Viking China (Part 2)

[Kohola]

I use Yahoo mail and was wondering if it would be accessible. Are other pax having the issue as well? If there is a "preferred" email provider, I should get an address to use for this trip.

Diane

There doesn't seem to be a provider that is more accessible than any other...sometimes people with there own laptop can gain access or one computer station works better than others, but it seems to be random. Tonight I can access CC without a problem while the ship is transiting from Yueyang to Jingzhou, but can't reach AOL. Yesterday and earlier today I accessed my e-mail without any problems.

Going westbound Wuhan is reached in the morning, while eastbound you see the city lit up as you spend the night docked. At the Museum in Wuhan the bells are in a temporary auditorium that is quite small. They only play a few songs and the young ladies with the long sleeves don't perform.

I have eaten spicy duck necks, feet, tongue, duck tripe, lotus flower root, and pickled radishes from small shops where the locals eat without any ill effects. I also eat some of the same meals as the ship's crew...authentic Chinese food.

Tonight during the Daily Briefing for visiting the school I saw myself in one of the slides taken during our visit 3 years ago...quite a shock.

Our guide is Jin this time...we had Terry last time. Larry, ShanShan,Jessie,Jenna,Charles,Duan,Jamie are also on board.

[Turtles06]

Our guide is Jin this time...we had Terry last time. Larry, ShanShan,Jessie,Jenna,Charles,Duan,Jamie are also on board.

 

Jin was our guide last May on Imperial Jewels from Beijing to Shanghai. He was AWESOME!!!! Please tell him hello from his friends on the May 15, 2011 tour! :)

 

I hope you continue to have a great trip!

[caribill]

Our guide is Jin this time...we had Terry last time. Larry, ShanShan,Jessie,Jenna,Charles,Duan,Jamie are also on board.

 

Huang was our (excellent) guide two years ago. Looks as if he is no longer with them.

[swanny727]

Thanks for the info Peregrina, caribill and kohola. I will use my regular email and hope for a good connection. We are doing the June 4 trip and haven't found any others going at that time :( I started a roll call to no avail.

Oh well, I am getting excited reading all the tips/reports here.

[Turtles06]

Thanks for the info Peregrina, caribill and kohola. I will use my regular email and hope for a good connection. We are doing the June 4 trip and haven't found any others going at that time :( I started a roll call to no avail.

Oh well, I am getting excited reading all the tips/reports here.

 

I think it's pretty well accepted that only a very small percentage of the cruising population is aware of CC. Add to this the fact that you have fewer than 300 people on your trip, and the chance of anyone else on your trip also being on CC is pretty minimal.

 

Don't let that get you down. Just keep being excited about the fact that you are soon going to have an amazing journey!

[Peregrina651]

I think it's pretty well accepted that only a very small percentage of the cruising population is aware of CC. Add to this the fact that you have fewer than 300 people on your trip, and the chance of anyone else on your trip also being on CC is pretty minimal.

 

Don't let that get you down. Just keep being excited about the fact that you are soon going to have an amazing journey!

 

 

Agreed! I think of this thread as the 'roll call' for all of Viking's China trips. Much better than spreading an already very small audience over multiple threads.

 

Swanny, one thing that you can do is to put a link to your roll call in your signature file. That way every time you post, no matter where you post on CC you are pointing folks to the roll call. Don't forget our loyal listening audience, those who read but haven't posted yet. You never know who will be viewing you posts and just maybe it will be someone who will be cruising with you.

 

Larry was our guide in May, 2010. He wore a citrine yellow jacket that was so easy to pick out in a crowd! Tell him hello from Andrea and Herb. We still talk about our China trip.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

Huang was our (excellent) guide two years ago. Looks as if he is no longer with them.

 

Not necessarily so. Just because he isn't on this trip doesn't mean he is no longer with Viking. He may have been on the prior cruise and continued on to Shanghai with them.

 

Viking China is an amazing juggling act for the schedulers since there are multiple groups in country at any one time. When you dock in Chongqing, there is another group waiting to board and that group has already been in Beijing for two nights and Xi'an for another, and maybe even Tibet. As that group makes its way back down the river to Wuhan, you will be heading off to Beijing, Xi'an and maybe Tibet, while yet another group will be landing in Shanghai and making its way to Wuhan.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Peregrina651

[swanny727]

trying to follow Peregrina instructions for links. if this doesnt work, i won't keep bothering you with my attempts :)

Diane

June 4, 2012 Viking Emerald Roll call

Edited April 4, 2012 by swanny727
heehee, i think it worked. thanks for the lesson

[Peregrina651]

trying to follow Peregrina instructions for links. if this doesnt work, i won't keep bothering you with my attempts :)

Diane

June 4, 2012 Viking Emerald Roll call

 

 

Since I keep telling everyone to use a sig file, let me tell you how to do it.

 

A sig file is different from embedding a link in a single post. A signature file is designed once and then automatically attached to every post you make-- unless you uncheck the "Show your signature box" which is in 'additional options' below the 'Submit Reply' button on the Reply to Thread page. I try to post my sig file only once per page because it is so long. Moreover, when you make changes to your sig file, it is automatically updated in all of your old posts.

 

Step 1: Go to the User Control Panel. At the top of every page is the Cruise Critic header. At the bottom of the header is a yellow band with a series of links: User CP, FAQ, etc. Click on USER CP (it stands for User Control Panel)

 

Step 2: On the left side of the page is a list of options: Edit this, Edit that, Edit Signature-No Advertising Allowed. Click on Edit Signature. BTW, The No Advertising Allowed means no commercial advertising and nothing will get you into hot water faster than advertising your business, especially if it is travel related.

 

Step3: Scroll down until you see the Edit Signature section. It is just like writing a post. You can choose fonts, colors, etc. You can also embed links, countdown clocks (CC or outside sources), images and e-mail addresses. Your sig file can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. When you are done, click preview to see how it will look and when you are done fine tuning it, click Save Signature. (Scroll down to find the preview and the save buttons). You can edit your sig file as often as you wish; just repeat these instructions.

 

If you need help, I'll be glad to give it. Just e-mail me using the link in my sig (on one of the posts above this one), so we won't clog the thread with off-topic chatter. Put something about Cruise Critic in the subject line so I will know it isn't spam.

 

BTW, because of server space considerations, CC encourages sig files rather than a do it yourself file that you cut and paste into every post you write. If you get your notifications as a daily or weekly journal, you will notice that signatures are not included in the journal, making it much easier to read.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Peregrina651

[Lori Dobson]

Hello All,

For those of you that have already been on the china cruise, especially those who had a few nights on their own, did you take a power adapter/converter with you? I am desperately trying to find a good one but all of the ones I have found online have terrible reviews. I leave for China trip #1 in just a few weeks so any help you can offer is much appreciated!:)

Lori

[Turtles06]

Hello All,

 

For those of you that have already been on the china cruise, especially those who had a few nights on their own, did you take a power adapter/converter with you? I am desperately trying to find a good one but all of the ones I have found online have terrible reviews. I leave for China trip #1 in just a few weeks so any help you can offer is much appreciated!:)

 

Lori

 

I took adapters with us. There's a great on line site (I don't have the info in my office) that sells adapters for specific countries, and we bought the China set before we left. BUT it turned out that our hotels in Shanghai and Beijing actually had adapters built into the outlets. I would still try to find one if I were you, in case. (I'll see if I can locate the site we used.) I also have a universal adapter that I always travel with.

 

You are not likely to need a converter: most things that you'll need to charge (camera batteries, laptop, cell phone, etc.) are dual voltage now. All you need is an adapter (or a great hotel!). Check your appliances/batteries -- it will say if they are dual voltage.

 

Edited to add: I just found the web site I ordered the adapters from, International Electrical Supplies; this is the China page:

 

http://international-electrical-supplies.com/china-plug-adapters.html

Edited April 4, 2012 by Turtles06

[caribill]

Hello All,

 

For those of you that have already been on the china cruise, especially those who had a few nights on their own, did you take a power adapter/converter with you? I am desperately trying to find a good one but all of the ones I have found online have terrible reviews. I leave for China trip #1 in just a few weeks so any help you can offer is much appreciated!:)

 

Lori

 

Your local Wal-Mart should have a reasonably priced set that includes a converter plus a set of plugs that can be used worldwide.

[Lori Dobson]

I took adapters with us. There's a great on line site (I don't have the info in my office) that sells adapters for specific countries, and we bought the China set before we left. BUT it turned out that our hotels in Shanghai and Beijing actually had adapters built into the outlets. I would still try to find one if I were you, in case. (I'll see if I can locate the site we used.) I also have a universal adapter that I always travel with.

 

You are not likely to need a converter: most things that you'll need to charge (camera batteries, laptop, cell phone, etc.) are dual voltage now. All you need is an adapter (or a great hotel!). Check your appliances/batteries -- it will say if they are dual voltage.

 

Edited to add: I just found the web site I ordered the adapters from, International Electrical Supplies; this is the China page:

 

http://international-electrical-supplies.com/china-plug-adapters.html

 

 

Thank you!!

[Peregrina651]

I'm into packing light. I left home with one snake-eye adapter in my bag and that is all I needed on the ship and in the hotels. As Turtles points out, all my battery chargers were already 110-240A ready and all I needed was an adapter to make the plugs fit. I found that the ship and the hotels were ready for international travelers and their electrical needs and my snake-eyes was all I needed.

[pilgrimtraveler]

As noted in the previous responses, you will be able to charge your electronics (cell phones, cameras, NOOK, Kindle etc.) in your hotel room and on the ship without an adapter and/or converter. If anyone is traveling with a curling iron, however, you will need a converter. Hair dryers were provided in all of our rooms.

[jcrandle]

As noted in the previous responses, you will be able to charge your electronics (cell phones, cameras, NOOK, Kindle etc.) in your hotel room and on the ship without an adapter and/or converter. If anyone is traveling with a curling iron, however, you will need a converter. Hair dryers were provided in all of our rooms.

DW doesn't need a curling iron. I just point out the current stock market page, and it curls her hair very effectively.

[Kohola]

Jin was our guide last May on Imperial Jewels from Beijing to Shanghai. He was AWESOME!!!! Please tell him hello from his friends on the May 15, 2011 tour! :)

 

I hope you continue to have a great trip!

 

I let Jin (or Fluffy as we call him;-))know that one of his previous passengers says hi!

 

Huang is still a tour guide with Viking, they currently have 30 guides at their disposal so not all are being utilized at any given time...our previous guide Terry did not know when his next trip would be when we talked to him.

 

We visited the grade school yesterday 4/4/12 local time...they met us with their band and the kids did two dances. The Emcees...5 and 6 graders spoke excellent English as the introduced the various acts. It was raining, but that didn't put a damper on their enthusiasim. We visited a first grade class...we had brought a spreadsheet with the alphabet, numbers, days of the week and months of the year in English as well as Chinese...they could recite everything in English very well. Most of the people in our group just stood as the front or back of the class without engaging the children...

 

Today it was 3 Gorges Dam...the observation hill is closed for renovations at this time. The weather was quite foggy, but has since cleared off so transiting the locks should afford a better opportunity to get pictures. We're having pigs ears and chicken feet tomorrow to given everyone a chance to sample Chinese cuisine w/o going to street vendors.

 

I want to encourage everyone to utilize the staff to the fullest...they have done an amazing job for us. The other day we had French fries, but there was no ketchup at the table...a word to the staff and today there was ketchup at every table in our section. Our waiters have our favorites beverages ready and waiting as soon as we enter the dining room. Each section was over 40 diners in it so the staff is really hustling to make sure everyone has a pleasant dining experience and a little personalized attention.

[caribill]

Huang is still a tour guide with Viking, they currently have 30 guides at their disposal so not all are being utilized at any given time...our previous guide Terry did not know when his next trip would be when we talked to him.

 

Thanks.

 

He is a great guide.

[Peregrina651]

dw doesn't need a curling iron. I just point out the current stock market page, and it curls her hair very effectively.

 

:d lol

[recyclelady]

As noted in the previous responses, you will be able to charge your electronics (cell phones, cameras, NOOK, Kindle etc.) in your hotel room and on the ship without an adapter and/or converter. If anyone is traveling with a curling iron, however, you will need a converter. Hair dryers were provided in all of our rooms.

I have a travel curling iron that works on both voltages. I'm assuming I still would not need a converter.

[luvvacations]

In china right now, camera charger and iPad charger just goes into outlet as is, no adapter or converter needed. Staying at Ritz Carlton Financial Street, really nice hotel. Our tour guide is Huang. Day 1 of our tour, so far so good!

[caribill]

Our tour guide is Huang. Day 1 of our tour, so far so good!

 

You have a great guide.

[recyclelady]

what kind of furniture is on the balconies of the Emerald?

[Turtles06]

what kind of furniture is on the balconies of the Emerald?

 

Two basic straight backed chairs. I don't recall spending much time in them...

[pilgrimtraveler]

Dear Recyclelady,

 

I would bring a converter for your curling iron - just in case. One member of our group "fried" hers when trying to plug it directly into the wall socket. Mine worked perfectly with the converter. Both curling irons were dual voltage.