Thinking of cruising Vicking

[Kudos2Fly]

We just got off an 11 day Panama Canal Cruise with Holland America. This was a different cruise for us. But we loved it a lot, plus it was a different type of "group". We have mainly sailed Carnival (10) , Royal Caribbean (3) and Celebrity (1). Mainly the caribbean.

 

But looking to do other trips. A couple we talk to hard done an Asia cruise with Vicking and had good report on them. Although we didn't talk long to them, it got us to thinking of seeing China/Asia by river boat.

 

But needed to know some points. One was "what" is really included. Also what is the deal on the internet. We are self employed so cutting communication for an 13-18 trip is not possible. When we did this 11 Panama Canal cruise we got the 150 package for 500mb of data, but unlimited use. So work well for us to check email and some "internet surfing".

 

We would be living from Florida, I have the ideal that airfare is also included in there price. Is this true.

 

Being we have been on Holland, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. I'm 40 and hubby 62. How would we fit in with Viking River Cruises?

[JVilleGal]

Start reading this board lots of threads about Viking/China trips!

[JVilleGal]

Unless they are running a "special promo" air in generally not included..... You can buy it from Viking and have them arrange the details.

 

Best advice is to go to the Viking website and start reading about the details & pricing of the trip you want to take.

Edited February 16, 2015 by JVilleGal

[PBJ63]

We cruised Viking in Europe last summer. We had access to free wireless internet service plus there were a few computers on board for public use. Sometimes our connections were weak, but if we moved from our stateroom to the lobby, it was usually stronger. I don't know how the connections would be in Asia. We were one of the newer longboats and it was very nice. Everything was included in the price, including shore excursions every day. Wine is included at meals, but liquor is extra. There are some extra shore excursions that can be purchased but are optional.

[CJcruzer]

We have cruised 3 times with Viking (4th one coming up shortly) and once with AMA waterways.

 

Our good friends (who we introduced to viking) took their China river cruise and said it was outstanding . As far as internet - I do not know how reception is in China, and while cruising the gorges - someone has mentioned in a review that internet was almost non-existent in Myanmar - and on our Vietnam/Cambodia river cruise it was spotty.

 

Possibly google some reviews, call Viking, and possibly pose the internet subject separately on a new post? with that title heading?

 

Carol

[Rosethorn40]

We just got off an 11 day Panama Canal Cruise with Holland America. This was a different cruise for us. But we loved it a lot, plus it was a different type of "group". We have mainly sailed Carnival (10) , Royal Caribbean (3) and Celebrity (1). Mainly the caribbean.

 

But looking to do other trips. A couple we talk to hard done an Asia cruise with Vicking and had good report on them. Although we didn't talk long to them, it got us to thinking of seeing China/Asia by river boat.

 

But needed to know some points. One was "what" is really included. Also what is the deal on the internet. We are self employed so cutting communication for an 13-18 trip is not possible. When we did this 11 Panama Canal cruise we got the 150 package for 500mb of data, but unlimited use. So work well for us to check email and some "internet surfing".

 

We would be living from Florida, I have the ideal that airfare is also included in there price. Is this true.

 

Being we have been on Holland, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. I'm 40 and hubby 62. How would we fit in with Viking River Cruises?

 

At 40 you would probably be one of the youngest passengers on board, but don't let that deter you! I'm 53 and DH 57 and we were among the youngest passengers on our recent Viking cruise, that said, our fellow passengers were active and friendly, and for the most part extremely well-traveled. We have sailed mostly on Princess, but also Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean & NCL and thought every line had something to offer. We loved our river cruise, and have booked another for this year.

[franski]

If you want to do China, then almost half of the nights are spent in hotels. I expect internet would be available there.

 

Not sure about the 5 nights on the boat - but perhaps others who have travelled this route can chime in here.

 

Air to/from China is *not* included, although all of the intra-country flights are. As well as all meals. So, once you get there, you only have gratuities and any personal or optional expenditures.

 

Viking does offer air - and really had quite a good deal on for our trip this coming October, but our dollar has really tanked in relation to the US $, so it was cheaper for me to purchase air on my own (paid under $1000/pp for direct flights out of Toronto).

 

Fran

[Kudos2Fly]

Thanks for the information. Just in research part right now. We have never thought about doing a river cruise in China. So looking to see if this would be a good option.

[Mark_T]

Everything you could ever need to know about the Viking China cruises can be found here:

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1495597

 

If you still have questions after reading then put them in that thread for a fast and knowledgeable response.

 

We went last year and yes, the internet in the hotels was pretty good and was free, on the ship there was free access via the computer room, but no wi-fi so you could not use your own devices.

 

This has varied from time to time and by the time you go the ships might have wi-fi, but better to assume it will not.

 

There are parts of the journey where the ships computers will not have access either, but do remember that the river section of the cruise is only a part of the total time you will be in China.

[4774Papa]

Check out Vantage Travel, their cruises are just as nice with five star hotels pre-cruise for less money.

[Happy Tourista]

The other thing to keep in mind is The Great Firewall of China is alive and well. So while you may have access to the Internet, you may not have unrestricted access to your emails and/or to websites. We were on the Roof of the World tour (China & Tibet) this past June. DH couldn't access his work emails for the first 3 days. (We joked that once the Chinese realized there wasn't anything in them of interest, they let them go thru.) We were in China around the time of the anniversary of the uprising in the Tiananmen Square, and the rumor was that the Chinese were clamping down on Internet communications. I couldn't access my gmail account for a good portion of the trip. So my advice would be that, while you probably may be able to stay in touch, you should be prepared for Internet lapses or unavailability. Likewise, you should keep in mind that business (or any) written communications may not be private between the parties, which might be a problem, depending on your line of work.

[Floridiana]

A river cruise in China is ~ 3 days on the Yangtze in an overall package of a land tour. There are less expensive options than Viking. We did it with a travel agency in San Francisco, outstanding job, real Focus on China, our group had 8participants only! Our trip included the flight to and from San Francisco. For 4 weeks, it was the same price as the 14 day China tours offered by other companies. In Beijing, we had a much more upscale hotel than Viking.

 

Many young Chinese were constantly on their i-phones, but I don't know their provider. One in our American group used her e-mail via yahoo and it worked. With the Chinese government worried about the freedom of the net, one never knows what works and what doesn't.

 

The other Asian rivers are the Ganges in India, the Irawaddy in Myamar and the Mekong in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. None of these trips are cheap, especially not with companies that do all your leg work and provide a guide throughout your trip.

[Floridiana]

One more thing, the American author Qui Xiaolong writes mystery novels set in Shanghai. His novels provide an in depth look at China that is enjoyable to read. Be aware that he uses food as one way to describe the difference between the ordinary Chinese - noodle soup, rice - and the upper class - expensive exotic dishes. Those can be very disturbing.

[rrgator]

Everything you could ever need to know about the Viking China cruises can be found here:

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1495597

 

 

Thank you very much for posting that link. We are going in May 2015, and I knew there had to be a detailed thread somewhere, just couldn't find it. Love the CC boards. Very helpful. :)