I want to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, HOW???

[caymancouple]

I need to know if anyone has figured out how to see the Terra Cotta warriors in China while on a cruise?  I know I could book a tour of China and view them, but I really would rather do a cruise and see Beijing and the Great Wall and Shanghai..... but really it is the Warriors I would like to see.  Any one figured  out how to do this?  Thanks 

[jelayne]

Many of the land tours include a multi night cruise on the Yangtze River.  I think Viking May have a land/cruise trip and family numbers have done tge trip with Odyssey’s Unlimited.

Edited October 19, 2018 by jelayne
Typo

[floridafolks]

54 minutes ago, caymancouple said:

I need to know if anyone has figured out how to see the Terra Cotta warriors in China while on a cruise?  I know I could book a tour of China and view them, but I really would rather do a cruise and see Beijing and the Great Wall and Shanghai..... but really it is the Warriors I would like to see.  Any one figured  out how to do this?  Thanks 

We flew direct on United from SFO to Xi’an to see the Warriors Pre-Cruise. We then flew to Shanghai and spent a couple nights there before boarding our cruise originating in Shanghai.  I did not think it was viable to see the Warriors during the cruise.  - Pre-Cruise or Post- cruise would work best.

[Duanerice1]

Honestly, if you want to see China, go on a land trip then pick up a cruise when it's over.  China is a cool country to see and just doing a day trip here and there is not worth it.  We were lucky enough to also go about 20 years ago before a lot of American influence has taken hold.  Amazing

 

enjoy

[Phxazzcruisers]

i agree.  You really need to do a land trip to see and appreciate China.  The warriors are in Xi'an and difficult to see on just a day trip.  Go to China before or after a cruise and really see China.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Phxazzcruisers

[Hlitner]

You should consider a cruise that begins or ends in China, and the do a pre or post cruise land trip that includes a visit to X'ian.  That is what we did a few years ago (with Princess) and it was a wonderful trip.  Another option is to simply do a land trip to China and you have lots of options among tour companies if that is your desire.

 

Hank

[westcoastcruiser]

We did a Viking River cruise that was perfect!  We walked the Great Wall, saw the warriors up close and personal, visited Shanghi and Hong Kong.  Viking handled all of this seamlessly.  We have traveled the world both on land and by cruising and I cannot recommend Viking’s River cruise highly enough.  They have perfected China.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I recently saw a cruise tour that was a land tour in China as well as a cruise.  I think it was on the Celebrity Millenium, but may be mistaken.  I thought it was a reasonable price for all that was included.    Try a search on the Celebrity site.

[willma]

We did Singapore to Hong Kong on Celebrity Millennium, then flew to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors, the flew back to Beijing for a few days. It was memorable. If you feel you need to book this around a cruise, I think that’s the best way to do it. You need more than a day there.

[chemmo]

We did a 16 night land tour of China and there is so much more to see than the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, amazing as they are. It is a pity to travel so far and not experience more. We finished our tour with a few days crash out in Bali.....The tours are intense.

 

If you want to combine China sightseeing with a cruise why not look at touring then picking up a cruise from Hong Kong? Several cruise lines as well as Celebrity do 7/14 night cruises taking in Halong Bay and a taste of Vietnam....

[2onboardagain]

A specific answer to your question for Celebrity is that a number of their upcoming cruises spend 3 nights in Tianjin (the port for Beijing) thus allowing them to offer a 3 day (2 night) excursion which includes both the Terra Cotta Warriors and Great Wall. Obviously a land tour would cover much more but this does allow you to accomplish your goal as part of a cruise.

[sippican]

Our cruise willl begin in Shanghai. We are arriving three days early specifically to be able to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. China Highlights (highly recommended here on CC) has arranged a tour as follows: Flight to Xian from Shanghai, Tour of Xian, including Warriors, overnight in Xian, early flight back to Shanghai the next morning. The tour is all-inclusive with transfers, flights, guide, hotel, etc. 

We had originally looked at flying direct;ly to Xian ourselves, but the price of the flight and schedule were not nearly as comfortable as the tour package from CH. We will get into Shangahai late afternoon, and stay at an airport hotel.

We also did not want to take away from our time in Beijing to travel to the Warriors (nevermind the exhobitant price that X was charging). China Highlights was so good to work with that we also booked them for Beijing. We were able to find others from our roll call to join us on both tours, which reduced the price.

You may also want to ask on the Asia forum in the ports section.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by sippican

[BSinPNS]

Concur that a pre/post cruise option is best.  We have used China Odyssey three times for tours in China.  Top rated vendors arrange it all from pick up at your arrival airport to drop-off at departure point and are quite reasonable for the services provided.  Having your own guide and drive may seem extravagant, but it is very helpful in China and not all that expensive.  

[floridafolks]

18 minutes ago, sippican said:

Our cruise willl begin in Shanghai. We are arriving three days early specifically to be able to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. China Highlights (highly recommended here on CC) has arranged a tour as follows: Flight to Xian from Shanghai, Tour of Xian, including Warriors, overnight in Xian, early flight back to Shanghai the next morning. The tour is all-inclusive with transfers, flights, guide, hotel, etc. 

We had originally looked at flying direct;ly to Xian ourselves, but the price of the flight and schedule were not nearly as comfortable as the tour package from CH. We will get into Shangahai late afternoon, and stay at an airport hotel.

We also did not want to take away from our time in Beijing to travel to the Warriors (nevermind the exhobitant price that X was charging). China Highlights was so good to work with that we also booked them for Beijing. We were able to find others from our roll call to join us on both tours, which reduced the price.

You may also want to ask on the Asia forum in the ports section.

 

 

Sippican,  I think you will be very pleased with China Highlights.  We used them on our precruise to visit the Warriors before boarding the Millenium in Shanghai. We were fortunate to find great flight to Xi’an from US on our own using frequent flier miles and stayed at Hyatt two nights on points. China Highlights handled all airport transfers and tours including wonderful meals - great service and fair pricing.  We often DIY, but having China Highlights handle everything from touchdown to takeoff in Xi’an made for a memorable, stress-free trip.

[sippican]

floridafolks - That is good to hear! They have been wonderful to work with so far.

[Turtles06]

As another possibility,  I want to suggest a land tour/river cruise, e.g., with Viking River Cruises.  We traveled with them to China seven years ago, and it remains one of the most extraordinary trips we've ever taken.   We did their Imperial Jewel of China itinerary; you can begin in either Beijing or Shanghai. We began in Beijing, and added several pre-tour days there on our own.  (Beijing is a fascinating city.  The extra time, among other things, allowed us to visit an additional section of the Great Wall besides the more crowded one closest to Beijing that most visitors get to see.)  Our trip included Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors, as well as five nights in a river boat along the spectacular Yangtze; it was truly an amazing adventure.

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)   

Edited October 20, 2018 by Turtles06

[crilski]

We did the Viking River Cruise - 14 day Imperial Jewels of China.  You are actually are on the river only 5 days.  ( 5 gorges dam on the Yangzte River)  You can begin the trip in Shanghai or Beijing.  We chose to begin in Beijing.  We also chose to do the pre-trip.  We booked our own excursion in Beijing before the main cruise.  With another couple we met on the flight over - we went to the Beijing zoo to see the pandas.  We didn't have time to view the rest of the zoo - but the panda exhibits were fantastic.  We needed time to travel to a section of the Great Wall.  Viking takes you to a closer section - with many more tourists.  The four of us went to the Mutianyu section.  Viking took use to the Badaling section.  I am glad we did both!

 

Seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors was another highlight!  So amazing to see in person.

 

We had the chance to wander on our own every now and then.  My 2 favorite wanderings - a little park near our hotel in Xia'n.  Filled mostly with seniors . . .  playing music, music in groups,  an opera, tai chi, ballroom dancing - it was wonderful.  The 2nd adventure without out a guide was The Bund at night.

 

We felt safe.  Our only warning was to only cross streets in a herd.  Crazy drivers - and electric scooters everywhere. 

 

This is the best trip I have ever taken!  Viking took care of us!  It's my only Viking trip - mostly Royal & Celebrity.  Any questions?  I'll try and answer.  I must say, I could have spent more time with all our stops.

[crilski]

Ha! Turtle - we so agree!!!!!

[Turtles06]

40 minutes ago, crilski said:

Ha! Turtle - we so agree!!!!!

Wow, that was amazing. 😁

[smtcan]

We booked a cruise in China a few years ago, but when we added the cost of visiting all the different major destinations, we cancelled the cruise and took a twenty one day tour instead.  We visited Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Guilin then took a five day cruise on the Yangtze.  We wanted to see as much as possible, because we didn’t anticipate returning.  In fact, that proved to be the first of three visits to China because it is such an interesting country and I wouldn’t rule out further visits, although recently we have concentrated on other Asian countries.  Our next cruise is from Singapore to Hong Kong with a Singapore stay pre cruise and a trip to see Angkor Wat afterwards.

 

BTW, the warriors were a definite highlight of our first trip.  Whatever you decide to do, don’t miss them.

[4774Papa]

We did Vantage World Travel for a 3 week mainland China trip that included a river cruise.  It was wonderful.   We love ocean cruising, but for China an in-depth land tour is the way to go.  Xian is deep in the interior of China.

[ggo85]

You can easily do the warriors in one day with an overnight — and do it on your own.  Book at any major US hotel in Xi’an. Ask the concierge to arrange for an English-speaking guide with car/driver.  They will pick you up at airport or hotel.  It’s about an hour drive to the warriors. You will probably want to spend a half- day there. 

 

The advatage to a guide and car car is that you can move at your own pace. Also, Pit 1 (main pit) is very crowded - VERY crowded- and not having to move in a large group is a huge plus.  The guide can quickly take you to the main places and the best spots.  You can stay as long or short as you want. 

 

Cost at was not bad. Guide was $100 for a full day.  Car with driver (Audi A6 or similar) was $350-400 for the full day.  Much faster and more comfortable than a bus.  

 

You can do the same in Beijing to see the wall.  Our guide took us to a totally uncrowded section - we were almost the only ones there.  If your time is limited, the “personal tour” is a great option in either city.  Not the cheapest but so worth it.   Hard to do during a cruise but very easy before or after.  

 

As as an aside, I’ve traveled the world and the warriors are probably the most impressive sight I’ve ever seen.  Photos and TV shows don’t do them justice. If you can see them in person, DO IT.   Also, consider going to Chengdu to see the pandas. You will see about 45, including “kindergarten.”