Viking China (Part 2)

Mini (from 2009) say Category L with Entries M

And mine that I just got a week ago says Category L and under entries it says M. I did not request anything...that is what they automatically gave me.

Travelfirst - can you check your Visa and see if you had a L or G. Thanks

Thank you everyone all your replies to my visa quiery has made it obvious that I can get a L "tourist" visa designated for multi entries. Dont want to make a mistake that would hamper the trip of a life time.:)

We are thinking of taking Viking's China river cruise in 2015 on Viking Emerald. We live in Florida and enjoy seeing mountains and being a little bit cold without rain when vacationing. It looks like April and October would be cool enough for us. Any opinions on the month that would be good for us to travel?

Also, how strenuous is this trip once we get over to China? I'm a little concerned about the Great Wall, as I'm not good walking uphill and doing a lot of steps. Would I be able to walk a bit at my own pace and then stop and get back on the bus or would the bus already be at the end stopping spot? I am not elderly but I have arthritis in my knees and I try to baby them so I don't get a flare up. Are there any other excursions that I should be concerned about?

You can e-mail me at supersecdd at aol dot com

Debbie

Florida

I'd suggest reading this thread : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1495597

Petty much every question you have asked, or are likely to ask has already been covered.

It will also cover topics you didn't even know you needed to ask :)

I would be more concerned with the amount of steps and walking from the boat dock to the top of the river. Some places there were 200 steps from the dock to the top of the river bank. Also, remember that some toilets are the squat over a hole type.

The Great Wall was the least of the walking and you only need to go as far as you want up the wall and it is up and steep. You go back the same way, the bus does not move to some other place. One entrance that is also the only exit.

I'd suggest reading this thread : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1495597

 

Petty much every question you have asked, or are likely to ask has already been covered.

 

It will also cover topics you didn't even know you needed to ask :)

I second this advice,

OP: the Viking China thread is very active, and if you don't find answers to your questions there, you can ask and you'll get them. No need to create this duplicative thread. Also, no need to post your email address, people will respond right on the thread.

Also, remember that some toilets are the squat over a hole type.

 

Don't let this comment scare you away. Every potty stop that Viking makes has at least one Western style porcelain throne available if not more.

I suppose that you are asking why Mark_T and Turtles06 are telling someone to read the Viking China thread when this IS the Viking China thread.

The answer is simple. The CC powers that be have merged a new thread started by supersecdd on February 8 into Viking China. Mark_T and Turtles06 responded to supersecdd before the thread was merged on February 11.

We are thinking of taking Viking's China river cruise in 2015 on Viking Emerald. We live in Florida and enjoy seeing mountains and being a little bit cold without rain when vacationing. It looks like April and October would be cool enough for us. Any opinions on the month that would be good for us to travel?

 

Also, how strenuous is this trip once we get over to China? I'm a little concerned about the Great Wall, as I'm not good walking uphill and doing a lot of steps. Would I be able to walk a bit at my own pace and then stop and get back on the bus or would the bus already be at the end stopping spot? I am not elderly but I have arthritis in my knees and I try to baby them so I don't get a flare up. Are there any other excursions that I should be concerned about?

 

You can e-mail me at supersecdd at aol dot com

 

Debbie

Florida

When your group gets to the great wall, you will be on your own for the time alotted there, so you can go up on the wall as near or far as you want to at the pace you want to.

A place with a bit of level walking is the Sacred Way in Beijing.

Part of the Sacred Way

Also, in Shibaozhai, there is a walk to the pagoda and steps at the pagoda. However, you can hire local men to carry you back and forth (as shown below) for a reasonable fee. You probably would not want to climb the steps in the Pagoda.

Most of the stops on the river find what could be ba challenging path to and from the ship such as shown in Chongqing below. Also shown are the steps from the river to the busses at Chongqing.

Setting up the path from ship to shore at Chongqing

Steps at Chongqing

We are thinking of taking Viking's China river cruise in 2015 on Viking Emerald. We live in Florida and enjoy seeing mountains and being a little bit cold without rain when vacationing. It looks like April and October would be cool enough for us. Any opinions on the month that would be good for us to travel?

 

Also, how strenuous is this trip once we get over to China? I'm a little concerned about the Great Wall, as I'm not good walking uphill and doing a lot of steps. Would I be able to walk a bit at my own pace and then stop and get back on the bus or would the bus already be at the end stopping spot? I am not elderly but I have arthritis in my knees and I try to baby them so I don't get a flare up. Are there any other excursions that I should be concerned about?

 

You can e-mail me at supersecdd at aol dot com

 

Debbie

Florida

Our trip to China with Viking was in mid-May, and the temps were fine in Beijing and Shanghai, but it was starting to get a little warm along the river. If you like it a little bit cool, then I suspect April and October should be fine. But whenever you go, please do the research and don't book during the Chinese national holidays, when the Chinese themselves are traveling.

The trip itself involves a good deal of walking, particularly during Viking's first day in Beijing, when there's a great deal of walking and standing around on hard surfaces -- across Tiananmen Square and through the Forbidden City. This takes several hours. One member of our group rented a wheelchair for that morning and a porter to push him; Viking can arrange that. Also, there was a great deal of walking through the airports in China for our internal flights; at one point, I joked that we were going to walk from Xi'an to Chongqing, that's how far we had to walk to get to our gate in the Xi'an airport. Again, the Viking escort can arrange a wheelchair if you need one.

As others have noted, there's a climb either up or down the stone steps when you board (or get off) the Emerald, depending on the direction in which you are traveling. (The height of the river, and hence the number of steps to climb, varies of course.) There's a climb (optional) into the Pagoda at Shibaozhai.

The Great Wall, as noted above, is at your own pace, and you can climb as much or as little as you want, but you have to climb up stone steps to get onto the Wall itself.

Overall, unless you are on the bus going from one place to another, or on the Emerald, you are pretty much walking somewhere. I would describe the trip as strenuous, fantastic, exhausting, and worth it. :)

Edited to add: this is my 4,000th post on CC, and how fitting that it's about one of the best trips we've ever taken!

Our trip to China with Viking was in mid-May, and the temps were fine in Beijing and Shanghai, but it was starting to get a little warm along the river. If you like it a little bit cool, then I suspect April and October should be fine. But whenever you go, please do the research and don't book during the Chinese national holidays, when the Chinese themselves are traveling.

 

[snip]

Edited to add: this is my 4,000th post on CC, and how fitting that it's about one of the best trips we've ever taken!

Congrats to Turtles on her 4000th post and ditto to everything she said except about the weather. We, too, were there in early to mid-May, We experienced rain here and there and cooler temps on the river than in Beijing, where, by the time we got there it was downright hot for our walking tour of T-Square and the Forbidden City. While it wasn't the full on unrelenting 'hot and humid' of the summer months, weather was certainly changeable and in transition during the month of May.

I have been reading past posts on this forum and found an interesting conversation regarding bringing back tea from China and whether it is permitted. For those living in Canada here is a link to our customs branch which has great information on this subject -

http://www.beaware.gc.ca/english/brirape.shtml

Regarding tea specifically customs states "Herbs, spices, tea, coffee, condiments * entry permitted"

Remember to scroll down the page a way there are different restrictions for travel between Canada and US and Canada and other foreign countries.

I know I will definately be bringing back some tea from China.:)

We are thinking of taking Viking's China river cruise in 2015 on Viking Emerald. We live in Florida and enjoy seeing mountains and being a little bit cold without rain when vacationing. It looks like April and October would be cool enough for us. Any opinions on the month that would be good for us to travel?

 

Also, how strenuous is this trip once we get over to China? I'm a little concerned about the Great Wall, as I'm not good walking uphill and doing a lot of steps. Would I be able to walk a bit at my own pace and then stop and get back on the bus or would the bus already be at the end stopping spot? I am not elderly but I have arthritis in my knees and I try to baby them so I don't get a flare up. Are there any other excursions that I should be concerned about?

 

You can e-mail me at supersecdd at aol dot com

 

Debbie

Florida

I just booked the April 15 2015 on the Viking Imperial Jewels of China. The weather usually is 65 degrees then and I hate heat so this will work for me. I took their air and will look into Visa's later.

SisterPower - not Canadian, but I brought back lots of tea to the US. Some was in my checked luggage, and some was in my carry-on. My carry-on ended up being searched in Customs as a random case, and there was no problem. My tea was clearly in tea tins so it was clearly tea - no problem.

If you're going to Hong Kong, I would highly recommend Luck Cha Tea shop. There are two branches, the best one is in Hong Kong Park - the other one on Ladder Street on the Island near Man Mo Temple.

Another great city to buy green tea, particularly jasmine flavored, is Xi'an. Another good city is Guilin. There's a great tea shop in Shanghai on Nanjing Street but can't remember the name. I didn't have so much luck in Beijing.

I also bought "flowering tea balls" while I was there. They are little balls made of tea leaves, hand tied with a flower in the middle. When you pour boiling water over the ball into a glass pitcher, you can watch the ball open and "flower." The tea taste isn't the best, but it's really fun to experience.

Have fun and happy sipping.

SisterPower - not Canadian, but I brought back lots of tea to the US. Some was in my checked luggage, and some was in my carry-on. My carry-on ended up being searched in Customs as a random case, and there was no problem. My tea was clearly in tea tins so it was clearly tea - no problem.

 

If you're going to Hong Kong, I would highly recommend Luck Cha Tea shop. There are two branches, the best one is in Hong Kong Park - the other one on Ladder Street on the Island near Man Mo Temple.

 

Another great city to buy green tea, particularly jasmine flavored, is Xi'an. Another good city is Guilin. There's a great tea shop in Shanghai on Nanjing Street but can't remember the name. I didn't have so much luck in Beijing.

 

I also bought "flowering tea balls" while I was there. They are little balls made of tea leaves, hand tied with a flower in the middle. When you pour boiling water over the ball into a glass pitcher, you can watch the ball open and "flower." The tea taste isn't the best, but it's really fun to experience.

 

Have fun and happy sipping.

Thanks for the great information regarding tea, I have experienced flowering tea balls which are quite pricey locally and would love to bring back some from China as gifts, they are very special.

Viking China Roll Calls.

A July 15, 2014 roll call was just started.

Here's the entire list with links that I have. Are there any missing?

Forgive me if this question has been answered previously, I'm having trouble searching the thread. There are a couple of nights in Beijing where Viking has optional tours scheduled: a Peking duck dinner and an opera performance. What arrangements does Viking make for passengers who don't want to go to these optional events? Do they take people to an alternate restaurant, along with a guide, or give a voucher to eat dinner in the hotel where the passenger is staying, or something else?

After I posted the list of roll calls, two new ones were started

April 18

August 14

What arrangements does Viking make for passengers who don't want to go to these optional events? Do they take people to an alternate restaurant' date=' along with a guide, or give a voucher to eat dinner in the hotel where the passenger is staying, or something else?[/quote']

 

That is a great question Chloe's mom I was actually wondering the same thing. Anyone past cruisers have an answer?:confused:

Forgive me if this question has been answered previously' date=' I'm having trouble searching the thread. There are a couple of nights in Beijing where Viking has optional tours scheduled: a Peking duck dinner and an opera performance. What arrangements does Viking make for passengers who don't want to go to these optional events? Do they take people to an alternate restaurant, along with a guide, or give a voucher to eat dinner in the hotel where the passenger is staying, or something else?[/quote']

 

Okay, since no one else is jumping in, I'll start it off.

 

Last season, Viking made some changes in the offerings for the two nights in Beijing. It used to be Peking Duck and the Opera were one combine offering; now they are two separate optional tours. For those who do not opt for the Duck or the Opera, your meal is taken care of. Whether you go to the hotel buffet or you are taken to a restaurant, I can't tell you.

 

Some folks, in spite of dinner being included, opt to skip the Viking provided meal and head out to a restaurant on their own. A couple have been named and discussed here (and you can search the thread to learn more about them). One that is very popular is called 'Black Sesame Kitchen' (sometimes referred to here as BSK) which is actually a cooking school that does a demo dinner a couple of nights a week. Advanced reservations are a must. Another is called 'Made in China.' It is in one of the hotels and you go there to eat duck.

Some folks, in spite of dinner being included, opt to skip the Viking provided meal and head out to a restaurant on their own. A couple have been named and discussed here (and you can search the thread to learn more about them). One that is very popular is called 'Black Sesame Kitchen' (sometimes referred to here as BSK) which is actually a cooking school that does a demo dinner a couple of nights a week. Advanced reservations are a must. Another is called 'Made in China.' It is in one of the hotels and you go there to eat duck.

This is (as always) great info from Peregrina. For folks who are skipping Viking's Peking Duck dinner and the Opera, and who don't otherwise have another free night in Beijing, I would highly recommend having dinner on your own, either at a truly good Peking Duck restaurant (Made in China or Da Dong, for example) or at Black Sesame Kitchen (if the schedule works out, and be sure to reserve well in advance). The dinners that we had at Made in China and Black Sesame Kitchen were truly memorable, and I can't say the same for anyplace that we ate with Viking (as fantastic as the trip was otherwise).

I guess now that we're less than 120 days out I can start obsessing about more of the details...and the Peking Duck/Opera discussion got me thinking...

Looking back at the email I got with the schedule, it reads (edited):

"Day 1 Beijing

Fly to Beijing...then transfer to your hotel. After check-in, you have free time to relax or explore.

Day 2 Beijing

...Tiananmen Squae...Forbidden City...lunch in a local restaurant... free time to explore. Or, you may choose to tour the Summer Palace. Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera. (B, L, D)

Day 3 Beijing

After breakfast...Badaling Hills....Great Wall of China. After lunch of local specialties,...Sacred Way. ...dine at a local restaurant and relax at your hotel—or, enjoy an optional Peking duck dinner (B, L, D)

Day 4 Beijing & Xian

...tour Old Beijing’s hutongs via rickshaw. After lunch, fly to Xian..."

We also have a "forced overnight", so I assume that means we have a "Day 0" where we actually "Fly to Beijing...then transfer to your hotel", likely fairly late in the day? (I don't have the flight schedule yet), then, on Day 1, we really just have the entire day free on our own. I also assume that on that Day 1, we would have some sort of free breakfast at the hotel but otherwise be on our own for meals for all of Day 0 and Day 1, correct? Plus we're completely on our own as to any touring, activities or relaxing until Day 2, right?

Now, to those "optional" activities:

Day 2, it says "Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera." That reads like you EITHER eat OR go to the opera! That can't be correct, can it? Or does the opera trip also include food which will be different from the meal for those opting out? I am guessing my wife will demand to go to the Opera. She demanded we go to the Ballet the first time we cruised to Saint Petersburg. Of course, that ballet was terribly disappointed and we opted for other choices on subsequent visits. Is the Opera really good? Something we'd be fools to miss? How much do they charge? Does almost everyone go?

Day 3 says "dine at a local restaurant and relax at your hotel—or, enjoy an optional Peking duck dinner". Again, do most opt to do the Peking Duck dinner with Viking? What do they charge? Is it worth it? I'm guessing again that my wife will be "all in".

Other than these two events are there any other "Options" at an extra cost? (Note, we've already opted for the 4 night Giulin/Hong Kong extension).

Thanks...

My wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I all enjoyed the Viking sponsored Peking duck dinner. The women lived in Taiwan for several years and opted to skip the Chinese Opera and returned to the hotel. I went to the opera and enjoyed it immensely.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I guess now that we're less than 120 days out I can start obsessing about more of the details...and the Peking Duck/Opera discussion got me thinking...

 

Looking back at the email I got with the schedule, it reads (edited):

 

"Day 1 Beijing

Fly to Beijing...then transfer to your hotel. After check-in, you have free time to relax or explore. This day is all yours.

 

Day 2 Beijing

...Tiananmen Squae...Forbidden City...lunch in a local restaurant... free time to explore. Or, you may choose to tour the Summer Palace. Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera. (B, L, D) See my comments below about the opera. The Summer Palace wasn't "optional" when we visited, but I would NOT skip this.

 

Day 3 Beijing

After breakfast...Badaling Hills....Great Wall of China. After lunch of local specialties,...Sacred Way. ...dine at a local restaurant and relax at your hotel—or, enjoy an optional Peking duck dinner (B, L, D) See my comments below about dinner.

 

. . .

Now, to those "optional" activities:

 

Day 2, it says "Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera." That reads like you EITHER eat OR go to the opera! That can't be correct, can it? Or does the opera trip also include food which will be different from the meal for those opting out? I am guessing my wife will demand to go to the Opera. She demanded we go to the Ballet the first time we cruised to Saint Petersburg. Of course, that ballet was terribly disappointed and we opted for other choices on subsequent visits. Is the Opera really good? Something we'd be fools to miss? How much do they charge? Does almost everyone go? Not everyone goes; see my comments below.

 

Day 3 says "dine at a local restaurant and relax at your hotel—or, enjoy an optional Peking duck dinner". Again, do most opt to do the Peking Duck dinner with Viking? What do they charge? Is it worth it? I'm guessing again that my wife will be "all in". Tell your wife you can likely have a much better Peking Duck dinner on your own and make reservations to do it! :)

 

Other than these two events are there any other "Options" at an extra cost? (Note, we've already opted for the 4 night Giulin/Hong Kong extension). There is an optional made-for-tourist dinner theatre show in Xi'an (at least when we were there). The food was awful and the show was really made up for tourists. I would rather have seen the Old City walls if that had been possible. A lot of folks report on here that they enjoyed this show. YMMV.

 

Thanks...

With the caveat that our trip was in May 2011....

I went to the Viking Peking Duck dinner and the opera, which at that time was all packaged together in one evening. The dinner wasn't bad, except for the duck, which was not good at all. I do believe Viking does this dinner someplace else now, so perhaps the duck is better. But I can't believe it can compete with one of the well-known duck restaurants, like Made in China or Da Dong, and if you really want excellent Peking Duck in Beijing, you should consider going on your own as has been discussed above.

As for the opera, it had been "dumbed down" for foreigners into two stories of a half hour each. Prior to the performance, we had the opportunity to watch one of the performers putting on his makeup and costume, which was an amazingly elaborate process and quite interesting to watch. I like to experience other cultures and was glad I had gone. (My spouse opted to have a quiet night in the hotel and was happy with her decision. We'd arrived in Beijing three days early, so by this point we'd really been on the go.)

Steve, as Turtles said, "YMMV--Your Mileage May Vary," so here are answers to your questions from a slightly different perspective. I'm not trying to be argumentative but the more opinions you hear, the better a picture you get.

"Day 1 Beijing

Fly to Beijing...then transfer to your hotel. After check-in, you have free time to relax or explore.

Under normal circumstances, Day 1 is arrival day and for those whose planes land on Day 1, it is a long day. Don't plan anything if you are landing on day 1; even if you manage to sleep, the flight is exhausting. You will want a good night's sleep before the touring starts in earnest on Day 2.

Day 2 Beijing

...Tiananmen Square...Forbidden City...lunch in a local restaurant... free time to explore. Or, you may choose to tour the Summer Palace. Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera. (B, L, D)

Agreed. Don't skip the Summer Palace. Very different from the Forbidden City.

We also have a "forced overnight", so I assume that means we have a "Day 0" where we actually "Fly to Beijing...then transfer to your hotel", likely fairly late in the day? (I don't have the flight schedule yet), then, on Day 1, we really just have the entire day free on our own. I also assume that on that Day 1, we would have some sort of free breakfast at the hotel but otherwise be on our own for meals for all of Day 0 and Day 1, correct? Plus we're completely on our own as to any touring, activities or relaxing until Day 2, right?

Okay, let's see if I can make this clear--

Day minus 2--Those with forced overnights in Beijing depart home country on China-bound flights

Day minus 1--Forced overnight passengers arrive in Beijing and are taken to the hotel. Regular passengers depart home country on China-bound flights.

Day 1 --Forced overnight passengers wake up after an excellent night's sleep on luxury beds in luxury hotels and have the whole day to themselves. Don't over do it! Meals and touring are on your own (but double check about breakfast because I'm not sure and I don't what to mislead anyone). Regular passengers arrive in Beijing. Dinner is on your own for arriving passengers.

Day 2 --For all passengers, let the touring begin! You will be told on the bus on the way from the airport where to meet on the morning of day 2. If you do not have Viking transfers from the airport, ask the front desk to put you in touch with the Viking escorts so that you can find out where to meet on Day 2 morning. Full meal service begins with breakfast today.

Now, to those "optional" activities:

 

Day 2, it says "Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner, or attend an optional Peking opera." That reads like you EITHER eat OR go to the opera! That can't be correct, can it? Or does the opera trip also include food which will be different from the meal for those opting out? I am guessing my wife will demand to go to the Opera. She demanded we go to the Ballet the first time we cruised to Saint Petersburg. Of course, that ballet was terribly disappointed and we opted for other choices on subsequent visits. Is the Opera really good? Something we'd be fools to miss? How much do they charge? Does almost everyone go?

No one will miss a meal to attend the opera! Chinese opera is unique--and an acquired taste. A full production can last four hours. What you will get with Viking is a one hour or so introduction to Chinese opera with bits and pieces of various operas. Attendance rate is nowhere near 100%. For the record, we opted not to go but our traveling companions did, on the basis of it being a cultural experience in a country that they might not ever be able to visit again. Also, consider that after a full day of touring and with the after-effects of the long flight, an hour of entertainment is probably just the right amount of time.

Day 3 says "dine at a local restaurant and relax at your hotel—or, enjoy an optional Peking duck dinner". Again, do most opt to do the Peking Duck dinner with Viking? What do they charge? Is it worth it? I'm guessing again that my wife will be "all in".

Again, I will agree with Turtles. For a Peking Duck meal you can do much better for the same amount of money by going on your own to one the restaurants that have already been mention on this thread. I can remember Black Sesame Kitchen (not Peking duck, however) and Made in China but there have been a couple more mentioned over the years and maybe someone can remind us of their names.

Duck and Opera used to be done as one evening excursion; as of 2013 they are two separate excursions on different evenings.

Other than these two events are there any other "Options" at an extra cost? (Note, we've already opted for the 4 night Giulin/Hong Kong extension).

 

Thanks...

As Turtles said, there is an optional show in Xi'an. The stay in Xi'an is longer now, so I believe that there is now time to get to see the City Wall as well as see the Tang Dynasty Show. Turtles and I disagree on this optional excursion. As she says, your mileage may vary and as I say, that's why Baskin & Robbins has 33 flavors! We enjoyed the evening; we thought the dancing and the music was beautiful. I did not have any issues with the food; it wasn't any worse than any other dinner show that we have been to. However, the Tang Dynasty show is most definitely done for tourists--like the flamenco shows in Spain and the tango shows in Buenos Aires and the Folkloric shows in Mexico, St. Peterburg, etc. If these kinds of shows drive you crazy, you aren't going to like the Tang Dynasty Show either.

Also, Steve, I can't respond about prices because I have no idea what this year's pricing will be.