Viking China

[H2Otstr]

I have been checking my mail everyday waiting for my Viking package to arrive. Should be any time now. Then I will apply for my VISA.

[azmimi]

Anyone out there going on Imperial Jewels on April 5th? We'd love to meet you.

Also, how far in advance do you need to file for yor Visas?

Happy New Year to you all.

[no fuss travel]

Anyone out there going on Imperial Jewels on April 5th? We'd love to meet you.

Also, how far in advance do you need to file for yor Visas?

Happy New Year to you all.

 

The visa depends on where you live and how close you are to an embassy. We got ours in two weeks using a company that specializes in obtaining the visas. Our TA found the company for us.

 

Enjoy your trip. It is fantastic.

[susierailroad]

Peregrina: Note you've done BA to Valparaiso. Am eager to discuss it with you as we expect to do that next. Merry Christmas, all.

[Days @ C]

Booked the Imperial Jewels of China a few days ago and started reading these posts only going back 3 months, but have learned a lot.

 

Happy Holidays to everyone.

 

Paul & Ann

[H2Otstr]

For those who have already traveled to China, is there any need to take your laptop to communicate while on the cruise? Was there free WiFi in the hotels? Or were there computers in the business centers of the hotels?

 

I don't want to take mine if I have access to a public one. Too much nuisance flying with it.

[caribill]

For those who have already traveled to China, is there any need to take your laptop to communicate while on the cruise? Was there free WiFi in the hotels? Or were there computers in the business centers of the hotels?

 

I don't want to take mine if I have access to a public one. Too much nuisance flying with it.

 

 

On the ship used last year, there were four public computers. I assume the new ship has at least the same setup.

 

In the hotels we used, we could conect out netbook to a cable in the rooms at no charge, but did not use WiFi. Never checked if there was free access at a business center in the hotels.

[no fuss travel]

We did not take our laptop to us but the hotels did not charge us for using their business computers as we were just quickly sending an email to our children at home to let them know we had arrived safely and what we had seen while touring. The rates were not all that expensive from what I remember. If you spend less than 10 minutes on the computer I don't think they will charge you. At least they did not charge us.

[Peregrina651]

Anyone out there going on Imperial Jewels on April 5th? We'd love to meet you.

Also, how far in advance do you need to file for yor Visas?

Happy New Year to you all.

 

There is precise information about getting a visa in the packet sent when you first reserve. The visa info talks about timing (very important since your entry visa is valid for entry only xx many days after it is issued and you can't get it too many day in advance.) The packet also includes a visa form and envelope for Viking's suggested company -- for those who aren't making the trip to the embassy in person.

 

We used the company suggested by Viking for two reasons: 1) in our case, the trip to NYC is more expensive than the cost of using the visa company; and, 2) our feeling was that, based on all that we have heard about Viking, they are not going to recommend a company that is not going to reflect well on Viking. I price shopped for other companies and decided in the end that the price difference were minimal compared to the peace of mind.

 

It took about 2 weeks from the time I mailed the visas until I got them back.

 

While we are talking paperwork, now is the time to make sure that your passport will be good for at least 6 months after your trip. If you have to renew, now is the time to do it so that you will have plenty of time to also get your visas.

 

You will need passport pictures to submit with your visa application.

[Peregrina651]

Peregrina: Note you've done BA to Valparaiso. Am eager to discuss it with you as we expect to do that next. Merry Christmas, all.

 

I look forward to hearing from you. My e-mail address is in my signature file along with links to our photos.

[schaitberger]

Anyone out there going on the June 1, 2011 Viking Imperials of China?

 

Joe & Leslie Schaitberger

Atlanta, GA ;)

[Peregrina651]

On the ship used last year, there were four public computers. I assume the new ship has at least the same setup.

In the hotels we used, we could conect out netbook to a cable in the rooms at no charge, but did not use WiFi. Never checked if there was free access at a business center in the hotels.

 

And internet service on those 4 computers was spotty, at best--and it was as much the availability of signal as it was how the shipboard LAN was configured. It is a new ship this coming season and we have no idea what they are planning for internet access or how they are setting up the LAN.

 

In some instances, it seemed those who were working off iPod Touches with wi-fi or Smartphones fared better than those who were trying to use the ship's network for sending e-mail.

 

We carried a NETBOOK for downloading pictures each day and which worked well (and for free) in the hotel rooms.

[Peregrina651]

Here is the link to the River Cruise roll calls: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=685

 

On the first page there are already roll calls for the March 15th and the May 14th sailings. If you search the forum using the word Emerald you'll find a few more and maybe also you want to try searching for Imperial Jewels or Roof of the World or Cultural Delights since there is so consistency in naming the threads.

 

 

Viking also has a page on Facebook and is trying to start roll calls there. However, the problem with roll calls on FB is that who wants to announce to the world exactly when they are going to be out of town. At least here on CC we have some anonymity. As long as you don't say when you will be gone, there has been some good discussion generated there as well.

 

Finally, the last way to find folks who will be sailing with you is to use your signature file. That way, every time and in whatever thread you are posting in, people know you are trying to find fellow shipmates.

 

Create a sig file in User CP (which stands for User Control Panel). You'll find it on the bottom left side of the logo banner at the top of any page. If you have joined or started a roll call, you can post a link to the roll call in your sig file to make it easier for folks to find you and you can post a link to this thread as well.

[whp]

This stop also includes a demonstration on calligraphy in a gallery of painted scrolls that are available for purchase. If you are looking for high quality original art in the Chinese style, this is where you want to buy. Skip the lecture and check out what is for sale. The first floor is just lined with scrolls with all sorts of different designs (no two are alike) and there is a second floor gallery as well with some less traditional work. There is also some mass produced stuff for low budget shopping, such as paintings on banana leaves but the real attraction here is the original art works. Don't be afraid to buy (and to negotiate a price). The scrolls are rolled into a 4-inch square box and then tied with string so that you can throw it over your shoulder; we had no trouble just carrying it on to the plane along with our other bags.

 

We knew about this stop in advance and knew that this was where we would be making our one splurge purchase.

About how much did they cost?

[Peregrina651]

I want to say that the pieces ranged from a couple of hundred US into the thousands. Prices depended on the size and the artist and were priced in yuan. We negotiated the price down about 20-25%, which according to Larry was a reasonable expectation for where we were shopping.

 

That is for the hand-painted scrolls.

[Peregrina651]

Happy New Year, Everyone.

 

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2011.

[amarsh]

I was recently on this trip with a friend. We took one carry on and one checked bag(44 lbs) each.

Check with your airline as to whether you can bring two checked bags home.

 

Know this was a rather old post, but for anyone reading it and has recently been ona viking China cruise, did you or she mean the carry on was also 44lbs., meaning a total of 88 that she took for herself. I have to day, this baggage thing, is the only really concern I have. Would love to take just a little more but just what are the restrictions again? Thanks

[caribill]

Know this was a rather old post, but for anyone reading it and has recently been ona viking China cruise, did you or she mean the carry on was also 44lbs., meaning a total of 88 that she took for herself. I have to day, this baggage thing, is the only really concern I have. Would love to take just a little more but just what are the restrictions again? Thanks

 

Can't answer what he/she meant, but in general most flights to/from China from the USA allow two checked bags weighing up to 50 pounds each plus you can have a appropriately sized carryon.

 

For the internal China flights, one checked bag weighing up to 44 pounds is allowed plus a carryon that is usually not weighed. However, I think it would be difficult to have even a 20 pound carryon unless you were packing it full of books or bricks.

 

The checked bags for a group (those assigned to one of the guides) seem to be weighed together. Sometimes when the total is over the limit, the airline is willing to let it go. Sometimes they want overweight charges.

 

Because it is difficult to tell in a group of bags which person(s) owe for being overweight, when there was a charge on our trip the guide paid it and hinted that he should receive a larger tip to help cover the charge.

[Peregrina651]

Know this was a rather old post, but for anyone reading it and has recently been ona viking China cruise, did you or she mean the carry on was also 44lbs., meaning a total of 88 that she took for herself. I have to day, this baggage thing, is the only really concern I have. Would love to take just a little more but just what are the restrictions again? Thanks

 

We left home with one carry-on suitcase (that met the size requirements shown on our airline's website for carry-on luggage) and one "personal" item each. The suitcases weighed about 30# each.

 

When we boarded the planes in China, we checked the carried-on suitcases so that we would not have to deal with them while transferring from ship to bus to plane to hotel and then from hotel to bus to plane to hotel the following day. By this this point, our 'personal' items had miraculously multiplied so we still had 2 items each to carry on to the plane.

 

To get back home, we had to go out and buy another suitcase. I think in the end, we checked two bags full of clothing and carried 5 items (full of booty, meds, liquids and electronics) on to the plane (including one 4x4 x36 box).

 

As for the restrictions, definitely check the website for the airlines you will be flying on the international flights (and don't forget to do it once again just before you fly since restrictions can change without warning). For the intra-China flights, I believe that the Viking website has some insight on the matter.

 

Remember that just because things were handled one way in 2009 or 2010, it does not mean that it will still be handled that way in 2011. What's that caveat on investor website? Past performance is not indicative of future results?

 

Also, remember: Airlines have a maximum suitcase weight and suitcases above the stated weight will not be accepted even for a fee. This is explained on the airline websites (and may differ from airline to airline).

[Romeosc]

Know this was a rather old post, but for anyone reading it and has recently been ona viking China cruise, did you or she mean the carry on was also 44lbs., meaning a total of 88 that she took for herself. I have to day, this baggage thing, is the only really concern I have. Would love to take just a little more but just what are the restrictions again? Thanks

 

 

My wife and I each had a large suitcase 50# each with a slightly smaller suitcase inside each. Each of us had a backpack carry-on. (We had pre filled out Fed-Ex BOL in case we needed to ship items home) We packed older clothes and while in China we gave to our steward with a note (in Chinese to give to someone who might want them). This made room for some of our shopping. While in China, we flew with the four bags about 45#s each, the 2 backpacks and a silk rug we purchased! We had a cheap hanging scale with us. Things we left in China as we left (to lighten the load) were: the scale, 10 ponchos, 2 folding umbrellas, old clothes, and cheap coats from USA.

 

Our Viking guide, Iowa, told us not to worry about weight or number of bags as long as we were with Viking, since we were supporting the Chinese economy. Going home was our problem(LOL)! My backpack had 50 fake terracotta warriors in it. They were the ones you buy in a set of 5 in a nice gift box for $2 at the walk of the emperors. I took them out of box and wrapped them in paper and put in backpack. Made great $0.50 gifts that looked like it cost $10! (amazingly all made it home intact!)

[Turtles06]

Going home was our problem(LOL)! My backpack had 50 fake terracotta warriors in it. They were the ones you buy in a set of 5 in a nice gift box for $2 at the walk of the emperors. I took them out of box and wrapped them in paper and put in backpack. Made great $0.50 gifts that looked like it cost $10! (amazingly all made it home intact!)

 

I assume the "walk of the emperors" is in Xian (but if not, pls let us know where).

 

Thanks to all of you who have done this trip for your continuing posts of info and good advice. We booked months ago for our trip this coming May, and now that it's actually 2011, it's starting to feel very real and very close!!

[amarsh]

Thanks all who have responded. I just finished going through probabloy a hundred more baggage posts but it was great getting the recent data. Gues I'm not the obly crazy over this. I really thought the idea about fast drying socks (and I suppose underwear) is a great idea. Not I'll start surfing for that. Not that I'm any petite young lady but my husband who is thin still takes up three times as much space for his stuff than I do. I'm not above washing out stuff but taking days to dry may be an issue. If I can't find the eazy dry maybe I'll just get my husband some silkies. Ah yes!

[Turtles06]

Thanks all who have responded. I just finished going through probabloy a hundred more baggage posts but it was great getting the recent data. Gues I'm not the obly crazy over this. I really thought the idea about fast drying socks (and I suppose underwear) is a great idea. Not I'll start surfing for that. Not that I'm any petite young lady but my husband who is thin still takes up three times as much space for his stuff than I do. I'm not above washing out stuff but taking days to dry may be an issue. If I can't find the eazy dry maybe I'll just get my husband some silkies. Ah yes!

 

We've decided to give the "fast drying socks & undies" a test drive before China. Ex Officio makes the undies and sells them on line, as do a number of other sites, including packinglight.com (where they are cheaper than on Ex Officio's own site). Packinglight.com also has quick drying socks by Fox River. We recently ordered some of each; once they show up, we'll see if we like them and whether they really do dry overnight.

 

Cotton socks and underwear definitely take up a ton of room in a suitcase, even when they are squished down into vacuum packing bags. I figure if we can eliminate this bulk, we'll be doing well....

[Romeosc]

I assume the "walk of the emperors" is in Xian (but if not, pls let us know where).

 

Thanks to all of you who have done this trip for your continuing posts of info and good advice. We booked months ago for our trip this coming May, and now that it's actually 2011, it's starting to feel very real and very close!!

 

 

It was while we were in Beijing, I am enclosing a picture. It is the walk you take between the sleeping and guarding animals (statues) I forgot the name, at the end is Ming Dynasty Tombs and where you meet bus, there are many cheap vendors! http://www.china-travel-golden-route.com/ming_tombs.html

[Turtles06]

It was while we were in Beijing, I am enclosing a picture. It is the walk you take between the sleeping and guarding animals (statues) I forgot the name, at the end is Ming Dynasty Tombs and where you meet bus, there are many cheap vendors! http://www.china-travel-golden-route.com/ming_tombs.html

 

Thanks!