scorfman

Forgot monkey danger pic! I like seeing the different experiences and posting styles here. I know I’m a day behind and will try and catch up during the sea day tomorrow. We’re just docking in Hiroshima so tyyl!

By the way, sorry for the crazy font sizing. I’m writing on my phone in Notes and the copy paste is sub-optimal. 😄

Trip day 5, cruise day 4 Up early again today and arriving in Osaka. At 8 we went back to Tuscan Grill for the “Ultimate Platter” and a couple Mimosas before departing for the day. Excellent service again, and we were entertained by the bunker ship arriving and dropping anchor. The crew said they always bunker here. For this day we opted to return to Kyoto on the Celebrity tour “Kyoto Fushini Inari Taisha and Temples”. This tour includes lunch, but more on that later. Unlike yesterday’s trip to Kyoto this one did not make a rest stop on the way to or from. The bus also didn’t have usb ports like yesterday’s did, but we didn’t need them in any case. Our first stop was at Funishi Inari Tanisha. The bus parked in the bus lot and it was about a 10 minute walk to the temple. Crowded but manageable, and we passed many interesting stores selling all manner of things. After we arrived we looked around a bit and then headed up the paths through the many many Tori gates along with hundreds of our fellow adventurers. We did venture off the path a bit to get some strategic photos that hid the crowds some, helped by kind strangers we swapped spots with. we then made our way back down and got a couple goshuin. They were offering only pre-drawn ones at this temple. We also purchased a small Tori gate as a souvenir. As we started back to the bus a small parade went through. We couldn’t see too well but we could hear the drums and chants, which was cool. On the way, my wife picked up some Inarisushi. Growing up her family was great friends and neighbors to an immigrant Japanese family and remembered eating these a lot. I could see the good memories flow as we enjoyed it once back on the bus. It took quite a bit longer to return to the bus because we had to wait a while at both train crossings along the way. We stopped at Inari Station but the office said they don’t have an eki stamp surprisingly. Some others, that arrived back at the bus late, said they got stuck on the wrong side of the parade. Not a big deal as everyone was back within 10 minutes or so. The bus was really hot as they are not allowed to idle so we just loitered outside while we waited. If you go someday, and this is good advice generally, take note of where you park and how to get back. It can be a bit confusing with the crowds and stalls. Next we drove to Ryoanji Temple. What a contrast! We really enjoyed the relative tranquility here and the gardens were beautiful. The walk from parking was short. Wonderful shaded forest and bamboo paths filled the area. We got a hand drawn goshuin and also found an Eki stamp at the entrance. Time for lunch now. What we didn’t expect, and maybe should have, is that they took us to the same place as the tour dinner last night. We talked to several others and it was clear that every Kyoto tour with a meal went to the same place, so be forewarned. I think we will mention this in our survey. At any rate the food there is very good for what it is so just know what the deal is and be prepared for it. Lastly we visited Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Again the bus was parked perhaps 15 minutes away. Also this walk was all uphill. There were some that fell behind but there was no mercy from the guide. I think a few probably were left behind. The temple itself was very interesting. We found the goshuin place and we were surprised that they hand drew it right there in front of us. Typically they give you a number and tell you to come back later, especially with it being so busy. After that we decided to walk up to a pagoda on a nearby hill. We made a wrong turn and went quite a ways in the wrong direction all while in danger of monkey attack. We got things straight and made it to where we wanted, and from there we walked back down another route back to the entrance. We browsed our way back to parking, grabbed a cold drink from a vending machine, and took our seats for the uneventful drive back to the ship. Back at the port we climbed up Mount Tenpō, which is touted as the shortest mountain In Japan and well suited to the end of a long day. I’ve mentioned geocaching before and discovering little known things like this is why we love it so much when we travel. After the arduous 15 foot climb we went over the the nearby shopping area and browsed. The Ferris wheel is impressive! We had planned to eat there but decided we were pretty exhausted and didn’t want a sit-down dinner, so we opted for the buffet. Being Cinco de Mayo they had a Mexican selection as well as the traditional offerings. We may have had a nightcap but I don’t recall. The tour was fine and I’m glad we took it. Just be sure you keep up with the guide on the way from the bus and be mindful of the time for return. And remember that we are here in Golden Week so the crowds are probably(?) much more chaotic than normal.

Trip day 4, Cruise day 3 Still waking up a bit earlier than I would like, but my wife is an early riser normally so she’s in her element. I love when she comes back from her morning walk and workout so cheery, singing, and beautiful. After enjoying the “Ultimate Platter” at the Tuscan Grille Elite member breakfast we exited through the terminal and found the Eki Stamp for the port. We then hopped on the free Celebrity-provided shuttle bus for a short 10 minute ride to the Motomachi shopping street. The shuttle runs every 5 minutes all day long. Wow what a shopping street. Had to be close to a mile long and completely covered. We were there prior to most things opening so we just walked for a looong time and noted interesting stores to check out on the way back. At 11:00 the flood gates opened and the street came alive! On the side streets the local Chinatown was a madhouse of food lovers and queues for street vendors. We browsed our way back but didn’t buy anything except a cheap bucket hat at the Daiso for $1.50. We headed back to the ship to catch the tour bus for the “Kyoto day and night with dinner” Celebrity tour. On boarding the bus we met our guide Yuki who kept us entertained and informed on the 1.5 hour drive to Kyoto. About an hour into the drive, the tour stopped at a rest area for a bathroom and snack break. As you would expect, there were clean facilities, tons of vending machines, a shop with snacks and stuff, and garbage cans. After 10 minutes we were back on the road. Soon we arrived at Kinkaku-Ji temple. Yuki quickly had our tickets in hand and in we went. It was quite crowded since it is Golden Week, but not overwhelming and there were plenty of opportunities for pictures and great views. It was 80 degrees or so, but not humid and very comfortable. To manage the holiday crowd it was set up in a one-way loop. Near the end we found the place to get our goshuin, and we picked up both of them they had for sale (cash only as always). It was far too busy for them to hand-make them on the spot so they gave us pages to paste into our goshuincho later. After roughly an hour we were back on the bus headed for our next stop, Marumasu Nishimuraya workshop. After a quick lesson, we chose our patterns and designs to try the Kyo Yuzen method of painting our blank handkerchief. Pretty fun, even for a non-artist like me. After that experience, we headed to Shozan Resort for dinner and a Maiko show. The Shabu Shabu meal was really nice and had a large variety of things to eat. Interestingly the genuine wasabi was very flavorful but not very spicy as we had expected. About mid meal the Maiko made her appearance along with her older sister accompanying her on shamisen. After a traditional dance we all had an opportunity for photographs, followed by a question and answer period. They were both very gracious and gave great answers to our many questions. After the show we had ample time to browse the resort’s gift shop which was full of unique and quality items. We picked up a few gifts here to bring home. We were then on the bus bound for the ship. We made another brief stop at a rest area and arrived about an hour earlier than scheduled. The feared heavy holiday traffic didn’t materialize in either direction. Back on the ship we grabbed a snack and some ice cream, then settled in for the night. We can recommend the tour overall and the opportunity to watch and meet a Maiko shouldn’t be missed.

Trip day 3 Cruise day 2 Sea day today but nice weather and generally smooth seas. Just a lazy day and slow speed. We had breakfast in main dining and met a nice couple from Cornwall UK. As usual, our first breakfast included Eggs Benedict in the main dining room. We then went to a Concierge Class port briefing which was informative, followed just after by the port briefing in the main theater. We didn’t feel too hungry at lunch so just grabbed a light lunch from the Mast Grill. I fell a bit under the weather so went back to the room for a nap which was just the ticket. While I was down the wife went exploring and played the “This or That” game in a lounge with fellow passengers. Dinnertime came soon. We got our usual Riesling. Happens to be the one DaKahuna’s DW likes, the Chateau St Michelle. It is good and one we drink often at home. You can pick it up at Costco for $8 or so. A really great value. I had a couple Mexican Firing Squads as a warmup for the Tequila tasting later in the evening. Wife had a lamb chop and I the Shrimp Scampi. Both were tasty. The waitstaff were quite concerned that we left with our deserts the night before but we assured them everything was fine. Tonight’s dinner service was much prompter so the kitchen had gotten through the 1st night kinks. I had enough to drink with dinner and didn’t want to spoil our next day in port so I skipped the tequila tasting and we just spent time together before bed. Sorta bummed as it is my spirit of choice at home. I have to say that I feel like staffing is back to pre-Covid levels. Service has been really nice compared with our last 3 cruises from 2021 on. Those were nice too but if you know you know. As I write this we’re pulling into Kobe. Looking forward to some AM shopping as I noticed I forgot a couple clothing items, then off on our 1st tour in the afternoon. We booked an unusually large number of Celebrity tours this trip. We typically self explore but this time not. Looking forward to them and will do my best to critique. Bracing for crowds but with a smile!

Trip Day 2 Cruise Day 1 Up early today to watch the ship come in and, well, if you came from the West you know the drill. We decided since the weather was gorgeous today we would venture out and explore some more. We walked from the Hyatt down to Osanbashi to check out the port. From there we went back to the bus stop and caught the number 26 bus to Momijizaka and walked to Iseyama Kotaijingu shrine. The Suica we had on our iPhones worked great! We wanted to get a goshuincho and found a nice one here for ¥2000 which also included the shrine’s goshuin and a bookmark. We’re all set to collect them as we see the country. We then walked down to the Sakuragicho station area. It was a bit early and most stores were closed, but I got a nice coffee and we looked for the stations’s eki stamp. I think we didn’t get the real station stamp, but we did get one from the visitor info booth. From there we hopped on the route 26 bus back to Osanbashi to collect our bags and check out of the hotel. We thought about walking to catch the cruise but we decided on a cab which cost $3.25. We were there at 11:15 and dropped out bags and were given a boarding group 10 ticket. We had a seat with maybe 50-70 people ahead of us but in just a few minutes we were going through security and checking in. Then a short walk and we were on! We dropped our carry on bags in the room and set off for some champagne and a look around. at 12:30 we went to enjoy the Concierge lunch. Standard faire but enjoyable. We also wanted to get the eki stamp(s) for the pier and snag a geocache so we left the ship to do that. Success on both. We re-boarded and went to have a tea for the wife and a Peroni for me. Then back to the room to unpack and settle in. Ditto on the annoyance of the constant announcements to do the muster stuff, but I get it. We went to the 5:30 dinner where we were pleasantly surprised to have our assigned table for 2 right at the back and against the windows at the rear of the ship. We enjoyed seeing the pilot be dropped off and the mooring lines released as our backdrop. The meal however wasn’t quite as nice. Suffice to say we sat at 5:30 and left at 7:40 carrying my dessert back to the room. The staff was very nice but claimed 1st night chaos in the kitchen. Disappointing but at least the French Onion Soup I love was really nice. We were mostly burnt out by that time so a short walk through the ship shops ended back in the room to settle in for the night.

Thar she blows! Taken from the Hyatt 19th floor. Unfortunately the view of Osanbashi Pier is obstructed from this hotel, but it’s within walking distance so that’s great. So good to have the rain subside over night!

Street Dim Sum for the win.

We arrived at Haneda about 12:30, a good hour ahead of schedule. We were in Delta premium economy and it was quite nice. Still a very long flight but comfortable. We were through immigration and customs in about 50 minutes. We headed to a bus ticket kiosk and grabbed a Keiku Limo Bus to Osanbashi Pier for $10 for both of us that left at 1340. It was a 2 block walk in the rain to the Hyatt Yokohama with bags. They really treated us well as we entered. They took our bags from us and took us up to the club lounge, gave us a cold hand towel and a glass of cold peach tea, and checked us in and briefed us as we sat in comfort. A+. We then went up to our room and our bags quickly followed. We paid about $200 for the room but spent 9000 Hyatt points to upgrade to an amazing room with a view of the harbor. It’s still pouring rain but we’re off to do some exploring, even if it’s just a Lawsons or 7-11, or some food in China Town 😀

And we’re off! Early start this morning for a 6am hop from Baltimore to Atlanta. We had enough time to stop in the club for a nice celebratory Mimosa before heading to the gate. Should be arriving at Haneda a bit before 1pm.

Wife and I are on this cruise as well. Would it be ok to diary in this thread as well? We're arriving a bit later and leaving home after a few days in Tokyo post cruise.

Konichiwa! The Hiroshima port currently lists Itsukaichi dock for this cruise, as it does for every docking of the Millennium. Here is a link to the current 2024 port schedule. Look for the date and ship and plug that row into google translate. Here's the output: 33 Celebrity Millennium 2024/7/19 Fri 13:00 2024/7/19 Fri 22:00 Itsukaichi-11m, -12m quay My TOTAL GUESS is that there is a shuttle bus between the ship and Itsukaichi Station. I'm on this itinerary leaving next week. I'll try and report back.

I’ve not heard a peep since the cancel email. Very very disappointing. I paid nearly as much in airfare to get home as the cost of the cruise so nothing from insurance. 13 hours in coach versus 7 days at sea and I feel awful. Such an experience…

We got the email of cancel just as we were leaving London for Southampton. Now booked in a new hotel and 5k for flight back to the states tomorrow. Not a peep from Cunard except the email.