The Imperial Jewels cruise from Beijing to Shanghai was our second trip with Viking. After cruising with them on the Danube, my expectations were very high. They were exceeded in every way from booking through our return flight home. I made our reservation direct with Viking including airfare. By using the Viking Air Plus Service, we were able to confirm the direct flights we wanted as soon as they were available from the airline. Even 320 days in advance, Viking's response to my request was 'no problem'.

The other advantage of booking airfare through Viking was the included transfers and extra night in Beijing. About 6 months before departure we were notified that our hotels were the Ritz Financial District in Beijing, Westin in Xian, and Portman Ritz in Shanghai. All three were ultra plush with outstanding rooms, food, and concierge services. Checking in and out was seamless. We never had to wait for keys. Luggage always seemed to take a little longer but it was never a big deal.

We arrived in Beijing on a rainy Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by Viking as soon as we exited customs. Those scenes of Beijing with thousands of bicycles are long gone. They have been replaced by horrible traffic jams. Since the official tour program didn't start till Thursday morning we had an extra evening and full day to explore on our own -- something we are very comfortable doing. Tuesday's rain led to a beautiful blue sky on Wednesday. We took the subway to the Temple of Heaven complex which is a huge park area with several different ornate temple structures. The temples are spectacular but the added bonus was all the locals doing Tai Chi, playing cards, singing and dancing. They really take advantage of the beautiful park. There were more locals there than tourists. Read more