Viking Emerald Review

4.0 / 5.0
295 reviews

Viking River Cruise 2018 - Beijing, Xian, Yangtze River, Shanghai

Review for Asia River Cruise on Viking Emerald
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ccjabs
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: May 2018

We chose this cruise because we had cruised with Viking before and had a lovely experience. Also, we wanted to visit China and see the highlights. Unfortunately this trip did not live up to our expectations. The food on the land portion of the trip was very poor. Many of the lunches and dinners were buffets or tables of 10 with a lazy susan in the middle. Food was often cold and not very good. the buffet breakfasts in the hotels were fairly good, as was the food on the ship. Another issue was the pollution that existed everywhere we went in China. A mask was definitely in order. Our visit to the Terracotta Army was the best excursion on the tour. We visited the Great Wall, but unfortunately the weather gave us drizzle and fog, so the visibility was horrible - probably about feet. The hotels we stayed at in Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai were excellent. They were the highlight of the trip. In Shanghai we attended an acrobatic show that was marvelous. There were some other excursions that were not so good - a visit to a Jade factory was just a stop so that we were captive in their shops, and the buffet lunch there was horrible. A rickshaw ride in Beijing was the other activity that was fun, although the portion where we went inside a woman's home was not needed. To get on the boat we had to walk a fair distance on a dock in the water as the boat did not dock at the shore. There were 3 flights within China during this trip. You really didn't get a feel of the land in China. Possibly going by rail between the cities would be a better choice. Our guide was a lovely gentleman who did the most to make a good tour for us all. Also the crew on the ship was very good. Overall this trip was not worth the amount of money we paid. i think Viking is doing itself a disservice by offering this trip.

Cabin Review

Cabin Category D Stateroom

The ship Viking used was not up to par with their European boats. It was an older boat that they attempted to upgrade. The rooms/bathrooms were small and outdated. There was a constant musty smell throughout the boat. Everything in our rooms felt damp. There were dehumidifiers in the hallways, but they could not keep up. A one point I walked into the bar area in my bare feet and the rug was wet. There was not one deck on the boat where you could walk completely around the level on the outside. Quite a few folks on the boat got sick with respiratory issues. Others also came down with a stomach virus. All in all the boat accommodations were very disappointing.

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