Viking China (Part 2)

[Peregrina651]

If I remember correctly, you can add the tips for the ship staff to your onboard account, but the tips for the guide who is with you for the land-based tour as well as the ship needs to be tipped separately and in cash.

 

That's correct. You tip the local guides and bus driver at the end of the day's tour. You tip the ship's crew at the end of the cruise and only for the number of days (nights?) in the cruise portion and you tip your guide on the last night of the trip (not on the morning of departure since he might not be the one to take you to the airport) for the total number of days in your cruisetour package (not including any extensions).

[Mark_T]

Please do post after you get your visas and let us all know if everything processed without a problem.

 

One step closer, the online tracking system for the visas just updated to show they have cleared processing at the center and are now being processed by the Chinese Embassy.

 

So still on track so far :)

[Lola911]

So what are we to tip (amount) the staff on board the Emerald? I made some notes some time ago:

 

Assigned tour guide - $10.00/day USD

Local escort - $2.00/day Yuen

Bus driver - $1.00/day Yuen

 

No tipping to hotel staff, restaurant staff and taxi drivers.

[Lola911]

Can someone please comment on how they handled laundry. I am used to doing my own on cruise ships with laundry rooms. We are going to Tibet so during 18 days some things will have to be seen to.

[Bruin Steve]

Can someone please comment on how they handled laundry. I am used to doing my own on cruise ships with laundry rooms. We are going to Tibet so during 18 days some things will have to be seen to.

 

Well, for most of the trip, laundry was indeed problematic...For us, we were in Beijing for four nights--but didn't need anything laundered yet there...Xi'an two nights...then the river cruise-5 nights...then Shanghai 2 nights, Guilin one night, Hong Kong 3 nights...

 

So, except for the river cruise, there wasn't really any time to send laundry out and be there to see its return...plus we were fairly busy with tours every day as well...and you aren't exactly venturing out to find a laundromat...

 

So, the River cruise was the one real opportunity to have clothes laundered...

 

My wife sent several items to the laundry onboard (no do-it-yourself)...It was a bit pricey, but, hey, it's the only game in town...They were prompt and efficient...So, I'd recommend you take that opportunity to get anything you need laundered...

 

OTOH, I packed a few small foil packets of Woolite and washed a few T-shirts in the sink when we first got on the ship...But, it was so humid there that the T-shirts dried VERY slowly...it took days...Not really worth the frustration...

 

So, my recommendation is to bite the bullet on price and send what you need to the ship's laundry...

[Lola911]

Thanks Steve. We will be there first 3-weeks of October so we should feel milder weather. We won't be worried too much about freshening tees/shirts from the heat. Guess it will just be the unmentionables to get us through to the end. We have the Emerald cruise right after Shanghai and then Lhasa for 3-nights so will use the service at the hotel there. Thanks for your tips.

[WCROSBY9]

our flight doesn't leave until 5 p.m. do we have to check out of the hotel early or will they plan something for the day until checkin time at the airport

[Mark_T]

To be honest, even with a 5pm flight, you are not going to have a lot of time spare even if you check-out at midday.

 

By the time you've had a leisurely lunch you won't be far off time to head to the airport.

 

I doubt there are any organized activities though as it will be a changeover day with people leaving and arriving at different times throughout the day.

[Peregrina651]

Well, for most of the trip, laundry was indeed problematic...For us, we were in Beijing for four nights--but didn't need anything laundered yet there...Xi'an two nights...then the river cruise-5 nights...then Shanghai 2 nights, Guilin one night, Hong Kong 3 nights...

 

So, except for the river cruise, there wasn't really any time to send laundry out and be there to see its return...plus we were fairly busy with tours every day as well...and you aren't exactly venturing out to find a laundromat...

 

So, the River cruise was the one real opportunity to have clothes laundered...

 

My wife sent several items to the laundry onboard (no do-it-yourself)...It was a bit pricey, but, hey, it's the only game in town...They were prompt and efficient...So, I'd recommend you take that opportunity to get anything you need laundered...

 

OTOH, I packed a few small foil packets of Woolite and washed a few T-shirts in the sink when we first got on the ship...But, it was so humid there that the T-shirts dried VERY slowly...it took days...Not really worth the frustration...

 

So, my recommendation is to bite the bullet on price and send what you need to the ship's laundry...

 

We travelled in mid-may.

 

While on the ship, we did our undies by hand each morning (actually, we do them in the shower using shampoo--so no need to pack special detergent unless you have sensitive skin issues). Everything else we wanted washed was sent to the laundry. Rolling hand washed items in a towel before hanging was essential to the dry process. Even then, somethings were still damp the next morning.

 

One of our table mates washed her jeans in the bath room sink; even rolling them in towels, they took days to dry.

[icemom5120]

Some people have had their luggage and clothes get wet when on the cruise in China, but I do this for any and all trips. It's called Space Travel Bags, they are wonderful and add very little weight, or you can use zip lock bags. I have had my luggage left out in the rain as the ground crew got called in at the airport in JFK. The airport was shut down for several hours, a electrical storm was moving up the whole east coast. Our suit cases were soaking wet, but everything else inside the bags were dry. Also when TSA check your luggage they don't make a mess, the bags might shift around a little but the clothes stay as neat as you put them in there. I hope you give this a try, it really works.

[Mark_T]

One step closer, the online tracking system for the visas just updated to show they have cleared processing at the center and are now being processed by the Chinese Embassy.

 

So still on track so far :)

 

Process complete.

 

Collected our Visas from the center this morning.

 

Happy with the entire process, delivered everything to them on Tuesday, got them back today, 3 days later. Standard process, we didn't pay for any expediting.

 

Also got given a voucher for a special exchange rate on currency at the Bank of China which is right next to the visa center so picked up some cash ready for the trip.

[magnumtravel]

We are doing the Uniworld China Tibet and Yangtze tour leaving October 17th. Sent my visa forms in to Visa Central on Wednesday and yesterday received email that they are already processing. We need them back 45 days before our cruise so Uniworld can get our Tibet permits. I think I have finalized all of the details thanks to this thread. 3 extra days in Beijing and 3 extra days in Hong Kong with Sunflower LI. Was going to do the extension but found it cheaper to make my own arrangements and I could add a day for Hong Kong Disney.

[Lola911]

I am still looking for someone to comment on the TIPPING! See my previous post. Thank you.

[caribill]

So what are we to tip (amount) the staff on board the Emerald? I made some notes some time ago:

 

Assigned tour guide - $10.00/day USD

Local escort - $2.00/day Yuen

Bus driver - $1.00/day Yuen

 

No tipping to hotel staff, restaurant staff and taxi drivers.

 

If the $10/$2/$1 is the current Viking suggest amount, then yes.

 

When we tipping the Viking guide the last evening we used a combination of US $ and Chinese Yuan in order to use up our Yuan.

 

And, since China (other than tour groups) is a non-tipping society, you are correct about hotel staff, etc. No tip is expected. Tipping them is trying to change their culture.

[Lola911]

If the $10/$2/$1 is the current Viking suggest amount, then yes.

 

When we tipping the Viking guide the last evening we used a combination of US $ and Chinese Yuan in order to use up our Yuan.

 

And, since China (other than tour groups) is a non-tipping society, you are correct about hotel staff, etc. No tip is expected. Tipping them is trying to change their culture.

 

I do not know if that is Viking's tipping recommendation...that is why I am asking the question. It sounds like you have been recently so what did you tip? I don't want to give dregs or combination of money...I want to have the correct amount ready before I leave home. What did you tip the bus driver and daily escort?

[caribill]

I do not know if that is Viking's tipping recommendation...that is why I am asking the question. It sounds like you have been recently so what did you tip? I don't want to give dregs or combination of money...I want to have the correct amount ready before I leave home. What did you tip the bus driver and daily escort?

 

It has been several years since we went, so the Viking suggested amounts may be different now.

 

When we went the suggested amounts were:

• Tour Escort/ – $10 U.S. per person per day

• Local guides – $1-$2 U.S. per person, per day

• Coach drivers – $.50-$1 U.S. per person, per day

• Housekeeping staff on ship – $1 U.S. per person, per day

 

A few weeks before you go you should receive final information and documents from Viking. The information will include the suggested tipping amounts.

[Bruin Steve]

I do not know if that is Viking's tipping recommendation...that is why I am asking the question. It sounds like you have been recently so what did you tip? I don't want to give dregs or combination of money...I want to have the correct amount ready before I leave home. What did you tip the bus driver and daily escort?

 

Prior to leaving for the trip, I set aside envelopes with predetermined amounts of money--

 

1) $10 per day per person for the tour escort...plus another $10 pdpp for the tour escort for our Hong Kong extension...As it turned out, our escort was the tour escort for the Hong Kong extension as well...We tipped him entirely in US cash at the end of the trip...actually day before we flew out early morning at the end...combining the two envelopes and throwing in an extra $20. We did not have any Chinese Yuan left as we traded in our last Yuan for Hong Kong dollars...and used up our last Hong Kong dollars our last night in Hong Kong...

 

2) I set aside another envelope with an appropriate amount of US Dollars as if we would have a local tour guide every day and a local driver every day...figuring $5 for any tour guide and $2 for any driver...I ended up NOT using any of this US cash...Instead, I tipped the local guides and drivers in Chinese Yuan...As of our trip this past June/July, Chinese Yuan was trading at about 6 RMB per US Dollar...So, $4 US dollars translated to about 25 RMB, so, my standard for the local guides became 30 RMB and, for the drivers, 15 RMB (rounding up a bit from Viking Suggestions...it is a bit awkward to pass out small change, so multiples of 5 or 10 seem appropriate). Where we thought some guide or driver went beyond the norm, we'd add another 5 or 10 yuan--an extra buck or buck and a half is fairly meaningless to us...means a lot more to them. Paying in RMB rather than US Dollars made a lot of sense for these folks who would be able to use the tip money without worrying about exchanging it first.

 

We also found that we did not have a local guide or a driver EVERY day of the tour--for example, we had a free day in Hong Kong...and one day on the ship, we stayed on the ship...ALSO, for those local guides and drivers, most often, those people were with us multiple days...Our Tour Escort was very good in letting us know when those people would be with us another day or days...and we would wait and hand out the tips only when we said goodbye...

 

3) I actually set aside another envelope of cash for tips for the ship crew...BUT, never touched this as the tips were handled by credit card charge...at the same time we settled the entire ship account...

Edited August 8, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[Lola911]

Thank you Steve. I was hoping you were still out there somewhere to answer the question. We always do the same i.e. we leave home with different currencies in envelopes to be prepared in advance. Can you elaborate on tipping the Emerald staff. I gather you used plastic for bar charges/laundry type of thing. Did you just add X amount of dollars as a gratuity for all. I don't fancy leaving money on the pillow each morning nor tipping at meals. How are you getting by after loss of your mother?

[Bruin Steve]

Thank you Steve. I was hoping you were still out there somewhere to answer the question. We always do the same i.e. we leave home with different currencies in envelopes to be prepared in advance. Can you elaborate on tipping the Emerald staff. I gather you used plastic for bar charges/laundry type of thing. Did you just add X amount of dollars as a gratuity for all. I don't fancy leaving money on the pillow each morning nor tipping at meals. How are you getting by after loss of your mother?

 

While on the Emerald, everything is "cashless"...just like on the big cruise ships. You sign for drinks, laundry is just charged straight to your account--any gratuity is included (we didn't tip extra) so, no cash needed...and, at check-out, you are presented with an accounting and you pay by credit card...and, at the same time, they run a second credit card charge for your gratuities to the ship's crew...We had them charge these at the recommended rates...We did, however, put a little extra tip, in RMB, in an envelope for the waiter who seemed to take care of us at every meal...

 

As to my getting by, I'm doing okay...I think going on the trip was good therapy. Now, it's just dealing with all of the loose ends--the estate, selling her house...and dealing with my siblings...But all of that is another story...Thanks for asking.

[caribill]

The two main ways for tiupping on the ship are

a) On your credit card and charged before leaving the ship

b) A box (or other shape) into which you can put an envelope with cash.

 

Either of the above methods divides the tips up among all the crew on the ship including people you never come directly in contact with.

 

What we did is give an envelope with cash to the waitstaff that served us most of the cruise, an envelope with cash to our cabin steward, and then put the rest of the suggested total tip into the box for cash tips for the crew.

[Lola911]

Caribill...as you say you went on your trip several years ago. Do you think this "box" is still being used? Doesn't seem so according to Steve who just returned 3 weeks ago. Whip me with a feather if they have a "box" still...lol

[Chloe's mom]

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.

[Chloe's mom]

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

[Lola911]

Chloe Mom...thank you. You are the one who recommended Sunflower to me for Beijing. I believe we will get all our currency before we leave home, but good tip to have larger bills to deal with at hotels. Don't forget we live in "Hong Couver"...lol...athough that does not rule out exchange rates. Sounds like Viking is a well oiled machine except for helping with the luggage up the embankment.

[Happy Tourista]

I brought about $1500 in crisp $100 bills and I exchanged money in the hotels as we needed cash. I never used my ATM card and no hotel charged a fee for the conversion. That being said, we used very little cash all in all and I returned home a good portion of my $100 bills. Please note that hotels will not change yuen back to USD so we ended up giving our fabulous Viking guide a combination of USD and our larger yuen bills. It worked well, all in all.

 

Personally, I found it stressful to always be sure we had appropriate bills in yuen to tip the local drivers and guides. I made a note on the questionnaire that Viking supplies on the last day of the tour of my preference of a totally tip-less tour. I don't mind the whole tip being included on my bill (like Windstar, which adds $12 per person, per day, as a line item on your bill) but I'm one of those anxious people who worry about proper tipping. It's not the expense of tipping but the physical part of having proper change/bills, etc. I would be much happier without that stress.

 

 

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