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

[bennybear]

Best place we found to get Yen was at the 7/11 atm,  no extra fees and a fair  rate.  Worked very easily. 

[Seasick Sailor]

32 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Best place we found to get Yen was at the 7/11 atm,  no extra fees and a fair  rate.  Worked very easily. 

 

That's what I plan on doing. I just wanted to have yen to get me going.

[richwmn]

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

 

Good morning from Westerdam! Another day at sea on the way to Japan. The temperature is 50°F / 10°C under overcast skies. The humidity is 88% and the winds are 26 mph. We have been experiencing a bit of rough seas for the past day. Our current heading is west at 15 knots.

 

OK, I’m back from breakfast and ready to face the day. Lots going on today, including the three trivia sessions that have been hosted each day. All four music venues will be open this evening and we have available various classes including tech, origami, Japanese writing, and many more. From what I have heard, all the classes have been informative and fun.

 

Yesterday was a very good and relaxed day at sea. Like my previous long cruises I have settled into a routine. Breakfast then updating CC and FB, then lunch. After noon my activities are more out and about, including the three trivia sessions, listening to music in one of the venues (primarily Ocean Bar), and attending some of the ‘game shows’. I have also listened to some of the Techspert presentations but I have always had a few problems with the information they present.

 

Last night on the World Stage the movie ‘The Great Gatsby’ was presented. Last night was dressy and the Masquerade Ball was held in the Rolling Stone Lounge. It seemed to be well attended and everyone seemed to be having fun. The theme of the late trivia was ‘90’s music and we were surprised at how well we did. We got a total of 32 points out of 34 possible, but two teams (at least) got perfect scores.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

Hey! Where was everyone? Wanted to meet you in Billboard this afternoon.  Had a very nice conversation with Rich. Love him. Sue went to her "Tea".

[Seasick Sailor]

[hummingbird_206]

Went to afternoon tea at 3 p.m. today in the MDR.  First time we've been and thought it was very well done.  Afternoon Tea will be offered every sea day.  Today's was 'Victorian Tea'.  Not sure what the different themes will be, but looking forward to finding out.

[DeeniEncinitas]

1 minute ago, Seasick Sailor said:

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Aloha Joy, Allen and Rich!!

Love the photo of you guys!!! Have a ball enjoying the sea days! JAPAN HERE YOU COME!! 
Mahalo,

Denise 😌

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning, Dailyites!

 

6:15 here. A 7 hour difference from Texas. Plus, it's Saturday since crossing the International Dateline. No Friday the 13th on board!

 

I had lobster, and Allen had halibut last night in MDR. Honestly, I thought the halibut was better.

 

Dinner tonight is in the Pinnacle. 

 

I won $36 at Bingo. You get 4 sheets for, I think, $39. Also, someone in the casino won 40,000!! 

 

I dislike those push buttons and like to see the money come out when I win. However, I lost my gambling money of $50, so that's that

 

Handsome is stirring and is asking for coffee and news. He's being so darn cute!

 

Hope to meet a fellow Dailyite soon! 

[richwmn]

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

Due to the International Date Line, Friday the 13^th disappeared!

 

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

 

After skipping Friday the 13^th, it is now Saturday on Westerdam. Around the ship it is 54°F /12°C with overcast skies. The humidity is at 87% and the winds are blowing at 18 mph. We are still heading basically West, although a bit Southerly, and our speed id 15 knots.

 

Yesterday evening we crossed the International Date Line, so we escaped Friday the 13^th. We are now 16 hours ahead of the east coast. In addition to going forward a day, we had a two hour time change. I attempted to stay awake very late last evening, but I was still wide awake at 4:30 this morning. I suppose I will drop off for a nap later this afternoon.

 

For yesterday’s activities, it was a typical sea day. The tech talks and Bingo had good audiences, and seemed that the participants were enjoying themselves. Third Avenue West had the night off, so the Ocean Bar was mostly empty. The Piano Duo continue to have a good audience which seems to be entertained. Rolling Stone continues to be loud but pretty good, again with large audiences that seem involved. I have only seen the Classical Trio while walking by and they seem good with an involved audience.

 

The music trivia last night had a theme of the ‘90’s, which is a bit outside my interests. We did well, however, getting 23 of the 30 correct. This seems to be the era that Jose and the bar staff enjoy as they were very involved and when prompted did a dance to one of the songs, with the beverage manager looking on. It made for a very interesting trivia session.

 

On the World Stage last night we had Buddy Fitzpatrick again. Although the program said he was back with an all new show, he didn’t quite deliver. He started out with a few jokes, but went back to talking about where people were from. Somehow I don’t think that he really had a routine prepared, but most of the audience seemed to enjoy what he provided.

 

The cabin, beverage, and food staff all continue to be excellent. The ship is in good shape and the crew keeps her up well. We are at sea until Tuesday, so plenty of time to relax and enjoy the entertainment provided.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13 by richwmn

[hummingbird_206]

We had lunch today in the main dining room.  Usually I'm not a fan of the MDR lunch as the hot food always seems to arrive cold.  However today the appetizers (Potstickers) and Main (Seafood Jambalaya) were nice and hot and tasty!  The Strawberry shortcake was short on strawberries and long on whipped cream, but still pretty good.

 

We walked the Promenade outside for 2 miles this morning.  I'm glad we got some time in because it now appears the Promenade is closed due to the wind and rough seas.  We did see a few Laysan Albatross zooming around.  According to the weather on the room TV, the winds are 29.5 mph.

 

 

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

Dinner tonight was in Pinnacle Grill.

 

I ordered the crab cakes for the first time as an appetizer. I used to get the forest mushroom soup, but it's no longer on the menu. I'm sorry to report the crab cakes were not good. Filled with red and green peppers takes the flavor away.

 

My entree was Dover sole, de-boned table side. Not the same as the old Rudy's sole, but I rate it 6 out of 10.

 

Allen loved the lobster bisque and halibut/scallops for his entree. 

 

Service was lovely,  not rushed.

 

 

[jettaleea]

19 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Dinner tonight was in Pinnacle Grill.

 

I ordered the crab cakes for the first time as an appetizer. I used to get the forest mushroom soup, but it's no longer on the menu. I'm sorry to report the crab cakes were not good. Filled with red and green peppers takes the flavor away.

 

My entree was Dover sole, de-boned table side. Not the same as the old Rudy's sole, but I rate it 6 out of 10.

 

Allen loved the lobster bisque and halibut/scallops for his entree. 

 

Service was lovely,  not rushed.

 

 

I tried the halibut and scallops tonight. Halibut was good, one scallop was rubber. Didn't like the curry sauce. But ambiance makes up for it!

 

Lee Ann 

[0106]

Could anyone comment on the “guest presenters”?

[richwmn]

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

 

Another day at sea, with one more to go before arriving in Japan. The temperature outside is 54°F / 12°C. We currently have scattered clouds with a humidity of 83% and winds at 30 mph. We are still proceeding West, although a little South, at 15 knots.

 

We had another time change last night, and it looks like we might have more before reaching Kushiro. Luckily, the time changes in this direction make for 25 hour days, but it still messes things up a bit.

 

Yesterday was another full day aboard Westerdam. Plenty of activities for those who wished to partake, and no problem if you didn’t want to. All four music venues were open with Billboard and Rolling Stone having good crowds. I still need to make it to the Classic Trio, but when I have walked by they also had good crowds. Third Avenue West in the Ocean Bar plays soft jazz that allows conversation and always draws a good audience.

 

Trivia yesterday had two sessions dedicated to the Beatles. The first one, at 1:00pm, was about the history of the Beatles, while the late one was identifying the songs. High score early was 15 out of 17, while during the evening most everyone got a perfect score. The songs to identify were their biggest hits which were easy to recognize.

 

My meals yesterday were again in the Lido and were fine. Lunch was crowded early but went smoothly, dinner was a normal crowd. The food was good and service was very good and with a smile.

 

We listened to about an hour of the Rolling Stone Lounge band and again found them to be very good. The 9:00pm session was Country Music and showcased one of the ladies doing an exceptional job of playing the fiddle. All three of the singers have good voices and know the songs they are singing. Jose came in for a while and joined the dancers.

 

A little more about Jose. He is proving to be a very good entertainment host. He is very active and also engaging the audience. He has been the trivia host, a line dance teacher, a game host, and I’m sure other activities and has done them with enthusiasm. He has also been very approachable around the ship.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sea42]

17 hours ago, richwmn said:

A little more about Jose. He is proving to be a very good entertainment host. He is very active and also engaging the audience. He has been the trivia host, a line dance teacher, a game host, and I’m sure other activities and has done them with enthusiasm. He has also been very approachable around the ship.

Jose was on our N.S. cruise last year and was so much fun. He is the only entertainment person that I remember from any of our cruises (usually they just don't make an impression) but Jose is special!

Edited Sunday at 01:25 PM by Sea42

[waiting2retire]

22 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

Jose was on our N.S. cruise last year and was so much fun. He is the only entertainment person that I remember from any of our cruises (usually they just don't make an impression) but Jose is special!

I agree 100%. I have been wondering if he was the same Jose as on our spring NA Baltic/Norway cruises. The man has the energy of 10 people and a great sense of humour!  As you say, more memorable than most. 
 

[richwmn]

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

 

Greetings from Westerdam on our last sea day before Japan. In a conversation yesterday it was noted that the weather information on the tv has not been updating for the last couple of days. Currently it is showing exactly the same information as yesterday at this time. We are proceeding Southwest at 16 knots to arrive Kushiro tomorrow.

 

It seems that every day since we left Alaska we have had a time zone change, and last night was no exception. Tonight isn’t either for that matter. It has made for some interesting times. This morning, for the first time I remember, the Lido was crowded at 7:00am when they opened for breakfast. Almost every table on the starboard side had a couple seated at it, or was full. Most days at 7:00am plenty of tables are empty, one of the reasons I like to eat breakfast then.

 

The trivia report for yesterday, it was pretty good. My team won the first session and did well on the second session. The third session was Guests vs Officers and had a huge number of officers participating. Three tables were set up, the first being Engineering, the second Hotel, and the third Misc (including some from the first two). All of the participants stood up and introduced themselves. They ranged from the Staff Captain all the way down to a couple of Cadets. We had five general questions, five photos of stars as youngsters to identify, and five songs. It was really a good variety and the pictures were especially difficult. We did well, but the officers were (again) declared the winners.

 

After trivia ended the tables and chairs were removed from the dance floor and the band began to play for the Orange Party. This also had a lot of participation and the band was as good as previous days, although a bit loud. We retreated to the Crow’s Nest which was not as quiet as most nights. It was the starting point for the Pub Crawl, and staff was doing a very good job stirring them up. The crowd was about 50 guests or so and seemed to be having a good time.

 

Earlier in the afternoon our Cruise and Travel Director Karlijn gave a talk on the next two ports. The presentation started with quite a bit of information about entering Japan, followed by information on the ports. Karlijn is a very good speaker and gave us a lot of useful information. It was a nice presentation.

 

I also did a wine tasting yesterday. Although I am not much of a wine drinker, these sessions are good for finding out the differences in wines, and being able to try various wines. I have found several that I do enjoy, and would happily drink if the situation comes up. The Cellar Master gave a bit of a speech, then the actual tasting was done by the sommelier. I did enjoy the session and came away with a little more appreciation of the variety of wines.

 

 

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 10:03 PM by richwmn

[Ready2go11]

We had Karlijn as our C&TD on the Oosterdam TA this spring. We attended every coffee talk (I see you’ve had a bunch of those based on the programs posted) and port talks and learned a lot. I like her dry sense of humor and no nonsense approach. She is friendly and engaging without being over the top. 

[richwmn]

14 hours ago, Sea42 said:

Jose was on our N.S. cruise last year and was so much fun. He is the only entertainment person that I remember from any of our cruises (usually they just don't make an impression) but Jose is special!

 

13 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

I agree 100%. I have been wondering if he was the same Jose as on our spring NA Baltic/Norway cruises. The man has the energy of 10 people and a great sense of humour!  As you say, more memorable than most. 
 

 

I just left trivia with Jose and told him your comments. He said thank you!

[ottahand7]

On 9/10/2024 at 3:52 PM, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Rika says hello!

 

Thank you so much for the photo and passing on my hello.  We have been on cabin shutdown so about all I could handle is the Daily.  I hope to cross paths with her again! 

[richwmn]

09/17/2024 Kushiro, Japan 0800-1700

 

It is 5am on Westerdam. We will be in Japan shortly. It appears that the problem with the weather information might have been fixed. It is currently showing 63°F / 17°C under overcast skies. The humidity is 83% and the winds are at 11 mph. Looks like our first day in Japan might be nice.

 

Once the ship is berthed we have to undergo customs and immigration, after which we will be free to leave the ship. We will have a shuttle available to take us a short distance into town, which I’m told is a nice place to walk around.

 

As always, there was trivia yesterday. On Westerdam Jose has it scheduled three times a day. We are always close, and sometimes happen to win. That happened yesterday for the early trivia. The late session was entitled ‘Duets’ but was a little vague as to what was considered a duet. For instance ‘Under Pressure’ with Queen and David Bowie was one of the featured songs. It was still a fun evening and we almost won.

 

As I have mentioned before, most of my meals are in the Lido and are early in the service times. At that time the seating area is usually very open and getting a table is easy. For some reason the seating area was close to full at 7am yesterday. I did manage to get a good breakfast.

 

The piano duo continues to play and because their set is just before trivia, I generally listen to around 10 minutes of their set each day. I feel that their sets are uneven, and I have been told they sing everything in the same key and are sometimes off.

 

Rolling Stone Lounge has been rocking the entire cruise. They have a full venue each night and people are up dancing for the entire time. While others don’t seem to mind, I feel that they are to loud and unless I’m at the back I don’t stay long. They are very good musicians and I would be happier if the volume was down a bit. Enough people don’t mind that, so I’ll just stay at the back and enjoy them for a while.

 

For the past few nights we have been ending the night in the Crow’s Nest. Last night was no exception and the bartenders were very entertaining. It was a nice way to end the evening.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sevigny]

On 9/12/2024 at 10:14 PM, Seasick Sailor said:

 

[sevigny]

1 minute ago, sevigny said:

You guys look very familiar!  Any chance you were on the Noordam from Auckland to Vancouver?  

 

[Seasick Sailor]

17 hours ago, sevigny said:

 

 

Not us. Possibly Rich?

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, sevigny said:

 

 

31 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Not us. Possibly Rich?

I did Vancouver to Auckland in 2019, but not Auckland to Vancouver.