Viking China

[newnanna]

We have just returned from a wonderful trip with Viking. The ship Century Sun was excellent. We had room 412 and have no complaints, the room was clean, well maintained, bed- very comfortable, bottles of free water supplied both in the room and available on excursions both in the foyer of the boat and on the buses. The staff were excellent and the food wonderful. We came home a few kilos heavier and not because of the shopping. Our tour escort for the 12 days was Luc, he was friendly, efficient, interesting, spoke great english and was very knowledgable. My husband and I were the only Aussies in the group but had a terrific time thanks to the wonderful American and two German friends we made,

it was amazing how quickly our group of 28 bonded. The only complaint I would have is that on the intra china flights, husbands and wives were often not seated together and on one flight all viking clients were seated in middle seats, spread throughout the plane- very uncomfortable if you have long legs. Lucky the flight are only short about 1 hour.The onshore restaurants were excellent serving great food and always one drink was included. If anyone wishes to see china and cruise the Yantze, I would certainly recommend Viking.

[janp]

Re: Viking Cultural Delights river cruise. No one has mentioned whether or not you see the Olympic stadium while on tour in Beijing. Do they do a 'drive by' or inside tour? Thanks.

[Travel&Shop]

Re: Viking Cultural Delights river cruise. No one has mentioned whether or not you see the Olympic stadium while on tour in Beijing. Do they do a 'drive by' or inside tour? Thanks.

 

On my Roof of the World tour in October we only did a 'drive by' past the Olympic stadium and Olympic village. It was very smoggy that day and we could barely see the building out the bus window even though it was right across the street. On our last (and less smoggy) day in Beijing our guide asked our bus driver to change his route so we could have another chance to see the stadium, and we got a much better view the second time.

[no fuss travel]

Our tour guide arranged for us to drive by the birds nest stadium and we got some fantastic pictures of it as well as the swimming complex. If it rains before you arrive in Beijing, the smog should be at a low level and you will get some incredible pictures.

I took a good look at the prices of the official Olympic souvenirs and went into an official Olympic store for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and was amazed at how much less expensive our souvenirs are to China's. I won't talk about the hotels price gouging though.

[newnanna]

Our tour guide arranged for us to stop at the Olympic Stadium. We had about 20mins to look around and take photos. We were not able to go inside the bird's nest or the water cube.

[rebecca1803]

Just returned from 12 days in China with Viking, the Imperial Jewels of China Cruisetour. It was fantastic. Our tour escort was Richard and he was great. He spoke english very well and was very good at his job. Even arranged for us to see the pandas at the zoo in Chongquing when we had some time to kill before boarding the ship. All our hotels were fantastic. We had the Raffles in Beijing, the Shangri-La in Xian and the Westin Bund Center in Shanghai. All were 5* and service was great. The ship was beautiful. Cabins were clean and comfortable. Food was very good every day of the trip, there was always something to appeal to everyone. All the China flight were good but do pack all liquids in your checked bag. This is a very busy tour with little free time in the cities but aboatd the ship it was a bit more relaxed. Do buy the beverage package for the ship...it will save you some $$. Nice to be able to have a soft drink, beer, wine,or coffee any time you please without a big bill at the end of the cruise. If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

[plan2travel]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. We begin this trip in Beijing on 5/22/09 and are staying in the same hotels. How many people were in your group? Besides the beverage package, do you have any other advice to share? Anything you forgot to bring that you really missed? Anything you brought that you didn't need? If you used American dollars, did you have any issues? This is the trip of a life time and we can hardly wait.

[no fuss travel]

Plan2travel

The drink package only works if you drink a lot of soft drinks, wine and cocktails. Very few people on our cruise purchased it, as most people did not drink that much. People found that beer was much cheaper off the ship than on the ship if you watched where you shopped.

[Lucky Granny]

We bought the drink package and amused ourselves trying to make sure we got our money's worth. I'm not sure it would have been a good deal otherwise. It was not necessary to have the package to get regular coffee, but espresso, etc. was free with the package. I did not drink any wine (except a taste of snake wine on a tour) but the beer was good and inexpensive - same price as a coke in restaurante: $1.00. In the restaurants on shore, diet coke was not usually available so we drank beer.

 

You will need local currency to ride in a taxi - the ones we rode in did not take American money- but that was in 07-08, they might have changed by now.

 

We saw the Bird's Nest and Water Cube from the highway only, but we were there two weeks before the Olympics and everything was very restricted. I would have thought it would be better by now and that you might at least get to walk around close by. However, your time in Beijing is very limited and it is necessary to almost be in a sprinting mode to see everything. Also, our guide talked our bus driver into driving by the Olympic area at night so we could see it and also Tiananmen Square with Olympic lights - don't know how that looks now.

[planitohio]

We finished this trip today - in Beijing until Tuesday. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. We went from Shanghai to Beijing. The Peking Opera/Duck dinner has been improved from past years - so do not skip it (they responded to survey results). We did not do the beverage package on the ship. The trip is amazing. We did have about 30 minutes at Olympic Site - not enough time to go in - but we'll do that on our own tomorrow. It's an add on if time permits - to stop there. Bob was our tour guide and he was amazing as well.

[newnanna]

We also didn't take the drinks package, mainly due to the fact that the cost is based on two people. The cost is RMB1129 x 2 however as I don't drink it would mean my husband would have to drink enough for 2 people .

My husband had a wine every night with dinner, a couple of cocktails- each afternoon( each day they had special events eg Caribean party- cocktails were RMB38 and a couple of beers each day. Our total bill at the end of the cruise was a little under RMB 700. Every morning at breadkfast Champagne is available free of charge. Bottled water is also available free of charge even on shore excursions, and juice is available each time when returning to the ship from excurscions. For lunches not on the ship one drink is always included and then you pay for extra's but the cost is low.

You can bring drinks onto the boat and there is no corkage unless you take a bottle of wine up to dinner.

[newnanna]

Plan2travel,

There were 28 people in our group, they were the most wonderful people and we had a great time.

Just a word of advice, if you catch a taxi make sure they put on the meter, we have been to China many times and twice on this trip we had a problem driver. One who didn't put on the meter, but we knew the cost as we had been to this market many times so I just handed over the money that it should cost- RMB 20 not the RMB 50 he was demanding and on the second time the driver told us when getting into the taxi and giving the hotel address that it would cost RMB70 we said no put on the meter, he insisted it was peak hour and meter would be more, we knew this to be a lie,( even in peak hour the the cost is not so much) so we went to get out, he then said okay I will put on meter, we decided to still get out as it was likely he would take us around the world so to speak just to get a high price on the meter. We flagged down a passing taxi and the cost of the trip from the Yashow Markets to Raffles was RMB15

[plan2travel]

Thanks so much for the replies. This thread has provided a wealth of information. We have been planning this trip for over a year. Can't believe we leave next week.

[planitohio]

Let's see. You will need local currency. The hotel can switch it for you but your US dollars will need to be crisp and new. You will need to tip in local currency along the river (drivers and local guides) and you will likely want for taxis and souvenirs. When bargaining - go way down. If you have extra time in Beijing - go to the Silk Market and bargain way down (do not buy electronics here). It's mostly knock off stuff. I read that you could get 1/6 of their starting price and you can. They open about 9:15 and that is the best time to go (during the week). Tons of stuff. You can get cheap souvenirs along the way as you get onto your buses. Like we bought bags - kind of like a handbag/totebag - got them down to $1/USD each when we bought ten. And you should be able to get a pack of 10 chopsticks each in it's own little holder for a dollar (US).

 

For silk scarves - I got them at the friendship store (where you will be) at the Great Wall. I ended up buying 5 and paying about $50 usd each. If you are going to buy more than one of anything - decide that upfront - it helps your discount. I bought cheap knockoff Coach wristlets for $5/each (silk market).

 

We did not use our workout stuff as much as we thought. The gym is very small on the ship and downstairs - so no view. Didn't want to miss anything. Stuff takes awhile to dry on the ship as it's so damp - but it's easy to wash out small stuff. Also easy to do in Beijing or Shanghai and you have time. Gyms and pools are nice in the major cities - but not a lot of time unless you are extending. The entertainment provided on land was all good. Most are 1 - 1 1/2 hours -so nothing terribly long. If you stay at China World Shangri La in Beijing - do NOT miss the buffet dinner - take your camera. It's unbelievable.

 

I did not bring "dressy" stuff - but would have brought even less. I'd have left my skirt at home and just lived with my black pants and I brought one unlined nicer jacket -never wore it. Do not bring a lot of "carryon" stuff. You do a lot of flights and I could not understand the people that had so much stuff to take with them. It really can get tedious. You do need to be able to survive all day - but you really don't need much. Bring indiv packaged anti bacterial wipes and use them. Stay healthy. You don't want to get sick by the end of the tour.

 

If you stay at China World in Beijing - check out the Haagen Daaz - it's like none I've ever seen - very nice. Also the stores below the hotel are higher end - but keep looking. There is a local supermarket there which is very reasonable and has some nice things and is very nice. Also there is an indoor ice rink. We had an excellent dinner at the Steak Factory along the ice rink and it was very reasonable (if you add on days).

 

We had about 32 in our group and the whole tour (once we were on the boat) was about 280. All of the groups did not stay at all of the same hotels.

[skayebs]

My dh and I went three years ago in August. The day we were at the Hidden Garden in Beijing it was 98 degrees. I endured and stayed in the shady areas. After lunch, we went to the children's palace which required a cruise accross a lake to reach. I stayed on the air conditioned bus. I live in Houston but really hot humid weater just exhausts me and I stay in air conditioning when in Houston.

[Retired(Almost)]

We are leaving soon for the June 1 Imperial Jewels from Beijing to Shanghai. We're in 419. Are there hairdryers in all the cabins or must you borrow them from reception? Can you get a good foot massage on board and about how much does it cost?

[planitohio]

We were just on the boat in Room 447. You will love it! There was a hair dryer in our room in the desk. They did offer foot massages on board - actually a variety of services. Times seemed to be fairly readily available - although I never did it. I don't recall the prices offhand - but I did think they were very reasonable. Actually for laundry and such - it's much more reasonable on the ship than in the hotels. I think all of our hotels had hair dryers as well - I did not use them - but I'm certain they were there.

 

Dawn

[dpump]

We are leaving soon for the June 1 Imperial Jewels from Beijing to Shanghai. We're in 419. Are there hairdryers in all the cabins or must you borrow them from reception? Can you get a good foot massage on board and about how much does it cost?

*********************************************

I got a back massage. It was reasonable, but my back and neck were killing me. It was weird that no lotion was used, sort of creeped me out. Not sure on the foot massages though, it was quite popular on the boat.

[momilani]

We're heading off to hook up with the 5/22 Jewels in Beijing and have found the information here incredibly interesting. This will be our first experience with Viking.

 

Thanks for taking the time to participate -- I love these message boards!

[Aussieflyer]

We are considering a Viking Yangtze cruise in November - I see some of you have been there then. What should we expect weather-wise?

[Little Toot2]

Let's see. You will need local currency. The hotel can switch it for you but your US dollars will need to be crisp and new. You will need to tip in local currency along the river (drivers and local guides) and you will likely want for taxis and souvenirs....You can get cheap souvenirs along the way as you get onto your buses. Like we bought bags - kind of like a handbag/totebag - got them down to $1/USD each when we bought ten

 

Haven't been on this thread in three years, so perhaps I shouldn't comment now... However at the risk of offending someone I'd like to interject an observation. People you do not need to bring US dollars with you to China as there are plenty of ATM's in the big cities where you are able to obtain yuan, the local currency. Yes, I realize that the local street merchants willingly trade in US dollars and that hotels will exchange your US bills (crisp & new so that they will last longer), but think for a moment what you are doing when you buy into that plan. Basically you are providing China with another monetary exchange unit when you circulate US dollars in their country. It's your tax dollars at work, people.... use the local currency and leave your American dollars back in the states, please! :o

[Retired(Almost)]

Thanks for the info. I figure that on the boat will be my only chance to get that foot massage since the land days are so packed with tours. I went to China with a friend in Oct 2006 on a 3 week Pacific Delights tour and those foot massages were divine after a long day of walking. This time DH will be along and it's a much shorter trip but I did want to get in at least one foot massage. I hope they use lotion though!

[annchan]

I am happy to see this site active again; reading the questions and comments brings back good memories. My own trip was mid october of last year and it was perfect, everything I could have wanted in a China trip. I would be interested to hear what other people consider the one photo they missed, mine was the Dragon Welcome as we embarked. I was so busy trying to see everything that I missed a chance to get a photo of the smiling Chinese face inside the dragon's head. I will say that none of the things that seemed to cause concern came to pass. Baggage was not a problem, no one was charged for excess weight. I did hear that two people were sick, but most of us did not have a problem, and I even got a mouthful of water on the ship once or twice while half asleep. If I go again, I will put something in the sink to keep that from happening. The weather was excellent, with the one excetion that it poured rain on the day we went to the Dam and saw the pandas. I yearned for one of those packable rain suits that breathe and some plastic shoe covers. It was quite warm until we got to the Great Wall, sunny there but with a cold wind. My friend had a pair of gloves we shared, each of us had one hand in a pocket and I bought a warm hat. It was a spectatular day. There were many local people out enjoying their country. I was reminded of The Mall on the 4th of July, or maybe Times Square on New Years Eve, crowded but very good natured. They were as curious about us as we were them and it was a treat to share this experience.

[Travel&Shop]

We are considering a Viking Yangtze cruise in November - I see some of you have been there then. What should we expect weather-wise?

 

On my trip in late Oct. last year it wasn't cold but we had quite a bit of rain. We had some nice sunny days early in the trip, but it rained most days on the river and in Shanghai. It never rained very hard, so my light rain jacket and an umbrella were enough. Rain or not, I still think that Oct. and Nov. are the best months to go to China to avoid the heat and humidity of summer.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

[mfarmer1]

We have just returned from a wonderful trip with Viking. The ship Century Sun was excellent. We had room 412 and have no complaints, the room was clean, well maintained, bed- very comfortable, bottles of free water supplied both in the room and available on excursions both in the foyer of the boat and on the buses. The staff were excellent and the food wonderful. We came home a few kilos heavier and not because of the shopping. Our tour escort for the 12 days was Luc, he was friendly, efficient, interesting, spoke great english and was very knowledgable. My husband and I were the only Aussies in the group but had a terrific time thanks to the wonderful American and two German friends we made,

it was amazing how quickly our group of 28 bonded. The only complaint I would have is that on the intra china flights, husbands and wives were often not seated together and on one flight all viking clients were seated in middle seats, spread throughout the plane- very uncomfortable if you have long legs. Lucky the flight are only short about 1 hour.The onshore restaurants were excellent serving great food and always one drink was included. If anyone wishes to see china and cruise the Yantze, I would certainly recommend Viking.

 

Hi Newnanna,

 

I was wondering if you have any recent contact info for Luc, your tour guide. My wife and I met him on a tour in 2006 and have lost contact and we promised to send him some photos, etc.

 

He was a great guy, very informative and I'm not sure if you saw some of his work, but he's quite a talented artist as well.

 

Regards,

Mitch

San Diego CA