| Tell Others Your Travel Traps here! | |
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| Sep 3, 2007 03:51 | #51   |
 | "The service and amenities actually seemed to decrease as the trip progressed. In the brochures it said that all beverages (water, beer and soft drinks) were included. But by our second city, they began charging if you had more than one glass of water. We were also promised water on all the buses but as we left Shanghi (sic) they were out of water, and when we arrived in Guilon (sic) they still had not provided water. A total of seven hours without water available. Tough for people who already had upset stomachs and were a little dehydrated." Regent China Tours is the only travel agency in China -- and the only travel agency I know of anywhere -- that provides unlimited free bottled waters on the bus and free drinks during their meals. This means that during the summer, cases and cases of bottled water are consumed by the travelers at no cost to them. Because no other tour agency in China covers the cost of its travelers' beverages, one of the restaurants was not used to Regent's arrangement and mistakenly charged the group members for beverages, assuming the arrangement was the same as every other agency. When the guide discovered this error, every traveler who had paid extra for a beverage received a refund. In Guilin, water was picked up immediately. Seven hours without water???!!! In seven hours, Regent tour members have two meals and visit three or four sites, all of which sell bottled water, soft drinks, popsicles and snacks for next to nothing. In fact, a bottle of water in China averages one to two yuan -- that's 12 to 25 cents. In the airport at Shanghai, Ms. Miller could have purchased a bottle of water for twenty-five cents. On the plane, the flight attendants walk up and down the aisle continuously providing drinks and snacks. The beverage tray will go by three or four times on any given flight. At the airports in Shanghai and Guilin, excellent bathrooms and water fountains are available. The ride to Guilin from the airport is approximately 40 minutes, at which time the group is either at the next sight or taken directly to the hotel. |
| Sep 3, 2007 03:52 | #52 |
| "One day, six out of eight people at my lunch table had brought food from breakfast wrapped in napkins to lunch. The hotels started charging extra for breakfast boxes so people could take food with them. Even though people claimed to be hungry, they did not eat much of the food." You read the comments above from other tour members regarding the same food. Isn't it odd that all ridiculous things appeared to happen only to or around Madelyn Miller on this tour? And now, the napkin caper. It is understandable if some travelers prefer western food to Chinese. They might have chosen to take food from the profuse breakfast buffet at every hotel. A buffet breakfast included with the cost of a room does not mean free carry-away, however. Do you know of any hotel or restaurant anywhere in the U.S., Europe, or any other part of the world, that allows its diners to walk out with doggie bags from the buffet? Even the cheapest all-you-can-eat buffets in America do not allow diners to leave with food in hand. Not so much as a brownie or an apple. Isn't it odd that Miller would see six people choosing not to eat from an outstanding breakfast buffet at the breakfast, but instead wrapping up food in napkins to take out of the restaurant with them and carrying wrapped up cold eggs for lunch instead of eating delicious Chinese food from a selection of 15 to 20 items on a table at lunch? While I am not the most experienced guide or tourist, I have yet to see any member of my tours or any individuals in any tour groups in which I have participated sneak food out of a hotel restaurant because they were going hungry and had no choices available elsewhere. |
| Sep 3, 2007 03:53 | #53 |
| "Later that day, a few of the exhausted older people decided not to venture into a cave that involved lots of steps and slippery footing. They locked five of them in the van and turned off the air conditioning. No bathroom, no air, and no way to get the driver's attention. Imagine if one of them was overcome by heat stroke." An utter falsehood. Both the national and local guides in Guilin, as well as the driver and other tour members, confirmed that the driver never moved more than two feet away from the bus, and the bus air conditioning was running without stop. Regent buses are left on while the drivers stand by the bus to see that items left on the bus are safe and to open the door for any group members who wish to get on the bus. I have walked back to buses in every city countless times to get film, wetnaps, or water from the bus, to check on other group members, or to rest on the bus myself. The bus has never been left unattended or off. "When we finally reached Hong Kong at 2 AM, we discovered our 5 star hotel was across from a sex shop." Of all Miller's ludicrous remarks, this one was the most bizarre. The Regal Kowloon Hotel (http://www.regalkowloon.com/ There is one thing upon which the members of this group universally agreed, however. The "Travel Lady" was a "Trouble Lady." She was a constant source of griping and aggravation for one traveler after another. ... |
| Sep 3, 2007 04:01 | #54 |
| For me, it's the mistake of the Company that they can't satisfy every clients. Since Miller is an experienced traveler and has visited China for several times, it's reasonable to believe that she knows what other agents can serve in China. Compared to those who has never been to China before, she might be too 'critical' from the Company's points of view. |
| Sep 3, 2007 13:54 | #55 |
| Just back from a lovely holiday in China, unfortunatly somewhat spoiled by our experiences of tour company 'China Yak' (www.chinayak.com). Before departing to Tibet we agreed an schedual with China Yak that included time in Lhasa and trips to Lake Namtso. After sorting out the tour over e-mails we wired 70% of the cost of the Tour over to tha China Yak bank account. Within 2 days China Yak took it upon themselves to change the conditions of the Tour to include a 24 hour guide and a coorsponding hike in fees. We decided on cancelling the tour and we're initally promised a full refund. Well over 20 e-mails later, a story developed from China Yak that they hadn't received the funds! Despite an investigation by my bank confirming that they did receive the deposit and even more e-mails, China Yak have stopped e-mailing. My advise is don't suffer like we did from thinking about booking a tour to Tibet with China Yak. We're over £500 pounds poorer and won't ever be doing a 'deposit in advance' tour again. |
| Sep 6, 2007 22:13 | #56 |
| Occasionally I work as a tour guide in Xi'an and therefore hear many bad experiences from tourists. Top 5 of Scam Classics 5: Restaurant people add strange taxes or unordered dishes to your bill (of course all written in Chinese to create confusion) 4: Young girls or boys invite you the see an exhibition of their art school and, once in a shabby hotel room, try to force you to buy paintings 3: Taxi drivers use the radio frequency display instead of the money meter to show how much you need to pay. 2: After having arrived at your destination, drivers will tell you that the amount of money you beforehand agreed upon is only for one person instead of for everyone riding the vehicle. 1: Nice girls invite you for a tea ceremony with her friends. The friends never show up and you are lured to a tea house where they’ll pull every trick to make you order as many expensive teas as possible (like “Chinese habit is that we need order at least 5 different kinds of tea” or “7 is an unlucky number, order 9 pots of tea!”) Some tourist even were forced to pay as much as 1000 yuan |
| Sep 10, 2007 11:02 | #57 |
| Ok, here it goes, Guilin: On 08/18/2007 at around 1.00 pm I saw it on front of me on the middle of the day, this was on the main street (name is Zhongshan Lou) this young lady walking on her way to the bank, I notice this guy about two steps behind her, all the sudden he comes one step closer to her and start knee walking, for a second I thought that they’re together and he was playing or pulling her leg, but then and then I realized that’s not so, he start to pull open her purse zipper. He was robbing her money on the middle of the street, and not one noticed? I start to call my gf, she was at a little kiosk next by purchasing some tea, that got his attention and back off from the lady, then he called his friends and turn around the appositive way, they were three guys one on front, one doing the job and one behind. From then on I dislike very much the bunch of people around the river with nothing to do, but to be there. And so I notice around the bus station, a lot of guys just park there, or walking around, with nothing to do. I don’t like Guilin that much any more. |
| Sep 13, 2007 12:25 | #58 |
| This is all of You that have asked about foreigner marrying a chinese girl. She may want wedding photos, You see. I agreed with my wife to have photos. I did not understand where I had put my head (and my vallet). We saw Winhand people at supermarket. They had a stand there. We went to talk with them. They talked with my wife and showed all fine photos and books and so on. Ok, I thought, looks fine. I asked my wife the prize. 2200 rmb. All this? Ok, not very expensive. Name there and there, ok, tomorrow 08:00 at Winhand´s, wellcome. Morning, tired, try clothes, make up, hairdressning, very professional, very. Sir, Your wife would like that dress instead of this. Oh, ok then. Yes, You look lovely with it, my love. Sir, do You think it is better? Yes, yes. Ok, sir. Then photos, again very professional. After photos: sir, You remember this dress was 600 more. What? Well, photos are taken, so ok then. To make this short without telling the whole story, bill was almost 5500 rmb. All changes that were made cost something. And, finally when choosing photos next day: Sir, You were taken 150 photos. Now You should choose 28 to book. Ok. BUT like I said, all was very professional. How choose 28 photos from 100 exellent and 50 almost exellent photos? No way can do! Oh, sir, You have 64 photos left. We can put them to books, no problem. To small book 200 rmb / photo, to big book 280 rmb / photo. If all 64 to small book, 8000 rmb more? WHO DO You want me to kill? NO! What did I learn? Check, check, check before say yes. There was horrible noise all the time, all talked, talked, talked, all in the same time. It was impossible to think. 10 hours photoshooting, eating only a hamburger. Easy to say yes to everything. Believe me, they know how to move Your money to their pocket. Nevertheless, photos are beautiful, so I guess I got what I paid for. |
| Oct 11, 2007 06:14 | #59 |
| GUEST96355 | Hi we fly into beijing on the 23rd Oct spending a week in and around beijing, then takin the train to Xi'an and visiting the army and surrounding DenHeung. Then train to Shanghai for a week or so then down to Hong Kong. Can any1 suggest stops on this route that would be worth doing to chop up some of the travelling? thanks. We have 4 weeks to do this in. Before we head to Thailand. Thanks Nick |
| Oct 18, 2007 17:37 | #60 |
| GUEST57193 | HI, You're right every country has good and bad people and that's ignorance. You're Chinese by your looks and you'll feel disappointed when you read bad reports about your country,it's due to a small number of people who don't care about others.. After reading some reviews I feel a bit worried going to China now after I've already bought my ticket.My plans to visit Beijing & X-ian. What information could you please give me to be safe. I'm an artist painter & photographer and have expensive camera kit. Thank you very much. Aby |
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