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

[richwmn]

Kushiro, Japan –

We had an interesting start to the day. It was well publicized in advance that we would be going thru immigration and customs today. We were given forms to fill out in advance, and had to go to Guest Services and pick up a ticket to schedule a time to meet with immigration. The process was supposed to start at 8:30am.

 

Japanese Officials got on the ship a little late, but not much. Shortly afterward there was an announcement that they were having trouble connecting their equipment. We were scheduled at 10:00am, but ended up going thru around 11:30. The process was quick once we got to the head of the line. A picture and scan of both index fingers, followed by a quick scan of our passports and a sticker was added and they collected the immigration form. After we exited the ship, we went thru a check point that collected the customs form after a quick glance at it.

 

The shuttles ran continuously, we got on one quickly, and after a short ride we were in town at MOO. This is a big shopping area inside a building of three floors. This is similar to a market I saw in Sydney, Australia in 2019.

 

After touring that market for a while we exited and walked around town a bit. It is similar to other towns around the world and I enjoyed the walk. We then explored MOO a little bit more, then joined the shuttle back to the ship. All in all, a nice first stop in Japan.

 

 

[ottahand7]

Rich, I notice on your daily programs there are no happy hours.  That was our lifeline on the Volendam GSA because drink packages were basically unavailable.  I guess most on your journey have a package.  

 

Thanks for the photos of your wine tasting. Do you recall who your Cellarmaster is?  

[richwmn]

7 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

Rich, I notice on your daily programs there are no happy hours.  That was our lifeline on the Volendam GSA because drink packages were basically unavailable.  I guess most on your journey have a package.  

 

Thanks for the photos of your wine tasting. Do you recall who your Cellarmaster is?  

Since I have a beverage package I haven't really thought about 'Happy Hour', so I just looked. Today and yesterday the Daily Program lists a Happy Hour at 4:00pm in Billboard and Ocean Bar. It is the final listing for the 4:00pm slot and has a grey background. Unfortunately, it appears that is the only one for the day.

 

[richwmn]

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

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

 

Good morning from another sea day. We are headed South at 15 knots, the temperature is 73°F / 23°C. We are sailing under scattered clouds with a humidity of 83% and winds of about 10 mph. It looks to be a pretty day aboard Westerdam.

 

After breakfast I’m going to spend a little time making a separate post about Hakodate. For now, shipboard activities for yesterday. We had a normal breakfast in the Lido. It is never crowded when we eat early, or almost never. Service was quick and the food was good.

 

We took a seven hour HAL tour yesterday entitled ‘The Best of Hakodate’. We were asked to meet in the World Stage at 8:45 and were scheduled to leave at 9:00am. It turns out that eight buses were doing that tour. Our bus had 29 Guests, so assuming each bus had about the same 240 people signed up for that tour. A majority of the people were seated near the exit (of course). The crew member in charge tried to control the line by asking only those in a particular section to get in line, but that didn’t work. Most people went ahead and got in line. We ended up on bus 8, and left a little after 9.

 

After the tour was over we arrived back at Westerdam a little before 4:00pm, right on schedule and in time for the second trivia session. We managed to get 15 right and won the game. Dinner in the lido, then the late music trivia and we called it a night. The late trivia theme was places, and the same team got a perfect score again.

 

Today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

The Day in Hakodate, Japan

‘The Best of Hakodate’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, I took a long HAL tour yesterday. It was a bit disorganized to begin with and did get a bit better. The tour promised four highlights and at least came thru with that promise.

 

We were on bus number 6 (I know I said 8 earlier, there were 8 buses). Our tour leader was Roy, and he had an assistant. We also had a separate driver. Roy was an animated leader and had quite a bit to say while transiting from place to place. His english was good and he was easy to understand.

 

The first stop was Goryōkaku Tower and Star Shaped Fort. This was a short ride from the ship and Roy gave us some information while we traveled. We arrived at the tower and got in a line to ride an elevator to the top. This commanded a very good view of the fort and the city in general. We then took a flight of stairs down to another observation area and gift shop. From there it was an elevator back to the second floor, then down more stairs to the first level and a big gift shop. After a few minutes we proceeded to the fort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fort itself was very impressive. Once inside the grounds are well kept and seem to be used for local activities. The big attraction inside was the old Magistrate’s Office. The story goes that it was burned down and after finding an old picture of it, they rebuilt it to look like the original.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the fort, we were back on the bus to the Hakodate Morning Market. This is simply a large shopping area, with a large selection of sea food. Everything was very fresh and well displayed. The prices also seemed reasonable. I did hear some grumbling from a couple of the guests that it should have been the first stop since the market was just a short walk from the ship, but I’m sure that a good reason exists for the choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the fort we proceeded to a hotel where we had a nice Japanese lunch. Given the location and food, I made my first semi successful attempt to use Chop Sticks. The food was good, but not exactly to my taste. I do feel that if I was to have an extended stay in Japan I could learn to enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we went to a local museum mostly dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the area. It was very interesting and Roy (our guide) provided some extra, interesting, commentary. The museum contained a large inventory of artifacts from the early times on the island.

 

After the museum we went to Mount Hakodate. There was a ride to the top of the mountain which I chose to skip and stayed in the bus. Those that did ride to the top had another good view of the city.

 

Once everyone returned to the bus we proceeded back to the ship. We arrived back a few minutes before the promised 4:00pm.

 

All in all, it was a pretty good day. However, I was reminded why I pretty much stay away from HAL tours. While our bus had 29 guests, there was another bus (number 4) that stayed with us all day with their own leader. That made a total of about 60 people arriving at attractions at the same time. I believe we got priority elevator access at the tower, but other than that, no special treatment. There is just something about walking in a large group. Also, the length of the tour was a bit much. I’ll stick to shorter excursions, both with and without HAL, in the future.

 

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

41 minutes ago, richwmn said:

The Day in Hakodate, Japan

‘The Best of Hakodate’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, I took a long HAL tour yesterday. It was a bit disorganized to begin with and did get a bit better. The tour promised four highlights and at least came thru with that promise.

 

We were on bus number 6 (I know I said 8 earlier, there were 8 buses). Our tour leader was Roy, and he had an assistant. We also had a separate driver. Roy was an animated leader and had quite a bit to say while transiting from place to place. His english was good and he was easy to understand.

 

The first stop was Goryōkaku Tower and Star Shaped Fort. This was a short ride from the ship and Roy gave us some information while we traveled. We arrived at the tower and got in a line to ride an elevator to the top. This commanded a very good view of the fort and the city in general. We then took a flight of stairs down to another observation area and gift shop. From there it was an elevator back to the second floor, then down more stairs to the first level and a big gift shop. After a few minutes we proceeded to the fort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fort itself was very impressive. Once inside the grounds are well kept and seem to be used for local activities. The big attraction inside was the old Magistrate’s Office. The story goes that it was burned down and after finding an old picture of it, they rebuilt it to look like the original.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the fort, we were back on the bus to the Hakodate Morning Market. This is simply a large shopping area, with a large selection of sea food. Everything was very fresh and well displayed. The prices also seemed reasonable. I did hear some grumbling from a couple of the guests that it should have been the first stop since the market was just a short walk from the ship, but I’m sure that a good reason exists for the choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the fort we proceeded to a hotel where we had a nice Japanese lunch. Given the location and food, I made my first semi successful attempt to use Chop Sticks. The food was good, but not exactly to my taste. I do feel that if I was to have an extended stay in Japan I could learn to enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we went to a local museum mostly dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the area. It was very interesting and Roy (our guide) provided some extra, interesting, commentary. The museum contained a large inventory of artifacts from the early times on the island.

 

After the museum we went to Mount Hakodate. There was a ride to the top of the mountain which I chose to skip and stayed in the bus. Those that did ride to the top had another good view of the city.

 

Once everyone returned to the bus we proceeded back to the ship. We arrived back a few minutes before the promised 4:00pm.

 

All in all, it was a pretty good day. However, I was reminded why I pretty much stay away from HAL tours. While our bus had 29 guests, there was another bus (number 4) that stayed with us all day with their own leader. That made a total of about 60 people arriving at attractions at the same time. I believe we got priority elevator access at the tower, but other than that, no special treatment. There is just something about walking in a large group. Also, the length of the tour was a bit much. I’ll stick to shorter excursions, both with and without HAL, in the future.

 

 

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Rich, Thank you so much for all you do on this live!!! Brings back memories!!

Keep them coming and write when you can!! My husband was over there in Osaka and Yokohama on business and we were able to travel all over Japan! So enjoy the moments! And please take care of my sis Joy while she is over there! She is such a social butterfly 🦋 and love the pics of you and her with sweet Allen!

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

ˌɡo͝odˈnīt (Japanese)

and Mahalo Rich

Denise😌

 

[richwmn]

Housekeeping

 

I became aware of a couple of things and I need to add a few comments.

 

First and foremost, I didn’t mention the show last night on the World Stage. The performer was a Japanese Juggler named Tempei. Now I can understand people thinking that a juggler might not be much of a show, but this guy is really good and is also a magician. While juggling he was constantly moving around the stage, and his card tricks were done to a camera that placed a large image on the screen. Even with the extreme closeup provided, it was impossible to see how the tricks were performed. His comments were very good and kept up most of the time he was on stage. If you ever see him on the schedule, he is worth the effort to attend.

 

Second, the Captain was pleased to announce this afternoon that arrangements have been made for us to arrive in Osaka at 3:30pm on the 23^rd, rather than the morning of the 24^th. The announcement letter to the cabins included information for two reasonable ($109.95) shore excursions for the evening. They are Osaka by Night for 2.5 hours and Panoramic Osaka for 2 hours. This is something a bit unique.

 

Also, the Captain will be leaving the ship in the hands of the Staff Captain for a couple of days. It appears that he has to attend a meeting in Seattle of all the Captains for planning and whatever. He said he had planned his return flight so that he would be away from the ship for as short a time as possible.

 

So far, this has been a very good cruise and I am glad to have the opportunity to visit Japan.

 

Edited 17 hours ago by richwmn

[oakridger]

41 minutes ago, richwmn said:

the Captain will be leaving the ship in the hands of the Staff Captain for a couple of days.

 

@richwmn Do you know what officer/rank is next in command below the Staff Captain? (when he/she is asleep for example, or becomes incapacitated)

 

Just curious!

 

~Nancy

[wilpower]

Rich,  we're enjoying reading about your cruise.  Just wondering if you can tell us your captain's name?

Thanks

[richwmn]

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

 

Good morning from Westerdam, on the final approach to Yokohama. We are currently traveling about 12 knots due North. The temperature is 81°F / 27°C, the skies are overcast with a humidity of 94% and winds at 4.5 mph.

 

In response to a question a bit earlier ( @wilpower ) I will list the ships officers again. I posted them before just after I got on the ship and before the first announcement from the information on the TV. I didn’t realize the Captain’s name was wrong until I checked this morning. Captain Mark has been with us the entire cruise.

 

Ship’s Officers

Captain – Mark Andrew Trembling – London, England

Cruise and Travel Director – Karlijn Verpalen – Netherlands

Staff Captain – Leon Luncan – Romania

Chief Engineer – Robert Vlaardingerbroek – Netherlands

Environmental Engineer – Stephen Rockliffe – United Kingdom

Hotel General Manager – Francois Birarda – France

Assistant Hotel Manager – Johan De Vries – Indonesia

Food & Beverage Manager – George Nurchandra – Indonesia

Executive Chef – Noorul Ali – India

Future Cruise Consultant – Melane Bruwer – South Africa

 

We are about two hours away from docking in Yokohama, and a little more than that from being able to leave the ship. It appears that Yokohama is a very walkable port and we plan to see a lot of it that way. We also have two full days to explore the city.

 

Yesterday was a nice day at sea. We had the normal activities and everything seemed to be well attended. The staff is still doing a great job of taking care of us. Yesterday was a dress up night and a large number of guests participated in that. We managed to win the second session of trivia, while the final music trivia, with a theme of ‘One Hit Wonders’ was won by a group of musicians sitting behind us. They missed one artist.

 

The show on the World Stage last night was a comic named Helene Angley billed as ‘the Tall Blonde Comic’. She has a very good act and had the capacity audience laughing. Her routine was maybe a bit edgy, but not bad considering her audience. The last two nights have had very good entertainment on the World Stage.

 

Dinner was in the Lido with a couple from Michigan, the same ones we shared a shuttle to the ship with. They are a great couple and we had a very nice evening. For the dressy night the Lido had a filet and shrimp meal that was very good. The meal ended with an Apple Tart which everyone had and was delicious.

 

Here are today’s activites and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by richwmn