Viking China (Part 2)

[pacmom]

A few years back DH splurged and got an Amex Platinum card. We decided to try for business class to China. We live in Ohio. For almost $15,000.00 they would send us Cincinnatti to Paris to Beijing and reverse from Shanghi. We asked Viking to do the same. For $8,000.0 extra we would fly Dayton-chicago-Beijing and reverse on way home. Cincy is a 90 min drive, dayton's airport a 20 min drive. Who would want to go to CDG on the way to China? So we will take Vikings air. They are sending us on American, so if they really go belly up, Viking should get us a new airline, I hope. Thought you all needed a good laugh today. Pat

[Peregrina651]

We just placed a deposit on the September 17, 2013 Roof of the World trip and really looking forward to it - even though it seems so far off. Any reason why Viking, with so many ships, does not have its own listing on the CC board? No biggie-just curious.:confused:

 

Probably because there just isn't as much board traffic for the river cruises even if they do have more ships. The ships carry 1/10th the number of passengers per sailing as do the ocean liners. It really makes a difference, especially when you consider that even the mainstream cruises only get a couple of a percent of passengers participating on CC. Then take your itinerary, over the years there has been just a handful of people posting who have done it. Most people sign up for Imperial Jewels. In fact even Cultural Delights has cut the number of sailings from 8 per year to 6 per year. But, don't worry there is a lot of information about Viking China that applies to all of the itineraries (so even if you have a question about Roof specifically, ask it, because if nothing else we might be able to point you in the right direction).

 

[Peregrina651]

Who would want to go to CDG on the way to China? So we will take Vikings air. They are sending us on American, so if they really go belly up, Viking should get us a new airline, I hope. Thought you all needed a good laugh today. Pat

 

Actually, on our cruise there were folks who Viking routed through Paris--and it was right after the Icelandic volcano grounded flights across Europe. :eek: But I agree with you, who would want to fly through Paris to get to China--and miss flying over the Arctic!?

[Turtles06]

Actually, on our cruise there were folks who Viking routed through Paris--and it was right after the Icelandic volcano grounded flights across Europe. :eek: But I agree with you, who would want to fly through Paris to get to China--and miss flying over the Arctic!?

 

I agree -- who would want to miss this:

 

 

(cell phone photo by turtles06)

[Queen of DaNile]

Thanks Peregrina, will do.

[Bushy H.]

Hi all,

Don't mean to be a buzz kill here but thought I would post this link to the CDC about China having a Polio outbreak and they suggest adults get a booster vac. They also have great tips on food/drink handling, one new one for me was to use an antibacterial wipe on any cans before opening since they could be stored in contaminated ice.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/...olio-china.htm

Going in 18 Sept 2012, Imperial Jewels starting in Shanghai. Started a roll call so those on that cruise can get to know each other. We fly in around 10:00 am so would like to find a good resturant for that night if anyone is interested in joining us. We like to go in a small group if we can find people who are like minded, it just seems more secure.

 

Hope to see more recent post on this route.

Thanks so all for sharing,

Mike & Bushy

[Peregrina651]

Don't mean to be a buzz kill here but thought I would post this link to the CDC about China having a Polio outbreak and they suggest adults get a booster vac. They also have great tips on food/drink handling, one new one for me was to use an antibacterial wipe on any cans before opening since they could be stored in contaminated ice.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/...olio-china.htm

 

 

It is not a buzz kill. The info on the CDC website is very helpful and it is good to have the current link where it can easily be found.

 

The best tip on food and beverage handling, however, is to stick to the food supplied by Viking and in venues chosen by Viking (that is to say the hotels and catering halls) or the few places named here on CC that people have used with no problems. Stay away from street vendors no matter how cast-iron you claim your stomach is and especially do not buy water from street vendors who have been known to refill used bottles with local water and sell them. Viking will give you all the bottle water you want so there is little need to buy it. IMHO, you paid a premium for this vacation, why miss a day of it unable to stray far from your cabin?

 

 

 

Going in 18 Sept 2012, Imperial Jewels starting in Shanghai. Started a roll call so those on that cruise can get to know each other.

 

Finding folks sailing with you on a river cruise is harder than finding folks on an ocean-liner. You have to be more pro-active. Put a link to the roll call in your signature file and then continue to post here on a regular basis. The link will help the one or two people who might be sailing with you to find you more easily and you won't have to keep repeating where to find the roll call each time you post here. Also, Viking has an FB page with discussions like these where you might be able to find people as well.

 

 

 

Hope to see more recent post on this route.

 

They are coming!! The first cruises of the year have not yet sailed but in a month the reports should start coming in and by the time you sail in September, this place will be jumping with folks who have returned from this year's sailings with current information, if prior years are any indication of how things will go this year. The Viking China staff is always tweaking things, trying to provided the best experience it can (although there are some things that just can't be changed and we have to live with them the best we can).

[stockman41]

My parents will be on the same sailing! Their airfare was arranged through Viking so their transfers are included...

 

Viking wanted $100. per person for both airport transfers because we purchased our own air. I have done this with cruise ships and you wind up on a big bus, sometimes waiting for others flights to arrive if their arrival time is close to yours. Then the bus sometimes stops at 2 or 3 other hotels before getting to the one you are staying at.

 

For $64. per person we have hired a private car with english speaking guide to take us to the hotel in Shanghai and from our hotel in Beijing to the airport.

[luvvacations]

We booked our own flights. We plan to just take a cab from the airport to Beijing and from Shanghai hotel to the airport. Looks like to cab ride will be less than 200 rmb for each trip (around $30 CAD).

[Turtles06]

We booked our own flights. We plan to just take a cab from the airport to Beijing and from Shanghai hotel to the airport. Looks like to cab ride will be less than 200 rmb for each trip (around $30 CAD).

 

We had booked our own flights as well. But we decided to splurge a bit and reserved a car from the hotel in Beijing to meet us at the airport. It was well worth the money after an overnight, 14-hour flight to do this. They had someone waiting for us at the exit from the jetway itself with our name on a board; he escorted us over to Immigration and through the teeming airport to baggage claim, and then to our car. Bottled water and towels in the car; very refreshing. And we never had to worry whether the driver was taking a round about way into the city (it's about an hour from the airport into the city), etc.

 

It was of course more than a cab, but on this particular trip we were glad we had done it.

[Peregrina651]

We booked our own flights. We plan to just take a cab from the airport to Beijing and from Shanghai hotel to the airport. Looks like to cab ride will be less than 200 rmb for each trip (around $30 CAD).

 

Make sure that you have the name of your hotel written out in Chinese characters for the cabby. You can probably print it right off the hotel's website.

[Bushy H.]

It is not a buzz kill. The info on the CDC website is very helpful and it is good to have the current link where it can easily be found.

 

The best tip on food and beverage handling, however, is to stick to the food supplied by Viking and in venues chosen by Viking (that is to say the hotels and catering halls) or the few places named here on CC that people have used with no problems. Stay away from street vendors no matter how cast-iron you claim your stomach is and especially do not buy water from street vendors who have been known to refill used bottles with local water and sell them. Viking will give you all the bottle water you want so there is little need to buy it. IMHO, you paid a premium for this vacation, why miss a day of it unable to stray far from your cabin?

 

 

 

 

 

Finding folks sailing with you on a river cruise is harder than finding folks on an ocean-liner. You have to be more pro-active. Put a link to the roll call in your signature file and then continue to post here on a regular basis. The link will help the one or two people who might be sailing with you to find you more easily and you won't have to keep repeating where to find the roll call each time you post here. Also, Viking has an FB page with discussions like these where you might be able to find people as well.

 

 

 

 

They are coming!! The first cruises of the year have not yet sailed but in a month the reports should start coming in and by the time you sail in September, this place will be jumping with folks who have returned from this year's sailings with current information, if prior years are any indication of how things will go this year. The Viking China staff is always tweaking things, trying to provided the best experience it can (although there are some things that just can't be changed and we have to live with them the best we can).

Thank you so much for the point by point instructions on making the link to the 18 Sep 2012 roll call, my husband created it so now we are "street legal" in spreading the word. ;>) Really appreciate all your input and guidance it is priceless! Super suggestion on copying the Chinese characters off the hotel web site. Still need to find where to find Chinese characters that say, "no fish" not allergic but I never eat it.

Have a great day!

Mike & Bushy

[Peregrina651]

Bushy, not street legal so much as just not having to remember to include the link each time you post. It is just there automatically, wherever you go, whatever else you say.

 

No need to try to copy the Chinese characters, just print out the portion of the webpage with the name of the hotel (saves any copying errors).

 

As for food you don't eat, just ask your Viking escort to point them out to you, especially if it something easily hidden in a sauce. They are very good about dietary issues and your escort and the dining room staff are your first line of defense. Also, there are choices at every meal no matter where you are eating.

[Bushy H.]

Bushy, not street legal so much as just not having to remember to include the link each time you post. It is just there automatically, wherever you go, whatever else you say.

 

No need to try to copy the Chinese characters, just print out the portion of the webpage with the name of the hotel (saves any copying errors).

 

As for food you don't eat, just ask your Viking escort to point them out to you, especially if it something easily hidden in a sauce. They are very good about dietary issues and your escort and the dining room staff are your first line of defense. Also, there are choices at every meal no matter where you are eating.

I tried to print it off the hotel but when I went to preview to print it the page no longer had any Chinese characters on it just English. I will have to download I think it is Acrobat from their web page to be able to print Chinese. The hotel offered a link but I prefer to go to the Acrobat web page myself for security reasons.

[Peregrina651]

I tried to print it off the hotel but when I went to preview to print it the page no longer had any Chinese characters on it just English. I will have to download I think it is Acrobat from their web page to be able to print Chinese. The hotel offered a link but I prefer to go to the Acrobat web page myself for security reasons.

I think that if the Chinese characters are on the webpage as an image and not as text that you can probably save the image to your computer and print it out-- and that is probably what I was thinking when I suggested printing out the webpage (unless the text image is white text to go over a dark background :eek:). A pdf file with the hotel name on it would work. The Shangri-La Pudong offers a printable information card from a link on its home page. The Ritz Carlton in Pudong offers a bilingual map with the name and location of the hotel.

But, you are right, our Western text computers will have a lot of trouble printing out Chinese text right from a webpage since most of us just haven't installed the needed files to make it work.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Peregrina651

[roothy123]

Just curious: Does anyone know of a site where you can check reported incidences of norovirus or GI distress on river cruise ships? The CDC or other similar site has a list of reported GI distress cases on ocean cruise ships, but I don't believe they have a similar site for river cruise ships. The only reason I'm looking for this information is because someone I know is interested in taking a river cruise and read somewhere on Cruise Critic that Viking had some cases of norovirus. Being a rabid Viking fan, I thought I'd check it out - although an occasional case of GI distress on a ship or two will not keep me from traveling.

 

By the way, if you've been on Viking as well as Uniworld, AMA Waterways, Avalon, Grand Circle Line or other river cruise lines in addition to Viking, your opinion is needed on a recent thread in the River Cruises section regarding which cruise line is best. I have been on 4 or 5 Viking cruises, and think they do a wonderful job, but have not been on any other river cruise line, so I couldn't offer a valid comparison. However, I was a little disappointed to find so many people implying that Avalon or Uniworld is so much better than Viking when my guess is that there really isn't much difference between the 3 lines. One person implied that Viking does not take care of its passengers when a deviation has to be made (for example, if water levels are too low to proceed) and that really got to me, as we experienced an unexpected problem with water and locks on the Danube, and Viking handled it beautifully.

 

Anyway, if anyone happens to know about Viking's norovirus record, I'd love to have REAL information and not just hearsay from one person on CC. Thanks. And if you'd like to check out the "which line is better" debate, it's under the Special Interest Cruising - River Cruises heading, or you can get to the same thread by going to the new "River Cruising" section.

Edited March 15, 2012 by roothy123

[jcrandle]

Just curious: Does anyone know of a site where you can check reported incidences of norovirus or GI distress on river cruise ships? The CDC or other similar site has a list of reported GI distress cases on ocean cruise ships, but I don't believe they have a similar site for river cruise ships. The only reason I'm looking for this information is because someone I know is interested in taking a river cruise and read somewhere on Cruise Critic that Viking had some cases of norovirus. Being a rabid Viking fan, I thought I'd check it out - although an occasional case of GI distress on a ship or two will not keep me from traveling.

 

By the way, if you've been on Viking as well as Uniworld, AMA Waterways, Avalon, Grand Circle Line or other river cruise lines in addition to Viking, your opinion is needed on a recent thread in the River Cruises section regarding which cruise line is best. I have been on 4 or 5 Viking cruises, and think they do a wonderful job, but have not been on any other river cruise line, so I couldn't offer a valid comparison. However, I was a little disappointed to find so many people implying that Avalon or Uniworld is so much better than Viking when my guess is that there really isn't much difference between the 3 lines. One person implied that Viking does not take care of its passengers when a deviation has to be made (for example, if water levels are too low to proceed) and that really got to me, as we experienced an unexpected problem with water and locks on the Danube, and Viking handled it beautifully.

 

Anyway, if anyone happens to know about Viking's norovirus record, I'd love to have REAL information and not just hearsay from one person on CC. Thanks. And if you'd like to check out the "which line is better" debate, it's under the Special Interest Cruising - River Cruises heading, or you can get to the same thread by going to the new "River Cruising" section.

 

As far as I understand, the US CDC reporting requirement is ONLY for cruise lines that call on US ports, therefore, Viking, and the other European/Asian river cruisers would NOT be required to report.

[Peregrina651]

Just curious: Does anyone know of a site where you can check reported incidences of norovirus or GI distress on river cruise ships? The CDC or other similar site has a list of reported GI distress cases on ocean cruise ships, but I don't believe they have a similar site for river cruise ships. The only reason I'm looking for this information is because someone I know is interested in taking a river cruise and read somewhere on Cruise Critic that Viking had some cases of norovirus. Being a rabid Viking fan, I thought I'd check it out - although an occasional case of GI distress on a ship or two will not keep me from traveling.

 

Ruthy, if you find the link or a CC thread on the topic, would you post it here. TIA.

[roothy123]

As far as I understand, the US CDC reporting requirement is ONLY for cruise lines that call on US ports, therefore, Viking, and the other European/Asian river cruisers would NOT be required to report.

 

Yes, that's what I read also, so I'm thinking there's probably no site that lists such a thing for ships returning to non-European ports.

 

All I know is that my friend told me that someone mentioned norovirus on Viking on Cruise Critic - but to me that doesn't necessarily mean it's so. Someone may have forgotten about the "don't drink the water in China" recommendation and gotten a non-norovirus stomach bug, for all I know! I would like to have real information before I decide it's true! By the way, I think it's kind of strange that apparently Carnival did not report any case of GI distress last year, with the great number of pax they carry. I think Royal Caribbean (or maybe it was Norwegian) was the same way. Does the younger crowd on Carnival just not get sick, or is Carnival really that good at keeping germs at bay? (Does tequila really calm your stomach as some people in the Caribbean suggest??!)

[roothy123]

Here's a link to what was posted re Viking and norovirus:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php/t-1113033.html

 

I have learned to take all posts with a grain (box?) of salt, as some people always complain or exaggerate about things. Also, the people who love a cruise are not always the ones who post. I just returned from a wonderful ocean cruise on Oceania, but people were complaining that a group of 200 Honda dealers took over the ship. Others complained because we had several nights of rough seas, and almost couldn't tender at one port because of the seas. I've cruised enough to know that some things are just not under control of the cruise line! I was just happy that we made it to every port and didn't have to miss any! I think this was the roughest sea I'd ever encountered, other than a small boat trip once on the Chesapeake Bay, which made a number of people green.

[jcrandle]

As to the issue of Noro, or other stomach distress on ocean or river cruise ships, consider that the virus is typically contracted via touch of a contaminated surface, and the virus remains communicable for several hours after being deposited.

 

So if you are on a ship, go on a shore excursion, touch a contaminated surface, and do not wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (the recommended hand washing time is to sing the "Happy Birthday" song while scrubbing). Then you go to dinner on the ship, and two or three days later ( the usual time for Noro incubation) start showing symptoms, who are you going to blame?

 

It makes you appreciate the detective work that epidemiologists have to go through to try to determine the source of a particular outbreak.

 

Yet, on Cruise Critic and other fora, we often jump to the conclusions of a poster who states that they ate at such and such venue on one evening, and by midnight they were grievously ill. No doubt what they stated may be accurate, but it may not be cause and effect, when held to the light of scientific reasonabiity.

[recyclelady]

I wanted to do this also because we wanted to fly American, but our TA said she was very hesitant to schedule this flight because if there is a problem with the airlines and/or the flight itself and you have to spend time in Tokoyo, one must have a visa for that country also and so we decided to go with her choice of flights direct to Beijing and direct back from Hong Kong......but I still like your idea of getting out and walking around.......

We'll hope I haven't jinxed us! I guess I would have to camp out in the Tokoyo airport!:o

[BlondieBlue]

I too found BlueDevil 75 info valuable. My husband and I are on the same trip as you are. We're getting there a day early to hopefully get a grip on our jet lag, although it never seems to bother husband. Are you bringing anything for school children?

[Peregrina651]

I too found BlueDevil 75 info valuable. My husband and I are on the same trip as you are. We're getting there a day early to hopefully get a grip on our jet lag, although it never seems to bother husband. Are you bringing anything for school children?

 

Blondie, isn't that a great way to start Viking China part 2? BlueDevil wrote a great synopsis of answers to all the questions people ask. It actually comes from a thread that was merged into the Viking China thread, which is why, for those of you who were wondering about it, the moderator's post which had actually created the newthread is now halfway down the page.

 

Hey, BlueDevil, where are you?? We could sure use your help.

[Peregrina651]

As to the issue of Noro, or other stomach distress on ocean or river cruise ships, consider that the virus is typically contracted via touch of a contaminated surface, and the virus remains communicable for several hours after being deposited.

 

.

 

And for that matter, you don't even have to be on cruise ship to get it--as my family will attest. I had two teenaged children hospitalized with rotovirus. It got us all. We had no idea where it came from but once it arrived, it was devastating. I truly understand why cruise ships with so many people living in such proximity are afraid of an outbreak.

 

Do your part to help prevent one.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Peregrina651