wcm

My husband and I are taking my elderly parents on a trip to China so the independent travel thing is out. (We've done that on our own..we need more support with my parents along). I would like to hear some experiences you've had with taking a packaged tour to China. Tell my your rants as well as your raves. If you are shy about posting the exact name of the tour operator please email me. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>

geri

Did a three week tour of China in June with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) and they have a website. Limited to 16 travelers, an all inclusive tour--Beijing, Tianamen Square, Great Wall, Terra Cotta Army, Yangtze cruise, Tibet, Pandas, Hong Kong. China is huge and roads still not the best--we had four internal flights, an overnight train from Beijing to Xian, five day cruise on the river and one 4-5 hour bus ride. Saw all the sights and they are impressive! Food was good--American buffet breakfasts and typical Chinese for lunch and dinner, always many, many courses to choose from, maybe 10-15 per meal. But I did get sort of tired of steamed rice twice a day for three weeks. Hotels all clean and modern, but some did smell of cigarette smoke. Bathroom facilities all western style. Overall, I would recommend this tour, but I didn't feel we had the opportunity to experience the small local hotels and eating places that we did with OAT in Thailand and Vietnam. Chinese hotels and restaurants were definitely aimed at tourists. Have some friends who are barely back after a Prism tour, but haven't talked to them yet so don't know how that one rates. Any other questions, I'd be happy to respond.

ed

Have done two tours with Pacific Delight. Going on third this week. Friends have used them. They have one week tours that cover everything. We are going to Shanghai. Loved Peking.

Nancy

I took a 12 day trip to China in September 1998 with China Focus and it was terrific. We were actually in China for 9 days - Shanghai, Guilin, Xian and Bejing. Two nights each place with 3 in Bejing. Our guide throughout, Eric, was great and the individual city guides were very knowledgeable and spoke good English. There were only 11 of us on this trip which made it much more personal. I highly recommend China Focus, based in San Francisco. I recommended it to a friend and she & her husband took the longer, Yangzee trip and had the same great result. The price is so reasonable that I don't see how they do it. Our hotels were all at least 4-5 star. E-mail me if you have any questions.

doc

My wife and I made a three-week trip to China a couple of years ago with Grand Circle Travel. If you're interested in details and would like a copy of my journal please contact me via e-mail. By the way, the trip was fabulous and we can't say enough good about GCT.

Martha

I just got back from a one-week tour to Beijing with Pacific Delights Tour Company. It was excellent, including the local tour guide, hotels, day tours, etc. I would recommend this tour company. <BR>Martha <BR>

andrew

Suggest that you take a look at Pacific Delight Tours ... they are the number 1 tour operator from the US to China and the Orient. They have a great reputation for value (due to their purchasing power) and quality. Pacific Delight was the first to offer tours form the US to China when diplomatic relations were established in the 1970s. They are the best ... I recommend them without hesitation. <BR> <BR>There web site is www.PacificDelightTours.com, and telephone number is 800-221-7179 to order brochures. Their brochures are beautiful (e.g. China Experience brochure and Regal Yangtze River Cruise brochure) and have many variations (from deluxe to budget) on the Yangtze river. They use Victoria Cruises and Regal Cruises for the Yangtze River and due to their volume, have better rooms and service. <BR> <BR>

Margaret White

Travel Message Boards Asia and the South Pacific China <BR> <BR> <BR>17-day Trip to China and the Yangtze <BR>Margaret H. White - 09:44pm Jan 22, 2001 EST <BR> <BR>My husband and I are escorting a tour to China October 21 to November 6 through Rim-Pac Int'l and will visit Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yangtze River Cruise, Shanghai, Suzhou and Zhouzhang. The price is very reasonable. This will be our sixth trip to China and we'd be glad to send you more information if you are interested. Our phone number is 509-375-1616 and e-mail is [email protected]. Margaret and Stuart White <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>