Shanghai - port of call

Hi, I am arriving Shanghai on Saturday Nov. 15 2014 at 7 AM as a port of call. We are arriving from Nagasaki. What would be the earliest time that we can disembark? I am trying to arrange a private tour and I would like to know what time to tell the driver and the tour guide to meet us on the pier. This is if all thing go right with Immigration and Customs etc. Thanks all for the information. Have a good evening.

Hi Tony,

Do you know which port in Shanghai you will be docked? I was on the Mariner of the Seas which departed at Baoshan which took about an hour from we left the ship to clear customs.

Hi, I am arriving Shanghai on Saturday Nov. 15 2014 at 7 AM as a port of call. We are arriving from Nagasaki. What would be the earliest time that we can disembark? I am trying to arrange a private tour and I would like to know what time to tell the driver and the tour guide to meet us on the pier. This is if all thing go right with Immigration and Customs etc. Thanks all for the information. Have a good evening.

If you arrive at 7:00 AM you might not be able to get off until around 9:00 AM. Big factor is immigration and they are slow and if this is your first mainland China port it can be very long. Be sure to find out which port; one would be right downtown and the other one is about 45 minutes from downtown.

Keith

Sorry you have such a small amount of time in Shanghai...I needed a few days and the reason we opted for a land only tour instead of our usual cruise. Enjoy Shanghai...we certainly did :D

If you arrive at 7:00 AM you might not be able to get off until around 9:00 AM. Big factor is immigration and they are slow and if this is your first mainland China port it can be very long. Be sure to find out which port; one would be right downtown and the other one is about 45 minutes from downtown.

 

Keith

Hi, the cruise sails from Beijing, but it calls on Busan S. Korea and then Nagasaki Japan before coming back to Shanghai. Would this still be considered as the first mainland China port? Done lots of European and trans-Atlantic cruises. This is our first cruise to Asia. Because of the EU there is hardly any immigration formalities. If I get in line real early, would a time of around 8:15 AM be reasonable? Thanks for all the help.

Because you are starting in China but then leaving and going to other countries then when you return they might treat it like the first China port again and that can delay getting off the ship. Either way, in China, they can be very slow.

Keith

Shanghai is an amazing port! I just posted about our trip to China, on my family blog. Lots of pictures....

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/

Shanghai is an amazing port! I just posted about our trip to China, on my family blog. Lots of pictures....

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/

Thanks for posting the journey to Shanghai and it certainly looks interesting. It will be our first visit there as well. I am interested in what time the ship arrived in Shanghai and what time were you able to leave the pier on your way to do the tour. I have arranged a tour on my own and I would like to be sure I can get to the tour guide by the appointed time. Thanks again for the info. Have a great day.

Hi, the cruise sails from Beijing, but it calls on Busan S. Korea and then Nagasaki Japan before coming back to Shanghai. Would this still be considered as the first mainland China port? Done lots of European and trans-Atlantic cruises. This is our first cruise to Asia. Because of the EU there is hardly any immigration formalities. If I get in line real early, would a time of around 8:15 AM be reasonable? Thanks for all the help.

Just so that you know, cruises cannot start from Beijing. Beijing is inland. The nearest port is Tianjin, about 125 miles away.

Just so that you know, cruises cannot start from Beijing. Beijing is inland. The nearest port is Tianjin, about 125 miles away.

Yes I am aware of that. Those arrangements have been made to get us to Tanggu which is the port at Tianjin. I want to know about how long before we can get off the ship and into the terminal at Shanghai. Thank you.

Hi, I am arriving Shanghai on Saturday Nov. 15 2014 at 7 AM as a port of call. We are arriving from Nagasaki. What would be the earliest time that we can disembark? I am trying to arrange a private tour and I would like to know what time to tell the driver and the tour guide to meet us on the pier. This is if all thing go right with Immigration and Customs etc. Thanks all for the information. Have a good evening.

I think it is incumbent on the tour operator to time his/her arrival and wait for clearance. They have been through this before. Although not nearly as cumbersome, we had a guide and driver waiting for us at Civitavecchia and THEY WAITED until we showed up. I think that I did not provide a deposit to hold the private arrangements. I did do some tours in S. America, with deposits, and they also waited. That is part of their lifestyle, lol.

I am almost certain that if you tell him/her what ship you're on, and the port date, they will figure out which port and when to show up.

You have yet to tell us where you are docking. You will need to tell your driver that and they will know better about when to be there.

You have yet to tell us where you are docking. You will need to tell your driver that and they will know better about when to be there.

I would think it will be the Wusongkou Cruise Terminal at the mouth of the Huangpu River. I understand this is where all the bigger ships will dock. Sapphire Princess would be considered a big ship I guess. Thanks everyone for your replies. I have arranged for the car and guide to meet me at the pier at 9 AM. It seems that would be enough time. That was the time the tour company suggested any way. So I guess it would be OK. Have a good evening all. I think Spring has finally sprung

We disembarked (Celebrity Millennium, April 26th) in Baoshan, it took us to get to Shanghai an hour by taxi. Big cruises arrive there. Taxis drivers do not speak english, if you take this option be sure to have written in chinesse the address where you want to go.

I forgot to tell you that the second say we stayed in Shanghai we had a private tour guide (Viator), Jean Liu was extremely helpful even before the tour started, keeping in touch and answering at once every question we made. So, we got a very well planned tour, that was fully completed. She understood perfectly what our expectations and interests were. She is very informed , nice and with a perfect English, and the timing with the driver for picking up at every place was perfect, so we did not waste a second. Excellent guide. We highly recommend her , and will call her if someday we return.

I would think it will be the Wusongkou Cruise Terminal at the mouth of the Huangpu River. I understand this is where all the bigger ships will dock. Sapphire Princess would be considered a big ship I guess. Thanks everyone for your replies. I have arranged for the car and guide to meet me at the pier at 9 AM. It seems that would be enough time. That was the time the tour company suggested any way. So I guess it would be OK. Have a good evening all. I think Spring has finally sprung

Just off the Sapphire less than 2 weeks ago and the Diamond a year ago, both ships visited Shanghai and both docked at Wusongkou, about 45 min from the Bund. There is a shuttle provided by the city of Shanghai to take you to Huangpu Park which is in the north end of the Bund. Customs can be slow and you will get out from 8 to 9. Depending on the itinerary of your tour, pick-up at the Bund may make more sense as there is really nothing to see between Wusongkou and the Bund. Shanghai is a lot bigger than it looks on the map. Going from 1 site to another may take longer than you think.

Just off the Sapphire less than 2 weeks ago and the Diamond a year ago, both ships visited Shanghai and both docked at Wusongkou, about 45 min from the Bund. There is a shuttle provided by the city of Shanghai to take you to Huangpu Park which is in the north end of the Bund. Customs can be slow and you will get out from 8 to 9. Depending on the itinerary of your tour, pick-up at the Bund may make more sense as there is really nothing to see between Wusongkou and the Bund. Shanghai is a lot bigger than it looks on the map. Going from 1 site to another may take longer than you think.

Thank you for this info. The tour guide and the car will meet us at the pier at 9 AM and if we are a few minutes early, that will be great. I am sure they will be there before 9 AM.

Just off the Sapphire less than 2 weeks ago and the Diamond a year ago, both ships visited Shanghai and both docked at Wusongkou, about 45 min from the Bund. There is a shuttle provided by the city of Shanghai to take you to Huangpu Park which is in the north end of the Bund. Customs can be slow and you will get out from 8 to 9. Depending on the itinerary of your tour, pick-up at the Bund may make more sense as there is really nothing to see between Wusongkou and the Bund. Shanghai is a lot bigger than it looks on the map. Going from 1 site to another may take longer than you think.

Do you know how often the shuttles run and are there shuttles back to the terminal. Appreciate your answer... Thanks.

I believe it is every 15 minute during the day. But, in the morning when everyone just gets off the ship, it is fill them up as fast as possible and leave.

I think the last hour they also add a few buses returning to the ship. Never had to really wait for a shuttle too long. Of course, I was never there for the last half hour before the last shuttle. Shanghai has quite a bit of practice at doing this. I believed that the Mariners of the Seas is based there for half of the year.

Better to go with the shuttle unless you have to go somewhere in Shanghai that is not close to the drop-off point.

I believe it is every 15 minute during the day. But, in the morning when everyone just gets off the ship, it is fill them up as fast as possible and leave.

I think the last hour they also add a few buses returning to the ship. Never had to really wait for a shuttle too long. Of course, I was never there for the last half hour before the last shuttle. Shanghai has quite a bit of practice at doing this. I believed that the Mariners of the Seas is based there for half of the year.

Better to go with the shuttle unless you have to go somewhere in Shanghai that is not close to the drop-off point.

Thank you! Appreciate the information..