Thinking of China-Need Help

Hi everyone,

We are experienced river and ocean cruisers no considering a trip to China later this year or next year. I have some questions for those of you who have done China river cruise/land packages.

1) Are all the boats chartered or is there any company who owns and operates their own boats?

2) With the land portions, how difficult is it to keep moving from place to place? Are there a lot of buses? Does the staff handle the logistics well?

3) I read somewhere that the owners of the ships will not permit any US voltage adapters to be plugged in. My DH has a Bi-pap machine. Will he be able to use it on the boat?

4) Will we be able to enjoy meals without rice and lots of salty sauces on the ship and on the land portion of the package?

5) Are the meals on the land portions planned? I hate having to find my own food in places where I don't speak the language. I don't mind paying for them, but I'd want recommendations from the staff at least.

6) Finally and most important: What time of the year is best to go. Don't want extreme heat and I can't really take the cold. Looking for temps between 60 and 85 in the day time.

I'm not terribly interested in sailing with Viking, but all other recommendations for lines that have real beds and a dry bath would be acceptable.

Any advise is appreciated. Might not be able to respond while I'm at sea from 4/20 to 5/5.

Thanks in advance,

I'll try to respond to some of your questions. We traveled with Uniworld in 2008 and had a great experience.

1) Are all the boats chartered or is there any company who owns and operates their own boats?

With Uniworld, our group was on board with other tour groups, but we did our things together as one group.

2) With the land portions, how difficult is it to keep moving from place to place? Are there a lot of buses? Does the staff handle the logistics well?

Our trip included 5 flights within China to the major cities. Getting around in the cities was done by bus. We started out in Beijing, then flew to Xian, then another flight to Chonquing and the Yangtze cruise. After that we flew to Shanghai, another flight to Guilin (with a half-day cruise on the Li River), and ended with a flight to Hong Kong for another couple of days before flying home.

3) I read somewhere that the owners of the ships will not permit any US voltage adapters to be plugged in. My DH has a Bi-pap machine. Will he be able to use it on the boat?

You would need to check on this.

4) Will we be able to enjoy meals without rice and lots of salty sauces on the ship and on the land portion of the package?

All meals, other than breakfast, are Chinese food and served in Chinese style with many dishes placed on a lazy susan. You can pick and choose what you want to eat and avoid those you don't want. There was always a large number of dishes with lots of variety.

5) Are the meals on the land portions planned? I hate having to find my own food in places where I don't speak the language. I don't mind paying for them, but I'd want recommendations from the staff at least.

All of our meals, except in Hong Kong, were included. It's easy to find a variety of foods in Hong Kong near the hotel.

6) Finally and most important: What time of the year is best to go. Don't want extreme heat and I can't really take the cold. Looking for temps between 60 and 85 in the day time.

Avoid the summer as it can be unsufferably hot and humid. We traveled in October and found the weather to be very pleasant. If possible, avoid the first week in October as that's Chinese National Days, and the Chinese people enjoy visiting all the famous sites, which can make for some big crowds. Our trip included that week, and it was doable, but the other 2 weeks were much less crowded.

China is amazing, and the scenery and all the sights are remarkable!:)

I'll try to respond to some of your questions. We traveled with Uniworld in 2008 and had a great experience.

 

1) Are all the boats chartered or is there any company who owns and operates their own boats?

 

With Uniworld, our group was on board with other tour groups, but we did our things together as one group.

 

We have sailed with Uniworld before and liked them. They would probably be first choice.

 

2) With the land portions, how difficult is it to keep moving from place to place? Are there a lot of buses? Does the staff handle the logistics well?

 

Our trip included 5 flights within China to the major cities. Getting around in the cities was done by bus. We started out in Beijing, then flew to Xian, then another flight to Chonquing and the Yangtze cruise. After that we flew to Shanghai, another flight to Guilin (with a half-day cruise on the Li River), and ended with a flight to Hong Kong for another couple of days before flying home.

 

What about handling luggage? Was the packing and unpacking every day a burden? Did you have to leave luggage outside your hotel room door at the crack of dawn?

 

China is amazing, and the scenery and all the sights are remarkable!:)

Thanks for your help.

Kellie,

We are booked on Vantage's China tour that includes a four day river cruise. Obviously, I can't personally comment on the trip, but we met several persons on our Vantage Russia trip that had done Vantage China and loved it. They all said that it was well planned and executed and a great trip.

Kellie,

I was getting ready to answer your questions but stopped when I got to your statement that you weren't "terribly interested" in going with Viking. My partner and I did Viking's Imperial Jewels of China tour last May, and it was the most extraordinary trip we have ever taken. I am hardly alone in this assessment, as you can confirm if you spend some time reading the HUGE "Viking China" and "Viking China 2" threads in the Other Cruise Lines forum. For years now, folks -- well-traveled, I might add -- have been taking these land/river trips in China with Viking and coming back to report what an unbelievably great time they had. Viking in China is first rate all the way.

I'm sorry you've ruled out Viking.

Kellie,

 

I was getting ready to answer your questions but stopped when I got to your statement that you weren't "terribly interested" in going with Viking. My partner and I did Viking's Imperial Jewels of China tour last May, and it was the most extraordinary trip we have ever taken. I am hardly alone in this assessment, as you can confirm if you spend some time reading the HUGE "Viking China" and "Viking China 2" threads in the Other Cruise Lines forum. For years now, folks -- well-traveled, I might add -- have been taking these land/river trips in China with Viking and coming back to report what an unbelievably great time they had. Viking in China is first rate all the way.

 

I'm sorry you've ruled out Viking.

I believe that all the ships are chartered in China. Unless something happened while I was napping, Viking charters the same Victoria ships as everyone else.

I do not care for the way Viking does business. "Two for one" sales when the resultant price is the same as everyone else's.

I find it difficult to trust a company who can't be honest from the get go. Just a personal prejudice. I'm sure they are fine, but they aren't impressing me with their marketing ploys.

I believe that all the ships are chartered in China. Unless something happened while I was napping, Viking charters the same Victoria ships as everyone else.

 

I do not care for the way Viking does business. "Two for one" sales when the resultant price is the same as everyone else's.

 

I find it difficult to trust a company who can't be honest from the get go. Just a personal prejudice. I'm sure they are fine, but they aren't impressing me with their marketing ploys.

Yes, the boats are all Chinese owned. The Viking Emerald is a Century ship, launched in 2010. It was newer than the Victoria ships we saw along the Yangtze. (And Viking has the whole boat.) Regardless, the China trip is not just about the boat; half the trip is on land. It's about the quality of the guides, the itinerary, the food, the hotels, and the amazing logistics of getting groups of people (and their luggage) around various cities and towns, several internal flights, onto and off of buses, to meals, to the airports, to the boat, off the boat, on the boat, etc. And doing it without a hitch. Viking blew me away with how they handled all of this, and with the quality of the guides.

Anyone who has spent more than a minute looking at Viking knows the 2 for 1 stuff is their normal marketing schtick. Of course you are certainly entitled to your opinion about it. Unfortunately, you have ruled out an extraordinary trip.

Kellie

My husband, my parents, and I just returned from a 14 day trip to China that included a cruise on the Yangtze River on the Century Diamond cruise ship - operated by New Century Cruise (centuryrivercruises.com). I don't know if it is chartered or not - I'm not sure how to find out either. I booked the entire trip through TravelChinaGuide - they have great reviews on tripadvisor and I will be adding another incredibly positive review for them as soon as the jet lag wears off and I can catch up on everything.

We traveled as a private group - just the four of us with one guide and one driver in each city we visited: Shanghai, Suzhou, Shanghai, Yichang, on the cruise, Chongqing, Xi'an, and Beijing. I didn't want to travel in a large group and the price for the trip through TCG was reasonable (for us). The meals on land were mostly included, and for the meals that weren't: the hotels we stayed at were nice and had at least one restaurant. For the meals that are included: there are options for al a carte meals - where the guides can help you pick what you want - and some of the meals are set menu, but you can request certain foods be included/excluded if you'd like. TCG will customize an entire trip for you - you can add all meals if you'd like. (They will also customize the activities you do and the things you see if you'd like.)

I don't specifically recommend the boat we were on - but my standards might be too high - we've only been on one other cruise so far and the river boat wasn't anything like the ocean cruise ship. However, the employees on the boat were AMAZING. They really do seem to enjoy their jobs and genuinely want to help you in every aspect of the cruise. The food on the ship was buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner except for one family style lazy-susan meal for the Farewell Dinner. They had a variety of food to pick from at all the meals - mostly Chinese, but some options were more European/American. For an additional cost on our particular boat, they had a "western" set-menu five-course meal as well; I think it was ~$40 per person extra.

There was a group of Vantage travelers on our cruise - most of the time they had other activities planned and didn't go on the regular excursions with us but it sounded like they were all enjoying their time.

Travel between the different places was fairly smooth - in the large cities it can get pretty congested so there are occasional waits in traffic, but nothing too extensive (unless, as previously mentioned, it is a holiday, which we were there for the Tomb Sweeping Days holiday in China). Our other modes of transportation were the fast train between Shanghai and Suzhou, a bigger bus but still just the 4 of us with the guide and driver back to Shanghai, and then three in-China flights. The guides helped us check in for all of the flights and the train to help that go smoothly. They took care of all the timing while we just enjoyed the sights.

I'm not sure about voltage converters - we had all devices that would operate in the 110V - 220V range, so we only needed adapters, no converters.

And for weather - ours was great although a bit misty/rainy/foggy on the boat so it was difficult to see all the things we should be seeing sometimes. Otherwise the weather was lows in the 40s, highs in the 60s and 70s. But I have heard the October weather is even better.

Sorry for rambling a bit but hopefully that helps some. :)

Responding to this question about our trip with Uniworld:

What about handling luggage? Was the packing and unpacking every day a burden? Did you have to leave luggage outside your hotel room door at the crack of dawn?

We usually had to leave luggage out early. I've learned to pack better for this situation by packing by days (top, bottom, underwear, socks) and placing them in suitcase that way.

I'm also sharing a link that was very helpful to us when we traveled in fall of 2008 from some folks who had made the trip in May. Uniworld/Trafalgar are travel partners.

http://www.1mpages.com/ReviewTrafalgarChina.html

I will try later this week to go over to my page at Kodak Gallery and post a link to our China pictures to give you more information about what to expect.:)

Happy planning!!

Kellie Poodle, here's the link to our photos from China (there are 648 of them--lots of things to see!):

http://pjtraveler.kodakgallery.com/

Just click on the Icon for the China 2008 album, and you will be able to view them at your leisure. I think I remember a picture of the cabin on the boat, but if it's not there, let me know, and I'll try to find it and post it.:)

K.P. - Although some of the river cruise lines use Victoria boats (i.e. Avalon and Uniworld), some of the others do not. The boat Viking uses is not a Victoria boat.

Tauck and A & K book space on the Yangzi Explorer, which looks like the most luxurious boat in China. It would be our first choice if we decide to repeat our Yangzi River adventure, which was originally on a Victoria Cruises boat. You might wish to google Yangzi Explorer to get an idea of the rather amazing luxury of that boat. It certainly seems to have raised the bar for Chinese cruising.

Cheers, Fred

Hi again Kellie,

We're just back from Tauck's India tour and it was an OMG type of tour. I agree with freddie about Tauck's choice of boats. We also did the Nile River with Tauck two years ago and they used a luxurious A&K boat. That's why the AMA Russian Riverboat was such a BIG disappointment to us. We paid Tauck's prices for our Motel 6 experience then. Go look at Tauck's website. They have two tours to China which do the Yangzi river.

Best regards,

Sheila

Kellie Poodle, here's the link to our photos from China (there are 648 of them--lots of things to see!):

http://pjtraveler.kodakgallery.com/

 

Just click on the Icon for the China 2008 album, and you will be able to view them at your leisure. I think I remember a picture of the cabin on the boat, but if it's not there, let me know, and I'll try to find it and post it.:)

Fellow Georgian, I enjoyed your photos. We are going this Summer.

Hi again Kellie,

 

We're just back from Tauck's India tour and it was an OMG type of tour. I agree with freddie about Tauck's choice of boats. We also did the Nile River with Tauck two years ago and they used a luxurious A&K boat. That's why the AMA Russian Riverboat was such a BIG disappointment to us. We paid Tauck's prices for our Motel 6 experience then. Go look at Tauck's website. They have two tours to China which do the Yangzi river.

 

Best regards,

Sheila

Hi Sheila,

We enjoyed our AMA Russia cruise even though the food was not up to expectations. The company was, the cabin was fine and the crew did well by us.

I looked at Tauck and I'm afraid they are out of our budget.

The one thing I have noticed about all the tours, whether land or sea is, is the food. I think it would be a huge problem for my Diabetic DH. Rice is an absolute no no and Chinese dishes are seasoned with sugar and starch. I was hoping to find a river cruise with European-style cuisine on both the ship and in the restaurants on the land portions. Also all the lines seem to have a hunt your own dinner program at many land stops.

How do others with dietary restrictions do China tours?

Also all the lines seem to have a hunt your own dinner program at many land stops.

 

Not true of Viking.

Not true of Viking.

Will Viking provide special low carbohydrate meals at all places? That would be a reason to consider them.

One more question, please: It would help me to possibly consider Viking if you have sailed with any other river cruise companies.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, a recommendation from someone who has sailed with several companies and has made comparisons would be more valuable.

Will Viking provide special low carbohydrate meals at all places? That would be a reason to consider them.

 

One more question, please: It would help me to possibly consider Viking if you have sailed with any other river cruise companies.

 

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, a recommendation from someone who has sailed with several companies and has made comparisons would be more valuable.

I, also, traveled to China with Viking. There were two people in our group who had dietary restrictions and they were both accommodated. One person could not eat any food that contained soy products and the other was allergic to mushrooms. They were each given separate plates of food while we all ate from the lazy Susan (meals that were eaten while on tour). The Chef also made special meals for them while dining on the ship.

I have traveled with Viking, Uniworld, Gate 1, AMA and Grand Circle on trip to Europe. Viking was my choice for China.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, a recommendation from someone who has sailed with several companies and has made comparisons would be more valuable.

I have not sailed with any other river cruise companies. When my partner and I decided in 2010 that we wanted to travel to China in 2011, I did as much reading and research as I could to figure out what would be best, and also talked directly with people at Viking and at Uniworld. I concluded that while Viking may not have "the best" reputation in Europe, it absolutely had the best reputation in China. I think this isn't about comparing companies per se, but about comparing how they do in China, which is as much a land tour as a river cruise and in any event is not like taking a boat down the Seine. I doubt you'll find many folks who have traveled in China with multiple companies so as to be able to compare apples and apples.

I have no personal stake in Viking or in whether you travel with them, and I don't care whether you do or not. I only posted on here because it seemed strange to me that you had ruled them out, when a zillion folks have had an extraordinary time with Viking in China.

I, also, traveled to China with Viking. There were two people in our group who had dietary restrictions and they were both accommodated. One person could not eat any food that contained soy products and the other was allergic to mushrooms. They were each given separate plates of food while we all ate from the lazy Susan (meals that were eaten while on tour). The Chef also made special meals for them while dining on the ship.

 

I have traveled with Viking, Uniworld, Gate 1, AMA and Grand Circle on trip to Europe. Viking was my choice for China.

Thank you! I really appreciate your information. Much more helpful than "cheerleaders" if you understand where I am coming from.

I don't begrudge "cheerleaders" and truly understand their loyalty, it's just that I wanted deeper information and you provided it.

Thank you! I really appreciate your information. Much more helpful than "cheerleaders" if you understand where I am coming from.

 

I don't begrudge "cheerleaders" and truly understand their loyalty, it's just that I wanted deeper information and you provided it.

Kellie, glad that I was able to help. I don't think that there are any "Cheerleaders" on here, but people who went on the Viking China Trip and had a wonderful experience. It certainly is a trip that I would like to repeat.

There is a person on the China Thread right now who is repeating the trip with Viking. It is interesting to read his comparisons from now and three years ago. He liked it so much that he decided to use Viking again. This time he is on their newer ship.

Thank you! I really appreciate your information. Much more helpful than "cheerleaders" if you understand where I am coming from.

 

I don't begrudge "cheerleaders" and truly understand their loyalty, it's just that I wanted deeper information and you provided it.

OMG, calling someone a "cheerleader" for honestly reporting that she had a great time on a trip (as did the zillion other folks who have posted on the Viking China threadzillas)? Gosh, I don't know how I will sleep tonight...:rolleyes:

OMG, calling someone a "cheerleader" for honestly reporting that she had a great time on a trip (as did the zillion other folks who have posted on the Viking China threadzillas)? Gosh, I don't know how I will sleep tonight...:rolleyes:

I had no intention of offending you. Please accept my apology.

We too are looking at booking a China land/river cruise in the future.Thus far the favorite is Viking as they seem to have a little more variety as there is considerable difference in their 3 listed tours. I don't care for the "always" 2 for 1 advertising, but choose to ignore it as I just examine all aspects having the knowledge of what the real cost is. At least they post the cost without having to make a call or request a quote.

I find it strange that AMA, Avalon and Gate 1 are all divisions of the same company and use the same 1-800 number, but I still just forge ahead with my searches and examination of what they offer. At least they don't hide the relationship either.

Guess the bottom line (exclusive of price) is getting a trip where we want to go, when we want to go & then finding which provider has the best reviews for that specific venue.

We too are looking at booking a China land/river cruise in the future.Thus far the favorite is Viking as they seem to have a little more variety as there is considerable difference in their 3 listed tours. I don't care for the "always" 2 for 1 advertising, but choose to ignore it as I just examine all aspects having the knowledge of what the real cost is. At least they post the cost without having to make a call or request a quote.

 

I find it strange that AMA, Avalon and Gate 1 are all divisions of the same company and use the same 1-800 number, but I still just forge ahead with my searches and examination of what they offer. At least they don't hide the relationship either.

 

Guess the bottom line (exclusive of price) is getting a trip where we want to go, when we want to go & then finding which provider has the best reviews for that specific venue.

I did put out some feelers to a TA I used for another river cruise as she specializes in river cruises. She recommended Viking and Uniworld and will be doing some research for us.

While price is certainly a concern, my biggest concern is whether DH will have anything available to eat and whether or not he'll be able to keep up with the walking. That's going to be a big problem.

We are thinking of China for 2013, and are seriously looking at Viking. We have narrowed it down to two options. One is the 17 day China Cultural Delights and the other is the 12 day Imperial Jewels. The difference seems to be that you spend more time on the Yangtze, below the dams, on the longer cruise. My question is, is this part of the Yangtze worth doing? Or would we be better off doing an extension in Beijing or Hong Knog (we're not big shopper however) and forgetting the lower Yangtze?