Roll call 3213 Tokyo to Seward May 17-31

[cmhmarine]

Greetings,

 

I did not see an official thread for this particular cruise and was interested in talking with folks who are booked on this voyage.

 

I'm traveling solo, and this will be my second ss cruise.

 

For those that have run this route before, am I correct in my research that temps will be in the 40s Fahrenheit? I know the temp and seas are a toss up, but wanted to see if I was on the right track.

 

 

Cheers,

Josh

[cmhmarine]

Anyone going????

 

I know that all the vistas are sold so there are a few people going......

[ging466]

Hi Josh

 

I'm doing the reverse trip in September....Vancouver to Tokyo.

 

No one answered my roll call either.

 

Since u are going first, I will be very interested to hear your thoughts on the trip.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[cmhmarine]

I will be happy to let you know all about it. I'm looking forward to seeing the shadow since the refurb. My last trip on ss was on the shadow in 09. I'm also wondering how busy the outside areas will be with the cooler temps.

 

And on a side note it's billed as a 15 day cruise, but with the intl date line crossing we gain a day so really it's only 14. Hmmmm.

[DonK]

Hi Josh,

I am also booked on on trip 3213, traveling solo also. This is my first SS cruise but have been on Celebrity (from Anchorage) and Holland American in the past. This will be my sixth trip to Alaska, though I was only going to go there once in 2006. Have spent most of my time fishing in Homer and Seward and sightseeing in Anchorage, Talkeetna and Whittier.

[cmhmarine]

Hi Josh,

I am also booked on on trip 3213, traveling solo also. This is my first SS cruise but have been on Celebrity (from Anchorage) and Holland American in the past. This will be my sixth trip to Alaska, though I was only going to go there once in 2006. Have spent most of my time fishing in Homer and Seward and sightseeing in Anchorage, Talkeetna and Whittier.

 

Good to hear from you! I look forward to meeting your acquaintance. I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy ss. There is nothing like the impeccable service on silversea This will be my first trip to Alaska, and I fear not the last based on your comments. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the 14 hour flight to Tokyo.

[DonK]

I was hoping we might get a few more travelers in this thread, but it's still early, I guess.

Your comment about the temp. on this trip is most likely close for a few of the stops. I've been told that it should be "Cherry Blossom" time in Japan, so I think it should be more 60-70 F. there. I would think Alaska will be more in the 45 to 55F. range. On my first trip to Alaska, I left Anchorage at the same time we will be arriving and it was 70F. Unusually warm. For Alaska they always say to dress in layers. From my experience, one of those should be a rain jacket or wind breaker.

It looks like we will be near a solar eclipse while on our Japan leg.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html#SE2012May20A

I have no idea if we will get to see much of it.

I guess I'm a little more lucky on the flight to Tokyo. AA has a nonstop from DFW, (I live about 15 miles West) so the flying time is only 13 hours which means about a 2:30 PM arrival there.:eek:

Have been to Tokyo a few times, the first as an R&R in the late 60's, and the last in the mid 70's (on business). I'm hoping we get some walking around weather while there.

[cmhmarine]

I was hoping we might get a few more travelers in this thread, but it's still early, I guess.

Your comment about the temp. on this trip is most likely close for a few of the stops. I've been told that it should be "Cherry Blossom" time in Japan, so I think it should be more 60-70 F. there. I would think Alaska will be more in the 45 to 55F. range. On my first trip to Alaska, I left Anchorage at the same time we will be arriving and it was 70F. Unusually warm. For Alaska they always say to dress in layers. From my experience, one of those should be a rain jacket or wind breaker.

It looks like we will be near a solar eclipse while on our Japan leg.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html#SE2012May20A

I have no idea if we will get to see much of it.

I guess I'm a little more lucky on the flight to Tokyo. AA has a nonstop from DFW, (I live about 15 miles West) so the flying time is only 13 hours which means about a 2:30 PM arrival there.:eek:

Have been to Tokyo a few times, the first as an R&R in the late 60's, and the last in the mid 70's (on business). I'm hoping we get some walking around weather while there.

 

Thanks for the tips on the weather. I will pack a jacket. I gleen that you are a veteran as well?

I hope we will get to see the eclipse, that would be fantastic on the boat.

I'm staying at the imperial hotel the night before the departure, as I arrive into nrt at about 430 pm.

If you are interested in catching dinner together I'd be honored.

[DonK]

The Imperial Hotel meet-up sounds great. I’ll be arriving at Narita airport in the afternoon of the 16th (if the plane is on time).

Last night I was watching the National Geographic Channel, and they were reporting on the tsunami of last year. This is the first time I put the ideas together. That is where we are going. Sendai airport is where the news showed the runway being flooded by the sea. The water was about 9 meters high. WOW http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011_Tohoku_earthquake_observed_tsunami_heights_en.png

During 1968, I flew helicopters for the Army out of Vinh Long, on the Mekong River. It was while on R&R that I got to Japan the first time. The last time was in the mid 70’s, while traveling on business. I had decided that helicopter flight was made out of “smoke and mirrors”.

[cmhmarine]

That is amazing. Heard from my travel agent that the stop in Sendai has been cancelled. I'm sure as conditions improve, the stop will be added back, which is a shame we will miss the reconstruction.

[GarySuzy]

We did this on Holland America last year - the temps ranged from the mid 60's to the low 30's. Also if you are crossing from Kamchaka in the Beiring sea be prepared for some high seas - we had 50 ft (15 METER) waves for a day - like riding a roller coaster.

 

We will be on SS next year for this cruise

 

have a good time. and leave enough sake for us.

[cmhmarine]

We did this on Holland America last year - the temps ranged from the mid 60's to the low 30's. Also if you are crossing from Kamchaka in the Beiring sea be prepared for some high seas - we had 50 ft (15 METER) waves for a day - like riding a roller coaster.

 

We will be on SS next year for this cruise

 

have a good time. and leave enough sake for us.

 

Oh boy, does that sound like a ride! I will most likely post a live review if I have an Internet connection along the way. So I will keep you informed as to the conditions.

 

I will try not to deplete the sake reserves...but no guarantees :)

[ging466]

Also if you are crossing from Kamchaka in the Beiring sea be prepared for some high seas - we had 50 ft (15 METER) waves for a day - like riding a roller coaster.

 

OMG, 15 metre waves? I'm doing the reverse voyage, Vancouver to Tokyo in September. Oh dear!:eek:

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[cmhmarine]

OMG, 15 metre waves? I'm doing the reverse voyage, Vancouver to Tokyo in September. Oh dear!:eek:

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

Dont worry I'll get all the waves:)

 

Can't wait to meet up with everyone on the ta...It will be interesting to meet everyone........

[DonK]

I just saw this on CNN Breaking News:

 

(CNN) -- A luxury cruise line ship collided in deep fog with a container ship off Vietnam, punching a hole in the container ship and knocking passengers off their feet, a passenger told CNN Monday.

"No one was hurt on our ship; everyone was certainly shaken up," said passenger Andrew Lock about the incident, which occurred Friday, when the Silver Shadow was about five miles from the coast.

Lock said he and his wife were in the observation lounge at the front of the ship with about eight other passengers. "It was a very foggy day with zero visibility," he said Monday from Hong Kong. "We heard a loud fog horn at the front of our ship, which caused us to look up. Out of the fog we saw a Vietnamese container ship appear, it was sideways on and it was so perfectly lined up that we knew we would hit it. In less than five seconds, we did hit it with the full force of our ship."

Having braced themselves, they remained upright as the ship shuddered, tossing other passengers and a number of items onto the floor, he said.

"The cargo ship rolled over and almost capsized; we hit their bridge and crushed it, and we hit the side, creating a large vertical tear. The cargo ship then scraped down the side of our ship and disappeared into the fog behind us."

He said a "gaping hole" was punched in the other vessel.

After the impact, he said, passengers gathered a few of their possessions and headed to the muster stations. "The crew was calm, but the passengers -- some were scared, or even frantic," Lock said.

But after about 10 minutes, the captain announced that there was no imminent danger, he said.

The ship went on to anchor in Ha Long Bay, as had been planned. "The next day, we went to a nearby port and once we were off the ship we could see how extensive the damage was," Lock said.

In a statement, Silversea Cruises said the Silver Shadow "was involved in a minor incident on March 16, 2012, at around 4:20 GMT as it was approaching the pilot station in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. There was contact between Silver Shadow and a local commercial vessel. Silver Shadow incurred limited minor dents and guests' safety was never compromised. The ship was fully operational and continued on its course to Ha Long Bay, where all shore tours operated normally."

Lock disputed the cruise line's characterization of the incident. "It was a major collision," he said.

Silversea said it will carry out a full investigation into the incident.

Looks like if this ship can handle a colision, it can handle high seas.

[cmhmarine]

Wow that is quite a report!

 

I wonder since they will continue operations if the damage will still be visible??

[DonK]

Wow that is quite a report!

 

I wonder since they will continue operations if the damage will still be visible??

 

 

 

 

CNN had more coverage today. They had video of the ship at dock in Hong Kong and it was being painted while the video was running.

Link:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/19/travel/vietnam-ship-collision/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9

[DonK]

Just noticed that the Tour Book has been published at:

http://www.silversea.com/uploadedFiles/silverseacom/My_Voyage/3213SilverShadowLow.pdf

 

Most of this information was available before, but you had to look for the tours by each stop. They also listed the LOW / HIGH temps. for thee trip.

[cmhmarine]

Thanks for the update! I am looking more forward to the trip each day!

[DonK]

Well, now we are two weeks from departure and closing in on the cruise.:)

I will be leaving on the non-stop out of DFW, anyone else going to Narita, Japan on #175?

[fairbourne]

Morning DonK and cmhmarine

 

Just read your conversations and you two sound like "real gentlemen" and would be a pleasure to sail with. This trip is very much on my bucket list - just have to persuade the DH now, so all good reporting welcome!

 

I can just imagine you two will have some adventures! LOL! Happy sailing!:D

[DonK]

Will try to post and provide some pictures of the land tours. I am taking my my iPad along this time, so I will be working on my "learning curve" of Apple as I post.

[DonK]

One more week to go!

About this time next week I'll be looking out the plane window at my first look at Anchorage on this trip. To be seen two weeks later from the train window.

[fairbourne]

Have a great trip and good luck with your iPad - I just love mine now I'm used to all its little quirks ;):)

[BehaviorQueen]

Anyone going????

 

I know that all the vistas are sold so there are a few people going......

 

My husband and I are on this trip also, and we're looking forward to it. We have been to Tokyo before, and have been to most of the places on the ships tours, so we were wondering if anyone had any ideas about other things to do in Tokyo.

 

We are on the nonstop flight from Washington, Dulles Airport to Narita nonstop, departing on May 16, arriving on May 17. Is anyone else from this cruise on that flight?

 

BehaviorQueen