Depends on how long it takes to clear the ship. Our recent cruise first departures from ship was around 8:30. A 10:30 flight from Haneda is cutting it real close. We got off of the ship at 9:10.
Highlights of Osaka was a long bus ride out to Osaka Castle then a long walk from the parking lot to the castle. If you don't like long walks, perhaps you should choose something else. The garden around the castle was very nice.
Same here! We LOVED the Song of Flower and the Hanseatic. Sailed Diamond once and really enjoyed the dining room. The rest of the ship? Meh! At the time, our cruise was in the Caribbean and a volcano was erupting so we missed a port. To this day I remember the ash on the ship's deck.
From the Doubletree, you can take an Uber or Lyft to Raffaelos Ristorante at 457 W 7th St., San Pedro 310-514-0900. Though I don't remember Lyft cost, it was reasonable for a good dining experience.
On board Viking Star now. The new process for dry cleaning is wet cleaning. Haven't tried it. Laundry is returned in 24 to 48 hours and beautifully done. No complaints here.
We're on the same cruise and haven't encountered any of your problems. Have had lunch at the Pool Grill and the burger was fine as was the hot dog. Had dinner last night in Manfredi and the chicken parm was great as was the short ribs that was superb. We have the SS package and just asked for the wine list and made our own choice.
Food choices and service throughout the ship has been wonderful.
I guess different strokes for different folks.
I posted it here because of the number of Viking Ocean cruisers who just maybe have recently tried Viking Mississippi. We sailed the Mississippi this past November and said "never again" because of the dining experience. We really liked the ship, the cabins and itinerary.
"now I have the virus on my fingers after washing my hands because I touched the handle to get out." Use a tissue or paper towel on the door handles. 🙂