Viking China (Part 2)

[Travelthoman]

Thanks to several of you who have responded to my first question around cruising in China on the Viking Emerald. We are going to commit to 2015 and because we have not taken a river cruise ship before, are there any advantages to where your room is on this ship? The lowest fare is less then others and I was wondering if there is real benefit for getting A or B? It is obvious on the large cruise ships we have been on but am not familiar with these river boats. We are very excited about this Imperial Jewel tour.

[Bruin Steve]

Thanks to several of you who have responded to my first question around cruising in China on the Viking Emerald. We are going to commit to 2015 and because we have not taken a river cruise ship before, are there any advantages to where your room is on this ship? The lowest fare is less then others and I was wondering if there is real benefit for getting A or B? It is obvious on the large cruise ships we have been on but am not familiar with these river boats. We are very excited about this Imperial Jewel tour.

 

We booked the absolute lowest category cabin--"F"...

Why? Because, except for the suites, all of the cabins are identical...all fairly nice size, all have balconies...it is just a matter of which deck you are on and whether you are midship or nearer the aft or fore...

To me, location on a ship is more a matter of convenience than anything...and this isn't all that big a ship compared to what we are used to...And those E and F cabins are conveniently on the same deck as reception and the dining room...

 

But, more importantly, we are doing a 17 night trip overall--12 night tour plus 4 night Hong Kong extension plus forced overnight in Beijing...Of the 17 nights, only FIVE are actually on the ship...The other 12 nights, we have the same 5 star hotels no matter which cabin we opt for on the ship...

 

Also notice that, on all of the dates, those E and F categories always sell out first...

 

We booked over a year early, so we had our chance and grabbed that F...If we waitied until now to book, we would have to take a category D or above...A Cat D would put us in a very similar cabin one deck above ours...at a cost of $1,000 more! ($500 pp x2)...and the tour we be, for the most part the same--just five nights of it sleeping in the room above the one we have now...

[caribill]

We booked the absolute lowest category cabin--"F"...

Why? Because, except for the suites, all of the cabins are identical...all fairly nice size, all have balconies...it is just a matter of which deck you are on and whether you are midship or nearer the aft or fore...

To me, location on a ship is more a matter of convenience than anything...and this isn't all that big a ship compared to what we are used to...And those E and F cabins are conveniently on the same deck as reception and the dining room...

 

But, more importantly, we are doing a 17 night trip overall--12 night tour plus 4 night Hong Kong extension plus forced overnight in Beijing...Of the 17 nights, only FIVE are actually on the ship...The other 12 nights, we have the same 5 star hotels no matter which cabin we opt for on the ship...

 

Agree 100% with this.

[pacheco18]

I agree to some extent. The cruise is a small portion of the trip

However it sometimes is better to be on a higher deck on a river cruise

We booked the lowest price category on the middle deck which some recommended on this thread

 

 

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[Turtles06]

I agree to some extent. The cruise is a small portion of the trip

However it sometimes is better to be on a higher deck on a river cruise

We booked the lowest price category on the middle deck which some recommended on this thread

 

 

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Having actually done this trip, I can't imagine why it would be better to be on a higher deck here. As others have noted above, except for the suites, all of the cabins on the Emerald are identical in size. The differences are just a matter of location. The boat is pretty small, it's nothing like being on an ocean-going vessel.

 

We had a cabin on the middle deck, with cabins above and below (a huge preference for us on any ship), and fairly mid ship. No reason on the Emerald to spend any more money just to be on a"higher deck."

[caribill]

We had a cabin on the middle deck, with cabins above and below (a huge preference for us on any ship), and fairly mid ship. No reason on the Emerald to spend any more money just to be on a"higher deck."

 

Agree. If you want a higher view, you can go to view the scenery from a public area on a higher deck.

[pacheco18]

We had a cabin on the middle deck, with cabins above and below (a huge preference for us on any ship), and fairly mid ship. No reason on the Emerald to spend any more money just to be on a"higher deck."

 

I think you made my point

We booked on the middle deck (higher deck than F) to have cabins above and below

[Bruin Steve]

I think you made my point

We booked on the middle deck (higher deck than F) to have cabins above and below

 

There is a row of windows on the deck below the E/F cabins which, by the spacing appear as if they are also residential...the crew cabins?

I don't see this as the same as on a large ship having the engine room below...or the pool deck above...

Of course, on large ships, I've always sort of looked for "middle" decks, but on my last two Celebrity cruises on S-Class ships, I've been directly below the buffet and below a mens' room...and never had a problem with noise from either...

Edited March 28, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[Toyking]

We are doing the Beijing to Shanghai with the Hong Kong extension starting April 28. We purchased our air through Viking since for Business Class it was a huge savings, we also did our own research and told our TA which flights would be ideal for us. She somehow passed that info along to her Viking rep and we were given our flight info and our hotel info last November, direct flight from Dulles Airport (20 mins from our home) to Beijing. Returning from Hong Kong was another story, there were no direct flights back to Dulles, so we have one stop in Chicago. We were even pretty specific about our seat assignments and got our preferred. Since we have a forced overnight, we were told that it was possible that our hotel for the forced overnight could be different from the hotel for the remainder of our stay in Beijing, we did ask that if possible we would of course prefer to stay in the same hotel and not have to move, that request was also granted. Our hotels are: Kerry hotel in Beijing, Crown Plaza in Xian, Westin, Bund Center in Shanghai, Shangri-La Hotel in Guilin, and the Kowloon Shangri-La in Hong Kong. In January one of the flights had an equipment change, and I got a call from our TA telling me what kind of plane we were getting and asking me what seats we wanted. Our TA and Viking have been extremely accommodating, and available to answer our many endless questions. We have not received our travel docs as yet, but I expect they will arrive in a timely manner as has everything else. Starting to get very very excited about this trip. T minus 6 weeks and counting:D

We are happy to read that we will be joining you in Beijing. Arriving late

from Tampa via Chicago Tokyo/Narita. We were told the Ritz will be our Hotel. In any case hope you have a safe flight ( it is a long one ) however Business Class is somewhat helpful.

 

See you soon,

 

Ulla and Dan

[Bruin Steve]

So...

Tuesday marks 75 days from the start of my trip.

Does that mean I should learn about my assigned flights around then?

How prompt are they?

If so, does word come via my travel agent?

Thanks...

[Nvadav]

We are happy to read that we will be joining you in Beijing. Arriving late

from Tampa via Chicago Tokyo/Narita. We were told the Ritz will be our Hotel. In any case hope you have a safe flight ( it is a long one ) however Business Class is somewhat helpful.

 

See you soon,

 

Ulla and Dan

 

Welcome to the trip:D Guessing if you are in a different hotel, the you have a different group and guide, but perhaps we will run into each other on the ship?

 

Yes the flights are very long, but sounds like yours is a bit longer with a couple of stops along the way. I just know the trip will be worth all of the flying. Getting very excited now. TA says travel package will arrive tomorrow. :D

[sisterpower]

The topic of vaccinations has popped up often on this forum so I thought I would post the information I recently received when I met with our provincial health department that specializes in travel health. As this department is run by our government the nurse involved has nothing to financially gain from selling me products I do not need as the health care is free of charge but the additional vaccinations of course are not totally covered. This what was suggested:

 

1) Hep A & B

2) Tdap - IPV: Tetanus-Diphtheria - Pertussis & Polio

3) Regarding Dukoral for travelers diarrhea the Nurse stated our Provincial Health department does not endorse this product. The nurse suggested bringing Imodium and not to eat any raw veggie including salad and only thick skinned fruit such as melons and oranges.

4) Many people on the China forum suggest bringing Cipro the Nurse stated that taking medication without first having a doctor confirm it is required can actually do more harm than good.

5) use bug spray when on the Yangzi even if there are only a couple mosquitoes

 

I received alot of great information also, seeing a travel health specialist was worth the time and I highly recommend it.

[Bruin Steve]

Okay, so I heard from my travel agent this morning on the flights. She said these are “tentative until ticketed” (not sure what that means exactly other than they can change).

 

LOS ANGELES TO BEIJING, Sunday, June 15, 2014

Departure: 13:20

Los Angeles International, terminal 2

Arrival: 17:00 +1 day(s)

Beijing Capital International, terminal 3

Airline: Air China CA988

Aircraft: Boeing 777-300

 

HONG KONG TO LOS ANGELES, Thursday, July 03, 2014

Flight 1

Departure: 08:30

Hong Kong International, terminal 1

Arrival: 11:55

Beijing Capital International, terminal 3

Airline: Air China CA118

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/200ER

 

Change of plane required. Time between flights: 2:05.

 

Flight 2

Departure: 14:00

Beijing Capital International, terminal 3

Arrival: 11:00

Los Angeles International, terminal 2

Airline: Air China CA987

Aircraft: Boeing 777-300

 

I am thinking that these are pretty good…Nonstop LAX to Beijing, leaves at 1:20 pm, so a decent time (get to the airport by 11:00 am or so—which means arranging a shuttle for a pick-up at home about 10:00 am. Arriving 5:00 pm in Beijing—we’ll be tired and disoriented anyway—likely find dinner somewhere close to the hotel and then sleep. The tour starts the next day anyway…but, we’re already at the tour hotel.

 

The flight home could have been slightly better…but I am guessing we had to stop somewhere, so a 2:05 layover in Beijing should be a decent interval. I assume no customs to go through there, so it should be fine. Not thrilled with the 8:30 am departure—probably have to be up at the crack of dawn, but you can’t have everything.

 

I have never flown Air China before…Any good? Also, what do we need to do as to seat assignments and so forth? I don’t see a place on their website offering seat assignments…

 

Ps: I did check out what these flights would cost had I booked them today, on my own rather than through Viking...

According to the Air China website, the cost would have been $3458.00...Viking charged us at $1047 per person...So, I guess we saved over $1300 there!

Edited April 2, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[Travelthoman]

Just a thought and wanted to see if anyone else has a suggestion. We have booked a Sept 2 trip on Viking in 2015, and just got their new book of trips. It shows that on Aug 25, it is significantly lower in price. I know the best time to travel there is April-May and Sept-Oct, but for one week difference, I was wondering if anyone has experienced that trip in late August. I would not think that a week would make a difference as it will still be warm in early Sept, but maybe I am wrong. Are the crowds and heat magically gone on Sept 1st?

[Bruin Steve]

Just a thought and wanted to see if anyone else has a suggestion. We have booked a Sept 2 trip on Viking in 2015, and just got their new book of trips. It shows that on Aug 25, it is significantly lower in price. I know the best time to travel there is April-May and Sept-Oct, but for one week difference, I was wondering if anyone has experienced that trip in late August. I would not think that a week would make a difference as it will still be warm in early Sept, but maybe I am wrong. Are the crowds and heat magically gone on Sept 1st?

 

Since no one else is responding that quickly, I figured I'd toss out my opinion even though I haven't been there yet, let alone in August...

 

We've talked about doing this trip for several years now, but one of the things that always kept us from doing it was timing...

My wife works for a school district...and for most of the past great many years, their school calendar went from September to June--meaning the only time we can do a big summer trip is in July/August...

Every time we looked at this trip during those months, I checked out the weather reports for those dates a year in advance and always some some unreal combination of 90+ degree Fahrenheit heat and 90+ % humidity...

We live in SoCal, where, in the summer, we are accustommed to 90 degree heat...but extremely low humidity--making the temperature far more comfortable. We have trouble fathoming the sauna that is 90/90...

 

My wife's school district recently shifted their annual calendar to run from August to the beginning of June...allowing us to go just a little bit earlier...That's why we're booked to leave June 15...I really don't expect it to be that much more temperate than July/August, but I figure every little bit helps...and, otherwise, we'd never be able to make this trip until both of us retire...

 

Usuually, we book our Summer vacation to Europe.,..and a lot of folks speak badly about the Mediterranean in July and August--but we've done that several times. Of course, the climate there is very similar to Southern California, so there's nowhere near the humidity one sees reported in China...

 

OTOH, my feeling is that the travel experience is worthwhile whenever it is that you are able to go...

 

Now, as to the difference between August 25 and September 2, I really don't believe there can be that much of a difference. In fact, if you think about it, since the standard tour is 12 nights--or 16 with the Hong Kong extension...maybe 13/17 with a forced overnight, those two dates really overlap by half or more of the trip...So, it's really a question of trading in the second week of September for the last week of August...Still, though, not a great difference...

 

I think it's jhust that when they set up the pricing, they have to draw the line between seasons/pricing somewhere...and the start of September is as good as any...

 

How much do you save going a week earlier? If it's a substantial amount to YOU, you should consider it...

[Travelthoman]

Thanks to Bruin Steve....I too am in So Cal and a Bruin! I appreciate your input on the August timing to visit on this Imperial Jewel trip. I agree with you that the heat and humidity is a challenge for us as well, but it is a brief time. The fact that we are now retired....makes it easy to go anytime, but the value the end of August presents, makes sense. Thanks again for your input.

[caribill]

Just a thought and wanted to see if anyone else has a suggestion. We have booked a Sept 2 trip on Viking in 2015, and just got their new book of trips. It shows that on Aug 25, it is significantly lower in price.

 

My guess is that the Aug 25 cruise is not selling that well, so a lower price may help fill it up.

[Bruin Steve]

My guess is that the Aug 25 cruise is not selling that well, so a lower price may help fill it up.

 

I don't think that's it...

These are the 2015 trips--over a year away...

The C, D, E and F categories are sold out for the September 2 trip and only the F cabins on August 25...BUT the pricing is not adjusted for sales--it is a constant throughout August and throughout September...

ALL prices jump up as of September by $1150 per person--across all categories...

And since you can still book an E for the August 25th trip, there are additional savings...

The air cost through Viking does DECREASE by $150 pp as of September 1 though...but that is more than made up for by that $1150 difference in price. Net savings for a couple is $2000...If you take into consideration dropping to an E cabin, you save an additional $800--for a savings of $2800!

 

My guess is that, overall, you've encroached into slightly hotter weather...but, for $2800 in my pocket, I may be willing to put up with a little extra heat...

 

Looking at the entire schedule...Pricing is consistent by month:

March...starting at $2992

April...starting at $3542

May...starting at $3742

June...starting at $3092

July and August...starting at $2792

September through October 4...starting at $3942

Rest of October...starting at $3792

November 1 (last cruise of season)...starting at $3092

 

These are all priced out a long time before they start selling them. They undoubtedly work from historical data and know that September is their best selling month, followed by October and May, then April...and that July/August is the hardest sell...

 

They have to draw lines somewhere as they are not coming up with different pricing for each individual sailing...So, if you are able to switch by one week from the first of September to the last of August, you get a much better deal...Same would be true for anyone traveling at the end of May switching to the beginning of June.

[Nvadav]

We received our travel docs the other day. Very nice presentation from Viking. Very excited about this trip. 22 days to go. :D

[Peregrina651]

I don't think that's it...

These are the 2015 trips--over a year away...

The C, D, E and F categories are sold out for the September 2 trip and only the F cabins on August 25...BUT the pricing is not adjusted for sales--it is a constant throughout August and throughout September...

ALL prices jump up as of September by $1150 per person--across all categories...

And since you can still book an E for the August 25th trip, there are additional savings...

The air cost through Viking does DECREASE by $150 pp as of September 1 though...but that is more than made up for by that $1150 difference in price. Net savings for a couple is $2000...If you take into consideration dropping to an E cabin, you save an additional $800--for a savings of $2800!

 

My guess is that, overall, you've encroached into slightly hotter weather...but, for $2800 in my pocket, I may be willing to put up with a little extra heat...

 

Looking at the entire schedule...Pricing is consistent by month:

March...starting at $2992

April...starting at $3542

May...starting at $3742

June...starting at $3092

July and August...starting at $2792

September through October 4...starting at $3942

Rest of October...starting at $3792

November 1 (last cruise of season)...starting at $3092

 

These are all priced out a long time before they start selling them. They undoubtedly work from historical data and know that September is their best selling month, followed by October and May, then April...and that July/August is the hardest sell...

 

They have to draw lines somewhere as they are not coming up with different pricing for each individual sailing...So, if you are able to switch by one week from the first of September to the last of August, you get a much better deal...Same would be true for anyone traveling at the end of May switching to the beginning of June.

 

IMHO, the pricing scheme is a combination of weather and what the market will bear. The weather is worst (hot and humid) in the summer and so a bit of pricing incentive to help fill the ships. Fall and spring are the most popular times and will fill more quickly regardless of the cheaper prices in the summer, March and November.

 

Nonetheless, I do agree with Steve, there isn't much difference between the first week of one month and the last of another weatherwise, so take the cheaper.

[Chloe's mom]

The topic of vaccinations has popped up often on this forum so I thought I would post the information I recently received when I met with our provincial health department that specializes in travel health. As this department is run by our government the nurse involved has nothing to financially gain from selling me products I do not need as the health care is free of charge but the additional vaccinations of course are not totally covered. This what was suggested:

 

1) Hep A & B

2) Tdap - IPV: Tetanus-Diphtheria - Pertussis & Polio

3) Regarding Dukoral for travelers diarrhea the Nurse stated our Provincial Health department does not endorse this product. The nurse suggested bringing Imodium and not to eat any raw veggie including salad and only thick skinned fruit such as melons and oranges.

4) Many people on the China forum suggest bringing Cipro the Nurse stated that taking medication without first having a doctor confirm it is required can actually do more harm than good.

5) use bug spray when on the Yangzi even if there are only a couple mosquitoes

 

 

The travel clinic I visited in the U.S. suggested Hep A, tetanus, typhoid. Cipro was also prescribed with instructions to take for symptoms, without the need to see a doctor in China first.

[Red II]

Mark T, DH and I are just starting our April 8 - 20 Imperial Jewels of China tour today and are staying at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. You will not be disappointed - it is a lovely hotel with first class amenities. Location is within an easy walk of Silk Street if that is of interest and we took a 10 minute taxi ride to Glasses City today to get a pair of glasses for my husband. Staff at the concierge desk were very helpful with both maps and taxis.

[Going Coastal]

Thanks for taking the time to check in. It is wonderful to hear how it is as you go!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

I stopped by the China Consulate in Los Angeles yesterday with my Visa Applications. They have me returning on Thursday to pick them up...

 

I also went to see my doctor at Kaiser Permanente today (regular appointment) and he referred me to their "Travel Clinic"...

The Travel Clinic called me back immediately and told me I need to get:

1: Typhoid medication

2: Hepatitis A innoculation

3: Polio Booster

...and made an appointment for next week for both my wife and I to get everything taken care of...

 

Note: They say to take care of all of this at least one month before travel as the innoculations tend to take about 30 days to take full effect.

[Chloe's mom]

Mark T, DH and I are just starting our April 8 - 20 Imperial Jewels of China tour today and are staying at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. You will not be disappointed - it is a lovely hotel with first class amenities. Location is within an easy walk of Silk Street if that is of interest and we took a 10 minute taxi ride to Glasses City today to get a pair of glasses for my husband. Staff at the concierge desk were very helpful with both maps and taxis.

 

Thank you for giving up on-the-spot reporting! I would particularly appreciate it if you let us know of things you brought that have come in particularly handy, or of things you wish you had with you.