Chloe's mom

Even though a visit to the hutong is not listed on the Viking website for the Shanghai to Beijing itinerary, in April 2014 we did stop at a hutong on the way from the Beijing Airport to our hotel in Beijing. We had a rickshaw ride, visited a place where they offered us various types of tea (near the Drum Tower), and visited a home in the hutong owned by a family, although the family itself does not actually live there any more. The woman from that family who showed us the property answered any questions we had about living in the residence and the family's history. There was no additional fee for any of this.

It is speculation on my part, but the fact that the tour now includes two nights in Xi'an, so that passengers don't see the terra cotta warriors in the morning and then must necessarily take an afternoon flight to Beijing, may be the reason that there is now time for the hutong visit on the afternoon that the group arrives in Beijing. I imagine that Viking can't guarantee that they will be able to arrange morning flights from Xi'an to Beijing for everyone, and therefore they may not want to list the hutong visit as a definite part of the Shanghai to Beijing itinerary.

What it now says in the itinerary under Day 4 is this:

 

Today tour Old Beijing’s hutongs (narrow alleys) via rickshaw.† Discover the sights and sounds of traditional Chinese life. After lunch, fly to Xian...

†Rickshaw tour only available on Beijing to Shanghai itinerary direction.

 

So, it's not a morning flight, but one after lunch. Be that as it may, I am guessing the tour itinerary may have changed since you did it...and they are likely not including a Rickshaw Tour in the Shanghai to Beijing direction...

 

 

Just to be clear, I just did the tour, starting on April 26 in Shanghai. The itinerary you are quoting from the Viking website refers to the tour that begins in Beijing. I was pointing out that, although the Viking website indicates that there is no visit to the hutong when going in the Shanghai to Beijing direction, on our tour we did indeed visit the hutong and had a rickshaw ride. This was after flying to Beijing from Xi'an.

 

As for when one wishes to have the relaxing part of the trip, that is obviously a point of personal preference. Clearly passengers differ on this, on everyone seems to think that whichever direction they chose is the better one.

On our April 2014 trip, there wasn't a calligraphy demonstraton at the gift shop in the Chongqing Zoo. Rather, we were taken to see the pandas, and then were given free time to look at other animals. We were supposed to meet up at the gift shop, but because it was raining and unpleasant, most of us left the zoo early and went to the buses. Also, I heard that some who did the Beijing to Shanghai itinerary were able to visit the zoo in Chongqing, it all depended on flight schedules.

Although the Viking itinerary says that those going in the Shanghai to Beijing direction don't get to visit a hutong, that wasn't the case for the April 26 tour. We all arrived in Beijing from Xi'an early enough to go to the hutong, have a rickshaw ride, see the Drum Tower and visit a place selling tea. I'm not sure if visiting the hutong was an exception, or whether, because the tour now spends two nights in Xi'an, they can arrange morning flights that give passengers the extra afternoon in Beijing.

I know that there has been some discussion on this thread as to which direction itinerary is best, Beijing to Shanghai or Shanghai to Beijing. The fact that each person believes his itinerary is best indicates that both are fine. I was on the Shanghai to Beijing itinerary, and I'd like to point out some of what I see as advantages, although others might disagree.

The itinerary that begins in Shanghai gets off to a rather easy start. There is one full day of sightseeing in Shanghai, then then following day you fly to Wuhan where you embark the ship. The first couple of days on the Yangtze in this direction the river is not particularly scenic, and the excursions are rather limited. So this direction works well for getting over jet lag, particularly if you are unable to arrive in China some days before the tour begins. I think it would be difficult to start in Beijing, where there is really intensive sightseeing, and deal with jet lag at the same time. However, as those on the Beijing to Shanghai itinerary have mentioned, once you get on the ship after Beijing and Xi'an you can spend the rest of the trip just relaxing.

Another difference in the itineraries is that, because everyone is formed into bus groups with a particular tour escort, if you start in Beijing you will have spent 5 or 6 days with your bus group by the time you embark the ship, and that bonding may result in your group sticking together on the boat, so that you don't end up meeting many new people. If you start in Shanghai, you have been with your bus group for only 1 1/2 days before you board the ship, so you may be more interested in sitting with other passengers in the dining room, or otherwise spending time with them. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, just that this is a potential difference.

One factor that I think is dispositive in choosing an itinerary is if there is a holiday in China at the time of your trip. In that case, it would be better to be on the ship during the holiday, to avoid the huge crowds of Chinese tourists that take advantage of the holidays. The big holidays that I'm aware of are May 1, which becomes a long weekend, and Golden Week in October, which is a full week holiday. I suggest you check a guide book for when the holidays occur in the year you are interested in traveling.

I know that when flying in China we are limited to 44 pounds for our checked bag. Am I right in assuming that when we are leaving China, flying out of Beijing, that our checked bag can weigh up to 50 pounds?

I was just on the April 26 cruise, and we were told that we didn't have to adhere to the 44 pound checked bag weight limit, and that your bag can be somewhat over. As for flying out of Beijing, I believe that the weight limit would be governed by the rules of your airline. By the way, there doesn't seem to be a weight limit for carry-on luggage, the bigger issue is the size of your carry-on bags, although, for example, you could carry-on more than one bag, as long as it's not huge. Our tour escort pointed to his normal size backpack and said it would be OK to take two bags of that size.

Please also note that you may not take cigarette lighters in either your carry-on or checked luggage on intra China flights, and no liquids in your carry-on.

I know that there's been some talk about this restaurant, and the fact that they lost their lease and have been making interim arrangements to use the kitchen at a hotel if they get a minimum of ten people signing up for a dinner. The one other couple from our roll call and we had hoped to reach this minimum when we met other people from the cruise, but no such luck. However, when we arrived in Beijing I emailed the restaurant on the possibility that they had enough people to warrant a dinner, and that we could add on to the group. And it worked! I emailed them on Monday when we arrived in Beijing, and they responded on Tuesday night that they had just confirmed a dinner for Wednesday evening. So the four of us were able to eat there. I mention this for future passengers who are concerned that the restaurant will not reopen by the time they get to Beijing, it doesn't hurt to give it a try at the last minute. The only caveat is, if the dinner is held on the night of one of the optional excursions (the Peking duck dinner or the opera), you can't do both. So if you have paid for the excursion while on the ship, and then decide to go to BSK, you won't be able to get your money back. And I don't know whether, if you wait until Beijing to decide on the optional excursion to keep open the possibility of BSK, you can add the excursion on if BSK doesn't work out. (My perspective is of the Shanghai to Beijing itinerary, I don't know how it works if you start in Beijing.)

The restaurant is located in a very small hotel in a hutong, which is a traditional Chinese neighborhood. It's on the second floor, and has a deck where they serve wine as you arrive. The restaurant is small and very pleasant and comfortable. The menu has about 10 or 12 courses, and it changes, I assume based on the ingredients in the market. They are very good about accommodating dietary restrictions, I am a vegetarian and I had more than enough to eat. And the food was really delicious, everyone said it was the best Chinese meal they had when they were in China. The dinner, which includes unlimited wine, costs the equivalent of $50 per person (300 RMB), cash.

The one thing you should be aware of is that taxis won't necessarily drive all the way to the restaurant, because the streets in the hutong are narrow and filled with people. And the taxi drivers generally don't speak English. So I would suggest that you ask the doorman at your hotel to tell the driver that he must be very clear in pointing out which street you should take at the point he lets you out of the cab. BSK also will email you a map, but it wouldn't hurt to ask your hotel doorman or concierge to go over the directions with you.

I know that there have been questions/concerns about the strenuous nature of this trip. My husband has some balance problems that cause difficulty walking up and down steps, and his ankle can hurt if he has to stand or walk for too long a time. We notified Viking about this in advance, and also spoke to our tour escort when we first met him, and he was wonderful at making arrangements. They included having wheelchairs at the airport, both to take my husband to the plane and to meet him as he got off the plane. He also arranged for wheelchairs, with pushers, at the sights that involved a lot of walking. So as we got off the bus at Tianamen Square in Beijing, there was a wheelchair and a pusher waiting for us, and he pushed my husband through the Square and the Forbidden City for over three hours. There was also a wheelchair/pusher at Xi'an who took my husband through all the buildings housing the terra cotta warriors, as well as the museum. And another wheelchair/pusher who took my husband from the bus/parking lot to the steps leading to the Great Wall. Except for the airports, we had to pay for these extra services, but the cost was so worth while, as otherwise I'm not sure what we would have done. In the Forbidden City you basically walk through it, so there isn't an option to walk for a while and then go back to the bus.

If the passenger is truly wheelchair bound, and cannot walk at all, it may not be advisable to take this trip. For example, to go inside some of the buildings in the Forbidden City, or even look inside them, there can be some steps. For the Great Wall, there are some steps just to get up to the Wall, even though one doesn't really have to walk any distance on it; the group is given free time at that point, so how little or how much you walk is totally up to you. At Chongqing, where we disembarked the ship, there are a lot of steps. I'm not sure whether porters could carry a wheelchair, with a person sitting in it, up those stairs. Perhaps someone who doesn't weigh a lot, but I would be hesitant to have them carry a heavy person in a heavy chair--particularly if it is raining, as it was when we disembarked, and the steps are slippery. Because my husband could climb the steps using sticks for balance, I arranged to have an employee from the ship carry our hand luggage, so my husband could have his hands free. And as it turned out, a local person glommed on and held one of his elbows to give him more support. We tipped both the ship's employee and the local person.

At the pagoda at Shibaozhai there is a 10-15 minute uphill walk from the ship to the pagoda. There were local people there who would carry passengers in a sedan chair which rested on poles which in turn rested on the shoulders of the person in front and the person in back. They would carry the passengers to the entrance point where tickets were collected, but beyond that there was still a substantial walk, including a plaza that would have perhaps 5 steps, then a flat area, then another 5 steps, and so on. I suppose that someone who was totally wheelchair bound could take the sedan chair, while a companion pushed an empty wheelchair, and then the passenger could transfer to the wheelchair at the point that the sedan chair ride ended. The sedan chair carriers wait until the passengers come out from the pagoda grounds, and then take the passenger back close to the ship, at which point they are paid.

On the ship itself, it is generally easy to get around, although the elevator doesn't go to the top deck. And I didn't see an elevator that goes to the first deck, even though we frequently left the ship from this deck. If a passenger cannot walk stairs at all, I would check with Viking about how this is handled.

I know that logistics for people with disabilities can be complicated and hard to anticipate, so I would be happy to answer any questions that I can.

I too have just returned from our Viking Cruise. I was on the cruise that left from Shanghai on April 26. I'm going to break my remarks into separate posts so that, hopefully, my comments will be more searchable later. If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

Re umbrellas, we had a couple of rainy days, particularly in Shanghai on April 26, and in Chongqing on May 3. The hotels that Viking put us in each had a large umbrella in the rooms that could easily be used for two, and the cabin also had a large umbrella. However, there is a reason to bring your own umbrella as well, since when you finally disembark the ship you can't take the ship's umbrella with you, and it was pouring the day of our disembarkation. This was also the day we visited the zoo, so I was happy to have my umbrella with me. By the way, we had no problem with the umbrella at airport security, sometimes the umbrellas were in the hold luggage, other times in my hand luggage. I personally found the small lightweight umbrella to be useful, even if it is flimsier and won't last indefinitely.

Using a raincoat or a plastic poncho has positives and negatives. It will keep you warm and allows you a free hand. On the other hand, if it is hot and steamy out, you may find wearing the raincoat or poncho uncomfortable. So this is a matter of personal preference, which should be informed by the temperature at the time you go on your trip.

On the April 26 cruise pickup time for leaving suitcases outside hotel rooms varied, depending on time of flights. For my group the times varied fro 6am to 8am. But friends who had an early flight out of Chongqing had to leave their bags outside their cabin at 10pm before the day of disembarkation. In any event I suggest you have a small bag that you carry with you for your valuables, medicines and a change of clothes in case there is any delay in getting your large suitcases to your cabin. Also, that way you won't have to get up super early to get dressed in order to get your nightclothes into your big suitcase.

I don't know what protocol Viking uses for assigning hotels and tour escorts, but it is certainly possible that it assigns passengers in higher category cabins to better located hotels within cities, or more experienced and higher rated escorts. I don't think this advantage, if it exists, would warrant paying several thousand dollars more for a cabin, but it might be a consideration for some passengers who want easier access to sights during their free time.

We arrived in Xi'an yesterday (May 3). I don't know how people managed it when Viking spent only one night here. We got up relatively early to disembark the ship, then visited the zoo and saw four of the pandas, who were pretty active, then ate lunch in Chongqing and flew to Xi'an. Because of the time we arrived and traffic issues, we went directly to the town center, where we had a little time to walk around before our dumpling dinner. Our group was pretty tired after dinner, so they elected to go back to the hotel even though it wasn't yet dark. My husband and I stayed, and visited the Drum Tower and the night market. We were going to take a taxi back to the hotel, but as it turned out one of the groups going to our hotel was leaving the restaurant at that point, so we got a lift with them. Anyway, everyone was very tired from this day, I can't imagine how past cruisers could have done the Tang Dynasty show that night and then be ready the next morning for an early checkout. Because we have a second night at the hotel, we don't have to pack up our things until tonight or even tomorrow morning.

The weather in Xi'an is wonderful. Warm but not hot, and sunny. No noticeable pollution, we have blue skies and can see the mountains.

Although this will not be relevant for most travelers, we chose the right itinerary so that the May Day holiday wouldn't have an impact on us. The holiday was Thursday, Friday and Saturday (essentially the workers trade their Sunday off to have the 3 day holiday). As I've mentioned in previous posts, we didn't experience bad crowds on our 2 days on the river. Yesterday there weren't crowds at the Chongqing Zoo. This might have been due to the fact that we were there relatively early, and probably also because it was raining. Today the holiday is over, so the crowds at the warriors were normal.

As for the warriors, I agree with the comments of the other posters. The local guide that Viking provided was great. And the lunch was one of the best Chinese meals we've had so far. Tang Dynasty show is tonight.

In Suzhou we visited the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden. Humble is very large and extremely impressive, but I liked Lingering better because it was smaller and not crowded. So I could get a better sense of what it was like for the family to have it as a private place for enjoyment and contemplation. We also stopped in at the Suzhou Museum, primarily so I could see the architectural design by I. M. Pei. I can't tell you much about the collection. We also went to one of the river towns and walked around the old town and visited the homes/compounds of an official and a merchant, then did a ride on the canal.

Melody arranged for a van and driver, the trip was very comfortable.

Today is May 2, and we visited the Shibuzai Pagoda today. Although the crowds are somewhat larger because of the May Day holiday, they are very manageable. Today started off very rainy, but by the time we left the ship at 8:30 the rain had stopped. It was still hazy because of the rain, so views from the pagoda were not that clear. Still, it was a very nice excursion.

If anyone has walking difficulties, it is possible to hire sedan chairs that will take you to the pagoda, otherwise it is a 10-15 miniute walk uphill. Our tour escort handled the transaction for us, and got us a price of 80 yuan there and back (for one person).

I also want to add that I am very impressed with the Viking operation. There is no nickel-and-diming, the way there is on many ocean cruises. Wine, beer and soda is available at lunch and dinner, and they are happy to keep pouring. The included excursions have been well done, with very good local guides. The staff on board ship has been outstanding. It has been a very nice touch that they have staff people stationed along the path when you return from an excursion, essentially from the point you leave the bus or arrive at the entrance to the pier, saying Welcome Back. And when you actually enter the ship there are wet cloths and fruit juice and ice tea waiting for you.

In terms of weather, yesterday the small boat cruising through the lesser Three Gorges was incredible. Sunny and clear, and warm but not hot. Today because of the rain it was more humid, but still comfortable.

I don't always have access to the Internet, but will try to answer any questions when I can.

I know that the Summer Palace excursion conflicts with the Opera, that it's not possible to do both. The cynical part of me wonders whether Viking makes more money on the optional Opera excursion, or even whether Viking needs a certain number to sign up for the Opera, and they had trouble getting it when people could sign up for the Summer Palace. Or maybe it's something much more benign, like people want free time for shopping. But another passenger was told that the Summer Palace was similar to what we'd see in the Forbidden City, and this kind of misinformation makes me suspicious.

In terms of the trip, we've been very lucky with weather and pollution. We were at the Three Gorges Dam yesterday, and had great views. By the way, I feel very lucky that we're doing the cruise in the Shanghai to Beijing direction. Today is May Day, and it starts a long weekend for the Chinese. The dam is expecting 30,000 visitors today. I can't imagine what it will be like in Xi'an for those who are on the April 28 Beijing to Shanghai tour.

Another report from shipboard.

The optional excursion to the Summer Palace is not even shown in the color brochure of excusions we were given on shipboard, nor was it mentioned by our tour escort when he was encouraging passengers to sign up for excursions. When I asked about the Summer Palace, the tour escort very definitely discouraged me from doing it, saying that because of traffic it would take an hour to get there and an hour to get back. Another guest was told by her tour escort that those who wanted to go to the Summer Palace would have to wait until everyone was finished with lunch after the Forbidden City to gather those who were doing the Summer Palace tour, which could mean waiting for an hour after the guest had finished lunch.

It was strongly suggested to me that if I wanted to visit the Summer Palace I should make my own arrangements. Since I'm staying on in Beijing after the tour I was able to do this, but I suggest that anyone who wants to visit the Summer Palace should contact Viking in advance and see what is going on with this.

We just received our travel package from Viking today for our Imperial Jewels of China trip starting on May 18. I noticed under baggage allowance that carry-on bags on intra-China flights "are not to exceed 8 x 16 x 22 inches and not to exceed a total weight of 11 lbs. I've noted from several people on the cruise that the 11 lbs is not enforced, but what about the baggage dimensions ? I have not been able to find a carry on bag that is only 8" (front to back). Most are 9 to 9.5". Is the 8" dimension strictly enforced ?

 

I hope someone knows the answer to this. Thanks.

I'm on the Imperial Jewels right now, having flown from Shanghai to the embarkation port of Wuhan. Weight and size restrictions are not enforced. Our tour escort pointed to a backpack and said that multiple carry-on bags of that size were allowed, that the Chinese airlines were trying to encourage passengers to take carry-on bags. So it's very different from the U.S. airlines, and the new policy some of them have about carry-on bags fitting into specific sizing. There was nothing like that on our flight. I would certainly not worry about the 8 inch dimension.

One thing to keep in mind is that you are not allowed to take liquids in carry-on bags, and you can't take opened bottles of alcohol even in your checked luggage. And no matches or lighters in either checked or carry-on bags. Or Swiss army knives. If the airport security people find them, they will be confiscated.

Per Turtle's comment about US currency being pristine, the hotel wouldn't exchange one of my $100 bills because someone had written 100 on it in pencil.

I am on the April 26 Imperial Jewels cruise, passing along info. For those of you who are doing this cruise. First, be aware that US currency that you exchange for Chinese money should be free of any pencil marks and the like. My hotel refused to accept a 100 dollar bill because it had a small notation of "100" in pencil. Markings like this are of more concern than whether or not the bills are crispy.

Second, I strongly suggest you arrive in China a couple of days before the Viling tour begins to get over jet lag. I arrived on Thursday April 24 for a Viking tour that nominally begins with checkin at the Viking hotel on April 26, and did a tour to Suzhou on the 25th. By late afternoon i couldn't keep my eyes open. I can't imagine flying into Beijing the day before a tour and being thrown in to heavy duty sightseeing.

Third, if you decide to come to shanghai in advance I highly recommend the guide we used. I found her through recommendations on Trip Advisor. She's in her 20s, studied in England, has good English, and is very knowledgeable and very personable. Her English name is Melody and her address is melodyhml@163.com.

Fourth, in terms of changing money, the rate is strictly regulated by the Bank of China. So we decided to bring US dollars with us and then change them at our hotel, rather than getting Chinese currency at an ATM as soon as we landed in China. This way we saved the commission and fees. If you do this I suggest you write to your hotel to find out if they charge any fees, and to find out the maximum amount of currency they will allow you to change each day. I should add that we didn't need Chinese currency to get from the airport to our hotel because we had arranged with Melody to be picked up at the airport. Cost was about $42, perhaps a few dollars more than a taxi, but it was worth it to us to have our baggage taken care of as soon

as we entered the Arrivals Hall.

Hope this info is useful. I will try to post again. Let me know if you have questions.

For those of you on the China trip this season, could you let me know how people are spending the extra free time in Xi'an, since the trip now includes two nights there. Is Viking making any arrangements for the free time, such as transportation to any sights?

Thanks.

Some people are heading to the Opera tonight, but after reading reviews on this board we decided to "rest our ears".

Red II, have you heard any reviews of the Opera from the others on your tour? Did people who went say it was good/somethng not to be missed?

Mark T, DH and I are just starting our April 8 - 20 Imperial Jewels of China tour today and are staying at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. You will not be disappointed - it is a lovely hotel with first class amenities. Location is within an easy walk of Silk Street if that is of interest and we took a 10 minute taxi ride to Glasses City today to get a pair of glasses for my husband. Staff at the concierge desk were very helpful with both maps and taxis.

Thank you for giving up on-the-spot reporting! I would particularly appreciate it if you let us know of things you brought that have come in particularly handy, or of things you wish you had with you.

The topic of vaccinations has popped up often on this forum so I thought I would post the information I recently received when I met with our provincial health department that specializes in travel health. As this department is run by our government the nurse involved has nothing to financially gain from selling me products I do not need as the health care is free of charge but the additional vaccinations of course are not totally covered. This what was suggested:

 

1) Hep A & B

2) Tdap - IPV: Tetanus-Diphtheria - Pertussis & Polio

3) Regarding Dukoral for travelers diarrhea the Nurse stated our Provincial Health department does not endorse this product. The nurse suggested bringing Imodium and not to eat any raw veggie including salad and only thick skinned fruit such as melons and oranges.

4) Many people on the China forum suggest bringing Cipro the Nurse stated that taking medication without first having a doctor confirm it is required can actually do more harm than good.

5) use bug spray when on the Yangzi even if there are only a couple mosquitoes

 

 

The travel clinic I visited in the U.S. suggested Hep A, tetanus, typhoid. Cipro was also prescribed with instructions to take for symptoms, without the need to see a doctor in China first.

I know that there are size and weight restrictions for carry-on bags on the intra-China flights. I have a standard 22-inch rollaboard bag, but if one carefully measures the wheels and handle, the length is more like 23 inches. So my question is, how strict is Viking and/or the airlines about a bag like this? I will definitely stay within the 11 pound weight, and I've never had any problem with this bag as carry-on for U.S. flights. I hope some of you past China trip travelers can give me the benefit of your experience.

My information in my earlier post is for those who obtain the visa on their own by going directly to the Chinese embassy. If you're using a visa service, check with them about timing, etc.

In case this information is helpful to other travelers, I went to the Chinese embassy in DC on Monday, Feb. 24, to submit the application for my visa, and the visa was ready on Thursday, Feb. 27. The line for non-Chinese nationals applying for visas was quite long, we arrived at the embassy at about 10:15, and were finally seen by an agent at about 12:10. I will say that the line started moving more quickly later in the morning, when they opened more windows. Be advised that the staff takes an hour lunch break at 12:30, so it pays to get there on the earlier side. The "interview" with the agent took about 2 minutes, she quickly looked through our papers, asked one question, and that was it. I will say, though, that I had been very careful in making sure I had all the required papers, including a photocopy of the picture page of my passport (as well as the actual passport), copies of the airline's emails with my flight information, and copies of my hotel reservations for before and after the Viking cruise. (I made my plane arrangements independently, and I am also arriving in China before the Viking tour begins, and staying on in China after the tour ends.) One thing to be careful about: the visa application states that it must be typed, so don't merely print the form and then fill in the information in block letters. Several people in the line with me found this out the hard way. And others forgot some of the necessary papers, and had to come back. I can't imagine having to do the standing-in-line routine twice.

I should mention that, although I had requested a two-year visa with multiple entries, they gave me only a one-year multiple-entry visa. Also, there was no requirement to enter China within a certain number of days. Given how quick the office is in processing the visa, I would suggest that there is no need to submit your application earlier than one month before travel, which is the time the Chinese embassy suggests.

Again, this is my experience with the embassy in DC, I don't know what the situation is with the consulates throughout the U.S.