china VantagevsViking

[deec]

does anyone have an opinion of their trip to China with either Vantage or Viking.

considering 2020 and may sign up while aboard a Viking Ocean next month.

[suspaul]

Hi.  We’ve never traveled with Vantage but have used Viking for many rivers and 3 ocean cruises.  Our 1st Viking trip was Imperial Jewels of China and it was spectacular.  The hotels were first class, great excursions and was so enjoyable all around.   I don’t think you’d be disappointed.

[Peregrina651]

deec, I don't know anything about Vantage but I can talk about Viking.

 

Viking has been operating cruise-tours in China for well over a decade; they go back to at least 2006. They have it down to a science. They lease a ship (Emerald) and run the actual hotel operation on board with a combination of upper echelon managers from Viking's staff and local employees (N.B., foreigners cannot own ships in China). 

 

Viking offers three different itineraries, all of which feature the 5-night cruise portion. Each guest is assigned to a bus group and each bus group has an escort, a trained tourguide who accompanies you for the entire tour. Your escort tells you what time to be on the bus each day and rides along even when you have a local guide actually conducting the days touring.   Considering the number of intra-China flights involved in these tours, it is very comforting. With Viking Air, transfers are included; a Viking employee is there to take care of you from the moment you walk out of customs and immigration until they return you to the airport at the end of the trip.

 

They operate from March to Thanksgiving. The Viking Emerald sails from Chongqing to Wuhan every five days and then back again, taking on passengers in both terminal cities. A five day cruise portion means that there are 6 sail dates each month for the basic cruise while the other 2 intineraries have shorter seasons and fewer departures.

 

Viking was our first river cruising experience and no cruise experience since has lived up to the standards set by Viking's China operation. We were 6 or 7 buses on our cruise but most of the time, it was like we were the only Viking group there that day. The escorts knew how to stagger our arrival at each destination. I have never seen a harder working group of guides. Working for Viking was a coveted billet among tour guides.

 

There are links to our pictures in my sig file. If you have specific questions, just ask. Also, check out the threads in River Cruising called Viking China(Part 2) and Viking China.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Peregrina651

[deec]

As usual Peregrina, you are very helpful!!!  Currently trying to decide between Tibet ( Roof of the World) and pandas (undiscovered China).... I do know there are other differences but main our main reason to return to China is to expeience the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, and the 3 Gorges Dam.    The Emerald has had some poor reviews lately so I am hoping that it is truly going to be refurbished this winter???  It does sound like Viking does do the land portions well and these trips are mostly land.

 

We have traveled with Vantage  (I think Vantage is located in Boston)and have appreciated their small group experiences, excellent guides and what they call "cultural experiences" (home visits/meals, schools etc).  Vantage chartered wonderful gracious ships on the Mekong, Irrawaddy and Amazon Rivers. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by deec

[Peregrina651]

7 minutes ago, deec said:

As usual Peregrina, you are very helpful!!!  Currently trying to decide between Tibet ( Roof of the World) and pandas (undiscovered China).... I do know there are other differences but main our main reason to return to China is to expeience the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, and the 3 Gorges Dam.    The Emerald has had some poor reviews lately so I am hoping that it is truly going to be refurbished this winter???  It does sound like Viking does do the land portions well and these trips are mostly land.

 

We have traveled with Vantage  (I think Vantage is located in Boston)and have appreciated their small group experiences, excellent guides and what they call "cultural experiences" (home visits/meals, schools etc).  Vantage chartered wonderful gracious ships on the Mekong, Irrawaddy and Amazon Rivers. 

 

For Tibet, the biggest thing is the altitude and how it might effect any health issues. Even those in good health can have issues. So, I think that is the most important determining factor. I would love to do the trip but I don't think I am healthy enough to do it and I'm not paying to see Tibet just to spend the entire time in my hotel room with an oxygen tank.

 

The ship itself has always been the weakest link in the trip. But, it can't be any worse than the old Lomonosov that Viking used in Ukraine, with Pullman beds and a yacht-style shower. Everybody has been spoiled by the Longships and anything less than that is going to draw complaints.

[deec]

We were in Peru , Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca 4 or 5 years ago and did fine as long as we took our time.  Our guide gave us some herbal concoction to smell and a tea to drink that seemed to help,  although some did spend time with Oxygen in their rooms.  I think it was very helpful that we ascended very slowly over a number of days.  Another reason to do this cruise before the Douro or Bucharest to Budapest.....so many rivers so little time!!

[Peregrina651]

It would be nice if someone who has sailed/toured with Vantage would jump in to give you the inside scoop on Vantage, just so that you have a balance of information.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

It would be nice if someone who has sailed/toured with Vantage would jump in to give you the inside scoop on Vantage, just so that you have a balance of information.

We did China with Vantage a year ago.  It was wonderful.  I actually didn't have any great desire to go to China, but I was interested in seeing the terra cotta warriers, the great wall, and Tibet.

 

The tour guide we had provided by Vantage was superb, and everything worked well.  Well, except for being told we had 6 hours to get out of Tibet when we were there... but that's another story.

 

I would highly recommend Vantage (we've also use Vantage for the Grand Europe cruise) for travel.

 

The river cruise part of the China trip, yes, the boat was old and the entertainment was cheezy, but it was only 3 days and I still enjoyed it.

 

Tibet and high-altitude - yes it can be a bit of an issue, but the hotel we were in had an oxygen room that people could take their pillows and blankets in and sleep there, if they wanted.  Just be sure to talk to your personal physician about any issues that could arise.  I'm one of the "I'm very healthy, and I've traveled in Colorado Rockies and higher with no problem" people who actually did have a problem with the altitude at Tibet.  That said, I'm so glad I went there.  It was very pretty (yes , lots of brown parched earth and dirty cramped building in towns, but pretty none-the-less).

 

We've traveling with Vantage again next year.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Shmoo here

[deec]

Thanks, Schmoo,  How big were the groups that you were in?  Did the same tour guide stay with your small group the entire journey, including Tibet?  How  were the hotels?

Did you you think 3 days on the River was enough?  Viking does 5.

Where are you going this time?  If you like Asia think about Irrawaddy and/or Mekong!

 

thanks for your input

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, deec said:

Thanks, Schmoo,  How big were the groups that you were in?  Did the same tour guide stay with your small group the entire journey, including Tibet?  How  were the hotels?

Did you you think 3 days on the River was enough?  Viking does 5.

Where are you going this time?  If you like Asia think about Irrawaddy and/or Mekong!

 

thanks for your input

The entire group was 18 people.  We traveled together the whole time.  There was a Vantage tour guide with us the whole trip.  And each city we stopped in had a city guide in addition for our time there.  

 

A++++ #1 hotels the whole way. 

 

I think the 3 days were plenty.  We saw all the "must see" things in the stretch we were on. 

 

We're doing the Moselle river cruise next.  Personally, I'm not really desirous of going to Asia again. Of course, depending on the trip, I might be talked into it.