Viking China (Part 2)

[Going Coastal]

We received a notification from Viking and FedEx yesterday that our cruise package is on its way! This was a great surprise as we are 5-6 weeks out from our trip, and I was expecting a few more weeks of waiting. FedEx tells me that the waiting will be over on Saturday.

 

 

Did your packet arrive? Ours did this afternoon, after passports came this morning. Glad to be to this stage and hope you are, too. See you soon.

[Peregrina651]

We also fly Business but I think the Viking flights we will be taking are all one class and everyone will be restricted to their carry-on and a single checked bag of 33#. We will be arriving in Shanghai on an Ocean Cruise and plan to ship two 75# bags of luggage back to the US prior to getting on the Viking Cruise in Shanghai.

 

From Viking's materials for Jewels and Delights:

Baggage Allowance. Luggage allowances for intra-China flights are limited and strictly adhered to. Each passenger may carry-on one piece only with dimensions not to exceed 8 x16 x 22 inches (20 x 40 x 55 cm) and total weight not to exceed 11lbs (5 kg). Checked bags’ dimensions are not to exceed 16 x 24 x 39 inches (40 x 60 x 100 cm) and total weight is not to exceed 44.2 lbs (20 kg).

FUN33, unless you are saving space for shopping, the weight limit on the checked bag is 44# (20kg)

 

Past experience says that the checked bags are weighed en masse when Viking checks you in for the flight. So, don't get too bent out of shape if you are slightly over the weight limit; it will be offset by someone else who is slightly under.

 

Floridiana is right. Don't guess; ask. I'm not a 2015 passenger but maybe someone who is booked for this year can confirm directly with Viking that the bag dimensions are printed correctly.

[Live4cruises]

Wow, big day for you! Visas and docs all in one day. :)

 

Yes, our documents arrived Saturday afternoon, so we're official. Visas are in hand, travel diaries made, maps bought, books read. We are having company this weekend - as soon as they're gone, I'm going to open the suitcases, just because I'm so anxious to get going!

[Going Coastal]

But this five weeks will pass fast. It is already warming up in Beijing, but I am still going for layers. I will check on luggage dimensions tomorrow.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

[Going Coastal]

The checked bag limit for intra China flights is 44 pounds and 8x16x39 inches in final documents from Viking for March of 2015. "Excess charges may range from 100-200 USD"

Also recommends we lock checked bag.

Hope this helps.

[Mark_T]

The checked bag limit for intra China flights is 44 pounds and 8x16x39 inches in final documents from Viking for March of 2015.

 

That has to be a typo, as posted earlier, it should 8x16x22 for carry-on and 16x24x39 for checked bag.

 

8x16x39 would be a very strange bag :)

 

The internal flights do have much larger bag sizes than we are used to, but since you have to get there and back on airlines with smaller limits it really doesn't help much.

 

If it doubt just go check the China Southern Airlines baggage page for example:

 

http://www.csair.com/en/tourguide/luggage_service/checked_luggage/index.shtml

[Going Coastal]

It may well be. Someone had asked that 2015 guest check most recent docs and since our trip is the first this year, I was happy to do so.

[SFL]

It may well be. Someone had asked that 2015 guest check most recent docs and since our trip is the first this year, I was happy to do so.

 

WE ARE ALSO ON THE FIRST TRIP. WE ARE TRAVELING WITH ROLLING DUFFELS AND LAYERING. ALL CLOTHES LIGHTWEIGHT AND WASHABLE. AS AN FYI, friends who have been there said to bring the hand sanitizer packets and travel size TP rolls. Purell flat package sanitizers and travel TP are available from Amazon if you are interested. You may also want to check out a "Go Girl" on the internet.

Travel safe and maybe we will meet in Beijing

[Going Coastal]

Great. Welcome SFL.

[caribill]

WE ARE ALSO ON THE FIRST TRIP. WE ARE TRAVELING WITH ROLLING DUFFELS AND LAYERING. ALL CLOTHES LIGHTWEIGHT AND WASHABLE. AS AN FYI, friends who have been there said to bring the hand sanitizer packets and travel size TP rolls. Purell flat package sanitizers and travel TP are available from Amazon if you are interested. You may also want to check out a "Go Girl" on the internet.

Travel safe and maybe we will meet in Beijing

 

 

Really not necessary to take travel TP. Just take some sheets from a roll from the hotel or ship when you go on excursions.

[Peregrina651]

Really not necessary to take travel TP. Just take some sheets from a roll from the hotel or ship when you go on excursions.

 

Or bring a couple of almost finished rolls from home. That will be space where you can put your trinkets on the way home. Star stockpiling now.:D

 

Some other bathroom notes:

 

• Every bathroom that Viking takes you to has at least one porcelain throne.
  
• In some bathrooms, the TP is in a dispenser on the wall before you enter the stall. This is to discourage the stealing of TP from the bathrooms, a local custom. Take what you think you'll need before you enter--or BYO.
  
• Definitely have some sort of TP in your day-bag
  
• Not all of the bathrooms are HP accessible.
  

[Mark_T]

Every bathroom that Viking takes you to has at least one porcelain throne.

 

The only exception to that on our trip was the restaurant before the acrobat show.

 

But in that case it only required waiting until you reached the theater.

 

In all other cases there was always at least one, and often several western style 'happy rooms' available :)

[Floridiana]

Really not necessary to take travel TP. Just take some sheets from a roll from the hotel or ship when you go on excursions.

 

Exactly. If you need your own 'special', bring it from home, no need to order travel size.

 

I found hand sanitizer wipes better than purell. The wipes clean your hands as well as sanitize them.

[dkbustr]

We will be traveling in 2 months for the Imperial Jewels. For those of you who have been on the China trip, what sort of items did you take for the school children during the visit? What do you think they enjoyed the most? I know it has been posted that they have a donation box, but other travelers have given things personally in the classroom. Also how large are the classes on average? I would almost like to avoid the common items and come up with something a little more personal.

Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.

I received an email today that FedEx has the visas on the way back to us, so we are in excitement mode!

 

Mike

[caribill]

We will be traveling in 2 months for the Imperial Jewels. For those of you who have been on the China trip, what sort of items did you take for the school children during the visit? What do you think they enjoyed the most? I know it has been posted that they have a donation box, but other travelers have given things personally in the classroom. Also how large are the classes on average? I would almost like to avoid the common items and come up with something a little more personal.

Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.

 

What we believed is that they needed school supplies. Even though many such items in the USA were made in China, that does not mean the local schools can get them.

 

We brought both regular and colored pencils and gave them to the teacher in the classroom that we visited. Yes, those were "common" items, but ones the teacher seemed to appreciate.

[Rodie H]

Mike-glad you asked about the school supplies. I seem to recall posts about a box for monetary donations but would be nice to also drop off supplies.

 

Counting down the days. Glad to hear your visa is on the way!

[SFL]

I have read one of the highlights is Chinese street food

So,.. any tips on safe street food in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and does Viking give you time to sample?

Lastly, We are not fans of the Opera or Peking duck meals. So any recommended restaurants near the Westin Hotel?

Thanks for the insight:)

[caribill]

I have read one of the highlights is Chinese street food

So,.. any tips on safe street food in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and does Viking give you time to sample?

Lastly, We are not fans of the Opera or Peking duck meals. So any recommended restaurants near the Westin Hotel?

Thanks for the insight:)

 

If you do not go on the optional evening tours, Viking does include dinner for you that evening, either at the hotel at your convenience or as a group at a restaurant they select.

 

Of course, if you wish to find another restaurant on your own and pay for a meal there, you can do that instead of the included dinner.

[Mark_T]

Mike-glad you asked about the school supplies. I seem to recall posts about a box for monetary donations but would be nice to also drop off supplies.

 

They will of course politely accept anything you choose to give them, but cash really is the preferred option as it lets them buy what they really need.

 

Giving anything directly to the children is strongly discouraged though.

[Mark_T]

I have read one of the highlights is Chinese street food

So,.. any tips on safe street food in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and does Viking give you time to sample?

 

You will have free time to explore in all three cities, but street food is not a good option for all the usual reasons.

 

There was not a lot of opportunity for street food during the guided parts of the tour and frankly you are so well fed there was little reason to eat at other times other than for pure experimentation.

 

For other restaurants the obvious recommendation in Beijing is of course Black Sesame Kitchen (BSK), plenty of other reports in this thread and we were very glad we went on the adventure involved in getting there as it is deep in the Hutongs.

 

We booked to go there on the night that everyone else went to the duck dinner.

 

Fantastic food and a wonderful ambiance, unlike anything else you are likely to experience during your trip.

[cruzersky2]

Hate to be a downer on this one, but I am a middle school teacher in an "A" rated district. About half the kids come from low income families. I make regular trips to the Dollar Store to buy pencils, colored and regular, loose leaf paper, notebooks, etc.

 

I don't want to get into a political discussion about the Chinese gov't and how they take care of their school children. It is not exactly a poor country. But I wish people would remember that our own schools are suffering under budget cuts, and the added demands of new immigrant children coming to our schools. I suggest for every box of colored pencils, or supplies anyone donates, they drop off something at their local school. It will be greatly appreciated!

Edited February 15, 2015 by cruzersky2
typos

[Peregrina651]

I have read one of the highlights is Chinese street food

So,.. any tips on safe street food in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and does Viking give you time to sample?

Lastly, We are not fans of the Opera or Peking duck meals. So any recommended restaurants near the Westin Hotel?

Thanks for the insight:)

 

Honestly, there has not been much discussion of street food here over the past five years. Most of the conversation has been about avoiding it because of worries of Mao's Revenge, a bout of which will most certainly put a crimp in your vacation.

 

Your question is really two fold. First, what to sample and second, where to find it. Have you read about street food on Trip Advisor? I think you might have more success finding answers there than here.

 

From our trip, I do remember a lot of stands on the walk between the ship and the buses when we stopped to tour the dam. That may have been the greatest concentration of them that we had any chance of investigating. Some of what they were serving looked really delicious but with my stomach, I really had to err on the side of caution and not give in to temptation to sample the local cooking.

 

In any case, let us know what you find out and if you do get to sample the wares in China, we would love to hear about it.

 

[Mark_T]

Honestly, there has not been much discussion of street food here over the past five years. Most of the conversation has been about avoiding it because of worries of Mao's Revenge, a bout of which will most certainly put a crimp in your vacation.

 

This was very much the advice of our guide as well, it is not that the street food is necessarily any more unhygienic than it would be in our country, simply that we are not accustomed to the local range of bacteria in the same way the Beijing locals would not be advised to eat similar offerings in our home towns.

 

One other thought, on the ship there will be one meal where they prepare a lot of the more unusual food offerings so you will get a chance to experience them there if nowhere else.

[jkerr]

When went with Viking in October 2014, there were 74 in the classroom we visited.

 

 

D & J

[Peregrina651]

Someone on another thread asked about visas for Hong Kong.

 

The requirements differ by country. Visit the Immigration Department for Hong Kong. There is a lot of officialese to start but then a chart of which countries need what if you scroll down.