wanderer44

Yes, I too had heard the poor reviews regarding the Viking Duck Dinner and had made other plans to visit a local restaurant on the night of this excursion (2 weeks ago). However I did quiz the others in our group about their experience and there was only praise and delight in their experience.....puzzled, I inquired further and learned that Viking had changed to a new restaurant. However, knowing that now I would not have changed my plans.....as my experience at Siji Minfu could not have been topped.

A side note: The Opera was panned by all who attended.

Had a wonderful time on Imperial Jewels Shanghai to Beijing. Some observations; the internal flights are anything but dependable....expect to be delayed and miss some promised activities...if not more the better.

Anyone planning to take this tour in the summer, be aware that the schools are not in session so our visit to the school was substituted by some very talented children coming onboard and doing a very sweet song and dance show. The teachers onboard (of which there were many), though they enjoyed the show, were very disappointed not to have seen the school itself.

The US$ was accepted everywhere and most welcome even by the street vendors. I did exchange money at the hotels - on the first day I received 602 Yuan for $100 US - at the last hotel I received 614 Yuan for $100.

We tried all the food and were happy to go straight to McDonald's for a proper hamburger upon our return. If you stay at the Westin Bund in Shanghai....be sure to try the oyster balls on the breakfast buffet....we found them to be as tasty as our meatballs.

Best vendor shopping was at the Shibaozhai Pagoda and at The Wall.....I general paid half of the starting price throughout.

This is one great adventure....you will definitely enjoy it.

I had a few last minute questions on my mind overnight and before I could even post them they were answered here. So for all of you who took the time, thanks a bunch.

Regarding the optional tours in Beijing - we have decided to skip those offered by Viking (as there was not one good review here) and do our own duck dinner at a local restaurant (Sijii Minfu) a 15 min walk from our hotel, Regent Beijing and then the next night (our final night) we are going to the Garden at Lama Temple for a Chinese Dumpling & Pulled Noodle and Chinese Culture class. We will take the subway to this as it is right off a subway stop. Both have outstanding reviews. This last excursion would be even better suited for those doing the reverse tour as it would give you insight into their culture as you first arrive.

Thank You Nancy....we leave Friday

I am most anxious to know where is the best (most reasonable) place to buy terra cotta warriors to take home and pass out as souvenirs......Marie

We had our hotel assignment 8 months out.

Thanks Mark T for that reminder, I forgot they do not serve duck.

Should we take a taxi from The Hilton and if so how far/long is the ride?

We will be at the Hilton in Beijing and would like to go to BSK for their duck. What is the mode of transportation to get there and how much time should we allow in transit. Thank you.

We received our hotel assignment in Nov for a July cruise. I used the GenVisa as recommended by Viking and it can not be submitted until you are no more than 90 days out from your last day in China. In using GenVisa some of the info was pre-entered by Viking. It saved a little time.

I received my final travel documents from Viking today...always an exciting time. We are one month from departure date.

You have come to the right place with your inquires....there are many knowledge and helpful travelers waiting to aid you. Do read all of the previous post, can be overwhelming but baby-steps and a few a day will cure that.

Thank you for the time you took to keep us updated. One question.

I was a bit puzzled regarding your info on the baggage handlers and tipping. My past experience is that these tips are covered by the tour operator. Is this unique to Viking?

We are planning on visiting the Pearl Oriental TV Tower on our first day in Shanghai any advise? Also, would like some insight into traveling by taxi to and from our hotel.

Thank you!

If I travel with only US dollars, I am assume the following:

1. In the majority of places all denomination of USD will be accepted and I will have only Chinese Yuan returned to me if change is needed.

2. I will be able to change all denominations of USD for Yuan at the hotels.

3. Small USD ($1's, $5's and even $10's) are acceptable for guide/driver daily tips.

4. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted most places.

Please correct me if I am assuming incorrectly.

Thanks....I have put your link in my favorites....never more to struggle with the grandkids texts or cruise critic conversations :)

Thanks.....I am usually good at deciphering but YMMV? stumped me. Please put me out of my misery.

Thank you for the weather and rough water report....this is my 3rd River Cruise and we always have had a smooth sailing.....but I had read that the waters at the Three Gorges could be rough...so just wanted to confirm.

We are on the Imperial Jewels - July 2015 what is probability of rough sailing and if so at what part/day on the Yangtze is it normally rough?

Thank you for the great responses to the day-to-day proper dress. Looks like she will fit in just fine.

Hello, my granddaughter (18) and I will be on the Imperial Jewels-July 4, 2015

I was wondering about day-time proper dress as it applies to short-shorts that all the teens are wearing now.

I would love to read your blog. I am still putting my adventure together and all info is useful and a pleasure to read in anticipation. A couple of question to start. Tell me about the polar plunge.....I was hoping as mentioned previously that it would take place on Deception Island. Was that the case on your sailing. Also, I see you are from Florida and I will be flying out of Orlando to Miami and then on to Buenos Aires. I have been instructed that I will have to gather my luggage at Miami and go thru security again as the Argentinian airline does not have an agreement with American Airlines. If you did that also, please advise as to the logistics of making that transfer. Thank you for any information you can share.........Marie

marietrusky@aol.com

I checked out the Las Lengas Hotel and it looks very nice. Also checked availability for my stay and they are all booked.

I am getting very excited and in one of those moments when anticipation was running wild I decided I would take the "polar plunge" while I am there. For our sailing very little else was offered and the price is right :). I wanted to camp out but it is not offered so I thought what better way to celebrate my 70th birthday then to do something kinda' crazy. Any advise as to what gear I should use? Marie

Hi John....I booked the Miravida Soho Hotel in Buenos Aires http://www.miravidasoho.com/ a tripadvisor.com 2013 Travelers' Choice Award winner for customer service. It is a boutique hotel with 6 rooms and so far my experience can verify that their award is well deserved. As for Ushuaia, I am booked at the hotel (Los Nires) that Quark has us in the night before the cruise to expedite my days there, but already I am rethinking that as it is way outside of town and with nothing of interest nearby. Let me know what you decide and if you have any advice for a hotel in Ushuaia….Marie

We've never been on Quark, but we're going to Antarctica on Quark this coming February. We were in Longyearbyen (on Svalbard) several years ago. We were on an Oceania ship that went up the Norway coast and on around to Russia. Had a great cruise, but we only spent one day in Svalbard. Being that we were in the main port, we had no opportunity to see polar bears or other wildlife. The small port city we were in was fascinating. They had a great museum. We walked around town some, then took a tour. I can't remember if we got the tour aboard ship or just found a taxi ourselves. Either would work. We were told that to see wildlife, you need to cruise in a smaller ship around the various islands. That's what you're doing. The scenery is great. I don't know that you need to make many advance arrangements. My guess is that you will have a wonderful cruise.

Booked on Quark’s Ocean Diamond starting Feb 13, 2014. Eager to chat with others even share some pre-cruise adventures. Plans are in the beginning stage for 2-3 days in BA and 2 days in Ushuaia. Any interest please let me know. Marie