China Group Travel 2020

Hello!

DH and I are looking to take an extended trip in China in Oct 2020. We are finding several companies that offer the all inclusive options we are looking for for this trip. We see so many varying prices and wondered if any of you have any preferences?

We are looking very seriously at Viking, who offers the 19 day Undiscovered China trip. We would be extending our trip by four days to include Guilin and Hong Kong. It does seem to offer us all we need but it seems so much more expensive than other trips we have found.

Any insights into how you were able to compare the different tours? Many others do not offer the meals that Viking does or as many excursions, so perhaps that is the difference. We have done large trips like this by booking on our own, but I just don't feel up to planning one like that at this point, so a "pre-canned trip" will work fine.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Jenny

Jenny, You ask a terrific question and the best answer is often found by simply reading various online reviews. The reality of Group Travel is that the quality varies in terms of hotel quality, food quality, size of the group, etc. Comparing is truly difficult since we all have different tastes. I can tell you from personal experience that Viking River Cruises is a high quality company that generally follows a high standard. You can certainly find less expensive companies, and in many cases they would cut costs by using less expensive hotels, spending less on food, etc. You can also find higher quality tours...some of which even use their own unique aircraft! If you want to do a comparison with a luxury tour company perhaps you should look at the offerings and prices of Travcoa as well as Tauck. There are others, but these two are well known so I toss them out as a starting place for your research.

For what its worth, DW and I have decades of extensive cruising and independent travel experience and we wrestle with these very questions nearly every day. Travel is a big part of our lives and a day seldom goes by when we don't talk about things like "should we pay the big bucks for a luxury cruise line, luxury tour, etc."

Hank

China is best done by a land tour. Check out itineraries online.

China is best done by a land tour. Check out itineraries online.

Definitely. We used ChinaFocusTravel, a San Francisco company because they offered a 4 week tour with a small group of 6-10 people. 6 were always together, the others joined for part of the trip. It included the far west, Tibet, the Yangtze River, Guilin, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, the wall near Beijing and a section out west in the desert. Hotels were 4 and 5 star in the cities and the best available in the other places, all with western standard.

It was one of the best trips we have ever done, but you need an independent streak for such a trip into remote areas. Everything was prepared and the guides were excellent. One of the 6, however, was unhappy that he could not get some of his favorite foods and the guides sometimes told us to visit a market on our own and meet again. We had some free time as well. I have wonderful memories of meeting local people spontaneously in places where the others did not go.

This particular traveler got crankier the longer the trip went on. If you are such a person, chose a company that keeps exposure to local life to a minimum.

China is best done by a land tour. Check out itineraries online.

The tour offered by Viking is land mostly, the cruise is only about five days on the Yangzte River. Thank you for the advice. Its appreciated.

Jenny, You ask a terrific question and the best answer is often found by simply reading various online reviews. The reality of Group Travel is that the quality varies in terms of hotel quality, food quality, size of the group, etc. Comparing is truly difficult since we all have different tastes. I can tell you from personal experience that Viking River Cruises is a high quality company that generally follows a high standard. You can certainly find less expensive companies, and in many cases they would cut costs by using less expensive hotels, spending less on food, etc. You can also find higher quality tours...some of which even use their own unique aircraft! If you want to do a comparison with a luxury tour company perhaps you should look at the offerings and prices of Travcoa as well as Tauck. There are others, but these two are well known so I toss them out as a starting place for your research.

 

For what its worth, DW and I have decades of extensive cruising and independent travel experience and we wrestle with these very questions nearly every day. Travel is a big part of our lives and a day seldom goes by when we don't talk about things like "should we pay the big bucks for a luxury cruise line, luxury tour, etc."

 

Hank

This has been very helpful, Hank, thank you!. I have checked out other lines and we are just not finding the all inclusiveness that Viking appears to be offering. We are not high maintenance travelers, but having someone do all the work for us seems very relaxing. We had a set budget we were shooting to spend and Viking is right there but I strive to be as thrifty as I can without being cheap. Sounds like I am asking the right questions though.

We went in the spring on one of the $499 (air inclusive) Nexus Travel 10 day tours to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, with a 4 day extension to Hong Kong. We knew about the forced shopping stops and had limited expectations given the price, but, surprisingly, the trip was excellent! All of the hotels except one were terrific. Our tour companions could not have been more fun! I would do this trip again (and I actually might at this price).

We went in the spring on one of the $499 (air inclusive) Nexus Travel 10 day tours to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, with a 4 day extension to Hong Kong. We knew about the forced shopping stops and had limited expectations given the price, but, surprisingly, the trip was excellent! All of the hotels except one were terrific. Our tour companions could not have been more fun! I would do this trip again (and I actually might at this price).

3299 for 2 for the 14 night tour including the Yangtze river cruise

We have taken two inexpensive land and cruise tours in China. The first was a 21day tour taking in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Guilin with a four day cruise on the Yangtze with Sinorama, a Canadian company. The cost included international and internal flights, good quality hotels and all meals and admissions. The only slight disappointment was the food. Apart from Western breakfasts in our hotels, the other meals were perfectly edible, but rather bland local cuisine. We expected more spicy and varied Chinese food. Our group was only twelve people although I hear that as the company has become more well known groups are larger.

Last December we used another company SuperChina Tours for a twelve day tour which took in cities around Shanghai and a six day cruise on Quantum of the Seas. Again the hotels were of very good quality, in fact quite luxurious and food on land was as we expected after our first experience. This trip cost $1100CAD each the only extras were gratuities on the ship. Air, hotels and transfers were included. The guide told us that they had to contract to take flights and hotels for the whole year, so reduced prices in less popular times.

Both of these tours included a shopping stop of one hour most days while on land. There was no pressure to buy and the stores offered clean washrooms (a rarity in China) and sometimes a seating area with free coffee and tea.

We are frequent cruisers, but a country the size of China is deserving of a land tour.

The only slight disappointment was the food. Apart from Western breakfasts in our hotels, the other meals were perfectly edible, but rather bland local cuisine. We expected more spicy and varied Chinese food.

They keep it bland because they don't know what you like. As the song says, "some like it hot" and others not.

Sometimes local food becomes, "***! is this?"

If you want to try the local food, ask your tour guide. We did and our tour group got split up into the provided tour food group and Mongolian Hot Pot group. May cost a bit extra but well be worth the experience. I don't remember much of the hot pot after the fermented mare's milk toast :cool:

With a tour operator like Viking, you get the food that most Americans like and can tolerate. With our smaller group, we often ate in local restaurants meant for Chinese customers where the food varied between outstanding and edible. The "tourist restaurants" had decent food, but only twice in 4 weeks was it really good. And all restaurants of ethnic minorities within China had excellent small family restaurants.

But all this experience doesn't matter on a 2 week highlights tour with a proven company that caters to American tastes.

My wife and I were on a Viking tour of China several years ago.

We were so impressed by Viking that we have been on two more tours with Viking in Europe. A few friends that we had recommended the Viking China tour were so impressed that they repeated the tour in China.

It is a good way to see China as the seaports are just tip of the iceberg, so to speak and the "real" China is in the interior.

Remember that Tibet is high-altitude. And the ports of Hong Kong, Shanghai should not be missed = and Guilin is a must.

Guilin: Cold beer, plate of roasted goose, a bowl of it's famous rice noodles with beef brisket, pickled vegetables in a SPICY soup.

Followed by more beer and a Pepto Bismol chaser:cool:. https://photos.app.goo.gl/GCpEYmFRXq8mtnqg7

Also ask about the restaurant near Elephant Hill that has a 30 minute egg timer on the table. If all your dishes are not served within the 30 minutes the meal is free. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9oFsN5Ltf1nsLcJV7

They keep it bland because they don't know what you like. As the song says, "some like it hot" and others not.

 

Sometimes local food becomes, "***! is this?"

 

If you want to try the local food, ask your tour guide. We did and our tour group got split up into the provided tour food group and Mongolian Hot Pot group. May cost a bit extra but well be worth the experience. I don't remember much of the hot pot after the fermented mare's milk toast :cool:

I would agree. On our second tour a group of us chose to eat dinner at local restaurants where we had a more varied and spicier selection.

I do not travel to other countries to eat food that is made to appeal to American or Canadian tastes. A big part of travel for me is experiencing local dishes. From my experience in China I think there are three types of Chinese food.

1. North American Chinese restaurant food

2. Food that Chinese people think North Americans will enjoy

3. Authentic regional food as eaten by locals.

The best experience I had with Chinese food was in Shanghai twelve years ago when DH was taken off a cruise ship to. hospital and son came over to spend the three weeks with me. We explored the city and ate in different restaurants most nights. The first three days before son arrived really showed my that I could cope in a strange country wher I had no idea of the language and didn’t expect to be there.