We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to China with Viking River Cruises, in October 2014. We were very lucky with the weather & it was hot & sunny for the whole trip. There was bad smog in Beijing a few days before & after we were there, but we had blue skies for the duration of our visit.
We chose to do the Beijing to Shanghai trip, so that we got a bit of a rest on the cruise after the more hectic part of the itinerary & we were happy with this decision.
Beijing - We stayed at the Kerry Hotel (Shangri-La) & thought it was lovely. The high-tec toilet amused us. As it is in the financial district, there was not that much to do in the immediate vicinity, but we had a walk around for an hour & it was pleasant enough - you don't get that much spare time on this trip anyway.
Cabin was very nice, near the front of the ship.