BruceMuzz

Food in America has gone downhill and so has the service.

Why should a cruise line based in America be any different?

After living in Japan for 30+ years, I have never heard of the Welcome version of th ecard.

For the regular Suica, the deposit is very small.

Makes sense to just get the regular card.

There are far too many opportunities to use it.

You will not lose anything with it.

Worst case - gift it to a friend visiting Japan.

On 7/18/2023 at 5:40 AM, ARandomTraveler said:

Well shoot - I better get on top of this and figure out if I can exchange some dollars here at home before I leave. I'm pretty sure my bank charges a hefty International ATM fee, and my credit card company charges a fee for "cash advances" which is what it would be to take out money from an atm (if that's even possible). 
 

I've read posts from people saying they've gotten foreign currency from their local AAA. I have one near me so I'll check there tomorrow and see what they say. I leave in 8 days so I might be too late.

 

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

All Japanese Airports have ATMs in the arrival halls.

You can get Yen there at a very good exchange rate.

15 hours ago, ldtr said:

If I recall correctly there is a version of the Narita Express train that goes to Yokohama train station.  Faster than one of the local trains.  They usually run often.

 

However as other have said I would look into changing flight or plan on how I would get to the ships next port if I were to miss it and to make sure that I would be able to board there.

You are correct.

Narita Express takes you from Narita to Yokohama Station in just over 90 minutes.

Yokohama Station to Osanbashi Terminal by taxi takes about 10 more minutes.

For most cruises, there is a Takkyubin desk at Osanbashi Terminal.

If you do not find one on your visit, there is a Kuro Neko Shop very close to the Terminal and you can also arrange Takkyubin at any 7-11 or Family Mart store, which are on just about every street corner in Yokohama.

1) Haneda to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku

     Limousine bus direct to hotel (about US$25 p.p.)

     Taxi direct to hotel (about US$75)

     Monorail to Daimon Station (about US$3) Then Toei-Oedo subway to Shinjuku            (about US$1).

2) Keio to Yokohama cruise port for start of cruise

     Narita Express Train from Shinjuku to Yokohama Station (about US$10) Then             taxi to Osanbashi Terminal (about US$10)

3) Yokohama cruise port to Narita at the end of the cruise.

     Limousine bus direct to Narita (about US$ 40 p.p.)

     Taxi to Yokohama Station (about US$10) Then Narita Express direct to Narita               (about US$30 p.p.

There are several plant-based food groups that regularly charter smaller cruise ships for healthy food cruises. You need only Google them to find out when and where.

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

No restaurants in my part of NY have closed due to failed violations in the years I have been living here.

That is because the cleanliness standards required by local land-based health departments are so lax that just about anyone can pass.

If your health department required the same cleanliness and health standards that cruise ships must maintain every day of the year, ALL of the restaurants in your part of NY would be closed.

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) that is part of the US CDC inspects all foreign flag cruise ships that call at American ports.

These inspections are always random and a surprise, and happen at least twice yearly.

If a ship gets a low score - or fails the inspection - it may be legally prevented from sailing with passengers. In extreme cases, it could be banned from calling at US Ports in future.

Note that these procedures, standards and inspections are for Foreign flag Cruise Ships only.

The few existing American Flag Cruise Ships are inspected by the FDA - which is also under the umbrella of the CDC.

But the FDA standards and requirements are more relaxed than the VSP requirements for oforeign flag ships.

What would happen if the VSP wanted to inspect your local restaurant, using the same strict standards and regulations?

The answer is easy. Your local restaurant would fail the inspection.

Foreign flag cruise ships are required to maintain much higher standards than local US Health Departments require.

Many of the procedures and standards required of daily F&B Operations on ships are completely unknown in land-based restaurants.

Does this mean you are at risk when eating in your local land-based restaurant?

Generally no.

But it does mean that you are much safer than you might imagine when eating in a restaurant on a foreign-flag cruise ship.

More concerning are the local restaurants you frequent in America.

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) at CDC is only authorized to inspect foreign flag cruise ships that call at American ports.

If they inspected your local restaurant, I can guarantee that the restaurant would fail.

Suica Card is accepted by most taxis, most vending machines, fast food restaurants, most buses, all convenience stores, ferries, and most JR Trains.

When you get the card (at nearly any JR or subway station) it can be printed with your name in English or Japanese. An interesting souvenir.

Any balance on the card can be refunded at a major train or subway station before you leave Japan.

If you choose to leave the balance on the card and return to Japan in 5 years, the balance will still be there.

On 7/21/2023 at 4:34 PM, Harters said:

I'd never heard of it either. And, after a quick Google, I see it wouldnt be easy to find . It's suggested that Amazon would be the best source, through which it gets delivered in insulated boxes from Germany.  Although I reckon there would be food import issues since we left membership of the Union. 

 

FWIW, it's priced at £35 per kilo. 

Natto is often sold frozen, in small styrofoam boxes.

In Japan, one portion sells for about US$ 0.50.

14 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Handy if you are already taking blood thinning medication....just a thought 😁

Excellent point.

In Japan, Doctors warn patients that they cannot take blood thinners and eat Natto at the same time.

Using Natto to control blood pressure is a much healthier - and less expensive - option.

First, you need to identify which Tokyo Cruise Port you are talking about.

Tokyo has 6 International Cruise Ports / Terminals.

Four of them are inside Tokyo-to (Tokyo City):

1. Harumi, which is right downtown, next to the Olympic Village, is the best location, but can only accommodate ships small enough to sail under the Rainbow Bridge, which spans Tokyo Bay.

2. Takeshiba, is located a bit further South, and handles some smaller domestic Japanese cruises and Dinner Cruises.

3. Hinode, next to Takeshiba is similar to Takeshiba. also handles river cruises on Edo-gawa.

4. Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, located on the island south of the Rainbow Bridge, at O-Daiba. This is the new terminal that handles ships too large to pass under the Rainbow Bridge. This Terminal is very close to Haneda Airport.

Two of them are in Yokohama, which is more or less a suburb of Tokyo:

5. Osanbashi, in central Yokohama handles many international ships, but only those small enough to pass under the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

6. Daikoku, located on an island South of Yokohama. This is a cargo Pier  / Terminal that can accommodate overflow from Osanbashi and also ships too large to pass under the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

Japan does not have a big business offering tours from the cruise terminals. That is one of the reasons why ship's tours are far more popular and common in Asia generally - and Japan specifically. But there are many tour operators who can be contacted and arranged to pick you up at a cruise terminal for a tour. It is far more common in Japan for a tour operator to pick you up at a hotel to take you on a tour.

Luggage and Immigration at Narita are generally very fast.

Customs is just a formality that is also very fast - especially for foreigners.

Narita Express runs about every 15 to 20 minutes at that time of day.

The ticket window and the platform are in the basement of your terminal building.

The ticket sellers speak English.

The SIM Card shops and 7-11 shops / ATMs are in the same area.

Luggage trolleys are designed to ride on the escalators.

There are many elevators as well.

Japan is very strict about most medicines.

until a few years ago, one needed a doctor’s note to purchase Tonic Water - which is a medicine.

The government is looking for large quantities of controlled substances being imported or exported.

They have no interest in your 7-day supply of blood thinner.

If you do plan to carry a large quantity of opiates or similar into Japan, you need to report it.

13 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

Well, Bruce, the advice I got from a local on TripAdvisor agrees with you that the Narita Express, even if slower than the Sklyliner, is a better option, with a taxi from Tokyo Station to the hotel.  

Skyliner to Ueno in 41-44 minutes, plus a 20 minute taxi ride to Tokyo Station area adds up to just over one hour and around 5,500 - 6,000 yen for one person, or around 8,000 - 8,500 yen for 2 people. Changing from train to taxi at Ueno Station is not easy for tourists.

Narita Express to Tokyo Station in 60 minutes is 3400 yen for one person, or 6,800 yen for 2 people. Then it is a short walk or taxi to the hotel. Tokyo Eki to Okura Hotel is around 1,500 yen by taxi.

There are many different Limousine Bus companies going from Narita to Central Tokyo.

The biggest and best company charges 3,200 yen per person (6,400 yen for 2 people), and stops at all the big hotels. No additional walking or taxi required. Commute time varies by traffic conditions, but you can expect 90 to 120 minutes.

All 3 options offer free WIFI.

Comparing the 3 options above, Skyliner is the least desirable option, based on cost and travel time. Although I must say that the Skyliner train cars are a bit nicer than Narita Express - and certainly nicer than the limousine bus.

This summer, 5 ships in port together at Santorini is about as good as you can hope for.

Typically there will be 8 to 10 ships.

On 7/19/2023 at 8:23 AM, Hlitner said:

Am surprised that Brucemuzz has not jumped in with his excellent information.  It is a long way from Narita into Tokyo and with 4 persons/luggage you are going to need a small van.  One option is to just go  to the taxi stand and they should be able to get you an appropriate vehicle.  There are numerous online sites where you can reserve private transit.  Expect to pay more than $220 and it can be a long ride if traffic is heavy.  I cannot recommend any specific site since we have not personally used any.  On our recent flight to Tokyo we booked into Haneda :).

 

Hank

Hank,

You made the right choice.

For many years, Narita Kuko (airport) was my favorite.

But now that Haneda has been re-done and updated, it definitely has the advantage.

Haneda is closer and better organized, with better shopping, facilities, and dining. Access is far less expensive and much faster.

For cruisers joining a ship, Haneda is right in the middle of all the action.

4 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

Sorry, it’s the Skyliner, which travels at 160 mph, but might not be called a “bullet” train.  I know it takes 41 to 44 minutes.  https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/skyliner/index.php

 

If they go 160 mph, then they are 26 mph slower than bullet trains, but 41 minutes to central Tokyo is still pretty good.  

 

 

 

Not everything you read in Japan is true.

The Skyliner usually departs Ueno or Nippori Station for Narita Airport.

Ueno and Nippori Stations are NOT in Central Tokyo - although it is in Northern Chiyoda-ku, which is officially Tokyo-To (Tokyo City in Japanese).

The distance from Ueno to Narita is 75 kilometers. That is about 46 miles.

If the Skyliner travelled at 160 mph, why would it take 41 minutes to make the 46 mile trip?

How do I know this?

Before I moved to Central Tokyo, I lived up North in Nezu, near Nippori Station.

I often rode the Skyliner back and forth to Narita Airport.

Although the company may claim that the train can travel at 160 mph, it rarely exceeds 60 mph.

With the Skyliner ending at Nippori or Ueno, it is another 20 minute taxi, subway, or train ride to get to Central Tokyo.

The Skyliner Express Train is very similar to the JR Narita Express train.

For essentially the same fare, Narita Express DOES go to Central Tokyo, stopping at Tokyo Station (60 minutes), Shibuya Station (70 minutes), Shinjuku Station (75 minutes), before ending at Yokohama Station (95 minutes).

The OP’s Wife has a First World Problem that is theirs alone to solve.

Let’s move on.

You can look at this question from the ship’s perspective.

On EVERY cruise ship - regardless of size, fares, or style - Guest ratings for the cruise are critical to the staff.

There are some Cruise Directors who can push the ratings extremely high - and others who cannot.

These ratings are coming directly from the Guests.

Unless those Guests are lying to us, some Cruise Directors make a huge difference in the Guest experience.

Do you like to eat honey?

I certainly do - lot’s of it.

In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration regulates food products that are produced in America, or imported into America.

Typically in America there are very strict enforceable rules about production, processing, and labeling of Food Products.

But honey (and a few other food items) receive only “suggestions” from the FDA.

1. Honey labeled and sold as “Pure Honey” in America does not need to contain any honey at all. The FDA “suggests” that the producer use real honey.

2. Honey labeled and sold as “Produced in USA” could come from any country, but the FDA “suggests” that it should come from America. 

Recent random tests have concluded that Pure Honey in America is rarely as advertised.

Frequently in the USA, “Pure Honey”, “Produced in the USA” is a mixture of honey imported from other countries and blended with cheap sugar syrup.

Since the FDA does not actively regulate nor inspect honey sold in America, you are on your own to determine what you are actually buying.

1. Real honey is not runny. If you pour a small amount on your thumbnail, it will not run off.

2. The natural sugars in real honey crystallize over time. If your honey does not do this, it is probably adulterated.

3. The vinegar test. If you put a few drops of vinegar on honey, and nothing happens, it is probably pure. If the combination starts to bubble or fizz, you do not have pure honey.

7 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

Oops on above.  I see you don't want to take the bus. 

 

We considered the bullet train and then a cab from the station in Tokyo, but sounds like you might need two cabs from there.

Oops - there is no Bullet Train (Shinkansen) from Narita Airport.

The closest alternative is JR Narita Express.

This train runs from Narita to Tokyo Station (60 minutes), Shinjuku Station (75 minutes), Shinagawa Station (sometimes) (90 minutes), and Yokohama Station (105 minutes).

The cars are designed for travelers, with nice seating, luggage storage at each end of the car, free WIFI, and announcements in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English,

On the better cruise lines, you often have the option of listing the name you would like to be addressed by.

Maybe you need to get away from the Walmart of the Seas lines.