Viking has new ships in China that are very nice. They are all balcony
cabins and they were definitely not marginal in food and accommodations. In
fact, on accommodations alone they match most "cruise" ships. The hotels on
land were 5-star. I did the Viking cruise/tour in April and was very
satisfied. Great guides, hotel and ship. Not all the Viking packages
have 7-nights on the ships. Some only do 3 or 4 days which I think would be
enough.

I've done two Viking cruises in Europe and the China ships were quite a step
up as far as the accomodations go.

Bobbye

"Karen Selwyn" wrote in message
news:SzGPe.2266$Fj.1287@lakeread06...
Art wrote:

Has anyone been on Viking River cruises to China? Any comments
helpful.

I looked at the Viking River cruises to China, and, frankly, they all seem
like an extremely long time to be on a ship that is marginal for food and
accommodations. In 2002, before the first stage of flooding from the Three
Gorges dam, we did a 5-day cruise on the Yangtze River on the then-newest
ship in Victoria cruise line.

Our cruise was part of a two plus-week trip to China that included flights
from Beijing to Xian, Xian to Wuha, and Chongqing to Shaghai. We got from
Wuhan to Chongqing via the river cruise. The hassle of repacking and
relocatingwas minimized because the tour operator offered wonderful
support with the luggage and we stayed in 5-star hotels. Since the
remainder of the trip was in top-tier accommodations, I have to believe we
stayed in the best available on the river.

The stop at the dam was amazing and the scenery within the gorges was
spectacular; however, the over-all experience -- including ship-board
creature comforts -- didn't warrant the 5-day duration.

In 2004, we spent a week on a Viking River boat in Russia, cruising from
Moscow to St. Petersburg. We did not book with Viking River cruises, but
our tour operator booked space on a Viking River cruise ship. This ship
was essentially the same level of accommodation and food quality as the
Victoria Cruise line experience in China.

Bottom line: It would not be my choice to see China via a river cruise
ship. I encourage you to look at Pacific Delights, a tour operator that
has trips at all levels of luxury.

Karen Selwyn