Thank you so much! If there are any general tips you have I would love to hear them! (What to pack for this time of year, park tips, basic things we should be aware of, etc.)
General Tips:
China, Japan, HK are very safe countries. But we wary of tourist scams (in one day all three of the popular Beijing ones happened to me: in a taxi they drive you to a location and ask for money; an artist asks you to come see their work, and you get pressured into spending a lot on cheap art; a student will say they want to chat with you over coffee to practice their english, and then leave you with a large check). I didn't get scammed, but they tried.
Eating Local: I'm going to focus on China as that's where I am. Here in Beijing, local food is REALLY cheap. You can eat like a king for around $15 USD. While the food and flavors will be very different than American (and nothing like Chinese food in America) many local places use picture menus and might even have translations (but don't read them too closely... such as mushrooms are always translated as fungus). You really should look for cheap noodles! I love noodles from a street vendor. "Beijing Belly..." bring some chewable pepto as sometimes the food doesn't agree with western tummies. Don't expect local places to be able to handle Allergies and food restrictions or menu alterations.
There are many Western restaurants but they are hard to find outside of the tourist areas. Don't rely on yelp or trip advisor here, as they aren't used a lot.
Waiters: Unlike American waiters, Chinese waiters will need to be called to your table. Simply raise your hand and say "foo-you-wan" (waiter) and they will come over. They will not serve water unless you ask, and then it is always hot. Also, do not tip.
Money/Shopping: Things are really cheap here in China. But being a foreigner, you will need to make sure to watch prices. Bargaining is very much part of the culture here. If you are in a market, expect to do some haggling. In shops with displayed prices, ask kindly if there is a discount, but do not expect any. Haggling is really fun. Store clerks will follow you around the shop, looking to make sure to meet your needs as you need them.
Sizing in Asia is VERY different. In America (Old Navy/Gap), I'm XL. In China, I'm 4XL
Some phrases to know when shopping: "Doe-shoa-chen" how much is it. "Kah-ni-kahn" Just looking. "Tai-gway-lah" It's too expensive.
Money is is Yuan (you-ahn), but is also called rem-in-bee (RMB) or sometimes "kwai"
Taxis: The city is huge and taxi drivers don't know every place and don't speak much English (if any). Flag them down on any road, have your address written in Chinese, make sure they turn on the meter. (I just point and say "meter"). If the taxis are just hanging around outside of tourist spots, they are probably going to insist on a flat rate, usually much higher than meter fare. Taxis are really cheap, I've taken a 20 mile taxi ride in heavy traffic for around $20-$30 dollars.
Most people don't flag drivers in China. We have a special app:
Didi which has just launched its English App. Check it out.
Uber America doesn't work in China (but should in Hong Kong and Japan). You'll need to download Uber China (I haven't used it).
Pollution: The pollution shouldn't be that bad when you arrive, but keep track of it while you are here. I use
Air Matters. I wear a mask when the number is above 180. Locals will rarely be seen wearing masks. You can pick up masks at any grocery store.
VPN: If you want to access sites like Google. Facebook, Titter, and Youtube (or any of their affiliates, - google maps) you will need to have a VPN. I use a paid one and a free one.
VPN Proxy Master is the free one I use. Download it before landing.
Cell Phones: If you have an unlocked phone, you can pick up a SIM card in a vending machine at the airport. (I believe that is the case in China. but totally true in Japan, and easy in HK).
Subway: It's really cheap and very vast (and fast). Expect a lot of people pushing you, but if you avoid morning and afternoon rush its not as bad as the American media makes it. Expect to walk for 5-10 minutes between transferring from one train to the next.
Thom, thank you so much for volunteering to educate us in the ways of the orient. (...ooops, is referring to it as the Orient no longer PC?)
- I understand that China is a very large country and weather conditions will probably vary widely among the three cities we are visiting. Which do you think will be the coolest (Beijing?) while we are there and which will be the warmest?
- Question about getting around those cities when we are on our own time, how is the taxi service and will we be able to find a driver that speaks english? I'm guessing that Hong Kong will be easy because of the years it spent as a British Colony. What about the others?
- Obviously you're able to post here on the DIS Boards so the Great Firewall must be allowing it through. Or do you have a way around it?
Thanks again.
More PC term is East Asia.
1. I haven't traveled to Shanghai in October. Early October is mid-autumn here in Beijing, so expect it to be getting much cooler. I can't recall when it starts getting really cold, but it will be cool. Hong Kong is hot. I've been there in October and wore shorts and needed a hat!
2. Above I talk about taxi's in China. Really try to Didi if you can. In HK, my experience has been that the drivers don't speak a lot of English, but know the tourist spots. (Side note, they speak Cantonese in HK and Mandarin in China, but both are written the same.) I love the Tokyo and HK metros: clean, fast, reliable. I don't remember much about the Shanghai one, but I'm sure my comment above for the Beijing metro holds true. All subways have signs written in English or at least using English letters.
3. Look up my VPN above. Although I think DIS boards might work without it. Google and Facebook are the most challenging to live without for me.
What do you think the best way to get from Shanghai
Disneyland to and from the Bund is? Taxi or subway? We made dinner reservations one night on the Bund, but will be staying at SDL Hotel. Thanks!
Check out the taxi app above. I'm not too familiar with Shanghai, but I'll say this about cities in China: they are HUGE and crowded, so expect that it will take a longer time to get someplace. However, I find google map subway transit times to err on the side of adding more time. I would ask the hotel what they recommend.
Hi future84 and thanks for the offer of help.
Similar to earlier postings, what would be the best method of getting to the Capital M restaurant from the Rosewood hotel in Beijing?
In the Disney parks in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai do they ship to the UK/US like they do in WDW?
Thanks again
Ian&Diane
Ok..."best" and "fastest" and "most comfortable" are all very different. I looked at your hotel and restaurant. Depends on the time of day, if it's rush hours, then expect a lot of traffic down there OR a crazy jam packed subway (you might have to wait in line for 30 minutes just to get onto the train platform as you are in the city center). As Kathy says, "pack your patience."
I don't know about shipping from the parks. I've found that the merch in the Asian parks don't really call out to me.
My best travel tip: pack light. I pack a carry on bag INSIDE my checked bag. And make everything fit inside the checked bag.