Viking China (Part 2)

[Peregrina651]

DH says he just needs to attach it to an email and hit send. Pat

 

I'm not as sanguine, especially if your husband is depending on the ship's computer to get the job done. If he is using his own computer, it is a different story but still an internet connection on the river is an iffy proposition and there is no guarantee that on the day he has to send the attachment that there will be an actually connection to the internet.

 

IMHO, prepare for the worst case scenario--that being that he will not be able to send on November 1. It might prove to be less nerve-wracking if there is a back-up plan already in place.

[Lori Dobson]

Well, we returned Monday night from our trip. Last days were seeing the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an and then on the Beijing, for the great wall, forbidden city and summer palace. All terrific. Another 5 plus star hotel in Beijing - the Regent.

Can't say enough about Viking and our absolutely fabulous guide, Jamie. Viking packs a LOT into this trip - you will be tired - but wow, it is so worth it. Really glad we took this trip - for all of you who still have it in the future, you will have a great, great time!:D

[Lori Dobson]

Here you go.... (I did not take this picture):

 

 

Wind it up, and Mao's arm waves... Do not depend on these watches to keep good time!

 

 

 

I bought one of these this past May - the band has fallent apart and it runs ast but Mao is still waving!

[Turtles06]

Well, we returned Monday night from our trip. Last days were seeing the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an and then on the Beijing, for the great wall, forbidden city and summer palace. All terrific. Another 5 plus star hotel in Beijing - the Regent.

 

Can't say enough about Viking and our absolutely fabulous guide, Jamie. Viking packs a LOT into this trip - you will be tired - but wow, it is so worth it. Really glad we took this trip - for all of you who still have it in the future, you will have a great, great time!:D

 

Welcome back, Lori! I am glad to hear (but not at all surprised) that you had a great time! :)

[claudiane]

Well, we returned Monday night from our trip. Last days were seeing the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an and then on the Beijing, for the great wall, forbidden city and summer palace. All terrific. Another 5 plus star hotel in Beijing - the Regent.

 

Can't say enough about Viking and our absolutely fabulous guide, Jamie. Viking packs a LOT into this trip - you will be tired - but wow, it is so worth it. Really glad we took this trip - for all of you who still have it in the future, you will have a great, great time!:D

 

I am happy to see another very positive critic of this cruise. We are leaving from Montreal Canada for Cultural Delights on October 22nd and are getting very very excited about this trip.

 

I was wondering about the visit in Jiuliang and Jingdezhen. Is it worth it to travel 4 hours each way to visit Jingdezhen with its porcelain's history OR to stay in Jiuliang and discover this city by our own at a slower pace ?

 

Thanks for any suggestion :)

[Lori Dobson]

I am happy to see another very positive critic of this cruise. We are leaving from Montreal Canada for Cultural Delights on October 22nd and are getting very very excited about this trip.

 

I was wondering about the visit in Jiuliang and Jingdezhen. Is it worth it to travel 4 hours each way to visit Jingdezhen with its porcelain's history OR to stay in Jiuliang and discover this city by our own at a slower pace ?

 

Thanks for any suggestion :)

 

 

We didn't do that itinerary, we were on the 12 day Jewels - sorry I couldn't answer your question!:( But here's an idea - If you enjoy collecting porcelain and would like to learn more about it, try it - if not, stay and enjoy the city!:)

[pacmom]

Claudiane, do want to meet you on the boat--we will be in different hotels in Beijing. If you have not done so read Peregrina's journal. She traveled in the other direction, but her thoughts and suggestions are wonderful.

 

This is for Peregrina---your journal is wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to post it. Pat

[katie whooten]

Thank you, thank you!!!! Taking the Imperial Jewels of China in November and you have answered ALL of my questions.

[Peregrina651]

I am happy to see another very positive critic of this cruise. We are leaving from Montreal Canada for Cultural Delights on October 22nd and are getting very very excited about this trip.

 

I was wondering about the visit in Jiuliang and Jingdezhen. Is it worth it to travel 4 hours each way to visit Jingdezhen with its porcelain's history OR to stay in Jiuliang and discover this city by our own at a slower pace ?

 

Thanks for any suggestion :)

It is only a two hour drive to the Porcelain Center of Jingdezhen and it was one of my favorite stops. I loved the drive through the countryside psst the small towns and I loved the Porcelain History Center where we toured and learned about the history of porcelain industry in China. It was all fascinating. Each of the added stops, Mt. Jiu Hua, Jingdezhen and the procelain industry, Yueyang Tower, the afternoon spent wandering on your own in Wuhan and the silk factory in Suzhou add another dimension to the story of China. Check out what I had to say about it in my travel blog.

 

IMHO, why spend the extra money to do the Cultural Delights itinerary if you are going to skip the stops that make the itinerary unique??

[Peregrina651]

Claudiane, do want to meet you on the boat--we will be in different hotels in Beijing. If you have not done so read Peregrina's journal. She traveled in the other direction, but her thoughts and suggestions are wonderful.

 

This is for Peregrina---your journal is wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to post it. Pat

Pat, you are welcome. I am so gung-ho about this trip and I loved everything about it (except the food on the ship) so much that I want everybody to love it just as much as I did. Does that make me a Viking China cheerleader?? ;) ;)

[cruisingatsea2]

HELP!!! I'm sooo confused. I thought I was OK with an adapter to put on the end of my plug to make it fit the different configuration of wall plug recepticles. Now I think I need some type of electrical converter - because the current is different from North America??? I must use an electrical medical device at night so need to make sure I have the right adapter or converter with me. Please can someone tell me exactly what I need - one or the other or none at all or something entirely different!! Can hardly wait as someone said less than 30 days now (23 for us). Any info as always is greatfully received. :)

[claudiane]

Claudiane, do want to meet you on the boat--we will be in different hotels in Beijing. If you have not done so read Peregrina's journal. She traveled in the other direction, but her thoughts and suggestions are wonderful.

 

This is for Peregrina---your journal is wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to post it. Pat

 

Thanks Pat, I'll look again at Peregrina's journal since I did it rapidly many months ago.

 

Of course we have to meet on the boat. May be we could meet at the front desk about one hour after we arrive on the boat and are settled in our room. What do you think ? It won't be too difficult for you to recognize us since we'll be two couples speaking french from Montreal :)

 

Diane

[claudiane]

It is only a two hour drive to the Porcelain Center of Jingdezhen and it was one of my favorite stops. I loved the drive through the countryside psst the small towns and I loved the Porcelain History Center where we toured and learned about the history of porcelain industry in China. It was all fascinating. Each of the added stops, Mt. Jiu Hua, Jingdezhen and the procelain industry, Yueyang Tower, the afternoon spent wandering on your own in Wuhan and the silk factory in Suzhou add another dimension to the story of China. Check out what I had to say about it in my travel blog.

 

IMHO, why spend the extra money to do the Cultural Delights itinerary if you are going to skip the stops that make the itinerary unique??

 

Thanks, your advice has convinced me ! I am very very excited about this fabulous trip :)

[Kohola]

I am happy to see another very positive critic of this cruise. We are leaving from Montreal Canada for Cultural Delights on October 22nd and are getting very very excited about this trip.

 

I was wondering about the visit in Jiuliang and Jingdezhen. Is it worth it to travel 4 hours each way to visit Jingdezhen with its porcelain's history OR to stay in Jiuliang and discover this city by our own at a slower pace ? Thanks for any suggestion :)

 

Claudine, It's your trip so enjoy it, however you chose...but here is the other option available. Here is a link just to our photos of JiuJiang which will give you a good idea on the encounters with the citizens. If you're in China to rub elbows with the local population then JiuJang is one of the best stops on the entire CD tour. A city that doesn't see tourists so you become a celebrity for the time you're there.

In case you're going to Jingdezhen for the porcelain

 

This is an excerpt from an e-mail we recently received from a couple who visited JiuJiang on the August CD tour:

 

In JiuJiang we went into the city instead of going to the porcelain factory. It was one of our best days. The people were so friendly and we had a great encounter with a couple of little girls about 8 or 9 years old. . They approached us on a bicycle and one of them spoke perfect English. The other one never spoke but she seemed to understand. We talked and took photos and they rode off. In a few minutes they caught up with us again and we talked some more. took more pictures and then she said to me "Grandmaw, you are so pretty" and then she turned to my DH and said "Grampaw, you are so pretty too". They really made our day.

 

Then we stumbled onto a nice little museum out in the middle of the lake. We thought it might be a place selling refreshments so we walked out there to check it out. As we were standing in the entryway trying to decide if it was something we should go into, A husky man with a gruff voice sort of jumped out at us out of nowhere, holding his hand out and shouting something at us. We figured out that he was yelling "passport, passport". We spent an awkward moment trying to explain that we didn't have our passports and he decided we weren't going to understand so he just waved us in. We later figured that you were supposed to pay to get in and he was asking us for our tickets. We walked around town for about 4 hrs and really enjoyed it.

[Turtles06]

HELP!!! I'm sooo confused. I thought I was OK with an adapter to put on the end of my plug to make it fit the different configuration of wall plug recepticles. Now I think I need some type of electrical converter - because the current is different from North America??? I must use an electrical medical device at night so need to make sure I have the right adapter or converter with me. Please can someone tell me exactly what I need - one or the other or none at all or something entirely different!! Can hardly wait as someone said less than 30 days now (23 for us). Any info as always is greatfully received. :)

 

You should call Viking to reconfirm, but their website (first link below) says that the voltage on their riverboats is 220V, and that's my recollection of the Emerald. (Perhaps recent travelers will reconfirm.)

 

So you have two issues here. The first is purely physical; you need to make sure that you have a plug adapter so that you can plug your North American device into a Chinese outlet. (The Viking hotels had universal adapters built in, and folks said the Emerald did too, but I never saw one in my cabin. At any rate, particularly since you have a medical device, I'd be sure to travel with a plug adapter.)

 

Second is the voltage question. Is your device dual voltage? In other words, will it operate on 220V as well as on the 110V North American current? Many electronics are dual voltage these days, in which case you won't need anything other than the adapter. If you don't know for sure, take a look at wherever on the device it has some fine print about the electrical specs/voltage, usually on the power brick or charger. That will tell you. If you don't have a dual voltage device, then you'll need a voltage converter. (See the second link below for more detailed info on these issues.)

 

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/about-your-trip/ontheship.aspx

 

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/electricity/l/bl_electricity.htm

 

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

[claudiane]

Claudine, It's your trip so enjoy it, however you chose...but here is the other option available. Here is a link just to our photos of JiuJiang which will give you a good idea on the encounters with the citizens. If you're in China to rub elbows with the local population then JiuJang is one of the best stops on the entire CD tour. A city that doesn't see tourists so you become a celebrity for the time you're there.

In case you're going to Jingdezhen for the porcelain

 

This is an excerpt from an e-mail we recently received from a couple who visited JiuJiang on the August CD tour:

 

In JiuJiang we went into the city instead of going to the porcelain factory. It was one of our best days. The people were so friendly and we had a great encounter with a couple of little girls about 8 or 9 years old. . They approached us on a bicycle and one of them spoke perfect English. The other one never spoke but she seemed to understand. We talked and took photos and they rode off. In a few minutes they caught up with us again and we talked some more. took more pictures and then she said to me "Grandmaw, you are so pretty" and then she turned to my DH and said "Grampaw, you are so pretty too". They really made our day.

 

Then we stumbled onto a nice little museum out in the middle of the lake. We thought it might be a place selling refreshments so we walked out there to check it out. As we were standing in the entryway trying to decide if it was something we should go into, A husky man with a gruff voice sort of jumped out at us out of nowhere, holding his hand out and shouting something at us. We figured out that he was yelling "passport, passport". We spent an awkward moment trying to explain that we didn't have our passports and he decided we weren't going to understand so he just waved us in. We later figured that you were supposed to pay to get in and he was asking us for our tickets. We walked around town for about 4 hrs and really enjoyed it.

 

Thanks Kohola I enjoyed every minute of your photos. Your point of vue brought an other element to our reflection that was supposed to be done !!!:)

[cruisingatsea2]

Turtles06 - thank you so much for a very clear explanation of the electrical current and plugs issue. I checked the bottom of the device and it is dual voltage and I have the plug adaptor - so I'm good to go! Again, thanks for clarifying this issue for me!

[recyclelady]

I don't recall if any one on this board is on our Cultural Delights trip in November. Anyone besides us?

[Romeosc]

That's a change. We were able to take (no flash) pictures.

 

We were allowed to take pictures and videos, but no flash as noted.

 

We also bought the DVD at end of show

 

 

Ps. We took several hundred dollars us To barter with "not now" vendors. For fake terra-cotta warriors and Mont Blanc pens (lol)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited September 18, 2012 by Romeosc

[Donray]

HELP!!! I'm sooo confused. I thought I was OK with an adapter to put on the end of my plug to make it fit the different configuration of wall plug recepticles. Now I think I need some type of electrical converter - because the current is different from North America??? I must use an electrical medical device at night so need to make sure I have the right adapter or converter with me. Please can someone tell me exactly what I need - one or the other or none at all or something entirely different!! Can hardly wait as someone said less than 30 days now (23 for us). Any info as always is greatfully received. :)

 

Be careful because the voltage is 220 at 50 cycles on Emerald and within China. A converter does not change the cycles from 50 to 60.

Make sure your device will operate on 50 cycle. The difference between 50 and 60 cycle is important for many devices that contains a motor.

[Howser54]

We just returned from our first Viking River Cruise on Aug 31,2012. We can not say enough about our trip. If you want to really see China, there is no better way than this cruise.

 

Our tour escort Bob, was nothing short of a miracle worker. From our arrival until our departure he was there for everyone in our group. From getting everyone up and out on time, luggage and accommadations, batteries, and water, he did it all. He was a unbelievable source of knowledge about China, from their history, culture and people.

 

The hotels were spectacular and all in great locations close to the action. Shanghai and Beijing were a beautiful cities, I wish we could have seen more of them. The meals and shows were all very enjoyable. Don't be afraid to experiment, you will miss a very important part of Chinese culture.

 

The Emerald and it's staff were fantastic. Everyone could not do enough for you. Kudos go to Maggie, Tracy, Berkey, and Lois. They made the voyage on the Emerald a truly enjoyable experience. Every meal was a delight, and the other guests became like family. All shore excursions were well planned and very exciting. It was a truly rewarding experience amd one we will never forget.

[pacmom]

Sent passports off on Sept 4th for our visas. Processed on the 7th and back to us on the 17th. Just one more box chexked off. Really getting excited about this trip. Now if American just keeps flying til we arrive home on Nov. 7th. We haven't forgotten about voting--request for absentee ballot also got mailed on Sept 4th. Now to finish reading the thread--am up to page 26, trying to read 5 a day. Pat

[Viking Cruises]

We just returned from our first Viking River Cruise on Aug 31,2012. We can not say enough about our trip. If you want to really see China, there is no better way than this cruise.

 

Our tour escort Bob, was nothing short of a miracle worker. From our arrival until our departure he was there for everyone in our group. From getting everyone up and out on time, luggage and accommadations, batteries, and water, he did it all. He was a unbelievable source of knowledge about China, from their history, culture and people.

 

The hotels were spectacular and all in great locations close to the action. Shanghai and Beijing were a beautiful cities, I wish we could have seen more of them. The meals and shows were all very enjoyable. Don't be afraid to experiment, you will miss a very important part of Chinese culture.

 

The Emerald and it's staff were fantastic. Everyone could not do enough for you. Kudos go to Maggie, Tracy, Berkey, and Lois. They made the voyage on the Emerald a truly enjoyable experience. Every meal was a delight, and the other guests became like family. All shore excursions were well planned and very exciting. It was a truly rewarding experience amd one we will never forget.

 

Dear Howser54,

 

Welcome home from your cruise! Thank you for the kind words about our staff aboard Viking Emerald. Your acknowledgement of their efforts is greatly appreciated and we’re all so happy that you had a wonderful trip.

 

This probably goes without saying but we hope to welcome you onboard again soon on another great river.

 

Sincerely,

Viking River Cruises

[cruisingatsea2]

Donray - many thanks to you also for the electrical info! I've checked the device and it is 50-60 cycle so I think we are good to go! Two weeks tomorrow and we will be on our 13 hour flight to Beijing. I'm trying to check live web cams for Beijing to see what the weather looks like on the ground - but no luck so far. Packing layers takes space away from my shopping frenzy..........!

[rahrah50]

Are Western rest rooms widely available at tourist sites?

Is it possible to sometimes leave the group and just go off on your own a little? (I would always let the guide know I was leaving)