Thinking about going to Shanghai

chrisinhouston · 04-03-2009, 07:44 AM

I'm contemplating a trip to Shanghai. Continental has promotional fares for $630 RT ($712 total with taxes) from Houston via Newark. The normal price is anywhere fom $1200-$1500. Continenatl also has a deal going until June 15th that One pass members get double elite mile so I could end up with 35,238 miles which would push me past gold level for next year (not too bad to do by May of this year). I think I would just take pictures, eat and sleep.

classicman · 04-03-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

just take pictures, eat and sleep.

Do it! - and post them here, of course.

xoxoxoBruce · 04-04-2009, 04:33 PM

Sounds like fun, except for the danger*.

*"via Newark"

Yznhymr · 04-05-2009, 02:55 AM

Maybe you'll have time to adopt a child while there, and to eat something like this...

...or this...

...or this...

RRRRAAAAALLLLPPPPHHH!!! Sorry folks, I couldn't bring myself to bring up the next pic...

slang · 04-05-2009, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

I think I would just take pictures, eat and sleep.

That fare is fantastic. I hope you decide to go.

Just remember, even the 'stupid' pictures you take don't really cost you money and you'll remember much more about the entire trip coming back with too many pictures.

Snap those stern looking, uniformed, sub-machine gun toting folks from a distance with the telephoto lens though.

And....

Steer clear of the dog meat and severed duck heads.

chrisinhouston · 04-10-2009, 12:43 PM

Well, now it's a definate yes for going as I booked my ticket! Great price but a long flight. Houston to Newark is ok but Newark to Shanghai is a 14 hour flight.

My wife was scheduled that week to be on business in Lima, Ohio (Yippee!!!) but now she is not so I convinced her to take some vacation days and go and she can cash in a $500 Continental voucher towards her ticket that had to be used by July. That means her RT ticket would only be about $212 and we both will get double Elite Qualifying miles because of a special; that works out to about 35000 EQ miles which will put me at Platinum and her at Gold. And the great thing is that by her going we can stay at the Hilton in Shanghai (5 star hotel) for free by using points. We may have to pay for a few things like the broadband but that is ok.

More to come as things transpire.

classicman · 04-10-2009, 03:07 PM

Great - now we get to see more cool pics

Shawnee123 · 04-11-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

My wife was scheduled that week to be on business in Lima, Ohio

NO. Don't. Go. There.

Lima was the closest place to get fast food, or anything, from my college town of Ada. That town is a rat hole.

disclaimer: this statements is not meant to cast asparagus, I mean aspersions, at the fine citizens of Lima OH.

Take great pics chris. Wow, to travel like you do...

chrisinhouston · 05-02-2009, 05:34 AM

Well we leave for a week in Shanghai on Tuesday. I ended up getting a ticket on Continental from Houton to Shanghai via Newark for around $675. Continental also has a deal going where we get double Elite Qualifying mileage credit so instead of around 17,000 EQ miles we each get 34,000. That will put me only a few thousand away from qualifying for Platinum Elite for next year!

My wife used a $500 voucher she received from being bumped from a flight a few months ago so her ticket was only $275. She is cashing in her Hilton Diamond club points so we are staying the 6 nights at the Shanghai Hilton and from what we can tell we will only have to pay the price for the HS Internet in our room, something like $16 per day. That leaves our main expenses for food and getting around but Shanghai is a great value for the money and local street food is good and cheap and they have a great public transit system.

I'll post pictures over in the Quality image section of the Cellar as I download them. I plan on taking quite a few!

Take care all and see you down the road!

xoxoxoBruce · 05-02-2009, 05:39 AM

Hooray! Your pictures will have us all green with envy.

chrisinhouston · 05-14-2009, 07:39 AM

Just got back to Texas, the trip was great except we ended it by both getting a major case of Tourista which was a challenge with 18 hours of plane travel!

Funny things that annoy me about travel.... We get screened as we go through security at the Shanghai airport after checking in for our flight. They are pretty good about it but they don't require the removal of shoes. We fill up our empty water bottles on the secure side as we wait for our flight.

They finally announce the boarding of the plane and we all get up and get in line. We are Elite so we would board right after business/first so we are behind 10 or so people. And then lots of Chinese who apparently don't understand English start pushing in all around us; they don't seem to understand the line concept there. As we wait, they announce that the boarding will be delayed as they need to fumigate the plane for swine flu! Even the crew is waiting for over 45 minutes. Finally we start the boarding process and witness countless Chinese being turned away since they are not Elite or business/first. We head down the gateway and are met by more security people, all suited up and masked because of swine flu fears. Then we get searched again, each bag etc. and any water must be discarded. Several passengers pointed out that they had purchased the water in the secure area of the airport but the head guy just shouts back, "NO!" They have a small trash can that people are forced to drop their water bottles in and my wife and I just opened our bottles and dumped them with water going everywhere. They made my wife remove her shoes but I just walked past them. Just stupid.

We get our seats and thankfully no one is in the middle seat, my wife has a window and I have the asile. The food was extra lousy and for some reason my meal (Vegeterian) was not delivered so I was glad I brought some snacks to eat, 14 hours is a long time!

Pie · 05-14-2009, 09:59 AM

Yeesh! Which airline, Chris? Glad you made it back okay.

04-03-2009, 07:44 AM	#1
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Thinking about going to Shanghai I'm contemplating a trip to Shanghai. Continental has promotional fares for $630 RT ($712 total with taxes) from Houston via Newark. The normal price is anywhere fom $1200-$1500. Continenatl also has a deal going until June 15th that One pass members get double elite mile so I could end up with 35,238 miles which would push me past gold level for next year (not too bad to do by May of this year). I think I would just take pictures, eat and sleep.

04-04-2009, 04:33 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Sounds like fun, except for the danger. "via Newark" __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

04-05-2009, 02:55 AM	#4
Yznhymr the crowd goes wild! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 663	Maybe you'll have time to adopt a child while there, and to eat something like this... ...or this... ...or this... RRRRAAAAALLLLPPPPHHH!!! Sorry folks, I couldn't bring myself to bring up the next pic... __________________ "The pride system tends to intensify the self-hate against which it is supposed to be a defense, since any failure to live up to one's tyrannical shoulds or of the world to honor one's claims leads to feelings of worthlessness." Bernard J. Paris, Ph.D.

04-10-2009, 03:07 PM	#7
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	Great - now we get to see more cool pics __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

05-02-2009, 05:39 AM	#10
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Hooray! Your pictures will have us all green with envy. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

04-10-2009, 12:43 PM	#6
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Well, now it's a definate yes for going as I booked my ticket! Great price but a long flight. Houston to Newark is ok but Newark to Shanghai is a 14 hour flight. My wife was scheduled that week to be on business in Lima, Ohio (Yippee!!!) but now she is not so I convinced her to take some vacation days and go and she can cash in a $500 Continental voucher towards her ticket that had to be used by July. That means her RT ticket would only be about $212 and we both will get double Elite Qualifying miles because of a special; that works out to about 35000 EQ miles which will put me at Platinum and her at Gold. And the great thing is that by her going we can stay at the Hilton in Shanghai (5 star hotel) for free by using points. We may have to pay for a few things like the broadband but that is ok. More to come as things transpire.

05-02-2009, 05:34 AM	#9
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Well we leave for a week in Shanghai on Tuesday. I ended up getting a ticket on Continental from Houton to Shanghai via Newark for around $675. Continental also has a deal going where we get double Elite Qualifying mileage credit so instead of around 17,000 EQ miles we each get 34,000. That will put me only a few thousand away from qualifying for Platinum Elite for next year! My wife used a $500 voucher she received from being bumped from a flight a few months ago so her ticket was only $275. She is cashing in her Hilton Diamond club points so we are staying the 6 nights at the Shanghai Hilton and from what we can tell we will only have to pay the price for the HS Internet in our room, something like $16 per day. That leaves our main expenses for food and getting around but Shanghai is a great value for the money and local street food is good and cheap and they have a great public transit system. I'll post pictures over in the Quality image section of the Cellar as I download them. I plan on taking quite a few! Take care all and see you down the road!

05-14-2009, 07:39 AM	#11
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Just got back to Texas, the trip was great except we ended it by both getting a major case of Tourista which was a challenge with 18 hours of plane travel! Funny things that annoy me about travel.... We get screened as we go through security at the Shanghai airport after checking in for our flight. They are pretty good about it but they don't require the removal of shoes. We fill up our empty water bottles on the secure side as we wait for our flight. They finally announce the boarding of the plane and we all get up and get in line. We are Elite so we would board right after business/first so we are behind 10 or so people. And then lots of Chinese who apparently don't understand English start pushing in all around us; they don't seem to understand the line concept there. As we wait, they announce that the boarding will be delayed as they need to fumigate the plane for swine flu! Even the crew is waiting for over 45 minutes. Finally we start the boarding process and witness countless Chinese being turned away since they are not Elite or business/first. We head down the gateway and are met by more security people, all suited up and masked because of swine flu fears. Then we get searched again, each bag etc. and any water must be discarded. Several passengers pointed out that they had purchased the water in the secure area of the airport but the head guy just shouts back, "NO!" They have a small trash can that people are forced to drop their water bottles in and my wife and I just opened our bottles and dumped them with water going everywhere. They made my wife remove her shoes but I just walked past them. Just stupid. We get our seats and thankfully no one is in the middle seat, my wife has a window and I have the asile. The food was extra lousy and for some reason my meal (Vegeterian) was not delivered so I was glad I brought some snacks to eat, 14 hours is a long time!

05-14-2009, 09:59 AM	#12
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Yeesh! Which airline, Chris? Glad you made it back okay. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

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