Viking China (Part 2)

[CTGirl]

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA is full of artifacts from China, including a huge collection of export porcelain and a house (yes an entire house that you can walk through). For those doing Cultural Delights, there is a room dedicated to the porcelain industry in China, with paintings from 1812. The museum has two current exhibits on China as well.

 

 

 

 

Middlebury College in Vermont is currently featuring an exhibition called China Modern, which is running through December 9, 2012. Read more about it here (even if you can't get to the exhibit).

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. This might be a good day trip for us.

[Peregrina651]

Thanks for the info. This might be a good day trip for us.

Let us know how you make out.

 

How about relevant exhibits in other parts of the country? What's going on in your neck of the woods?

[pacmom]

We recently had a Chinese fiber arts exhibit at our local Dayton Art Museum---spectacular!!! Something that occurs every Christmas season is the exhibit of creches at the Marion Library at the University of Dayton. They have so many that they loan them out. They are sent all over the US. A few years ago the library received 800 sets from someone in California.

 

The pies are done and the turkey awaits its fate in the fridge. We will be 14 at table--all but one of us--he is in Florida and has to work the day after Thanksgiving.

 

A wonderful day to all and safe journeys. Pat

[Peregrina651]

From our house to yours, wishing you all a

Happy Thanksgiving.

[caribill]

From our house to yours, wishing you all a

 

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all also!

 

[Peregrina651]

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all also!

 

 

 

 

Love it!!!

[pacmom]

Just received an e-mail from one of the couples on our late Oct trip. They took the HongKong extension---had a good bit of rain. Now they are home in the north of England--with you guessed it a lot of rain and flooding. Thankfully they were not affected. Think the board will be a bit quiet now, but hopefully there will be questions from those going next year. It was such a wonderful trip. Pat

[Peregrina651]

Just received an e-mail from one of the couples on our late Oct trip. They took the HongKong extension---had a good bit of rain. Now they are home in the north of England--with you guessed it a lot of rain and flooding. Thankfully they were not affected. Think the board will be a bit quiet now, but hopefully there will be questions from those going next year. It was such a wonderful trip. Pat

 

Sorry to hear about all the rain; it has not been a good year for weather (she writes as the snow falls on southern Massachusetts).

 

Pat, I agree; it is going to get quiet here for a while but it should pick up again as the first cruise of the next season approaches in March and folks realize that they have questions to ask before departing. In the meantime, we can try to keep this thread on page one so it will be easy to find. Adding a link to your signature file will help direct folks here no matter where you post.

[4774Papa]

Our Vantage China trip was fantastic as well. Our group was only 25.

If you are shopping for a China trip, compare Viking with Vantage. We found that Vantage's 20 day trip was longer and cost less than Viking.

[Peregrina651]

Our Vantage China trip was fantastic as well. Our group was only 25.

If you are shopping for a China trip, compare Viking with Vantage. We found that Vantage's 20 day trip was longer and cost less than Viking.

 

 

Papa, we are glad that you enjoyed your trip with Vantage. With its long and varied history and its distinct artistic esthetic China is a most fascinating destination and we want everyone who travels there, no matter who they travel with, to love it as much as we did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kbert92069]

Our Vantage China trip was fantastic as well. Our group was only 25.

If you are shopping for a China trip, compare Viking with Vantage. We found that Vantage's 20 day trip was longer and cost less than Viking.

 

I don't believe Viking is the least expensive by any means but when we shopped around prior to signing with them we decided we were willing to pay more for all the extras that they included. That isn't necessarily the case for everybody. When we actually analyzed the value of the included meals, excursions, beverages, the quality of the land hotels and the exclusive ship to Viking we found the value was there and indeed competitive. Most important though was that the Chinese were excellent hosts and the sights quite amazing how ever you get to experience them.

[mickym]

Hi all. I just did my Black Friday shopping and booked a 14 day China trip with Yangtze River cruise with Gate 1. I haven't read much on here yet as we are busy getting ready for our ocean cruises and Christmas but I can't wait to read the whole thread as our time for China gets closer (we are going next Sept.). It sounds like a wonderful trip! Thanks everyone who has posted all the valuable information on here!

[Peregrina651]

Hi all. I just did my Black Friday shopping and booked a 14 day China trip with Yangtze River cruise with Gate 1. I haven't read much on here yet as we are busy getting ready for our ocean cruises and Christmas but I can't wait to read the whole thread as our time for China gets closer (we are going next Sept.). It sounds like a wonderful trip! Thanks everyone who has posted all the valuable information on here!

 

Micky, I don't want you to be disappointed, so before you start reading all 65 pages of this thread, let me point out this thread is only about Viking River Cruises in China; it is not a general thread covering all cruisetours in China and those posting here have no knowledge or experience of Gate 1 cruisetours in China. Not that you aren't welcome to read of our adventures but you should know in advance that we might not be the thread you are looking for--or need--and we want you to be in the right place to find the information that applies to your vacation. If you have general questions, of course we would love to share our experiences with you; we all love talking about our 'vacation of a lifetime' (that is why we are still here) and some of us even have links to our journals and pictures in our signature files that will help you get ready for your travels.

[Peregrina651]

It has been quiet here of late, hasn't it.

[recyclelady]

I returned from our Cultural Delights cruise the day after Thanksgiving. Between work (yeah, I still do that) and the holidays, I've been overwhelmed. I promise to write something as soon as I can.

 

Bottom line: One of the best trips ever!

[milling73]

We are booking the China Jewels and are trying to decide between mid-April or mid-October. Can anyone who has taken either give us an idea of temperatures they experienced? Several have written nice, but nice short sleeves type, or nice with jacket? Were flowers blooming in April, or still green in October, or fall foliage? I know weather is a variable any year, but still would be helpful. This will be our 4th Viking cruise and have loved them all, but they were all in Europe. This will be first trip this part of the world, and have really enjoyed reading all 65 pages of this thread!

[caribill]

We are booking the China Jewels and are trying to decide between mid-April or mid-October. Can anyone who has taken either give us an idea of temperatures they experienced?

 

We went in August, so cannot answer your question.

[CTGirl]

We are booking the China Jewels and are trying to decide between mid-April or mid-October. Can anyone who has taken either give us an idea of temperatures they experienced? Several have written nice, but nice short sleeves type, or nice with jacket? Were flowers blooming in April, or still green in October, or fall foliage? I know weather is a variable any year, but still would be helpful. This will be our 4th Viking cruise and have loved them all, but they were all in Europe. This will be first trip this part of the world, and have really enjoyed reading all 65 pages of this thread!

We booked Imperial Jewels for the April 14 trip. I would also love to know how the weather is in April.

[Peregrina651]

We booked Imperial Jewels for the April 14 trip. I would also love to know how the weather is in April.

 

The best answer I can give is to think 'Connecticut' (or 'Illinois' for milling 73) in April. Weather in China is similar to the US--it is in the temperate zone (not the tropics) and it has seasons like the northern half of the country (hot and humid in summer; cold in winter and unpredictable the rest of the year).

 

Keep in mind that the itinerary covers a large portion of the country--north to south, east to west and sea level to foothills to mountains--like doing Atlanta, Chicago and maybe Denver in the same trip.

 

Also, there are some website that keep track of historical weather so that you can check what the weather has been like in past years. I think UndergroundWeather is one of them--but don't quote me.

[CTGirl]

The best answer I can give is to think 'Connecticut' (or 'Illinois' for milling 73) in April. Weather in China is similar to the US--it is in the temperate zone (not the tropics) and it has seasons like the northern half of the country (hot and humid in summer; cold in winter and unpredictable the rest of the year).

 

Keep in mind that the itinerary covers a large portion of the country--north to south, east to west and sea level to foothills to mountains--like doing Atlanta, Chicago and maybe Denver in the same trip.

 

Also, there are some website that keep track of historical weather so that you can check what the weather has been like in past years. I think UndergroundWeather is one of them--but don't quote me.

Thanks, I'll look into it.

[kbert92069]

We are booking the China Jewels and are trying to decide between mid-April or mid-October. Can anyone who has taken either give us an idea of temperatures they experienced? Several have written nice, but nice short sleeves type, or nice with jacket? Were flowers blooming in April, or still green in October, or fall foliage? I know weather is a variable any year, but still would be helpful. This will be our 4th Viking cruise and have loved them all, but they were all in Europe. This will be first trip this part of the world, and have really enjoyed reading all 65 pages of this thread!

 

We traveled from Oct 10 to 30 this year and the weather was quite pleasant with only one day including a little drizzle. The temperature was mostly cool enough for a light jacket for us but some travelers from Canada were still in shorts. We traveled Shanghai to Bejing and at the end of Oct it got cooler with some crisp clear fall weather in Bejing. We went to the great wall early in the morning so jacket definitely required. The fall colors were quite visible and clearly a treat in a couple areas.

[milling73]

We went in August, so cannot answer your question.

 

Caribill...how was August?

[ruthlynn]

@Milling 73: We were on the Roof of the World Viking tour leaving the USA October 6, and returning October 27. It was very warm from Beijing to Xian and very very humid....take a battery operated fan with you at all times. In Tibet, it was very very dry and cooler; from Chungking to Shanghai it was in the lower 70s and rained very lightly on us in Wuhan at the museum and the next morning in Shanghai...very very humid and warm in Shanghai...upper 70s. Take a mask for the pollution in the cities because if there is not a breeze, the pollution is almost unbearable. Cooler in Guilin because we were on the Li River, but warmer and more humid in Hong Kong. Could have sold my fan for a lot of money in different places. I am very hot natured, but even the "little people" were very warm. No flowers anywhere because Chinese gardens have rocks, not flowers. However, at Tienanmen Square they had beautiful floral decorations because they had just ended their fall festival....also flowers along the streets because of the fall festival. If you see flowers in China, they are set on the ground in pots just as they come from the greenhouses. In the hotels, you will see gorgeous floral arrangements. Don't take an umbrella because every hotel and the ship furnished umbrellas. Take a raincoat that packs into a tight portable package. My husband wore a light windbreaker on the sightseeing boat on the gorges trip but I never used my raincoat or a jacket. If you go to Tibet, you will need a jacket in the airport.....we froze there...the only time I was cold during the entire 22 days. Hope this helps.

Edited December 18, 2012 by ruthlynn

[at_nyc]

We are booking the China Jewels and are trying to decide between mid-April or mid-October. Can anyone who has taken either give us an idea of temperatures they experienced? Several have written nice, but nice short sleeves type, or nice with jacket? Were flowers blooming in April, or still green in October, or fall foliage? I know weather is a variable any year, but still would be helpful. This will be our 4th Viking cruise and have loved them all, but they were all in Europe. This will be first trip this part of the world, and have really enjoyed reading all 65 pages of this thread!

Six in one vs half a dozen.

 

Since it's the 2nd half of the 2 months you're asking... Nice in jackets late October and getting colder as you go. Nice in short sleeve in late April and getting warmer as you go. October is USUALLY drier than April, but no guarantees.

 

There's fall foliage but it's not what you see in VT that's all over the mountain on the road side. There's only a few isolated area that has that kind of hardwood. Your tour may or may not go by those places at all.

 

You might have better luck with flowers.

[Peregrina651]

I'm currently reading The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. While it is the biography of scientist Joseph Needham, it is also a glimpse into China during World War II.