En Route with Hank in Japan and the Westerdam

[bennybear]

I too appreciate a civilized discussion.  We found our visit to the peace park very profound.  This city attracts a number of international visitors,  we ended up on a small bus with a contingent from Ortona, Italy which has a large Canadian war cemetery from a battle to liberate that town.  We found the visit in Hiroshima much like visiting a war cemetery, and we have visited many.  Profound, moving and always thought provoking. 
 

We used the luggage transfer service and it was very convenient,  but we just travelled with one large suitcase and a smaller one.  So we could live out of  the smaller one overnight.  We kept our cruise things mostly in the large case.  

So glad you got to try okonomiyaki, we had it elsewhere too but we found the best was the one in Hiroshima where it originates.  
 

We were fortunate to spend a couple of nights in a small onsen town Kinosaki onsen, near where the wagyu was raised.  The A5 beef we had was amazing and we’re from Alberta which is famous for our beef.   It’s kind of like eating butter.  

bon voyage!  

 

16 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Don't expect good weather in Yokohama. It is raining all day today (with thunderstorms in the pm)!

 

View from my hotel, the Hotel New Grand. This is the hotel where MacArthur and his staff stayed after Japan's surrender in WWII:

 

 

 

If you look closely you can see folks strolling with umbrellas down near the "Yokohama" sign. (The hotel overlooks Yamashita Park and the bay....)

 

 

Oh that brings back such good memories!  We too stayed in this wonderful historic hotel and had a view of our ship from our room.  We also enjoyed that it is so near the amazing Chinatown.  

Edited March 26, 2023 by bennybear

[Hlitner]

Speaking of food, Japan is quite international when it comes to food options.  One does not need to live on Japanese food (although that is a pretty good thing).  DW mentioned to me that since we arrived in Japan we have eaten a lot of Japanese food (i.e. Udon, Soba, lots of yakatori, tempura, wagyu beef, etc).  But we have also had delicious croissants, gelato, italian food, burgers (shake shack), Chinese, etc.  And of course there is plenty of sushi and sashami for those who enjoy that cuisine and are willing to pay for the really good stuff.   In Japan you will also find the usual McDonalds, Burger King, and even KFC.  Our hotel, here in Yokohama, has multiple gourmet restaurants including French and Chinese (Cantonese).  On the other hand, eating at good hotels is generally not advisable unless one wants to spend an awful lot of money.  In fact, last evening we had to small cocktails (at our hotel) which cost us nearly $40.  

 

Speaking of cocktails, Japan has been slow to embrace the cocktail generation or become big fans of the Martini Bar.  You do see a lot of "Highballs" which is a very old term not known by many of the younger generation in the USA.  Highballs are usually simple mixed drinks like rum-coke, scotch-soda, etc.  Try ordering a Cosmo or Gimlet at many small (non-hotel) bars and you will get a puzzled look.  By the way, for those of us who enjoy whiskey (neat or on the rocks), Japan produces some excellent products with prices to match.  They have some a long way from the "HiHi Nikka" of my youth.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Speaking of food, Japan is quite international when it comes to food options.  One does not need to live on Japanese food (although that is a pretty good thing).  DW mentioned to me that since we arrived in Japan we have eaten a lot of Japanese food (i.e. Udon, Soba, lots of yakatori, tempura, wagyu beef, etc).  But we have also had delicious croissants, gelato, italian food, burgers (shake shack), Chinese, etc.  And of course there is plenty of sushi and sashami for those who enjoy that cuisine and are willing to pay for the really good stuff.   In Japan you will also find the usual McDonalds, Burger King, and even KFC.  Our hotel, here in Yokohama, has multiple gourmet restaurants including French and Chinese (Cantonese).  On the other hand, eating at good hotels is generally not advisable unless one wants to spend an awful lot of money.  In fact, last evening we had to small cocktails (at our hotel) which cost us nearly $40.  

 

Speaking of cocktails, Japan has been slow to embrace the cocktail generation or become big fans of the Martini Bar.  You do see a lot of "Highballs" which is a very old term not known by many of the younger generation in the USA.  Highballs are usually simple mixed drinks like rum-coke, scotch-soda, etc.  Try ordering a Cosmo or Gimlet at many small (non-hotel) bars and you will get a puzzled look.  By the way, for those of us who enjoy whiskey (neat or on the rocks), Japan produces some excellent products with prices to match.  They have some a long way from the "HiHi Nikka" of my youth.

 

Hank

 

Hank

since you signed 

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

I assume you are seeing double. I guess you really hit those cocktails. 🤣 

 

Enjoy the cruise which will soon be starting and keep reporting back. 😊

[Beejay4016]

On 3/24/2023 at 6:13 PM, Hlitner said:

Just got back to our hotel room after a crazy DIY day.  If I were to tell folks that we traveled over 400 miles (round trip) to Hiroshima, toured all the usual bomb-related sites, had enough food/water, and just got back in our hotel room...all for about $35, you would think I have had too much sake.  Sometimes, DIY travel can be very inexpensive and today might be a new record (for us).  We left our hotel about 7am this morning and grabbed the subway to the Kyoto Train Station.  While at the station we bought two croissants and a bottle of OJ which was to be our breakfast (normal for us).  At 8am we boarded the Hikari (bullet train) for Hiroshima where we arrived at 10.  We walked out of the station and caught a local bus to the Peace Park.  After walking around the park, we went into the nearby museum (dedicated to the bombing) where we spent about 1 1/2 hours.  From the museum we walked over to the infamous "bomb dome" which is the remains of the building shown in just about anything related to that A-Bomb.  We than walked about 3/4 of a mile over to Hiroshima Castle where we explored the park, had some amazing gelato (our lunch) and went inside the rebuilt castle (a 5 story pagoda) to explore.  

 

Finally we walked about 1 1/4 miles back to the train station where we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee before boarding our train back to Kyoto.  So how did we do this for $35 (total cost for two)?  The cost of our subway and bus rides cost us about $5 per person.  The trains were essentially free because they were covered by our rail passes which had already paid for themselves with just the trip from Tokyo and when we go back to Yokahama.  Breakfast and lunch cost us about $15 (total) and there were a few dollars for admission to the castle.  Our big splurge of the day was Starbucks where coffee and a bag of potato chips cost $9.   So my fellow cruisers/travelers, we are talking about a full day excursion to Hiroshima (1st Class Green Cars on bullet trains) that cost about $35 for two.  

 

As soon as we got back to our hotel, it was time for the daily free cocktail hour (only wine and snacks) where we toasted an interesting day.  Tonight, since we are exhausted, we will likely walk over to Shake Shack (yes, Danny Meyer has a presence here in Kyoto) for dinner since we re not real hungry, had a decent dinner last night (Peking Duck) and a special dinner planned for our last night (tomorrow).

 

So fans, this day has convinced DW and I that we would not recommend that cruisers spend their port day (usually in Osaka) going to Hiroshima.   Yes, we understand that Hiroshima attracts many visitors, but we do not think it is worth the hassle (and cost for most tours).  The city is nothing special, the museum is too one-sided (with a political slant that is not very accurate) and compared to places in Nara and Kyoto is just not a good option.  I am not going to get deep into the political/historical aspects other than to say that the museum attributes the A-Bomb attack to the US simply wanting to blunt any post war power (over Japan) that might be gained by the USSR!  Really?  There was also mention that the bomb was dropped to justify the expense of building the bomb!  I get that countries routinely rewrite history to suit their own purposes, but this was too much of a stretch.  If you want to ever see a museum that tries to take an accurate and even-handed approach to war go to the Peace Museum in Caen, France.  If you want to see a horrible event used for political purposes, then go to Hiroshima.

 

Hank

Thank you so much for your frank views re Hiroshima. I had wondered about visiting there, but was also concerned about the bias that may be evident. Your excellent comments have confirmed for me that it is not a place to visit.

[cruisemom42]

The Westerdam docked at Yokohama's cruise ship pier Osanbashi this morning:

 

[Hlitner]

Wahoo.  We are finally aboard and our initial impression is that the ship looks really good.  We arrived at the port around 11am (our assigned boarding time was 11:20) and there were several hundred folks just sitting in the terminal because nobody was being checked-in.  Around 11:40 they started boarding, and because we were in one of the early priority groups (5* works for some things) we were aboard by 11:50.  Having completed Verifly let us avoid a longer line.  It has been 10 years since we last cruised on the Westerdam, but the ship quickly felt like home.

 

We went directly to our cabin (a Signature Suite), were pleased with the cabin, dropped our stuff, and decided to head to the MDR for lunch.  When we got to the MDR we were among 4 other diners (they were all on the previous cruise and doing back to backs).  It was a normal MDR lunch open to anyone.  I decided to have the Spring Rolls (quite good) and a Croque Monsieur sandwich which looked pretty good, but was quite cold.  Rather than send it back I just pretended that it was supposed to be cold.

 

We went up to the Lido and it was relatively unchanged from our previous voyages on Vista Class ships.  I was pleased to note that they no longer are serving pre-made sandwiches in paper bags and they are now simply on trays at a sandwich station where they will also make some limited custom made sandwiches.   So far, things seem pretty normal.  The folks we met from the prior cruise were pretty happy with the cruise but unhappy with many passengers ignoring the mandatory masking rules.  They told us there were a lot of sick folks on the prior cruise, with coughing all over the ship, but most did not self-report to the medical folks.  Accordingly, it is impossible to know how many Covid, RSV, or the more common "cabin cough" is afloat.  

 

The main show tonight is one of those BBC Documentaries (I would be happy to throw all those videos overboard) which have no business as the main theater entertainment on any ship.  The Ocean Bar closes at 11 which is a bit early...even for HAL.  The Lido Market has a "steak dinner" but is only open until 8.  Many folks around the world think that dining at 8 or 8:30 is pretty normal, but HAL continues with their meal schedule aimed at the Florida Early Bird crowd :).  The Casino is closed tonight (strange, since we depart the port at 7pm).  This means that the relatively small Gallery Bar (Deck 2) is the only venue that MIGHT be open after 11.  Sounds like this will be a lively late night cruise!

 

Hank

[ontheweb]

I hope that the BBC documentaries being back is the worst thing you report. (Though as I believe I once posted, my DW liked them when we were on the Maasdam.)

 

So when are @Hlitner and @cruisemom42 going to meet in the non-virtual world?

[Hlitner]

Howdy folks!   I am going to toss out some first impressions and observations which may change over the next few days.  This evening we left our cabin about 6:15 for our usual pre-dinner cocktails and decided to try the Ocean Bar.  What is sad (compared to other lines) is that there is no live music anywhere in the bars/lounges.  The Ocean Bar was crowded and it took about 20 minutes for us to get drinks.  And even this was not easy as I had to leave our table (where we got zero service) and go to the bar, and finally order directely from the bar tender.  At that point he told me to go back to our table and he would have the drinks delivered (this took about 10 minutes).  All the visible staff were working hard (and non-stop) so there was simply not enough staff to handle to demand.

 

About 1/2 hour later, some seats opened at the bar and we moved.  We quickly met a couple from Australia and had a fun dialog until about 7:30 at which point we decided to head to the MDR for dinner.  Since 7:30 is considered very late on HAL, there was no queue and we told the host that we would be happy to share.  We were joined by an English couple (they were 4* Mariners) who were very unhappy with HAL and said that after their next cruise (an Oct transpacific) they would not likely go on any more HAL voyages.  Dinner was actually delightful, and I am sure we will again spend some time with this interesting, and well traveled, couple.  The food was OK (not fantastic, but certainly acceptable) although our English friends thought everything was several stops down from the old HAL.  We all ordered glasses of wine and the service was very good.  I will admit to being very disappointed in the bread (the Brits were very unhappy with the offerings) which was about the quality one might find at a cheap diner.  A small thing, but still worth mentioning.  Our waiters were excellent!

 

Dinner conversation was good so we did not leave the MDR until 9:30 when DW and I went looking for some music.  We found it in the old BB King Lounge which is now the Rolling Stone Lounge.  The band (2 keyboards, a drummer, bass guitar, lead guitar, and two singers) were very good.  This was a retread BB KIng group minus the brass (another HAL cut-back).  They only played two 45 min sets (9:15 and 10:15).  At 11, although they had what they called their best crowd ever on the ship, they quit,   All the folks in the lounge had nowhere to go but to sleep since the ship essentially shuts down around 11.  Many of us crowded the bar to get bottles of water (covered by the drink package) to take back to our cabins.

 

Let's talk about masking, which is mandatory on this cruise. An earlier announcement by the CD was that the masking was a requirement of local authorities,  This is not likely true since Japan dropped all their mask mandates on 3/13.  A later announcement by the Captain told us that the the requirements on the ship were "more stringent" than the Japanese requirements.  Masking does not seem to be enforced, and once folks are in a lounge or at a bar the masks quickly disappear.  This is similar to what we have experienced on several other cruise lines.

 

This evening, when we returned, we had a 2 page letter setting forth some of the future clearance procedures.   The information is not good, but we salute HAL for being transparent and warning us of some long hour ahead...in dealing with various officials.  No surprises, nothing HAL can do, but still disappointing.  In some cases, we are talking about many hours of delay (to go ashore) because of local immigration issues.  The biggest problem seems to be when a ship returns to Japan after having been to other countries (i.e. Taiwan and Korea).  Unfortunately, that is the price we pay to cruise in Asia.

 

By the way, there has been no mention of the Korean K-ETA issue! Some folks wonder about whether they need a K-ETA to go to Korean ports, but HAL continues to completely ignore and stonewall the issue.  I guess we will find out the day we get to Busan!

 

Another strange thing is about drinks.  We have the normal Signature Package that comes with the HIA program.  I tend to order drinks that exceed the $11 max which means I %must pay the overage difference plus 18%.  When I did this at the signature bar, the bar tender warned me about the $3 overage and that was that!  I got the drinks, assumed I was charged the few dollars, and all wa fine.  But later, at a different bar I was not only warned by the bar tender, but we gave me a paper receipt to sign which had a space for an extra tip!  But 30 min later, I ordered the same drink at the same bar and did not get any receipt to sign.  So tonight I ordered 4 drinks that exceeded the $11, was properly warned on each order, but only had to sign for the drink 1 time out of 4!

 

One other interesting tidbit.  Today we stopped at a desk to book some additional dinners in the Pinnacle and Canaletto  We were informed (for the fist time) that Caneletto would be alternating the Canaletto menu with the Tarimind menu on a weekly basis (this has never been previously disclosed to us).  When we asked if our free 5* meals applied to the Tarimind weeks, the HAL staffer had no clue and had to make a phone call.  Even she admitted that the policy seemed to vary by ship!  We appreciated that she checked (the Tarimind menus are included under the free meal plan) but found it weird that even the HAL staff do not know the policy.  It will be interesting to see if we get charged for our "free" meals and need to later seek an adjustment.  Although we are on the ship for 42 days, she could only handle reservations for the first 14 day cruise.  And that is true even though our first 28 days are under a single booking number.  ARGH!

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

[Sir PMP]

I have the feeling that this cruise will not be up to par.

[Hlitner]

19 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

I have the feeling that this cruise will not be up to par.

Perhaps the question should be, "what is par?"  Our vote is still out.   But the lack of live entertainment (when compared to every other line we cruise) is staggering!  Consider that this evening folks could choose between a BBC Documentary or 2, 45 minute sets of a decent R&B group.  Consider that when we cruise on MSC in their Yacht Club, just within the small Yacht Club enclave they have rotating entertainment from about 6 - 11:30!  And if one leaves the YC and goes out to the normal part of the ship will find nightly Production Shows and 3 or 4 other venues with live groups!  On other lines such as Princess and Celebrity one will also find various live entertainment from about 5 - midnight and a late-night venue (usually with a DJ) until much later.

 

 

[albingirl]

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Perhaps the question should be, "what is par?"  Our vote is still out.   But the lack of live entertainment (when compared to every other line we cruise) is staggering!  Consider that this evening folks could choose between a BBC Documentary or 2, 45 minute sets of a decent R&B group.  Consider that when we cruise on MSC in their Yacht Club, just within the small Yacht Club enclave they have rotating entertainment from about 6 - 11:30!  And if one leaves the YC and goes out to the normal part of the ship will find nightly Production Shows and 3 or 4 other venues with live groups!  On other lines such as Princess and Celebrity one will also find various live entertainment from about 5 - midnight and a late-night venue (usually with a DJ) until much later.

 

 

Nonetheless, enjoying your postings.

[Dr.Dobro]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Although we are on the ship for 42 days, she could only handle reservations for the first 14 day cruise

We experienced this on our back-to-back Boston-Quebec-Boston cruise in September. We found the reservationist would book the next segment toward the end of the current segment, so try again around Day 12.

 

If the Tamarind menu will truly be offered in the Canaletto, that is outstanding. Tamarind is by far our favorite dining option.

[Florida_gal_50]

When I was on the koningsdam I was told the 5 star freebies were only for the pinnacle by someone I believe to be the front desk manager.  When I showed her online that wasn't true she was dismissive and told me the information was wrong.

[Hlitner]

The drink madness continues.  We are sitting at the pool (on a sea day) and decided to have a Bloody Mary.  At the pool bar, they expect you to sign for each drink even if covered by the drink package.  We are not dealing with HAL or Westerdam policy, but now it is bar by bar policy.  Why have folks sign tabs after a bar tender has swiped the cruise card?  And why does this happen at some bars and not others?

 

We truly love sea days where our big decisions are whether to go to the lectures (history of Japan), stay in our indoor pool loungers, etc.  And then there is the major issue of where to eat lunch.  The MDR lunch menu stays the same (every day) with the exception of one daily special in both the small and large plate categories.  There is also a daily “catch of the day” not disclosed unless one actually goes to the MDR,

 The Lido is….. the lido with the usual HAL offerings.  We were underwhelmed with the Lido breakfast (most items not hot unless you wanted to order an omelet), but regular cruisers are aware that is normal on HAL and many other lines.  As usual, many passengers “hang out” at Lido tables which creates a table

shortage at peak meal time.  Just normal

life at sea. 

 

HAL continues their long time practice of removing about half the indoor pool loungers to make room for shop clothing sales.   This leaves about 45 loungers for a ship that has more than 2000 passengers.  But the shop sales generate revenue while loungers are non- profit.  Folks that expect to get a lounger after 10, may be disappointed.
 

Hank

PS. Since we are enjoying a slow, lazy day at sea, it makes sense to rant about silly things 😋. We could also whine about the awful donuts and croissants in the Lido, but that is simply typical cruise stuff that happens on any line.

[Aitchgeye]

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.

[oakridger]

Some ships are having live music in the Ocean Bar nearly every night.  The current World Cruise on Zuiderdam has music each evening per @richwmn's postings.  My Nieuw Amsterdam October 2022 cruise had a very good band in Ocean Bar. They generally played three sets per night.

 

Those "Dam" bar receipts were discussed for a while last fall when they were first re implemented.  It was my pet peeve and I let the Rotterdam know what I thought within an hour of boarding!!  By the end of that 21 day cruise the receipts were also sporadically given.  I was told on day one by a waiter that I didn't have to sign if I didn't want to, so I didn't.  It bogles my mind to try and figure out why they think it's a good idea!!??

 

I'm enjoying your reports and I hope you enjoy the cruise!

 

~Nancy

[SusieKIslandGirl]

We were on the Noordam last month and were very disappointed by the rolls/bread in the MDR. Last fall on a Princess ship, the rolls were so fresh and tasty. It was good for the diet though since I didn't want a 2nd roll and sometimes didn't finish the 1st one. Never once did we have to sign for a drink at any of the bars.  Stay well and enjoy!

[Hlitner]

I cannot help but harp on the drink issue onboard the Westerdam.  After only one day on the ship we are seeing a real problem that could get out of control.  We have the HIA Package (which includes the Signature Drink Package).  That package covers drinks up to $11 (plus gratuity) and if you order drinks that cost more than $11 you only pay the overage plus 18%.  On our first day we were charged the full price for several drinks (in multiple bars).  In simple terms, we checked our account today and discovered $33 + 18% that should not have been on our account.  

 

Most long time HAL cruisers have had their share of accounting issues and we all know that it can be resolved by a trip to Guest Relations.  But Guest Relations, on this ship today, meant waiting at least an hour in a queue because many folks are having issues.  So, we sent a message to Guest Relations (through the app) and got a return phone call in about 2 hours.  The pleasant Guest Relations person acknowledged the overcharges and said she would send a message to the Beverage Department to get the charges removed and give me a follow-up phone call.  But we are just 2 passengers (out of more than 2000) many of whom have the drink packages.  It is unlikely that this is just happening to DW and me, and many folks are probably unaware because they do not check their onboard accounts on a regular basis.

 

The lesson is that HAL cruisers should check their Statement on a daily basis, which can easily be done via the Navigator App.  Accounting problems on ships are best nipped in the bud.  I am starting to like the Navigator App, because while it sure needs improvement, it can be a wonderful tool to save time and hassles.  Rather than spending 1-2 hours a day waiting in Guest Relations Desk queues, I can simply message those folks and let them deal with issues in their own good time.  The App also shows all or our alternative restaurant reservations, booked excursions, daily itineraries, restaurant menus (updated daily), etc.  It is great to see HAL moving into the digital age.

 

The other topic worth mentioning are the port clearance issues (this has been posted in at least one other blog).  We are required to have face to face interviews with Japanese authorities, every time we return to Japan (from foreign ports).  We have been told that the procedure can take many hours and to prepare our days accordingly.

 

 HAL has told us (in writing) that when we get to Ishigaki (March 31) they expect the clearance procedures to take up to 3 hours.  We are all to meet with Japanese officials who will be onboard and in the Main Stage.  When we return to Kagoshima (April 4) we must meet with Japanese officials in the ship terminal for a procedure that is estimated to take 3.5 hours...perhaps,  I say perhaps because we have been given a schedule that shows immigration inspections from 7:30am until 1:45 pm!  In theory, passengers can choose their own group (i.e. when they go ashore to be inspected) so we will "eagerly" await to see how that works :(.

 

Hank

 

 

[whogo]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Most long time HAL cruisers have had their share of accounting issues and we all know that it can be resolved by a trip to Guest Relations.

The overcharges are so widespread that I suspect they are deliberate. After 150 years HAL could bill guests properly. If they wanted to.

[StLouisCruisers]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The drink madness continues.  We are sitting at the pool (on a sea day) and decided to have a Bloody Mary.  At the pool bar, they expect you to sign for each drink even if covered by the drink package.  We are not dealing with HAL or Westerdam policy, but now it is bar by bar policy.  Why have folks sign tabs after a bar tender has swiped the cruise card?  And why does this happen at some bars and not others?

 

We truly love sea days where our big decisions are whether to go to the lectures (history of Japan), stay in our indoor pool loungers, etc.  And then there is the major issue of where to eat lunch.  The MDR lunch menu stays the same (every day) with the exception of one daily special in both the small and large plate categories.  There is also a daily “catch of the day” not disclosed unless one actually goes to the MDR,

 The Lido is….. the lido with the usual HAL offerings.  We were underwhelmed with the Lido breakfast (most items not hot unless you wanted to order an omelet), but regular cruisers are aware that is normal on HAL and many other lines.  As usual, many passengers “hang out” at Lido tables which creates a table

shortage at peak meal time.  Just normal

life at sea. 

 

HAL continues their long time practice of removing about half the indoor pool loungers to make room for shop clothing sales.   This leaves about 45 loungers for a ship that has more than 2000 passengers.  But the shop sales generate revenue while loungers are non- profit.  Folks that expect to get a lounger after 10, may be disappointed.
 

Hank

PS. Since we are enjoying a slow, lazy day at sea, it makes sense to rant about silly things 😋. We could also whine about the awful donuts and croissants in the Lido, but that is simply typical cruise stuff that happens on any line.

 

The donuts served on Volendam a couple of months ago were bought and frozen.  They thawed some out for daily consumption in the Lido.  I sure missed the homemade donuts on Princess ships' International Cafes especially custard filled ones topped with powdered sugar.  Delicious!

 

I hope I'm not being a nuisance, but could you list your ports and dates for this cruise on this thread?  I am helping Rich post the Fleet Report and Daily and there seem to be some changes to the previously posted itinerary.  I have your next port as Naha (Okinawa) on 3-30, for instance.  Correct?

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

The donuts served on Volendam a couple of months ago were bought and frozen.  They thawed some out for daily consumption in the Lido.  I sure missed the homemade donuts on Princess ships' International Cafes especially custard filled ones topped with powdered sugar.  Delicious!

 

I hope I'm not being a nuisance, but could you list your ports and dates for this cruise on this thread?  I am helping Rich post the Fleet Report and Daily and there seem to be some changes to the previously posted itinerary.  I have your next port as Naha (Okinawa) on 3-30, for instance.  Correct?

That is correct.   I am too lazy to list since we are on for 6 weeks and a ton of ports. But on 3/30 we are in Naha, then Ishigaki on the 31st, Hualien (Taiwan) on 4/1, Keelung 4/2, back to Japan on 4/4 at Kagoshima, Aburatsu on 4/5, Kochi on 4/6, and then to Osaka on the 7th and 8th.  Let me know if you need more.

 

Hank

[whogo]

Here are the last 28 days to Seattle:

 

Monday, April 10     Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan         8:00pm
Tuesday, April 11     Omaezaki, Japan     7:00am     4:00pm
Wednesday, April 12     Kobe, Japan     9:00am     9:00pm
Thursday, April 13     Kochi, Japan     10:00am     5:00pm
Friday, April 14     Kanmon Strait (Cruising)         
Friday, April 14     Fukuoka, Japan     Noon     11:00pm
Saturday, April 15     At Sea         
Sunday, April 16     Kanazawa, Japan     8:00am     8:00pm
Monday, April 17     At Sea         
Tuesday, April 18     Busan, South Korea     10:00am     5:00pm
Wednesday, April 19     At Sea         
Thursday, April 20     Otaru, Japan     Noon     5:00pm
Friday, April 21     Aomori, Japan     9:00am     7:00pm
Saturday, April 22     Hakodate, Japan     7:00am     6:00pm
Sunday, April 23     At Sea         
Monday, April 24     Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan     6:30am     7:00pm
Tuesday, April 25     At Sea         
Wednesday, April 26     Kushiro, Japan     8:00am     5:00pm
Thursday, April 27     Cross International Dateline (Cruising)         
Friday, April 28     At Sea         
Saturday, April 29     At Sea         
Sunday, April 30     At Sea         
Monday, May 1     At Sea         
Tuesday, May 2     Kodiak, AK     8:00am     5:00pm
Wednesday, May 3     At Sea         
Thursday, May 4     Sitka, AK     8:00am     5:00pm
Friday, May 5     Ketchikan, AK     10:00am     6:00pm
Saturday, May 6     Inside Passage, AK (Cruising)         
Sunday, May 7     Seattle, WA     7:00am

[Hlitner]

This evening (a dressy night) was more like the ole HAL.  Dinner was pretty good with choices like lamb chops and beef tenderloin (although quanities and quality are not quite up to the old standards).  Unfortunately, the popular goat cheese souffle was a main rather than a starter (this has been reported on other ships). 

 

The main entertainment was Contrare (4 singers that have been a norm on many HAL cruises).  There was some early stuff at the Lincoln Center Stage, the two pianos at Billboard (which was over at 10:45, and the Rolling Stone R&B group until about 11:30.  Most (if not all) the bars were closed soon thereafter.  As to the dressy night, Tuxes were almost non-existent with many men having a jacket and many others just wearing decent shirt/slacks.  The ladies wore everything from real formal to stuff DW would not have worn to work (she was a teacher).  

 

It is fun dining after 7:30 as we meet mostly Europeans and Aussies (our fellow Americans generally dine early).  Tonight, we shared a table of 6 with 2 Brits, 1 Aussie, and 1 American.  The food was OK, but service was a bit slow taking about 1:45 to get to dessert.  We decided to order two glasses of the Malbec only to be told they do not have it (although it is on the list).  

 

We managed to make the 9:30 Contare show (about half full) and had the usual announcement that everyone must remain masked throughout the show.  At least half the room removed their masks :).  There is a lot of passive mask resistance.  Folks do generally wear them when walking around or entering a venue, but once seated, a majority take the things off!  

 

Hank

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

That is correct.   I am too lazy to list since we are on for 6 weeks and a ton of ports. But on 3/30 we are in Naha, then Ishigaki on the 31st, Hualien (Taiwan) on 4/1, Keelung 4/2, back to Japan on 4/4 at Kagoshima, Aburatsu on 4/5, Kochi on 4/6, and then to Osaka on the 7th and 8th.  Let me know if you need more.

 

Hank

Thank you!  That's exactly what cruisetimetables.com shows and I can relax knowing I don't have to search other sources for verification now.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, whogo said:

Here are the last 28 days to Seattle:

 

Monday, April 10     Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan         8:00pm
Tuesday, April 11     Omaezaki, Japan     7:00am     4:00pm
Wednesday, April 12     Kobe, Japan     9:00am     9:00pm
Thursday, April 13     Kochi, Japan     10:00am     5:00pm
Friday, April 14     Kanmon Strait (Cruising)         
Friday, April 14     Fukuoka, Japan     Noon     11:00pm
Saturday, April 15     At Sea         
Sunday, April 16     Kanazawa, Japan     8:00am     8:00pm
Monday, April 17     At Sea         
Tuesday, April 18     Busan, South Korea     10:00am     5:00pm
Wednesday, April 19     At Sea         
Thursday, April 20     Otaru, Japan     Noon     5:00pm
Friday, April 21     Aomori, Japan     9:00am     7:00pm
Saturday, April 22     Hakodate, Japan     7:00am     6:00pm
Sunday, April 23     At Sea         
Monday, April 24     Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan     6:30am     7:00pm
Tuesday, April 25     At Sea         
Wednesday, April 26     Kushiro, Japan     8:00am     5:00pm
Thursday, April 27     Cross International Dateline (Cruising)         
Friday, April 28     At Sea         
Saturday, April 29     At Sea         
Sunday, April 30     At Sea         
Monday, May 1     At Sea         
Tuesday, May 2     Kodiak, AK     8:00am     5:00pm
Wednesday, May 3     At Sea         
Thursday, May 4     Sitka, AK     8:00am     5:00pm
Friday, May 5     Ketchikan, AK     10:00am     6:00pm
Saturday, May 6     Inside Passage, AK (Cruising)         
Sunday, May 7     Seattle, WA     7:00am

I haven't checked each of these dates yet but I will, and I'm nearly 100% sure this will jibe with the listing I mentioned above.  Thanks for taking the time to post the entire remainder of the journey here for me.  I appreciate you both!

 

 

 

55 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

This evening (a dressy night) was more like the ole HAL.  Dinner was pretty good with choices like lamb chops and beef tenderloin (although quanities and quality are not quite up to the old standards).  Unfortunately, the popular goat cheese souffle was a main rather than a starter (this has been reported on other ships). 

 

The main entertainment was Contrare (4 singers that have been a norm on many HAL cruises).  There was some early stuff at the Lincoln Center Stage, the two pianos at Billboard (which was over at 10:45, and the Rolling Stone R&B group until about 11:30.  Most (if not all) the bars were closed soon thereafter.  As to the dressy night, Tuxes were almost non-existent with many men having a jacket and many others just wearing decent shirt/slacks.  The ladies wore everything from real formal to stuff DW would not have worn to work (she was a teacher).  

 

It is fun dining after 7:30 as we meet mostly Europeans and Aussies (our fellow Americans generally dine early).  Tonight, we shared a table of 6 with 2 Brits, 1 Aussie, and 1 American.  The food was OK, but service was a bit slow taking about 1:45 to get to dessert.  We decided to order two glasses of the Malbec only to be told they do not have it (although it is on the list).  

 

We managed to make the 9:30 Contare show (about half full) and had the usual announcement that everyone must remain masked throughout the show.  At least half the room removed their masks :).  There is a lot of passive mask resistance.  Folks do generally wear them when walking around or entering a venue, but once seated, a majority take the things off!  

 

Hank

 

 

 

Sad that people cannot wear a mask when in a crowded theater when told they MUST.  

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Back to the Noordam last month, the beverage charges did quit happening after the 1st couple of days and just the overage was charged. My funny story with billing is also a huh? We had quite a bit of OBC. Several days after starting the cruise a balance due of 6 cents showed up. We still had over $300 of non-refundable credit. I figured it would go away and wasn't worth my time to check with Guest Services. A few days ago I checked my credit card statement and there was a charge from Holland America for the 6 cents. Wonder what kind of handling fee they had to pay on that one.