Yangtze river cruise

overall it was a good trip but before we get Yangtze river cruise we had to walk in the dark. the road wasn't good and we walked for a while carrying luggage. majority of people are over 55 and goahead tours should concerned customers safety more.

Great Experience

Our trip to China exceeded our expectations; the itinerary is fabulous and for a first time visitor to China, I left with quite an overview of the eastern part of the country. The tour is challenging at times, but well worth the effort.

Great Experience...What made the difference

The overall trip itinerary was outstanding in providing a perspective of the old and new China. What we experienced was more than what I expected ! The tour director was very informative and provided excellent insights into China. He provided excellent logistics from location to location via group check in and managed along with the local tour guides to be at the right sites at the the right times that allowed everyone to see and experience the sights even when there were a lot of tourist and locals at the sight. The Yangtze boat tour was very enjoyable and again the crew did a great job with food, on board programs to spark ones interest. My only issue is that boarding and de boarding was not safe as the roadway was dark and we had to walk down to the boat a distance with hand carry luggage. A mini bus would have been a plus. The exiting from the boat was equally unsafe as passenger had to go up a steep inclines, stairs to reach the bus. The hotel breakfasts were very good, but the lunch and dinners were inconsistent.... in quality and variety. Some meals were simply poor! Your survey needs to identify the restaurants so comments can be made and adjustments considered. For example, the bazar restaurant in Beijing was poor and the Silk factory restaurant was not hot of good quality( my view). However, the overall trip was worth my investment and I am very pleased with Go Ahead. Your customer relations was outstanding and made us feel very comfortable with our plans. No question was left unanswered and promptly! I was very pleased with our Tour Guide David. He ran a good tour! My observations is that some wanted to go in depth on China issues which may have not ben of interest to other guests and could have been handled off line instead of taking away from our time or other topics of more interest. However, this is a minor and constructive comment. I am pro Go Ahead Tours and would take another trip with you !

If you share my expectations about this tour, you might want to think twice about booking it.

If you booked a tour to Paris, and didn't get to see the Eiffel Tower, would you be happy? If you booked a tour to Egypt, and didn't get to see the Great Pyramid, would you be happy? If you booked a tour to Rome, and didn't get to see the Colloseum, would you be happy? My major expectation for this tour was that I would be able to walk the Great Wall. After all, this is the number one tourist attraction in China and often rated as one of the seven wonders of the world. Now, where would I get the idea that I would be able to fulfill this expectation? Why, from every brochure, catalog, itinerary, and promotion from Go Ahead. In every one of these publications, it is stated or implied through pictures or descriptions that you will be able to walk the wall. What actually happens is you get dropped off at a remote section of the wall at the bottom of a set of steep, narrow, uneven, and broken steps and told that if you choose, you can climb to the top. From this point, you can't even see the top of the wall. If I had a total disregard for my safety or my health, I might have attempted it. (I am told that there are nearly 2,000 of these risky steps to negotiate to do this.) Instead, I got to sit for two hours in front of a bunch of souvenir shops and stare at the steps. Before I booked this tour, I talked to a number of people who had been to China and they told me about the unforgettable experience of walking the wall. In fact, some people even told me that they were able to ride a ski lift to the top. This was the clincher that made up my mind to book this tour (and even harder, to convince my wife that this trip was worth booking).On second recollection, I recalled that none of these people had been on a Go Ahead tour. They had either booked with another provider or they were in China for another reason and hired a local guide to take them to the wall. If I knew then what I know now, I would not have spent the money or endured the long plane rides for this trip. If your interest in China does not include the Great Wall, then feel free to book this tour. Otherwise, find another tour. Although, there are many other things to see in China, my attitude about this trip went completely downhill after my wall experience. The only reason that I gave this trip a 2 instead of a 1 rating was getting to see the terra cotta warriors. However impressive they were, that was a very distant second from my from my first criteria to walk the wall.

Imperial China & the Yangtze Go Ahead Style

Go Ahead provided the trip of a lifetime! This trip surpassed my expectations in every way. The hotels were superb, the food top-notch & the transportation excellent. Every sight/site your heart could desire in China is on this itinerary! We hit all the main attractions & then some: Bejing, Xi'an, Chongquing, and Shanghai as well as the amazing Yangtze River Cruise. From the Pandas to the Terra Cotta Warriors this trip was perfect! It was a terrific blend of art, history & cultural stops. I highly recommend this itinerary to anyone who has ever thought of travelling to China! It will not disappoint!

The splendor of China

This trip was worth it! Enjoyed many of the excursions and would recommend it to others. Going with a package is ideal especially if you don't know the language. Getting by with your English was challenging. Below, is some additional info and items of awareness: Tour Guide: Our guide was Andy Zhu. He was up there with the best we ever had. Was friendly, respectful, attentive and really took care of us and wanted us to have the best trip possible. The other local guides were nice as well and friendly and helpful. Excursions: All were good with the exception of the General Stillwell Museum...that was a waste a few hours which would have been better spent at a longer stay at the zoo. Suzhou, the optional tour, was not worth the price either. It was a 2 hour bus ride there and back. Had we known that prior to booking, we would have not selected the tour. The garden in Suzhou was beautiful...but the garden visit in Shanghai was just as nice so didn't need to see this one on top of it. The Suzhou canal ride was okay...boat is low to the water and very enclosed so really can't see a lot from the window, nor take good pictures. All the other sites offered on the tour were fantastic. Some a bit too crowded but you can't control the crowds on any given day. Regardless... the Great Wall, Imperial City, Terra Cotta Warrior, Yangtze, the Pandas...should not be missed ...crowd or no crowd! Not much shopping opportunities at the actual excursion sites. As I am not a big shopper, did not mind the limited shopping at the sites, but this may be a concern for the avid shopper. There were many excursions offered to jade, pearl, silk, terracotta factories (and a few others not mentioned# – many items can be pricey. If you want a little TerraCotta warrior and don’t care if you got it at the TerraCotta shop…get it at a street vendor or the hotel shop as found in many instances it is ¼ of the price before bartering. Food: All in all was fine. Breakfast was always #1 – offered western and native choices. Lunch and dinners did have a similar Chinese theme so did get tiresome near the end. Food allergy sufferers be warned…even though they tried to ensure things were safe, can’t be 100%. I did get a few mild reactions and this was more prevalent at the buffet style spreads where cross-contamination can be more prevalent. Airlines do not accommodate for food allergies … so bring your own snacks…I knew this in advance so was prepared. Hotels/Ship: All our accommodations were great. As the trip progressed, each place got exceptionally better. The Marriot in Shanghai was outstanding. Nice way to end our trip. At most hotels #not ship#, the Wi-Fi was easily available for use. Was nice to be able to email back home and keep in contact. All rooms had in-room safes…very nice to be able to store valuables #like passport) instead of having to carry it with you at all times. All rooms had fridges..again nice to be able to keep your bottles of waters cold. In July, it is very hot and humid, so nice you can have a refreshing drink when you get back to your room. Flights: Inter China flights were very smooth. Our guide collected our passports in advance so boarding passes can get issued. Our baggage was also sent in advance for check-in. We got to tour and hour before flight we arrived at airport and collected our passport and boarding pass. Went through security and within a few minutes boarded the plane. These inner flights were so efficient and didn’t take away precious time from the trip. As for the international flights, we were enrolled with group coordinator and there was some inflexibility with this. Next time if going with a tour, may not want to go with a coordinated group to see what differences there are. With the group coordinated one, seats were booked in blocks but that didn’t mean that they were in pairs…many had to sit single. Going there and back we had this happen and trying to change seating was not possible since flights were fully booked. With such a long flight, really did expect that you would be seated beside whoever you booked with. Pre-trip awareness: Your package lists tipping suggestions but did neglect to indicate the number of local guides you may have on top of the main tour guide and tipping suggestions for these one day/half day guides. Did not budget for this so had to really evaluate what souvenirs to buy. Once got to the ATM since was nearby to use and was operational. ATM was all in Chinese – so not very user-friendly – had to have our tour guide to translate. Only wanted to use this once! With our coordinated group, looks like referrals within the group were not actually recorded. Normally, there is supposed to be a “perk” if you refer someone to the group trip, but this option is apparently not available for group tours with a listed coordinator. We referred several and got no benefits from it - again probably because it was within a coordinated group. Had we known... Anyways, something to take note of.

China and the Yangtze River Cruise

This was an incredible experience. I have been home for a week and I am just beginning to assimilate all the experiences we had. Highlites include the river cruise, the terracotta warriors and the panda bears. The Great Wall and the Forbidden City were incredible as well. Our tour guide, Andy, was the best tour guide we've ever had, on GoAhead tours or any others. He stayed with us, guided us, answered our unending questions, and "mother henned" us through a fascinating, overwhelming, stimulating country. Thanks Andy, we will never forget you.

Amazing Experience!

My daughter and I have traveled to many countries with many tour companies over the years. We have never had such an amazing experience. Our guide Andy was extremely knowledgeable and his service level went above and beyond. Everything was planned and executed flawlessly. I would highly recommend Go Ahead Tours. I am looking forward to touring again with them in the future.

Imperial China

Incredible tour!

Problems

Andy, the tour director was an excellent organizer, and always available. You should give him more business. Criticisms: 1) No list of the tour members, names was provided in advance. We did not receive that information until our last night. We spent too much time trying to identify tour members. 2) The itinerary was vague. Itineraries should be definite, as to daily destinations, and times, so that tour members (like us) can decide, in advance, whether to go, or not go, to a specific event. 3) For China, a visit to a rural village should be included. We did not observe the living circumstances of such persons. For instance, on the Yangtze cruise, a stop could have been made at one of the "new" apartments to which citizens have been moved. 4) The food on the Yangtze cruise was poor. 5) The food at some of the included lunches was poor. A few were OK. The choice of restaurants should be reviewed by Go Ahead.