OzKiwiJJ

We're certainly enjoying being back on Diamond. We did a Sydney to Yokohama repostioning cruise on her in 2018. I'm running a bit behind on my daily updates. We've got six port days in a row which are a bit tiring for us oldies.

Princess was almost determined to make me a liar today. At the drinks station I usually go to the regular taps were out of action. However the replacements were those pump pots not urns. Very hot water so I was happy!

Airlie Beach and Port Douglas are both tender ports which makes it impossible to connect with regular reef or Whitehaven Beach trips. Whitehaven Beach is on the far side of one of the Whitsunday Islands. I think it took about an hour in a fast RIB to get there and we only really had time for a swim and lunch. But it was very beautiful. You might be able to do a Daintree Tour from Port Douglas but timing might be tricky. Look online for tours. If I recall who we went with years ago I'll let you know. It was a small group vehicle.

I've never seen urns on Princess, just the taps that dispense hot water, regular brewed coffee and decaf coffee. I'm not sure how the coffee ones work but the hot water ones heat the supply of water as required but if too many people are drawing off the water too quickly it doesn't get time to heat up properly.

The cruise wharf is actually on the Mt Maunganui side of Tauranga Harbour. It's an easy walk to the shopping centre, cafes and restaurants, the ocean beach, and Mt Maunganui itself. If you're feeling energetic there is a walking track to the top of the Mount. There are hot water swimming pools at the base of the Mount, very nice for a relaxing soak especially on cooler days. If you want to go over to Tauranga city center the local buses stop just down the road from the terminal exit or you could take the ferry across which leaves from the jetty next to the cruise terminal. The kiosk at the entrance to the cruise terminal may have tours you can go on last minute.

We have kettles on on this Japan cruise. But I have to have my tea with my breakfast. If I have strong tea before food it makes me nauseous.

If you're in the buffet you have to carefully choose which drinks station you get your hot water from. Some are hotter than others. And try to wait a minute or so after someone else has just drawn hot water so it has time to heat up again. That's a tip from my favourite waiter, Ana Joy. 😊

True! We had Aljay in Good Spirits who was a master barista and I think he'd trained the others in his team as well. In reality Princess doesn't really understand coffee Australian-style. I think we're even fussier than Italians. They don't understand wine either, other than American wine. The Diamond wine list does have some good European wines by the bottle but is mostly very heavy on US wines, mostly Californian, and the Plus wine list is also very American. But we're lucky, we've found the best waiter team ever and both of them understand wine. We now get the good Riedel glasses at dinner. 😊😊😊

Both Australia and NZ have strict bio-security laws so don't even think of taking food off the ship unless it's something like a muesli bar in original packaging. Fruit is a very strict no-no.

How odd!

Normally I'd agree with you but Coral Good Spirits was the exception.

I've used it successfully for Princess, Carnival and HAL. Never had any luck with the princess.com one.

Yes, it makes the Plus package very borderline for us but we are still breaking even with it, based on internet, coffees, bottled water, cocktails, and the occasional beer Rolf sometimes enjoys with lunch. Although we've had to budget extra for decent wine. The problem isn't the coffee, it's the baristas on Diamond. I very much doubt they have had Lavazza training. In fact I'm not sure they've had any training at all. We had exceptionally good coffee on Coral last year at the Good Spirits Bar. Diamond doesn't have an International Cafe and has been based in Japan for their season so may be low in priority for the Lavazza training, although espresso coffees seemed to be becoming more popular in Japanese cities these days - we had excellent coffee in Yokohama.

Wed 1st Nov - At Sea I had another restless night. I usually sleep fairly well on Princess beds but my back is still a bit achy which makes it hard to get comfortable. We had breakfast in the MDR, then went to the Good Spirits bar so Rolf could get a second espresso. We were lucky to get a waiter that understood coffee as asking for an Espresso resulted in an Americano! We have to ask for a Ristretto! As usual on a sea day we went to morning trivia, hosted by Ian, the assistant cruise director. He had a great set of questions and we did better than usual. The winning team got all 20 correct. I decided I wanted coffee so we went back to Good Spirits. The first attempt got us Americanos, the second attempt got us Macchiatos, so Rolf went and stood over them while they tried again. He convinced the barista to stop the machine at the right level but it still wasn't great. I think I'll have a grumpy Rolf on my hands by the end of this cruise! We had joined another couple at a table and ended up having a great chat with them. They were from Victoria, Canada. We happily chatted away until it was time for lunch. We chose to share a table for lunch and sat with a lovely local couple. She was a restauranteur so was very interested in our description and photos of the Kaiseki meal we'd had. We tried the Plus merlot. Rolf liked it but I wasn't too keen on it. It was a gloriously warm afternoon so after lunch we sat on our balcony to enjoy the fresh sea air and the sound of the waves. Bliss! There were plenty of things happening around the ship, including some Japanese themed sessions which would have been very interesting. It was our first formal night so we glammed up. Overall the standard of dress was much higher than on Australian cruises. The menu was a fairly standard formal night menu but with Japanese additions: We both chose the Nasu Dengaku, the Black Pepper Duck (which was smoked not seared), and the Beef Tenderloin which is a favourite of ours. We asked for the beef very rare and it was just perfect. Of course this meal needed a serious red wine so we decided to treat ourselves to our favourite Barolo but, sadly, they were out of it, so we chose a very nice Burgundy. To our delight our wonderful waiter, Ana Joy, whisked the regular wine glasses off the table and return with two Riedel glasses. It is such a pleasure to have waiters who actually understand wine. We finished our meal with the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar, another old favourite, and which went well with the last of the wine. We'd lingered a bit too long over dinner so it was too late to go to the show. So we retired to our cabin.

Tue 31st Oct - Embarkation Day. Unfortunately I hadn't slept all that well, and woke an hour earlier than I wanted, but when I peeked through the curtains Diamond Princess was already docked waiting for us. We had a leisurely breakfast, then packed our stuff. We'd carefully organised our luggage so we only needed to open a couple of our bags for this stop so repacking them was very quick. Checkout time was 11am but we chose to leave around 10:30am to avoid any queues. We quickly got a taxi for the short trip to the cruise terminal, so were there about 10:45am. Check-in was due to start at noon. I was surprised to see how many people there were already there, there must have been several hundred and all the seating was almost already taken. Our Elite status certainly proved very useful for this embarkation although we ended up in group D. We thought we'd have a long wait but they started calling group A at 11:15, and they called the groups very quickly after that. They had the check-in area screened off from the arrival area. We went through the security screening first, then to the check-in desk to get our medallions. There was no passport check. We were on the ship well before midday but couldn't access our cabin immediately. Princess was being its usual sneaky self with lunch recommendations - the Horizon Court or Prego Pizzeria. Nope! I want my MDR embarkation lunch! A quick check in the medallion app showed the International MDR aft on deck 6 was open. Sadly it wasn't the usual embarkation day lunch menu so I missed out on my souffle but we had a pleasant meal, accompanied by a very basic pinot noir from the Plus list. Much to my annoyance they only list the variety of wine available, not the vintage or winery. It made the Australian Plus wine list pinot noir seem good in comparison. After lunch our cabin was ready, and our luggage arrived there shortly after we did, so we were able to get the unpacking chore out of the way fairly quickly. Our cabin was extremely hot - apparently they were doing maintenance on it - so we sat out on our balcony for a while to cool off before showering and changing. We just made it up to Skywalkers for P.E.S. drinks in time for sailaway. It's odd but the Yokohama Bridge doesn't look like a cruise ship could fit under it but, of course, we did. It was surprisingly quiet up there. On Australian cruises with Skywalkers it is often packed for sailaways. We'd booked a table for two in the Savoy MDR, and were escorted to our table but our waiters appeared to be missing. We were just about to give up hope when they appeared and in the end Ana Joy and Fernando turned out to be two of the best waiters we've ever had on Princess. We asked if we could stay in their section for the rest of the cruise and Ana Joy raced off to organise it with the MDR host. Since it was Halloween all the waiters were dressed in casual clothes, with spooky face paint or masks, instead of the usual wait staff uniforms. It looked very strange. The menu had the usual "Always Available" section but this time in two sections - Japanese and International. I chose miso soup and teriyaki chicken from the Japanese section. There was also a daily Japanese main, a Tonkatsu pork curry, which Rolf had. I chose the Plus pinot grigio but it was very bland. If I'd tasted it in a blind tasting I wouldn't have picked it as a pinot grigio, it just tasted like a generic dry white. So we placed a quick order for a bottle of our favourite gruner veltliner. Rolf tried the chardonnay but it was oaked so wouldn't have suited me. Luckily I've budgeted for purchasing one bottle of wine a day for this cruise. We finished dinner with a silky-smooth crunchy-topped creme brulee. I was a bit tired by then so we headed back to our cabin. Princess has gone mad with sensor-controlled night lights. There is an extremely bright one in the closet area, just outside the bathroom door, and also ones in the base of the bedside units. There is no way to turn these off, other than taping over the sensors. Wasn't it lucky that I just happened to have a large roll of masking tape in my suitcase! 🤣 I suffer from insomnia and if I'm woken by a bright light, or subjected to a bright light while going to the bathroom, it can take a couple of hours before I get back to sleep so night lights like these are a serious issue for me. Our cabin steward isn't happy about the tape but so far has left it in place. Although the cabin was cooler than earlier in the day, it was still too warm for me so it took me ages to get to sleep.

I think it was 22,000 Yen per person, . There was a couple of cheaper menus and one dearer one. We had a couple of 180ml bottles of sake as well and the total was 46,530 Yen. It was definitely worth it!

Yes, they announced that they could be combined again a couple of weeks ago.

Mon 30th Oct - Yokohama After another very yummy breakfast in the hotel we set out to explore Yokohama. We had a few places in mind - the waterfront, Chinatown and the Ramen Museum. We decided to start with the waterfront. There is an " Air Cabin" (gondola) that runs from near the walkway from our hotel across to Shinko, one of the waterfront islands. It was a nice way to view that part of the waterfront. It ended at a small shopping mall which didn't really interest us so we walked around the outside of it until we reached the Circle Walk - an above-ground walkway over a busy intersection. We were heading for the lovely old Red Brick Warehouses which now houses small shops and restaurants. We got there a few minutes before it opened at 11am. There were some lovely shops - leather products, honey products, cute little Japanese stickers and much more. We found a fridge magnet and had a cold drink at a cafe in the first warehouse, then an excellent coffee in the second warehouse. Then we strolled through the waterfront area heading back towards the mall attached to our hotel. I'd left my good glasses case at home and my spare is a bit small for my current glasses, plus we wanted lunch, and that mall links to two train stations. On the way we passed a small cruise ship docked at one of the other wharves. It was Star Breeze, one of the Windstar ships. We're great fans of the Taiwanese dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung, and even though we have one close to where we live we still like to go to them in other cities. When we spotted the one in Landmark Plaza we just had to go there. It was even better than our local one. I eventually found an optical store that had a good selection of glasses cases so was able to get one that just fits my glasses. Much to our annoyance we both ran out of steam at this point so had to flag away any further sightseeing. I guess we were still recovering from the flights. My back was quite sore on one side - I think I must have pulled a muscle trying to get comfortable on one of the planes. We decided to lash out and have a Japanese Kaiseki dinner at the hotel's Japanese restaurant. Kaiseki is a set menu dinner consisting of several small courses, each different in taste and preparation. There were four set menus to choose from. We chose this one: The Hors d'Oeuvre salad was a lovely fresh start to the meal - beautifully cured fish and crisp vegetables with a touch of sweetness from the persimmon. It was served in a cute pumpkin bowl. The soup was a clear broth with the most amazing flavour, served in a teapot. Next was sashimi. The tuna was fantastic, the baby prawns were delicious, and I haven't got a clue what the third item was but it was also very nice. The steamed rice with mullet roe was very tasty and just the perfect sized dish. That was followed by teriyaki yellowtail which was so yummy I forgot to take a photo of it. Next came the simmered dish. Tofu, pumpkin and beans cooked in a light broth. The Japanese Beef Sirloin was the star of the meal. It really did melt in the mouth, yet it didn't have that strong beef fat flavour that sirloin often has (which I can't handle sometimes). Then came sushi and miso soup. Beautiful sushi and the miso soup had an unusually rich flavour but I had reached my limit so only had a taste. Finally we were served some fruit which I also forgot to photograph. I only recognised one - champagne rockmelon (cantaloupe) - but all of it was light and refreshing. We retired, full in the stomach but somewhat poorer in our wallets!

Princess are excellent for price drops prior to final payment. There was a huge price drop a few months ago for the Japan cruise we're currently on. We'd originally booked a balcony cabin which was a bit further forward than I usually like. With the price drop a mid-aft mini-suite ended up being only about $500 total dearer than the original balcony cabin fare so I rang my planner and we upgraded ourselves. Much nicer especially as the weather today has been warm enough to enjoy sitting on our balcony and mini-suites get foot rests for the deck chairs. 😊 Plus a month or so ago I got a call telling us of a big price drop on a 2025 cruise we have booked. That's saved us a significant amount too. 😊

That's unfair. It should have been judged only on facts that were available at the time that cruise embarked!

Remember, the world shut down for a couple of years just before the terminal opened. I imagine the access will improve over time but how quickly will depend on what priority it gets among other local infrastructure project. The Queensland government and local councils must be aware of how it is seen by international and domestic visitors to Brisbane. Hopefully they can come up with some acceptable solutions.

That's better! 🤣

Sat 28 Oct & Sun 29 Oct - Singapore and Yokohama. We arrived in Singapore late afternoon, with a few hours to spare before the flight to Japan. By the time we deplaned my bum was almost completely numb from the very hard seats. We'd had a "refeshment" on the plane before landing so didn't need a meal immediately. Our plan was to have a substantial meal just before boarding the Japan flight so we could go straight to sleep once airborne. We went to the Silver Kris Lounge for a while, and a cup of tea, then decided to stretch our legs and explore the huge Terminal 3. These days it just seems to be one high end fashion shop after another! We had a look in the Butterfly Garden but it was very steamy in there. Even the terminal itself was very warm. I'd hoped to see the Jewel area but couldn't figure out how to get there. So we went back to the lounge. For some reason I was feeling exceptionally tired even though I'd had a snooze on the first flight. The Silver Kris lounge had a great selection of food so we had a pleasant meal. The gate for the next flight was right at the opposite end of the terminal. Oh well, at least we got a bit more exercise. This time we were on a B777 which had softer seats - at least to sit on. On this plane the back of the business class seats fold down to create the bed and that was very firm. I did manage to get about four hours of restless sleep though. We arrived at Haneda around 6:30pm. We'd done the online immigration stuff so we breezed through the formalities, the only real delay was waiting for our luggage to come out. The immigration check only takes a couple of minutes with the QR code. You just present your passport and QR code, they take index fingerprints and a photo, and you're through. The customs check is in two stages - first you scan your passport and QR code at a kiosk, then you individually walk through a couple of gates. I guess it scanned us then. Because we have a fair amount of luggage we needed a bigger taxi. We had a short wait before we got one but ended up with an absolute gem of a driver. He understood some English and also used a translator app on his phone to chat with us. Unfortunately we were affected by street closures for the Yokohama Marathon so we couldn't drive to the hotel entrance but were able to stop near escalators that lead up to a walkway to the Landmark Plaza and our hotel, the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. Our lovely driver was going to take all our luggage himself, which would have taken him three trips, but we convinced him we were perfectly happy taking some of it ourselves. Of course we weren't able to check into our room that early. We went up to the hotel breakfast restaurant and had an excellent breakfast, and the views over the harbour were a feast for the eyes. Then we found a comfy sofa to collapse on for a while. Once the hotel coffee lounge opened we adjourned there for some caffeine. A nice big pot of tea for me but Rolf just decided to have a Coke. Around lunchtime we wandered into the adjacent Landmark Plaza to find somewhere for lunch. We found an excellent sushi restaurant on level 5 and had a lovely meal. Back to the hotel where we still had an hour or so it fill in before we could check in to our room. By now we were both very, very tired. My eyes were starting to feel gritty from lack of sleep. Luckily we got an early check-in - 2:30pm instead of their normal 4pm. We have a gorgeous corner room on the 60th floor, facing east overlooking the harbour. It has a long desk running under the windows with two chairs so we could sit in comfort and enjoy the views while we waited for our luggage to be brought up. Views left to right. The flat looking wharf near the top of this photo, with a grassy roof, is the Osanbashi International Cruise terminal. Once the luggage arrived we had a well-needed nap. The bathroom has a huge shower cubicle and great water pressure so having a shower was absolute bliss! We went back to the Landmark Plaza for dinner. I think we traipsed all over the Plaza before we found one that tempted me - a simple soba noodle bar where we had chilled noodles, tempura on rice, and saki. There were plenty of interesting choices of restaurant but I was so tired I just wanted something plain and simple to eat. We slept very well that night!

I know, I was there too! Last year was a very special set of cruises. Pre-Covid the only ship that "wintered" here after Golden went was Sea Princess and she did the big runs inclund the world cruises. Since Coral was the next replacement for Sea they brought her over to do the restart cruises. We liked her so much we ended up doing 66 nights on her last year.

Current prices taken on Grand in March.