Comments on Ritz Tours to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai?
 

I'm looking into Ritz Tours for a trip to China next year, Beijing, Xiang and Shanghai. Does anyone have any experience with this tour company? Comments? Thanks.

I assume you mean Xi'an? (Note the apostrophe as well as the spelling.) Why do you want a tour? Those cities are very easy to DIY, and there are significant downsides to many tours to China.

Is it this?

https://www.ritztours.com/TourPackag...e=en-US&html=1

If so, way too little time anywhere, and too many fellow tourists. Plus local guides. And they can't even spell Xi'an correctly.

I think thursdaysd has given you some great advice. :tu:

Assuming you do mean Xi'an, then you might find some useful information in my report of a month during which I (a woman) traveled solo through parts of northern China in 2010. Just keep in mind that travel in China is much easier today than in 2010.
https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...mazing-844129/

Honestly, no tour is necessary, and tours to China are often very, very problematic. :(

We just got back from China with stops in Beijing and Xi'an. We had private tours in both places with just us, a driver and tour guides who spoke English. The cost was nominal. I don't think you have to be packed on a bus but these private tours were very good.

Bear in mind few there speak English. I mean even the wait staff at one of our hotels didn't know wait a fork was until I googled imaged a picture of one.

I would be happy to provide info for the tours we had if you pm me. They were thru our TA.

Speaking for myself if you don't speak Chinese good luck.

"Speaking for myself if you don't speak Chinese good luck."

I will never speak Chinese and I managed just fine in much less touristed areas.

I learned just a very few words -- mostly civilities -- and had no trouble, including in places that get few Western tourists. I had no trouble whatsoever in Beijing or Xi'an, and explored those cities entirely on my own.

Yes, it is that tour company. Thanks for your advice.

I have an ethnic first name, nobody spells it right, don't use it in business, unless I have to. So, I feel your pain about the apostrophe!!

Thanks for your understanding about the apostrophe! Xi'an means western (xi) peace (an), and xian would mean something quite different, if it meant anything.

You might find jacketwatch's current TR on China useful. However, a word of caution about private guides. As with all guides in China, they make hefty kickbacks from shops and restaurants. If you do not want shopping ops, and you want to choose your own restaurants (or at least insist on somewhere authentic) then you need to make that very, very, very clear up front, so that your trip can be priced accordingly. Otherwise you are depriving the guide of expected income. Also, they will give you the government line, you are better off with a good guidebook.

WRT jacketwatch's language difficulty, you should take a good phrasebook, i.e. one with characters as well as pinyin, and install a translate ap on your phone that will work behind the Chinese firewall (start a thread here if necessary). It was unreasonable of jacketwatch to expect a Chinese waiter in a restaurant in China to recognize the English for "fork", a utensil not native to the country. Would he expect an Italian waiter in Rome to recognize the Chinese for "chopsticks"?

"Would he expect an Italian waiter in Rome to recognize the Chinese for "chopsticks.?

Very over simplified. You have missed the point.

We have been to over 50 countries in the world and have never had anything close to this issue about language before. In a nice hotel in a touristy area where were where staying I would thing one of three waitresses would know what fork was.

Thats all I have to say.

Not at all. The Chinese don't use forks, why should a waiter know the English name? Come to that, I was in a number of places in China where the waiters knew no English at all, and I managed fine. I know you have traveled a lot in India, and there most people in the tourist business do speak English, that is not necessarily the case in China, which has a different history.

Generally, trip reports from people who were on tours say that language is a big deal and that there is no way tat they could have done this trip without a tour. Those who travel independently usually say that the language barrier was no big deal and that it was much easier than they expected.
Tour operators need to justify their price and make surd to give the impression to traveler that it is more complicated than it really is