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|  China Spree are recommended by Pauline Frommer on NBC "Today Show" | Pauline Frommer, the established travel writer and the daughter of American Travel writing legend Arthur Frommer, recommended China Spree and our 10-Day China’s Golden Triangle tour (Beijing, Xian, Shanghai for only $999 plus taxes) on NBC Today Show. Please visit our 2009 Winter “Specials” for detailed information about this tour.
|  | | Our 2009 China package tours are publishing | Our 2009 China tours are publishing on our website. As of 9 am, Wednesday, 4 tours are complete and they are: 12-Day The Middle Kingdom, 14-Day China’s Best Treasures, 14-Day The Mighty Yangtze, and 21-Day China Panorama. All other tours and departure dates will be complete by the end of today. Thanks for your patience.
| | | Tibet Travel Reopening | Effective on June 27th, 2008, Tibet is reopen to foreign tourists.
| | | Visit to Chengdu and 15-Day Best of China & Hong Kong tour | For your safety, we decide to skip Chengdu for all our 15-Day Best of China & Hong Kong tours in May, and adopt Plan B. For departures in June and July, we will notify you with the update.
In our Plan B, we add one extra day in Hong Kong and one more day in Xian or possibly in Canton (Guangzhou).
China Spree will take care of the extra cost for the rerouting and Plan B.
Your safety is our prime concern.
The following is an email from our client on May 15th Best of China & Hong Kong
"Having never traveled to the East, let alone a country as culturally and geographically different as China, I was a bit nervous about traveling without the comfort of a guide or through a company that knew what it was doing.
With China Spree at the helm, I did not have to worry.
China Spree is a cut above the rest. Our tour guide was top-rate, never going to bed until each person was completely satisfied with everything they’d experienced that day. The accommodations were a surprising delight, markedly better than even upscale places I’ve been in the States or Europe. Meals were bountiful, and the themes and locations were well chosen. I’m still trying to figure out how our trip cost included everything that it did.
I traveled to China 4 days after the unsettling and unfortunate earthquake that rocked Sichuan province. Our tour was originally scheduled to make a stop in Chengdu, but we skirted that region due to safety concerns. The flights changes, hotel arrangements, intra-city traveling and meals all were rescheduled without so much as a blip on my tourist radar. The changes appeared effortless, though I’m certain they were not. I was incredibly impressed with the response from China Spree, as well as their ability to keep my trip on schedule and moving as though our itinerary hadn’t undergone serious alterations.
Job well done.
~Matt
Alexandria, VA
080515BH - Best of China & Hong Kong - 5/15/08 - 5/29/08"
| | | Fuel Surcharge Increase | Following all major U.S. airlines, Air China will implement fuel surcharge, effective June 1st, 2008, to cope with soaring jet fuel prices.
Meanwhile, China Aviation Administration will institute fuel surcharges for each China domestic segment depending on distance flown.
Like all taxes associated with your airline tickets, fuel surcharges and airport fees are subject to change. While we had hoped we would not be adversely affected, we regret having to pass along these additional charges to our passengers and therefore collect them on behalf of the carriers.
If you have any comment on the fuel surcharge, please don’t hesitate to contact Air China at 800-882-8122, 9 am to 5 pm, PST.
We will email you, shortly, to specify the changes of your air taxes and fuel surcharges. The air taxes and fees listed on the website reflect the updated fuel surcharge. For tours departing in June and July, we will try our best to ticket before June 1 in order to avoid the fuel increase, providing that your payment are made in full before May 23rd.
Please note China Spree is trying all our best to avoid the fuel increase for as many tours as we can handle by ticketing before June 1st. However, due to our high tour volumes, we can only ticket the groups with departure in June and possibly July and only for those whose payment is made in full by May 23rd. Please note once we issue the ticket on May 23rd, our cancellation policy is changed accordingly and your payment becomes non-refundable. Please call us immediately if you disagree with this cancellation policy change.
We share your feeling towards the fuel surcharge and appreciate, greatly, your understanding in this matter.
| | Earthquake and Safety of China Spree travelers
Updated at 6:00 pm, PST Monday, May 12th, 2008 | A massive earthquake of a magnitude of 7.9 occurred in Wenchuan County, China’s southwest Sichuan Province, about 1,500 miles from Beijing, on May 12th local time. Per reports, thousands of people were killed in that area. We are deeply saddened by this catastrophe and our hearts go out to all those involved.
Wenchuan County is about 100 miles northeast of Chengdu (which is included in China Spree’s 15-Day Best of China & Hong Kong itinerary, but no tours were in that area when the quake occurred) and about 180 miles north of Chongqing, where most of our cruise tours disembark from 4-Day Yangtze River Cruise; no China Spree tours were in that area as the quake happened.
Per China news report, The quake was "felt in most parts of China", but casualties, reported so far focus in the north east of Sichuan Province.
We share your concerns about the earthquake and the safety of your relatives who are now traveling in China. We have contacted all of our China local agencies this morning and get confirmation that all China Spree travelers are safe.
We keep monitoring the progress of this issue, and have contacted ALL China Spree groups currently in China, to make sure that they should contact their relatives in U.S. immediately. You should receive a phone call or email sometime today. For clients who are traveling on the Yangtze Cruise may have difficulty in contacting you today. We know they are fine and they may contact you a bit later.
All tours except "Best of China & Hong Kong" (which includes the visit to Chengdu) are going on schedule unless otherwise notified.
Those people looking to connect with family members or friends traveling in China but have difficulty to contact them may call On Call International, our assistance company, at its China Earthquake Emergency Hotline at 800-576-5172. Or call On Call International collect at 603-328-1924. Callers should have the insurance plan number, 431C, and if possible, the travelers’ itinerary and hotel / cruise phone ready at the time of the call.
| | | Important Update about China visa application on your own | Please note due to the recent complication of handling the China Visa on your own (i.e. you must wait in line for hours to submit the application and must return to pick it up; you also need to call them in advance to verify the payment method, etc.), we strongly recommend that you use the visa service provided by China Spree.
Effective April 15th, China Consulate requires you to submit additional supporting documents of your China tour itinerary and airline ticket booking proof in order to process your China visa application.
You may download the “Printable Version” of your China tour itinerary at “day-by-day itinerary” page at chinaspree.com. For your airline tickets, please simply contact us by email ONLY and specify your name and tour code, we then email your ticket booking record to you.
| | | Our NEW Travel Protection Plan available for ONLY $139 per person regardless of your age and tour cost | Effective March 1st, 2008 China Spree’s comprehensive Travel Protection Plan is available. Please visit our Travel Insurance page for complete details.
| | | Celebrate Chinese New Year - Feb. 7th, 2008 | Feb. 7, 2008 is the Chinese New Year - the Year of Rat.
China Spree is honored to serve our respected clients. At the New Year’s day, please allow us to thank you for your support and business! Please accept our cordial thanks for the New Year greeting emails and cards your sent to us today!
"Kung Hei Fat Choi"
| | | China visa fee adjustment for U.S. citizens | Per instruction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China, effective January 20th, 2008, China visa fee for US passport holder will be adjusted on reciprocal basis. Fees to all other passport holders remain unchanged.
The China visa fee to American citizen is increased from $100 to $130. As a result, China Spree charges $150, a $30 increase, for those who would like to use our service for their China visa application.
Please kindly add $30 per person to your balance payment if you would like to use our services.
Due to the time frame, we cannot manage to handle your visa application before Jan. 20th so please don’t send your passport and visa application to us now.
We share your strong feeling to the "increase" and meanwhile understand the principle of “reciprocity”.
| | | The 7-day May 1st Chinese Labor Day Holiday is reduced to one-day | Good news for international travelers! Chinese government announced that starting from May 2008, the one-week-long Chinese Labor Day holiday from May1-7 is shortened to just one day; it means the much less crowded Chinese travel sites and more relaxing vacation experiences await you in early May 2008.
| | | Air China is scheduled to join Star Alliance on December 12, 2007. | Air China is scheduled to join Star Alliance on December 12, 2007.
Star Alliance is the oldest, largest and most awarded airline alliance in the world, with the following partner airlines:
1997 — The alliance is founded by Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines System, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines. Varig joins the alliance.
1999 — Ansett Australia, All Nippon Airways, and Air New Zealand become members.
2000 — Singapore Airlines, BMI, Mexicana, and the Austrian Airlines group, comprising Austrian Airlines, Tyrolean Airways, and Lauda Air join the alliance.
2003 — Asiana Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Spanair join.
2004 — US Airways joins the alliance. Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines, Blue1 inaugurate the alliance’s regional network.
2005 — TAP Portugal joins the alliance. After merging with US Airways under the US Airways name, America West Airlines joins working through US Airways original membership.
2006 — Swiss International Air Lines and South African Airways join the alliance.
2007 — Air China to join alliance on December 12.
2008 — Turkish Airlines to join the alliance on April 1 and become the 20th Member. Air India is expected to board the alliance, yet the date is unknown.
2009 — EgyptAir to join the alliance.
| | | Celebrate Chinese New Year with our 12-Day "China Delights" & "The Middle Kingdom" tours | Celebrate the Chinese New Year 2008 - the year of "Rat" with our popular 12-Day China Delights and 12-Day The Middle Kingdom tour, February 1st, 2008 departure, from only $999.
| | | Weather & Temperature in November | Many travelers called us recently concerning the weather and temperature in China in November. Just like North America, China also suffers from unusual warm winter.
Actually, early November turns into quite pleasant season to travel in Northern China in the areas like Beijing and Xian according to our experience in the past few years. In mid or southern China, the weather is much warmer compared to Beijing. November is one of the best seasons to visit Hong Kong. The weather is mild in Shanghai even towards the late November; it is usually at 65-72 F.
All China Spree tours start in Beijing and travel southward to end in Shanghai. So all early even mid of November departures should be fine in terms of weather.
In 2006 when our China Delights group arrived in Beijing on November 6th, the local temperature is 72 F; when the group reached Shanghai in November 16th, the temperature there is 81 F! Please check the actual weather forecast before you leave home.
| | | Special Promotion Tour at $888! | Dear China Spree travelers,
In appreciation of your business in 2007 and also in preparation for our 2008 China tours, China Spree Travel, working with China Confucius Foundation, is now offering our special 10-Day China Express tour at only $888 plus taxes, transpacific air inclusive. This is a limited offer; Book now to secure the best deal!
| | | Air China business class upgrade from San Francisco | Air China is running a promotion for its business class upgrade from San Francisco, the addtional fare on top of your tour is as low as $3300 roundtrip for San Francisco departure. Please call us for details.
| | | Air China Seat Assignment | Since May 1st, 2007, Air China started to assign the seat for its transpacific flights. Please contact 800-882-8122 with your seating request about 10 days prior to the departure date after you receive the airline tickets from China Spree.
| | | Airport security updates | Airport Security Update: TSA Adjusts Liquid Ban
Effective Sept. 26, 2006, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will adjust its airport security screening procedures as follows:
1) Pre-Screening - Passengers may carry travel-size toiletries (3 ounce or less) that fit comfortably in ONE quart-size, clear plastic, zip-top bag through the security checkpoints.
2) Post-Screening - Passengers may bring items, including beverages and duty-free items, purchased in the secure gate area on-board the aircraft.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. is working to align its policies with those found in Canada and Europe, but some differences may currently exist. As more details are released, ASTA will provide updates. Details can be found at www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/925_updated_passenger_guidance.shtm.
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