Viking China

[caribill]

We plan a trip in to China Oct next year. The Main reason is my father- Don lived in WuChang in 1933-1936. However the boat we plan is Victoria Prince.I notice the date is 2006 . So I am hoping someone might be interested in exchanging information this year or start a new thread

 

There is hardly any activity concerning the Victoria ships and cruises in China.

 

You will not find any on this Viking thread.

[Peregrina651]

I am a member of PEM the museum has a loverly China Home that reminds me of my father's home in China.We are planning a visit to PEM in the next few weeks for the exhibit.Salem Ma is a great city to visit due to naval merchant in late 1700's.

 

Salem is going to be very busy for the next two weekends because of Halloween and the parking lots are charging a flat fee of $20 on the weekends.

[ladybug M]

Salem is going to be very busy for the next two weekends because of Halloween and the parking lots are charging a flat fee of $20 on the weekends.

We will go if the weather is good we are bikers and small spaces work however we do not go weekends. Think you I forgot. Laura Calbot- was at my church long time ago

Spirtualist 40 plus years ago.This weekend Apple Fair near Garderner- got the last tickets. Thank you for information

[castledavies]

We leave this Friday for the last Century Sun Imperial Jewels of China! I have a question for anyone who has already gone on the trip. How much time do we have between a day of touring and going to dinner on days that we are not on the ship? Viking says to remember to bring dress shoes as restaurants may not appreciate guests wearing sneakers. So does that mean we have time to change clothes before our guide takes us to a restaurant? Do we walk to the restaurant or is that a bus ride?

[H2Otstr]

Castledavies, what is your flight schedule and times? Did you use Vi8king air package?

 

Sharon

[JackieSue66]

We leave this Friday for the last Century Sun Imperial Jewels of China! I have a question for anyone who has already gone on the trip. How much time do we have between a day of touring and going to dinner on days that we are not on the ship? Viking says to remember to bring dress shoes as restaurants may not appreciate guests wearing sneakers. So does that mean we have time to change clothes before our guide takes us to a restaurant? Do we walk to the restaurant or is that a bus ride?

 

I just got back from this on the 11th, great trip you will love it...however you will not be going back to the hotels on the days you are not on the trip, you go as you are in the morning when you leave, and there was not one resteraunt we went to, where you needed to worry about clothing.....

your clothes that you start out with in the monring, is what you will wear most of the days...there are only a few exceptions, if you go to the tang dynasty show or the peking duck dinner, you have an hour or so back at your hotel before you leave....

[caribill]

We leave this Friday for the last Century Sun Imperial Jewels of China! I have a question for anyone who has already gone on the trip. How much time do we have between a day of touring and going to dinner on days that we are not on the ship? Viking says to remember to bring dress shoes as restaurants may not appreciate guests wearing sneakers. So does that mean we have time to change clothes before our guide takes us to a restaurant? Do we walk to the restaurant or is that a bus ride?

 

It is always a bus ride going to dinner unless the dinner is at the hotel you are staying (last night, for example).

 

The day we flew to Beijing from Xi'an, we went straight from the airport to dinner due to the flight schedule.

[castledavies]

Castledavies, what is your flight schedule and times? Did you use Vi8king air package?

 

Sharon

We scheduled our own flights directly through Continental. We leave Charlotte at 6:40 am on Friday and fly to Newark and then to Shanghai, arriving at 1:45 PM. We depart Beijing at 5:00 PM and will be back in Charlotte at 11:02 PM.

[castledavies]

Thanks CariBill and JackieSue66. Your info gives me a better idea on our adventures!

[PSL Ag]

word of advise....skip the optional Peking Opera. You will regret it if you go! It's horrible.

[caribill]

For those who wondered if the Shanghai Expo was crowded, see the picture below.

[seanf]

word of advise....skip the optional Peking Opera. You will regret it if you go! It's horrible.

Sorry, but I don't agree with this and neither did the other people in my group. I understand the Opera is not to everyone's taste, but I still think it is a very worthwhile experience and should definitely be considered

 

Sean :)

[caribill]

Sorry, but I don't agree with this and neither did the other people in my group. I understand the Opera is not to everyone's taste, but I still think it is a very worthwhile experience and should definitely be considered

 

Yes, tastes in music differ.

 

We had skipped this on our August trip. We did not find one person who went there that enjoyed the experience. They said the food was poor and the music/singing was screeching that was painful to the ears.

 

One gentleman told us that he would rather have a root canal without anesthetic than endure that experience again.

 

On the other hand, the optional Tang Dynasty dinner/show in Xi'an is well worth the time and the money.

[jcrandle]

Yes, tastes in music differ.

 

We had skipped this on our August trip. We did not find one person who went there that enjoyed the experience. They said the food was poor and the music/singing was screeching that was painful to the ears.

 

One gentleman told us that he would rather have a root canal without anesthetic than endure that experience again.

 

On the other hand, the optional Tang Dynasty dinner/show in Xi'an is well worth the time and the money.

 

Mark Twain's quote seems apropos to the Peking Opera experience.

“I'm glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again”

 

 

I had the same reaction to my drive up Pikes Peak. Worth the trip, bu I question why anyone would be a repeat offender.

 

As has been stated the singing in the opera is very different from western music. That said,I appreciated learning about a completely different culture. It could have certainly been shortened by half, without causing complaints by my fellow cruisers. Consider that the performance had already been shortened to 1/3 or less from the full rendition. We did get to see the performers putting on their makeup as we entered the venue.

 

The food was good, but a much smaller quantity than we had become accustomed to on Viking excursions. Several at our table complained about the small quantity of Peking duck that was available, and eventually some additional servings were provided.

 

Another complaint was the venue, which was a conference room in a large hotel. You have likely seen the genre. A large room with movable partitions that can double or halve the size of a room. Set with banquet tables, a riser for the performers, there was no other decor.

 

So now the quandary, do you spend an evening enjoying OK food, at a cultural event that you do not understand, because you may never get the opportunity to see a real Chinese opera again (never mind that you probably would never WANT to sit through a full performance).

 

My take is that I'm glad I did it. Your mileage may vary.

[PSL Ag]

everyone that went from our tour regretted it, but loved the Tang dynasty show. put your optional money there. As others said, it was substandard for peking duck dinner as well. Best I ever had? Peking Gourmet in Falls Church Va. Presidents like to go there....so much so that they had to put bullet proof glass in the front window. And the duck is fabulous!

[seanf]

Another complaint was the venue, which was a conference room in a large hotel

The Opera is no longer performed there, it is in a theatre now

 

Sean :)

[castledavies]

everyone that went from our tour regretted it, but loved the Tang dynasty show. put your optional money there. As others said, it was substandard for peking duck dinner as well. Best I ever had? Peking Gourmet in Falls Church Va. Presidents like to go there....so much so that they had to put bullet proof glass in the front window. And the duck is fabulous!

 

I guess the bullet proof glass doesn't help the duck any! (ha-ha)

Thanks to everyone for your comments. They will make our trip more enjoyable. We have been to Chinese opera before so we had already decided not to go again but will go to Tang Dynasty.

BTW DH is reading "The China Price" and loves it! He says he has learned so much about the Chinese economy.

Time to do the last minute packing. Bye for now!

[whp]

Welcome back to Ohio. Glad your trip was wonderful. We're taking the Beijing to Shanghai version 4/25/11. Which direction did you travel? A few questions, please.- We went From Shanghai to Beijing, and I am glad we did, the Beijing part of the trip is alot of walking, so after the 14 hour flight I was glad that we did Shanghai first!!!!

 

Did you allow Viking to choose your airline? If so, were the connections good? How long was the flight each way? One or two stops from Ohio? We could fly out of either Cinti or Cols since we're in southern Ohio. Which carrier and which airport was selected for you--or did you do custom air? I checked today to determine the upcharge for Biz Class. In addition to the $1047, it would have been an additional $1299 pp. So I think we'll just tough it out in economy.- We flew Cleveland to Chicago to Shanghai, and then Beijing, to Chicago to Cleveland....Viking picked the times and we were very lucky, out of Cleveland at 6am, three hours in the windy city and direct to Shanghai, landed at 1pm, so we had the day, back we did'nt fly out until 410pm and I was home in bed by 1130 that night....we flew business on United (used some of our Continental miles to upgrade)

 

When were your hotels selected for you? Satisfied?-More than Satisfied, Viking uses 5 star hotels...Shanghai we stayed at the Grand Hyatt, Xi'an we stayed at the Kempinski and in Bejing we stayed at the Westin!!!

 

How many people were in your group? Happy with your guide? I was told I should request Daniel--don't know if they allow "requests."-To my knowledge they dont allow requests, but Im not sure of that, we had Riqui, and he was FANTASTIC!!!!!! I would use him again in a split second

 

What were your best purchases for gifts or for yourself did you come home with? Best place to buy souveniers?-there are lots of places to buy, if you have a few hours ( all you need) go to the silk road in Beijing, there are 4 levels, top floor most $$ , but not in comparison......We bought terracottta warriors, 6 inches high at the museum store ( about 30 each) you can barter everywhere, except the hotels, your guide will tell you, there are tons of places to get inexpensive gifts ( 1$ to 5$) and if you feel like dropping a bundle, silk rugs are the way to go.......my mom got some jade, but no jewlery, so go things that she can sit on her fireplace etc.........you will have no problem finding some neat things and not spending lots of $$$, we each brought $150.00 ones, and I came home with most, use the ones for tipping etc your local tour guides.....credit cards are ok in many of the shops, your tour guide will tell you when you can use them and when you shouldnt ....we also got silk robes...paid about $24.00 each, they started at $75.00

 

Did you stay additional days, pre or post? -no we did not do Hong Kong, and to be honest, I was glad to come home, it was a fabulous trip, but glad we didnt do any longer ( also, my mom and I had done hong kong a few years back)

 

Thanks for your help. It's good to have a pioneer share info,

 

Let me know if you have any other ???, you will have a blast !!!!

you didn't answer the question how far in advance did you find out which hotels you you were in? I would like to do some advance research on where we are staying to see what we might do the day we arrive and leaving late on the last day what to do that morning.

[whp]

word of advise....skip the optional Peking Opera. You will regret it if you go! It's horrible.

Are there any other shows where we can go on our own in Beijing. Understand that there is another acrobatic show maybe similar to Shanghai? Even most tour operators to China say the same thing about the opera.

[jcrandle]

The Opera is no longer performed there, it is in a theatre now

 

Sean :)

 

It's good to hear the Viking has apparently responded to feedback.

[Turtles06]

how far in advance did you find out which hotels you you were in? I would like to do some advance research on where we are staying to see what we might do the day we arrive and leaving late on the last day what to do that morning.

 

We are going next May and rec'd our hotel info this past August. You should have plenty of time for your research! :)

[tvmovielover]

We did it before beginning the tour in Shanghai (Oct 2007). There is only one half-day tour in HK then the rest of the time, you do as you wish so it is a good time to adjust to the time and day change and see the city on your own-subways are easy to use and a trip to Macau is also interesting but good local tours are also available (we did all three) and this is the most time you have for shopping on your own. Guilan was beautiful and quiet and also a good way to keep adjusting to the time and day change.

 

I also agree with posters above that Viking listened to tour comments in making both the Opera and the Tang Dynasty show optional. We loved the Tang Dynasty show but the food was not very good-still the show is worth an extra fee if there is one now. We had only one criticism of Shanghai that we spent a long time in the market and a lunch/rug place that left only an hour for the superb Shanghai Museum. We discussed going to the Tang Dynasty thing from the museum with our guide and she worried that we would get stuck in traffic (we thought we needed to change at the hotel en route-not necessary) so we reluctantly left with the group. Another pair did meet us at the theater so if you are museum buffs, consider doing that.

 

We also endured the now vanished Chinese Opera in the conference center with cold indifferent Peking Duck. That would be a good time to go and shop in the silk market as there is very little shopping time in Beijing.

 

Lastly, Viking does tell you to bring a dress-up outfit but you really do not need it unless you want to dress on the river cruise portion since most of the time, you went directly to meals from the tours (or at or near tour stops) and the Opera and Tang Dynasty shows (we dressed because it was the last night-many did not bother) are now optional.

 

If you are reading this thread to consider the Viking tour, it was great, one of our favorites and we recommend the end of Oct for cooler weather and less crowds.

[caribill]

We also endured the now vanished Chinese Opera in the conference center with cold indifferent Peking Duck. That would be a good time to go and shop in the silk market as there is very little shopping time in Beijing.

 

 

 

The Silk Street "department store" building is about four blocks from the China World Hotel in Bejing.

 

A picture of it is below so you know what to look for.

[luvinretirement]

Got home on Monday from our Imperial Jewels tour in China -- what an amazing trip. Still a bit overwhelmed with all that was packed into the 12 days - just trying to digest everything. Had wonderful weather for the most part - a few light showers while on the Yangtze but didn't dampen our spirits. The hotel accommodations were unbelievable - Hyatt in Shanghai, Kempinski in Xian and Westin in Beijing. Everything worked like clockwork thanks to our wonderful guide Paul - very little waiting time at the airports - very organized. We will definitely be going on another Viking trip -- likely in Europe next time.

[ladybug M]

I once cooked Peking duck- took almost all day the duck hung from a hook and dripped-honey -my cat watched. So having someone else cook it is pleasureable. The Opera-more 1800's type or influenced by Mao ??.?? Just to be on Yangtze I am looking forward too. Nice to hear the hotels are good. Thank you for this thread