Part III - Asia Ports Review - Whittier to Osaka 9/14-10/16

[Sandy R]

As was suggested I will add to this thread each time I review another port. If anyone wants our private tour info, I think the rules on cruisecritic are that you have to ask. I'll be happy to provide the info... our private tours were great and for the most part, with 2 couples sharing, were less than the price of the ship tours and more extensive.

 

9/17 - Kodiak, Alaska: We docked very close to the center of the city. We had reserved an Avis rental car for Kodiak and with the help of my research, looked forward to checking off a list of 18 things to do and see in this year-round commercial fishing town, ranked as one of the top 3 fishing ports in the U.S. When we arrived, it was cold and pouring rain so we cancelled the rental and waited onboard in hopes the rain would let up, which it did after lunch. The city provided buses to shuttle passengers into town, with Princess charging $10 each for the privilege. By the time we disembarked, tickets were no longer being sold so we were able to board the shuttle for free. We visited the Russian Cemetery, the Russian Orthodox Church, the small but quaint Baranov Museum (the oldest wooden structure in Alaska), walked around the shopping area, mostly closed because it was a Sunday, and walked around the harbor.

 

After Kodiak, for the next 4 days, we traversed the Bering Sea, where one day we experienced 25 foot waves, and crossed the International Date Line and lost a day.

 

9/23 – Petropavlosk, Kamchatka Siberia, Russia: This was a tender port. The tenders didn't let passengers off within walking distance of the city center but was very close to Blue Lakes, part of Petropavlosk National Park. We arrived to remarkably good weather for mid-September, clear and crisp, with the temperature around 55 degrees . We opted for the ship tour “Kamchatka City/Cultural Museum” as we weren’t sure if we could get a taxi at the dock. I think we made the right decision as most passengers that didn’t take a ship tour, just walked around, some making it a distance away, to the Cultural Museum but seeing very little of the city. The snowy peaks of Mt. Koryak & Mt. Avacha were a dramatic backdrop for the city’s 273,000 inhabitants. The tour bus drove by one dilapidated apartment building after another, a stark difference from the magnificent scenery surrounding this remote city. Most people live in apartments and only a few own cars. We drove past one long street where both sides were lined with used cars for sale, some with steering wheels on the right, some on the left, people opting for what they could afford, not for what they wanted. A brief stop at the 2 story cultural museum told the story of the Kamchatka history. Our last stop was at a local outdoor market made up of stands selling fish, vegetables, tubs filled with cavier, candy, flowers, clothes, fur hats and gloves. At one side of the market was an area filled with people waiting for different buses, standing still, almost stiffly, not talking, not smiling, just waiting for their bus. Although no one spoke English, the marketplace and bus area definitely gave us a feel for the people and we could only imagine what life was like in mid-winter.

 

9/24 & 9/25 were sea days.

 

9/26 – Muroran, Japan: This was a container docking port. It was a lovely warm day when we arrived but because Sapporo was a 90 minute drive away, we opted for a private tour around the Muroran countryside, a touring company recommended on tripadvisor’s board. The guide met us at the ship, driving a Toyota Crown… very comfortable for 4 persons. Our 6 hour tour included: Mt. Usu Gondola, Showa Shinzan, Lake Toya, Shiraoi, Ainu Village and the Valley of Hell. It was an interesting day… driving through back roads, through wonderful farm country, lake views in the mountains, a stop at a reproduction of an Ainu Village and a visit to the Valley of Hell, where plumes of volcanic gas rise from the stark barren earth, providing people benefit from it’s nearby hot springs.

 

9/27 was another sea day.

 

Next: 9/28… Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan

[Coral]

Amazing Sandy. I am enjoying the reviews quite a bit. Who would have thought one would travel to Siberia on a luxury cruise :)

[juliejoe]

I'm really enjoying your posts and look forward to more. This itinerary is on our to-do list.

 

Thanks for sharing!

Julie

[Sandy R]

9/28… Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan: The weather was very warm when we docked in Yokohama. Here we opted for a ship’s tour but in retrospect, we could have taken the train into Tokyo and used their subway to get to the venues we wanted to see… but it would have taken extensive research and we would have had to know in advance the train schedules and the distances apart of each site we wanted to see. Some passengers did take a taxi from the port to the train station (you had to allow 40 minutes from the dock to the train station and another 40 minutes for the return… the train then took about 50 minutes into the city of Tokyo). We felt the ship’s tour “Ancient & Modern Tokyo” would be less stressful for us. The tour took 90 minutes to drive from the dock to the center of Tokyo… it was literally an all day tour. Tokyo is crowded and traffic was bumper to bumper so we were only able to see: the Imperial Palace grounds during a 20 minute stop – Meiji Shrine, Asakusa Kannon Temple with generous time to shop at the near-by “Nakamise-dori, the “Street of Inside Shops”, great for shoppers but also nice for those of us that wanted to mingle with the locals – lunch which disappointed some passengers, including ourselves because it was a “western” lunch, not an Asian lunch – included in our stops were several photo-ops from the bus… not really great… but the tour gave as the look-see of Tokyo and we understood that trying to see such a large city in one day, would be impossible. It would be nice to return someday, stay longer and see the city at a slower, less rushed pace.

 

There were many passengers who opted to explore Yokohama instead and that would have been a decent alternative to a 90 minute drive each way, into Tokyo. After a short walk into town, taxis were available and if you did your research, there are interesting venues in Yokohama, a vibrant city on it’s own. We heard from those that saw Yokohama, that they enjoyed their day there. If their amazing, intricate 90 minute performance on the dock before sail-away is representative of their city, Yokohama must be wonderful!

 

9/29… a much needed day at sea

 

Next: Nagasaki, Japan

[Sandy R]

9/30… Nagasaki, Japan: This was probably one of our warmest port stops, maybe because the humidity was higher. We docked at Masugae Pier and there was an Information Booth on the dock. Although the streetcar stop was only about a 10 minute walk, we opted to rent a taxi and driver for 4-5 hours, to see the sites. We handpicked the sites we wanted to see and the driver actually bought entrance tickets for us with his Japanese yen (which we figured into the amount of U.S. $$ we gave him at the end of the day – $80US for the 2 of us) and he accompanied us in seeing the sites (guides don’t pay entrance fees). We saw that other taxi drivers were doing the same for their tourist fares.

 

Our first stop was the Peace Memorial Park, commemorating the atomic bomb explosion on 8/9/45. There were many monuments and statues from other countries and a massive fountain in the middle of the park that sprayed mist on passers-by. Our taxi driver/guide explained in his limited English that the water spray was intentional, that it was a symbol of the peace Nagaskai was trying to convey to other people around the world. Our next stop was the Atomic Bomb Museum. Many tourist have said they just couldn’t go. My answer would be how could you not go! It brought home the horror of the action the U.S. chose to take, and the urgent need for eliminating all nuclear weapons. From the Museum, we went to Glover Gardens. built in 1863 by Thomas Glover, now the oldest remaining colonial style building in Japan. There are no gardens, there is a view of the city and the ship but nothing spectacular. And, it’s quite a climb up to the top, unless you go to the other side of the area, at least a 30 minute walk or by taxi, where there are about 8 stepped escalators that take you to the top. Our opinion was Glover Gardens was a waste of time. We also stopped at the Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridger), the oldest stone bridge in Japan, Oura Church and the 26 Christian Hill. Throughout the day, we found the people gracious and friendly and the city very clean.

 

10/1... a day at sea.

 

Next: Xingang, China (Beijing)... rather than drive 5-6 hours round trip into Beijing for a few hours (we have visited before), we opted for a private tour of Tianjin, which was a delightful surprise!

[Coolmama_1]

I am really enjoying your posts. Thanks for sharing your cruise!

[Sandy R]

10/2… Xingang, China (Beijing & Tianjin): Of the 2600 passengers aboard, 1900 disembarked. Since we were sailing on, Xingang was a day stop for us. Since we had visited Beijing several years prior, and the ride into Beijing was 2 ½ hours each way, we opted for a private tour of Tianjin, about a 30 minute drive from Xingang, where the Sapphire Princess was docked. Six of us were picked up at 9 am in a very comfortable air-conditioned van with English-speaking guide provided. Again, I research the Tianjin sites and with the help of the tour company, worked out the following itinerary: French, British & Russian Style houses, Ma Chang Road, Ancient Cultural Street, Lunch at the Food Street, with time for walking around, then back to the ship by 3 pm. (We were told by a Princess agent, that we could be picked up at the Xingang dock but couldn’t be brought back to the ship and instead, needed to go to the Renaissance Hotel in Tianjin, where a Princess shuttle would be provided to all embarking passengers.) Before leaving for our tour, we found out that embarking passengers would be processed through the Xingang terminal and our private tour would also be allowed to bring us back to the Xingang terminal.

 

The tour of Tianjin, turned out to be delightful. Tianjin is the 3rd largest city in China… it was modern, very clean and the people were very friendly, although few spoke English. The Ancient Cultural Street was amazing, filled with shops selling a multitude of things, perfect to buy gifts for yourself and others. The prices were excellent and bargaining was encouraged, Our lunch stop was at the Food Street, up 3 flights of stairs, where the six of us were treated to almost a 30 course lunch! After lunch, we explored and beside food items for sale, several shops were also selling Chinese products, including silk items, like purses, boxes, etc.

 

10/3… Dalian, China: We hadn’t planned any private tour in Dalian but with 2 other couples, we rented a van, driver and English-speaking guide (well, actually, her English wasn’t great but she spoke better English than we did Chinese, and she was very nice and eager to please… and Dalian was where my research really came in handy because I knew what sites to see.)

 

We drove through the downtown area, passed Zhongshan Square, the city center… very clean, very green, with lots of parks and trees. Then, we drove along the Binhai Road coastline, and up into the hills, where we came to their aquarium and theme park, crowded with people as we were there China’s National Holiday. We opted to by-pass the interior, although we did stop for a few minutes. From the aquarium, we drove into the hills and came out at what the guide called “New Dalian”… beautiful coastline, sandy beaches, hi-tech architecture, sculptures, hi-rise condos with large terraces and Xinghai Square, the largest square in Asia, larger than in Beijing. The area was definitely 21st century! From there, we drove a shorter route into the downtown area and stopped for a visit to the “Russian Street”… Russian architecture and lots of shops. It was a lovely day.

 

10/4… a day at sea.

 

10/5 & 10/6… Shanghai overnight: We had booked a private tour in Shanghai, for our first day… also a private tour that was recommended by people that had used them. Four of us were picked up at 8:30 am. (We were about 45 minutes from the center of Shanghai city because the Sapphire was so large, it had to dock at a container port.) Our day included… Shanghai city, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Old City, the Bund and Nanjing Road. Our tour ended at 6 pm… a very full day.

 

We drove through the city and couldn’t believe all skyscrapers, each one more intricate than the other. Our guide told us Shanghai has 400 hi-rise buildings, more than New York. Our first stop was the Jade Buddha Temple… very interesting, very colorful, filled with the scent of incense and very crowded (it was still China’s National Day). From there, we drove to the Bund and walked along the boardwalk area, along the Huangpu River. From there, we walked to a nearby “tea house”, where we were seated at a rectangular table… and a lovely Chinese woman began to brew us several kinds of tea, one at a time, which we savored slowly, while munching on the best tasting little crackers. We knew we would be asked to buy tea at the end but it was a nice experience and a most relaxing ½ hour. From the tea house, we stopped at a very nice restaurant for lunch… the guide helped us order but the menus had pictures of the food, which really helped. After lunch, we wanted to explore Xiang Yang Market but were told it had been permanently closed… we drove by because I had to see that it was indeed closed. The market has been broken-up, into several small shops, behind stores, in the same general area. If you really want to see knock-offs, walk the streets near where the Xiang Yang Market used to be and people will approach you. Next, we drove down Nanjing Road, through the Old City, where we stopped for a visit to Yu Garden. We didn’t realize the enormity of the Garden, everywhere you turn, every unusual doorway, produces another exquisite garden for viewing. We probably spend 2 hours walking through, with brief time-outs to rest. After the gardens, we drove through the French Concession area, lovely tree-lined streets, with early 19th century houses of European/Chinese influences, originally built for the French. We drove by the Oriental Pearl Tower, 3rd tallest in the world, and by People’s Square, where kites were being flown.

 

Next day: we took the Princess free shuttle into the city with 2 other couples, who had also toured the previous day. We chose to walk down Nanjing Road, very crowed because of China’s National Holiday. Around lunch, we found ourselves in front of the JW Marriott, so we took the elevator to the 46th floor and had a scrumptious lunch, with striking décor and an amazing 360 degree view of the city. It was a great 2 days!

 

Next: 10/7… a day at sea

[juliejoe]

Sandy,

 

Please share the name of your private tour guide in Shanghai.

 

We are enjoying your review - you write very well!

 

Thanks,

Julie

[Sandy R]

Our Shanghai private tour info is: jasper@china.com

He was recommended by cruisecritic and tripadvisor board members. He's with Beijingservice.com... his van, English-speaking guide and tour was wonderful. We wouldn't have been able to see as much on our own or with a single ship's tour. Cost for 4 people was $90US per person. The cost goes down with more people. We chose to limit ourselves to 4 so we wouldn't be touring with a crowd. We paid at the end of the tour in US$$. The price included pick up from the port (in our case Waigaoqiao Port), private van, English speaking tour guide, admission fees, lunch, fuel, parking expressway cost and transfer back to the port after the tour.

 

Sandy

[juliejoe]

:) Thank You Sandy!

[Sandy R]

10/8… Pusan, South Korea: Again, we had very warm weather to greet our arrival. We took the complimentary shuttle to the downtown area and explored the two nearby markets. First, was the colorful Chagalch’I Fish Market, directly across the street from the shuttle drop-off point. It encompasses several blocks along the docks, where the fishing boats pull in and drop off their catch. It was a definite photo-op, with all kinds of fresh fish in tanks, some we’ve never seen before, women de-boning fish and fish stacked high in buckets, all waiting to be purchased. The locals were very friendly to us, although they didn’t speak English, the nodded hello and smiled as we walked around.

 

Next, we walked across the street to the Kukje Shopping Market, narrow streets crowded with small open-front shops, each specializing in one type of item… shoes, eye-glasses, electronics leather goods, handicrafts, food, etc.

 

From the downtown area, we took a taxi (we paid him in US$$) the Pusan Tower. The driver took us up the hill to the entrance, where we then climbed up stairs and a walk-way, to the top. The area surrounding the tower is a social place for seniors, families and young adults. People were sitting and enjoying the views of the city, children were playing with each other and feeding the pigeons.

 

Some passengers opted to take the subway to the Beomosa Temple… sorry to say we were “templed” out. It was nice to have a day to ourselves, on our own, at our own pace.

 

10/9… Kagoshima, Japan: More good weather when we docked. We rode the complimentary shuttle into the city center and were dropped off at a high-end department store and mall. We began walking and came to a delightful park, where an outdoor arts and crafts market was in progress. From the park, we hired a taxi and driver to take us to Iso Garden and wait for us since we weren’t sure we would be able to get a taxi back. As it turned out when we left Iso Garden, taxis were streaming in with fares, so we certainly could have gotten a taxi back to the city center. Still, the price we settled on with the taxi driver was not much more than if we had taken two taxis back and forth. From Iso Garden, we could see majestic Sakurajima, Kagoshima’s active volcano, looming over us… it was quite a site. Iso is made up of Lord Shimadzu’s summer villa and his beautiful ancient Japanese-style garden, dating back to 1668. We strolled the vast gardens, with our taxi driver as guide, for well over an hour.

 

After our exploration, we were driven back to the city center and the shopping mall. We explored the downtown streets for awhile, then walked through the shopping mall. In the early afternoon, we took the shuttle back to the ship… the drive was plus or minus 30 minutes. There were several passengers with shopping bags loaded with purchases from the department store. We are not really shoppers but everyone said there were lovely items to buy. Again, a very nice day by ourselves.

 

10/10… a day at sea

 

10/11… Keelung (Taipei), Taiwan: We had booked another private tour for 4 person, that would take us into Taipei for the day. Our van and English-speaking driver picked us up promptly at 8 am and whisked us off for a day of sight-seeing. Our itinerary, which I put together from my research: The Grand Hotel, Longshan Temple, Taipei 101, the Wanhua District and the Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial… with lunch and admissions included.

 

After a 30 minute drive into the center of Taipei, we went to the Grand Hotel is one of the city’s most famous landmarks and isn’t usually on a tour because it’s a very exclusive old hotel (I visited there in 1963) and tourist tours are frowned upon. Its’ bright yellow tile roof is the largest Chinese classical style roof in the world… the total hotel exterior was an elegant work of art. The hotel contains numerous objects d’art, wall panels, painting and carvings, that make it almost a museum. From the hotel, we went to Longshan Temple, one of the most colorful and popular in Taipei… it was definitely a good choice. After stopping for a delicious Asian lunch, we visited the Wanhua District, an area with old temples and narrow streets… with great photo-ops. Next stop was the impressive Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, where some of us tackled the multitude of steps to watch the changing of the guard (the elevator was being repaired). Our last stop was Tapei 101, where we spent well over an hour, taking the elevator to the top, walking around the very hi-end, hi-tech mall and stopping for an afternoon snack. Our tour provided us with a rather long but very special day.

 

10/12… Okinawa, Japan: We hadn’t planned a tour here, so we hired a taxi and driver (who spoke limited English), to show us the sites. It was rather easy to make choices of what to see because the driver had a sheet with the different sites and all we had to do was point… made easier by my research.

 

Our first stop was Shuri Castle, which was another example of Asian architecture, with surrounding well-manicured grounds. Next stop was the Shikinaen Garden, a lovely villa and garden once belonging to an old royal family of Okinawa. The tranquil gardens, lake, bridges and pagoda, made for more great photo-ops. We found it odd that there were no benches to sit and contemplate the striking views… a definite drawback. Next stop was the Makishi Public Market, where we spent time strolling up and down the aisles of the covered stalls. No bargains because negotiating is not allowed. We spent another enjoyable stop on our own.

 

10/13… a day at sea.

 

10/14… Osaka: This was the end of our 4 week cruise. Disembarkation was a somewhat slow because there was a shortage of dock workers off-loading passenger luggage. Once we found our luggage, our pre-arranged transportation from our hotel, was there to take us into the city center, about a ½ hour drive from the Tempozan Cruise Terminal. We spent the afternoon walking this very modern and crowded city, including a stop at the Osaka Castle. The Castle and grounds are worth seeing but the inside is a only a museum, depicting the history of the castle, and in our opinion, not necessary.

 

The following day, a previously booked popular Japanese touring company accompanied us by train round-trip to Kyoto for the day (6:30 am to 6:30 pm)… a very long and tiring but absolutely fascinating non-stop day, filled with 6 major Kyoto sites and a buffet lunch stop, where we were also able to spend time shopping.

 

The next day, our previously booked hotel transportation drove us to Kansai Airport, where we flew home to Los Angeles… we had been away a total of 33 days.

[Coral]

Hi Sandy,

 

I want to thank you for taking the time to write a very extensive review of your exotic trip. I am sure it will help many people in the future when looking at this itinerary.

 

I really hope to do this trip one day. I wish I had seen the Peace Memorial Park in Japan - that is my one regret from my Japan trip.

 

So what is your "next big trip"?

 

Theresa

[juliejoe]

Sandy,

I too want to thank you. We will be taking a different itinerary but will see some of the same ports.

 

We'd love to have the name and contact information for the guide you used in Taipei (Keelung) Taiwan.

Julie

[Sandy R]

Julie... here's the info:

We booked our Taipei tour with Have Fun Travel - http://www.hftravel.com.tw

Our contact was with Augustus Chen (special assistant to vice general manager). The cost for 4 persons was NT$5,000 per couple (roughly $150US per couple), which included the all day tour, van (which can hold 6 comfortably, private English-speaking guide, driver, lunch and admission fees. We were required to pay by credit card in advance and fill out and send back their booking form. As it turned out, paying in advance was a plus for us since we didn't have to exchange any money. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. BTW, they came all the way from Taipei to pick us up and after returning us to the ship, drove back to Taipei... 30-40 minutes each way. We all thought the price was quite reasonable.

 

Theresa... so far we have Pacific Panama Canal on the Island Princess already booked for 9/20/08 - a 19 day L.A round trip so no airplane flights - hooray!

 

Sandy

[minke]

Good work Sandy, I have not started mine yet, taking all my time sorting out the photos. Have 4 albums so far on webshots (2 each name) & probably another 4 to come!We were glad we had our 2 nights post cruise in Kyoto (Granvia htl) right on the station & by chance found ourselves on the bullet train, just 12mins from Osaka to Kyoto, great experience. Eric

[Sandy R]

Hi Eric... I've been sorting my photos since I returned home. I adore my new camera but SLR/digitals are dangerous, you can take photos without thinking how many you have. I have over 1000 and although I've been through them once, now I must go through them again and pick out the very best to develop. I'll be putting them on webshots, so as soon as I accomplish that major feat, I'll post the web address. Will you be putting your photos on webshots, too. Let me know so I can see them.

 

Sandy

[juliejoe]

Thanks again for all the good information!

 

We look forward to seeing your photos Sandy and Eric.

 

Julie

[minke]

Hi Sandy & Julie, I also ended up with around a 1000, & this after deleting many. I took my camera AV leads & was able to view on the cabin TV large size that helped me delete quite a few duds that looked ok on the camera screen.

So far I have 6 albums loaded on webshots. 3 - Images of Japan, Images of Kyoto, Images of China on http://community.webshots.com/user/ericy202

3 of Gardens in same areas (Garden nut case!) on http://community.webshots.com/user/ericy102

You need to sort by newest albums to find them. 2 more albums to come to cover the cruise, Russia, Alaska, Korea & Taiwan. Eric