Transportation to ship in Beijing

[Just Alice]

How do we get to the ship in Beijing? We are sailing on the Diamond Princess

in March/April. If we want to go by Bullet train, how do we get tickets? Do they have to be purchased ahead of time ?

 

Comments on what shore excursion to take when in Saigon would be appreciated as well.

 

Just Alice

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

May I reccomend posting in the Princess Cruises forum.

[JakTar]

Hi,

 

How to get to the ship in Beijing? Boy, might you be in for an adventure!

We jumped ship in Shanghai and planned to rejoin our ship (Balmoral) in Beijing. I imagine you know that the ship will be berthed in Tianjin Port. However, Tianjin Port is not in Tianjin - it's another 20-25 minutes away by bullet train to Tang'gu, a completely different city. So yes, you can get there by bullet train from Beijing (South Station where we bought our tickets in the morning for our evening train - just to make sure) but do make sure the train goes to Tang'gu, not just Tianjin. From the train station it's about 20 minutes by taxi to the port which is huge. We found this in the dark with a taxi driver who spoke no English. We managed it....just in time - so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back to your ship.

 

If you're interested, this is the relevant part of that adventure from my diary -

>>>

I ask the girl at Reception to write out "Beijing South Station" in local script before hailing a taxi. It's only a little over 30 renminbi for the 25-minute drive.

This is a train station? I don't think so. It looks more like an airport. From the ramp up to the entrance to the expansive open plan station itself it’s very impressive. We buy two one-way tickets to Tanggu at 84 Renminbi each for the 18h50 train. A little over £9 for the 100-mile trip on a bullet train - in first class? Now we have our tickets we have a day to enjoy in Bejing before coming back here this evening.

At least the train is on time. It's very, very comfortable. We leave at 18.50, reaching a speed of over 328 kph. We wouldn't have known we were going at that speed. The sun has set and the only indicator of speed is the neon display at the front of the carriage. The Western-looking guy in the adjacent seat is Danish, a budgeting expert on a 5-month secondment in Tanggu. Why don't I get assignments like that? He can't tell me anything about the port area though. No reason why he should, really, unless he arrived like we did or has taken a ferry across to somewhere like Seoul - which we may have to do if we can't find the ship in time. The train makes one short stop in Tianjin (there's even a Tesco here) and arrives in Tanggu at a quarter to eight.

How far can it be to the port? Is the bus station nearby? I know that number 102 goes to the port. It's dark. Where are the cabs? Over there on the left. By the time we reach the taxi stop they've all disappeared and it's a few minutes before we can hail one. We sill have an hour. I show the driver the address in local script. A crease runs right across it where the page had been folded. He can't read it. My panic button is pressed. "Let's get out - find another one!" YMB has rather more presence of mind. She draws a boat in the style of a 3-year-old. The driver seems to understand. I'm not sure. Maybe I need to find a three year old. Is there anybody around who speaks English? No. I am in a heightened state of awareness. It's dark. I can't see anything that looks like a port and no signs either. We drive and drive and still no signs and no port. The only thing that stops me going completely mental is an occasional bus 102 on the same route. How far can it be? I thought we might even be able to walk to the port. It's almost twenty minutes before we see a ship and signs for the Passenger Terminal. The ships we pass look like cargo ships. It's dark and there's very little traffic. On we drive. The driver sees a guard at one of the port gates and shows him the creased copy of the Times. He seems very unsure. Great! If this is the port why does everything seem to be shut. I'm starting to wonder when the next ferry is to Incheon. Wait! Is that the Balmoral? It certainly looks like the ship. Yes, that's definitely it. There doesn't seem any activity anywhere, though. We thought we'd see some passengers milling around. The first gate we come to is closed. The next building looks like it might be a passenger hall but it's in darkness. A little bit further and there's an open gate. This must be the way in. Our tip to the driver is about the same as the fare. We thank him profusely - hopefully he understood.

There is a little light in the building. We go in. There are a couple of guards there who usher us through. We've made it. No we haven't. There are port authorities on one side of the barrier and a couple on our side - a Turkish man and his wife from Reading who can't get through. It's half past eight now. They arrived at 8 o'clock but apparently the computer systems had already been closed down. Everyone else was on board. Well, we're in time and if we can't get aboard, at least we know where we need to be to try and get a ferry to Korea. We wait…..and wait. I'm calm and relaxed now. YMB always has been. Some of the ship's officers have appeared, including the Captain. This is serious. We can see heavy negotiating going on. After a few more minutes we are called forward. Have the computer systems come back on? It doesn't appear so. Our passports are checked and we're through. We hand in our departure cards. The Hotel Manager (I can't work out why he would be required unless the Captain wanted a show of force with impressively dressed officers) assures us repeatedly that it's not our fault. As we're ushered back onto the ship we hand in our passports to him. "It's been a nightmare since Shanghai," he tells us, but doesn’t elaborate. We board the ship. The Captain's face looks like thunder as he marches ahead of us. I want YMB to ask if he'd carry her bags for her - but I know she wouldn't.

<<<

 

Regards

Jeff