Viking China (Part 2)

[caribill]

Sounds like Viking is a well oiled machine except for helping with the luggage up the embankment.

 

Viking takes care of your regular suitcases. It is your hand carried items they do not take care of up/down the embankment or on any other part of the trip.

[Chloe's mom]

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.

[Going Coastal]

Question, ease, from those of you experience on the ground in China. Did the hotels have anything besides American breakfast? One of my favorites in Asia is noodle breakfasts and I am hoping I can look forward to that there, too.

Thanks so much!

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

[caribill]

Question, ease, from those of you experience on the ground in China. Did the hotels have anything besides American breakfast? One of my favorites in Asia is noodle breakfasts and I am hoping I can look forward to that there, too.

Thanks so much!

 

 

The hotels we were at had food sections representing various types of food besides American. You will not be disappointed. Asia foods will be available.

[Bruin Steve]

Question, ease, from those of you experience on the ground in China. Did the hotels have anything besides American breakfast? One of my favorites in Asia is noodle breakfasts and I am hoping I can look forward to that there, too.

Thanks so much!

 

Hotels we stayed at (Ritz Carlton Beijing, Hilton Xi'an, Shangri La Shanghai, Shangri La Guilin, Shangra La Kowloon Hong Kong) all had extensive buffets with American and Asian choices...Really some incredible spreads. I rarely ate anything "American"...

[Going Coastal]

Thank you both so much!

 

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[jkerr]

Wondering about the luggage restriction on the intra China Flights. Are they weighing your luggaage and your carry on? Can anyone who has traveled this summer or spring answer? Thanks

 

 

D & J

[caribill]

Wondering about the luggage restriction on the intra China Flights. Are they weighing your luggaage and your carry on? Can anyone who has traveled this summer or spring answer? Thanks

 

 

 

 

Rcent posts have been consistent to what we experienced a couple of years ago.

 

Checked luggage for everyone in your group is weighed together, so a couple of pounds over won't hurt. If the total is over by an amount the airline cares about, the guide may have to pay for the extra and may or may not ask for some money from the group.

 

Nobody has posted that their carryon items were weighed.

 

By the way, be sure not to have any loose batteries in your checked luggage as they may be detected and you may be asked to open your suitcase.

 

Also be aware that no liquids are allowed to be brought in carryons on the internal flights. Not even in 3.3 oz containers. Not even water purchased after security.

[Bruin Steve]

Wondering about the luggage restriction on the intra China Flights. Are they weighing your luggaage and your carry on? Can anyone who has traveled this summer or spring answer? Thanks

 

Here's the thing: We never personally checked in our luggage for any of the flights inside China... Viking did this for us... We just left the checked luggage outside our hotel room at the given time...They picked it up and took it to the airport for us...We could sort of see it all being checked in...from about 50 yards away across the terminal...maybe... then our tour escort came over and handed us our boarding passes. We never saw anyone in our group being questioned about being overweight...

 

BUT...We also saw no reason to risk it...We were packed at under 44 pounds and kept it that way...

We had very lightweight (8 pound) rolling duffles, so it wasn't very hard to keep the weight under. In fact, in retrospect, we clearly overpacked for the trip...

 

Whenever we bought souvenirs in the various cities, we kept those in our carry-ons...until the final flight home when we were allowed 50 pounds...

 

NOTE: We do NOT know and/or cannot verify that any luggage was "weighed together" in any of the Chinese airports...As I said, all of us were asked to wait for our tour escort in a set location away from the checkin counter at each airport. no one saw what transpired in the way of any weighing.

 

As to carry-ons, these were never weighed.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[jkerr]

Thanks for getting back to me. I am sure we will not go over the weight limits, but was just wondering how tight the 11 pounds carry on was enforced. Was your wife allowed a purse and a carry on? Or did she need to pack the purse into her carry on ? Thanks

 

 

D & J

[caribill]

Thanks for getting back to me. I am sure we will not go over the weight limits, but was just wondering how tight the 11 pounds carry on was enforced. Was your wife allowed a purse and a carry on? Or did she need to pack the purse into her carry on ? Thanks

 

 

 

Purse and carryon was OK.

[jkerr]

Thanks so much. That takes a little of the worry out of the intra flights for me!!! Or maybe a lot of the worry.

 

 

D & J

[Peregrina651]

Wondering about the luggage restriction on the intra China Flights. Are they weighing your luggaage and your carry on? Can anyone who has traveled this summer or spring answer? Thanks

 

 

D & J

 

All that said, remember that you have to carry your carry-ons on and off the ship.

 

You will not have to carry them with you all day while you tour. What you don't need on your person can be left on the bus, at your seat or stowed under the bus at the start of the day.

[jkerr]

Yes, that's good to remember. We only plan to carry a backpack each, but I was worried about having to include my purse, ipad,camera,...and keep it all under 11 lbs.

While I am here, did you change clothes in the evening on the ship for dinner and for the opera and other evenings out?

We are going in the last two weeks of October so it will be cooler. Also, did you use their laundry services on the ship?

Thanks.

 

 

D & J

[caribill]

While I am here, did you change clothes in the evening on the ship for dinner and for the opera and other evenings out?

 

Dress is casual all meals on the ship and the land evening events. If you became hot and sweaty during the day, people would change, but not into anything fancy, just not shorts or tee-shirts.

[jkerr]

Thanks! I don't want to over pack, so thanks for the details.

 

 

 

D & J

[Chloe's mom]

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.

[caribill]

As well as the box lunches that Viking provided.

 

We had to drink the liquids in that box meal before going through security. Made for a very dry meal later.

[Floridiana]

There is a container with water in the box lunch provided by the Chinese airlines.

[Floridiana]

While I am here, did you change clothes in the evening on the ship for dinner and for the opera and other evenings out?

We are going in the last two weeks of October so it will be cooler. Also, did you use their laundry services on the ship?

Thanks.

D & J

 

We were not on a ship chartered by Viking, but a similar one. No evening wear ever necessary, not on the ship, not for other evening events.

 

We used the laundry service on the ship, the cost was much more reasonable than in the hotels and the laundry came back perfectly clean and folded.

 

If we ever go back to China and I would love to, we will take less clothes and smaller suitcases! We each had one large suitcase for our 4 week trip. In addition, I had a really small rolling board case and my husband had a small backpack.

[Peregrina651]

Yes, that's good to remember. We only plan to carry a backpack each, but I was worried about having to include my purse, ipad,camera,...and keep it all under 11 lbs.

While I am here, did you change clothes in the evening on the ship for dinner and for the opera and other evenings out?

We are going in the last two weeks of October so it will be cooler. Also, did you use their laundry services on the ship?

Thanks.

 

 

D & J

 

Viking posts its prices for laundry on its website. Look in the Cruise-FAQ section for this and other helpful information such as dress code, internet info, beverage package, voltage, etc.

 

We made liberal use of the laundry during our 10 day Cultural Delights cruise; it was an essential component of our pack-light-no-checked-luggage travel plan (which worked until we realized just how much shopping we had done). Everything came back in perfect order. [N.B. There is no dry-cleaning on the ship, only laundry service.]

 

.

[Peregrina651]

There is a container with water in the box lunch provided by the Chinese airlines.

 

I'm not sure that this applies to anyone traveling with Viking (except perhaps those doing Tibet). I don't remember being served any food on our intra-China flights as they were short flights. Moreover, not everyone gets boxed lunches/breakfasts to carry on the plane. It depends on what time of day your flight is. If, because of flight times, your group can't make it to the meal venue during meal hours, Viking takes care of it with boxed meals.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Peregrina651

[Floridiana]

We had 7 intra-China flights and food and drink was provided on the plane to all passengers by the airline . All our flights were 2 hours or longer. We also bought bottled water near the gate in some airports where it was available. Again, not a Viking trip.

[zumaqueen]

Steve, just read through trip advisor reviews of both the Xian Hilton and the Crown Plaza. Both seem to have problems. Your input appreciated.

Thanks

[algaes]

- Gifts for students

You place the gifts you carried all the way from the U.S. in general collection bins monitored by an adult. They is no direct gift giving to students. Guide mentioned, on bus as we were headed to the school, that the schools have been overwhelmed with the most common items (pencils, pens, etc.). There is a collection box manned by students for those making optional cash donations. Having been there, I would have skipped bring a gift and made a very modest yuan donation from both of us.

 

- Luggage weight restrictions for intra-China flights

No one cares or checks whether for carry-on or checked luggage. Viking polices the number of bags and I assume people are abiding by the pre-trip guidance as to quantity of bags on trip. Checked bags are handled for the entire group of 34 travelers or so. Be sensible and don't fret. If you passed check-in for your flight to China without paying overages then you'' be fine in China.

 

- Laundry on ship

There are price lists available from Viking (see website) and they are the typical per item gouge lists. We each sent 2 tops in for laundry on the first cruise morning as we had done so many changes due to sweating from the sun, heat and physical exertion (and it actually wasn't that bad in May '14 when we went). Clothes were nicely done and returned late same day.

 

P.S. Hotel front desks were good for breaking large denominations into smaller bills. If you are lucky enough to be assigned to Kerry Hotel, they were very gracious about such requests. Just remember to hand everything with both hands extended and accept anything handed to you with both hands. You'll get a smile in most cases if you comply with this social custom. I even did this at the Chinese restaurant back home when paying my bill and was complimented for my good manners.