Live from the 2015 QE World Voyage

[maggiemou]

The world Cruise dinner for QE is in Dubai so I believe as Roscoe pointed out

 

I have been to two Cunard world cruise dinners in Dubai over the past few years. Both time it was held at the MADINAT JUMERAH which is the largest resort in Dubai, a mini city designed like old Arabia spread across over 40 hectares and is part of BURJ AL ARAB.

 

It is a stunning location and we had amazing food and plenty of free drinks plus outstanding entertainment. Captain and all senior officers attend and host a table so all world cruise passengers are seated with an officer of senior staff member. Dancing speeches entertainment and a wonderful venue all add to make this one of the highlights of the world cruise. It is black tie and very formal so you can wear you best outfits and jewellery already purchased in the gold souks in Dubai. :)

I am sure this years event will be just as stunning. Have a fantastic time all world cruisers.

 

Read my blogs about Dubai here.

 

http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-guides/maggiemou/?utm_campaign=MAGGIE290414&utm_medium=email&utm_source=MAGGIE290414

[Scrapnana]

Unfortunately, all the tables at the World Cruise Gala are not hosted by an officer. There were at least 50 tables (I know this because I was at table 50) and none of the ones around ours had an officer.

 

Pat, so sorry to hear you have the "Cunard cough".

[Oahucruiser]

I believe that I read on here that this year's world cruise dinner is at Atlantis on Palm Island which, if I am accurate, would be a spectacular place to have it.

[maggiemou]

Unfortunately, all the tables at the World Cruise Gala are not hosted by an officer. There were at least 50 tables (I know this because I was at table 50) and none of the ones around ours had an officer.

 

Pat, so sorry to hear you have the "Cunard cough".

 

 

Hi Kathy, How are you ?

To confirm my post. I did say that the tables were hosted by the Captain and senior officers or senior staff. We were on the Hotel Manager's table last year.

As there are more tables than officers you may be seated with the head of another department for instance it could be the head of the Spa, the shops manager or the person in charge of the Cunard world club. Whoever it may be, the tables are always hosted.

Edited March 19, 2015 by maggiemou

[maggiemou]

Hi Pat, thanks for your post and update. Sorry to hear you have been unwell. JT & I hope you are feeling better. Take care. Maggie.

[andhow]

Hi Kathy, How are you ?

To confirm my post. I did say that the tables were hosted by the Captain and senior officers or senior staff. We were on the Hotel Manager's table last year.

As there are more tables than officers you may be seated with the head of another department for instance it could be the head of the Spa, the shops manager or the person in charge of the Cunard world club. Whoever it may be, the tables are always hosted.

 

Last year on the Queen Victoria there were only four hosted tables at the World Voyage dinner - we were told it was due to cutbacks.

 

andhow

[Scrapnana]

Hi Kathy, How are you ?

To confirm my post. I did say that the tables were hosted by the Captain and senior officers or senior staff. We were on the Hotel Manager's table last year.

As there are more tables than officers you may be seated with the head of another department for instance it could be the head of the Spa, the shops manager or the person in charge of the Cunard world club. Whoever it may be, the tables are always hosted.

 

Hi, Maggie,

 

Table 50 was not hosted by anyone from Cunard. All of us were passengers most of whom I had not seen onboard (funny how you can be onboard for so long and keep meeting new people). They must have run out of official people before they got to table 50.:D

[Scrapnana]

Duplicate post - sorry, having slow internet issues (feel like I am on a ship:D).

Edited March 19, 2015 by Scrapnana

[MicCanberra]

The world Cruise dinners sound wonderful, hopefully, I will get to one eventually.:D

Edited March 19, 2015 by MicCanberra

[alibabacruisers]

Sorry Pat, but I do like having the news reports because since the beginning

of the cruise sometimes that has been the only way we knew what was

happening to cause discomfort, change in plans, etc.

 

Thursday, 19 Mar

 

We slept in a bit this morning and when I looked outside our balcony it was

not very encouraging as it was raining, foggy but the temp wasn't too cold.

By the time we went to the Lido both sides were open and we went to the side

we don't usually go to for a change. The only difference was that at the

omelet station cooking apparatus actually worked consistently on this new

side, which made getting our omelet quicker.

 

It looked like everyone was trying to decide when to get off the ship and

hoping that the rain would stop soon, but that was something that would not

happen unil late in the afternoon. We waited a bit longer and finally set

off around 9:30 to explore a bit of Kobe.

 

We got off the ship (no umbrellas were left by this time), into the terminal,

down the escalator to the ground floor and it was nice to see a tourist

information center, currency exchange and a small souvenir shop (which we did

not actually see until we came back in the afternoon). We asked the man at

the tourist counter for some directions and a map. He also provided a paper

with the shuttle schedule. I still think it would have been nice to have

more shuttles on or at least a separate shuttle for QE, but Gavin, the port

presenter, explained during his talk earlier that there would only be one.

That meant that in addition to QE passengers, locals would use this shuttle

and there was only one. You would have to wait for that shuttle to take

people to the Motomachi Shopping Center and then come back.

 

We finally left the terminal and got in the line, well it was not really a

line, but just a group of people waiting with no order. A shuttle was there

and it stayed there until the time it was scheduled to leave, all the while

more and more people kept crowding on. Because it was raining and kind of

warm, with all those people it made it so hot on the shuttle and no air.

Finally we were on our way. The Motomachi Shopping Center is in the city

center on Nakamachi Street and has lots of shops, but most were not ones I

had heard of plus smaller shops that it seemed like people just set up short

term. Once you entered it you could keep walking for a long time and it was

divided up by breaks that cross several small streets.

 

If you stand at the entrance to Motomachi on Nakamachi Street and look to the

left there was Chinatown. The colors stood out making it easy to see and we

went here first. Most shops were little restaurants and had food ready for

the crowds around lunch time. There was ONE souvenir shop in the whole of

Chinatown, that we saw, and we went in to browse and check prices for

comparison later. We saw one of the crew members whom we chat to every

morning at breakfast. We like seeing familiar faces when we are out and

about. It was still raining so we kept trying to duck in periodically where

ever we could for shelter. Once we had seen all we could there we took a

side alley into Motomachi.

 

Once inside Motomachi, we headed back to the entrance so we could start over

from the beginning. This shopping Center is only one floor so you just

walked and had shops on both sides to look at. There were a few places to

eat in here as well and just like in Chinatown, we thought it was interesting

that a lot of places had models, some plastic and some real, of the food they

offered. Throughout the center some places had huge animal statues and we

always like to get our pictures with them; animals like bull at a place that

served the famous Kobe beef, dinosaur and dragon at another, and Spiderman

and I still haven't figured out the significance of that.

 

Umbrellas must be an important item in Japan because we saw lots of shops

where that was all they sold. They had basic ones, ranging in price from 390

yen to over 10,000 yen. I have never seen so many in one place in my life!

It was interesting and with the fact that we did not have one, meant we were

trying to find one. We finally settled on one but not before some kind

Japanese lady stopped next to us at one stand. She was giving us advice on

umbrellas and which to buy. We thought that was very kind of her and her

English was excellent. We thanked her and she waved as she left. Everyone

we encountered was so friendly. We did not buy from that vendor but chose one

further down the way before exiting Motomachi, where it was still raining.

 

My DH wanted to try some soup that he always sees people eating and we did

not know what the name of it was. Most stalls had it but we finally stopped

at one and he pointed to it on the menu board because hardly anyone in this

area spoke English. The guy came outside his stall to see what DH ad pointed

to, then went back around to prepare it. It was 400 yen, which seemed to be

the same at the other stalls too. I had tried pork buns before when I was

stationed in Hawaii so I had one of those. DH was disappointed in his choice

but I really liked mine.

 

Food out of the way and off we went back outside the entrance to Motomachi.

We looked to the left and looked to the right trying to decide which way to

go. To the left and across the street, we saw a Michael Kors store that is

due to open next month and to the right was a bank and other business looking

buildings. We opted to go left to the corner and see what was around that

area. There were many little shops but nothing of interest to us and across

this street we saw the train lines and hordes of people coming and going from

it. We back tracked to the corner and crossed it next to the Michael Kors.

We wandered down this street a little before coming across another shopping

center. This was a two or three floor shopping center and had a few stores

we recognized and it seemed to be a more popular choice for locals.

 

I noticed shoes here were pretty reasonably priced and the styles were

reminiscent of a bygone era but presented well. Lots of color and choice was

seen at all the shops. I kept searching for souvenir-type shops and still

found no more than that one a Chinatown. Usually when we have been to ports

they are everywhere, but not here. We must have been looking in the wrong

places. I saw a few Kimono shops and loved looking at them with all of their

accessories and had to take some pictures! As I had learned previously the

prices for nice ones was higher than the casual cotton ones. But they were

all pretty to me. I kept envisioned me in one of the shops trying to be

fitted for one and how hilarious that would have been :)

 

We went back to the Chinatown souvenir shop so I could get a few things and

with that done we went back to the shuttle stop. There were a about 15

people waiting under the shelter and by the time the shuttle arrived many

more had accumulated. We arrived back to he ship around 1:35pm.

 

At the terminal we inquired if we could do Immigration before boarding and

were told not until 2pm when the officials got ther and set up. So we went

to the currency exchange desk and turned in out remaining yen, minus the

coins which I wanted to keep. I like having coins from different countries

that we have been to. That is when I noticed the small souvenir shop next to

the currency desk. Dang! Wished I had seen that first, but when you have one

idea in mind you tend to have blinders on. They only had a few small magnets

and a couple of other things, which I could not see through all the people

that just arrived back into the terminal.

 

We had about 20 minutes to wait and sat in the area where people were using

the free Wi-Fi. I looked around after about 10 minutes and saw a line was

forming for Immigration and we flew to get in the queue. Thank goodness for

that because as soon as we got in line many, many others saw it too and got

in the line behind us. Right on cue at 2pm, the doors opened and the

departure Immigration process had begun. It was much quicker this time

around and we were soon back on the ship.

 

After dropping our things back to the cabin and washing our hands thoroughly,

we went to the Lido for a bit of a snack. As we sat there DH's backgammon

friend dragged him away and a CC friend, Chris and I sat in the Lido and

talked for a long time. We exchanged stories about tour experiences among

lots of other topics. Near 5:30 we said our goodbyes.

 

A lot of Japanese locals were amassing already for the emminent sailaway.

They had little Cunard flags as well as a few Japanese flags. It made my

heart swell to see their excitement to see us off and I was determined to be

on our balcony "with them" until we sailed away.

 

Around 5:55pm, David Hamilton, the hotel manager, announced that there were

about 300 people that needed to go through the Immigration process and to

please proceed to the terminal. Then around 6:30 the Captain announced

everyone was on board and we would be dropping line shortly when cleared by

the Japanese officials. We planted ourselves on our balcony wearing our

jackets because it was colder now that it was earlier. The whole front of

the terminal balcony was even more crowded and more people kept coming. They

were so excited to be seeing QE and to send her off. I could see children

being hoisted onto their relatives shoulders for a good vantage point,

cameras in ready position, flags ready, people running from one end to the

other trying to get the best view, people scanning the length of the ship and

waving just to see if someone would wave at them, and all this excitement was

contagious and building to a higher level.

 

It seemed like the final clearance process was taking so long! Trains were

passing behind the terminal full of people heading home after their work day

and even they were trying to see the QE. Everyone, both on the ship, in the

terminal and on the roadside next to the terminal (in a section that was

marked off so they could safely watch us sailaway) was anxiously waiting for

some sign of progress. You could almost feel the excitement building in the

air. Finally around 7:30 or so the guys on the dock got out of their trucks

and starting dropping the lines and everyone got that message and started

waving and yelling.

 

Here we go!!! QE started pushing away from the dock and we started waving

to the many locals who had waited so long to see us off. Camera flashes could

be seen everywhere, flags waving, people saying goodbye. That is when I noticed

lots more people on their balconies and had all kinds of things waving back to

our Japanese hosts. Some passengers were yelling Arigato, others Sayonara,

other thank you Japan, and still others words in Japanese that I could not

understand, but felt like they had friends and/or family there. It was so wonderful!

As I looked around at the other balcony passengers, I could see face towels,

hand towels, bath towels and even pool towels being used as flags waving wildly

to show them how much we thanked them for their hospitality. We were also

taking pictures and videos of the emotionally charged scene to relive in the future.

 

This process went on for a long time. We also saw these remote controlled objects

in the air with red and green lights flying overhead as we departed and they, at first,

looked like UFO's...lol. When we were on our way and thought that the excitement

was over we passed another little area where people had congregated and were

waiting their turn to wave us off! So we did our best to make sure it was

worth their wait by waving and shouting to them as well!

 

The buildings of Kobe were lit up and seemed so bright as we sailed away

towards our next port of call. Arigato Japan! Sayonara! (Well at least I

know a couple of words in Japanese now...only a few ;) )

 

I just laid in my bed with a warm smile on my face as I drifted off to

sleep....good night everyone!

Edited March 19, 2015 by alibabacruisers

[MicCanberra]

How wonderful the Japanese send offs are, thanks Barbara.:D

[Rotterdam]

how terrible / horrifically the Japanese treated the WW2 prisoner of war......I know my Dad who served in the Navy never forgot!

[roscoe39]

how terrible / horrifically the Japanese treated the WW2 prisoner of war......I know my Dad who served in the Navy never forgot!

 

DELETED POST (it wasn't worth it)

Edited March 20, 2015 by roscoe39

[MicCanberra]

how terrible / horrifically the Japanese treated the WW2 prisoner of war......I know my Dad who served in the Navy never forgot!

 

Nor should he have too.

I was referring to the Japanese people and the send offs now and not what was done in war.

[Janix]

Wed 16th March – Kobe

 

We arrived at Kobe in fog, as planned around 1130 in the morning, but it took a while to gain clearance from the authorities. There were quite large crowds on the balconies and the visitors area on the roof of the cruise terminal, and an American style om-pah band was there to welcome us. We did not have a tour booked until the evening.

 

We waited for the ship to be cleared and although there were announcements made to inform us of delays, we never heard the announcement that we could proceed ashore, even though the TV was tuned to channel 40 ? So at nearly 1pm after deciding it was time to a look, we headed down to deck 2 to find we could go ashore and there were no queues in sight. We marched off the ship and into the terminal where we were directed to Japanese Immigration. Here after a short delay, our passports were checked, index fingerprints and photos taken and a departure card affixed to our passports. A separate customs declaration form was handed in at customs.

 

Our original intention had been to take the Shinkansen Bullet train to Hiroshima, but we estimated that we did not have enough time to get there and back, and see the sights, before our tour departed at 1745, so had a change of plans and decided to stay in Kobe for the afternoon.

 

Although there was a driverless train available from the port station, we found there was an empty shuttle bus available, so took that into the centre of Kobe. We were deposited outside the Kobe Daimaru department store, which was just opposite Chinatown and very close to the Motomachi Shopping street. The same stop was also used for the Kobe City Loop bus, so we jumped on that for a quick hop-on hop-off tour around the central part of the city. This was due to take 63 minutes, and was fashioned after an old green tramcar, but was in fact a modern bus, and cost either 260 yen for one trip or 660 yen for a day pass.

 

After completing the complete circle of the bus, passing by the maritime museum and main port areas then both the train stations we alighted at stop number 16, where we had initially joined the bus. The main road junction to the right is similar to one often portrayed in Tokyo, where the traffic stops and there are multiple pedestrian crossings marked across it at various angles, allowing anyone to cross straight or diagonally. This took us to the Motomachi shopping street, which is a modern covered shopping area, adjacent to Chinatown. Although we had been told that English was not well used in Japan, we found there was enough of it to get around quite easily.

 

We returned to the main street via Chinatown, decorated by hanging lanterns, where there were numerous food outlets selling all kinds of Chinese food, and other delicacies. Unfortunately the weather had changed and it started to rain. It was sunny when we left the ship, so hadn’t taken any rainwear with us, and because we were within yards of bus stop 16, we joined the queue to catch the shuttle back to the ship. It was around 1630 at this point so it would give us time to change ready for our evening trip to the Umeda Sky Building and take the rooftop Skywalk followed by a Japanese Sukiyaki meal in Osaka.

 

Did I mention the rain? Well it rained heavily for the next 24 hours, so our city tour of Osaka and trip up the Sky Building in the rain was a problem. Wet bus windows and wet observation gallery windows are not ideal ways to view the outside scenery. An in walking the 100 yards to the various buildings we were quickly soaked. However we were on holiday and the meal itself was a great success, although at first it looked like we would be squatting on the floor on cushions. However we were doing it ‘western style’ and there was a sunken floor on which to place your feet, and sit normally. Cooking your own Kobe beef and vegetables on a table top equipped with a built in gas burner and heavy cast iron pot was a great novelty, once we had a little instruction. There was a choice of sake, beer, wine or soft drinks to wash it down, and it was all excellent.

 

We were an hour late returning to the ship by 2315, but I think everyone enjoyed the experience. Our tour guide was a little gem and had everyone in stitches several times during the trip, and she even sang to us on the way back. It was straight to the horizontal position in order to be ready for another hectic day in Kyoto the following day.

 

John

[Janix]

Wednesday 17th March – In Port Kobe

 

An early call this morning in order to grab a cuppa and then proceed to the Queens Room for 0640 ready for our long day driving through Osaka to visit Nara and Kyoto, the old ancient capitals of Japan. Our tour was entitled Ancient Japan unfortunately it was still raining heavily and we were sodden before we even joined the coach. However we were soon on our way along the main highway to Osaka. The main rods all appear to be toll roads, and the tolls did not appear to be cheap ?

 

One of Japan’s most famous temples is the Todaiji Temple in Nara. Known for the great image of Buddha, which has become a symbol of Nara, the temple itself is the largest existing wooden structure in the world. Here sacred deer were allowed to roam free throughout the grounds, and of course they were all looking for food, which could be purchased locally ! Next we headed to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine which was originally constructed in 768 AD, and has been rebuilt over 5and a 0 times in accordance with Shinto custom to purify the site. The pathways are lined with 2000 stone lanterns, before passing through the Torii Gate to see the unique architecture and brilliant vermilion and green halls.

 

From Nara we then followed the expressway to Kyoto to visit another series of wooden structures and the Kiyomizu Temple. Pillars against the mountainside support the magnificent wooden construction which was built in ‘Yosemune-zukuri’ style, and is unique in that not one nail has been used in its construction. The promised wonderful views over Kyoto did not materialise though.

 

 

Next we were taken to a local ‘Pub’ in order to have a traditional Japanese lunch which was interesting. Not being a fan of sushimi I found the soup which was placed over a small burner and ideal way to ‘cook’ the fish. This proved to be a popular way of dealing with the raw fish! Maybe I had learned something from the Sukiyaki meal  

 

 

After lunch we headed to the Golden pavilion, which featured a three storey pavilion covered in gold leaf, surrounded by tranquil Japanese style gardens and a serene pond. At least it would have been serene if it wasn’t for the hundreds of visitors. However the rain had now ceased and it was very picturesque and a definite must see!

 

 

Around a two hour drive had us back at the Cruise terminal for 1730, which was just about the reverse of entering the country? Back on board by 6pm and the ship was scheduled to leave at 7pm. However even though everyone had been told they needed to pass through immigration again today, it seems that some people either do not read the information or just ignore it, so we were nearly one hour late departing. Masses of people had come to the terminal and surrounding areas to watch QE leave, there were spotlights shining into the sky, a Japanese drum salute by three drummers, and eventually we pulled away from the pier, reversing out of the terminal and then off through the port for our passage to Busan, in South Korea.

 

 

A very interesting country and a truly memorable experience. Many people are commenting they would like to re-visit Japan again.

 

John

[Janix]

World cruise Dinner for QE is at the Atlantis - Dubai, 13th April

 

Just about to go through the ? Bunga ? Straits between the islands.

 

John

[maggiemou]

Thank you J&A and Barbara for you Japanese reports. Loved reading them. They took me back. I remember whilst at the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto in 2013 it was teaming with rain. I dropped my new camera and it was no use afterwards:( I do think you have to visit Japan a few times as there is so much to see. The people are particular nice ( time has moved on ) and the place is so clean.

Maybe you will have to book another world segment and do it again and see more the country. We made three visits and now we feel we have seen a good section of Japan.

John thanks for confirming the world cruise dinner venue. It will be amazing that is for sure.

Kathy sorry you were like Billy No mates at your table :) ;) I would have rescued you if I had known. ;)

Pat , I hope you are feeling better. Sorry if you find the posts to much but I am sure we world cruisers are not the only people following this excellent blog. It has been a very good source of information to people who are not on the cruise and may well be thinking of booking next year. Our 2014 blog is still active and it is amazing how people still read it. Pat don't worry if you can't get you posts in we are all happy you are on board and having fun and we wish you well. XX Maggie.

[roscoe39]

World cruise Dinner for QE is at the Atlantis - Dubai, 13th April

 

Just about to go through the ? Bunga ? Straits between the islands.

 

John

 

thanks for confirming that, apologies for leading everyone astray. The Atlantis is pretty amazing, hope you all get to do the water park as part of the dinner...that would be something to see, everyone doing the "leap of faith" in all their finery!

Edited March 20, 2015 by roscoe39

[Janix]

>Scrapnana : sorry, having slow internet issues (feel like I am on a ship) !

 

 

 

Hi Kathi,

 

We wish you were still with us as well ! ;)

 

John & Andrea

Edited March 20, 2015 by Janix

[alibabacruisers]

Friday, 20 Mar

 

I woke up after a pretty good night's sleep only to see feel the ship gently rockng and trying to lull me back to sleep. We dressed ad headed to our usual spot in the Lido. While waiting for our omelet, we chatted with one of our "regular" friends. He talked about his first day in Kobe and he antics he and his friends got into trying to get back to the ship and then briefly summarized day 2 in Kyoto on a Cunard tour. During a leisurely breakfast we watched the comings and goings of both our regular routine friends and quite a few newbies figuring out the lay of the land.

 

We got back to the cabin and I urged DH to start his day by leaving me to do yesterday's blog. Once he was out of my hair, I worked on the blog for quite some time but then wanted to start on packing suitcase #2. Just as I started that fun process he arrived back from his swim. He hung around for a bit before I got fidgety and chased him out so I could continue my focued task. That took around 30 minutes and then I wanted to clear out so our steward could get on with his routine.

 

I first made a visit to Deck 1 at the Tour Office where I wanted to register my feedback for the Osaka Introduction Tour we took on day 1 in Kobe. I recognized a couple of others that were on our tour and they were doing the same thing. The lady I spoke to said that they were aware of the "issue with our tour" and explained that they would investigate over the next day or so and then get back to us. Since I was there I again asked about the HK transfer and I am sure they are tired of me asking as I have been doing routinely over the past month. Another lady said she would be delivering these later today or tomorrow so I guess I will have to wait a bit longer. I just always lke to get these things taken care of earlier rather than later.

 

Since I was on Deck 1 I popped over to the Purser's Desk and requested a copy of our account. We still have quite a bit of OBC to use so now I have to think....spa? purse? clothes? perfumes or cosmetics or lotions? drinks? specialty restaurant? souvenirs? Decisions, decisions.

 

Next for me was a little wander around and I found a Cunard memorabilia sale set up on Deck 3 outside the shops. I looked at the things they had on offer but surprisingly left with nothing. Since I had not been in the shops for awhile, I browsed the clothing and purse store and really had a good look then it was over to the perfume and cosmetic store. I left with nothing after all that browsing and I figured that I must be tired of shopping...OMG, did I say that? LOL.

 

Then the wandering around continued a bit more as I was trying to find an isolated and quiet spot to finish my last library book. I tried Deck 2 but everything was full and noisy so proceeded up the stairs back to Deck 3 and found a spot between theMidships Bar and the Photo area. I read there for a bit taking an occasional break when loud passengers passed by. Before I knew it it was time to get back to the cabin to meet up with DH so we could go to lunch. While I waited for DH I started the blog for this morning and had it finished and thought I saved it but it hadn't! So I had to start all over again.....boooo. He called shortly and I went upstairs for lunch.

 

I spoke briefly to Andrea, a CC friend, before she continued on her way. Now we are back in our cabin asking the age old question......why did we eat all that? LOL We did not eat that much but I guess all this food it finally catching up to us!

 

The weather has definitely gotten colder! I thought we would go for a walk outside and did not last that long as I did not bring my jacket. Brrr. I went back to the cabin and the movie Heaven and Earth (Kathi you were right about the title) was on again but this time I was able to watch it completely

finally. Then was another movie I liked, The Conjuring, which was scary and I liked that too.

 

It is a formal night tonight so it was almost time to get ready. This will be OUR last formal night as I plan to pack up the formal clothes. We had a nice dinner and I never tire of watching the ladies come in wearing their beautiful dresses and the men in their suits or tuxes.

 

It will be an early night because we are due to be alongside by 6am. Until tomorrow....

[alibabacruisers]

Saturday, 21 Mar

 

Good morning and welcome to the first day of Spring! I wish the temperature

was a bit warmer though. We boarded the pilot around 4am this morning and

were docked at the Busan ICT by 6am. DH wanted to sleep a bit so I went to

breakfast alone. While I was having a bit of coffee and waiting for the Lido

to open, some Korean terminal officials came in for some breakfast. They

figured out that the line was not open yet and settled at a table near me and

checked out the surroundings. When the line opened, they looked to me and I

nodded and let them know it was time to eat. They smiled and followed me to

the tray area. I showed them the trays, cutlery and plates and they were on

their own to choose their meals. When I was finished I grabbed some

watermelon and walnuts for DH because I just knew that if he did not eat a

little he would starve, yeah right. ;)

 

We got to the RCT at 7:45 to wait for our excursion into Busan. Our

excursion for today was the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple Tour which was to start

at 8:45. So close to 8:15 our group was called to head down the Deck 1

passageway and then up to the Deck 2 Stairwell B gangway. Once off the ship

there was a Tourist Information Booth and 2 Souvenir Booths set up. We

continued our walk to the Busan International Cruise Terminal (ICT). We went

through the terminal and into the parking lot where the coaches were lined up

and ours was #6.

 

Our tour guide for the day was Nam and she spoke very good English and

provided a lot of information about Busan as well as South Korea. This was

probably the best tour guide we have ever encountered. In my opinion, a good

tour guide is probably one of the best ambassadors and most important tool a

country can have when promoting a country. If the tour guides are able to

give pertinent information and get across that information in a logical and

understandable flow, the best outcome is sure to follow.

 

One of the first things Nam did was summarize what our day was to include,

which is important to let the passengers know what is to come and give them

the opportunity to make sure the itinerary includes what they have been told

would be included, which Nam's summary did. We would be driving to the

Haedong Temple that included and information-filled drive through Busan. The

drive took about 45 minutes. Once we arrived at the temple, Nam told us that

we were to meet back at the coach at a prearranged time, in case anyone

wanted to wander around on their own, which was about an hour and a half from

that point. There was a small gift shop with bathrooms, and many food and

souvenir stalls lined up before the entrance to the temple grounds. Nam let

us know that if we needed to use the toilet, to use the ones at this small

shop rather than the one in the temple complex. I never heard the

explanation why, but imagined it was because of the many tourists that were

here and the time involved.

 

It was interesting to see the many ladies preparing food at their stalls and

the sights and smells were amazing. After the stalls were statues of the

twelve Chinese zodiac signs which of course everyone wanted to posze next to

the one that applied to them. It was good fun and smiles were abundant here.

Then there were some other statues, monuments and a plaque with information

about the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. I took a picture so I could read about

it in depth later, so I could keep up with Nam and hear what she said. Then

we came to the entrance to the temple grounds and the beginning of the many

uneven, shallow, STEPS that were to come. You really had to be careful

throughout this place so you did not take a tumble and hurt yourself. The

walkways are quite narrow and have to accommodate groups going up and down

with a minute gap for people that had no clue...lol.

 

The views of the temple were spectacular and you got candid shots throughout

the walk if you looked between marble lanterns, or through the evergreen

trees, as well as the viewing platforms. Because this is one of the few

temples near the ocean, the fresh air made the experience so much more

memorable, I thought. Before we walked to the main temple itself we walked

down the first steps and turned left to visit one of the viewing platforms.

It also had a buddha statue with a plaque that said she was the Goddess of

Mercy, which was next to a spot that Nam informed us was the first place to

receive sunlight in the New Year and that many people made pilgrimages here

for that. It was funny, at times, to see our friends who were in different

tour groups; i.e., #5, #7, etc. We would smile and wave to each other while

trying to keep our respective guides in sight. At this spot it also was funny

to see a giant post box sitting on an outcrop of weathered rock. I did not

hear the significance or reason for this being here.

 

 

CC will not allow more here so I will continue on the next post.....

Edited March 22, 2015 by alibabacruisers

[alibabacruisers]

Continuation of previous post in Busan...

 

 

 

Next we went back the way we came and then turned left at the steps to head

to the main temple. On a small bridge ad to our right was a little cove with

statues, water, and urns. This is where you could toss a coin and make wish.

Quite a few were doing this at this spot. If you proceeded past this on the

left was the ocean waves splashing against the rocks below and that was a

view to see. Continuing on you reached another set of steps, maybe about 10

or so, which had an area where you could get drinks from a machine for 100

yen. There were two gold giant pig statues where some, including us, taking

a picture. Again about 10 more steps up took you to the main temple and boy

was it beautiful. I am always amazed at the colors and detail of these

temples. You could remove your shoes and go inside, but we did not choose to

do this but just observed from outside because for me it felt like an

invasion of privacy (people saying personal prayers).

 

On the right side of the temple was a small grouping of statues at the back

but there was a little fenced off area so we took that to mean works were in

progress and to avoid the area. On the left side of the temple was a big,

gold statue of a Laughing Buddha, as it was called. I asked why he was

laughing/smiling and Nam said because he was granting your wish. :) Behind

him and in some other areas around the temple, were foot tall statues with

small colorful monks statues next to them. Nam said that you could purchase

via donation the monks and place them there to represent your wishes that you

had asked for. How sweet. All the while we were here, we were taking

pictures of everything we saw and many were doing the same. It felt magical.

You could hear the crashing of the waves here but did not see them.

 

From here you could climb a further 20 steep, uneven steps to see another

statue and a lot of us did that. It was like climbing to heaven. Even more

picturesque views from here! But then it was time to wander back towards

the coach so we tried to beat the crowds so we would have a bit more time

to look around the stalls and get more pictures. Also had to make a pit stop

at the toilets. There were two stalls in the shop at the very beginning; one for

men and one for women. They had toilet paper and a sink and soap dispenser

to wash your hands, but no paper towels to dry your hands.

 

We all then boarded to our coach and continued on our way to the APEC House

which was constructed especially for the 2005 APEC meeting. This was back

towards central Busan and we saw a site that was being levelled to make way

for a big tourist resort as well as a newly completed, in Dec 2014, shopping

center. It would have been nice to see that but sadly not today. Once we

parked the coach for our visit to APEC House it was about a 10-15 minute

walk to the actual House. We were parked near a marina where there were

some boats but then across the street was the edge of the city with the tall

buildings, two of which were the tallest condos in the city. We began our

walk to APEC House and passed lots of garden areas with flowers in concrete

pots and evergreen trees. It was a peaceful walk with commentary from Nam.

 

Inside the entrance to APEC House was a beautiful mural made out of colorful

mother of pearl with symbols of prosperity such as the crane and water. To

the left was an information desk and a map behind it. It had the times

illuminated marking each of the countries that are members of APEC. Then

you followed the path around the rotunda where there was a room that had

APEC memorabilia, or South Korean artifacts encased. Next was the entrance

to the actual boardroom where all the members had a marked wooden name

plaque, by country, on a circular table. Outside the boardroom was a continuation

of the rotunda with stairs leading down and outside the complex next to the

water's edge. If you stayed on that floor it took you back to the entrance/exit.

 

Once we were outside Nam took us to the left to a small lighthouse platform

that had views (right) to the city and Gwanggan Bridge, which I thought she

also called Daiman(?sp) Bridge. You could view left of the lighthouse and see

more of the city and also Busan's longest and most popular beach, Gwangalli

Beach. There was also a little pagoda on the hill across the driveway from

the lighthouse where you could climb about 15 steps and view the sights from

there. We continued along the driveway back to the coach.

 

Next was lunch and it was located about 20 minutes into the city at a venue

which I think was called EVER2000. It was a venue where they had a buffet

lunch with lots and lots of choices of food. The only problem was the signs

listed them in Japanese and no English translation so you had to pick what

you felt safe with. It was all nicely set up and clean. There was also a

small drink station for soft drinks and coffee as well as a small desserts

area. We had an hour here and it felt pretty leisurely. When a couple of us

left earlier than the rest we had trouble finding the coach and it turned out

that only our coach, #6, had parked around the back of the building. But

everyone finally made it back and even 5 minutes early.

 

Our next visit was the famous Jagalchi Market, or as it is known as, the fish

market. I have NEVER seen so much fish in my life! And because DH and I

are not much for fish or seafood, we were wide-eyed and amazed. It wasn't

as smelly as I had envisioned and equally amazed because I don't remember

seeing any flies! The difference with most of this fish market is that the fish is

live and swimming or crawling around. We saw sea worms which is a big thing

here, as well as crabs (local, Russian), lobster (from Canada), monk fish

with their "guts" in a bag (gross), puffer fish at vendors that had to be

licensed to remove insides because of their poisonous nature, and every other

fish you cold imagine!

 

Then it was back out to the main street, which we were crossing to get to the

Gukje Market. Here they had food stalls everywhere as well as souvenir

shops. One interesting site we saw was these ice cream cones where the pile

of ice cream was at least 12 inches high! It was 2000 yen and we had to try

it! It was very nice and tasted like there may have been less sugar than the

ones on the ship. I had to make my usual stop for a few souvenirs before it

was time to head back, but not before DH wanted to try a skewer of chicken

that he thought looked good. He had not eaten much at the buffet so he got

the skewer and was disappointed in that because it was bland and did not have

the taste he thought it would. Well back to the coach across the street. We

had parked in front of two pet shops that had cute little puppies in the

windows and everyone who passed had to say "how cute"....lol. Cute puppies

are international huh?

 

Well we were finished with our excursion and headed back to the ship. The

many steps during our excursion made us so glad to finally get back to have a

little lay down across our beds. But first we did manage to peruse the souvenir

stalls near the gangway and it was the same stuff we had seen earlier in the

day at the exact same prices. Something I had not noticed as we exited the

ship this morning was the cute boards next to the tourist info booths. These

boards had a male and female Korean cartoon figure on it with the faces cut

out so you could put your face in and have a picture taken. What fun! There

were 2 different ones but we did only one and were so happy and grateful

when a nice Cunard passenger asked if we wanted her to take our picture.

We said yes and did the happy smile in our assigned spot. Love that!

 

It was now around 4pm and DH was still hungry so ordered a pizza for our

dinner which was good. Now we did not have to worry about dinner later.

Amanda, the Entertainment Director, announced that the Koreans were setting

up for a sailaway show for us so I grabbed the camera and headed to Deck 10

on the starboard side. On the way met John, from CC, and he was showing me

footage, on his camera, of what had happened already. Apparently they were

have a rotation of acts from that point until we actually sailed away. So John

and I met his wife, Andrea, and we all talked while we continued watching the

various acts. John and Andrea were on the same excursion as us but in a

different coach and they said they had a good experience with their guide as

well. It was freezing with cold wind to boot! I had only put on my light sweater

but did not want to go back to the cabin and chance missing my spot on the deck.

 

After awhile DH finally found us and I was amazed because he does not usually

have such a good sense of direction...lol.... Another CC friend, Karen,

joined us and we talked and watched the shows until she had to meet up with

Stan, her DH.

 

The acts that the Koreans were performing were 3 female drummers wearing

shorts dresses (bet they were cold), a female singer, a male saxophone

player, and a group of 5 musicians who were wearing colorful, traditional

Korean outfits. There was a marquee behind them that said goodbye to QE.

 

Around 5:30 we began our sailaway away from Busan and headed out of the

harbor area. I must say that Busan was an unexpected delight and a very nice

surprise! Much more modern that I thought as well and coupled with all of the

information that Nam, our tour guide, provided made us glad we came here!

 

We were past freezing, so headed for the warmth of the ship's interior, where

we said our goodbyes for the night to John and Andrea, and went to our room.

I was too tired to even think about the blog, so vowed to myself to do it

tomorrow. Until next time.....

Edited March 22, 2015 by alibabacruisers

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the updates, Busan sounds like a great port of call.:D

[Janix]

Sat 12st March – Busan

 

Following our passage between the islands of Honshu and Kyushu the previous evening, formed around 6000 years ago, we continued on a course of 250 degrees at a speed of 10/11 knots towards the mainland of South Korea and our port of call Busan, pronounced Pusan.

 

Another early morning arrival saw us arrive at the new purpose built cruise terminal, not long after 5am and we assembled in the Royal Court Theatre at 8am for today’s trip entitled ‘Haedong Yonggungsa Temple and City. We were not required to go through immigration at all here, so that did not lead to any delays. Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and the eastern end of the long peninsular and is another South East Asian modern city with many new high rise buildings, and many high rise apartment blocks. The road network has many elevated sections and we crossed the new 4.5 mile long Gwangan Grand Bridge which intersects the harbour and took us to the temple on the scenic east coast. Haedong Yonggunsa temple was originally built in 1376 it was reconstructed in 1970 and 108 steps lead down to the temple by the sea shore. The steps represent the 108 anguishes of Buddhist life and is one of only 3 sacred places related to the Goddess Buddha.

 

It is said that the great Goddess Buddha lives in the sea and appears on the back of a dragon nearby. The return trip represented the anguishes of many people as we climbed back up the hillside on the stony cobbled surfaces ! I’m sure there were more than 108 steps ! The weather now was bright and sunny and well over the predicted 12C, more like 18/19C in the sunshine.

 

Another short drive took us back towards the city where we stopped at Nurimanu, the APEC House, where a couple of recent ASEAN conferences have been held. Nurimaru means top of the world and the iconic dome is said to be a haven of tranquillity for visiting dignitaries. The circular building rests on 12 pillars nestled on the tip of a rocky islet, surrounded by woods of camellia and pine trees, and provided beautiful views over the city of Busan and the local beaches, and marinas.

 

Next we were taken for lunch in a massive building that appeared to cater for weddings and other such celebrations. There was a very large buffet area with sections which served Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Barbeque areas with a noodle kitchen and bakery areas. Soft drinks and coffee were also provided on a self serve basis. The food was interesting and enjoyable and there were also many locals eating there as well and local delicacies were served there (Kimchi ?) which must be an acquired taste?

 

Our next stop was the Jagalchi fish market in the older part of Busan where all manner of fish are kept alive in sea water containers fed freshly from the sea. Seaweed and various products were also available, and upstairs was a fish restaurant where you could eat the freshest fish possible, both raw and cooked. I would not recommend the sea slugs or sea cucumbers though, they looked a little dodgy to me !

 

Across the road was the International market where most things were available. Also saw the pet shops will the little doggies in the window ! I was assured by our guide that they were for use as pets !We were given 40 minutes to wander around before we were required to re-board the bus for the 15 minute trip back to the ship. The ship was berthed next to the new maritime museum and there was a nice promenade are along the harbour front next to the terminal where many families had come to view the ship.

 

All aboard time was 1630 and entertainment was provided on the Quayside by some very different type of drummers than we saw in Kobe. Three (can I say) scantily clad female played snare drums and danced at the same time to some prerecorded music. Very entertaining and there were many on the Quayside who stopped to watch! This was followed by some more typical Korean music played by musicians in national dress, and then a young saxophonist who played modern renditions of some popular tunes. Spent some time chatting to Barbara, Karen and Ali before the cold breeze got to us all and we retired back into the warmth.

 

As we pulled away from the berth around 1720 heading for our next port Shanghai we saw a couple of the very fast hydrofoils coming into port. It did have Kobe on the side but surely it didn’t travel all the way to Kobe in Japan ? Another quiet night at sea and it is once again sunny today on day 71 of our trip, but there is a chill in the air. We have been advised that it will be around 12C in Shanghai.

 

Another formal night tonight, and we have been invited to dine at an officers table tonight, so that should be an interesting experience.

 

John