Viking China (Part 2)

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We are on the Emerald now and are returning to Wuhan at the moment from the three Gorges Dam unable to go through locks and continue cruise. Tomorrow evening we fly to Xian for an extra day. Cancelled is cruising through theThree Gorges, the Lesser Three Gorges excursion, Shibaoza Pagoda visit and the Chongqing Zoo visit for the panda's. Some cruisers also missed Shanghai at the beginning of the cruise due to bad weather at Beijing which prevented their onward flight to Shanghai.

 

Sadly the extreme weather conditions have conspired to ruin the cruise.

I'm sorry your cruise experinece is cut short. Hopefully the guides will find other amazing things for you to see / do while in China. I'm sure there will be those that grumble about the changes but, it will still be fun if one can make the best of it.

How safe/secure is it to take my laptop? I know most of the hotels will have wifi, but what about the ship?

May I suggest taking an iPad? My husband and I just purchased an older version of the iPad from a family friend and then went to the Apple store and bought a camera "kit" for $30. The kit is actually a little card reader that plugs into the iPad and down loads your pictures into the iPad in a matter of seconds, which are then backed up on iCloud. Works like a charm.

Of course the initial investment in the iPad is not cheap, but as I said we were lucky enough to get one from a friend who was upgrading. I can't say enough about how much we liked traveling with the iPad vs. taking our laptop. First of all, size, the iPad fit in the safe both onboard the boat and in all the hotel safes, plus it's very light weight, and takes up so little room in the carry-on. When we went through airport security and others had to take out their laptops for inspection, the TSA person told us that an iPad did not have to be inspected separately and we could leave it in our carry-on. Our little iPad worked anywhere there was free wi-fi, ours does not have 3G which would have been even better, but nevertheless we will not be traveling without it ever again.

May I suggest taking an iPad? My husband and I just purchased an older version of the iPad from a family friend and then went to the Apple store and bought a camera "kit" for $30. The kit is actually a little card reader that plugs into the iPad and down loads your pictures into the iPad in a matter of seconds, which are then backed up on iCloud. Works like a charm.

Does it backup the pictures in the same size and resolution they were on your camera card?

Does it backup the pictures in the same size and resolution they were on your camera card?

Yes, it did. You don't need wi-fi to download the pix into the iPad, and as soon as you hook it up to your computer at home it immediately pulls up iphoto and pops them right in there.

I also downloaded the Kindle app (free) into the iPad, and iCloud made it possible to read on either device. Whenever iPad picked up a wi-fi connection it would sync the two, so I could pick up either device and be in the same spot where I left off. Plus I was reading a book which had color pictures of paintings, Kindle Keypad is only black & white, but the iPad showed the paintings in color. Really nice. I took my KK because it has 3G, so when there was no wi-fi connection I could still check my e-mail on Kindle.

I haven't yet figured out how to caption the pictures in iPad, but I also haven't sat down to read the instruction booklet. I let my kids guide me through its uses just the night before we left. It's pretty easy to use, I'm thinking there must be a way to caption I just haven't looked into it. I captioned photos on my laptop when I got home.

Not to nitpick too much, but there is only one Chinese embassy--it's in Washington DC. The other offices around the country are consulates. Visa services should be the same at all of them however.

 

Very smart! The Chinese price all their visas for US citizens the same so why would anyone not check the box for the 12-month, multiple entry visa? You never know if you might return within the year and you have NOTHING to lose! :)

 

If it is more convenient for someone other than the applicant(s) to dropoff and/or pickup the paperwork, then you should do it. There is very little advantage for the applicant themselves to do it. With that said, be very careful to follow the directions in filling out the paperwork and to provide the required documentation--the visa office can be very particular in rejecting your application for any number of reasons: missing or incorrect information on the application, photo not right, missing supporting documentation, etc. etc. In my case, I had to redo parts of our applications and provide new photos (requiring another trip).

Getting the Visas at the consulate was fairly easy. They are very efficient. Good advise about making sure you have filled it out perfectly in caps. We didn't ask for a year but they gave it to us anyway.

In terms of using an iPad to backup/store photos *while* you are on a trip, please keep in mind that iPads have limited memory/storage space (16-64GB for the new iPad).

I recently watched a travel photography webinar presented by a National Geographic photographer, and that was one of the big cautions that he mentioned when he was discussing how to back up photos during a trip. He said an iPad is great for looking at images (and indeed it is), but not great for backing up images while traveling because of the limited memory, and that a laptop or external hard drive would be best.

Of course, if you don't take that many photos and the iPad works for you for this purpose, go for it! :)

This is my first posting. Although my husband and I have traveled all over the world, this is our first trip to China and our first cruise. We will leave for Shanghai on April 10 2013 for the April 11 beginning of the Imperial Jewels of China. Would someone please explain how to download pictures from our camera if we can not use the usb port on the computers provided on the ship? Even a jump drive uses a usb port. Thank you for any suggestions.

Search for portable storage device on google and you will find many options, basically a card reader attached to a hard drive, then add bells and whistles till you have spent enough.......

I find it easier just to take multiple cards, as many as 1 per day, as they are cheap and very spacious. You could buy 20 2G cards for the price of a portable storage device. But then again,some of the devices are cool toys......

Search for portable storage device on google and you will find many options, basically a card reader attached to a hard drive, then add bells and whistles till you have spent enough.......

 

I find it easier just to take multiple cards, as many as 1 per day, as they are cheap and very spacious. You could buy 20 2G cards for the price of a portable storage device. But then again,some of the devices are cool toys......

Although the memory cards are relatively inexpensive, I still prefer to back up my pictures on a netbook daily so if anything happens to the memory card, I have not lost the pictures from a great vacation.

Being extra insecure, I usually have a 16GB card that I then use to back up all the pictures a second time.

In terms of using an iPad to backup/store photos *while* you are on a trip, please keep in mind that iPads have limited memory/storage space (16-64GB for the new iPad).

 

I recently watched a travel photography webinar presented by a National Geographic photographer, and that was one of the big cautions that he mentioned when he was discussing how to back up photos during a trip. He said an iPad is great for looking at images (and indeed it is), but not great for backing up images while traveling because of the limited memory, and that a laptop or external hard drive would be best.

 

Of course, if you don't take that many photos and the iPad works for you for this purpose, go for it! :)

My iPad is 64GB, which was more than enough for my 890+ photos, but you are correct, limited storage. Still, I find that one hindrance insignificant when compared to lugging the laptop.

 

Being extra insecure, I usually have a 16GB card that I then use to back up all the pictures a second time.

That's what we call being a belt and suspenders kind of man!

My husband would just freak out if I bought yet another toy (Kindle, Nook,iPad, etc), so for now, my preferred method of back-up is using my notebook and an external drive. I shoot very large files (in other words, I set my camera such that it gets the least number of files per card) and go through a couple of GB per day when I travel plus whatever DH shoots. I like that I can confirm that those files are actually on the hard drive before I delete them from the memory card.

For some, the idea of storing photos in the cloud while traveling has some merit. It certainly means having less equipment to carry and if you can accomplish it with just a card reader and an iPad, why not?

Being extra insecure, I usually have a 16GB card that I then use to back up all the pictures a second time.

My camera (a Nikon D7000) has two memory card slots. You can assign various functions to the second card (if you care to use one), one of which is simply to record the same images as the first card. So on an important trip (and China was certainly that), I put a 16GB card in the second slot and use smaller cards (4GB or 8GB) in the first slot, and swap those out regularly. When I've hit 16GB, I replace that card with another.

And I backup to our netbook. I guess I'm as "extra insecure" as you. :)

We received our travel documents yesterday for our Aug 29th cruise - was very impressed with the lovely portfolio it came in, leather luggage tags, etc. Really liking Viking already!:)

We received our travel documents yesterday for our Aug 29th cruise - was very impressed with the lovely portfolio it came in, leather luggage tags, etc. Really liking Viking already!:)

Great! Safe travels and have a wonderful trip!!!

Great! Safe travels and have a wonderful trip!!!

Thank you!:D

We received our travel documents yesterday for our Aug 29th cruise - was very impressed with the lovely portfolio it came in, leather luggage tags, etc. Really liking Viking already!:)

Still waiting on our package. I expect we will have it next week. Now I am really looking forward to it. I'm sure we will meet somewhere along the way, since we are on the same trip.

First so very sorry to hear of so much loss of life and property for the Chinese people and wish them the very best.

Went back to Frankfurt and picked up the Visas no problem. I don't know if all the Consulates have web pages that give you the ability to type in the information then print it out so no filling out by hand is needed.

I did want to mention when we went to take our applications for Chinese visas we took EVERYTHING, a copy of health insurance, the hotel info that Viking sent via email, our trip confirmation from Viking. They took it all and kept it, only thing I failed to make a copy of was our permit to live in Germany and they provided a copier to make one, also our passports of course. I even had our shot cards if needed but was not asked. We forgot to answer one question on the form about how long we would be living in Germany upon our return and I was so freaking out they would not give our visas to us but low and behold we got them so final total to get our visas in Germany and being American's $800 because of taking the train from Stuttgart and the cost of the visas themselves, wow that was a lot.:eek:

We are on the 18 Sep 2012 cruise and can't wait!

Still waiting on our package. I expect we will have it next week. Now I am really looking forward to it. I'm sure we will meet somewhere along the way, since we are on the same trip.

I hope so! Please try and find us - on our ocean cruises, all the CC members wear mardi gras beads on embarkation day - maybe we can do something like that...:)

Kohola....We are due to take the China 10 day Yangtze River(17 day) total Viking River Cruise starting in one week (Aug 14th) from today. However we have had reports that typhoons and severe storms have disrupted the trip up the 3 gorges dam to Chongqing. We are due to start in Shanghai. There have been 3 typhoons this week hitting the East coast of China causing severe flooding, flight cancelations, excursion cancelations, roads and bridges washed out, hundreds of lives lost, over a million people affected with hundreds of thousands of evacuations and thousands of homes and property destroyed. The citys of Shanghai, Beijing, etc., have severe flooding throughout the city. In Chongqing, the floods have reached city center. Very concerned about our trip and our safety I called Viking. Every time I called, 4 times so far, the standard reply was that there has been no changes our trip including no excursion changes and that they are unaware that there was flooding, stormes, delays, flight cancellations etc. Viking is either lying, or grosly misinformed. They have not been honest and forthcoming, which concerns me greatly.We did not purchase travel insurance and do not know where we stand. Help from anyone.

bnkCC,

I am on the Aug 17 trip starting in Beijing. My travel agent called Viking and got the same response about the flooding. The customer service agent had no clue. But another poster here, bayerisch, was on the July 20 trip. He should be home any day now and promised to post about the trip. He may be our only hope for information.

Viking has not been helpful and honest regarding the flooding, flight and excursion cancellations. We are due to leave for Shanghai on Aug. 14 for a 17 day (10 day river cruise). they have denied that there is any problems whatsoever and that everything is going smoothly when in reality its been absolutely chaotic. In fact the most beautiful part of the trip through the Three Gorges Dam to Chongqing has presently been sitting in Wuong for the past few days. I am not so upset at the flooding and cancellations as I am at Viking for not informing us of the truth. I feel that to them its all about money and not about being honest and truthful about what is going on including on. We have had to spend hours on the computer to find out on our own. If we were able to find out, they certainly can. They just don't want people to cancel. I feel that this could also be a safely issue. We would like to hear from anyone else that is having the same experience and concerns. We did not buy the trip insurance and don't know where to turn. I don't even know if that would have helped. I think we will be sitting in our hotel watching typhoons go by. HELP

I hope so! Please try and find us - on our ocean cruises, all the CC members wear mardi gras beads on embarkation day - maybe we can do something like that...:)

Why not just exchange e-mail addresses and make a plan to meet before you leave? Either one of you can post an address here (using 'at' and 'dot' in place of those symbols, for security) or you can friend one another.

To friend someone on Cruise Critic, click on their screen name on any one of their post and then select 'Add to contacts.' That will bring up a new screen where you can then select 'send friend request.' This will only work if you both have a contact address included in your profile.

Bon voyage!

Viking has not been helpful and honest regarding the flooding, flight and excursion cancellations. We are due to leave for Shanghai on Aug. 14 for a 17 day (10 day river cruise). they have denied that there is any problems whatsoever and that everything is going smoothly when in reality its been absolutely chaotic. In fact the most beautiful part of the trip through the Three Gorges Dam to Chongqing has presently been sitting in Wuong for the past few days. I am not so upset at the flooding and cancellations as I am at Viking for not informing us of the truth. I feel that to them its all about money and not about being honest and truthful about what is going on including on. We have had to spend hours on the computer to find out on our own. If we were able to find out, they certainly can. They just don't want people to cancel. I feel that this could also be a safely issue. We would like to hear from anyone else that is having the same experience and concerns. We did not buy the trip insurance and don't know where to turn. I don't even know if that would have helped. I think we will be sitting in our hotel watching typhoons go by. HELP

Hello Everyone! Yes, I have returned and here is my update. The trip was fantasitic and Viking could not have been more accommodating. I would like to express my sadness for all the lives lost and victims of the flooding.

Secondly, I would highly recommend purchasing the insurance if you still can. Viking recommends it. I needed medical attention in Tibet and although the bill was extremely inexpensive by US standards, I plan on submitting the expense. Also the insurance allows you to cancel your trip with full reimbursement.

My trip was from July 20th to August 5th and although there was flooding and rain, we did not have a single day of rain on our journey. The flooding did occurr in Beijing on the July 20th when the airport was closed over night. Viking sent someone to pick up the passengers and put them up in a hotel, but some went to sleep in the VIP lounge and the Viking person could not find them because no one knew where they had gone. They complained the whole trip and were nasty to our guide, who was in Shanghai with us, which is 2.5 hour flight away.

We saw the flooding on the river and when we arrived at the dam, were told that the gates had been closed due to dangerously high waters. Again people complained unmercifully about "how could they do this, we could get through". Never mind that there were 700+ huge freighters who were also in the same position. The ship returned to Wuhan and the ship's activities proceeded as planned. There were extra tours everywhere and we got to see places that we would not have seen otherwise. Viking then flew us to Chonquin and put is up in a brand new Marriot Hotel and had sightseeing excursions lined up for us when we arrived. We had a chance to get to know Chonquin better, which was a real surprise because it turns out that Chonquin is the largest city in the world with 32 million people. It is modern and a high tech city where all the Ipads, Iphones and apple computers are made. High rises and skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. Modern highways and the fast train, subways, but also preservation of the ancient sites. The population as a whole is well educated and many speak English.

The next day we flew to Lhasa and resumed our regular schedule. It was evident that had a difficult time to accommodate that many people for flights and hotels on such a short notice, especially since it is Summer vacation time for the Chinese and everything is already booked out due to the Chinese tourists. But yet, somehow they managed to find flights where the whole group could stay together. I never felt that we were missing out on anything because of the different things that were being offered instead and also the quality of the accommodations and food was equal to what we had before. It was difficult on the staff and our guide, who never lost his composure no matter what.

I never felt that there was any danger to the Viking tourists. The Chinese government is extremely safety conscious and if danger exists will take action, as was evidenced by the dam being closed and the tourists complaining about it the whole time. I would assume that Viking doesn't really know what to tell people when you call because the situation can change on short notice. I can tell you that they will not leave you stranded or in danger. I can also tell you that they will do everything to ensure a good trip for their customers and if changes need to be made during the trip, they will deal with it then and make them. As Jin our Program Director said: Confusius say: A flexible travelor is a happy travelor and so I was.

As far as the typhoon is concerned, I don't know what to tell you, but I would guess that airports won't remain open if it is in close proximity.

As far as my trip was concerned, it was the trip of a lifetime. I have a new understanding of China and its impact on the world.

Please prepare for hot and humid conditions, much more so than in the Southern US. Many people dressed fashionably, but I would opt for comfortable. Good walking sandals, cotton and linen clothing instead of polyester or some of the new fabrics that are made for traveling that you can rinse out at night and are dry in the morning. Jeans are way too hot. Also a purse or bag that you can wear on your chest or front with a strap because in crowded tourist places there may be pick pockets. Our guide would tell us when we needed to do this and he would carry his backpack on the front in those places.

Overall I would say that the staff at Viking in the US may not know what to tell you, but it is Viking in China that will take care of you. So, bon voyage and please post your experiences after the return.

First, and most important, my deepest sympathies to the Chinese and any others who have lost friends and loved ones in the flooding, and also to those who livelihoods are being affected....

 

For those on the Viking China trip now.. I am sorry too that the flooding is adversely affecting your trip.. I do hope you can make the most of the alternative itinerary...

 

As for Jin... great news for him -- I assume this is a promotion. He was our tour escort and he was phenomenal. Among his many extraordinary qualities is that he is incredibly funny; everyone in our group thought he could make a living as a standup comic in the U.S. .. We wanted to get him an agent. His personality is well-suited to be a cruise director, and I hope folks enjoy him.

I second everything :) except that we did get the optional programs. I had signed up for both the Tang dynasty show and the Chinese opera and enjoyed them. Viking was amazing and the alternate itinierary was fine. There is so much to see that the tour barely scratches the surface. I would love to have more time there to really explore. My only regret is that there is so much on the schedule that we could just cruise through and not have enough time to really explore everything. I supposed it would take years to do that. Although they try to accommodate everyone, not everyone might enjoy a museum. So when we toured a world famous museum, we only had 1.5 hours, when in fact it might take a week to see everything.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip and as Jin says: Viking isn't responsible for the flooding, the heat or typhoons for that matter. So keep that in mind and have a great time. I did.

Bayerisch: welcome back and thanks for posting your review! I am glad that you were able to make lemonade out of lemons. (And not surprised that you share our thoughts about the wonderful Jin!)

Bayerisch-

I would also like to thank you for contributing your amazing report. Yours is an outstanding example that attitude is everything.

Karl