Gate 1 China including Yangtze River Cruise--review

We (we, wife, two sons ages 23 and 20) just returned from China. We went with a Gate 1 tour, and it was excellent!

First, when we signed up, we had an issue as the trip was only being offered with air from Los Angeles. However, one of our family members lives in Korea (the 23 year old son) this year, and would obviously not be flying from LA. Our Gate 1 salesperson, Karina Avesion (ext. 1104), worked it out. This also cut $900 from the already very reasonable price. Thank you , Karina!

We flew from Columbus to LA on Dec. 19th, and after a day in LA, left for China late the next night on Air China. It was a nice flight, with very good service (like flying in the 1960’s again).

We arrived in Beijing Thursday morning and were met at the airport by our guide, “Frank” (all Chinese guides adopt Anglo names for our benefit). Frank proved to be totally excellent throughout our entire trip. He always made sure there was vegetarian food for my wife and sons, and added many little extras.

Our hotel, the Tientan, has been described as and adequate tourist hotel. This is accurate. The facilities are fine, the staff is great. But the carpets are dirty and the beds are hard. Still, keeping in mind that Gate 1’s price for the trip was very low, this was a great deal. Also, the location was good, and we walked to the Temple of Heaven from the hotel.

We took the included and optional tours in Beijing (except the Peking Duck dinner), and say all of the sights included in those tours (Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc…). With our limited free time, we hit the Silk Market for some serious shopping and bargaining (hint—start your offer very, very low, and be willing to literally walk away. In fact the best deals occur when you are 10-15 feet away!).

On Sunday (Dec 25) we flew to catch our cruise on the Yangtze River. This was also very nice, and we took the optional tour package for this part of the trip. The highlight was the Sampan on the Lesser, Lesser Three Gorges. Our River Guide on the cruise boat, Luther, was great (we were on the Victoria Katarina).

On to Shanghai on Dec. 29. We stayed at the Bund Riverside, which was very nice and had a great location, and of course, dirty carpets and hard beds! We could easily walk to the pedestrian mall and the Bund. Shanghai is an amazing showcase of modern China.

On Dec. 31 Frank informed us of the location of the Shanghai Jewish Museum, and as it was a free morning, we cabbed it over. This was a great experience, with a very informative volunteer tour guide at the museum (really a volunteer—he turned down our offer of a tip—which we then donated to the museum). We then flew back to Beijing, and then on to LA, arriving a 6 pm still on Dec 31. On Jan. 1, back to Columbus.

Gate 1 provided a great trip at a great price! It was about $2000 per person for those flying from LA. That included flights, hotels (five nights), the cruise (four nights), many tours and many meals. They also provided Frank, who made the trip into a totally awesome experience.

Finally—for some reason this was off-season, which helped explain the low prices. Yes, it was a bit cold, especially in Beijing. But we also had blue skies in Beijing, a rarity I am told! And—it was not crowded, at least by China standards. Bring warm clothes and go in the winter—low prices, cleaner air and smaller crowds. And by all means, consider Gate 1—we were very impressed.

Thank you for your review! We will be going to China with Gate 1 in Sept. This will be our first experience with Gate 1 but, like you, we found it hard to pass up their great price. It's hard to find a lot about Gate 1 on here so was glad to find your review. We will be going in Sept. so it may be hot?? I'm sure it will be a great time.

Was in China with A & K on a October tour for 3 weeks (5 yrs ago) and it was very hot and it was early October. I would love to go back now that the 3 Gorges Dam is completely full and see the difference. The empty villages and "Ghost" cities were still above water and very unsettling to see.

You will love china!

Thanks for the info ..

Thank you for your review! We will be going to China with Gate 1 in Sept. This will be our first experience with Gate 1 but, like you, we found it hard to pass up their great price. It's hard to find a lot about Gate 1 on here so was glad to find your review. We will be going in Sept. so it may be hot?? I'm sure it will be a great time.

Hello,

We are interested in a September or October 2014 departure to China with Gate 1. We are interested in your itinerary, airline, and tour experiences with Gate 1. Will you be doing the Yangtze river or Hong Kong extension? How many days in which cities? Thank you for any and all information.:)

Hello,

We are interested in a September or October 2014 departure to China with Gate 1. We are interested in your itinerary, airline, and tour experiences with Gate 1. Will you be doing the Yangtze river or Hong Kong extension? How many days in which cities? Thank you for any and all information.:)

Hi ctteach, We will be going on the 14 Day China with 4 Day Yangtze River Cruise with Gate 1 leaving on Sept.5th. We fly in to Shanghai arriving on Friday, Monday we fly to Yichang and embark on the Yangtze river cruise. We will cruise for four days, disembark and fly to Xian (Fri. night, Sat. and fly out on Sun). From Xian we fly to Beijing and tour there for a few days then head back home. This will be our first experience with Gate 1 but I have heard and read good things about them and I have found their prices to be very good. We booked our tour on their Black Friday sale after Thanksgiving which also helped but they do have good prices all the time. I've looked on Tripadvisor at their hotels and they look good. Good luck with your decision.

What does a Gate 1 tour to China cost?

We did Vantage China. Three weeks, airfare included for about $11K for two, in five star hotels and 95% of tours included in the price.

This will vary. As I said we bought ours on a sale but the total cost for us including air from Omaha, NE., taxes and fees, insurance and I took all the optional tours they offered,the total for this for two people was $5,900. I will post a review when we get back.

This will vary. As I said we bought ours on a sale but the total cost for us including air from Omaha, NE., taxes and fees, insurance and I took all the optional tours they offered,the total for this for two people was $5,900. I will post a review when we get back.

That is a great price, especially since the airfare for US from Jax, Fla. ran $1200 pp.

That is a great price, especially since the airfare for US from Jax, Fla. ran $1200 pp.

I know. I was very impressed and couldn't pass it up. We are flying on Delta. Not sure if that's good or bad but we only have one connection in Detroit so didn't think that was to bad. I have done some comparing to see why they are cheaper. From what I see, one of our hotels is a five star and the others are four stars vs. all five stars on some of the other companies but they still all look like nice hotels in good locations. Not all meals are included as is the case in some of the other companies but with the optional tours we took we have at least two meals a day taken care of and many of the days all three. It looks like we pretty much tour the same places as the other tours. I figured it was sure worth trying them. They offer a lot of tours, all at good prices, so this will be the test.

I know. I was very impressed and couldn't pass it up. We are flying on Delta. Not sure if that's good or bad but we only have one connection in Detroit so didn't think that was to bad. I have done some comparing to see why they are cheaper. From what I see, one of our hotels is a five star and the others are four stars vs. all five stars on some of the other companies but they still all look like nice hotels in good locations. Not all meals are included as is the case in some of the other companies but with the optional tours we took we have at least two meals a day taken care of and many of the days all three. It looks like we pretty much tour the same places as the other tours. I figured it was sure worth trying them. They offer a lot of tours, all at good prices, so this will be the test.

How long was your tour?

Where did you go?

How long was your tour?

Where did you go?

We have not gone yet so I won't really be able to tell you how good they are till we get back. We are going on a 14 Day (really more like 12 as they count the days you are traveling) China tour with a 4 day Yangtze river cruise. I will be sure to post when we get back as there isn't much on here about Gate 1 and I know I would have loved to be able to read more reviews before we booked.

Hi . . (knee how in Chinese)

We visited China from the end of April until the middle of May. Our 17 day trip through Gate 1 cost about $7,300. (As the time neared, we decided to upgrade to Economy Plus for our flights across the ocean. . . our Christmas presents to each other! These costs were additional, but I would recommend upgrading because the flights are about 13 hours, and having already traveled from the east coast, our total time came to between 19 and 20 hours.) Our experience with Gate 1 was very positive. Our tour manager, Stone, and our local guides all spoke English very well. They were personable, in their 20s, and knew their history. We were well taken care of.

Everything went on schedule from restaurant reservations, airline reservations and tours. (The US airlines could learn a lot from the Chinese airlines. The flight attendants were just that . . attendant . . as well as smartly dressed with perfect hair and makeup.) Our hotels were centrally located and clean. We did not explore much of the area near the hotels because frankly, our days were pretty full. We were up and out by 8 or 9 each morning and returned back to the hotel just before . . or just after dinner. Each hotel offered western style breakfast buffets and egg stations as well as local cuisine. They were all very good. I would rate the hotels as 4s at the most. The hotels had beautiful lobbies, full baths, robes and slippers.

The Victoria Grace was the riverboat for our cruise on the Yangtze. It is an older boat, recently refurbished and was fine for our purposes. Would have liked something more modern, but really didn't need anything else. The food on board was good as well.

I did research before we left regarding the bathrooms, toilets, etc. in China. I would suggest to any woman going to China to go to Amazon.com and order a gadget that allows women to stand and go to the bathroom. It is called Krysta's Cups - pStyle. You will be lucky to find a western toilet. There may be ONE handicapped stall amongst the squatting toilets which are the norm and range from ugh . okay to disgusting. There is privacy as far as having individual stalls, but going to the bathroom without this helping gadget is challenging.

It is a trip of a lifetime. Maybe if you pay more the hotels and restaurants will be fancier, but for one who has traveled a lot, I wouldn't put out any extra money for 5 star hotels because each day is a full day and you don't do much at the hotel but sleep and bathe and there were no problems with these.

Have fun!

Thank you so much for posting your review! Gate1 reviews are very hard to come by. It all sounds good except the toilets and I may just have to order one of those gadgets. What was the weather like? Trying to decide how to pack.

I did research before we left regarding the bathrooms, toilets, etc. in China. I would suggest to any woman going to China to go to Amazon.com and order a gadget that allows women to stand and go to the bathroom. It is called Krysta's Cups - pStyle. You will be lucky to find a western toilet. There may be ONE handicapped stall amongst the squatting toilets which are the norm and range from ugh . okay to disgusting. There is privacy as far as having individual stalls, but going to the bathroom without this helping gadget is challenging.

 

Respectfully, it needn't be a challenge, unless of course you have mobility/physical issues or serious knee problems. I read this all the time on the China threads and wonder if I'm the only American woman who has ever gone hiking in the woods, where there are no toilets at all.

What you do in an Eastern toilet: straddle the hole, have your TP in one hand, pull your clothes up and away from your body with the other, squat just a little (no need for a deep squat) and lean back a bit, and that's it.

Really, American women --- you don't need those gadgets.

Glad you had a great time on your trip!

Hi . . (knee how in Chinese)

 

We visited China from the end of April until the middle of May. Our 17 day trip through Gate 1 cost about $7,300. (As the time neared, we decided to upgrade to Economy Plus for our flights across the ocean. . . our Christmas presents to each other! These costs were additional, but I would recommend upgrading because the flights are about 13 hours, and having already traveled from the east coast, our total time came to between 19 and 20 hours.) Our experience with Gate 1 was very positive. Our tour manager, Stone, and our local guides all spoke English very well. They were personable, in their 20s, and knew their history. We were well taken care of.

 

Everything went on schedule from restaurant reservations, airline reservations and tours. (The US airlines could learn a lot from the Chinese airlines. The flight attendants were just that . . attendant . . as well as smartly dressed with perfect hair and makeup.) Our hotels were centrally located and clean. We did not explore much of the area near the hotels because frankly, our days were pretty full. We were up and out by 8 or 9 each morning and returned back to the hotel just before . . or just after dinner. Each hotel offered western style breakfast buffets and egg stations as well as local cuisine. They were all very good. I would rate the hotels as 4s at the most. The hotels had beautiful lobbies, full baths, robes and slippers.

 

The Victoria Grace was the riverboat for our cruise on the Yangtze. It is an older boat, recently refurbished and was fine for our purposes. Would have liked something more modern, but really didn't need anything else. The food on board was good as well.

 

I did research before we left regarding the bathrooms, toilets, etc. in China. I would suggest to any woman going to China to go to Amazon.com and order a gadget that allows women to stand and go to the bathroom. It is called Krysta's Cups - pStyle. You will be lucky to find a western toilet. There may be ONE handicapped stall amongst the squatting toilets which are the norm and range from ugh . okay to disgusting. There is privacy as far as having individual stalls, but going to the bathroom without this helping gadget is challenging.

 

It is a trip of a lifetime. Maybe if you pay more the hotels and restaurants will be fancier, but for one who has traveled a lot, I wouldn't put out any extra money for 5 star hotels because each day is a full day and you don't do much at the hotel but sleep and bathe and there were no problems with these.

 

Have fun!

Thank you for posting! DH and are leave Oct. 1 for 17 day, China, Yangtze, and Hong Kong. We're staying 2 days pre in Shanghai and 3 days post in Hong Kong (because we probably won't be going back). Can you tell us how the luggage was handled on the trip? How much did you personally have to handle it? Was it difficult to get to the ship at the port? Stairs, etc.? Would appreciate any info. Also, where did you go to eat on the free nights in various locations. Any special finds?

Carrin

rocknroll, Can you tell me how much the drastic time difference affected you. Seems like it might be very hard to go to sleep at night, etc.

Please advise me on the tipping. Was it constantly requested? How much?

I am also interested in the jet lag and time difference. Were ATMs readily available? Any other tips for those of us going to China?

Thanks for any help.

Thanks starting this thread. I came across it in my search for info on the Gate 1 China tour with river cruise. I have used Cruise Critic for our cruises but never thought about it for a river cruise - as part of a land tour!

RocknRoll and JordanF - thank you for sharing your experiences

Mickym - I am looking forward to your report upon your return.

For those who are looking for feedback on Gate 1....

My husband and I have been independent travelers - even when on cruises - but decided to try Gate 1 when going to Ecuador. We loved the experience! We were skeptical about the group tour situation, but we found that the organized tour provided us the maximum experience in the time we had for vacation. We enjoyed it so much that we used Gate 1 to go to Peru this past year. The value is wonderful and the guides have been very helpful and knowledgeable.

We are looking to do the Gate 1 China trip with river cruise and possibly Tibet. The time we can get off from work might cause us to choose between the two. Any thoughts?

In my research of this particular trip I have read some differing reports about getting off at the port during the day. One said that you could not go off on your own to explore the port city/town without a guide and another report said you could. If anyone has first hand experiences with this, I would be interested to find out which is accurate.

Got our passports and visa back from GenVisa, got my travel meds, got all the last minute details of travel pinned down. Need to get some Chinese money to bring along and call and notify our credit card companies that we will be traveling to China. I have started my packing list, but need to pare it down in order to not go over the 44 pound limit while traveling. Does anyone have info on how one does laundry there? Would there be clotheslines over the tubs like on a cruise? Or maybe same day laundry service that I could send the underwear when we are in one place for more than a day? I really don't want to hand wash things, but if I have to, I want to make sure there is time for it to dry in the hotel room!

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CARRIN

At the airport, we retrieved our own luggage and used the free carts to take them to the awaiting bus. The driver placed them in the bus. Luggage arrived at the hotel and was brought to our room. All luggage except carry ons was placed outside the hotel door late in the evening before checking out the following morning. Gate 1 says no rolling carry ons. We complied; some did not, but it didn't seem to pose a problem . . although we only had 13 on our tour. If there are 30, there might not be space under the bus. At one port, there were many steep steps, but we managed. We ate McDonalds because the meals we had during the day were filling and we had enough Chinese food. One group tried a Korean restaurant in Beijing. No one spoke English, but it all worked out.

MCKYM

Order the gadget!!

The weather for the beginning of May was warmer than expected. We took light jackets and rarely used them. My husband took a blazer and never wore it. As for jet lag, etc., we had no problems going over or during the trip. It took every bit of 2 WEEKS to feel normal upon our return. Not just us . . at least 4 others that we have had contact with upon our return.

CABINLUVN

We had laundry done on the cruise portion, and it was reasonable. Some, maybe all hotel bathrooms had the clotheslines.

DONMAR

An older gentleman, early 80s, did the 17 day tour with his son and daughter-in-law and was off to Tibet by himself. Gate 1 agent helped him secure rail transportation. On the Yangtze cruise, if you weren't on a tour, they implied you could not go off on your own. We were off enough on the tours we had signed up for so we did not do the two others offered. Just found the cruise ship daily newsletter. It states, "Please note: Port Authority Restrictions: only passengers with shore excursion or docking fee tickets are allowed ashore at white Emperor City," and "Due to Port Fee Restrictions only passengers on tour or with dock fee tickets are permitted to disembark the ship." (You might inquire ahead of time, what are dock fee tickets.)

JUNE1

There were ATMS in the hotel lobbies. We didn't use any ATM so we didn't look elsewhere. Only took 500 YUAN and that lasted a long time. People on the street took US dollars. We also gave the same to the bus drivers as well. And for our Gate 1 tour guide, we paid him in whatever left over YUAN we had as well as US dollars. Everyone thought the tipping was time consuming figuring it all out and putting it in envelopes at the end of each city. Only use credit cards in big, well established retailers or at the silk, pearl, jade, etc. factory tours. Although called factories, these were very nice establishments. There is a 12 hour time difference so it was easy. When it was 6 a.m. there, it was 6 p.m. in the states . . east coast anyway.

Another note . . the hotel lobbies had free wi fi and 75% of the time, we had a good hook up.

Hope this helps everyone who inquired

rocknroll, Can you tell me how much the drastic time difference affected you. Seems like it might be very hard to go to sleep at night, etc.

Just remembered . . we did wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. for a number of mornings.

Did they have hair dryers in the hotels and on the ship?

Did they have hair dryers in the hotels and on the ship?

I believe they all did. They also had robes, slippers, umbrellas, as well as shampoo, conditioner, etc. in the bathrooms. Some had ironing boards and irons as well.

The hotels provided two bottles of water each day. You CAN NOT use water from the faucet . . even for brushing your teeth. Gate 1 provided water every day on the bus so it was never a problem having bottled water. . . even on your day trips.

Thanks for the info. I did not see anywhere that Gate 1 said no rolling totes. Is that because there are too many steps to the hotels? How about rolling suitcases. I think that is all they sell anymore.

I am surprised that everyone took US dollars. That makes things easier. I might reduce the amount of Yuen I take. Did you follow the tipping suggestions? We thought the amounts they suggested were high and added a lot to an already very expensive trip. I agree that the main tour guide deserves his amount, but the bus driver, etc seems to get an excessive amount. Is it handed to them in cash or in an envelope each day?

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