At 8:00am we went down to the lobby to meet our group. At 8:30am we left the hotel and headed to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). Viking handled all of our flight details and Arnold handed out our boarding passes. Once we had our boarding passes we had to go through security and then make our way to Gate 63. Going through security was quick and easy. First, they checked your boarding pass and passport, then, you went through the metal detector. You didn’t have to take off shoes or belts but you did have to empty pockets and put any electronic devices in a basket. It was so easy! Then we made our way to the gate. We only had a 20 minute wait before we started boarding flight MU2506 on China Eastern Airlines [We were in seats 51AB]. The flight was to be one hour and fifteen minutes. It was a short flight but they still served us a light meal consisting of fried rice, some vegetables and a cookie. I read during most of the flight and Thomas ended up visiting with the woman sitting next to him. We landed in Wuhan at their new airport [Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH)] – it was enormous, clean and beautiful. We made our way to baggage claim but we didn’t have to handle our bags, Viking did that for us. Once all the bags had been collected we made our way to the bus. We couldn’t board the ship until 4:00pm so we had a little outing before heading to the ship.
When we left the airport it was drizzling a bit but it wasn’t bad.
We were taken to Qingchuan Pavilion Scenic Area. We learned a little history about Wuhan and the park and then we had free time to explore the area. We spent about an hour at the park and then headed back to the bus so we could make our way to the port.The line to board the Viking Emerald was short and it didn’t take long to get through security.
On our way to board the ship we were greeted by drummers and a dancing dragon - a wonderful way to start the cruise. After security we checked in at the front desk (where they took our passports) and got our room keys. We were escorted to our cabin [212] and give a quick orientation. We then unpacked and organized the room and relaxed for a bit before heading out to explore the ship. At 6:15pm we left the cabin and made our way to Deck 6. 
We walked around checking out the areas and we went out on deck to marvel at the light display on the buildings of Wuhan. While we were doing this the ship left port and we began our cruise on the Yangtze River (the longest river in China and the third longest river in the world). We slowly made our way down to each deck, checking our the area on each one before continuing down to the next. When we reached Deck 2 we found a place to sit and relax while we waited for the dining room to open for dinner. When they open the doors we waited for the small line to clear and then we entered and found a table. It is open seating at round tables that seat eight people. We found an empty table and eventually it filled with six other people. We had a Western menu to choose from and Thomas had a beef tenderloin with vegetables and I had roasted pork. The meal was delicious and the company was enjoyable – we all raved about how Viking has everything organized and ready and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy. Around 9:00pm Thomas and I left the dining room and returned to our cabin – it had been a long day and we needed some rest. Tomorrow it is a full day of cruising as we make our way to Jingzhou.
No comments :
Post a Comment