Viking China

[coasters]

Miss priss..

About your camera question... all depends on settings.What camera are you using, what resolution will you set?

Will you have a laptop to download to?

Jerry

[JJPNYC]

No one's posted anything since 2005 on this subject. We are also contemplating a late September/early Oct. Viking cruise. Viking has 3 tours available, one with a side trip to Tibet. Has anyone taken one of these in the past year or two? If so, any suggestions on which one to take, cabin category, do's and don'ts? Also notice Viking is offering a $3500 business class upgrade - anyone done this and how was it? Also, what airlines does Viking use? Any responses would be helpful.

 

o

 

From my trip last year, most people who booked air through Viking ended up United, meeting up with the Trans-Pac flights either in ORD or at SFO.

 

As for the business class upgrade, it's well worth it. One tip - use Kayak and see if Air China is offering any business class seats on United flights as they code-share on some flights (on the flip side, United code shares on Air China and try to avoid these as you'd be flying on Air China and their international product is still not up to western standards from what I've read in the press). I did this last year and saved $3000 by booking my seat under the Air China flight number even though the actual flight was on United and I accrued United frequent flyer miles.

 

As for which cabin category, it really doesn't matter on the ship. The only difference is if you want a larger cabin. My advice, get the cheapest possible cabin as they're all the same from a design perspective - the cheaper ones just tend to be at the far end of the halls (hence you walk a bit more) and tend to be on the lower decks. Do note that on river ships though that there isn't the movement customarily found on ocean-going ships.

 

Hope that this helps.

[Miss Priss]

Hi Jerry:

I have a Pentax Optio 555 and have the setting on the highest quality. The store I bought the camera from suggested we do this. I know it's mainly for larger pictures, but I think I want to have the option of the "perfect" picture. Consequently I have a lot fewer pictures per memory card. I just saw an SD card with 2 g that said 800+ pictures. Maybe it would be worth it.

 

I have a computer, but I don't think I'll be bringing it. I'm "acquainted" with a computer, but certainly not a wizard. I keep my son very close to get me out of trouble, but I don't want to bring him along either. So downloading is probably not an option.

 

Do I have any other options? Marian

[San Diego Ronni]

Miss Priss: I don't think you have enough memory. Get a 1G card in addition to your others. Be careful, though, don't go with the cheapest. We have a friend who bought a Kingston at Frye's....lost all her photos! Card failed! Pay a bit more to be safe. I have the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ7. This replaced a previous Kodak digital. I am in love with the Lumix! Has a 12x optical zoom and fabulous low light capability. I was able to capture beautiful closeup shots of the shows we saw w/o flash. The image stabilizer helps a lot, too.

 

As far as cabins, yes, all the cabins are the same. We went with another couple, who were in the cabin right across the hall from us. When one view wasn't so great, we just went across to the other's cabin. Worked great.

 

One warning.....my hubby and I both became quite ill on this trip, as did many, many others. We ate nor drank anything that wasn't a part of the Viking tour. We used antiseptic wipes constantly and were so, so careful! Don't know how we could have avoided it. DH actually had to have IV intervention and we both had visits from the ship's doctor who prescribed lots of Chinese herbal stuff. We both recovered but each lost a day's tour in the process. Don't know how to advise you to be careful, as we certainly were.....but......be careful!!!

 

Yes, shopping is best in Beijing, so if your trip starts there rather than Shanghai....if you see something in Beijing you want, get it there rather than waiting. Prices are higher in Shanghai and you may see something unique along the way that you may not see later....

 

Watch the different travel channels for shows on China. There are oh so many. We watched them before we went and it really enhanced our experiences.

 

I'm envious of you guys with this trip ahead of you. It has so far definitely been one of the highlights of our lives.

[coasters]

Marian,

I just looked up the user guide for your camera - here's what I suggest you try... as there's plenty of time to do this before you go.

DO NOT USE THE TIFF SETTING!! It's not necessary for what you are doing.

Shoot a few photos with the setting at 3 stars and another few at 2 stars.

Then, print them (or order prints) and compare the results. From this test, you can easily determine what quality you find most pleasing.

Then, look at page 16 of your camera manual to easily calculate the number of images each memory card can hold.

Should you purchase additional cards, I personally prefer buying 2 -512MB cards rather than 1 -1GB only because of a possible card failure or loss.

By the way, most memory vendors have free software to recover accidental delete or corruption of data.

I think that you will find it difficult to see much difference in photos printed at 4X6 inches when captured in either the 3 or 2 star settings.... however, if you think that you might want an 8X10, have 1 of each printed to compare.

Happy to assist... Been shooting digital now for near 9 years.

You might also find some excellent info on the following Pentax Optio 555 forum below - search for result regarding quality and memory card experiences.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums

Jerry

[Miss Priss]

You guys are the greatest! So many good suggestions. Ronni, thanks for the tips. This trip was arranged by friends (or I would have taken the Cultural trip) and China wasn't even in my top ten places to visit. Now that I've done research, etc. I couldn't be more excited. Your comment about it being the highlight even makes it more so. I will get good quality memory.

 

Jerry, good idea about the 512 vs. 1 g. Makes a lot of sense. I will also do your experiment to see if there is a difference, but I keep thinking about my first trip with digital (spent the whole time doing regular camera and then digital), but got a spectacular shot of Denali from a helicopter and had it enlarged. One in a million. Nine years with digital! Do you have an SLR? I've been thinkin' But I do like the convenience of small. Got the Pentax because of the 5X, but Ronni had 12X! Would love that! Also low light. May I ask what you use?

 

Ronni I have been watching China on Disc., etc. My Tivo's working overtime! Marian:)

[JJPNYC]

 

One warning.....my hubby and I both became quite ill on this trip, as did many, many others. We ate nor drank anything that wasn't a part of the Viking tour. We used antiseptic wipes constantly and were so, so careful! Don't know how we could have avoided it. DH actually had to have IV intervention and we both had visits from the ship's doctor who prescribed lots of Chinese herbal stuff. We both recovered but each lost a day's tour in the process. Don't know how to advise you to be careful, as we certainly were.....but......be careful!!!

QUOTE]

 

Just my 2 cents on getting ill over there. It's been my experience with traveling that many times you actually pick up the germs while on the flight due to the close quarters and recirculated air. Given that it's a 12+ hour flight and has a good mix of people on board, this is a fertile ground for germs to spread. I've come back from many a trip with a nasty cold due mainly to the air I breathed on board the plane or a sick seat-mate.

 

I was there for 3 weeks total and did not get sick what-so-ever. In all the place where you are going the food is thoroughly cooked & served hot so you don't have to worry about e coli or things like that from your food. Also remember, only drinked bottled & sealed beverages (make sure you hear the "snap" when taking off the bottle cap).

 

Also the last tip is to be sure to get a prescription of Cipro from your doctor before you leave - this is basically a wonder drug and can pretty much take care of any illnesses you may get from the food, beverages, air-borne, etc.

[coasters]

Marian,

I shoot with a Kodak p712 set to 5 mega pixels which I typically crop and/or reduce before printing. Before the P712 I had a Kodak DX6490, before that a Kodak 625.

Pleased with the results from Kodak, the P712 is comfortable, goes to 12X optical and has image stabilization.

For the most part, all digitals that capture over 3MP take nice photos, composition making the most significant difference between "keepers" and so so images.

It's NOT a SLR - but nor is it heavy, bulky, expensive or necessary to carry a case full of lenses and I did before going digital.

Any questions I can help with, feel free...

Jerry

[Miss Priss]

Jerry: Sounds like you're a Kodak fan. Pretty nice that you have the zoom and image stabilization and still have the small size. I definitely don't want to go back to the big stuff. Maybe I'll do some looking around - everything changes in 6 months! But I want to be comfortable with my camera by Sept., that's for sure. And TIFF is off.

 

JJPNYC - you are right about illness. I decided a long time ago not to worry about getting sick. I agree with you and Ronni about taking precautions, but other than that, there's not much you can do. I stopped worrying a long time ago about heat, rain, terrain, illness, taste of food, amount of food, friendly people, crabby people, cost (within reason), size and comfort of beds, etc. If it's clean and there's something to see, experience or participate in, I'm all for it! I saw Simon, the Wombat who bit people's ankles in Tasmania. Doesn't get any better than that:D LOL Marian

[WIT]

Hi Jerry:

I have a Pentax Optio 555 and have the setting on the highest quality. The store I bought the camera from suggested we do this. I know it's mainly for larger pictures, but I think I want to have the option of the "perfect" picture. Consequently I have a lot fewer pictures per memory card. I just saw an SD card with 2 g that said 800+ pictures. Maybe it would be worth it.

 

I have a computer, but I don't think I'll be bringing it. I'm "acquainted" with a computer, but certainly not a wizard. I keep my son very close to get me out of trouble, but I don't want to bring him along either. So downloading is probably not an option.

 

Do I have any other options? Marian

 

Marian - Many times I find that the perfect shot is part of a larger less interesting photo. I usually crop to frame what is interesting and discard the rest. In doing this I am often 'enlarging' the picture past 8x10 size in order to crop out a really great 4x6. Since I never know when one of these photos will happen, I always shoot at my maximum resolution setting (5 MP)

 

I think a memory card (like so many other electronic devices in our lives) that is prone to failure will do so early in service. My camera's software lets me transfer photos TO the card as well as FROM so I shoot with 2GB cards that have been given a chance to fail at home.

 

Memory prices have dropped to the point that it is cheaper to have another card than to pay a photoshop to transfer the photos to a CD. I back up my photos onto a laptop but I have heard that the memory card is a more secure medium than a harddrive or CD. This next trip (4/11 Cultural Delights) the photos will come home on the cards as well.

WIT

[Miss Priss]

Wit:

 

You had some very good suggestions. Between you and Coasters, and Ronni, I feel like I can be prepared for this trip photo-wise. I'm going to get more memory cards (you're right about the dropping prices) and bring them home that way, rather than worry about transferring them to disc on the trip. I will transfer them to my computer at home. But you're right about cropping to the bigger picture - I do that all the time. (Invariably I miss the huge garbage can behind my subject!) I will keep at the max. (But I will try the experiment Coasters suggested just to compare)

 

Both you and Coasters are about to head out for a great adventure. Please don't forget to post your impressions when you return!

Marian

[El Cajon Couple]

 

One warning.....my hubby and I both became quite ill on this trip, as did many, many others. We ate nor drank anything that wasn't a part of the Viking tour. We used antiseptic wipes constantly and were so, so careful! Don't know how we could have avoided it. DH actually had to have IV intervention and we both had visits from the ship's doctor who prescribed lots of Chinese herbal stuff. We both recovered but each lost a day's tour in the process. Don't know how to advise you to be careful, as we certainly were.....but......be careful!!!

QUOTE]

 

Just my 2 cents on getting ill over there. It's been my experience with traveling that many times you actually pick up the germs while on the flight due to the close quarters and recirculated air. Given that it's a 12+ hour flight and has a good mix of people on board, this is a fertile ground for germs to spread. I've come back from many a trip with a nasty cold due mainly to the air I breathed on board the plane or a sick seat-mate.

 

I was there for 3 weeks total and did not get sick what-so-ever. In all the place where you are going the food is thoroughly cooked & served hot so you don't have to worry about e coli or things like that from your food. Also remember, only drinked bottled & sealed beverages (make sure you hear the "snap" when taking off the bottle cap).

 

Also the last tip is to be sure to get a prescription of Cipro from your doctor before you leave - this is basically a wonder drug and can pretty much take care of any illnesses you may get from the food, beverages, air-borne, etc.

 

Take enough Cipro for more than one bout of Travelers' Diarrhea. Also, ask your doctor about taking a low dose of Pepto Bismol DAILY as a preventative beginning on Day One of your trip. And, consider taking pro-biotics (containing lactobacillus) starting 2 weeks before depature. ~ All in addition to the good advice above!

[twototravel]

Did anyone hear additional info on a news item yesterday about a Continental flight arriving in New Jersey from China that had ~80 sick passengers? I did hear that they were all on a river cruise but didn't hear a particular company mentioned.

[WIT]

Miss Priss: I don't think you have enough memory. Get a 1G card in addition to your others. Be careful, though, don't go with the cheapest. We have a friend who bought a Kingston at Frye's....lost all her photos! Card failed! Pay a bit more to be safe. I have the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ7. This replaced a previous Kodak digital. I am in love with the Lumix! Has a 12x optical zoom and fabulous low light capability. I was able to capture beautiful closeup shots of the shows we saw w/o flash. The image stabilizer helps a lot, too.

 

As far as cabins, yes, all the cabins are the same. We went with another couple, who were in the cabin right across the hall from us. When one view wasn't so great, we just went across to the other's cabin. Worked great.

 

One warning.....my hubby and I both became quite ill on this trip, as did many, many others. We ate nor drank anything that wasn't a part of the Viking tour. We used antiseptic wipes constantly and were so, so careful! Don't know how we could have avoided it. DH actually had to have IV intervention and we both had visits from the ship's doctor who prescribed lots of Chinese herbal stuff. We both recovered but each lost a day's tour in the process. Don't know how to advise you to be careful, as we certainly were.....but......be careful!!!

 

Yes, shopping is best in Beijing, so if your trip starts there rather than Shanghai....if you see something in Beijing you want, get it there rather than waiting. Prices are higher in Shanghai and you may see something unique along the way that you may not see later....

 

Watch the different travel channels for shows on China. There are oh so many. We watched them before we went and it really enhanced our experiences.

 

I'm envious of you guys with this trip ahead of you. It has so far definitely been one of the highlights of our lives.

 

My Lumix replaced a Canon G3. I got the DMC-TZ1 which is about the size of a pack of cigarettes yet still has 10x optical zoom. I love the features!

WIT

[WIT]

We are looking forward to something interesting for our dinner in Guilin. We have read posts about a night market and other remarks about Guilin's night life. Any suggestions, past Cultural Delighters?

 

WIT

[JJPNYC]

We are looking forward to something interesting for our dinner in Guilin. We have read posts about a night market and other remarks about Guilin's night life. Any suggestions, past Cultural Delighters?

 

WIT

 

Be careful when you say you are looking forward to "something interesting for dinner." I had the "honor" or trying deer tendon (think long jelly-like things) but wasn't daring enough to try the fried bird on a stick (quite literal there - a whole small bird, on a stick, & then deep fried) while along the Yangtze. If going for an adventurous dinner, be sure you have a guide that can be your translator, other wise you may get yourself in above your head at the restaurant.

 

There's a saying about the Chinese in that they'll eat anything with 4 legs besides the kitchen table. After my trip there last year, I totally agree with this saying.

[WIT]

Be careful when you say you are looking forward to "something interesting for dinner." I had the "honor" or trying deer tendon (think long jelly-like things) but wasn't daring enough to try the fried bird on a stick (quite literal there - a whole small bird, on a stick, & then deep fried) while along the Yangtze. If going for an adventurous dinner, be sure you have a guide that can be your translator, other wise you may get yourself in above your head at the restaurant.

 

There's a saying about the Chinese in that they'll eat anything with 4 legs besides the kitchen table. After my trip there last year, I totally agree with this saying.

 

JJPNYC: Thanks for the caution. I've enjoyed reading your posts over the last year or so.

[JJPNYC]

I'm glad you've enjoyed my posts.

 

I found China to be such a great travel experience. The sheer amount of history but also how much at the forefront China is in the world today as well-talk about two worlds colliding and being able to be a witness to it first hand!

 

Also since this was such a big trip, I was looking for as much info as well before I went and am glad to give back now. I really feel that in order to enjoy China that you must prepare for the trip since it is such a different type of trip from your ordinary vacation.

[coasters]

Wit,

you folks getting excited??

Just a week now!!

Jerry

[WIT]

Wit,

you folks getting excited??

Just a week now!!

Jerry

Jerry

We could leave today if it were possible. Packed, charged, purchased, practiced - we have done them all.

 

This thread was loaded with posts a year ago. Those folks did such a good job I feel our preparation has been lot easier.

Bill

[JJPNYC]

Wit-

I'm expecting a full-report when you get back. ;-)

 

With China changing & growing so rapidly, I'm sure some of the sights that were seen last year are but a memory right now (especially along the Yangtze).

 

I've had business associates go to China multiple times a year and they say that each time they go things have always changed so radically.

[coasters]

Bill, we're packing right now. Planning to have my mini laptop with me to keep journal and send photos for friends to see. Hope that the internet connections are stable and fast.

See you soon!

Jerry

[WIT]

Bill, we're packing right now. Planning to have my mini laptop with me to keep journal and send photos for friends to see. Hope that the internet connections are stable and fast.

See you soon!

Jerry

Jerry, I recall reading that the hotels have good access and speed but the boat internet is slow and at times unavailable. I'll transfer photos from SD cards to my laptop daily. To save time I plan to use the Label feature in Picassa to document parts of the trip, then upload to PicassaWebAlbums later. Google just raised the free limit to 1 GB or 4000 photos.

Bill

[travelsfun]

I am going in June and will look forward to your reports! Have a great trip!

Dorothy

[coasters]

I signed up for the Picasa $25. package, as I'm beginning to put old converted 8MM films as video clips out there for friends and relatives to enjoy.

 

Read a neat idea you might want to consider.... scan or (photograph) important travel documents and credit cards, upload images to a secure site (like unlisted Picasa) just in case you need to retrieve numbers and other info. Should these get stolen or lost, you can simply log on and view them from any PC on the web.

I'm bringing a couple of blank DVD disks just in case needed.

See you soon... VERY soon!

Jerry