Beijing

[charleylake]

We are thinking about the Tokyo - Hong Kong cruise and I am wondering how the excursions to Beijing are handled. I cannot pull up any information and this is a big concern. I would hate to go that far and not really see Beijing and the

Great Wall. Ngaire mentioned an overnight trip. Has anyone done this from the ship??

Thanks

[petlover]

Charleylake, I can tell you how it was handled on the World Cruise......

 

Ngaire is correct. You flew from Shanghai to Beijing and stayed for 2 nights at the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing. The excursion covered seeing everything with English speaking guides, 2 first class dinners, two lunches and breakfast. I did not go on this excursion but have friends who did and they raved about it!! From Beijing they flew and met back up with the Voyager in Hong Kong.

[lrmorris]

Charleylake, we are also on the Tokyo to HK cruise. I did post this info on another cruise board, so hope it's not duplicate. On this cruise, the Mariner docks in Tianjin and all those that wish to go to Beijing are bussed (three hours) to Bejing where RSSC puts you up at the Shangra-la (sp?) Hotel. This is not an excursion, but is included in the cruise, and includes sightseeing of Tianamin (sp?) Square, the Forbidden City and the Wall, as well as a Duck dinner. Hope this helps. If you decide to go, don't forget that you need a Chinese Visa, which takes time and mailing off your passport. Let us know if you will be on it, as there are a few others from these boards who will be on this cruise. Linda & Larry

[TxnAquarian]

Charleylake,

 

The previous posters have already answered your question. But I wanted to let you know that I was on the Tokyo-Hong Kong cruise on the Mariner last October, which was an identical itinerary to this year's. We also did the overnight land tour to Beijing. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have.

 

 

 

Michael

[dwelsh]

IF, an extended land tour to Xi'an is offered and you have not been there before, that is the highlight of a first trip to the "Land of the Dragon."

Usually cruise lines, depending on their route, give you the option of leaving the ship at either Beijing or Shanghai and rejoining the cruise after visiting Xi'an. You will have plenty of time to visit those two citiea as well.

We did it many years ago when the Royal Viking Line was our," Line of Choice."

Now, that was a wonderful line which we will always compare our 21st century cruises to.

[wishIweretravelling]

Charleylake, I'm also on that Tokyo to HK cruise, and am signed up for the Xian side trip that dwelsh mentions. My understanding is that we'll do the Beijing trip first, and see the in-city sights like Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City, spend the night at the Shangri-La hotel (and eat Peking Duck for dinner), then go out to the Great Wall the next day, from which we'll go to the airport and fly to Xian. We'll miss a day at sea while at Xian, then meet the ship again in Shanghai.

 

Have them send you the brochure--it's explained in more detail there.

Hope you decide to take this cruise, even if you don't do the Xian side trip. As Larry & Linda indicate, there's a few of us from the boards doing this trip. We'll all have to carry a rose in our teeth or something to pick each other out.

[Ngaire]

WELL worth the trip it was indeed a highlight. The trip was well organized and we had a wonderful time. Here is what I wrote about that trip.

 

 

Xian, China

Exchange rate 8.25 rmb to $1.00 US

 

A trip to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors is offered as an optional excursion by Radisson. I thought it was fairly expensive at the time but after taking the trip I feel it was worth the money. I do not have all the admission fees listed as we were on the Radisson tour so our entrance was always paid. Most admission fees range from about 35rmb to 60 rmb.

 

Flights

We flew Shanghai to Xian on Shanghai Airlines and then China Eastern from Xian to Beijing. Both flights were around 2 to 21/2 hours. It was like flying on Delta or American except no diet soft drinks of any kind. The planes are 737 so carry on luggage needs to be very small.

 

Xian City

Much larger city than I had anticipated. VERY smoggy, you may pray for a little rain to clear the air the pollution here is awful.

 

Big Goose Pagoda

This was a wonderful attraction. I wish we had more time here. The Pagoda itself was not really worth going inside but the grounds and buildings were spectacular. The one thing that should not be missed is when you leave from the bus parking area and walk towards the Pagoda through the main courtyards stay on the left side and visit the rooms that are open. One room is wall to wall jade with incredible artwork. Hard to explain how beautiful this is. The room is something that must be seen to be appreciated. There are numerous buildings with the most exquisite rooms with great woodwork and artifacts inside.

 

The Xian Wall

This stretches around the city and is the old wall of Xian. It is almost complete with only a small section that cannot be navigated. This is quite a site when you see the wall stretching as far as the eye can see. You can rent a bike or a golf cart to travel along the wall.

 

Terra Cotta Warriors

The Terra Cotta Warriors will not disappoint. It is difficult to describe how fantastic this really is to see. The complex is wonderful too, with great buildings beautifully constructed with dark granite floors and walls. The first thing you see is the two bronze horse and chariots that were excavated from the Qin Dynasty. These are half of the normal size and very detailed. Beautifully displayed in two big glass cases they are quite impressive.

As you enter the main excavation area you cannot help but be overwhelmed. Of course we have all seen pictures but when you stand there and see how large this area is it cannot help but impress. There is a walkway all around the pit and you can get as close as about five feet from the warriors at spots. Each one is unique and the history of this area and the fact these were found is really interesting. There are 3 pits of excavations the main one being Pit number one. Each pit holds something of interest though. There is a film in the museum in circle vision that covers the history and story of the warriors and it is very well done. I think this will be one of the highlights of your trip.

 

Ming Dynasty Theatre

One evening we went to a show at the Ming Dynasty Theatre. I am not one for shows but I must say this was really well done. The costumes were beautiful and there was enough variety in the songs and dances to keep you entertained. I would suggest you go to this show and not miss it even if you are tired from the days touring.

 

Huaquing Palace and gardens

This is a secondary attraction but still quite nice. Admission fee is 40rmb. This is an area that is famous for its history. Chiang Kaishek was captured here after hiding out in the hills and it has become famous as the place of the “Xian incident”. These were the gardens for the Tang Dynasty and the famous concubine has a statue in the main lake. WE did not get to see the whole area but it is something I would not make a special effort to visit but if you are in this area worth stopping.

 

Xian Mosque

Radisson took us to the Xian Mosque. This was an interesting thing to see but not overwhelming. Seeing a Moselm Mosque in a Chinese style was very different. The walk through the shopping area surrounding the mosque was fascinating. Hold onto everything you have and just walk through. Throngs of people everywhere, food stalls on the side of the roads, we all really enjoyed the experience. This is an area for locals NOT for tourists so that aspect made it appealing.

[dwelsh]

Ngaire:

 

Your description of the journey to Xi'an is most vivid and enjoyable. I join you in again recommending those who are able to, to enjoy this visit. In 40 years of cruising, this has to be THE highlight excursion of them all.

[Ms Understood]

We are also on this RSSC trip and have booked the trip to the Terra Cotta warriors. Does anyone know if our single entry Chinese visa is adequate. The RSSC website mentions in its description of the Terra Cotta warriors excursion that an individual Chinese Visa is necessary. I understood that a Visa was necessary for this cruise whether you took the optional excursion to Xi'an or not. Now I am confused. Did we need to get a multiple entry Visa to take the optional trip? HELP!