Aitchgeye

In Australia, the $1 deal offer has crashed their site. Just realized that it only applies to select cruises. so it does give the $1 option on a cruise that I like in June 25. Oh well.

Hi all, When cruising, I am quite happy drinking water supplied in the Lido beverages area. I understand that this water has been generated from seawater, filtered and treated (reverse osmosis?). Now the issue is that we will be cruising in October from Yokohama, sailing past the Fukushima nuclear power plant where they recently discharged mega litres of treated waste water into the Pacific. What are the consequences for passengers? I don’t think reverse osmosis will remove radioactivity. am I panicking unnecessarily? Helen

With me, the site briefly opens the $1 page, and then the algorithm must see that we have an Aussie IP address and so off it goes.

Just recently we purchased the 4 bottle, cheapest package and we were able to keep the bottles at the MDR, and the waiter at the Tamerind fetched a bottle for us when we dined there, no problem. The waiters even swapped one of the bottles (white) for a red. No issues if you ask nicely.

As do I😉

Love using Google Translate, google maps is also terrific! I use my regular compass to help orientate myself to directions in new places.

I am interested in your blog, as I hope to travel from Australia to Vancouver. But in the meantime, people following the blog may be interested in travelling independently in Melbourne. Melbourne '"Downtown" is near the port and accessible by tram- need a Myki card Attend an Australian Football League game at the MCG (preferably) or other venues. Visit the Botanic Gardens, National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria Market (food and souvenirs) Day trips- accessible by train Visit Ballarat or Bendigo- train travel in Victoria is super cheap, and you can purchase Myki cards at Southern Cross station. Ballarat is known for Sovereign Hill, and also has a decent wildlife park. Get a taxi when you get there. Bendigo is a lovely gold mining town, that is beautiful to walk around. The Great Ocean Road trip is awesome, but if you choose to complete the whole circuit that includes Port Campbell it will be a long and rushed day. Consider hiring a car, and travelling just to Lorne and back. Over Easter this journey will be very very slow due to vacationers heading to the coast.

Hey, interesting following your journey and comments. Just wondering, could you take the japanese mixed alcoholic beverages on board. Last time we were in Japan, you could purchase 'mixed drinks'at 7/11 type stores. This possibly be a cost saving measure for us Aussies. Helen

From our experience last year when our flight was delayed, we were ticketed onto the next available QA flight which in our instance was hours later. I would suggest giving yourself a three hour transfer time. Helen

Thanks, desperate times lead to desperate measures (I have neck problems). I even asked the cabin steward if I could buy this pillow. You can guess the answer. H

Thanks, Hank for your updates. Hopefully they will have more live entertainment options when we sail in October. I must admit last year, DH and I enjoyed the movies that are available in our cabin.

I loved their pillows when we travelled on the Eurodam last year. 100% polyester. I even took a photo of the details of the manufacturer- ‘Sobel Westex- www.sobelwestex.com’. At the time, the manufacturer did not ship internationally. Oh well, we are leaving for Canada soon so I may be able to find a way to buy one over there. Helen

Also, I bring my own fork because I am a messy in using chopsticks. Some Japanese cafes do not have forks to cater for us foreigners.

Also, HAL does not acknowledge educators who work in other countries, like Australia. Maybe HAL do not have processes to validate our teacher registration details, or maybe we are too small of a customer base for them to care otherwise. Helena

Like Hank, we prefer independent travel for the reasons he stated. We found the Japanese transport system just to easy to navigate as those in Europe, and when wandering the streets around we use the google image translate to convert Japanese symbols to English. A guided tour in a museum/art gallery etc always is preferable to other options as for us allows us to ask questions.

Thank you for this information about prepaying gratuities in local currency. The AUD exchange rate is even worse than the CAD, so even more the reason to prepay. Helen

In 2018, we spent a few days in Tokyo, also staying near the Shinjuku station. We purchased a data only sim, which was very handy as we used our phone apps to guide us, and translate. If you feel inclined, see if you can book a walking evening tour of the Golden Gai. This neighbourhood in Shinjuku is filled with closet-sized bars where each bar has a theme with interesting bar tenders and drinks. Also visit a Japanese supermarket. You will be surprised how it differs to your own. We tried to locate bread and butter which we eventually found. I agree that ordering in a regular neighbourhood restaurant is an experience, No no need to worry about gratuities 😉 . We found the staff gracious, and accommodating. Just my thoughts. Helen

Thanks Hank for your post. We will are planning to cruise on the Westie later this year and would be interested on your insights on the cruise and shore excursions. Great to read the details, like the cost of taxis etc. Helen

I agree with Rochelle, I was on the Eurodam last April . There was a reasonable range of novels and also Lonely planet books. An added bonus on our 19 day cruise was the book club which was led by the cruise director and where we read an Elizabeth Strout novel. I understand that the book club may only be offered on longer cruises.

I also received this notification and I am not concerned. Sokcho and Nagasaki seems to provide many interesting activities on shore.

Love all your advice, I just like to add one suggestion. You may need to research public holiday dates for any locations you are visiting pre/post or even during the cruise. Surges of local visitors on public holidays will impact your overall experience, and you may wish to make other plans.

Hey fellow HA cruisers, Just wondering, do any of you have any creative/practical ideas on how to use the tiles?

We astayed overnight at Miami no star motel, and took an Uber to the cruise port at 11am rather than wait until 2pm on our hotel allocated shuttle . Uber is good value, and provided timely and courteous service.

Every night On the Eurodam in April, I filled up the water and ice into a plastic beaker at the drinks station. Then I poured this water into my own water bottle. I think it’s important not to fill up directly from the machine. I did this in front of crew, and their managers. No problems. the water was delicious.