Asia - When does NW have good Z fares to China?

I am in the first stages for planning our first trip to China. My husband is not as easily folded into coach seats as I am and so I am hoping to find good Z fares on NW. I know that they usually run good deals to Europe the week of Thanksgiving and between Christmas and New Years. Those times would be fine for us if there were good Asian fares, but I am a little concerned about the weather. Are there usually good deals in Sept-Oct, when it is a little warmer? I am not sure at this time exactly where in China we would go; we probably would start in Beijing and be gone about a week. Suggestions are very welcome.

I am cheap enough that a good enough deal or the promise of a fun time would cancel out most of the hesitation to be in Beijing for a cold New Years. We try to go somewhere new for that every year. Last year we were in Rome, the previous year in Amsterdam. Not exactly warm spots, but tons of fun. If Dec. 31 is big anywhere in China, it would certanly be an attractive option. I only wish we could be there for the Chinese New Year, but that will be on a different Elite Level Qualifying Year :rolleyes:

I would probably try to book through NW's World vacations as they have some pretty good packages. However, I read that packages are not a good deal for China as they are marked up considerably by the main Chinese tour provider. Does anyone have any comments on that?

By the way, my husband has finally decided to go with me to China (he has been hesitant to go because of the long flights) because he met someone yesterday whose parents just returned from a 3 week trip and lost a lot of weight. I can't help but laugh at the thought of us doing that, especially him as he will eat ANYTHING. He said "well, we would eat mainly vegetables there, wouldn't we?" We have NEVER lost weight on a trip and I doubt if this would be an exception. :p

Thanks for any tips.

I don't remember if the Z fares were ever offered to the PRC (hint: search the NW forum) but there were 2 seasons last year when trans-Pacific ones were offered: Mid Nov. to mid Dec. (for outbound), and mid-Dec.-1 Jan. (the usual).

iirc they run some during xmas last year, the year before, or both.

you can still have fun here in dec/jan in spite of the cold/darkness.

your instinct to steer clear from the packaged tours is a good one imo.

From looking at the advertisements for packages, I can say that they actually appear to offer signficant savings over booking your standard coach airfare, hotels and tours on your own. Even if you throw out the tours (but stick with the hotel transfers and other point-to-point transfers), it always struck me that you would come out ahead.

Of course, you are stuck on the same schedule as everyone else, but some sightseeing in a group is not a bad thing. For example, visiting the Great Wall and Ming Tombs in a group is no worse than sitting in a car with only your driver (who will most likely speak only 10 words of English) and your spouse (as most folks won't bother hiring their own tour guide). So, you could always do some of the tours and "call in sick" for the others. And, if you choose only a basic package, then you might be able to arrange to extend the return date on your own, thereby saving money on the transport and meals and still seeing mostly only what you want to see. This is the theory at least.

Personally, I would avoid the visiting at yearend. October is the ideal time to visit if you can.