Uniworld China, input needed

[glutenfreegoddess]

Hello! I am planning a big anniversary/bucket list trip for next year (Aug. 2018.) We have always wanted to visit China, and would also love to try a river cruise, so we are looking at Uniworld's Highlights of China and the Yangtze. The cruise portion of the trip would be on the Century Legend.

 

I read the stickies regarding choosing the right cruise line and Uniworld seems to match our tastes and traveling style. However, I have a couple of questions/concerns. I have combed the boards and the Uniworld site. I am also trying to find a river cruise travel agent but not having much luck yet; I've called and emailed three different agencies with not a single call back, so questions I have are:

 

1. I'm thinking we will fit in well age wise; he will be mid 60's, I am early 50's. We are healthy and physically active. Will there be an option for tours for more active guests? It's not a deal breaker, but we are usually independent travelers and go our own speed. I'm not a fan of bus tours but ok with it as a means of transportation.

 

2. Dietary needs. I have celiac disease and am allergic to soy and dairy. Needless to say, I eat a lot of salad.;) I have been on ocean cruises and for the most part the cruise lines have been very accommodating. When I travel to foreign countries I carry little cards in the local language that list my allergies but I'm thinking China might be an issue? Soy and gluten are present in most Chinese dishes. I have a very extreme reaction to even trace amounts of gluten so I'm really nervous about the possibility of being "glutened" so far from home.

 

3. Short time on the river; will that give us a taste for river cruising? And I want to extend our time in Hong Kong; there is an option to add three days at the end of the trip but I'm thinking it would be smart to add an extra day on the front end as well? We travel to Europe every year and I always try to have one day to adjust our body clocks before we do any major sightseeing.

 

Thanks for any advice/input; I'm really excited to start planning!

[Floridiana]

Choosing the Yangtze is not really an introduction to river cruising because it is just a small part of the entire land based trip. Nevertheless, the three days will be in beautiful scenery. The excursions are into the side valleys, to the dam and to a town. They are not strenuous and only the dam needs a short bus ride.

 

Our group was small with 8 people which was great, but one person in the group would have been better off with one of large tour companies that cater exclusively to western tourists. Ours was organized by Chinafocus and fit our taste perfectly. We shared the ship with small groups of British and Swiss travelers and lots of Chinese! The other parts of our month long tour were with our group only - except the two interesting train rides.

 

When choosing a tour company, select by group size and destinations other than the Yangtze river. With ChinaFocus you get the occasional free time. That's when we had the best interaction with the locals. They never approached us when we were a group.

[SuiteTraveler]

Contact a travel agent for Uniworld through their website by choosing Request a Quote and they will send your request to someone who will assist you.

 

I am very concerned about your dietary restrictions in China (especially for the time you will be on land). I would strongly recommend you bring quite a bit of prepackaged food with you that you CAN have for days during tours when lunch or dinner might be off the ship. You need to be hyper vigilant about cross-contamination as woks are often cleaned by only wiping with oil, not washing. Once you make your reservation you need to contact Uniworld well in advance and let them know about this - I think you would fare better on the ship as far as safer foods. I'm sure the chef will do everything possible to help you and knowing about your food situation in advance he can provision accordingly. You should also tell your doctor about your forthcoming trip and get prescriptions for whatever medications you might need should you have a problem due to eating the wrong thing by mistake. Keep in mind, there is no doctor on these ships, so if something goes wrong, you contact the hotel director who will arrange for you to go to a hospital or doctor on land but it could take time.

 

Also, these articles are very helpful for gluten free and food allergies in China:

http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/knows/tips-for-a-gluten-free-trip-to-china.html

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/article-gluten-free-travel.htm

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/food-allergies.htm

https://foodallergiesrock.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/travelling-to-china-with-food-allergies-2/

 

I know you are thinking of a cruise, but there is a travel guide in China who specializes in tours for those who need gluten free or have other allergies. She does land trips and everything is taken care of for you BEFORE you even go to the various places so you can be confident you will not have a problem,. If I were you, I'd contact her. She is easy to find online. Just google China Food Allergy Travel and the website should pop right up.

 

Wishing you all the best for a safe and enjoyable trip to China!

[pinotlover]

We were on the Uniworld China & Tibet trip last May, with their Hong Kong and Guilin extension. Absolutely fabulous trip.

 

For your food allergy problems here is what I'd do. Call Uniworld and get the emai address for either Kevin, their primary CD, or his boss the VP for Chinese operations. I would then contact them directly with your questions. I don't feel that anyone in the US corporate and sales offices in CA could answer your question. IMO, the meals on the ship can be prearranged and shouldn't be a problem. However, all the incredibly great meals eaten on the land portion definitely maybe.

 

Get in direct contact with Uniworld Asia.

[The Other Tom]

Regarding no reply from your inquires to travel agencies, check your spam folder. I had the same issue (no reply) but checked my spam folder and the replies were there.

[terry&mike]

We just did an extensive visit of China in November, and although I really enjoyed the trip, there are some challenges with food. On any of the river cruise lines you will spend 5-6 days onboard the ship on their China itineraries, and the rest of the days on land touring. The ship part will better be able to accommodate your food requirements, the land portion will be more problematic. Chose a line where the land portion focuses on Western based chain hotels. We booked with a river cruise specialist and I think this is the way to go. I also agree that you may want to bring along some snacks, as there will be day tours where you are out for the entire day and the food served buffet style in the tourist restaurant may not have options that fit your needs.

[glutenfreegoddess]

Thanks everyone for your input. I always pack meal bars when I travel so I know I will have something to eat. Cruise lines have always been very accommodating regarding my dietary restrictions so my logic is that for a least the time on the ship I will be able to eat real food :). I also really do want a Yangtze River Cruise to be at least a small portion of the trip. I'm still researching, but I'm really leaning towards the booking the Uniworld trip and just bringing my travel meal survival kit.

 

On a side note, all of this research got me really wanting to try river cruising so I very spontaneously booked an 8 day Danube River Cruise with Emerald for early October I chose that specific cruise and company because the timing worked out; we will already be in London visiting family just before the cruise so we will just hop a flight to Budapest from there. I got what I think is a really great rate, with upgraded room and premium beverage package. Reviews seem very positive. I booked directly with the cruise line and they seem to be very accommodating to dietary needs.

 

The adventure begins, sooner than I thought!

[TravelerThom]

I know you are looking to tie the trip to an anniversary, but August is hot and humid, definitely not good sightseeing weather. Personally I would go in an IMO much more comfortable cooler month.

 

Thom

[didicruiser]

I was on the Uniworld China/Tibet trip 2 1/2 years ago. I am mid fifties. Fellow cruisers were active early 70's. There was a group of 6 friends that were in their 30's.

This trip has a lot of walking and the days were full with no "active" options.

 

I also don't care for herding of the people and usually plan my trips accordingly but did make an exception for this trip. Everyone was very social which was enjoyable. The downside is the usual with larger groups:

-too long for meals esp lunch. Who needs an hour for lunch?

-bathroom breaks take longer. This was the most frustrating part of the trip esp with being in China. Only one western style toilet and a lot of eastern style. Almost all the ladies would only use the western. So, I would walk around for 20min or so waiting.....and waiting lol

 

However, I would do this trip the same way again so go and enjoy. We did get to Beijing a few days early and saw some sights not on the tour on our own.

 

Any questions, just ask 😄