Viking China (Part 2)

[bayerisch]

Amazing! I am back to taking every opportunity to see everything that is being offered. I hope my energy level holds out LOL. Interestingly, my sister who is German and lives in Germany has a Germany friend who took a trip similar to what Viking is doing or maybe it was Viking. I will need to find out what Company he used, but he said it was the trip of a livetime and he would do it again in a minute.

[swanny727]

We brought several packages of wooden pencils and gave them directly to a teacher.

 

Even though they may have been manufactured in that part of the world, we were told the ones they can get locally are of lower quality.

 

 

 

 

I took pens, paper and lots of craft supplies (all sorts of things like stick on eyes!) that were flat and easily fit in the suitcase. At the school we went to there was a box outside to leave things like this so that they could be checked and given out to the children fairly

 

Sean :)

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Pencils are easy to pack and I'm sure I can find something more fun and crafty too. I was thinking crayons but that would not fare well in the suitcases

[Peregrina651]

Thanks for the suggestions. Pencils are easy to pack and I'm sure I can find something more fun and crafty too. I was thinking crayons but that would not fare well in the suitcases

 

I think we took a combination of #2s and colored pencils.

[swanny727]

Off topic, sorry, but, I wanted to say Stay Safe to the members of N Florida and any other SE coast. Beryl formed from the same system that hit us in Miami late last week with 58 mph winds, downed trees, 10 inches of rain and no power for several hours. Hope you aren't hit too hard.

[bayerisch]

:mad:Thanks for the sentiment. Was awake all night, but nothing much happened. Lots of rain/water, trees and limbs down and some power outages. Will spend next week cleaning up. You never know, the difference of 10 mph might cause havock.

 

Hanna

[recyclelady]

I'm the recycling educator for my county in Illinois and as a big part of my job I go to classrooms to talk about recycling, energy saving, resource conservation, etc. I give the students (K-12) pencils made from recycled paper as my giveaway. The pencils are actually made in China and if you sharpen them with a hand sharpener, pieces of Chinese newspaper become evident.

 

My kids here in northern Illinois think they are cool and are always showing me bits a pieces of Chinese writing they've found. Maybe I'll take a box of these along....!

[Jaxlady]

Hi Diane,

We are going on the June 1st tour leaving from Shanghai. Sorry, it would have been nice to meet you.

 

Rita

[swanny727]

Hi Diane,

We are going on the June 1st tour leaving from Shanghai. Sorry, it would have been nice to meet you.

 

Rita

 

Oh darn. It seems I am the only CC member going on this cruise. At least, no one else has admitted it. Have a great time - I guess we will cross paths in ChongQing.

[swanny727]

I think we took a combination of #2s and colored pencils.

 

That's exactly what I was planning!

[swanny727]

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.

 

Since we are leaving Saturday, I've been reading the Viking website. According to that, the plugs in China have the 3 flat, slanted prongs. Are you saying that US straight prongs will fit into the outlet?

 

As for hair dryers, website says:

Hair dryers & amenities

 

Your ship has hair dryers for guest use, as do most hotels. Your stateroom amenities include shower gel, shampoo, lotion, shower cap and vanity kit.

 

"For use" sounds like first come, first served, at the reception desk, for getting one. Are they provided in all the cabins? That would be great if I didn't have to pack mine :)

[Turtles06]

Since we are leaving Saturday, I've been reading the Viking website. According to that, the plugs in China have the 3 flat, slanted prongs. Are you saying that US straight prongs will fit into the outlet?

 

As for hair dryers, website says:

Hair dryers & amenities

 

Your ship has hair dryers for guest use, as do most hotels. Your stateroom amenities include shower gel, shampoo, lotion, shower cap and vanity kit.

 

"For use" sounds like first come, first served, at the reception desk, for getting one. Are they provided in all the cabins? That would be great if I didn't have to pack mine :)

 

1. plugs: last May:

 

A. U.S. plugs will not fit into a standard Chinese outlet. But all of the hotels that we stayed in in China were so modern and hi tech that they also had "adapter" outlets that accommodated our US plugs (for dual voltage appliances, which is what most electronics like camera battery chargers, computers, etc. are these days).

 

B. the Emerald supposedly had such an outlet in our cabin but our US plugs didn't fit in anythng in our cabin. I used an adapter I had brought.

 

I never travel internationally without the appropriate adapter(s). You never know what situation you will confront, and the last thing you want is to not be able to charge your camera batteries or other critical eletronics.

 

2. Hairdryer. We certainly had one on the Emerald. It was probably already in our cabin, but I can't recall for sure. We stopped traveling with a blow dryer long ago.

 

Have a great trip!

Edited May 29, 2012 by Turtles06

[Peregrina651]

Oh darn. It seems I am the only CC member going on this cruise. .

 

We are all with you in spirit even if we aren't with you in person.

 

Bon Voyage!!

[jayfan]

i will be taking the Imperial Jewels trip in September this year. We arrive in Shanghai at 2:00 and are staying at the Ritz Carlton Portman hotel. Does anyone have any ideas of what to do or see for the remaining afternoon/evening (if we're not too tired)

Is the hotel within walking distance to the Bund ?

Thanks for your help

 

Ruth

[Turtles06]

i will be taking the Imperial Jewels trip in September this year. We arrive in Shanghai at 2:00 and are staying at the Ritz Carlton Portman hotel. Does anyone have any ideas of what to do or see for the remaining afternoon/evening (if we're not too tired)

Is the hotel within walking distance to the Bund ?

Thanks for your help

 

Ruth

 

We didn't stay at this hotel, so I can't answer the hotel question, but I would make the suggestion that you do some research and pick a good restaurant for dinner (if you think you won't be too tired to enjoy it). While the food that we ate with Viking was, for the most part, fine, the best Chinese food dinners we had were on our own in Beijing (where we started).

 

Also, the Bund is particularly beautiful at night, so if you can get over there for a stroll then (or on the next night), it would be worth it.

 

Have a great trip!

[Kohola]

i will be taking the Imperial Jewels trip in September this year. We arrive in Shanghai at 2:00 and are staying at the Ritz Carlton Portman hotel. Does anyone have any ideas of what to do or see for the remaining afternoon/evening (if we're not too tired)

Is the hotel within walking distance to the Bund ?

Thanks for your help

Ruth

 

The RC-Portman is over 3 miles from the Bund, but Nanjing Road where the hotel is located is a mega-shopping area. I would suggest asking the concierge or the Tour Escort that greets you at the airport for both interesting local shopping and dining experiences. Peking Duck is available across China and many of the same restaurant names found in Beijing are located in Shanghai as well. Quanjude (全聚德烤鸭店) is probably the most well known name.

 

The Portman is home to the Shanghai Centre Theatre where the acrobatic show is performed; you can walk home after the performance. Jingan Park and Jingan Temple are both located minutes away for relaxing and people watching.

 

I agree with Turtles06 about spending that first evening on the Bund. You will not have time after the tour starts. China turns out its lights at 10pm literally, so the Bund is out of the question on Day 2 if you attend the acrobatic show.

[Peregrina651]

i will be taking the Imperial Jewels trip in September this year. We arrive in Shanghai at 2:00 and are staying at the Ritz Carlton Portman hotel. Does anyone have any ideas of what to do or see for the remaining afternoon/evening (if we're not too tired)

Is the hotel within walking distance to the Bund ?

Thanks for your help

 

Ruth

 

We went shopping for pearls at Pearl City on the Nanjing Road. While still not cheap, we bought three strands for the price of one at one the name brand jewelers in the mall. We were buying gifts. It was quite an experience since each necklace that we bought was custom-made, bargained for and strung while we watched.

Edited May 31, 2012 by Peregrina651

[Lori Dobson]

Hello Everyone,

Just returned from a 10 day trip to Beijing - our Viking tour is Aug. 30th 2012 but I wanted to chime in about Peking Duck for those interested - had it on 2 occasions while I was there, the better of the two was in a restaraunt called Duc de Chine - in the Hidden City area. Expensive and hard to find but the duck was fabulous.

Great shopping low $ to high $ at the Pearl Market, bargaining is fantastic!

I'd be happy to answer any questions about Beijing - the weather was in the high 70's to low 80's and I was sweating most days and I live in FL.

Hope to see a fellow CC member on my Viking trip in August!:)

[caribill]

I'd be happy to answer any questions about Beijing - the weather was in the high 70's to low 80's and I was sweating most days and I live in FL.

 

 

How was the pollution?

[Lori Dobson]

How was the pollution?

 

We had a mixed bag - there were 2 or 3 days where you could not see more than 2 blocks ahead, 3 days that you could see further than that but it was still very hazy and dull out and two beautiful, clear blue sky days. In addition to the pollution, if it is windy, there is a lot of dust, dirt and grit blowing around from the numerous construction sites all over the city - it's not only because of the smog that the natives wear face masks.

I took along a bag of cough drops but never needed them- my husband did use his eye drops frequently, though.

[recyclelady]

You can tell that I am a large cruiseline cruiser by this question:D?

 

I am on the Cultural Delights November sailing on the Emerald. I booked a Category A cabin. I know that (with the exception of the suites) all cabins are identical. The only difference is the deck level. But there are still cabin grades above me showing as open on the Viking site. Does Viking ever move folks "up" to try to sell out the boat? ( Maybe this is a dumb question....I guess Viking still has about 5 months to fill my ship)

[Glassespro]

Hi all, I've been off the site for a while, so just finished catching up. Question regarding bringing pencils. I remember a post a while ago where the poster said they gave the kids the pencils directly, which was fun as all the kids gathered around. Now someone posted that they have a box where these things go. Less personal, but perhaps a better idea. Thoughts?

 

I lived in Taiwan for a couple of years, and duck was always served the way someone described it: pancake, hoisin sauce, cucumber and onion. Oh yea, the duck also--lol. I could eat this dish every day of my life and not get bored!! (P.S., In Taiwan in the 60's, this whole meal cost around $1.50 US.) The other thing that was always served with it was a duck egg dish with nuts and cooked exquisitely. Did anyone get that? Anyway, thanks to all posters. We can't wait until we go in October (Same group as cruisingatsea).

[caribill]

You can tell that I am a large cruiseline cruiser by this question:D?

 

I am on the Cultural Delights November sailing on the Emerald. I booked a Category A cabin. I know that (with the exception of the suites) all cabins are identical. The only difference is the deck level. But there are still cabin grades above me showing as open on the Viking site. Does Viking ever move folks "up" to try to sell out the boat? ( Maybe this is a dumb question....I guess Viking still has about 5 months to fill my ship)

 

I do not think they do.

 

o I have never seen a posting on this site about a free upgrade

 

o When looking at available cruises, the lower priced cabins are often marked sold out. GTY bookings are not a feature of Viking.

[Kohola]

You can tell that I am a large cruiseline cruiser by this question:D?

 

I am on the Cultural Delights November sailing on the Emerald. I booked a Category A cabin. I know that (with the exception of the suites) all cabins are identical. The only difference is the deck level. But there are still cabin grades above me showing as open on the Viking site. Does Viking ever move folks "up" to try to sell out the boat? ( Maybe this is a dumb question....I guess Viking still has about 5 months to fill my ship)

 

Viking has a program in place to upgrade its more loyal passengers, just not in the sense you're describing. If the more expensive cabins remain vacant then Viking may discount those in an attempt to sell out the ship. We've booked less popular Viking cruises last minute where the air fare was more expensive than the price of the cruise...

 

Here is the upgrade description from their website:

Premier Tier Benefits

(after 3 trips)

Includes all Silver Tier benefits plus...

• Free onboard upgrades (subject to availability)

• Complimentary Viking Air Plus services

 

We began in Cabin 325 were upgraded to 441 then again to Cabin 431 on the CD tour in March. The upgrades take place as you arrive on board.

[pacmom]

On the all river cruises roll call thread, there are some fabulous pictures from the May 12 sailing Imperial Jewels. Check them out. Pat

[Peregrina651]

On the all river cruises roll call thread, there are some fabulous pictures from the May 12 sailing Imperial Jewels. Check them out. Pat

 

Here is the link to the pictures Pat is talking about. Fabulous is an understatement!