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

[richwmn]

10/02/2024 Nagasaki, Japan 0800-1700

 

Good morning! We are just outside our berth in Nagasaki. The temperature is 73°F / 23°C with a humidity of 89%. The sky condition is broken clouds and the winds are about 8 mph.

 

Yesterday we had a very good day at sea. The weather was nice all day and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The first and second trivia sessions went well, even if we didn’t win. At the end of the second I found out that I share some history with one of my partners and we had a very good conversation about that.

 

The show was the second performance of ‘Sonz of Soul’. Due to a dinner commitment at Pinnacle Grill I was unable to attend but others said that the show was again good. They do a good job of recreating the songs they sing, right down to the dance moves the original artists did.

 

Dinner was late, and at the Pinnacle Grill. We had a group of four and had an excellent time. Everyone else ordered the Lamb Chops, I had the small filet. Everyone commented that their meal was good. We got finished late and headed back to the cabin.

 

Here are today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. As always I love your reporting and of course the menus etc. we had been scheduled to be on your voyage but became grandparents! Dividing our time between NY and Honolulu has also been temporarily paused lol. We some long voyages planned for next year and 2026 but in the interim will be enjoying your further posts!!! Best regards 

[Seasick Sailor]

Our last night in Pinnacle Grill for dinner is tomorrow. Then it becomes Tamarind til Seattle. We were a little disappointed with the PG menu change, and hoping Tamarind is as great as ever.

[richwmn]

Nagasaki Peace Park and the view from the entrance to Glover Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 05:57 AM by richwmn

[Seasick Sailor]

Great pictures Rich! 

Thank you. I have enjoyed Nagasaki very much. I went walking, to the first Christian church (Oura Catheral), several museums, Glover Garden, and lots of shopping. Allen teased me about using all our yen in case Captain Mark needs to cancel our last 2 Japan ports. I made him proud..

[richwmn]

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

 

Just a quick check in this morning. There is some question as to whether we will arrive in Ishigaki tomorrow. A typhoon is tracking such that it could interfere with our stay there and we might have to miss it. I enjoyed our day in Nagasaki yesterday and posted the pictures earlier. The terminal had quite a few shops available and many passengers returned to the ship with several bags of goods.

 

Here are today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chrissy6299]

Thank you so much for sharing! We're sailing Japan on the Westerdam next year, and your posts are making us even more excited!

[hummingbird_206]

BIRD ALERT

 

For the birders out there, today we've had sightings of Gray Heron, Chinese Pond Heron, and Gray Faced Buzzard.  Two Gray Herons have been landing on railings and may be hitching a ride to Ishigaki. Haven't seen the other 2 land, but they could have done so.

[richwmn]

10/04/2024 Ishigaki, Japan 0800-1700

 

Good morning! After a couple of days of wondering if we would actually call on Ishigaki, we are here. It is currently raining, and the forecast is for thundershowers most of the day. It is currently 82°F / 28°C with a humidity of 77% and winds of 10 mph. It doesn’t look like much of a day for exploring.

 

Today’s port doesn’t seem to offer very much. The shore talk was about great beaches, not something to visit on a rainy day. A couple of other things are eight to ten miles away, and there will be a shuttle into the nearest town starting shortly. We will have one more stop in Japan before heading to Hawaii, a long stretch of sea days.

 

Yesterday was a nice relaxing sea aboard Westerdam. We had the normal trivia sessions. I have regular partners for each of the trivia sessions. For the first two sessions we have a full team of six with various backgrounds, all seasoned travelers. For the music trivia session in the evening we partner with the bridge instructor and his wife. A couple of times Joy and Allen have joined us for the evening session. In all cases we are near the top and sometimes even win! It is quite a bit of fun to pick up some additional useless knowledge.

 

Last night the show was ‘Legends’ featuring the ‘World Stage Reparatory Company.’ It was another nice night of song and danced featuring songs by Sinatra, Elton John, and Queen along with a couple of others. I have enjoyed these shows both on this cruise and the preceding Grand Australia. The shows are good, but unfortunately some guests want to compare them with the big stage shows in New York or maybe on other cruise lines instead of letting them stand on their own. Someone commented that this group was ‘not as good’ as the group on the Grand Australia. Another comment was that the lead singers from Rolling Stone are better than the lead singers from this group. That may be true, but each show is good and they are worth going to.

 

I didn’t go to the World Stage the other night when the Rolling Stone Room band did a show there because of my dinner time in the Pinnacle Grill. Many people said that the show was very good but was still loud. Those in the back of the venue had it best.

 

The classical group still has a good crowd each day, as does the jazz group in the Ocean Bar. One complaint I hear is that they have a limited play list and because of the length of this cruise all the songs on the list have been played many times. I don’t attend any of them every day so it is harder for me to notice. However, there are some guests that attend each of these groups most sessions, most days so they would know.

 

The pianos in Billboard are a bit of a different story. One of their sessions is just before the evening trivia session and one starts as soon as trivia ends. As a result I have heard them most days for 10 – 20 minutes before and for some time afterward. Maybe ten days ago we went to the Gallery Bar and had a drink after trivia and commented that they sounded better from a little more distance. Then a couple days ago it seemed that they turned down the volume a bit and stopped hammering the piano keys and the time before trivia became more enjoyable. Or maybe we have finally grown used to them, who knows.

 

For those who are interested, here are today’s activities and menus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pinnacle Grill will be taken over by Tamarind for the next two weeks or so, here is the menu provided for that venue –

 

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

Great commentary Rich.

 

Captain Mark made a valiant effort docking us this morning next to....

 

A cemetery? Actually they are breakwater blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:05 AM by Seasick Sailor
.