Chinese Visa exemption for US citizen

[JenniferKuhse]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Absolutely.  It would be nuts to stay on Hong Kong Island.

 

I would stay on Kowloon side, and towards the cruise terminal from the center.

 

Thank you, I just updated my reservation from Hong Kong island to the Kowloon side! Appreciate the heads up. 

[mom says]

One other tip that has proven useful on many international trips, but especially in Asian countries where we can't read or speak the language:. Have a paper with the name and address of your hotel printed in Chinese (in this case). You will likely find a "taxi card" somewhere on your hotel's website that you can print at home. It's common to have a driver who doesn't speak English. Getting to the cruise terminal- ask the hotel doorman to tell the driver where you want to go. When going from the Shanghai cruise terminal to the airport, if using a taxi, make sure the dispatcher tells the driver which airport you're going to. You will want Pudong International (terminal 2 if flying Air Canada).

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, SRF said:

It seems the cruise terminal is the old airport, Kai Tak.  And to get from the new airport to there, you have to go through Kowloon.

 

I would try to make sure my hotel was close to the cruise terminal, to avoid any issues getting there in the morning.

HK has 2 cruise terminals. The old airport hosts the mega ships, with the original Ocean Terminal still hosting the smaller ships. Our World Cruise on Viking Sun is using Ocean Terminal.

[JenniferKuhse]

46 minutes ago, mom says said:

One other tip that has proven useful on many international trips, but especially in Asian countries where we can't read or speak the language:. Have a paper with the name and address of your hotel printed in Chinese (in this case). You will likely find a "taxi card" somewhere on your hotel's website that you can print at home. It's common to have a driver who doesn't speak English. Getting to the cruise terminal- ask the hotel doorman to tell the driver where you want to go. When going from the Shanghai cruise terminal to the airport, if using a taxi, make sure the dispatcher tells the driver which airport you're going to. You will want Pudong International (terminal 2 if flying Air Canada).

Great idea!!! Thank you

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, mom says said:

One other tip that has proven useful on many international trips, but especially in Asian countries where we can't read or speak the language:. Have a paper with the name and address of your hotel printed in Chinese (in this case). You will likely find a "taxi card" somewhere on your hotel's website that you can print at home. It's common to have a driver who doesn't speak English. Getting to the cruise terminal- ask the hotel doorman to tell the driver where you want to go. When going from the Shanghai cruise terminal to the airport, if using a taxi, make sure the dispatcher tells the driver which airport you're going to. You will want Pudong International (terminal 2 if flying Air Canada).

 

3 hours ago, JenniferKuhse said:

Great idea!!! Thank you

 

X2 - Great Idea!  We were on a 2+ hour drive out of Beijing with a driver that didn't speak English and we didn't speak the needed Chinese phrase.  Kind of embarrassing doing a pantomime for a "necessary" stop.  

[SRF]

15 hours ago, mom says said:

One other tip that has proven useful on many international trips, but especially in Asian countries where we can't read or speak the language:. Have a paper with the name and address of your hotel printed in Chinese (in this case). You will likely find a "taxi card" somewhere on your hotel's website that you can print at home. It's common to have a driver who doesn't speak English. Getting to the cruise terminal- ask the hotel doorman to tell the driver where you want to go. When going from the Shanghai cruise terminal to the airport, if using a taxi, make sure the dispatcher tells the driver which airport you're going to. You will want Pudong International (terminal 2 if flying Air Canada).

 

Not required in Hong Kong.  100 years of British rule, most everyone can read English names and addresses.  They may not speak much English, but I have never had an issue getting around and getting help.

[SRF]

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Take the Airport Express train, to either Kowloon or Hong Kong station.   Fast and easy.

 

The MTR website details the various shuttle bus services that go from either station to various hotels.  That way, you have one ticket from HKG to hotel.

 

Two ways to get to hotels from the airport.

 

Take the Airport Express train to the proper station, then the free shuttle bus to the hotel.  This way is faster, but you have to get your luggage on the train, and off the train, and to and onto the shuttle bus.

 

Other way, is to take the Hotel Shuttle bus from the airport.  It is coach type bus, they load your luggage in the bins below, and unload them at your hotel.  It does take longer, but you will get to see one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.

 

Also, the buses from the train to hotel at the Hong Kong station, seem to have less luggage room, and are several steps up into the bus.  I now take the Airport Express train, then a taxi to my hotel.  Less hassle.  Kowloon side buses, last time I did it, were coach type buses, even for the short trip to the hotels.

 

For the Airport Express, you can either buy a single ticket, or get an Octopus card and load money on it.  You can use the Octopus card for the MTR (subway) and even to pay in 7-11 and other shops.  I also used it for my entrance to the race track for the Wednesday night horse races on Hong Kong Island.

[SRF]

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Take the Airport Express train, to either Kowloon or Hong Kong station.   Fast and easy.

 

The MTR website details the various shuttle bus services that go from either station to various hotels.  That way, you have one ticket from HKG to hotel.

 

Two ways to get to hotels from the airport.

 

Take the Airport Express train to the proper station, then the free shuttle bus to the hotel.  This way is faster, but you have to get your luggage on the train, and off the train, and to and onto the shuttle bus.

 

Other way, is to take the Hotel Shuttle bus from the airport.  It is coach type bus, they load your luggage in the bins below, and unload them at your hotel.  It does take longer, but you will get to see one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.

 

Also, the buses from the train to hotel at the Hong Kong station, seem to have less luggage room, and are several steps up into the bus.  I now take the Airport Express train, then a taxi to my hotel.  Less hassle.  Kowloon side buses, last time I did it, were coach type buses, even for the short trip to the hotels.

 

For the Airport Express, you can either buy a single ticket, or get an Octopus card and load money on it.  You can use the Octopus card for the MTR (subway) and even to pay in 7-11 and other shops.  I also used it for my entrance to the race track for the Wednesday night horse races on Hong Kong Island.

[SRF]

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Take the Airport Express train, to either Kowloon or Hong Kong station.   Fast and easy.

 

The MTR website details the various shuttle bus services that go from either station to various hotels.  That way, you have one ticket from HKG to hotel.

 

Two ways to get to hotels from the airport.

 

Take the Airport Express train to the proper station, then the free shuttle bus to the hotel.  This way is faster, but you have to get your luggage on the train, and off the train, and to and onto the shuttle bus.

 

Other way, is to take the Hotel Shuttle bus from the airport.  It is coach type bus, they load your luggage in the bins below, and unload them at your hotel.  It does take longer, but you will get to see one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.

 

Also, the buses from the train to hotel at the Hong Kong station, seem to have less luggage room, and are several steps up into the bus.  I now take the Airport Express train, then a taxi to my hotel.  Less hassle.  Kowloon side buses, last time I did it, were coach type buses, even for the short trip to the hotels.

 

For the Airport Express, you can either buy a single ticket, or get an Octopus card and load money on it.  You can use the Octopus card for the MTR (subway) and even to pay in 7-11 and other shops.  I also used it for my entrance to the race track for the Wednesday night horse races on Hong Kong Island.

[JenniferKuhse]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Two ways to get to hotels from the airport.

 

Take the Airport Express train to the proper station, then the free shuttle bus to the hotel.  This way is faster, but you have to get your luggage on the train, and off the train, and to and onto the shuttle bus.

 

Other way, is to take the Hotel Shuttle bus from the airport.  It is coach type bus, they load your luggage in the bins below, and unload them at your hotel.  It does take longer, but you will get to see one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.

 

Also, the buses from the train to hotel at the Hong Kong station, seem to have less luggage room, and are several steps up into the bus.  I now take the Airport Express train, then a taxi to my hotel.  Less hassle.  Kowloon side buses, last time I did it, were coach type buses, even for the short trip to the hotels.

 

For the Airport Express, you can either buy a single ticket, or get an Octopus card and load money on it.  You can use the Octopus card for the MTR (subway) and even to pay in 7-11 and other shops.  I also used it for my entrance to the race track for the Wednesday night horse races on Hong Kong Island.

It will just be me, and I will have 3 suitcases to lug around as I am bringing things from the states for Crew friends onboard. As convenient as the airport express sounds... is this easier than getting an Uber to go directly from airport to my hotel in Kowloon? I'm not as concerned about price as I am ease/convenience.

[JenniferKuhse]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Two ways to get to hotels from the airport.

 

Take the Airport Express train to the proper station, then the free shuttle bus to the hotel.  This way is faster, but you have to get your luggage on the train, and off the train, and to and onto the shuttle bus.

 

Other way, is to take the Hotel Shuttle bus from the airport.  It is coach type bus, they load your luggage in the bins below, and unload them at your hotel.  It does take longer, but you will get to see one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.

 

Also, the buses from the train to hotel at the Hong Kong station, seem to have less luggage room, and are several steps up into the bus.  I now take the Airport Express train, then a taxi to my hotel.  Less hassle.  Kowloon side buses, last time I did it, were coach type buses, even for the short trip to the hotels.

 

For the Airport Express, you can either buy a single ticket, or get an Octopus card and load money on it.  You can use the Octopus card for the MTR (subway) and even to pay in 7-11 and other shops.  I also used it for my entrance to the race track for the Wednesday night horse races on Hong Kong Island.

Or I'm thinking airport express to the Kowloon station and then Uber like you had mentioned as long as it's not too big of a hassle with the amount of luggage I have and it just being me.

[JenniferKuhse]

It appears as if Uber will run me approx $42 USD 

[SRF]

11 minutes ago, JenniferKuhse said:

Or I'm thinking airport express to the Kowloon station and then Uber like you had mentioned as long as it's not too big of a hassle with the amount of luggage I have and it just being me.

 

With lots of luggage, I would do an airport bus.  That way, they load the luggage on the bus, and unload it at your hotel.

 

There are carts at the airport and at the train stations, but you are still schlepping your bags on and off the train.

 

 

[JenniferKuhse]

Does anyone have any support for how one should travel from the Shanghai Cruise Terminal to PVG airport? I will not have multiple bags at this point. Would one advise the train?

[ldubs]

Aw, I'm hesitant to share because this is dated and I don't want to be alarmist.  Feedback I received from someone who traveled to Hong Kong back in September was that use of the train stations was kind of problematic.  While he didn't encounter violence, there were crowds of protesters.  He did not feel comfortable using  the public transit stations.   If it is still happening I would probably bite the bullet and take a taxi.   Or, prepay the cruise line airport transfer bus.  

Edited December 13, 2019 by ldubs

[FlyerTalker]

Three suitcases.  Have you considered what the size is for the cars that Uber drivers use in HKG?

 

Not many big SUVs on the streets.

[JenniferKuhse]

10 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

Three suitcases.  Have you considered what the size is for the cars that Uber drivers use in HKG?

 

Not many big SUVs on the streets.

I’m not so concerned abt the size. I will have 1 carry on and two standard checked bags. More so would be me navigating multiple public forms of transportation with my hands completely full. 

[SRF]

I have not used Uber in HKG, but have taken taxis.

 

I normally travel with one large and one medium checked suitcases, and a roller and shoulder carry on.  They fit in every taxi.

[Philob]

On 12/13/2019 at 12:34 PM, JenniferKuhse said:

I’m not so concerned abt the size. I will have 1 carry on and two standard checked bags. More so would be me navigating multiple public forms of transportation with my hands completely full. 

HK taxis are generally Toyota Crowns, about a size of a US Toyota Camry, give or take   If it's just you, you can ride shotgun next to the driver and the luggage goes in the back seat