Viking China (Part 2)

[kbert92069]

On the Emerald now. Fabulous ship, warm and friendly people, slow internet. All as described here.

Loving the food. Our great escort is Jimmy and we are enjoying this trip immensely.

[recyclelady]

On the Emerald now. Fabulous ship, warm and friendly people, slow internet. All as described here.

Loving the food. Our great escort is Jimmy and we are enjoying this trip immensely.

Thank you for using some of your slow internet time to give us an update. I am so fired up for my trip in November. I'll be hanging on any more info you can give us!:)

[recyclelady]

I realize that the acrobats and the opera are additional charges. Are we able to add these charges to our bill or do we have to come up with the money at the time?

[caribill]

I realize that the acrobats and the opera are additional charges. Are we able to add these charges to our bill or do we have to come up with the money at the time?

 

We did the tour starting in Shanghai and ending in Beijing.

 

The acrobats in Shanggai were included in the basic cost of the tour.

 

The T'ang Dynesty show in Xi'an and the Chinese Opera in Beijing were extra cost.

 

We filled out a form indicating if we wanted to attend the shows in Xi'an and Beijing and the cost of the shows was added to the statement we had to pay on the boat at the end of the boat part of the trip. So effectively, these were paid for in advance while on the boat part of the tour.

 

I do not know how this is handled when going from Beijing to Shanghai.

[H2Otstr]

I realize that the acrobats and the opera are additional charges. Are we able to add these charges to our bill or do we have to come up with the money at the time?

 

Any optional tours will be billed to your credit card at the end of the trip or you can settle you bill in cash on the last day of the trip.

[Turtles06]

We did the tour starting in Shanghai and ending in Beijing.

 

The acrobats in Shanggai were included in the basic cost of the tour.

 

The T'ang Dynesty show in Xi'an and the Chinese Opera in Beijing were extra cost.

 

We filled out a form indicating if we wanted to attend the shows in Xi'an and Beijing and the cost of the shows was added to the statement we had to pay on the boat at the end of the boat part of the trip. So effectively, these were paid for in advance while on the boat part of the tour.

 

I do not know how this is handled when going from Beijing to Shanghai.

 

The same way -- you fill out the form in Beijing, and the charges are added to your bill that you pay before disembarking the Emerald.

[swanny727]

Our cabin will be available on Emerald. The flights were just too long. My husband cannot walk a lot and seemed to be lots of stairs. I like only a couple of Chinese dishes. Really wanted to see the cultulre.

 

 

Sorry you had to cancel. It really is a great trip but does require lots of walking.

Hope you find somewhere else to explore

[swanny727]

Only a few things also to pack ! We were able to to it in two lare suitcases containing less than 20 kg each and a one carry-on with less than 5 kg wich are the weights required for intra China flights. Since we are extentioning our trip (without Viking) and will fly two times also we need to be very careful for the luggage's weight.

 

About what to pack, le'ts say that we plan to do a little laundry or to have it done at the hotel or the ship meaning less clothes to bring :)

 

Please can you remind me where you'll go pearl shopping since there's no time for me to search for Lori's information.

 

Have a great flight and a magnificent time in Beijing. See you onboard after the first dinner at the Emerald bar or if it happens that you hear some French speaking in the dining room it'll be us !!!

 

Diane

 

If you have any onboard credit, it can be used towards laundry service on the Emerald.

[Glassespro]

Well, Gayle and I returned yesterday, or is it today, or is it AM or PM or November, or ....... Sure glad I don't get jet lag, just think how confused I'd be then!

 

Anyway, this is an amazing trip. I envy those of you yet to go, and join the chorus of China lovers who have already been. Some of you may recall that I speak Chinese, but didn't know how well I'd do, since it has been 45 years since I was speaking it on a daily basis. Well, it just came back to me, especially when Gayle and I got a bit lost coming off the Great Wall. Walked up to a janitor type person, and having no other choice, just dove in. He was amazed, we conversed for a while, and he gave me perfect directions, which I fully understood, and got us back to the bus with no problem. From then on, I spoke to just about any vendor I could find, bargained in Chinese, and did very well. Hate to brag, but I must admit I was surprised and very excited.

 

I'll put more together in the next few days, but did want to comment to rahrah50 about Shanghai. When we got into the city from Wuhan, and had a bit of free time, we went to the old (40's) Jewish Quarter (Don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it). There you will find the "Jewish Refugee Museum," which turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Very small, very quick to go through, but very emotional (remember these were escapees from Hitler). The curator/director, wouldn't let us leave, even at closing, as he showed us a short (5 min) film, and told us that he welcomed foreign visitors, and would stay as long as we wanted. He spoke very good English, and we learned quite a bit from him. If you have time, go--it's worth it.

 

Also, I know its been mentioned before, but go to the Bund at night. It's on the tour during the day, but comes to life at night. The lights on all the bldgs, neon across the river, and the fireworks that went off at around 10:15, were amazing, and you'll never see any of it during the day.

 

OK, I'll shut up, and tell you more later. BTW, had fun finding and then chatting with some CC buddies from this sight.

[Turtles06]

Welcome back, Jim and Gayle -- glad you had such a great time!!! (Not surprised though!)

[Peregrina651]

Jim --

 

I'm not surprised at all that you were able to just start using your Chinese again. Someone tells a story of grandma in the nursing home. She is suffering dementia and memory loss and she can't even speak anymore. It just comes out gibberish and no one understands her until one day someone comes by and hears her speaking and realizes that she is speaking Hungarian. Grandma had spoken Hungarian as a child but moved to this country at a young age and had spoken nothing but English most of her life. Her family had never heard her speak Hungarian. But, when the part of her brain that controlled her ability to speak English failed, the Hungarian was not affected and it just took over. The brain and the language centers are just amazing and it sounds like you really enjoyed life's little surprise.

 

I look forward to hearing more about your trip and maybe even seeing some of your photos. In the meantime, hang in there; it took me over a week to get back on schedule after our adventure.

 

Welcome home!!

[Ryan55]

For those of you who went on the Beijing - Shanghai tours and visited the hutong: is it appropriate to bring a small gift (i.e. a small souvenir from your hometown) to the family you visit?

[Turtles06]

For those of you who went on the Beijing - Shanghai tours and visited the hutong: is it appropriate to bring a small gift (i.e. a small souvenir from your hometown) to the family you visit?

 

It's interesting that you raise this, as I haven't seen this raised before and I read extensively on here before our 2011 trip. (All the discussion about bringing stuff was what to bring for the kids in the school.) No one in our group did this, but I can't see why it would be inappropriate. You make me wish we'd done it!

[Quincy126]

I have been following all the posts with interest and picking up lots of tips.

 

Just wondered if there was anyone else on here booked on 30 June 2013 trip.

 

Pam

[Travel Girl TX]

I have been following all the posts with interest and picking up lots of tips.

 

Just wondered if there was anyone else on here booked on 30 June 2013 trip.

 

Pam

 

We just booked the June 30, 2013 Imperial Jewels trip today! I've been following this board for some time now and decided today was the day to make the commitment.

 

Theresa

[Quincy126]

Hi Theresa, we are doing the trip from Shanghai to Beijing, which direction have you booked. It would be nice if you are on the same tour.

 

We booked back in June of this year and have been following the thread and sharing people's photos with interest and getting really excited already, and counting the days off.

 

Pam

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryan55]

It's interesting that you raise this, as I haven't seen this raised before and I read extensively on here before our 2011 trip. (All the discussion about bringing stuff was what to bring for the kids in the school.) No one in our group did this, but I can't see why it would be inappropriate. You make me wish we'd done it!

 

Yes, I was surprised it hadn't been mentioned in this extensive thread. Many Chinese customs are so different from our western ones that I was wary of committing a faux-pas if we gave a small gift. We'll see if we can find something appropriate to bring along.

[Travel Girl TX]

Hi Theresa, we are doing the trip from Shanghai to Beijing, which direction have you booked. It would be nice if you are on the same tour.

 

We booked back in June of this year and have been following the thread and sharing people's photos with interest and getting really excited already, and counting the days off.

 

Pam

 

Pam,

 

We're doing Shanghai to Beijing too! It sounds like we're on the same trip. I've also shared with my husband all the photos fellow travelers so generously share with all of us on this board. The trip might feel like deja vu because we've seen so many pictures and trip logs/blogs.

 

Theresa

[Homerun6320]

We have reservations on the China Explorer from Beijing to Shanghai on March 29, 2013. We are using Viking Air and have a TA.

 

We have a few questions about the experiences of those who have done this. Since we will be starting from the US East Coast, we would normally arrive Beijing about 1130 PM on Friday March 29 (Day 1 of the itinerary). This would leave very little time for connection problems and jet lag recovery since tours (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City etc) begin early on Saturday.

 

We have heard that Viking will fly passengers who arrive that late a day early (arriving late Thursday March 28). I think they call this a "forced overnight". Can anyone confirm this? Does Viking still meet the earlier flight and provide transportation to the hotel (Fairmont for us)?

 

Finally, if we feel one day early is not enough and opt for a deviation, who pays for what (hotel etc)?

 

We have some other questions regarding credit for frequent flyer miles and using them for upgrades but we will ask Delta when we know how Viking is going to schedule us. This will be our first river cruise so we will appreciate any info. We have started a Roll Call but no one has signed on yet.

 

Homerun

[caribill]

We have started a Roll Call but no one has signed on yet.

 

 

Very few Viking Cruisers know about Cruise Critic and it is seldom that a Viking China roll call will have more than a couple of participants.

[Peregrina651]

We have reservations on the China Explorer from Beijing to Shanghai on March 29, 2013. We are using Viking Air and have a TA.

 

We have a few questions about the experiences of those who have done this. Since we will be starting from the US East Coast, we would normally arrive Beijing about 1130 PM on Friday March 29 (Day 1 of the itinerary). This would leave very little time for connection problems and jet lag recovery since tours (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City etc) begin early on Saturday.

 

We have heard that Viking will fly passengers who arrive that late a day early (arriving late Thursday March 28). I think they call this a "forced overnight". Can anyone confirm this? Does Viking still meet the earlier flight and provide transportation to the hotel (Fairmont for us)?

 

Finally, if we feel one day early is not enough and opt for a deviation, who pays for what (hotel etc)?

 

We have some other questions regarding credit for frequent flyer miles and using them for upgrades but we will ask Delta when we know how Viking is going to schedule us. This will be our first river cruise so we will appreciate any info. We have started a Roll Call but no one has signed on yet.

 

Homerun

 

Hi, Homerun. First welcome to the conversation. Let's see if we can answer your questions.

 

I think I want to deal with using your FF miles to upgrade first since it really the easiest. You can not take advantage of the Viking's flight pricing deal AND use your FF miles to upgrade it. Not all classes of tickets are upgradeable and the Viking deal generally is not one of those classes. Go to the Viking website to read more about using frequent flyer miles and other flight related topics. The information is helpful in figuring this all out and it should be done sooner rather than later. If you want to upgrade with miles you will need to discuss it with Viking before the tickets are booked. (Reminder: it is the airlines that make up the rules about the FF miles not Viking.)

 

BTW, since you are working with a TA, he/she will have to deal with Viking for you or arrange a conference call so that you can be part of the conversation.

 

As for who pays for the hotel on the first night if you arrive the night before arrival day, the answer is a bit more complicated and you should double check with Viking. Viking has been bringing in the folks who arrive at 11:30PM a day early and they pay for the hotel room for anyone they assign to those flights. I do not know if this applies to Custom Air and Flight Deviation customers. If you decided to arrive earlier, then you pay for the hotel room. In any case, meals are not provided until Day 2 of the tour (i.e., the first day of touring). A forced overnight will be met by Viking, since they will have booked a number of passengers on that flight.

 

When we flew to Shanghai, our flight left Chicago at 10:30 am. Instead of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the airport for a 6 am flight and to avoid a flight that might not arrive in Chicago on time, we flew into Chicago the day before the flight. We paid for the hotel but because we left Boston within 24 hours of our Shanghai flight, there was no additional airfare. This really helped with the jetlag--and we knew we made the right decision when our flight was held to wait for people who were on the Boston flight that we would have been on. In other words, consider a stateside layover to shorten the flight.

 

Also, some folks fly in through Tokyo, which breaks up the transpacific flight.

 

Finally, because of the size of river cruises, roll calls can be hit or miss. Most roll calls get only a couple of percent of passengers participating--which on a river cruises is barely half a dozen people. The ones that seem to work best are the ones where someone works hard to keep the conversation going and to keep the thread on page one of the roll calls. Put a link to the roll call in your signature file so that wherever you post, whenever you post you are letting folks know it exists. Post frequently here and in any other thread that has to do with Viking's China itineraries.

 

Hope this has helped.

[Peregrina651]

We have reservations on the China Explorer from Beijing to Shanghai on March 29, 2013.

 

Homerun

 

China Explorer is a new itinerary and you will be on the maiden voyage. I'm really excited about his new itinerary and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about the new 'ports of call.'

[kbert92069]

Just got back today from Imperial Jewels trip. We are still in awe but I wanted to make some comments while they are fresh in my mind. I'm open to questions and may add some comments as I think of them.

 

1) while reading this forum prepared me quite a bit there's nothing like actually being there. Our eyes were opened wide and we were constantly amazed.

 

2) Viking is very well organized and it's nice that they take care of everything. They can't change the weather, the traffic, local flight patterns or the people within the tour so there is no single experience.

 

These variables but mostly the temperment of your fellow travelers can have a big impact and the diferent tour guides seem to respond differently to their groups. The more flexible you are the more enjoyment you'll have IMHO.

 

3) On the ship one could eat 3 meals a day without eating any Chinese food. We found the ship food to be quite good and quite varied and very pleasant. The land portion was mostly Chinese food and seemed to differ quite a bit from acceptable to quite good but we never went hungry.

 

4) We had a great tour guide (Jimmy) who seemed to be the perfect blend of mother hen, drill sergeant and good friend. He worked tirelessly to show us all a good time and we were delighted with him.

 

5) I second the opinon expressed here previously. The more you engage with the Chinese people the better time you'll have. Note that the people at tourist sites are just that: tourists just as we are. It is useful to remember that.

 

6) no one in our group got intestinal distress but more than half developed colds and/or respiratory problems. Pharmacies were available in bigger cities but not on the river so some preparation is advised.

 

7) We were never really without access to western style toilets.

 

8) We are in our early 60's and were below the mean age of the travelers on the ship. There were mobility challenged people but Viking does a great job working with them. Certainly note that as they say in their documentation there is significant walking over sometimes uneven surfaces.

[Homerun6320]

Peregrina,

 

Many thanks for your speedy and comprehensive reply. Your responses, together with the many posts we have read on this thread, give us a good idea of what to expect.

 

Delta Sky Miles FF has told us they will accept miles for upgrades but only on Y,B,or M class tickets - probably not what Viking will issue.

 

We will arrange a conference call with Viking and our TA to confirm the "forced night", airport transfers etc.

 

Finally, we promise to take copious notes on the new itinerary and report when we return.

 

Thanks again.

Homerun

Edited October 31, 2012 by Homerun6320
typo

[ruthlynn]

To all of you who are going on the China Viking River Cruise. Here is my review:

 

Do not take robe, slippers, or umbrella...all furnished at all hotels and on boat. Take plenty of toilet paper, toilet seat covers, hand sanitizers, and a hand-held battery operated fan--all to be found in the camping section of WalMart. Take hat. It was VERY humid. I understand that cooler weather has arrived; I'm sure also very welcomed!

 

Went a day early to Beijing. We made reservations at the Black Sesame Seed Kitchen--best meal we had on the trip. Our table was the United Nations: 4 from South America; 2 from Denmark; 3 from NYC; 3 from Florida, and 2 Texans.

 

Bought scarves (do the lighter test to determine whether or not they are 100% silk) at the silk market.....offer 20 to 30 percent of what the vendor is asking. Good place to purchase children's kites. Bought pearls for granddaughters and jade in Beijing. Bought embroidered picture in Shanghai...is being shipped; bought more scarves in Hong Kong; bought chess sets for grandsons and beautiful dolls and fans for granddaughters in Shanghai at the gardens; at wholesale jewelry in Aberdeen bought beautiful carved jade bracelet for a daughter. Prices are not as cheap as one would think they would be anywhere in China. Bought a beautiful embroidered cashmere stole in Tibet at the government store. Most of the time the street vendors and street markets just have junk....beware!!!

 

We were fortunate enough to be in a very homogenous group...all very nice and friendly; no one was rude and only one time was anyone late. Our guide, Leo, was superb. He is the epitome of outstanding kindness, organization, professionalism, and decent human being. He knew where every "happy room" western toilet was everywhere we went, and everything went as planned. We were under heavy security in Tibet but a very interesting city, Lhasa. All hotels were 5 star...the Hilton in Xian was the least favorite. No one in our group ever figured out the light switches in any hotel!!!

 

If you go to Tibet, be sure to get the high altitude medicine. Even some who took this medication experienced problems; two couples had to have oxygen and IVs. The terra cotta warriors were unbelievable...the old farmer is there signing the books that are sold in the museum gift store and you can take a picture of him if you pay him. Go to all of the shows--even the Beijing Opera...the costumes and music are wonderful. Chinese food is very bland but there is an enormous amount of it at every place....the dumpling dinner in Xian was a hoot!!!! 18 different kinds of dumplings....I had to stop after 5!!!

 

Be sure to go to the school...it was the highlight of our trip. The children sing and dance for you and perform for you in the classroom. We took Crayolas (one of the few products still made in the USA) and pencils. My husband was a hit with his Texas map showing them where we were from. The kids all loved playing "Talking Carl" on my iPhone. There is a cash donation box if you don't take gifts.

 

Take a little something from your state or hometown to give to the hostess whose home you visit in the hutongs to have tea. Makes one very humble and grateful for all of our blessings in the USA. We also had tea with a Tibetan family in Lhasa....we took her some little mugs with our hometown and Texas on them.....she really appreciated them.

 

If the Viking river boat, Emerald, was built only two years ago, then it was obviously built in China....already showing signs of wear and tear. The wait staff, Maggie and Eddie, were fabulous and these are such hard-working, talented young kids.

 

Worst memory of China: the constant smell of sewage emanating from the sewer grates wherever you went. Pollution is really bad; two of us had to wear masks on several days. The cloying smell of oil or potpourri in the Fairmont hotel on the Bund in Shanghai was overpowering.

 

The Chinese people were kind and their lifestyles are very difficult for me to comprehend because it is so crowded and there is no personal space for them....to live in 300 square feet and travel so far to work (if they do work) is difficult to understand. We are very grateful for our experience.

 

This is not a trip for the faint of heart nor the lame or crippled. It is a very arduous trip....get in shape before you go or you will be left behind. I cannot imagine going from Shanghai to Beijing with you ending up climbing the Wall and walking the Square, Forbidden Palace, and Summer Palace....thank goodness we went from Beijing to Shanghai...got the worst over with first.

 

Thanks to Leo for a flawless trip; thanks to Viking for the experience; thanks to everyone in our group. Cruise Critic.com helped immensely in our planning on what to take and what to expect. We were the most knowledgeable in our group because of all of the great information you shared with us on this thread.

 

Enjoy your time in China. So glad for the experience, but don't ask us to meet you for Chinese food any time soon!!!

 

Ruthlynn from Texas