We are sorry about your previous bad experience.

I have spoken to my colleagues and they have confirmed that it will indeed be the same tour manager that accompanies the main group.

I hope this helps.

Kind Regards,

Mildred

I sympathise with your experience!  When I did this tour in 2014 we found changing flights in Beijing quite difficult so don't make the same mistake we did!  When we got off the flight from Shanghai there were two buses waiting for us to take us to the terminal.  Half the group got on the first bus and the other half on the second bus - what we didn't know was that one bus was for domestic connections and the other for international, so the group got divided in two.  I was in the second group and when we got to the terminal there was no sign of the rest.  We couldn't find where to go to get our flight to Gatwick so I asked at a counter and unfortunately the person had minimal English so he wasn't much use! After a bit of wandering around, one of our group spotted a sign for international departures and we followed it.  Eventually we got to our gate but the other half of the group weren't there!  I rang my friend who was with them - and they had been waiting for us after they got off their bus in a different part of the terminal!  They legged it to the gate just in time as the flight had almost finished boarding!  So the moral of the tale is to make arrangements with the rest of the group before the flight to meet afterwards and at least you'll all be together!  Perhaps if you google the airport in Beijing before you go, you might have a better handle on where to go to get your return flight.  I am sure my post hasn't done much to reassure you, but forewarned is forearmed! 

Fingers crossed you have a more straightforward experience than I did if you go on this tour. Perhaps we were unfortunate, as I haven't seen anyone else on the forum mention having a similar experience. 

Bob

No need to apologise. I should have responded more clearly.

The tour manager accompanying the individuals doing the Hong Kong is the same tour manager doing the Inspirational China tour so the Tour Manager will not be flying back to Heathrow.

Kind Regards,

Mildred

I found the Chinese people were generally very eager to help.

I also did the China trip two years ago (The departure a month after Bob's) but our group had the river cruise add-on option rather than Hong Kong. The TM left with the river cruise group and the remainder were dropped off at Shanghai airport by the local guide but once through security we were on our own until Heathrow.

As we had already been through Beijing on the outward journey, we were familiar with how big and complex it is. There were numerous terminal transit trains and, as we arrived on a domestic flight but were leaving on an International one, we had to go through Security again. Having taken Bob's advice, the group stuck together - our war cry being 'Sticky rice, everyone, make like sticky rice!' as we made our way between planes, constantly counting heads to make sure we didn't leave a man behind. (To explain - you'll eat A LOT of sticky rice on this tour..)

The great thing about this, and any other JY tour, is that by this stage of the journey, everyone knew each other really well and we worked as a team and all made it to gate in plenty of time. So much time , in fact, that some of us were able to do a little last minute shopping for Duty Free sweet treats to take back home for our work mates. It turns out, however, that Chinese chocolates and biscuits look a lot more appetising in the photos on the box than they taste when you actually eat them. My co-workers have still not forgiven me for the 'chocolate sesame snacks'..... apparently they tasted suspiciously like they may have contained grated panda droppings.......!

My advice would be to not let the airport transfer put you off what is a super tour. You will be fine and, if the worst came to the worst, you have the JY emergency phone number to call for help.

All the best

Mandy

It has been my experience those in front of the group do not wait for those behind. In fact in a large crowded airport it is difficult for the group to stay together. I don’t want a similar experience in Beijing airport, which has extremely bad reviews on the internet, with few staff speaking English, bad signage etc. As I don’t consider someone at the end of a phone in England being with me every step of the way I think I’ll give the China trip a miss and pick something with direct flights.

We are so sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Please write to us so we can investigate this further.

Kind Regards,

Mildred

I think it would be a real pity to miss out on doing this tour because of concerns over Beijing airport - perhaps JY could arrange for the local agents to provide a map or clear instructions on how to manage their airport?  I am sorry to read of your experiences in Atlanta, not nice at all.  All I can say is that after 16 tours with the company and over 100 flights I haven't had any serious problems at all and, so far, have not had to ring the emergency number.

Hope you make the right decision on which tour to book!

All the best,

Bob

Inspirational China. The brochure states the return flight from Shanghai is via Beijing. Presumably this involves a change of aircraft at Beijing. The brochure also mentions those taking the Hong Kong add-on will be accompanied by a tour manager. Is this the same tour manager that accompanies the main group or some other tour manager? In other words does the tour manager return to Heathrow with those not doing the Hong Kong add-on or stay behind? The reason I ask is that I have a had a few nightmare experiences at foreign airports involving so called connecting flights where the tour manger did not accompany the group and it was very much a case of Just Me, and I am not keen to repeat the experience.

I have just returned from the Shanghai/Yunnan/Tibet/Shanghai trip with Travelsphere, with the Hong Kong (HKG) add-on, so here's my experience.

If you are doing the HKG add-on you won't have the joy of changing planes in Beijing, as there is a direct flight from Shanghai to HKG with Dragonair (part of Cathay Pacific), and the inbound flight to LHR is also direct with Cathay Pacific.

Travelling from Shanghai to HKG is easy: just remember to get to the correct airport  - Pudong (PVG) not Hongqiao (the domestic airport) - and terminal (T2 not T1) . . . A photo of the relevant Chinese for "International" etc is attached (I hope;-)

PVG to HKG is classed as an international flight not a domestic one (although the international flights to the UK and elsewhere depart from the other terminal in PVG!), and you will "leave" "China" at Shanghai. where you pass through China Immigration and receive an exit stamp in your passport: at HKG you will receive a small square of paper containing your entitlement to remain for six months - don't lose this! At no time in HKG will you receive a stamp in your passport, so there is nothing permanent to indicate that you have ever been there.

I was the only one who chose the add-on, which caused great puzzlement at PVG, since I was a solitary traveller on a group booking(!): fortunately our Chinese national guide was on hand to explain when I checked in, and she sorted everything.

The flight was delayed several times, and was finally about two hours late - par for the course, as all my internal flights (with China Eastern) were delayed, and the direct flight to Lhasa was cancelled just before we left the UK, so you may need an extra reserve of patience. At least Dragonair/Cathay Pacific gave me a meal voucher each time a delay was announced! On all the flights, we were able to select our preferred seats, usually by ourselves but a couple of times with the help of our Chinese national guide, so it is worth insisting that s/he remain with the party at the check-in desk.

On the Cathay Pacific flight from HKG to LHR, it may be worth looking round the Economy part of the aircraft prior to or just after departure: on my flight, the Business, Premium Economy and front Economy cabins were all crowded - but the rear cabin was almost empty, and we each had an entire row to ourselves . . .

As regards getting to PVG, travel on the MAGLEV to the airport (up to 431 KM/h, a 7-minute journey) was not included, but  our TM gave us the option to travel this way: it cost us CNY65, well worth it for the experience if you haven't done this before.

As far as the HKG add-on is concerned, we had an included island tour which was very enjoyable, and three optional tours, of which I chose the "City & harbour by night" and the "Lantau island" tours, and can recommend both.

A TM for Hong Kong was only included for parties of eight or more: as I was the only one, I had no TM with me - but the organisation in HKG was so good that I really didn't need one.

I greatly enjoyed Hong Kong (and it was interesting to compare it with Shanghai):  it was well worth the extra time and travel.

Jim