Sinorama Gold 8

[ROCruiser]

Thank you ROcruiser, I'm wondering if I should pack shorts or just long pants.

 

As for myself, I am at the age that I don't wear shorts anymore. LOL! I also want to give myself a little more protection from mosquitoes and such by wearing long pants. Leggings worked best for me on our last trip to China, especially when dealing with the squatting restrooms. They are comfortable and easy to pack. I also packed two pairs of regular long pants just in case, like having to dress up a little for the captain's reception on the river cruise. Of course, these are just my humble opinions.

[RussNJodi]

Thank you for the blog post and the pictures! We are going in June with two children. It was hard to find information and your blog is excellent!!! Thank you for taking the time to write and take pictures to document your experience. It gave me a good idea of what to expect. :)

 

We just booked with three children of our own; do you mind telling how your experience with the kids went, how they enjoyed it, and any advice? Thanks!

[morry2121]

As for myself, I am at the age that I don't wear shorts anymore. LOL! I also want to give myself a little more protection from mosquitoes and such by wearing long pants. Leggings worked best for me on our last trip to China, especially when dealing with the squatting restrooms. They are comfortable and easy to pack. I also packed two pairs of regular long pants just in case, like having to dress up a little for the captain's reception on the river cruise. Of course, these are just my humble opinions.

 

Thanks again ROCruiser! Leggings sound like a great idea. Did you have access to ice on the ship or in hotels in China? Is there a mini bar/fridge in the rooms? I haven't checked in here in a while so I hope you are still around as I am starting to think of questions. lol

[ROCruiser]

Thanks again ROCruiser! Leggings sound like a great idea. Did you have access to ice on the ship or in hotels in China? Is there a mini bar/fridge in the rooms? I haven't checked in here in a while so I hope you are still around as I am starting to think of questions. lol

 

We were there in November and leggings was the best that worked for me anyway. Not sure about that if it's in the summer/hot season unless they are made of very thin material.

 

I don't believe there is a fridge in the room on the ship. We did not attempt to get ice either at the hotels or the ship. We tried to stay away from ice not knowing the origin of the water used. Maybe we were over cautious, but we did not want to risk it.

 

No problem. I will try to answer whatever questions you have. :)

[morry2121]

We were there in November and leggings was the best that worked for me anyway. Not sure about that if it's in the summer/hot season unless they are made of very thin material.

 

I don't believe there is a fridge in the room on the ship. We did not attempt to get ice either at the hotels or the ship. We tried to stay away from ice not knowing the origin of the water used. Maybe we were over cautious, but we did not want to risk it.

 

No problem. I will try to answer whatever questions you have. :)

 

Oh yes, that makes absolute sense about the ice, forgot you can't drink anything but bottled water.

 

Did you ever get laundry done? How easy is it to wash your lighter things at night and have them dry in am?

 

Thanks again RO

[ROCruiser]

Oh yes, that makes absolute sense about the ice, forgot you can't drink anything but bottled water.

 

Did you ever get laundry done? How easy is it to wash your lighter things at night and have them dry in am?

 

Thanks again RO

 

About laundry--we did hand-washing in the sink whenever we have more than one night at a hotel (mainly undies). Whenever I did that, I rolled the pieces in towels and squeezed out excess moisture to make them dry faster. No problem on the cruise ship since it was a 5-day cruise. :)

[morry2121]

Again, thank you RO....Does the luggage have to be put out in the evening on the days you are leaving a city? I'm wondering what size carry on I'll need to have the "essentials" with me in the am of travel days.

[ROCruiser]

Again, thank you RO....Does the luggage have to be put out in the evening on the days you are leaving a city? I'm wondering what size carry on I'll need to have the "essentials" with me in the am of travel days.

 

Sorry, I was traveling in Asia and just came home last night. Couldn't check cruisecritic with limited internet access.

Yes, they will tell you what time you need to leave your luggage out but I don't think they needed to be out overnight. If I remember correctly, usually some time early in the morning except at a couple of places. For us, we had to leave our bags outside the door the night before leaving Guilin and at the end of the Yangtze River cruise because of super early departure the next day.

[morry2121]

Glad you had another adventure RO! Time is ticking for us so hope you don't go far as I will have more to ask I'm sure. lol

[ROCruiser]

We just booked with three children of our own; do you mind telling how your experience with the kids went, how they enjoyed it, and any advice? Thanks!

 

I am really sorry that I missed your question on the thread. Now that I went through and saw your post I feel really bad. That was pretty rude of me. :o

 

We did not have any kids on our tour but I saw some kids while on the river cruise. They seemed to enjoy their experience. They may be the 'attractions' at certain places, so be prepared. Some locals who have not seen westerners before may even come over and touch them or have photos with them. They don't mean any harm, just curiosity. Keep an eye on them for any unwanted behaviors.

[ROCruiser]

Glad you had another adventure RO! Time is ticking for us so hope you don't go far as I will have more to ask I'm sure. lol

 

October is just around the corner and I am sure you will have a great time. We were on another $99 budget tour in China. I told my DH how I missed the Sinorama tour. On this budget tour, we had to handle the luggage ourselves every time we check-in and out of the hotels. We also had to pay additional add-ons several times while on the tour. Sinorama took care of everything.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Motorcycle Gma]

We leave on Tuesday on the Sinorama tour. 10 days & river cruise. It says only 1 piece of luggage & carryon of 11 pounds or less! We don't pack lightly. Do they enforce this rule? It says $70 for extra luggage. We go on United to LAX & Air China to Beijing. Do they really weigh our carry on? Wouldn't United check it through to China? or maybe the bus can't hold 2 pieces?? I appreciate any advice. Thx!

[rerepunim]

Hi we are going on the same trip Nov 2. I am also interested in the answer.

[ROCruiser]

We leave on Tuesday on the Sinorama tour. 10 days & river cruise. It says only 1 piece of luggage & carryon of 11 pounds or less! We don't pack lightly. Do they enforce this rule? It says $70 for extra luggage. We go on United to LAX & Air China to Beijing. Do they really weigh our carry on? Wouldn't United check it through to China? or maybe the bus can't hold 2 pieces?? I appreciate any advice. Thx!

 

We just followed their guidelines as instructed. I don't think it's a problem with the in and out flights between China and US but rather a problem with the domestic flights inside China. They do limited to one-piece check baggage. I don't remember they weigh carry-ons though. We both took our big luggage (27" I believe) as our one-piece, and then our carry-on which worked out fine for us.

[ROCruiser]

Hi we are going on the same trip Nov 2. I am also interested in the answer.

 

Please see answer above. I'd suggest that if you plan on doing a lot of shopping, bring a packable bag with you so you can have two check-in bags at the end of the trip when ready to fly back to the US.

Have a great trip!

[morry2121]

October is just around the corner and I am sure you will have a great time. We were on another $99 budget tour in China. I told my DH how I missed the Sinorama tour. On this budget tour, we had to handle the luggage ourselves every time we check-in and out of the hotels. We also had to pay additional add-ons several times while on the tour. Sinorama took care of everything.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

Thank you RO, am hoping for a great trip. Doing some squats every day to get ready....lol. Another question..I bought some pencils and stickers with our flag on them and wonder if I could give them out to children that I see. Would this be appropriate or would they be offended? I'm thinking of the more remote areas. Do you have your next adventure planned?

[Motorcycle Gma]

We just followed their guidelines as instructed. I don't think it's a problem with the in and out flights between China and US but rather a problem with the domestic flights inside China. They do limited to one-piece check baggage. I don't remember they weigh carry-ons though. We both took our big luggage (27" I believe) as our one-piece, and then our carry-on which worked out fine for us.

 

I did enjoy your blog and the pics of the ship were very helpful. thank you! We're rethinking our packing now. I'm always afraid they'll lose our luggage & we're use to doing regular cruises where we pack essentials in smaller bag and the big bag comes later. Never been a problem & we've gone to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, etc. I guess Asia is different. DH repackaging now. Thanks again!

 

Ps, did you use pools or hot tubs on your tour??

[ROCruiser]

Thank you RO, am hoping for a great trip. Doing some squats every day to get ready....lol. Another question..I bought some pencils and stickers with our flag on them and wonder if I could give them out to children that I see. Would this be appropriate or would they be offended? I'm thinking of the more remote areas. Do you have your next adventure planned?

 

You are funny! Yes, better get prepared than be surprised. I am sure you will have a wonderful trip. Have reasonable expectations and go with the flow, you will be fine. If you are going to the more remote area, that would be something nice to do if you encounter children. The only place some members of our group were giving out gifts was when we were in the ethnic village in Guangxi after dancing with the villagers. The kids certainly enjoyed them but I won't do it just to any kids that we bump into. Ask the tour leader first if you have doubts.

 

Our next trip overseas will be in November, a cruise on HAL Singapore to Hong Kong. Doing some serious planning now.

 

BTW, have some Chinese one-dollar bills ready, you may need them to use some of the public restrooms. They won't take coins even if they are worth the same. Had that problem on our land tour last month.

[ROCruiser]

I did enjoy your blog and the pics of the ship were very helpful. thank you! We're rethinking our packing now. I'm always afraid they'll lose our luggage & we're use to doing regular cruises where we pack essentials in smaller bag and the big bag comes later. Never been a problem & we've gone to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, etc. I guess Asia is different. DH repackaging now. Thanks again!

 

Ps, did you use pools or hot tubs on your tour??

 

Thank you! One good things is we did not need fancy clothes on this trip. I only packed a long pair of black pants and a couple of nice blouses for the cruise and the rest were just casual clothing. I'd rather pack thin clothing that I can layer (even if I look ugly) than to pack thick bulky sweaters, sweats, etc. My husband always pack a packable vest and a packable jacket and they will go well with everything.

 

No, we did not use the pools or hot tubs at the hotels. There was just not time for them. The weather was too cold to use the pool on deck and they do charge extra if you want to use the pool on the river cruise.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[morry2121]

You are funny! Yes, better get prepared than be surprised. I am sure you will have a wonderful trip. Have reasonable expectations and go with the flow, you will be fine. If you are going to the more remote area, that would be something nice to do if you encounter children. The only place some members of our group were giving out gifts was when we were in the ethnic village in Guangxi after dancing with the villagers. The kids certainly enjoyed them but I won't do it just to any kids that we bump into. Ask the tour leader first if you have doubts.

 

Our next trip overseas will be in November, a cruise on HAL Singapore to Hong Kong. Doing some serious planning now.

 

BTW, have some Chinese one-dollar bills ready, you may need them to use some of the public restrooms. They won't take coins even if they are worth the same. Had that problem on our land tour last month.

 

 

 

Thanks RO for the one-dollar bill tip. We have ordered money but I doubt it will be in small bills. Will they change to smaller bills at the hotel? What are the washrooms like in the airports? Do I need tissue there? I warned you that the questions were going to come...lol

 

Wow, another cruise, that will be so nice. Maybe you'll get some relax time on this one. Enjoy!

[ROCruiser]

Thanks RO for the one-dollar bill tip. We have ordered money but I doubt it will be in small bills. Will they change to smaller bills at the hotel? What are the washrooms like in the airports? Do I need tissue there? I warned you that the questions were going to come...lol

 

Wow, another cruise, that will be so nice. Maybe you'll get some relax time on this one. Enjoy!

 

I am sure the tour leader will be able to handle the smaller bills.

The washrooms at the airports are good. They probably will have a combination of squat and regular stalls there. Toilet papers should be available, if not inside the stalls then should be right when you walk in the washrooms. Take the papers first then go to the stall. My suggestion is, go whenever you have a chance like at restaurants, hotels, airports, museums, shopping malls. Chances are those restrooms are better than the roadside ones.

 

Really looking forward to our cruise. We should have 4 or 5 sea days to relax. We will need them for those hot weather places.

 

Not a problem, ask and I will try to answer.

Have a great one!

[morry2121]

We got a reservation for Black Sesame Kitchen on our first night and will need to take subway to get there, any hints for this adventure RO?

[ROCruiser]

We got a reservation for Black Sesame Kitchen on our first night and will need to take subway to get there, any hints for this adventure RO?

 

Sorry morry2121, I don't want to give advice that I am not familiar with. I have only taken the subway once two years ago when our mission team went from Hangzhou to Shanghai for a day trip, with a couple of local young people as our guide.

[morry2121]

Sorry morry2121, I don't want to give advice that I am not familiar with. I have only taken the subway once two years ago when our mission team went from Hangzhou to Shanghai for a day trip, with a couple of local young people as our guide.

 

Thanks RO, appreciate your honesty. We really have no clue what we're doing but are going to give it a try. Worse comes to worse, we'll get a cab I guess. Any last minute advice for me? We leave early Saturday morning. xx

[ROCruiser]

Thanks RO, appreciate your honesty. We really have no clue what we're doing but are going to give it a try. Worse comes to worse, we'll get a cab I guess. Any last minute advice for me? We leave early Saturday morning. xx

 

Enjoy your trip that you have paid for and go with the flow. There will be people who will be complaining no matter what, just ignore those and have a good time. If you plan on taking the subway in Shanghai, this maybe a good place to start: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai/transportation/subway.htm

 

Have a safe and wonderful trip! :)