Chloe's mom

It is a set menu that varies based on what's available in the markets. I'm a vegetarian and let BSK know that when I made our reservations. There were some courses that I couldn't eat, some where they pointed out the vegetarian version, and they had at least one dish made especially for me. Even if you can't eat everything I guarantee you will be more than full when you leave.

I've sent an email to the address in your post.

We ended up spending about $700 worth of yuan, but we had two extra nights in Beijing and Shanghai, and we used the money for private guides, taxis, restaurants and entry fees. My suggestion is to take a minimal amount of yuan with you for incidentals such as a taxi to your hotel, but otherwise to take dollars and exchange at your hotel as needed. You can use up any extra yuan as tips to your guide at the end of the trip. By the way, at the Beijing Westin where Viking put us up, they had a machine to exchange dollars, and there was a fee for using the machine. One couldn't exchange money with the hotel concierge/desk.

In terms of the direction to take, I think most people were satisfied with the direction that they did, whichever it was, which means that you are unlikely to be disappointed with whatever choice you make. We went from Shanghai to Beijing, and I liked that because I was more rested at the point that we were doing intensive sightseeing and walking in Xi'an and Beijing. Also, the part of the river at the beginning of the Shanghai-Beijing direction was less interesting, so I felt I could spend more time relaxing because there wasn't as much to see. I also liked the fact that at the point we boarded the ship we weren't so accustomed to being with our own bus group, and therefore we were more open to spending time with other people on the ship. Finally, re the pandas vs. hutong, I don't know if this is the same on every trip, but we were able to see the pandas when we disembarked the ship in Chongqing, and were also able to visit a hutong and have a rickshaw ride the day we arrived in Beijing.

Wondering...

 

We are scheduled to stay at the Kerry Beijing hotel. The bank i am with charges $5 per atm transaction when made from an international location.

If we use the Kerry hotel currency exchange and bring american dollars instead of using the atm, what type of rate would we get? Would it be at or close to the current official rate of 6.22*Chinese Yuan per dollar (or would it be substantially lower rate then the official rate). And i realize that's the 6.22 current rate may change and float.. just wonder opinions if we should plan to bring in more cash for our trip and exchange it... or plan instead to use our debit card instead?

 

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When we were in China last April the currency exchange rate was standard, set by the government. So the question is not what exchange rate your hotel gives, but whether your hotel charges a courtesy fee, or has an exchange machine that has a surcharge. I suggest you write to the hotel concierge with these questions. The hotel I stayed out before meeting up with Viking had no extra charges, so I brought a significant amount of US currency and changed it when I arrived at the hotel.

When we were there in May I was able to use gmail. In fact I clearly remember sitting on a bench in the shadow of the Great Wall emailing from and receiving emails to my gmail address.

I think you have to be guided by your interests. I would pick the Louvre as the number 1 museum, but you'll exhaust yourself if you try to see the entire museum at once. I would concentrate on what you consider the main attractions, I would put the Mona Lisa in this category. The advantage of the museum pass is that you can see some things early in the day, then do something else, and come back in the evening for another round. Near the Louvre is the Orangerie with the Monets. I also like the Musee d'Orsay with all the Impressionist art. Near there is the Rodin museum. If you want to visit Versailles, count on a full day there, although you could fit in a museum in the evening. The truth is that 3 days isn't nearly enough to see the major attractions of Paris, so the most important thing is to think of places you've heard of or always wanted to visit, then figure out which of them make the most sense logistically. Certainly seeing the sights that aren't on the Paris pass makes the most sense for the day you're not using the pass. If you're arriving in Paris from abroad, I'd suggest waiting until Day 2 to start the pass so you'll have the energy to take full a advantage of it.

We were at the Orchid Hotel location of BSK in May. Thel venue is very nice, the restaurant is modern looking and very comfortable, the restaurant is on the second floor and has a lovely deck for before dinner drinks. I suggest that you have your hotel write out the name and address of the Orchid in Chinese, in case you have to ask people for directions. When we went, we knew that our taxi would not be able to drive us directly to the hotel, but would drop us off at the main street, and we would walk up what is a narrow street that is basically for pedestrians to the hotel. Either the taxi driver pointed to the wrong pedestrian street, or we didn't understand his gesture (he spoke no English), but we ended up going down the wrong street. When we realized that we were in the wrong place we had no idea who we could ask for directions, since we didn't have the name and address in Chinese. (Luckily we found an English woman who spoke Chinese, and she was able to get directions for us.)

We considered BSK to be the best meal we had in mainland China, and a great value.

I was on the cruise late April early May this year. There is no need to worry about the 11 pound weight restriction. In fact, our tour escort said that Chinese airlines were trying to encourage passengers to take carry-on bags. I took a rollaboard 20 inch suitcase, which I'm sure weighed more than 11 pounds. I also had a small tote bag that I had intended to use as my "purse," with my actual purse inside it. But there was no problem about multiple bags, so I carred my purse separately. As well as the box lunches that Viking provided. I will also admit that I stressed a lot about the weight limit because it was posted on the Viking website, and was reluctant to follow the universal comments by other posters that weight limits were not followed. So I can only say that you should feel pretty safe if you exceed the weight limits by a reasonable amount.

And a reminder, besides liquids, do not put cigarette lights or matches or Swiss army knives in your carry-on OR hold luggage, it will be confiscated.

We were able to arrange in advance with our tour escort to have someone from the ship' screw carry our hand luggage from the ship to the bus in Chongq'ing.

Sorry for the typo. I meant that I did NOT have to use an ATM.

I was on the Emerald this spring but I don't remember whether there was a box for tips. We did what BruinSteve did, putting the recommended tips on our account, which we paid by credit card, and giving some additional tips directly to the waitstaff at whose tables we always chose to eat. We have a credit card that does not charge a foreign currency transaction fee, so paying the crew tips by credit card was preferable to bringing extra cash for this purpose.

On the subject if cash, the currency exchange rates are controlled by the government, so the exchange rate will be the same. The difference will be the fees. Before the trip I emailed the hotels where we would be staying to ask whether they charged a fee to exchange money and how much could be exchanged at a time. Most of my hotels did not charge a fee, so I brought a good bit of US cash and did have to use ATMs. If you do this I recommend using larger US bills, then getting smaller yuan bills to use as tips and for buying souvenir items from street peddlers. And as others have said, the US currency shouldn't have marks on them.

When we disembarked in Chongqing I arranged, through our guide/den mother, to have help with our hand luggage because my husband has some physical issues. One of the crew from the ship carried our bags, for which I gave him a tip, I believe our guide suggested 100 yuan. I don't think that there are enough crew available to carry the hand luggage for all passengers, but for anyone that really has an issue with their bags, this is something to talk to your guide about. Also, after we got off the ship one of the locals came over and insisted on taking my husband's arm, despite my husband's protests, to "help" him up the steps. When we got to the bus he insisted on our giving him money, and our guide told us to give him 40 yuan to avoid any trouble.

I will say that it was extremely helpful to have the person from the ship carry our bags. It was raining heavily, and having our hands free allowed us to carry an umbrella and also use hand rails where they were available. But even without rain and slippery steps, not having to carry bags would make things easier if you have heavy carry-ons. It was cool in April when we there, but I imagine that in summer heat and humidity it would be more pleasant not to have to do the work of schlepping bags. So my suggestion is that you not hesitate to avail yourselves of the services of these local "porters", but just be sure to have yuan in small denominations easily accessible. You can even ask your guide in advance what amount would be appropriate to pay for the service.

Depends when the first "optionals" are.

 

Obviously starting in Bejing where the opera and Sumemr Palace are optional at the start of the tour, they must be selected immediately.

 

When we started in Shanghai there were no optionals before going to the ship, so there was no rush to pick. Optionals were paid for while on the ship for us.

We started in Shanghai in April this year. We were asked to choose our optional tours while at the airport waiting for our first flight, the day that we left Shanghai. The optional tours were included on our ship bill, which we paid on the day we disembarked the ship, so I assume that one could add optional tours up until the time the ship invoices were created. I do know that when we were in Beijing and people started realizing that the Summer Palace tour was something that others were doing, and that it was doable, they wanted to do it as well, and were told that it was no longer possible for them to add it.

I was on Imperial Jewels this year, in April/May. Summer Palace is now an optional, additional cost tour that is offered on the afternoon of the day the group visits the Forbidden City. I don't know why, but the escorts actively discourage people from signing up for the Summer Palace tour. I heard them telling people that it's not necessary to go there, because it's similar to the Forbidden City (which is not true). They also said that it's not possible to visit the Summer Palace and also go to the opera, which is also not true. I think the guides do a real disservice to their groups by discouraging people from seeing the Summer Palace. In fact, if one had to skip something, I would skip the opera, since it's possible to see Chinese opera in the U S, but you actually have to go the Summer Palace to experience it.

I ate at the Orchid Hotel location in May. It's a lovely place, there is a rooftop deck (on the second floor) where you gather for drinks, the dining room is very clean and modern. The kitchen is just off the dining area, and you are welcome to stand in the hall just outside it (there's no room in the kitchen!) to watch them prepare the food.

Taxis generally can't drive right up to the hotel, but will let you off on a main street, and then you walk about five minutes up the hutong pedestrian street. Be sure to show the directions BSK will send you to the hotel doorman, and tell him to tell the taxi driver to clearly point out to you the hutong street. (I'm not sure why we had a miscommunication with our taxi driver, but we ended up walking up the wrong hutong street at first. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have the hotel concierge what in Chinese, "I'm looking for the Orchid Hotel, on X street, could you point me in the correct direction."

As for whether you will be too tired, you will have to decide how you react to jet lag and traveling. The dinner starts at 7, and lasts until about 10, there are at least 10 courses. I suppose if you are fading you could leave before the meal ends, I guarantee you won't be hungry even if you skip a few courses!

Remember to take RMB with you, they don't accept credit cards.

We were in China in April. The concierge at our hotel in Shanghai specifically told us not to tip taxi drivers, not even to round up a 14 RMB fare to 15 RMB. Her comment was, "Please don't."

Re Systable's questions

I strongly recommend you use a private guide for your forced layover free day. The problem with a group tour arranged through your hotel, such as a Gray Line tour, is that you can't tailor it to your needs. For example, the group tour may include things you want to see, but also duplicate some of the things on the Viking tour. Or jet lag may hit you during the afternoon; if you're on a private tour you can take a break or even just quit for the day.

As far as just taking taxis on your own to places, I think you will miss a lot if you rely on just guide book explanations for the Temple of Heaven. There is also some question about taking taxis from sights of interest back to your hotel. Our guide said that the taxis parked at these places don't use meters and overcharge by a lot. At the very least, ask your hotel for advice about what cabs are OK.

In terms of dinner that first full day in Beijing, my guess is that you will be so tired from jet lag that you will want either room service or a snack, so you shouldn't worry about where you will eat.

Yes, the 17th is the "arrival" day of the group, although actual touring does not start until the following day. So if you arrive earlier, you could use the 17th for a full day of private touring. Remember that if you're coming from the United States, you lose a day because you cross the International Date Line. So if you depart the U.S. on the 13th you arrive in Beijing on the 14th.

We just returned from our Viking cruise, which ended in Beijing. The last three nights of the cruise were at the Westin Chaoyang, which is in an outer section of Beijing, midway between the center of town and the airport. It was fine while we were with Viking, since the buses took us from the hotel to the various locations. We then moved to the Grand Hyatt, and I'm very glad that we did. Although having to move was not ideal, it was worth it to be in the center of things, particularly because traffic in Beijing has to be factored in, and can add considerably to travel time. If you do stay at the Grand Hyatt, be sure to visit the pool area. It's better than Disneyland. When I walked in I said "Wow" out loud, and then turned to see my husband's face as he first took it in. Another "Wow!"

Viking gives the formal info from the Chinese Airlines in the brochure about Carry Ons; however, in practice, the Chinese Airlines are very liberal. We had a carry on bag that was only 8" thick. Those are hard to find and not necessary. 9" and 9-1/2" thick bags are OK. Also there many people carrying 2 and 3 carry on bags. You do need to be careful about the checked baggage. The limit is 44 lbs. Try not to exceed this by more than 1 or 2 pounds and you'll be OK. Carry On bags are not weighed, but checked ones may be.

We were given the impression by our guide that the checked bags were treated as a group, so that the strict weight limits didn't apply. Unless you are going WAAAY over the 44 pound limit (like over 50 pounds), I don't think you have to worry about it. But definitely stick to just one checked bag per person, when you have more than one the airlines impose additional charges.

I should add that Sunflower is very flexible, so you can make changes to your proposed itinerary at any point, including during the day of the tour. Our Viking escort had discouraged us, when we were signing up for optional tours just before our flight to embark the boat, from taking Viking's optional tour to the Summer Palace, so I emailed Sunflower to see if we could add that to our tour with her. No problem.

If you have the time and energy, Bei Han Park is another sight you may want to add to your day. It overlooks the Forbidden City.

One caution about buying "fake" goods. The people who sell counterfeit items may also engage in other shady business practices. Electronic goods may be a just a bunch of wires inside that can catch fire, or accessories may damage your electronic products, or the goods can have high lead levels. Caveat emptor! (Buyer beware).

We just used Sunflower when we were there in early May. She was excellent. I recommend her highly.

If you want to see pandas, then you should go to the zoo. Also, a friend who was in China some years ago recommended it because of the reaction of the Chinese visitors, they will look at Westerners at the zoo as being exotic.

I would definitely visit the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple and the hutong. The Temple of Heaven is located in a large park where many Chinese go each day as their social activity. When we were there we saw a woman teaching Chinese opera, a kung fu demonstration, a chorus singing patriotic songs, gymnastics, line dancing and rap dancing. The Temple of Heaven itself has two building complexes, where the emperor would go to do the summer and autumn sacrifices to the God of Heaven.

The Lama Temple is a Buddhist temple with five buildings having statues of the Buddha in each, with the last one having a huge and very impressive statue. Most of the people there were actually worshipping, I found the place to have a very spiritual feeling.

The hutongs are the old neighborhoods of Beijing, two story courtyard houses and very narrow streets. You can take a rickshaw ride here. The Drum Tower is in one of the hutongs, so you can see that as well.

We went to the night food market, there are two parts to it that are separated by a few blocks. One has live animals that are cooked in front of you. I saw scorpions on a skewer that, if someone wanted to eat them, would be put in boiling water or oil, I didn't check carefully. I'm not a fan of scorpions, but I was disgusted by the idea of torturing them, they were squirming on the skewer and I assume were in pain. The more regular food part of the market also had some odd items, like frogs, but they were already cooked.

The food market is only to look at, you rist getting very ill if you eat the food. The stalls go on for a few blocks. I had had enough after half a block. The food market is listed in all the guide books, so I guess it's a tourist sight, but I wouldn't have regretted missing it.

If you are seriously thinking about doing a tour from 900 am until 10:00 pm I think you will be exhausted, at least it would be way too much touring for me.

The Pearl Factory is not just for pearls. The bottom floors reminded me of a flea market, with lots of stalls selling counterfeit products, like fake Mont Blanc Pens and Rolex watches and I-phone accessories, as well as ties and robes. They even had places that would make prescription glasses, using counterfeit brand name frames like Oakley and Chanel. If you need to buy inexpensive gifts you could do so here, or at the Silk Market. I understand that there are also reputable shops for pearls on the upper floors, but if you don't want more pearls I wouldn't make an effort to shop for them here. Frankly, I would rather pay more at a shop at home for pearls that I would know are genuine and of high quality. And I would suggest that anyone who wants to buy expensive pearls in China should educate himself/herself about pearls and their quality and have an idea of comparative cost. And that they buy expensive pearls only from a shop that they know is reputable, preferably by getting a recommendation from someone they trust.

Will write separate post about your proposed schedule.

I was on Imperial Jewels, and we saw pandas in Chongqing after we disembarked the ship and before we flew to Xi'an. I don't know whether you will see pandas doing Roof of the World, I assume that it may depend on your flight. I suggest you contact Viking. However, if you have free time in Beijing I strongly suggest that you use a private guide, it's very hard to do things on your own because of the language issue, and with a guide you will save time getting to the sights, our private guide was extremely helpful, even with little things. For example, she knew that some taxis didn't use meters, and would overcharge terribly. Also, she was very good at bargaining in the Silk Market and the Pearl Market, and got us prices that we would never have gotten on our own.