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shellbya
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 10
Status: Offline
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 Posted:
Mar 12, 2008 - 11:03 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Transfer Pudong Airport to Nanjing Lu with toddler- Taxi OK? |
I have a couple of questions about flying into Shanghai, Pudong Airport with a toddler.
I've been to China twice before, going back 5 years now. I didn't have a toddler at the time, and things that didn't seem to bother me then are bothering me now...
First up, I've read a few posts regarding the Airport to Hotel transfer from Pudong - Taxi vs. private car. We'll by flying in on a Monday evening (in August, still a while away, but looking for some good advice now), landing about 7pm. There will be 3 adults and 1 toddler, 4 large suitcases and 4 'carry-on' sized backpacks. I'm thinking we won't all fit into a cab??? Are there mini-buses for hire at the Airport too? I've got a quote for booking a private pick-up through a travel service and they're asking 550RMB for a 'Ruifeng' 6 seat business car. The 'Santana' standard car is 350RMB. How do these prices sound? Is there a way we can book a pick-up ourselves? We will be staying in a hotel on Nanjing Lu. We are currently in Australia. My husband speaks a moderate level of Mandarin.
Second, do any parents out there have any good suggestions for food to take on the plane for the toddler? We will get meals during the flight, but I'm thinking about when we land. I think we might have a tired and hungry baby on our hands. And that can only spell trouble. If we brought sandwiches would we be OK with them through Customs?
Finally, I also want to bring some consumables like Weetbix, Vegemite, chocolate etc. Are they OK? While I'm at it...what about the alcohol allowance per person? I could look that one up, but I'm sure there are lots of you out there with personal experience who could help me out. I want to bring at least a couple of good bottles of Red Wine.
Any and all advice is appreciated, especially that of parents who've travelled with toddlers.  Anything I should be prepared for?? |
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p1atl10
Shanghai Royalty
Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 9065
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 12:03 PM |
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Which hotel?
Most have airport pickup bus service.
Which would probably be close to the 550 you are being quoted.
350 for a Santana is a ripoff.
I have a van service I have used in the past. Used to be the drivers for Dazhong Taxi that drove the Mercedes. When they aced the Benz's. they started their own company.
Have not used them for a year....but they were always relaible, drove vans, and pickup back then was 250rmb. They only speak Chinese....861331167666.
No kids....so cannot help with the food thing for them.
Customs? No fruits or vegetables of fresh meat. Anything packaged is usually ok. They no longer even have a declaration form, so even if you do have sandwiches, just smile and walk on through.
Booze? Believe it is three bottles. Someone correct me if I am wrong. |
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kimmie
Reacher
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 256
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 12:38 PM |
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Recently returned from a 14 hour non-stop flight with a toddler and pre-schooler. Had no problem with customs for any of the snacks we brought along for them: an whole orange, apple, a couple of peanut butter and jam sandwhiches, crackers, biscuits, a bag filled with cheerios mixed with dried fruit and nuts, even individual cheese sticks. Brought along a couple of sippy cups and re-filled on board with juice/milk/water as needed.
To keep little one occupied en-flight: individually wrapped little toys which we let them open one very couple of hour or so to play with. They really enjoyed the act of opening a new present each time and the gifts can be just small trickets. Ours included: empty notebooks for scribbling, markers/crayons, sticker book, stamp pad, small dry erase book, toothbrush (yes, this was a hit), and small reading book. Of course also brought along the security "blankie" and stuffed animal. A pocket calculator was a hit with our toddler who likes to fiddle with electronic gadget.
The combo of snacks and rotating new toys seemed to work as tantrums/crying was kept a a minimum. We were even complimented on their good behavior by the young fella sitting in our row (who's faced initially turned green when he saw us boarding  ) and the flight attendents. |
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MartialArt
Seeker
Joined: Oct 26, 2005
Posts: 71
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 12:40 PM |
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Ruifeng 550 rmb must be a bit high. Try email this company: asd.carrental@gmail.com , they speak englisn and offer a good service with lower price. |
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shellbya
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 10
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 05:05 PM |
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Thanks for the helpful responses. From experience, would anyone know if the Airport will be busy around 7pm on the Monday? I'm just wondering if we do opt for a cab (or two) whether we'll be waiting a while in queues?
I'll keep the two suggestions in mind for the private transport. If necessary I can get someone in China to book it for me.
Kimmie, thanks for your suggestions about flying with little ones. I'm rather daunted by the whole thing. A little worried that I will try to plan a little too thoroughly and have it all go pear shaped. So I'm trying to relax and go with the flow. Nevertheless, if I can avoid the tired/hungry thing then it's a benefit to all involved. I think we're doing about 12 hours straight flight. I once read that the only person on a flight with status lower than a leper is a mother with a baby  |
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kimmie
Reacher
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 256
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 05:43 PM |
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^^ Is that why we're always seated in the last row, near the toliets, in the non-reclining seats?
Without doubt that 14 hr. flight was one painful, grueling, exhausting flight. And to think I have to make the exact same trip again with them in about a month 
Anyways, think positive, relax, have a good flight, and enjoy your time here. |
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greenmark
Rocker
Joined: July 28, 2005
Posts: 612
Location: Location Location
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 05:45 PM |
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There are minivan taxis available for hire at Pudong airport. I've taken them twice before. When you get outside from the arrivals hall, you can turn left instead of right (which would take you to the ordinary taxis). They can be clearly identified as taxis and they don't cost any more than taking a regular taxi from the airport, but they seat six at least.
I've never had any trouble with getting taxis at Pudong - the longest ever wait I've had has been 15minutes. The only problem I've had is getting them to slow down - there's many a taxi driver who use the airport run to really give their accellerators some welly. This is less of a problem with the minivans because they can't go all that fast anyway. |
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hautumncloud
LoopKicker
Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 989
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Mar 12, 2008 - 05:56 PM |
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We have taken van taxis before as well from Pudong airport. It was a Dazhong taxi, reputable taxi company. If you cannot find any in the outside stand, in the arrival hall there is a Dazhong counter. Perhaps they can help you there. |
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Adrienne
FooJay
Joined: Mar 01, 2003
Posts: 1721
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Online!
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Mar 12, 2008 - 10:55 PM |
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Customs here are nothing like back home in Oz. I put family sized boxes of weetbix, a few casks of good wine, tim tams, vegemite etc, etc, in my suitcase and have never had any problems. I just walk straight through. It's going back home that is a nightmare when going thru customs. Unbelievable.
Adrienne
http://www.shanghaiprops.com |
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DuanDuan
Barker
Joined: Nov 15, 2007
Posts: 189
Status: Offline
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Mar 12, 2008 - 11:14 PM |
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Pay the 550 rmbs or have your hotel(if you are staying at one) send a car large enough for your family. Have your pick up pre-arranged. Don't wait till you land.
Don't worry about food or anything you want to bring into Pudong. For some reason they don't ever seem to check anyone and don't ask any questions, they just wave you through. |
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kimmie
Reacher
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 256
Status: Offline
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Mar 13, 2008 - 08:17 AM |
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some more thoughts:
bring a complete change of clothing and disposable bibs for toddler in case of mess. Also an extra top for you. If you want toddler to sleep laying down across the seat(s) and the plane is relatively empty, do not get bulkhead as the armrests don't go up. However, bulkhead allows more room to play on the floor in front of the seats, and you can spread blankets and pillow on the floor and he/she can sleep there if that is something you want to do. |
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shellbya
Squeeker
Joined: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 10
Status: Offline
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Mar 13, 2008 - 09:48 AM |
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These are all really helpful responses. Greenmark, the minivan idea sounds good, but then Duan Duan suggests booking a private van. I'm torn. Lucky I still have some time to get organised.
Adrienne, the cask wine idea is excellent. I've never thought of that, usually just get bottles. But the cask would weigh less, contain more  and be easier to pack. Do they sell cask wine at Duty Free?? Is there a Duty Free shop at Pudong Airport?
Kimmie, I had originally intended to bring the car seat on the plane, but have since dumped that idea. So I thought she would sleep lying down across me (or her Dad). I guess we'll see if we get a choice about where to sit. My husband is quite tall, yet we always get the worst seats, so I don't think our luck will change with a baby in tow. |
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CaptainCook
Rocker
Joined: Mar 20, 2007
Posts: 685
Status: Offline
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Mar 13, 2008 - 10:19 AM |
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In my opinion, it is best to pre-booked a van so you have a guy with a sign waiting for you when you arrived at Pudong Airport. The one I usually use charged 180 to 250rmb for a 7 seater Buick which I think is a great bargain.
Flying 12 hrs direct (you must be from Sydney or Melbourne) will be tough. If you are a frequent flyer (silver and above) member and you're flying Qantas, you can pre-book your seat. For a tall guy, I would suggest a seat next to the emergency exit as they tend to have more leg-rooms. |
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kimmie
Reacher
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 256
Status: Offline
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Mar 13, 2008 - 04:12 PM |
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shellbya,
I thought we could do the same, but my toddler slept terribly on my body (not to mention the hardship for you) and consequently was extremely tired and cranky the whole flight. If you want bulkhead, You can request it when you book your tickets by mentioning that you will be traveling with a young child, and they will note it. Confirm the request again at check-in when they assign seats. Usually they are very sympathetic. Bulkhead would be better for your tall husband with more legroom, but remember your child will not be able to lay flat across the seats. I don't think they allow children to sit in the exit rows, so you may have to separate should your husband want to sit there. We found the check-in ticket agents to be very helpful in arranging best seating for your preference provided they have enough space. One offered to separate my husband (one with each child) and I so that we would be seated with enough space for each kid to lay flat across the open seats. We declined because we didn't want to be separated, but in hindsight wished we had taken it so that the children could sleep better on such a long flight. |
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Adrienne
FooJay
Joined: Mar 01, 2003
Posts: 1721
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Online!
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Mar 13, 2008 - 11:15 PM |
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I get a 4 litre cask at my local bottle shop back home and pack it in the case. I don't think you can get wine casks outside of Oz. Can you? Not sure.....
Adrienne
http://www.shanghaiprops.com |
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