3. Other Issues

A. What you should do first when you board the ship
(1). Identify the location of you cabin and read the emergency escape map carefully.
(2). Identify the store place of the life jacket in the room and understand the wear procedure.
(3). Familiar with your, choose the activities which your are interesting in and arrange you're the Three Gorges trip initially.
(4). Know of you tour guild.
(5). Know of your seats in the restaurant, which the seats usually are fixed.
(6). Identify the locations of entertainment and service.
(7). Store your valuables, for example the passport.
(8). Clean up the clothes which need be cleaned.
(9). Familiar with the telephone number of the ship service.
(10). Change some pin money. Normally, you sign the bill on the ship and check out before you leave the ship. The 15% service fee would be added. Credit card or cash both are received.

B. Tips
China Travel Bureau forbids that travel industry staff asks the tips from the guests. But tips have become the important income of the travel industry. Generally, these staffs have low income, which is 30-70USD per month. So they are welcome to get the tips. But any tour guilds or other travel staff refuse to work, create difficulties to you because of no tips, or hint for tips, you can refuse to give it and complain they. You can ask the compensation for the losing and the influence of trips.
Generally you should give some tips to porters, room waiters and the tour guild for your acknowledge of their work.
There is the public tips box on the Reception. You could cast 5 USD each day. These tips would be shared among the ship staff. You also can pay the tips to the certain waiters, they would be very glad to accept. Its't the praise to their excellent service.

C. Sanitation and Prophylactic
Before departure, you'd better take some medicine for cold and digestive system which you often have as usual. Don't buy the food, fruits and mineral water at the little stall casually. You should take the mineral water or tissue, which bought on the ship and little RMB (100-500Yuan) to visit on shore in summer. The par value of RMB is good of 10 Yuan. They are used for tickets of cable car, extra visit tickets, ice cream and iced drinks and tips,etc.
Don't get on shore with valuables. You'd better store them in the coffer of the ship. This service is free. Don't forget fill in the form and get the signature of the ship staff when you do it. So you are comfortable to go outside and no more worry.
Some infectious diseases, like Osteomyelitis, malaria, typhoid, and cholera have been cured in China now. Even in some poor countryside along the Yangtze River, there are no these infectious disease. But some digestive system disease, like hepatitis is still existing. So the clean drinking water and food are very important. Don't use dirty vessel of water. Please have the boiled water or mineral water provided in the ship. If you feel any uncomfortable, please prevent the disease or see a doctor as soon as possible. There are little clinic and doctor on the ship. The diagnosis fee is cheap. Only medicine but on diagnosis is asked on some ships.

D. Smoking
In accordance with the Chinese Law, smoking in public area is forbidden. So please go on the deck for smoking. You can smoke in special smoking room if the cruise ships have it.

E. Extra Fee on the Cruise Ship
The extra fee refers the private fee you use on the ship.
Though the tickets of cruise includes the fee on shore and meals, it doesn't include some private fee, such as the drinks and wines, laundry, haircut, hairdressing, body building, massage and entertainment. The prices of these extra service are normally as bellow.( here Yangtze Angel-five star cruise is as example)
Laundry: USD1-8
Haircut: USD10-50 for male; USD 10-70 for female
Massage: USD 15-20/hour
Drinks and wines: USD 20-100/day
Tips: USD3-5/day (add 1 to 2 dollar for shore excurse)
10% or so service fee added

F. Pets
generally, you can't take your pets to the cruise ships. We won't provide related service too. If you want to travel to Yangtze, you would arrange someone to take care of your pets before.

G. Taking camera and photography
The scenery in Yangtze Three Gorges is quite beautiful and wonderful. You not only should remember these sceneries in your mind and take in your films and videotapes. So you should take enough films, battery and videotapes. The camera is better to be small, automatic and waterproof one which you are convenient to carry and operate.

H. Shopping
There are some shops on the ship. You could buy the daily appliance and food. But there are not very rich goods. So you'd better prepare well before board.
There are a lot of shops at the scenic spots along the Yangtze Three Gorges. All kinds of crafts and survivors are sold. You could bargain when you go shopping, especially the expensive goods. Sometimes you should have bargain tips. The price you ask could be too high. if the shopkeeper agrees the price, you can't cut off the price any more. Otherwise, the shopkeeper would think you don't really want to by his good and you maybe cause the unnecessary trouble.
If you are not the experts for these things following, you'd better be very careful and don't buy them causally.
(1). Jade and bowlder
(2). Numismatics
(3). Calligraphy and painting; archaize calligraphy and painting
(4). Ancient fossil
(5). The lacqurwork made by old Chinaberry and rosewood
(6). Archaize bronze

I. What you don't need care much
(1). The young waitress don't dare to you when talk with you. It doesn't mean she is impolite. It's the Chinese traditional custom.
(2). When you are ill or meet some problem, some warm hearted people would come to concern you. That don't mean you have to pay tips.
(3). There are auto-broadcast in each room on the ship. That'for your safety and reminding you to take part in the activities on time.
(4). Now the traditional habit of cuisine has changed. So you'd better help yourself to enjoy it and don't express politeness to left food.