I gave a poor review of a Celebrity cruise earlier this year; we couldn't wait for that cruise to finish. This Viking cruise was exactly the opposite, we didn't want it to end.

Our Viking holiday was the Imperial Jewels of China. We flew from Heathrow to Shanghai with BA, spent two nights at Shanghai, flew to Wuhan to board the Viking Emerald, spent five nights on board, flew to Xian for two nights, then to Beijing for two nights, the back to Heathrow. The itinerary was busy, but for us it was a once in a lifetime trip and so we didn't want to waste any of the time there.

We stayed at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in both Shanghai and Beijing, and the Sheraton North in Xian. All of the hotels were excellent our rooms were all spacious and 5 star. Only one very small critique; the restaurant at the Ritz Carlton in Beijing was a bit small for the size of hotel. The itinerary did not include an evening meal on the day of our arrival but there is an excellent authentic Chinese called Starz right outside of the hotel entrance, on the right as you come out (and they also speak a bit of English). There is also a pizza restaurant also on the right, and a supermarket right in front. Read more