Live from the Majestic Japan Cruise on Westerdam Sept 1 - Oct 24, 2024

[richwmn]

One place I have never been is Asia, so when I saw the Majestic Japan Cruise on Westerdam I knew I had to book it, particularly since it is a round trip out of Seattle. I added a couple of days in Seattle to the beginning, and here we are.

 

As always, anyone on the ship is encouraged to add their comments to this thread.

 

To start, here is the itinerary:

09/01/2024 Seattle, Washington 0700-1700

09/02/2024 Victoria, British Columbia 0700-2100

09/03/2024 Vancouver, Canada 0700-1600

09/04/2024 At Sea Destination Sitka Alaska eta 09-05

09/05/2024 Sitka Alaska 0800-1700

09/06/2024 Haines, Alaska 0600-1700

09/07/2024 Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 1000-1500

09/08/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10

09/09/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10

09/10/2024 Dutch Harbor, Alaska 0800-1700

09/11/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/12/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/13/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/14/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/15/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/16/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/17/2024 Kushiro, Japan 0800-1700

09/18/2024 Hakodate, Japan 0800-1700

09/19/2024 At Sea Destination Yokohama, Japan eta 09-20

09/20/2024 Yokohama, Japan 0800-ovn-

09/21/2024 Yokohama, Japan -ovn--2100

09/22/2024 Shimizu, Japan 0800-1800

09/23/2024 At Sea, Destination Kobe/Osaka, Japan eta 09-24

09/24/2024 Kobe/Osaka, Japan 0700-1900

09/25/2024 Kochi, Japan 0800-1700

09/26/2024 Hiroshima, Japan 0800-2359

09/27/2024 At Sea Destination Sakaiminato, Japan eta 09-28

09/28/2024 Sakaiminato, Japan 0900-1500

09/29/2024 Toyama, Japan 0800-1700

09/30/2024 Kanazawa, Japan 0800-1700

10/01/2024 At Sea Destination Nagasaki, Japan eta 10-02

10/02/2024 Nagasaki, Japan 0800-1700

10/03/2024 At Sea Destination Ishigaki, Japan eta 10-04

10/04/2024 Ishigaki, Japan 0800-1700

10/05/2024 Naha, Japan 0730-1745

10/06/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/07/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/08/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/09/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/10/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/11/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/12/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/13/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/14/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/15/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/16/2024 Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii 0800-ovn-

10/17/2024 Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii -ovn--1700

10/18/2024 Hilo, Hawaii 0700-1500

10/19/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/20/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/21/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/22/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/23/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/24/2024 Seattle, Washington 0700-1700

 

I am boarding in Seattle on September 1^st, after spending a couple of days there. Others are boarding in Vancouver and I supposed there will be some people who are only on the Seattle to Vancouver segment.

 

So, my trip began on Tuesday afternoon after what turned out to be a full day. Due to a miscommunication with my relief, I had to mind the business until my ride to Atlanta came to get me. Despite the relatively short distance from home to the airport, it always seems prudent to show up there the night before, for the same reason that we don’t show up at the cruise port on embarkation day. I stayed at a hotel I have used before, and had a good, restful evening.

 

Wednesday morning I got on a shuttle at about 7:30 and arrived at the airport a little before 8. My first, little, glitch came when I checked in my luggage. It appears that the rules have changed a bit. I knew that batteries were not allowed in checked baggage so I took the battery out of my laptop before packing it. The change is that laptops are not allowed to be in checked baggage, even without a battery. So I took the battery out and checked the bag.

 

So carrying the laptop and my carry on bag I headed to TSA. As many of you know, I am large so for the comfort of everyone I book first class which gives me ‘Sky Priority’ for boarding. Well, today it also gave me a shorter TSA line. When I tried to enter the normal line the representative saw the ‘Priority’ boarding pass I was directed to the shorter line. This passed quickly and I was at the gate waiting for the plane.

 

Once on the plane, it was a good flight. The wifi worked well and I was able to check Cruise Critic and Facebook. The flight lasted about 4 ½ hours and seemed shorter. I had order a chicken salad in advance and it and the potato salad were pretty good.

 

We arrived in Seattle and disembarkation from the plane went well. Luggage was a bit delayed but did show up and I got to the shuttle are area without a problem. The first shuttle arrived and it filled with about six people left out. We waited about a half hour until the next shuttle arrived. We got to the hotel and they were enforcing the 3pm check in time. They did put our luggage in a storage room for us, and I went to a nearby restaurant that I had eaten at before along with two other shuttle passengers. While there I found out that Carnival Luminosa is leaving for a seven day Alaska cruise tomorrow and this hotel is hosting quite a few of them. We got back to the hotel a little after 3 along with another shuttle arriving. Since a long line formed, I sat on the couch and checked on some things online until everyone else was checked in. I then had a very quick check in and was in my room about 4:30. It is now midnight on the east coast, and it is about time to turn in for the night and start to adjust to the change in time zone.

 

 

[Blackduck59]

@richwmn what have you got planned for Victoria?

[Haljo1935]

That's an awesome itinerary!!

We'll miss you on the Daily, but know you've left us in capable hands and appreciate you bringing us along.

We are cruising AK next month, so I will be excitedly following along.

[geer55]

Fantastic itinary! I look forward to your tripreports!

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

We're joining you. Spending 2 days in Seattle with family before boarding on Sunday. Just started packing. This is going to be AWESOME!

Edited August 29 by Bailey & Sophie
Addl info

[seagarsmoker]

Have a wonderful cruise and I  look forward to reading your updates! 

[ski ww]

Looks like a great itinerary, looking forward to your posts.

[POA1]

Have a great trip!

[cunnorl]

Great Itinerary! Have a wonderful trip! 

[StLouisCruisers]

Have a great time Rich!

[Cruzin Terri]

Bon Voyage! Rich.  

Can’t wait to read all about your trip.

Terri

[Ellencruise]

Bon Voyage. Can’t wait to cruise along on CC with you!

[Mtn2Sea]

Bob Voyage!  Hope you have a great time on the Westerdam.  I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences on this exciting itinerary.

[Love the beach]

Bon Voyage! Have a wonderful trip!

[cat shepard]

Enjoy Seattle, Rich. Thank you for taking us along. 

[Niagarawine]

Bon voyage!

[richwmn]

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

@richwmn what have you got planned for Victoria?

To be honest, I don't have any plans at the moment. I generally play most ports 'by ear' and don't plan. Victoria I didn't think about at all because I didn't notice that we had a full day. All of my other Alaska cruises had very short, evening stops there. At this point I'll probably find a cab driver that wants to show off the city

[durangoscots]

Sounds like a great cruise. I have been to Japan twice, but for very brief and limited visits. Will be tagging along. Very anxious to hear about the ship and the ports. Bon Voyage!!!

 

Susan

[Hogladyrider]

@richwmn,,WOW what an amazing cruise!

 

Enjoy your precruise time in Seattle.  Looking forward to following along!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great cruise.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

To be honest, I don't have any plans at the moment. I generally play most ports 'by ear' and don't plan. Victoria I didn't think about at all because I didn't notice that we had a full day. All of my other Alaska cruises had very short, evening stops there. At this point I'll probably find a cab driver that wants to show off the city

Perhaps you could find a local willing to show you around. A full day opens up many possibilities. Perhaps you can give us some insights from your south seas Grand Voyage last year. We are doing a long cruise from New Zealand back home next year. Let me know.

[richwmn]

8 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Perhaps you could find a local willing to show you around. A full day opens up many possibilities. Perhaps you can give us some insights from your south seas Grand Voyage last year. We are doing a long cruise from New Zealand back home next year. Let me know.

email is richwmn at gmail dot com, send me a note and we can chat

[Sir PMP]

You won't see Howard.

[richwmn]

1 minute ago, Sir PMP said:

You won't see Howard.

Tell me more please

[ncgolferette]

Rich

 

be sure to go to the float museum in Hakodate. The floats are four dimensional, have a history behind them and are absolutely beautiful.  They change every year.  They are made to give thanks for a fruitful harvest at the end of the growing season. The museum was one of my highlights visiting Japan. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29 by ncgolferette