How will my wife's sleep apnea machine fit under the strict carry on requirements? Also, do purses count? Many women obviously use large bags as an additional carry-on.
I brought my CPAP on this tour in Oct 2013. I have a REMstar Pro C-Flex+ which has a detachable humidifier that I left home. I purchased a camera bag which was big enough to contain the CPAP and cords but was still an average size bag carried by camera bugs. I put it in my carry-on after I found out that the airport security had no interest in it, but it could easily be carried on your shoulder as a personal bag. Hope this helps. You should bring a couple of the disposable white air filters and change them during the trip. When I got home from our 3 week trip the filter was nearly black from the bad air quality we experienced throughout China.
One thing worth mentioning, the voltage aboad the ship is 220V, and there is no outlet on the wall near the headboard of the bed. It is across the room near the desk, therefore, you will need to bring an extention cord to reach the outlet, which does increase the amount of weight and space taken up within your luggage.
In the past, I haven't had any trouble using a standard sized (and well stuffed) backpack as a carryon. If it'll fit, if you put your wife's CPAP machine in a backpack, along with whatever else is needed (and, just my personal advise here, at least one day's worth of clothing in case of a baggage mixup by the airline), and you can squeeze it into the overhead container, you shouldn't have any trouble with the airlines. However, that doesn't address the weight issue, only the volume issue. You can pick up small electronic scales that you can hang your luggage from; if the total weight exceeds 44 pounds, unless you don't mind incurring excess luggage fees, you should probably leave something at home.
Just a quick suggestion that might work for the CPAP MACHINE. As long as you can figure out a way of keeping your pillow from falling off the end of the bed, you could always sleep the other way round, head nearer the outlet. I'm guessing the headboard is fiixed on the wall. Or maybe the whole bed can be repositioned nearer an outlet. I have not been on this trip to know about the boat but just a thought.
I can only tell you what my experience was with my CPAP on the Yangtze Explorer. I used it without a problem on our tour in Oct 2013. The two sections of electrical cord that come with my CPAP were long enough to reach a plug which must have been down by the foot of the bed near the door to the hall. I wish I could specifically say where the plug was but as it was a non-issue six months ago I can't. The cabins are probably not identical but I did not have an issue reaching a plug. I hope your experience is the same.
With regard to the whole issue of carry on and checked luggage I would refer you to a topic I started last year which was called Carry On Baggage Restrictions on Inter China Flights. There are a number of posts there which you may find helpful.
My wife and I had a fantastic time on this tour and I wish you and your wife the same.
Has anyone ever seen carry-on bags being weighed before boarding? With a limit of 10 pounds and my tiny wheeled bag (much smaller than the maximum allowed size) weighing 6 pounds empty, I will surely be more than 10 pounds even if all I carry is electronics and an extra change of clothes. Or do I really have to stuff everything into my pockets to avoid having a bag over 10 pounds?
What you choose to do is, of course, up to you, but in your shoes I would get a duffle bag or backpack to use as my carryon. The weight limit is enforced by the airport, and your bags will be weighed, and then either checked or not depending on their weight, before you get to anything else.
I took this tour in Oct 2013. My experience was that the security check point was just like in the US. No one weighed or measured any bag on any of the flights that we took. I did not see any evidence that they had any scales available at the check point. We did not get near the baggage checking counter as Tauck handled that for us. Our checked luggage was picked up in our hotel room and we did not see it again until we walked into our room at the next hotel. There is a discussion of this subject earlier on this forum that you might find helpful.
Thanks Greg1022 and TauckTim. Greg's comment is the same as my friends who live in Shanghai and who travel constantly on business. They report that the only time anyone ever has checked the weight of a carry-on bag at a Chinese airport they've been in is when it is clearly over the size limit and/or when the passenger is having a hard time carrying it -- evidencing a very heavy weight. Otherwise, they weigh only checked bags. It appears to be assumed that if your carry-on meets the size standard and you can carry it without a struggle, it's okay.
Comments
I brought my CPAP on this tour in Oct 2013. I have a REMstar Pro C-Flex+ which has a detachable humidifier that I left home. I purchased a camera bag which was big enough to contain the CPAP and cords but was still an average size bag carried by camera bugs. I put it in my carry-on after I found out that the airport security had no interest in it, but it could easily be carried on your shoulder as a personal bag. Hope this helps. You should bring a couple of the disposable white air filters and change them during the trip. When I got home from our 3 week trip the filter was nearly black from the bad air quality we experienced throughout China.
One thing worth mentioning, the voltage aboad the ship is 220V, and there is no outlet on the wall near the headboard of the bed. It is across the room near the desk, therefore, you will need to bring an extention cord to reach the outlet, which does increase the amount of weight and space taken up within your luggage.
In the past, I haven't had any trouble using a standard sized (and well stuffed) backpack as a carryon. If it'll fit, if you put your wife's CPAP machine in a backpack, along with whatever else is needed (and, just my personal advise here, at least one day's worth of clothing in case of a baggage mixup by the airline), and you can squeeze it into the overhead container, you shouldn't have any trouble with the airlines. However, that doesn't address the weight issue, only the volume issue. You can pick up small electronic scales that you can hang your luggage from; if the total weight exceeds 44 pounds, unless you don't mind incurring excess luggage fees, you should probably leave something at home.
-Tim
I can only tell you what my experience was with my CPAP on the Yangtze Explorer. I used it without a problem on our tour in Oct 2013. The two sections of electrical cord that come with my CPAP were long enough to reach a plug which must have been down by the foot of the bed near the door to the hall. I wish I could specifically say where the plug was but as it was a non-issue six months ago I can't. The cabins are probably not identical but I did not have an issue reaching a plug. I hope your experience is the same.
With regard to the whole issue of carry on and checked luggage I would refer you to a topic I started last year which was called Carry On Baggage Restrictions on Inter China Flights. There are a number of posts there which you may find helpful.
My wife and I had a fantastic time on this tour and I wish you and your wife the same.
Greg Jones
What you choose to do is, of course, up to you, but in your shoes I would get a duffle bag or backpack to use as my carryon. The weight limit is enforced by the airport, and your bags will be weighed, and then either checked or not depending on their weight, before you get to anything else.
-Tim
I took this tour in Oct 2013. My experience was that the security check point was just like in the US. No one weighed or measured any bag on any of the flights that we took. I did not see any evidence that they had any scales available at the check point. We did not get near the baggage checking counter as Tauck handled that for us. Our checked luggage was picked up in our hotel room and we did not see it again until we walked into our room at the next hotel. There is a discussion of this subject earlier on this forum that you might find helpful.
This is a great trip! Have a great time.
Greg Jones