We traveled with Viking River Cruises on the Imperial Jewels of China trip (April, 2016) in the direction from Beijing to Shanghai. The trip was absolutely wonderful! The Viking staff took care of everything for us; we felt so pampered.

Airfare: We used the AirPlus program with Viking so we could choose our airline and flights. The price was "ok," but about a month prior to the trip (and after our tickets had already been issued and no refund possible from Viking), the airline dropped the price on the same exact flights about $200 each. (the price went higher after a few days, however, so you have to catch it at the "right time") So, I'm not sure whether I would do that again or not. However, it WAS nice to be able to choose our flights which, for us, were non-stop flights. I heard that some folks who did not make that choice had more convoluted routes to China.

Our tour escort, Bob,was amazing. Our group consisted of 22 folks from various parts of the U.S. and the U.K. The earpieces that are provided by Viking helped us be able to keep track of what the guide was saying. Bob was so very careful to make sure everyone was with him at all times! He was also willing to make additional arrangements for some of us (like we decided to go to the Summer Palace on a free afternoon in Beijing), and he gave the taxi drivers Chinese written directions and negotiated the prices for us. Read more