of 68 passengers and 20 of those were travel agents-given a special deal thru Viking River. They did not get all the extras that we did, such as they skipped Xian, Peking Opera and a few other evening activities. Being with such a small group was wonderful, we all got along so well, you felt perfectly comfortable sitting anywhere or hanging out with anyone. The service couldn't be beat - just walk outside your cabin and there were stewards lining the hallways waiting to do anything for you. You could even become friendly with the staff and get to know them all a little better than if they were busy.

 

Traveling in August will be tough-every local tour guide told us that the places we visited now would be a furnace in the summer,except for maybe the Snow Jade Cave. Will be very high temperatures and humidity.

 

Reba

[Little Toot2]

We began the land portion of our Viking tour in Shanghai on the last day of August in '04. For that part of our trip which included Shanghai and Suzhou, we had 4 bus loads of passengers and 4 guides with 40-44 passengers per bus. On the sixth day, we boarded the Century Star in Wuhan where we were joined by the Viking group that had started their China adventure in Beijing. I believe that we had nearly a full ship on that cruise as I noticed that only a couple of keys remained 'on the board' whenever we stopped by the front desk.

 

As this was the largest small ship cruise that I had experienced to date, I felt that it was rather crowded. One had to wait in line to enter the dining room, stand up in the lounge area for some presentations, wait to deliver or obtain ones key when leaving or coming back onboard, etc. Please remember, however, that my largest small cruise experience to date had been on the 138 passenger Yorktown Clipper..... less than half of the Star's passenger capacity.

 

Obviously with that number of passengers, you never have the opportunity to meet everyone. Most folks seemed to mix with their initial land tour people which was reinforced by the fact that 'field trips' off ship were taken with these groups which were first established in Shanghai or Beijing. Usually my husband and I tried to mix with new people at breakfast each morning, but ended up having lunch and dinner with the 'regulars'.

 

Regarding the weather, it was still hot while in Shanghai and Beijing especially while touring the Forbidden City. Our day at the Great Wall was overcast with some showers....... a great day for running for my husband, but miserable weather for the folks who didn't dress for the weather.

[JJPNYC]

Ni hao from Beijing!

 

Back on land after our great 4 day cruise up-river on the Century Sun. I'll try to add my observations and try to incorporate answers to the various questions. If I'm missing anything, just let me know and I'll try to answer it as an internet connection is now available once again with certainty (more on that later) plus I'll be back in the states on Thursday.

 

The cruise portion on Century Sky:

- we had 140 passengers and about 150 crew. Needless to say the service was great and personalized (being called by name, the bartender starting to make a drink when I entered the lounge, going that extra mile). According to Thomas the cruise manager, this is a normal load. This was the first time I expereinced a passenger/crew ration that was below 1 and it definately showed.

- The weather on the Yangtze was hot & humid, totally unexpected. But I was told that this was nothing compared to the summer months. In retrospect I would pack a pair of shorts for when on board (I'd recommend against wearing them while on land as the Chinese don't wear shorts)

- The food was exquisite and the platings of each of the dinner courses was superb. Breakfast was a very modest western-style buffet (fruits, cereals, sausages/bacon/hashbrowns/eggs) - there was always something for everyone. Lunch was a salad bar with finger sandwhiches. This was followed, if you had room, with a fomal entree and desert served at your table. Dinner was a 4 course affair (salad, soup, entree, & desert).

- Laundry prices on board were "reasonable" and I'd recommend doing laundry on board given the prices at the hotels. Shirts & pants were about 4 bucks a piece, undergarments $1 a piece roughly

- The Chinese dinner that is served on the last night is very westernized. I just wanted to call that out as many people thought that it would be a traditional Chinese dinner.

- There are MANY stairs involved. Getting to the pier at Yichang was easy as there was a incline railroad to take you down. For the Lesser Three Gorges, the boat transfer was easy but to get up to the picnic terrace involved about 80 steps. At Fengdu there were approx. 250 steps to get from the shore up to the tour buses. Doing the Snow Jade Cave excursion involved 800 steps - for those who didn't feel like this they offered a city tour as Fengdu is bascially a new city as it was relocated due to the Three Gorges Dam. Finally an Chongqing, there are stairs to get to the buses.

- Don't bother with trying to get an internet connection on-board, it is a fruitless endeavor. Many people tried but few had any success. This is a problem the crew acknowledged.

 

For hotels, I've found out that groups are spread out across mulitple hotels in each city. For instance, in Shanghai people were staying at both the Westin and the Shangri-La. In Xian, people were at both the Shangri-La and the Sofitel. Here in Beijing, people are at the Hilton and the Shangi-la.

 

For flights, all passengers are grouped on the same flights. From Shanghai to Yichang we flew Shanghai Airlines. On the Chongqing to Xian and Xian to Beijing legs we flew Air China. Unlike back in the US, on all fights we were either served a snack or meal depending on the time.

 

Also for group sizes, each bus in our tour had about 26 passengers on board - a very manageable number.

 

Also as a note in general, if ordering eggs at breakfast, specify how you want them done. The normal way the Chinese chefs prepare them is on the runny side - I saw this at every place we went.

 

jeff

[lostqeba]

Basic questions....Were there Ice machines on board and mini-fridge in cabin for cold drinks ?? Bruce

[LuAnn]

Just back from a 2 week Panama Canal cruise and finding lots of interesting info since I've been gone. We are leaving on 10/18 and we have the Shangri-La hotels in all spots! Please keep info and questions coming! Learning alot! LuAnn

[JJPNYC]

Basic questions....Were there Ice machines on board and mini-fridge in cabin for cold drinks ?? Bruce

 

There were no ice machines on board but ice could be requested from the kitchen.

 

There are mini-fridges, but they are designed primarily for medicine. According to the cruise manager though, in a pinch they can hold 3 cans.

 

Also as a note water is readily available in all ports at the pier, expect to pay about 3-5RMB for a bottle. A bigger bottle will run about 10-15RMB if I remember. Bar prices on board are similar to what you'd find in a big city - mixed drinks for 6 bucks, etc. The Chongquin draft beer though is a steal at about $3.50 per glass.

 

jeff

[land lover]

Jeff, thanks again for the updates, sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

 

So what purchases have you made, that we might want to keep our eyes open for?

 

How has the weather been, still getting dust on the shoes?

 

Thanks, Lori

[JJPNYC]

I just arrived back home.

 

This past Tuesday (May 9) was the first time in my 2 and 1/2 weeks there that it rained (we were in Beijing that day). The rain got rid of the smog and Wednesday was a beautiful day as a result. Weather is very dependent on where you were - Shanghai and the Yangtze region was hot & humid (only to get worse in the summer months I was told). Beijing was refreshing when we arrived on Sunday night - high 60's and considerably less humid.

 

In retropsect about the weather, I would have packed either linen pants or those covertable travel pants were you can zip off the bottom part of the pant legs so as to get shorts. I would avoid denim or thick cotton as those just sucked up the moisture and just weren't comfortable to be in after a while.

 

For purchases, one note is that you can get just about the same stuff at each place and from multiple sellers at each place. I did most of my shopping at the Silk Market in Beijing as that was my last stop ( I had time in the morning to go there before my flight home in the afternoon). Some of the "must buys" includes little Terra Cotta soldiers (40RMB for a set of 5), silk scarves (beware of polyester scarves being sold as silk), tea cups (10-20 RMB a piece), chopsticks (price depends on material & craftsman ship), jade (beware of jadeite (glass coloured to look like jade), pearls (know the prices before leaving the US). For the big ticket items (i.e. silk, pearls, electronics, etc.) you really need to know what the price is here in the US before going so you know what a fair price is.

 

One word about bargaining- you have to do it. A general rule of thumb is is to take the offering prices and offer 10% of it as a starting point. The Chinese merchants are great actors when it comes to thinking that you are insulting them with your price (their offering prices are sooooooooooo inflated). If you stall at a price, walk away. If the merchant wants your business they'll probably come after you with a better price to get the negotiations going again. But at the end of the day, they want your money and will do the deal at a price you are comfortable with.

 

One of my great examples of this is when I went to buy a magnet. The quoted opening price was 35 RMB. I said "too much" and just walked away. As i walked away I heard the merchant say "10, no 5, no 3." This shows how much leverage you have by just turning your back and moving on and just hhow inflated the asking prices are.

 

Avoid buying anything in the Friendship Stores as they are a rip off. As part of the stop in Beijing between the Great Wall & Ming Tombs you'll be taken to a Jade Factory Friendship Store for lunch. I found all of the stuff there to be overpriced and the staff pretty resistant to negotiate.

[shecky465]

For hotels, I've found out that groups are spread out across mulitple hotels in each city. For instance, in Shanghai people were staying at both the Westin and the Shangri-La. In Xian, people were at both the Shangri-La and the Sofitel. Here in Beijing, people are at the Hilton and the Shangi-la.

 

jeff

Any opinions regarding the hotels that you stayed at during the trip. How convenient were they to shopping and walking around the city on your own?

 

Also, how difficult did you find the shopping because of the language barrier or do many of the merchants speak some English.

 

 

And... did you try any of the local restaurants in the cities that you visited that were not with the Viking group? If so, which restaurants?

 

Rick

[JJPNYC]

Any opinions regarding the hotels that you stayed at during the trip. How convenient were they to shopping and walking around the city on your own?

 

Also, how difficult did you find the shopping because of the language barrier or do many of the merchants speak some English.

 

 

And... did you try any of the local restaurants in the cities that you visited that were not with the Viking group? If so, which restaurants?

 

Rick

 

For Shanghai we stayed at the Westin which is a 5 minute walk to the Bund and 10 minutes from the old Shanghai district - a prime location. The other hotel in Shanghai, the Shangri-La Pudong, is across the river and in a bit more isolated area in my opinion. It's also a quick walk to the main shopping street - Jujiang I believe the name was.

 

For Xian, I think both hotels, the Shangri-la and Sofitel, are in equal areas. Lots of local sites around, but not much more from what I could tell in the brief time we were in Xian.

 

In Beijing, all hotels were a bit out of the central area - around the 2nd Ring Road. The "plus" that the Shangri-La Beijing has going is that it is the closest to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace.

 

All in all, there's not much free time built in for shopping - one of my only complaints about the itinerary. If you're not up for climbing the Great Wall though, there is alot of shopping stalls at the bottom of the wall. There are also local vendors at most spots, but the tour guides ask that you not purchase from them so as not to delay the group (also as you purchase one thing, other vendors suddenly descend on the entire group which creates other problems as you can well imagine).

 

For shopping though, communication was never a problem.

 

For eating, our one "splurge" was going to M on the Bund in Shanghai for Sunday tea as we arrived a day early. The biggest problems with most local restaurants is the language barrier - very few of the wait staff speak any English. Once you get going in the Viking part of the trip, there is very little time to do any outside exploring on your own, including at meal time to explore other restaurants.

 

jeff

[BaAnn]

Thanks BaAnn, what time of the year did you go on your trip?

 

To Land Lover, we went on the cruise/trip from April 2 to 18th.

[cujbw]

I've read most of this thread and still have some questions for anyone who'd like to answer. We are booked on the Century Sun, Cultural Delights cruise on July 2, Beijing to Shanghai. I know it will be hot, but it was the best time for us. Anyhow, my biggest concern is about luggage. Are there restrictions on the intraChina flights? Are they enforced? And since it will be hot, are shorts and sleeveless tops/tanks okay for tours and shore excursions? Also, the reservation agent said there are ice machines on board, but I read here that they aren't available. I know they had one on the Viking ship in Europe. So does anyone know for sure? And are bathrobes provided in the cabins? How about hair dryers - in the cabin or at the front desk? We're very excited about going and I know I'll have many more questions. Thanks for any and all help!

[biblioguy]

We're leaving for Shanghai for our Cultural Delights tour in just three days--hooray! I'll give you a full trip report when I get back.

 

This question has probably been answered already on this thread, but here goes:

 

For those of you who have been there--what's the best stop on the tour to buy a nice pair of jade earrings? They're for a dear friend who'll be watching our house while we're away.

 

Also, what other gifties were a big hit with the folks back home? Our shopping list includes a nephew and neice (eight and 10 years old) and a host of adults.

 

Finally, what's your favorite souvenir you brought back from your trip and where did you find it?

[JJPNYC]

I've read most of this thread and still have some questions for anyone who'd like to answer. We are booked on the Century Sun, Cultural Delights cruise on July 2, Beijing to Shanghai. I know it will be hot, but it was the best time for us. Anyhow, my biggest concern is about luggage. Are there restrictions on the intraChina flights? Are they enforced? And since it will be hot, are shorts and sleeveless tops/tanks okay for tours and shore excursions? Also, the reservation agent said there are ice machines on board, but I read here that they aren't available. I know they had one on the Viking ship in Europe. So does anyone know for sure? And are bathrobes provided in the cabins? How about hair dryers - in the cabin or at the front desk? We're very excited about going and I know I'll have many more questions. Thanks for any and all help!

 

For luggage, the official CCAC (the Chinese Gov't Aviation Bureau) weigh is 22 kgs, or about 44 lbs. Note though that Viking checks in all the baggage as a group so it is not enforced per se since they average the weight together of all bags being checked. So you are probably safe going up to 50 pounds or so as there will probably be a lighter bag somewhere to balance things out. In our group though there was a packing hog who traveled with 3 suitcases and Viking did make them pay the extra baggage fee at each airport for the 2 additional bags.

 

For clothing, shorts really aren't worn in China except for exercise. If you want to appear culturally sensisitive I would recommend against wearing shorts while touring about on land (on board the ship is OK though). Due to the humidity in the summer months I'd recommend a nice lightweight pair of pants that breathes - i.e. seersucker, linen, or light cotton. For shirts, most people wore nothing shorter than shirt sleeves, although I'm sure on women a sleeveless wouldn't turn any heads. Tank tops are probably pushing it. One thing to note is that the Chinese are still very conservative when it comes to clothing. While China is not an overtly formal country, they also are not an overtly casual country.

 

No ice machines on board, but ice can be requested from the kitchen

 

2 bathrobes per cabin are provided while onboard.

 

Hair dryers are provided in cabin, but are located in the desk (And these are regular power hair dryers).

 

If planning on doing laundry, I would advise on waiting until you get on board the ship as the ship's prices are considerably less than what the hotels on land charge.

[JJPNYC]

We're leaving for Shanghai for our Cultural Delights tour in just three days--hooray! I'll give you a full trip report when I get back.

 

This question has probably been answered already on this thread, but here goes:

 

For those of you who have been there--what's the best stop on the tour to buy a nice pair of jade earrings? They're for a dear friend who'll be watching our house while we're away.

 

Also, what other gifties were a big hit with the folks back home? Our shopping list includes a nephew and neice (eight and 10 years old) and a host of adults.

 

Finally, what's your favorite souvenir you brought back from your trip and where did you find it?

 

We stopped at a Jade Factory for lunch in between the Great Wall & Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs excursion. This would probably be your best bet. The only thing I will say about jade is that you need to know what you are looking for as it seems that fake jade abounds and that real jade is few & far between. Also brush up on what a fair price is for jade earings before you leave home as the merchants will try to rip you off if you don't know what you are bargaining for.

 

There are plenty of nick-nacks along the way (and mostly the same stuff at each place) - small TerraCotta soldiers (30-50RMB for a box of 5), jade, little budda statues, knock-off watches, Chairman Mao wrist watch, glass balls with paintings inside, chopsticks, tea sets, etc. All the tour stops have plenty of merchants willing to sell you stuff.

 

For shopping I'd pay no more than 30% of the asking price. So you have room to bargain, make your counter-offer just 10% of the asking price. The one thing about shopping in China is that you have to haggle for everything. If you don't like to haggle, I'd suggest you find someone that does and let them do the deed for you. In our group, once people get the hang of haggling they actually enjoyed it. Also travel with many small bills and try to pay with exact change. Counterfeit bills abound and a few people in our group got counterfeit bills as change.

 

Depending on your itinerary in Shanghai & which hotel you're at, going to the small streets around YuYuan Gardens in Shanghai might you best chance to get most of your shopping done in a couple of hours if you want to take this approach. They had plenty of souvenir type stores. We had a free afternoon in Shanghai and the Gardens are only a 5-10 minute walk from the Westin Hotel where our group was staying.

[WarEagle76]

Our shopping list includes a nephew and neice (eight and 10 years old) and a host of adults

.

You can find some really cool (and unusual) kites that the kids might like. Also regarding the jade store, last year we were able to bargain with them on a jade piece and got a good price. It took some time, but it was worth it.

[luv2bcruzng]

In Shanghai at Yuyuan Gardens and also on Nanjing pedestrian mall we found beautiful boxed sets of chopsticks. Easy to carry and pack and so many varities to chose from! Some more expensive than others depending on what they are made from.

 

Inside the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum the replica statues go for $65.00 for a box of 5 soldiers, about 4" high. Wait till your outside and the vendors attack and the price drops dramatically. Our first box was $2.50 and by the time we were leaving our second box was $1.00 (we hadn't planned on buying any, but the price was too appealing.

 

Ladies embroidered jackets for $10 was also a hit with my daughters when I got home. They sold them along the Yangtze at one of the cities, as we were boarding and disembarking our buses (I can't remember the city name.) They are fully lined and even have shoulder pads - amazing for $10.

 

Reba

[lostqeba]

.

You can find some really cool (and unusual) kites that the kids might like. Also regarding the jade store, last year we were able to bargain with them on a jade piece and got a good price. It took some time, but it was worth it.

 

How does one tell real jade from fake jade? Lostqeba

[JJPNYC]

How does one tell real jade from fake jade? Lostqeba

 

They showed how to do it at the Jade Factory - it had something to do with the sound. By that point I was too hungry from climbing the wall to pay much attention. I'm sure you could do a google search and find the answer.

 

I do know that the way to tell fake pearls from real pearls is to rub the pearls together. Real pearls will give up a bit of powder from the friction. Also a reputable dealer won't mind if you do this since it doesn't really harm the pearl.

[biblioguy]

Thanks for the shopping tips everyone! You had some terrific ideas.

 

Less than 48 hours until we pull out of the driveway and I have one last question about packing.

 

Is there anything that you didn't pack for your trip that you wish you had brought with you or is there anything you brought with you to China that sat in your suitcase unused for the entire trip and could have left home?

[Little Toot2]

How does one tell real jade from fake jade? Lostqeba

As I was interested in purchasing some jade jewelry, I did a bit of research before I went to China in ' 04. I found the following site to be the most helpful:

http://www.palagems.com/burma_jade_pt2.htm#jadeite_buying_guide

 

Basically the term jade is given to two minerals: jadeite and nephrite and only jadeite has value as a gen mineral. The most valuable jadeite comes from Burma and is dark green in color and clear. China has no gem quality jade, only nephrite which is mined in western China. I found a lovely piece of carved nephrite with a garden scene that I was able to purchase for what I considered to be a good price as well as a carved piece of jadeite which contained a couple of black streaks which are considered flaws.

 

For those of you who have been there--what's the best stop on the tour to buy a nice pair of jade earrings? They're for a dear friend who'll be watching our house while we're away.

 

I purchased one the above pieces in a hotel gift shop and the other in the Shanghai Museum gift shop where I believed that I would have some built in quality control due to the reputation of the establishments, but that may or may not be valid. I felt totally overwhelmed and pressured in the government run jade factory, but I did use the opportunity to look and ask questions before purchasing elsewhere.

 

Inside the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum the replica statues go for $65.00 for a box of 5 soldiers, about 4" high. Wait till your outside and the vendors attack and the price drops dramatically. Our first box was $2.50 and by the time we were leaving our second box was $1.00 (we hadn't planned on buying any, but the price was too appealing.

 

Be aware that the replica terra cotta warrior statues that are sold in the museum gift shop are kiln fired whereas the ones sold by the vendors are sun dried and not nearly as durable. My husband purchased a museum set for himself, but purchased several of the other sets from street vendors for his wargaming buddies. There is a vast difference in the quality, although none of the sun dried sets have fallen apart yet to date.

[Little Toot2]

Yes, water!!! I was so concerned about drinking water that I brought along a full six pack in my carry on. LOL!!! Bottled water is provided daily in your hotel rooms and aboard ship. You will have more of it than you can possibly consume! If you do purchase any beverage on the streets from small shop vendors, look to see that the seal is intact before purchasing and if the seal doesn't seem right when you twist it open, discard it. Both Pepsi and Coke are readily available although diet soda is harder to find. I'd also suggest purchasing some Chinese beer.

Cheers,

LT

[JJPNYC]

Thanks for the shopping tips everyone! You had some terrific ideas.

 

Less than 48 hours until we pull out of the driveway and I have one last question about packing.

 

Is there anything that you didn't pack for your trip that you wish you had brought with you or is there anything you brought with you to China that sat in your suitcase unused for the entire trip and could have left home?

 

I would tell your husband to leave the necktie at home - it isn't needed. The dressiest some guys got was a sportscoat with khaki's, but probably no more than 5-10% of total men wore a sportscoat.

 

I would've brought lighter weight pants along - my jeans just sucked up the humidity and became uncomfortable after a while.

 

I also probably would've packed some more t-shirts/socks/underwear to change into later in the days. The heat/humidity/dirt really gets into your clothes and fresh change of clothes I feel is really needed at least twice a day so you don't feel grimey/dirty all day long.