My daughter and I booked this trip in December. We received confirmation several days before the trip from our tour guide about our pick up time in our hotel lobby, along with advice to wear warm clothing since the weather at Wuxi was very cold. Our guide, Tom, was on time and very personable. Tom's English was exceptional and we had a great discussion about current events on the drive to Wuxi. Our guide customized our tour to make sure we saw all the best of the monastery without having long waits. There is a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes!!! The monastery is absolutely breathtaking, and seeing the Grand Buddha is a 'bucket-list' worthy attraction. Our guide was very knowledgeable and open to questions about the monastery and Buddhism; the trip was as informative as it was beautiful. After the tour of the monastery we stopped at Taihu Lake and chatted with some locals buying fish from a local fisherman. Then we were taken back to our hotel lobby. The driver was very skillful and safe. This tour is a full day event and includes lunch - well worth the price of the tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip to China. If you have a day available in your visit to Shanghai, I highly recommend this tour and our guide, Tom.