Mariner Japan Cruise - March 22-30 Review

Yes! I absolutely agree. In fact, I've already contacted Joel to ask about the RT sailings out of Singapore. The 3/7 group did mention some of the same experiences, but if I recall correctly, it was a repo to Shanghai, so that may also change the dynamic. We really did enjoy the ship and the crew and Japan. I would love to visit Malaysia and Thailand. I'll let you know what he says.

Yes, please, thank you! Although the one I'm looking at is Singapore - Hong Kong, so not an RT, stopping in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam (on Legend OTS). I've had in my head that the majority of pax would be Singaporean, with some Aussies, Americans and the rest of the world mixed in. But I could be wrong!

I am Singaporean Chinese in my seventies. I cruise quite a bit within South East Asia from Singapore both RTN as well as reposition.

For Singapore RTN. cruises

Most of the passengers are Singaporean with high percentage of Australian as well some passengers from Indonesia, Malaysia, India etc. Sometime there is some small tour groups from China.

Asian like to holiday in BIG Family group, particularly during the December school holiday. They do congregate and like to sit together at Windjammer and dining room. this can become very noisy. However, all are very discipline in queuing with some exception of cause. The ambience can be party like and a bite chaotic, but not the scene of China ports RTN.

Food wise, there are more Asian choices added to the usual western fare.

For Reposition Cruises out off Singapore.

The passenger is a good mixed from all over the world, maybe with more Australian. The ambient is international.

Marine OTS, Sapphire Princess and Costa ships will have more Chinese crews since their HOME BASE is China and come down to Singapore only during the winter season

Celebrity Millennium, Holland America , Voyager of the Seas are home based outside Asia. the crew mixed are more international. These ships also come to Singapore just for the winter season.

slogam: thank you for your informative post. We are scheduled on Ovation next year cruising from Singapore to China; maybe that cruise will fall somewhere in the middle of what you describe between the Singapore and China cruises.

In any event, I am looking forward to our cruise very much and appreciate receiving as much information as possible. I don't necessarily expect to encounter the same things others do or to react in the same way to those experiences but it is always better to be prepared. When we went to Naples, Italy the first time I know I would have been taken quite aback by the aggressive taxi drivers if I had not previously read several posts on Cruise Critic regarding that topic. So, OP thank you, too.

Thank you, slogam!

Yes! I absolutely agree. In fact, I've already contacted Joel to ask about the RT sailings out of Singapore. The 3/7 group did mention some of the same experiences, but if I recall correctly, it was a repo to Shanghai, so that may also change the dynamic. We really did enjoy the ship and the crew and Japan. I would love to visit Malaysia and Thailand. I'll let you know what he says.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. An Asian cruise is on our bucket list and based on your experience we will probably chose something out of Singapore. This is a link to another thread on the Celebrity board that some will find interesting..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193954

slogam: thank you for your informative post. We are scheduled on Ovation next year cruising from Singapore to China; maybe that cruise will fall somewhere in the middle of what you describe between the Singapore and China cruises.

 

In any event, I am looking forward to our cruise very much and appreciate receiving as much information as possible. I don't necessarily expect to encounter the same things others do or to react in the same way to those experiences but it is always better to be prepared. When we went to Naples, Italy the first time I know I would have been taken quite aback by the aggressive taxi drivers if I had not previously read several posts on Cruise Critic regarding that topic. So, OP thank you, too.

I am also booked on Ovation but for the Dubai-Singapore sector.

Singapore-Beijing sector is not just a reposition. It is one sector of the Grand Cruise from Southampton to Beijing. Should have quite a lot of B2B passengers.

June is not a school holiday season. The Singaporean you will meet are the "Golden Age" retiree. maybe there is a few, if any, tour group from China on this type of cruises. Do expect a lot of Australian and other nationalities.

The ambient on board should be more international.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. An Asian cruise is on our bucket list and based on your experience we will probably chose something out of Singapore. This is a link to another thread on the Celebrity board that some will find interesting..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193954

Very useful perspective on that Celebrity thread. Thank you for providing the link.

Spoke to my son this morning who is spending 3-4 weeks in Beijing on business. I found it interesting that he mentioned two uncomfortable issues:

(1) Chinese that he have met, have no respect for the personal space of others. In a conversation, even when there is plenty of space, they stand 'almost nose to nose'.

(2) They feel that the floor is everyone's personal garbage can. They drop empty containers, anything that they have no use for, finds the floor rather than an appropriate garbage receptacle.

So from hearing this from my son, I can't in any way be surprised at some of how these same people would behavior on a cruise ship -- that they feel is just like being home.

This was a cruise out of China with 3000+ Chinese pax. It does not apply to all of Asia!

Here's a link to a Mariner review sailing from Singapore to Shanghai. NONE of the rude China behavior! :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=46237151

Spoke to my son this morning who is spending 3-4 weeks in Beijing on business. I found it interesting that he mentioned two uncomfortable issues:

 

(1) Chinese that he have met, have no respect for the personal space of others. In a conversation, even when there is plenty of space, they stand 'almost nose to nose'.

 

(2) They feel that the floor is everyone's personal garbage can. They drop empty containers, anything that they have no use for, finds the floor rather than an appropriate garbage receptacle.

 

So from hearing this from my son, I can't in any way be surprised at some of how these same people would behavior on a cruise ship -- that they feel is just like being home.

I did a semester abroad in Shanghai during university. Nothing in this review about the Chinese behaviors are new to me. I've experienced it all with my own eyes! :eek:

Probably the most disgusting thing I saw was a woman trimming her fingernails on a public bus. As she did that, she allowed the trimmings to fall onto the floor of the bus. When the bus arrived at her stop, she got off and left her waste all over the floor.

I did a semester abroad in Shanghai during university. Nothing in this review about the Chinese behaviors are new to me. I've experienced it all with my own eyes! :eek:

 

Probably the most disgusting thing I saw was a woman trimming her fingernails on a public bus. As she did that, she allowed the trimmings to fall onto the floor of the bus. When the bus arrived at her stop, she got off and left her waste all over the floor.

Lol, if that's the most disgusting, then you have seen very little... Boy, I would have stories to tell, but I refrain myself not to cause more bashing against the Chinese. Let's just say that the cultural differences are surely obvious, especially if we compare US to China. It is all about comparison. Take Russia vs China, and the difference diminishes a lot.

Lol, if that's the most disgusting, then you have seen very little... Boy, I would have stories to tell, \.

Cultural differences is first of all FUN! For example: I think the Finnish drinking culture is hillarious!

..and for the rest of this thread: I dont expect a RCL ship to be very influenced by Norwegian culture or food - even though the company is listed both at New York Stock Exchange and OSLO (Norway) Stock Exchange. I expect "International" culture..

Sorry for the delay. Sometimes, life just gets in the way....

Day 7

DH and I get up early, work out, then I go to trivia. The boys are still sleeping. We get cleared to disembark around 11:30. The port information center is filled with friendly, informative people who give us maps and directions. We take a taxi to the big department store (a central spot), then walk to youme town. This is a multi-level department store-type structure. Except the sections are different stores, not necessarily all one entity. Inside there are sections with clothes, shoes, etc. like a department store, but also electronics, a pharmacy, a grocery, a HUGE section of freshly made food (including sushi, bentos, mochi, etc.), and a Daiso. Heaven. I was dying to eat some kinako. It was so soft, yet not too sticky. I also got a dozen strawberry mochis like the one in Tokyo. The boys got a frozen drink basically made with fresh fruit and ice. You put money into a vending type machine in the front, then they make it for you. They chose orange and orange/pineapple. It tasted just like a fruit, even the pulp was still present.

At Daiso, I got 65 more things. Bento boxes, traveling chopsticks, treats, reading glasses, Hello Kitty chip clips, erasers shaped like food, etc. for omiyage. Best of all, my son picked up a koinobori. The stick is two feet long and the streamers are almost 16 inches. For a dollar! OMG. Koinobori are for Boys’ Day (I guess it’s called “Children’s Day” now to be PC, even though there is a Girls’ Day).

Then we are ready to eat lunch. We look on tripadvisor for the best restaurants, and walk to the one we want to try. It’s closed. Hmmmm. Then we start walking to our second choice. But notice that all the other restaurants are closed. Wait a sec….after some research (we were having a data issue as well), we discover that ALL restaurants in Beppu are closed from 2-5pm. Giant bummer! We try the tatami-style one anyway. They are still open, but not seating any more tables. We inquire at a very nice and modern hotel. The people at the front desk are very kind, but explain that only a couple of huge non-traditional chain-type restaurants remain open during this time.

We decided to walk back to the port. It’s a nice walk. Only a ramen place (looked good, but it was crowded and had a wait, plus DH doesn’t want carbs) and a non-traditional Japanese restaurant are encountered on the way. We forgot the all aboard time, so are a bit stressed about getting back on time. As we get closer, we realize there are still many people milling about and the vendors are still all there, so we are good. We didn’t check out the vendors, but wish we did. Our friends picked up a kitchen towel with a geisha on it. When it gets wet…she loses her clothes! Hahaha! Dang it.

I had to go to guest services to link my credit card to the boys’ accounts for gratuities. I got a print out of our folio, and notice that not only was our Beppu tour refunded, but also our Shanghai half-day/Airport drop-off tour. I go to the CL and ask Joel about it. He thought perhaps they automatically cancelled both, but when he calls, it turns out that there isn’t enough interest and therefore, the tour is cancelled altogether.

I go back to the room and try to research a tour on our horrible wifi. Did I mention that it was so horrible that you get kicked off repeatedly and it’s slower than dial-up? Mariner definitely hasn’t upgraded like some of the other ships. I give up, and ask DH to be in charge of looking it up. Later on, he tells me that Joel is going to take care of it. Yay!

Less than 30 minutes later, Joel calls the room and tells me he has asked the tour group leader on board for a referral. She contacted the tour company back in Shanghai, and they arranged a private driver with a minivan to take us to several spots in Shanghai, then to the airport. The cost is $250. I am elated, as the RCI tour was $230. I thank Joel about a million times, then tell him I’ll bring the cash up to the CL at cocktail hour.

We missed sports trivia (super bummed, that was one we would’ve been good at), but we do make it to Guess That Flag trivia. Another butt-whooping. My kids got more correct than I did haha. We also go to Chinese Name that Tune trivia, just for kicks. There are a couple of Chinese families who participate, as well as our friends. We are given credit for anything remotely resembling the title, and make a decent showing, getting half of what the winning team gets. I hang out, talking with our friends from Maryland, then they go to the MDR and we go to the room for dinner.

While we wait, I go up to the CL and Joel introduces me to the tour group leader. She is very gracious and I thank her for her help. Back in the room, we eat dinner (I think this was the night that I had a Thai curry style chicken, which was the best food I had on the ship). The 16-year-old comes over to hang with the boys. Then our Maryland friends come over and we talk for hours. One thing that was really great about this cruise was that we actually spent time talking to really interesting and genuine people. We always meet people and strike up conversations, but this time we really got to know some good folks.

DH and the 16-year-old then go to the lounge to meet up with the work incentive group. I stay in the room with the boys and go to sleep. I wake up at 1am, he’s not there. No big deal. I wake up at 4am, he’s still not there! Hahaha. I text him and he is still with them! They have all migrated to the Promenade Café and are talking and drinking. He comes back and is just impressed with what they have to say. He says he has never met such nice and humble people. Awesome.

In Beppu

Closer up

Here is a video of our arrival at the port in Beppu.

Right??? I LOVE THEM.

 

Also, I forgot to respond to your other post. I am definitely interested in hearing your recommendations for Japan. We are seriously considering returning for Christmas. We are throwing around the idea of Tokyo Disney/other places in Japan or a B2B on Mariner (if Joel is there and I can confirm that there will not be the same demographic on the Malaysia/Thailand itineraries). We are DVC owners, but the cash value of our points isn't good for Tokyo Disney. I've heard that it is simply magical, though. Especially Disney Sea. I really like the 12/24 and 12/29 itineraries on MOS, but we would miss Japan.

 

Any thoughts on that dilemma or knowledge about those sailings?

I'm glad discovering Daiso interjected some fun into your port experiences. Too bad about the lunch siests in Beppu. I'm looking forward to hearing about your day in Shanghai, as I really enjoyed that city.

I'll preface my remarks: I'm a warm weather traveler; so I'd prefer summer to Christmas. That being said, Japan is not far behind the US in holiday hype and you will see some very nice Christmas illuminations there. Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea are definites -- loved the flavored popcorns and the unique rides at Disney Sea. If you can go on a weekday, that isn't between Christmas and New Years (or the week following it), you'll minimize the lines. The climate around Tokyo is similar to NYC, maybe a touch milder, but only you can judge how your family will like a cooler weather vacation. From my time living Aloha, I seem to recall that the Islands can really thin your blood though. :)

Personally, if I were to visit Japan in winter, I would go full bore and plan to got to the Sapporo Snow Festival, which happens in early February each year (an probably doesn't mesh with shcool schedules). Some other side trips from Tokyo that my family has enjoyed are Nikko, Minato Mirai, Hakone (especially Yunnesun), and Fuji-Q Highland to name a few.

OK, I could go on, but that should give you some inspiration and I don't want to venture too far from cruising here and get in trouble -- or distract from your wonderful review, but feel free to drop a note for more about land side stuff. Back to cruising... :D

As to Mariner's December itineraries, I don't have knowledge of the sailings, but , I'm struck by the thought that those places will be warm in December. :)

Singapore is one of my favorite cities on Earth and, while I haven't been to Kuala Lumpur, Langkwai, or Phuket, I have enjoyed visits to Malaysia and Thailand and both countries are exciting and exotic destinations. Those destinations are icons of Southeast Asia. I would expect a more international mix of passengers on those itineraries, but Joel may be able to give you some more informed insights there.

In my humble opinion, you've got quite a decision to make and it boils down to cool or warm. :)

http://www.theprovince.com/news/world/Matthew+Fisher+Like+American+travellers+before+them+Chinese/10965932/story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Matthew Fisher: Like American travellers, Chinese have earned a nasty reputation for boorish conduct

I'm glad discovering Daiso interjected some fun into your port experiences. Too bad about the lunch siests in Beppu. I'm looking forward to hearing about your day in Shanghai, as I really enjoyed that city.

 

I'll preface my remarks: I'm a warm weather traveler; so I'd prefer summer to Christmas. That being said, Japan is not far behind the US in holiday hype and you will see some very nice Christmas illuminations there. Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea are definites -- loved the flavored popcorns and the unique rides at Disney Sea. If you can go on a weekday, that isn't between Christmas and New Years (or the week following it), you'll minimize the lines. The climate around Tokyo is similar to NYC, maybe a touch milder, but only you can judge how your family will like a cooler weather vacation. From my time living Aloha, I seem to recall that the Islands can really thin your blood though. :)

 

Personally, if I were to visit Japan in winter, I would go full bore and plan to got to the Sapporo Snow Festival, which happens in early February each year (an probably doesn't mesh with shcool schedules). Some other side trips from Tokyo that my family has enjoyed are Nikko, Minato Mirai, Hakone (especially Yunnesun), and Fuji-Q Highland to name a few.

 

OK, I could go on, but that should give you some inspiration and I don't want to venture too far from cruising here and get in trouble -- or distract from your wonderful review, but feel free to drop a note for more about land side stuff. Back to cruising... :D

 

As to Mariner's December itineraries, I don't have knowledge of the sailings, but , I'm struck by the thought that those places will be warm in December. :)

 

Singapore is one of my favorite cities on Earth and, while I haven't been to Kuala Lumpur, Langkwai, or Phuket, I have enjoyed visits to Malaysia and Thailand and both countries are exciting and exotic destinations. Those destinations are icons of Southeast Asia. I would expect a more international mix of passengers on those itineraries, but Joel may be able to give you some more informed insights there.

 

In my humble opinion, you've got quite a decision to make and it boils down to cool or warm. :)

Thank you so much. Awesome info. I am much more excited about warm than cold, unless I'm snowboarding! My thoughts (I will have to convince DH, who "moved to Hawaii because I want to be in Hawaii") are that I'd like to visit Japan as soon as the boys get out of school next year (late May/early June), when I can possibly use our DVC points and/or it's not ridiculously expensive and crowded at TDL/TDS.

I will write the last sea day and our day in Shanghai on Thursday when I have time. But for now, I will add that Joel has replied, and his comments were that the Singapore cruises are more individualized and not in groups. He also said that it is much more organized.

The best part is that he will be on Mariner for Christmas and New Year's. And I've put a deposit down for the B2B sailings!

http://www.theprovince.com/news/world/Matthew+Fisher+Like+American+travellers+before+them+Chinese/10965932/story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

 

Matthew Fisher: Like American travellers, Chinese have earned a nasty reputation for boorish conduct

Thanks for the link. I know I wasn't making that stuff up. My purpose was to inform others who may not have had a sufficient explanation of the experience. I wish someone had written a review before our cruise, if not to only better prepare me for what we dealt with.

Thanks for the link. I know I wasn't making that stuff up. My purpose was to inform others who may not have had a sufficient explanation of the experience. I wish someone had written a review before our cruise, if not to only better prepare me for what we dealt with.

Oh no, I understood completely. Have seen some of the same behaviour before.

Thanks for the review! Something anyone thinking of this cruise needs to know.:)

Thank you so much. Awesome info. I am much more excited about warm than cold, unless I'm snowboarding! My thoughts (I will have to convince DH, who "moved to Hawaii because I want to be in Hawaii") are that I'd like to visit Japan as soon as the boys get out of school next year (late May/early June), when I can possibly use our DVC points and/or it's not ridiculously expensive and crowded at TDL/TDS.

 

I will write the last sea day and our day in Shanghai on Thursday when I have time. But for now, I will add that Joel has replied, and his comments were that the Singapore cruises are more individualized and not in groups. He also said that it is much more organized.

You're very welcome. I'm with your DH in that Hawaii has an inertia that makes it hard to want to leave -- few other places have much appeal when you live in Paradise. lol

I'm glad that you heard back from Joel about the Singapore cruises. They sound like an amazing time and will visit some of my favorite places on Earth, Hawaii excepted. ;) I'm sure it'll be a whole other experience from the trying times of your last cruise.

Late May is a wonderful time to visit Japan and hopefully the timing works out well for your DVC points, but if not, Tokyo offers options at every price point that should serve your needs. Now, the challenge is twofold: 1) planning what to do in all those ports, and 2) waiting til December. :eek:

To the OP, you are not alone in your thought process regarding Chinese cruisers. We were recently off a Queensland cruise, where there were many Chinese as well as our visit to Australia, was during Chinese new years. AT every city we visited and every port, I may as well have thought I was in Shanghai. I also travel often to Asia and China. I have to say the Chinese "tourist" are the worse I've ever encountered. Our neighbors on the cruise were awful. Partying started at 11 and went on until 3 or 4 am. on their balcony. We were even visited by the stateroom manager who had asked if we saw them smoking, because they had a complaint from another cabin that were bothered by their smoking. We were typically in bed by 10, so never saw them smoking. Overall, they are horribly rude, pushy and have no respect for others.

While on the Kuranda skyrail, we had paid for the upgraded cablecar. As we waited in line, two of us, a family of three was behind us, the husband on his cell phone and YES, but they talk extremely loud, although yelling. And there was no indication he was going to get off. So as we walked up I told the gal putting us in the car, that she either let us on the car alone, or make him get off his phone because that would have ruined it for us. He said, "fine," but wasn't getting off. I got into an altercation with him, and finally his teenager daughter got him to get off the phone. She was reasonable, so hopefully the younger generation has more manners than their elders.

I will never take a cruise in Asia, I'm sorry to see Royal go that way. I know they love the casinos, so Royal loves that.

You're very welcome. I'm with your DH in that Hawaii has an inertia that makes it hard to want to leave -- few other places have much appeal when you live in Paradise. lol

 

I'm glad that you heard back from Joel about the Singapore cruises. They sound like an amazing time and will visit some of my favorite places on Earth, Hawaii excepted. ;) I'm sure it'll be a whole other experience from the trying times of your last cruise.

 

Late May is a wonderful time to visit Japan and hopefully the timing works out well for your DVC points, but if not, Tokyo offers options at every price point that should serve your needs. Now, the challenge is twofold: 1) planning what to do in all those ports, and 2) waiting til December. :eek:

Hello!

Yes, we really have to find attractive selling points to get him excited about leaving Hawaii haha. I was able to convince him that the B2B cruises will be exotic and awesome experiences. We bought airfare and booked a great (non-refundable) room at Hilton Tokyo Bay so we can go to TDL/TDS for three days prior, so it's A GO!

I've decided to rent our points and just use the cash to go back to Tokyo at the end of May/beginning of June next year, assuming the timing works out.

If you have any tips, I'm all ears!

*********************

I never did Day 8....I was busy, and time passed, and the more time that passed, the more irrelevant I thought the post would be.

Let's just say that the last day was great! We did trivia, hung out with good people, and said goodbye to awesome crew members who we hope to see again.

A couple of things that should be mentioned:

1) The manager at Giovanni's was very accommodating on our final night. We were invited to eat with the incentive trip group in the MDR, but I'm allergic to shellfish so the menu was very unappealing since it included lobster, scallops, etc. I asked if I could have gnocchi (with meat sauce) sent to the MDR, but he explained that he couldn't do that, as other guests might question why I got something not offered on the menu. He did offer, however, to send a plate to our room later. I gladly accepted. Delish!

2) C&A Trivia was super fun. Our friends teamed up with us and they knew SO many answers. We were put over the top by my son, who had taken the time to read about all the RCI ships on the walls of our deck, and answered a question about the Majesty. We won RCI hats!

3) On the morning of disembarkation, the Lyrics portion of the suite guest/D/D+/P breakfast area was too full so we had to eat in the MDR. That was fine, of course, but just FYI.

4) Beating a dead horse here, but the last day of "specials" on the Promenade brought a whole new level of madness to the mob mentality. Let me remind you, the Cartier store was deserted. But the 40% off "designer" watches on fold out tables in the middle of the walkway was crazy! People were rummaging through the boxes, opening them, examining the contents, then just throwing everything back unpacked. They were also taking armfuls of boxes off to the side and into corners, where they would similarly discard unwanted items and just leave them there! I simply just don't get this. It was worse than anything I've ever seen.

5) Joel came to our room and brought us a model of the ship, a very heavy and beautiful glass paperweight with Mariner etched into it, and most importantly, some special teas from back home as well as durian chocolate he buys when he goes to Singapore. SO generous and thoughtful. We have enjoyed all of them and think of him fondly. The fact that he gave us gifts from HIM and not from RCI was very touching.

6) Our private tour of Shanghai was really nice. Joel met us off the ship after we cleared customs, and took us to the minivan, where the driver was waiting. We went to Yu Yuan (where we bought silk sheets and a duvet, ate delicious dim sum, and went to a tea tasting and bought some great teas), the Bund, the French Quarter, and took a photo under the three tallest buildings in the city. It was a very cloudy and rainy day, though, so the pictures didn't turn out that great.

So...that is it for our trip. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Again, my purpose was to inform others of our experience so fellow travelers can have a better understanding of what to expect on a similar sailing.

Happy cruising to all!

As a long-time resident of Shanghai, I want to say that I found your criticisms of certain "customs" :rolleyes: to be quite fair.

As a cruise-enthusiast I've been itching to get back out to sea. As convenient as it would be for me, I will not consider a Shanghai-Shanghai cruise. I have traveled though to Japan and back by ferry.

To those who would say that certain behaviors are not considered rude in China, let me tell you that is not at all true. As my Chinese friends themselves say, many just simply don't know how to behave so they are ashamed and deeply embarrassed. But then, there are those who will say "We are Chinese and this is how we are."

The cruise market is new to China, and for many who find themselves on a cruise ship, it's not only their first cruise but their first venture outside of China.

My experience here has taught me that a smile and a nod is always returned. As uncouth as some may sometimes be, the Chinese are a warm and friendly people and welcome the opportunity to expand their world. So, smile, nod and "ni hao" and you've made a new friend. :)

As a long-time resident of Shanghai, I want to say that I found your criticisms of certain "customs" :rolleyes: to be quite fair.

 

As a cruise-enthusiast I've been itching to get back out to sea. As convenient as it would be for me, I will not consider a Shanghai-Shanghai cruise. I have traveled though to Japan and back by ferry.

 

To those who would say that certain behaviors are not considered rude in China, let me tell you that is not at all true. As my Chinese friends themselves say, many just simply don't know how to behave so they are ashamed and deeply embarrassed. But then, there are those who will say "We are Chinese and this is how we are."

 

The cruise market is new to China, and for many who find themselves on a cruise ship, it's not only their first cruise but their first venture outside of China.

 

My experience here has taught me that a smile and a nod is always returned. As uncouth as some may sometimes be, the Chinese are a warm and friendly people and welcome the opportunity to expand their world. So, smile, nod and "ni hao" and you've made a new friend. :)

I have learned in my life, that a smile and a nod goes a long way when language itself may be difficult. You can find rude people everywhere. For some of us, we have choices and some options we choose to avoid. Rude cruisers can be found on Caribbean cruises just like on Asian ones. I avoid the people who I perceive as rude if I can and try not to let them interfere with my enjoyment.

I will say, that my son, who spent over 3 weeks in Beijin on business, had some very uncomplimentary things to say about some of the Chinese people he had to work with....so it does make it more challenging to understand.

Hu

 

Manners are slowly changing in China but remember it is only a generation or 2 ago that most of these people were starving and/or freezing and if you didn't push and shove you probably would have never made it onto the bus.

Our guide in Beijing told us her mother's story. She worked in a factory in northern China. There was one (1) bus to pick up the workers. If you didn't run and push your way to the front, you had to walk home the 14 kilometers. This is the 55+ generation now.

Our guide in Beijing also told us that the city hired retired residents to enforce/monitor the lines waiting for the public busses. They wanted to be prepared for foreign visitors. There were still bus line monitors at some bus stops last May. Shanghai's modern subway has painted lines telling passengers where to stand.

This said, I would never book a large ship cruise with a majority of mainland Chinese after my experience in Chinese train stations. It's a great story to tell but no relaxing vacation. By the way, our 4 week China trip on land was wonderful! I wanted to return and I did!

Then I also went to Japan. Now I want to return there. The Japanese are helpful and polite. The country is clean and well-organized. We had 3 weeks of gorgeous cherry blossoms by moving north during our trip.