China on Viking

Item: Viking Emerald
Rating: 3.6
Author: Thoman

Viking Emerald Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

Thoman

Contributor Level: Second Mate

28 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 10

Helpful Votes: 412

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

12 Night Imperial Jewels Of China (Shanghai To Beijing)

Sail date: June 04, 2015

Ship: Viking Emerald

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 208

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

We just completed the Viking trip to China that started in Shanghai and ended in Beijing. It included the terra cottas in Xian as well as the 3 gorges dam on the Yangtze. It was an excellent trip and really well done by Viking. We had not been on a Viking tour before, but it was definitely a great experience. We plan on going on more in the future. We were able to see all of the important things in China with this tour, which was well organized, great tour guides, and the weather cooperated for us as well. The fellow travelers we had on the trip were also great, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who wants to see all the highlights in China with a great tour group. All of the hotels were 5 star, and excellent. The in country flights that we took were also convenient and top notch. We loved it.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The food was very good, with good selection, but remember you are in China. A lot of Chinese food but we loved it.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We did a tour everyday on shore, and then we would cruise the sites on the Yangtze...excellent

Entertainment

3 out of 5

More local flavor, not a lot as it was a small boat. They had a singer in the evenings in the upstairs bar who were very good.

Children's Programs

N/A

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the staff were very friendly, spoke English, and also entertained for us several of the nights on board.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

This was a local 5 deck China owned ship that Viking leases. It was nice, but not to the caliber of a cruise ship.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Nice and clean, all of the rooms were the same so it did not matter where on the boat you were.

Ship tip

The boat was very comfortable, but do not expect a "cruise ship" experience. This is a standard river boat. China also has some hot and muggy weather, along with smog in their big cities. We found that this time of the year it is not bad, and we also had rain only one day.

Thumbs up