Viking China

[MSEm]

We did not have any problems with Customs and our Cholex's scarves, ties, other watches or other items. We completed the customes form on the plane. When passing though immigration then checked our passports and took the form. Ask what we did in China and we were quickly on our way for our flight to Atlanta.

 

Just enjoy watching and seeing.

Emily

[Csora2547]

Thanks Kim for the Visa information. I will definitely check it out. These visas get expensive!

 

Each person is allowed to bring back $800 worth of "stuff". I did a "very rough" guesstimate of what we purchased. Then I stuffed the fake stuff deep down in my suitcase and prayed. My husband told me to get that guilty look off my face! Ha! No one in our group had their luggage checked. We all sailed through customs, no problems.

 

In the classroom that we visited it was a bit of a free for all. We all just gave out the gifts we had. Every child got several presents. I enjoyed getting to give the children the gifts personally but it probably would be a better idea for the teacher to collect all the gifts and distribute them. Maybe it depends on who's classroom you visit. I know if I were getting ready to go on the trip and heard about "gifts for the kids" I would probably groan about the time to shop and the weight in the luggage. But they are thrilled with very little. Erasers, pencils, any kind of art supply. I think you could also buy something that all the children could use and give it to the teacher instead of 40 little gifts. As for giving a special gift to one child ..... I think they try to discourage that. Also the children are not allowed to accept money. If you offer it they will shake their head.

 

If you buy the terra cotta warrior you pay the duty on him when he arrives so don't declare him. I'm not sure if the shipping was included in the price.($900+) Since 3 of us, who live in San Diego, purchased one they will be packed and shipped together. They said it will take 2-3 months for them to arrive.

[coasters]

We did not have any problems with Customs and our Cholex's scarves, ties, other watches or other items. We completed the customes form on the plane. When passing though immigration then checked our passports and took the form. Ask what we did in China and we were quickly on our way for our flight to Atlanta.

 

Just enjoy watching and seeing.

Emily

Returning from their brief 3 day first cruise (at age 6) we explained to our triplet grandchildren that there would be uniformed officers at the terminal whose job was to see that money was collected called "duty" for some items purchased while out of the US.

As we passed the customs officer, I said we had "nothing to declare"... where upon my grandson blurted out "but Papa, you didn't tell him about the 3 watches".....

A brief explanation to the officer about the "ship special $10.00 watches" allowed us to pass without further delay.

Enjoy

Jerry

[coasters]

Just a suggestion.... one of the persons on tour with us (herself an educator) purchased flash cards for the teacher as well as items for the children.

Jerry

[Dale]

Returning from their brief 3 day first cruise (at age 6) we explained to our triplet grandchildren that there would be uniformed officers at the terminal whose job was to see that money was collected called "duty" for some items purchased while out of the US.

As we passed the customs officer, I said we had "nothing to declare"... where upon my grandson blurted out "but Papa, you didn't tell him about the 3 watches".....

A brief explanation to the officer about the "ship special $10.00 watches" allowed us to pass without further delay.

Enjoy

Jerry

This may be somewhat like your grandchildren.

 

A few years ago the wife of one of our governors at the time had been visiting in Paris. When she was coming back into this country the customs officer welcomed her home. He the ask if she had anything to declare, her reply was no. He ask again if she had anything to declare, her reply again was no. He knew this was not true because folded inside her passport was receipts for $19,000 worth of clothes. When the officer told her this, her explanation was she forgot about the clothes. After opening up the check book and writing a check for the duty on the clothes all was forgiven.

 

The only question I have is. How many of you ladies out there would have “forgotten” a purchase of $19,000 worth of clothes you had purchased in Paris?

[SuziCruises]

Does anyone know if we will have an opportunity to purchase Silk Duvets on the Imperial Jewels of China, Shanghai - Beijing route? From what I have been able to see, we visit a 'silk carpet workshop' but others have mentioned they got them at the 'silk factory' in Suzhou. We aren't going there, so I'm just wondering if we'll ever see them. I'd sure like to get one.

 

Thanks!

 

Suzi

[arlenez]

Has anyone received their documents for the May 29/30 China river cruises? I'm anxious to do the doc dance!

 

Regards,

Arlene

[amandajess]

We are on July 9th Imperial Jewels ( think that's the name) -

[Future Islander]

Trip Report – Imperial Jewels of China with the Hong Kong extension.

 

Dates of travel: April 11 – 28, 2008

 

Note: The comments presented herein are personal opinions and observations and should only be viewed as such. They are not meant to cause any concerns for your future China trip with Viking. They are meant to provide “advice” and “cautions”.

 

This was our first “Tour/Cruise” ….we have always booked and managed our own tours independent of tour companies……we have taken 10 cruises in the last 12 years and traveled around the world during the past 30 years.

 

In a “nut shell”……we had a good time……the Viking package was worth the cost…..we would book with Viking again. There were 6 of us traveling together (3 couples).

 

Viking did an excellent job in organizing the entire tour. We never had to wait for a tour bus, all the luggage was handled perfectly, buses were clean, food was ready when expected, tours ran on time, etc……Viking gets an “A” for organization & timeliness.

 

Baggage in China….weight restrictions: By the end of the trip our checked luggage weighed about 8-10 pounds each over the 44 pound limit (you tend to buy souvenirs) and we did not have any problems. However, we were constantly cautioned about luggage weight. Our carry-ons were significantly over 11 pounds (always)….again, no problem.

 

Caution: The intra China flights do not allow any liquids, pastes or jells of any kind and in any quantity in your carry-on luggage……so be prepared for this (one person in our group had a little 1/2 ounce package of peanut butter taken away from them, I had a hand sanitizer taken away from me). We were required to check our own bags in Beijing (new rule because of the Olympics), but Viking handled the bags in the other cities….this may change as we get nearer to the Olympics date.

 

Airport Security Inspections in China: For me, always a complete hand “pat down” and they made me empty my pockets…..I didn’t even carry a wallet. At one inspection point, in Xian, they wanted me to put my folded money into the plastic container to be x-rayed. I refused and put it back into my pocket.

 

Our Tour Guide (Jimmy) was great!!!!!! He made our trip (at least until Shanghai)…..we were assigned another guide for the Hong Kong extension…..this guide was, to be polite, not as good.

 

Local tour guides: You are assigned an overall tour guide (ours was Jimmy), but in each city (except Beijing) you have a local guide, as well. All of our local guides were knowledgeable and good except for Hong Kong. The local Hong Kong guide provided misinformation and “no information”.

 

Hong Kong extension: If we were to do it over we would not include the Hong Kong extension (again, our personal opinion).

 

Tipping: Be prepared to tip between $200. - $300. per couple. (regular tour guides, area tour guides, bus drivers, hotel porters, hotel maids, ship personnel, etc.)

 

U.S. currency: We took 100 singles, 100 five dollar bills, 10 ten dollar bills, 10 twenty dollar bills and 2 hundred dollar bills. All the bills were brand new. The U.S. currency came in very handy. (We didn’t spend it all.) The street vendors loved it. U.S. currency was accepted everywhere we went. However, we did convert $300. into Yuan at the airport. We also used credit cards for the larger purchases.

 

Leisure Time: The only “real” leisure time we had was our own extra day in Beijing prior to the start of the Viking tour and the last day in Hong Kong. Other than that you will have no” leisure time” (except aboard the ship). Viking packs a lot into one day.

 

Street Vendors: You will be “mobbed” by street vendors where ever you go….and to the point of it becoming uncomfortable…at the Bund in Shanghai it was like being thrown into a pond filled with piranhas…vendors grabbing at you and pulling you to the side….the police had to come to “physically remove” the vendors…really.

 

Flights in China: All of the flights within China were completely full. The airlines provided (tasty) meals onboard even if the flight was only an hour long. The Chinese aircraft were Boeing 737s, 757s and 767s and an Airbus 300 series….all of the aircraft appeared to be pretty new.

 

Air Pollution and Haze: The worst I’ve ever seen in any part of the world that I previously visited….we only “saw the sun” on 2 days during our visit.

 

Viking Tour Bus Drivers: Wow…..they rival any taxi driver in Rome.

 

Again, these are personal opinions/observations.

 

We spent an extra day in Beijing to get acclimated to the time change (12 hours). This was a good idea. On our own we visited a Buddhist Temple, the Olympic Areas and the Beijing Aquarium ……we booked a 4-hour car tour through the hotel for about $200. Note, we were still recovering from jetlag.

 

Hotel in Beijing: Westin: “my rating”….a good 4 Star “businessman’s hotel”. Great pool….good service. Breakfast was very good. Our room was nice, but our room carpeting was very stained. Only complaint was that during the Viking tour part of our stay tables and chairs were placed out in the “hallway” of the restaurant and we were told that “Viking guests” had to sit there and not in the comfortable seating of the restaurant….a BIG TURN OFF to me……in other words we were treated differently from the “real paying guests”. Getting coffee and refills of coffee, at the restaurant where we were required to sit, was difficult.

 

Tours in Beijing…..a bit rushed….not a lot of time to adequately see everything…..we could have spent an extra day in Beijing……also April & May are prime tour months in China and a lot (I mean a lot) of Chinese are touring the same sites…..it was extremely crowded…..which made the tours a bit uncomfortable. In other words “we can say we’ve been there, but we really didn’t get a chance to enjoy it”. The crowds at the Summer Palace were like Disney World on the worst day of the year….at some points you couldn’t even move. Occasionally during the tour we were provided 20 minutes or so to explore by ourselves, but we had to meet at another location. With the crowds that we experienced it took us 20 minutes just to walk to the other location without seeing anything. Again, I can say that we’ve been there, but we really didn’t get to enjoy it.

 

Tour Buses: Made in China for “Chinese sized people” (ladies will know this as a petite size 2 or smaller)……but some of the buses had expansion sliding seats which made it more comfortable. Bottled water onboard the bus was free except in Hong Kong.

 

Restroom Stops: One thing I need to say, Viking did provide enough opportunities for restroom stops during our tours.

 

Hutong Ride & Family Visit in Beijing: The Hutong ride was a bit “hooky”, but the family visit was very good with personal information being exchanged freely.

 

Programmed shopping tours (Jade Factory, Silk Rug Store & Jewelry Store)……if you’re there to shop for items that cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars then these are the stores for you….I was there to see China and these stops were, in my opinion, a waste of my precious time in China.

 

Peking Duck Dinner and Opera: I keep saying (like the Wendy commercial) “where’s the duck”. Dinner, in my opinion, was the second worst that we had while in China…..the “duck” consisted of fried duck skin and the chicken needed a “hammer” to break apart. We didn’t care too much for the Peking Opera, couldn’t wait for it to be over…….personal opinion (actually the whole group’s opinion). The Peking Duck Dinner & Opera is held at a “Days Inn”.

 

The Great Wall tour was fantastic!

 

The flight to Xian was comfortable.

 

The Tang Dynasty Dinner Show in Xian was great!!!! Or should I say….superb!

 

Hotel in Xian: Shangri-La…….4 Stars, but didn’t spend a lot of time there (only about 10 hours). Breakfast was very good.

 

Tour: Terra Cotta Warriors - Great……we had enough time to fully enjoy this exhibit. The Mrs. bought jewelry at the gift shop. They bargain here, too. She got the item for 20% of the original asking price. (The Mrs. is a very good shopper).

 

Bargaining: Bargaining is enjoyed everywhere in China. It became a contest as to who got the best price. Olympic caps were going for 12 for $10. (U.S.) Jewelry cases (material that looks like silk) were going for $2. (U.S.) “Knock off watches” were going for $2. - $10. (U.S.) Chinese fans (nice ones) were going for a dollar.

 

Cruise: My rating….good……although not quite as good as a Celebrity Cruise Ship. Food was O.K., but some people (their opinion, not mine) got sick on board with what appeared to be food poisoning. One person indicated that he was served a raw hot dog and became violently sick several hours later. It seems that the people on our tour that got sick with intestinal problems got sick while aboard the ship. We acquired upper respiratory congestions about 8 days into the tour (again aboard the ship). One of our party got diarrhea during the cruise portion. Also, a trip to the ship’s doctor (who doesn’t speak English) will be expensive…..while we didn’t experience it we were told by one person that the cost was $250. (U.S.).

 

Credits onboard the Ship: If you have shipboard credits be aware that they can only be used for beverages or Viking Logo item purchases. We had three fifty-dollar credits ($150. total) and thought that it could be used for all shipboard purchases and tips…WRONG!…..when checking out we found that only one $50. credit could be used since we only spent about $80. on beverages during the cruise. If we hadn’t complained about this our tour guide wouldn’t have intervened and allowed us to purchase a Viking Logo shirt & scarf before leaving the ship.

 

Dress for Dinner Onboard the Ship: We didn’t bring jackets, but others did. For the Captain’s Dinner (last night of the cruise) I counted 34 men with jackets. There were a total of 208 passengers aboard the ship….or about 100 men….so about one third wore jackets.

 

Wait Staff Onboard the Viking Ship Restaurant: Most of the wait staff appeared to be new. Service, in my opinion, was lacking at times.

 

Massage Aboard the Viking Ship: Ahhhhh…..Great!

 

Shopping Onboard the Viking Ship: Jewelry (ask the Mrs.) and tailor made clothing, again ask the Mrs. as she got a beautiful tailor made on-the spot silk jacket for about $100. (U.S.).

 

Three Gorges Tour Tip: Viking uses a smaller boat to tour the Three Gorges….do all you can to get on this boat first and immediately go to the upper deck for seating (much more comfortable and a better view). Lunch on this tour is served as a BBQ at a stop along the river….beware of under-cooked food. Apparently the food is cooked aboard the Viking Ship “in the morning” and transported to the lunch site for a “1:00 PM” meal. The food was not very warm when served.

 

The Viking School visit was nice….we enjoyed meeting the children! Not too many people brought gifts for the children (we did).

 

Hotel in Shanghai: Ritz Carlton…..5 STARS! But the first night’s dinner at the Ritz was the worst food we had while in China…..we had a choice of Chicken or Salmon that was pre-ordered when in Beijing……the chicken was as tough as leather and the salmon was not completely cooked….the salmon was sent back to the kitchen….the chicken went uneaten. We all complained to our tour guide who made a note of our complaints. Breakfast was very good.

 

Acrobatic Show in Shanghai: Fantastic!

 

Hong Kong extension:

 

Hotel in Guilin: Sheraton….3 Stars….didn’t really spent a lot of time here…food was good. Hotel is in the process of a major renovation (thus the 3 stars).

 

Li River cruise: Nice…comfortable….food onboard was “OK”. Don’t buy the Guilin picture book onboard for 180 Yuan……..you can get it from vendors after you disembark for 20 Yuan (including the DVD). Remember to bargain by showing some interest and then just walking away. They will come after you! We were not interested in buying the book, but at 20 Yuan ($2.80) we couldn’t pass it up.

 

Hotel in Hong Kong: Shangri-La….5 STARS….best hotel of the trip….breakfast was excellent…and we sat in the restaurant, not in the hallway. By the way, the harbor is directly behind the hotel and the harbor boardwalk is connected to the hotel by a walkway (with an outdoor elevator) (total distance was about 200 yards). Our Hong Kong guide’s directions to the harbor were to walk down the street for about 3 blocks and then turn right for another block (1/2 mile). He also told us that the Temple Street Market was a short 15 minute walk away…..the hotel staff laughed and suggested that we hire a taxi.

 

If you didn’t book an airport transfer with Viking (we didn’t) the taxi ride to the airport in Hong Kong was HK $250. or about ($35 U.S.).

 

Please remember that the above comments are personal opinions and observations for our particular trip.

 

Also, CSORA2547's trip report on page 86 provides a good description of the individual tours so I didn't repeat them here.

 

Hope this helps......have a great trip.

[arlenez]

For the great report. We leave May 29th and enjoyed reading your comments.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[WIT]

Which massage did you get? I did the Martial Arts massage last April - an unforgettable experience.

WIT

[pachecos]

Future Islander - what was your weather like - hot humid???

[Future Islander]

WIT:

 

We did the foot massage aboard the ship.

 

And the foot & upper shoulder/back massage at the massage school in Guilin.

 

F.I.

[Future Islander]

Pachecos:

 

The weather throughout our stay was from the low 60s to the high 70s. (Low humidity)

 

Jackets in the morning and short sleeves in the afternoon.

 

For the 3 Gorges Tour I wore a sweat shirt & jacket (a bit cool & rainy there).

 

Hong Kong was all short sleeve shirt weather.

 

Overall the weather was very comfortable! I would not like see the temperatures and humidity from June through September. Our tour guide indicated that April & May were the best months to tour China.

 

F.I.

[Lucky Granny]

Fuiture Islander, that was a wonderful report - good information, especially about the intra-China flights. Since you suggested it, would you ask "the Mrs." to write a shopping report for us?:)

[MSEm]

National Geographic will air 2 programs on Sunday evening, May 4.

 

8 PM “The Warrior King”

9 PM “Building the Great Wall”

 

This will air on both National Geographic and National Geographic HD channels.

 

I hope you can watch or have someone record these for you. I have seen the “Building of the Great Wall” It really explains the why, how, and method of building the Great Wall.

 

Also you may want to check your public library for DVD on the topics. Our library oftern carries the National Geo DVD. Maybe a Blockbuster???

[Dale]

Also you may want to check your public library for DVD on the topics. Our library oftern carries the National Geo DVD. Maybe a Blockbuster???

This is a great way to get a jump-start on China. We have just finished our 4th DVD on our upcoming trip on the 30th. This one gave us the cruise down the Yangtze. The others covered Beijing, Xian, Chongqing and Shanghai. Our library still has 2 more DVD's on order for us.

 

I have one question about ATM's. Does the 4 digit pin number work there? I read somewhere that you may need more than 4 digits in China. I really don't want any surprises when we get to Beijing.

[WIT]

This is a great way to get a jump-start on China. We have just finished our 4th DVD on our upcoming trip on the 30th. This one gave us the cruise down the Yangtze. The others covered Beijing, Xian, Chongqing and Shanghai. Our library still has 2 more DVD's on order for us.

 

I have one question about ATM's. Does the 4 digit pin number work there? I read somewhere that you may need more than 4 digits in China. I really don't want any surprises when we get to Beijing.

Dale - Yes, the 4 digit PIN is OK provided it is entirely numbers.

 

National Geographic online has a China special feature out currently. You can enjoy it at:

 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/table-of-contents?email=inside_20080502

 

WIT

[Dale]

Dale - Yes, the 4 digit PIN is OK provided it is entirely numbers.

 

National Geographic online has a China special feature out currently. You can enjoy it at:

 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/table-of-contents?email=inside_20080502

 

WIT

Thanks WIT, saves taking a lot of money.

[cs91]

Does anyone know if there is internet access on a Sprint mobile card in China? Thanks in advance.

Thanks future islander for the great review.

[MSEm]

I replied on ATM's in China for cash. My ATM card reimbuses me ALL fees, including the currancy exchange fee of 1%.

 

All of the hotels had ATM's located in the lobby area. If you do not see one ask at the front desk. Often the ATM were located in a small room with a door.

Also Ask your tour escort on ATM while you are on the River.

 

One of the land marks to the Wuhan Wal-Mart is the "Big Credit Card" statue in the pedestrian mall. Also we pasted several banks with ATM's.

People had problems cashing Traveler's checks, but no problems with the ATMs. When I put my card in the ATM, the screen would bring up English language instructions.

Have a wonderful trip.

Emily

[MARRYREV]

The National Geographic issue is wonderful. Wonderspouse and I were at the Forbidden City Last October and remember commenting about the costumed young Chinese Girl with wings. I am looking though my pictures to see if I snapped one of her

[Dale]

OK, everyone on the Cultural Delights trip on 5/30 it’s time to have some fun. It’s been to quiet for the last couple of days.

:D The following may be silly but it but it’s all in fun. :D

Could the following be classified as “bad news”?

 

Yesterday evening I was “cruising” the internet and as I was “sailing” the information super highway I came upon some “Bad News”.

We will miss celebrating the Beijing Watermelon Festival that occurs on 05/28/2008 .

 

Seriously, is anyone else leaving Los Angeles on the 29th on board Northwest’s flight #1 at 12:55pm?

[dpump]

I'm on flight 7 out of SeaTac. Can't wait for that 'fun' flight to Bejing!

[Dale]

I'm on flight 7 out of SeaTac. Can't wait for that 'fun' flight to Bejing!

I’ll buy you a cup of coffee in Tokyo, if you are on Northwest flight 11 to Beijing.