ABD China, Jul 22, 2018 - Aug 2, 2018
$9,399 per adult x 2 = $18,798
Hotels:
All hotels assume 1 Queen/King or 2 doubles, whichever is cheaper, and double occupancy.
The Peninsula Hong Kong, 2 nights = $1,117.25
The Peninsula Beijing, 3 nights = $726.69
The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu, 2 nights = $356.88
The Shangri-La Hotel, Guilin, 2 nights = $349.97
The Peninsula Shanghai, 2 nights = $740.98
Hotel Total = $3,291.77
Transportation:
(All prices for 1 car or 2 public transport/flight tickets)
Transfer from Kong Kong Airport to hotel: $50
3 day Hong Kong public transport pass: $50
Transfer from Kong Kong Airport to hotel: $50
Flight, Hong Kong to Beijing: $450
Beijing airport transfer: $30
Beijing subway tickets: $5 (estimate, subway costs $.32/ride)
Beijing airport transfer: $30
Flight, Beijing to Chendu: $600
Chengdu airport transfer: $10
Chengdu subway estimate: $5
Chengdu airport transfer: $10
Flight, Chengdu to Xi'an: $400
Taxi in Xi'an to Terracotta Warriors and back to airport: $50
Flight, Xi'an to Guilin: $600
Guilin Airport transfer: $20
Guilin taxis: $10
Car, Yangshuo to Guilin: $40
Guilin Airport transfer: $20
Flight, Guilin to Shanghai: $450
Shanghai airport transfer: $25
Shanghai public transport: $20
Shanghai airport transfer: $25
Transportation Total = $2,950
Meals (all prices are for 2):
Day 1
Welcome dinner at hotel: $227
Day 2
Breakfast at hotel: $110
Lunch at the Peak Lookout: $104
Dinner on your own
Day 3
Breakfast at hotel: $110
Lunch on plane: $30
Dinner at Duck De Chine: $120
Day 4
Breakfast at hotel: $75
Lunch at Huajia Yiyuan: $40
Dinner on your own
Day 5
Breakfast at hotel: $75
Lunch at The Schoolhouse in Mutianyu: $60
Dinner on your own
Day 6
Breakfast at hotel: $75
Lunch at The Noble House Restaurant: $60
Dinner at Ba Guo By Yi Restaurant: $25
Day 7
Breakfast at hotel: $83
Lunch at Sichuan Hot Pot restaurant: $40
Dinner on your own
Day 8
Breakfast at hotel: $83
Lunch at Terracotta Museum: $20
Dinner at Xi'an airport: $40
Day 9
Breakfast at hotel included
Lunch on boat: $20
Dinner at hotel: $60
Day 10
Breakfast at hotel included
Lunch in flight: $20
Dinner at Din Tai Fung: $65
Day 11
Breakfast at hotel: $80
Lunch on your own
Dinner at Shanghai Disney: $70
Day 12
Breakfast at hotel: $80
Food Total = $1772
Activities (all prices for 2)
Day 1
On your own
Day 2
Hong Kong Tour: Free ($5 tip)
The Peak Tram: $25
Hong Kong
Disneyland: $158
Day 3
On your own
Day 4
Beijing Temple Tour: $11
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City Tour: $120
Day 5
Great Wall of China Tour: $185
Day 6
Hutong Pedicab Tour: $70
Day 7
Chengdu Panda Visit: $160
Sichuan Opera: $100
Day 8
Xi'an Terracotta Museum Tour: $258
Day 9
Guilin Boat Tour $144
Day 10
Tai Chi: $20
Shanghai Circus World and Acrobat Show: $214
Day 11
Old Shanghai Yu Garden Tour: $80
Shanghai Disneyland: $160
Day 12
Departure
Activities Total = $1,710
Grand Total = $9,723.77
Price Difference: $18,798 - $9,723.77 = $9,074.23
Things included in ABD but not included in booking on your own:
2 Guides familiar with the area acting as your personal concierge
Luggage service at all hotels and the airport
Private transportation that does not involve driving yourself or any public transit
Several private meals at the restaurants mentioned above
Separate activities for children
Another note: all of the airports you visit have public transport options, and most of them are right off the subway. However, I chose to factor in the price of a taxi or private car to account for luggage and the luxury of not having to drag it through the subway system.
So, this may just be ABD's most ambitious trip, including 5 internal flights in 12 days! But all things considered, you really do get a good overview of China's big cities in 12 days. Like the Australia trip I looked at last time, there are a lot of activities packed into these 12 days, making it more difficult to do on your own than something like the Italy or London and Paris trip. And having Disney handle your luggage on all 5 of those flights alone might be worth the price of the trip.
So, is this one worth it? In my eyes, if you only had 2 weeks off and were possibly never coming back to China, then yes, I think this might really be worth the money. Like I mentioned with Australia, I would prefer to take 3 weeks and move at a slower pace, but that's not an option for everyone. Getting to visit 6 cities in 12 days is difficult even if they are close together, but this tour has you flying across a huge country multiple times. There's even one point where you have 2 flights in one day. The amount of planning and logistics that go into those is much higher than most ABD trips, so having all the flights, transfers, and local transportation taken care of, and in private cars/motorcoaches instead of using public transit, is an enormous value. And if you don't speak Chinese, then trying to arrange everything is even more difficult. Another benefit is that ABD really ups the VIP experience here, even relative to other trips. Having pre-arranged private meals in well known restaurants or at landmarks is a nice bonus to the regular ABD treatment. So, all together, I believe this trip has the most value of any of the others relative to the price of doing it on your own. I personally feel like China is much more foreign than Europe, so having the guides to help and all the activities pre-arranged by someone who knows what they're doing would push me towards the trip.
Before this turns into rambling, what do you think? Would you even attempt a trip like this on your own? Any suggestions for the next trip I price out?