Viking China (Part 2)

[juliesaddiction]

also...what airline did you all fly (booked thru Viking)? And are there movies available, personal or cabin wide?

[caribill]

also...what airline did you all fly (booked thru Viking)? And are there movies available, personal or cabin wide?

 

They assigned us to American Airlines flights.

 

Do not remember the entertainment onboard.

[no fuss travel]

They take you to several factories, a rug factory, a silk factory and an embroidery factory. The silk factory had more to purchase than the others. if you live in the US, they will ship home for you.

[GoInOnaCruz]

also...what airline did you all fly (booked thru Viking)? And are there movies available, personal or cabin wide?

We flew American Airlines in March and there were personal screens at each seat with an excellent choice of just out of the theater (then) movies--Silver Linings Playbook, the latest Bond movie, etc.

[GoInOnaCruz]

So...for all of you that have been before what are the things to buy in China?

 

Also, are some of the excursions optional and what is the cost for them?

There were 3 optional events--peking duck dinner, beijing opera, tang dynasty show--sorry don't remember cost--they tell you about them your first day with your tour escort and you pay (I think) when you exit the ship. We went to everything but the peking duck dinner. That was for the Imperial Jewels btw...other trips must be somewhat different...

Edited June 24, 2013 by GoInOnaCruz

[Peregrina651]

There were 3 optional events--peking duck dinner, beijing opera, tang dynasty show--sorry don't remember cost--they tell you about them your first day with your tour escort and you pay (I think) when you exit the ship. We went to everything but the peking duck dinner. That was for the Imperial Jewels btw...other trips must be somewhat different...

 

China's Cultural Delights offers the same optional tours: opera, duck and tang dynasty. Not sure if there are any optionals in Tibet on Roof of the World.

[CTGirl]

So...for all of you that have been before what are the things to buy in China?

 

Also, are some of the excursions optional and what is the cost for them?

They also take you to a Jade factory. We bought a Jade ball and a little fish sculpture. We bought lots of things at the Government shop near the Great Wall.

 

also...what airline did you all fly (booked thru Viking)? And are there movies available, personal or cabin wide?

We flew United. No movies on the little flight from JFK to Dulles but from Dulles to Beijing we had personal screens with all recent movies. We flew from Hong Kong to San Francisco and then to JFK going home. Only overhead movies on that one. At one point the screen was dark for over an hour. None of the flight attendants had realized this until I mentioned it. Finally it came back on. Let's just say that the flight back home was not as nice as the flight going.

[GoInOnaCruz]

Agreed, the Bund at night is not to be missed. Viking had us at the Westin Bund, which was just a short walk away, so we walked over after dinner on the day we arrived in Shanghai (from Wuhan; we started in Beijing).

 

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

LOVE the picture! Like a work of art with the lights shining on the water. Thanks for sharing with us!

[cruisealw]

do we need to bring gifts for home hospitality or when we visit the school. Is the school in session during the summer. any suggestions!!!

[no fuss travel]

Supplies for the school are greatly appreciated. The children still put on a production for you even though it is their summer. There is also a donation box where you can leave money if you do not want to bring school supplies. I visited the Dollar store before I left home and found stickers, pencils, pencil crayons, etc and took them with me. I also worked at that time at a university and the university was very nice in giving me pens, etc that were branded with their name to give to the school. The children will play games with you and graciously let you win. Also if you are willing to get up in front of the classroom and do an action song like "Put your right foot in, and take your right foot out" the Hoogie Pogie sp??, the kids are thrilled. We had several teachers on our tour group and they were willing to lead everyone in the song and everyone got into the spirit.:D:D

[CTGirl]

do we need to bring gifts for home hospitality or when we visit the school. Is the school in session during the summer. any suggestions!!!

We brought crayons for the school. We did a home visit in the houtongs (sp?) in Beijing. She offered us tea and she told us how life was there. Her niece is learning the old art of bottle painting. She had a very nice selection there for sale. We bought one more as a gesture of appreciation than anything else.

[Turtles06]

LOVE the picture! Like a work of art with the lights shining on the water. Thanks for sharing with us!

 

Thanks so much for your kind words!

[juliesaddiction]

This thread is so helpful!! Thank you so much for the words of wisdom ;)

[milling73]

SATLHR - Thanks for your information. We are booked on the June 6 Imperial cruise next year. How hot was it? Mid 80's or mid-90's? What type of shoes / clothing did you take? (tennis shoes, sandals, shorts, capris?) Is laundry service available? Jacket needed? Did you take any of the optional tours? recommend them?

 

Thanks...

[Peregrina651]

China's Cultural Delights offers the same optional tours: opera, duck and tang dynasty. Not sure if there are any optionals in Tibet on Roof of the World.

 

Sorry, I have got to stop posting before I am fully awake. ;)

 

Roof of the World does the opera, duck and Tang Dynasty show, same as the other itineraries. I'm not sure if there are any optional tours on the Tibet portion.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Peregrina651

[Peregrina651]

SATLHR - Thanks for your information. We are booked on the June 6 Imperial cruise next year. How hot was it? Mid 80's or mid-90's? What type of shoes / clothing did you take? (tennis shoes, sandals, shorts, capris?) Is laundry service available? Jacket needed? Did you take any of the optional tours? recommend them?

 

Thanks...

 

Weather: Always hard to predict as past results do not always predict future performance. Keep in mind that just like the US, the weather varies from region to region and you will be covering thousands of miles as you move from Shanghai to Chongqing to Xi'an and Beijing. In general, it will be hot and humid but that doesn't mean you won't encounter cooler weather along the way in early June.

 

There is laundry service on the ship but no dry cleaning. Men do not need a sports coat and there is no need for separate evening wear. Shorts are okay for men and women--and in the heat and humidity, you will be glad to have them. A/C on the bus can be cold, so you may want to have a sweater along (you can always leave it on the bus while you tour).

 

Bring your most comfortable walking shoes. Two pairs are all you need--then alternate so that they have time to dry out between wearings. Some people are happier in sandals and others in sneakers--whatever makes your feet happiest, because you are going to be doing a lot of walking over uneven ground.

 

[ruthlynn]

@CTGirl: We bought silk scarves and ties...great place in the silk market in Beijing and in a large department store in Hong Kong. Know the difference in silk and synthetic (ask the salesperson to show you: they should use a lighter and catch one of the fringe on fire...if it catches fire and makes ash, then it is silk; if it melts, it is synthetic). We bought small travel chess sets for grandsons in one of the shops at the Shanghai garden; also some little dolls; bought beautiful pearls for our granddaughters and pearl drop necklace for me and my daughter in Beijing; bought carved jade bracelet for daughter at wholesale jewelry shop in Hong Kong; kites, chopsticks, bought a beautiful embroidered shawl in Tibet, and my pride and joy: the silk embroidery piece in Shanghai...it was shipped to our home. I'm sure it was part of the sales pitch but the young people do not want to learn this art so it is supposedly dying because the young people want to play video games...mine took 1 1/2 years to make

Edited June 26, 2013 by ruthlynn

[rahrah50]

Thanks for the info ruthlynn. I will be on the great fabric hunt but also wish to purchase a few things. The picture I have in my brain is full of all the Made in China junk I see here in the US. Not anything I would want to purchase. Nice to hear you did find some nice items.

[SatLhr]

SATLHR - Thanks for your information. We are booked on the June 6 Imperial cruise next year. How hot was it? Mid 80's or mid-90's? What type of shoes / clothing did you take? (tennis shoes, sandals, shorts, capris?) Is laundry service available? Jacket needed? Did you take any of the optional tours? recommend them?

 

Thanks...

 

There were mornings that it started out in the upper 60s, overcast & drizzly but it would end up in the upper 70s and humid/hot. I would definitely suggest a light jacket you can fold down in to a bag or tie around your waist. My sister took a rain poncho that folded down to nothing and she always had it handy. She said that kept her just as warm as a jacket would have. It was in the mid to upper 80s most days. Our guide, Jenna, told us we were really lucky to be having such MILD weather so be warned. :) I did alternate between sneaker/hikers and good pair of Merrell Sandals. Some days, like the Great Wall, just call for a good closed shoe. I packed with the plan to use the laundry service once we got onboard the ship. I am SO glad I did. It saved me some luggage space and gave me some really fresh clothes midway thru our trip. They were delivered back to my room in less than a day. It was great. I'll definitely do that again.

 

We chose to go with all 3 of the optional excursions because we thought "When will I ever get back to China?!" and because Viking has planned everything out so well. (1) We kept saying the Peking/Beijing Opera was a "cultural experience". It was a bit screechy (sp?) but that's the nature of the beast. We did like the martial arts section of that show though. (2) The Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show was really beautiful and good. It's a bit touritsy in the theater but the food & show were both enjoyable. (3) The Shanghai Acrobats were SO entertaining. I was holding my breath for most of it. For the price I think they were all a very good option for the evenings. I hope that helps. Let me know what else you'd like to know. :)

[G&L in WPG]

Got our reservation for the Black Sesame Kitchen on November 27th! This is the night we were scheduled for either dinner at the hotel (Westin Chaoyang) or optionally attending the dinner and Chinese Opera performance. I assume we made the right choice? Could not book dinner on the 28th as they only take large parties on Thursdays, 29th did not work as we are flying home that day. Any hints on getting to/from the restaurant from the Westin? Any idea what the total cost is?

[rahrah50]

I was also concerned about transportation to and from BSK as there are 10 people in our group. Online I found Eastern Beijing Taxi Service and asked for a quote and was pleasantly surprised. $100.00 for to and from the restaurant. Has anyone used this company???

[Travel Girl TX]

I was also concerned about transportation to and from BSK as there are 10 people in our group. Online I found Eastern Beijing Taxi Service and asked for a quote and was pleasantly surprised. $100.00 for to and from the restaurant. Has anyone used this company???

 

I have reservations at BSK for July 10. It's just the 2 of us and we plan to use the subway and follow the directions and map provided by BSK. I have been studying maps of the area and I'm fortunately good with directions and navigating. I'll report back on the ease or lack there of with using the subway and their directions to get there.

[no fuss travel]

You can get the hotel to arrange a taxi for you and they will tell you the price. make sure you take a hotel business card with you with the hotel name and address written in Chinese so that the taxi coming back knows where you are staying.

[CTGirl]

@CTGirl: We bought silk scarves and ties...great place in the silk market in Beijing and in a large department store in Hong Kong. Know the difference in silk and synthetic (ask the salesperson to show you: they should use a lighter and catch one of the fringe on fire...if it catches fire and makes ash, then it is silk; if it melts, it is synthetic). We bought small travel chess sets for grandsons in one of the shops at the Shanghai garden; also some little dolls; bought beautiful pearls for our granddaughters and pearl drop necklace for me and my daughter in Beijing; bought carved jade bracelet for daughter at wholesale jewelry shop in Hong Kong; kites, chopsticks, bought a beautiful embroidered shawl in Tibet, and my pride and joy: the silk embroidery piece in Shanghai...it was shipped to our home. I'm sure it was part of the sales pitch but the young people do not want to learn this art so it is supposedly dying because the young people want to play video games...mine took 1 1/2 years to make

Thanks for the info but it was not me asking the question. We have gone and come back already. We also bought a silk embroidery piece in Shanghai. We bought a small two sided one with a cat on each side. Wasn't that embroidery beautiful?

[CTGirl]

This thread is so helpful!! Thank you so much for the words of wisdom ;)

I thought your CC name was familiar. We are on the Royal together next year. You will love China.