Viking China (Part 2)

[Happy Tourista]

Thanks Bruin Steve for your update on your arrival to Beijing it was very helpful - any tips since you arrived would be useful ex: anything you brought and should have left at home or anything you left at home and are now thinking should have brought. I leave in 17days !

 

DH and I recently returned from the Viking Roof of the World tour, which is identical in itinerary to the Imperial Jewels of China, but also has 3 nights in Lhasa, Tibet. Like those on the Imperial Jewels trip, we spend 5 nights on the Emerald.

 

I never used the adapters that I brought. All of our electronics (iphone, ipad and camera) had dual voltage chargers. (You can check the small print on the charger for information). All of our hotels, as well as the Emerald, had electrical outlets which adapt to most, if not all (and certainly to standard US) plugs. So my recommendation is to leave the chargers/adapters at home!

[sisterpower]

I never used the adapters that I brought. All of our electronics (iphone, ipad and camera) had dual voltage chargers. (You can check the small print on the charger for information). All of our hotels, as well as the Emerald, had electrical outlets which adapt to most, if not all (and certainly to standard US) plugs. So my recommendation is to leave the chargers/adapters at home!

 

That is a good tip thanks - if anyone else can add to that please do. 16 more days for me until Beijing Imperial Jewels.

[Turtles06]

DH and I recently returned from the Viking Roof of the World tour, which is identical in itinerary to the Imperial Jewels of China, but also has 3 nights in Lhasa, Tibet. Like those on the Imperial Jewels trip, we spend 5 nights on the Emerald.

 

I never used the adapters that I brought. All of our electronics (iphone, ipad and camera) had dual voltage chargers. (You can check the small print on the charger for information). All of our hotels, as well as the Emerald, had electrical outlets which adapt to most, if not all (and certainly to standard US) plugs. So my recommendation is to leave the chargers/adapters at home!

 

Glad you had this experience. I just wanted to caution, however, that Viking uses different hotels, and not everyone will be staying in the same hotels; there's just no guarantee that there will be a universal electrical receptacle in your hotel. Personally (and particularly on a special trip like this), I wouldn't take a chance on not being able to charge my electronics (particularly my camera batteries). In addition, even if there's a universal receptacle, having an adapter adds to the number of outlets you have, which for folks with a bunch of electronic devices is another plus.

 

An adapter is pretty small. My philosophy is -- don't leave home without it. :)

[Happy Tourista]

Sisterpower-- one thing that I didn't forget but was so glad that I had brought, was OTC eye drops. My eye doc had recommended Refresh Optive drops, and I felt that they helped in Beijing with the pollution, as well as in Tibet, with the exceedingly dry air.

 

 

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[caribill]

Glad you had this experience. I just wanted to caution, however, that Viking uses different hotels, and not everyone will be staying in the same hotels; there's just no guarantee that there will be a universal electrical receptacle in your hotel. Personally (and particularly on a special trip like this), I wouldn't take a chance on not being able to charge my electronics (particularly my camera batteries). In addition, even if there's a universal receptacle, having an adapter adds to the number of outlets you have, which for folks with a bunch of electronic devices is another plus.

 

An adapter is pretty small. My philosophy is -- don't leave home without it. :)

 

I agree 100%.

 

And always in carryon luggage, never checked.

[Carol From California]

We're in Beijing now...

Flew in yesterday, arrived at 5:30 pm local time.

Viking rep (actually the tour leader for our group, Richard) met us right outside the exit after collecting the baggage...driver took us and four others on our flight to the Ritz Carlton...

Very nice hotel...service beyond belief...

After two authentic Chinese meals on Air China, we decided to get our first "authentic" dinner here at a little place across the street from the hotel--TGI Friday...Yeah, we walked out of the hotel to look for a restaurant...and lined up across the street were Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut and TGI Friday...Too tired to wander too far, we just ate there...

 

This morning, we woke up and had the Excellent hotel breakfast, then joined another couple here for the Viking trip that we'd met on the shuttle to the hotel for a taxi to the Lama Temple...Taxi ride cost 28 RMB there, 35 back...entry to Lama Temple was 25 RMB per person...50 RMB for headphone system guide thingy...Temple complex was very extensive and picturesque...

 

Thought about going to either the Temple of Heaven or to see the pandas this afternoon, but still a bit tired...so we're just going to hang out at the hotel awhile instead...Tonight, we're planning on joining our new friends to go see the Bird's Nest stadium...Supposedly, they light it up at night...

 

The "real" tour starts tomorrow at 8:00 am...

Smog was pretty thick today...Richard tells us tomorrow we may get a little rain...

 

Glad to hear you arrived safely in Beijing and are starting your wonderful trip we did in April. Don't laugh but there is an excellent Italian restaurant in front of the Portman Ritz lobby (it's part of the hotel complex) and we had a great lunch there the first day. It was filled with locals and the food was great! On our last night in Beijing we were so sick of Chinese food that we ate dinner in the hotel (Regent) at Morton's. We've been back a month and a half and I still have not gone out for a Chinese dinner at home yet! Another person made a comment about bringing eye drops and I think that is a great suggestion. I always carry a small bottle of Refresh Tears on my purse. The pollution really bothered my eyes. Steve, if it rains a little it will be good for the air pollution. It rained a little when we were there (in Shanghai) and it seems to clear up the sky a bit. It also rained on the day we visited the dam. Enjoy your trip!

[Bruin Steve]

Today we woke up early...breakfast in the hotel at 6:30 am...the assortment of food choices is simply incredible...everything from dim sum to omelets...

 

Meeting time with our escort was 8:00 am in the lobby...

We were on the road by 8:30... Tour this morning was of Tienanmen Square and Forbidden City...a lot of walking, but very picturesque, quite magnificent...

Rain yesterday really cleared out a lot of the smog...

 

We were presented the options on the bus from the tour to lunch and had to choose and sign up then...Richard really discouraged the Summer Palace tour and advised that one couldn't do both the Summer Palace and the Peking Opera without, perhaps, skipping dinner...

8 people on our bus opted for the Summer Palace, most of the rest doing the Opera...

Lunch was a buffet at the New Century Hotel...not great...Budweiser was served as a free beverage choice...

 

BTW, the electric sockets at the Ritz look strange but accommodate a variety of plugs including US...you just have to ignore all the extra holes and slots...I did pack an adapter anyway (not much of a bother) and also what I've found to be a necessity everywhere-- a small 12 inch extension cord--"outlets to go 4" which turns one socket into four--invaluable these days when my wife and I each have cell phones, iPads and camera battery chargers to plug in...

 

Dinner tonight is at 5:00 at the hotel so we have time to meet at 6:40 for the ride to the Opera...

Meeting time tomorrow morning for the tour to the Great Wall and more is in the lobby at 7:15!

[Turtles06]

 

We were presented the options on the bus from the tour to lunch and had to choose and sign up then...Richard really discouraged the Summer Palace tour and advised that one couldn't do both the Summer Palace and the Peking Opera without, perhaps, skipping dinner...

8 people on our bus opted for the Summer Palace, most of the rest doing the Opera...

 

It's really a shame that Viking has altered the trip this way --- not just making the Summer Palace "optional" but actually discouraging it. Steve is not the only recent traveler to report this "discouragement." The Summer Palace is well worth a visit (as has been discussed previously in this thread), and Viking had no problem including this in our tour and getting us to dinner and whatever else was planned that evening. I wonder what may have changed that has prompted this change by Viking...

 

Steve, thanks again for the "live" report. Hope all continues to go well.

[irocks]

Thank you for the updates, very useful. I am going on the Roof of the World in September and really looking forward to it. Did you go to the Birds Nest in the evening? We thought about going there during the few days we are in Beijing before the tour with Viking begins. I wasn't sure if we should go there during the day or evening. What were your thoughts on the opera?

[sisterpower]

Thanks everyone for your insight I am planning on packing eye drops but also saline nasel spray. The only charger I need to bring is for my Kobo & camera as I am not bringing any other devices. Again a BIG thank you to Bruin Steve for the on the spot updates they are absolutely wonderful looking forward to hearing more. My sister and I are arriving the Saturday before and have two half day tours booked one to the Lama Temple & Temple of Heaven so most likely would not do the summer palace. Thanks eveyone for all your tips and tricks.

[Turtles06]

My sister and I are arriving the Saturday before and have two half day tours booked one to the Lama Temple & Temple of Heaven so most likely would not do the summer palace. Thanks eveyone for all your tips and tricks.

 

Having been to all three, I will tell you that they are very different, and I would not pass up the Summer Palace unless you have something much better to do that afternoon.

[Happy Tourista]

The Summer Palace was part of the regular day on our recent Roof of the World tour. (We just got back home last week.) It was a LONG day -- it was scheduled after walking though Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Our guide said that normally, part of the Summer Palace tour included a boat ride on the lake, but because of the winds the boats were not operating that day. Instead, we walked through a mostly shaded structure that ringed the lake. We walked many miles that day, but it was all well worth it.

 

I agree that the Lama Temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace are all very different and are all worth seeing.

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

Thank you for the updates, very useful. I am going on the Roof of the World in September and really looking forward to it. Did you go to the Birds Nest in the evening? We thought about going there during the few days we are in Beijing before the tour with Viking begins. I wasn't sure if we should go there during the day or evening. What were your thoughts on the opera?

 

We were advised by the concierge at the hotel to go in the evening--because it is lit up. We planned to go the night before the official tour started, but it was raining, so we skipped it...

 

The opera was interesting...very different. Something I guess you go to ONCE...just for the experience and to say you've done it...but it's a little silly and a little dull at times...and the theater was a little warm...but, glad we went...

Edited June 18, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[sisterpower]

The opera was interesting...very different. Something I guess you go to ONCE...just for the experience and to say you've done it...but it's a little silly and a little dull at times...and the theater was a little warm...but, glad we went...

Bruin Steve how late did the Opera go? just wondering if it runs very late about getting up early the next morning for the Great Wall would be too much.

[Peregrina651]

DH and I recently returned from the Viking Roof of the World tour, which is identical in itinerary to the Imperial Jewels of China, but also has 3 nights in Lhasa, Tibet. Like those on the Imperial Jewels trip, we spend 5 nights on the Emerald.

 

I never used the adapters that I brought. All of our electronics (iphone, ipad and camera) had dual voltage chargers. (You can check the small print on the charger for information). All of our hotels, as well as the Emerald, had electrical outlets which adapt to most, if not all (and certainly to standard US) plugs. So my recommendation is to leave the chargers/adapters at home!

 

Just to prevent confusion,TAKE THE CHARGERS!! OP meant to say converter not charger.

 

Taking one's chargers is an absolute must for electronics users. Taking a converter is optional.

 

CHARGERS charge your dead devices--phone, cameras, tablets, kindles, etc.

 

Converters are used when you want to plug a US 110v only device into a 220v outlet so that you don't fry your 110v device. Most --but not all--chargers today have the converter built in. Read the fine print on each charger or device to decide if you need to bring a converter.

 

Adapters are used to make your US style blade plug fit into another style plug. It is not a converter and will not protect your 110v devices.

 

BRING YOUR CHARGERS! I was on a cruise where someone forgot to bring the charger for the camera. Since the various manufacturers tend to have different plugs, she couldn't even borrow one and ended up having to buy a new camera. On the China itinerary, there is not a lot of time for camera shopping.

[Bruin Steve]

Bruin Steve how late did the Opera go? just wondering if it runs very late about getting up early the next morning for the Great Wall would be too much.

 

Opera didn't run very late...whole show was a little over an hour long --though sometimes it felt longer...

 

Today, we hit the Badaling section of the Great Wall...a little traffic getting there..

I climbed to the Fourth tower north (proud of myself) there's along sloping walkway followed by about 350 stairs...it gets bit steep...Great views everywhere...lunch was at the government owned jade shop...they do a bit of selling, but the lunch was EXCELLENT...Afterward, we did the walk through the sacred tombs...they don't take you into the actual tombs anymore...something about some recent "incident" there...then they drove us by the Bird's Nest Stadium for a photo op...got back to the hotel about 4:00 pm...

Will meet in the lobby for the Peking Duck Dinner at 6:30...

 

Flight to Xi'an is tomorrow afternoon...first we have to have our bags out by 8:15, out of the hotel by 9:45, then a tour of the hutongs with ricksshaw rides et al...

[sisterpower]

Keep on writing Bruin Steve your play by play is fantastic and greatly appreciated. I have been following this forum for a year since my sister and I booked the Imperial Jewels tour last August, have found it very insightful.:)

[Lola911]

The Summer Palace was part of the regular day on our recent Roof of the World tour. (We just got back home last week.) It was a LONG day -- it was scheduled after walking though Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Our guide said that normally, part of the Summer Palace tour included a boat ride on the lake, but because of the winds the boats were not operating that day. Instead, we walked through a mostly shaded structure that ringed the lake. We walked many miles that day, but it was all well worth it.

 

I agree that the Lama Temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace are all very different and are all worth seeing.

 

 

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I finally got to the bottom of this with Viking agent. Roof of the World includes tour of the Summer Palace. The Jewels itinerary does not include the Summer Palace.

 

The Roof group that goes to Tibet does not see the pandas, but at times the Jewels group see the pandas. All confusing to begin with b/c one does not want to miss major sites. We are now seeing Temple of Heaven with a private guide in October.

[Happy Tourista]

 

The pandas are not necessarily off the table on the Roof trip. Our guide told us that, if the flight from Lhasa to Chongqing landed in time and if the traffic in Chongqing wasn't too bad, he had a "surprise" stop for us. Unfortunately, the Lhasa flight was delayed, so we did not have time for the stop before heading to board the ship. There were several disappointed groans when he said that they had hoped to take us to see the pandas in Chongqing. (Personally, we have pandas here in DC, so I was ok with the way things turned out.)

[Live4cruises]

When you were speaking with Viking about the Summer Palace, did they happen to mention Cultural Delights? We are doing CD next spring.

Thanks!

[Lola911]

Have not heard of Cultural Delights...enlighten us.

[caribill]

Have not heard of Cultural Delights...enlighten us.

 

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/asia/chinas-cultural-delights/2015-beijing-shanghai/index.html

[Live4cruises]

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear! Cultural Delights is another of Viking's China tours. It's longer, 18 days. The cruise portion is 10 or 11 days depending on how you count. Lola mentioned that Roof of the World included the Summer Palace, but Imperial Jewels did not. I had assumed that the Beijing and Shanghai parts of every departure would be the same, but it appears that is not the case. I don't know if anyone who is posting is on Cultural Delights this year.

Thanks

 

 

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[travelfirst]

I went on The Imperial Jewels of China in 2010 (12 days) and we went to the Summer Palace.

Maybe it has changed now.

[travelfirst]

I just checked the Viking Website for The Imperial Jewels of China and it says you go to the Summer Palace on Day two...