cooktown would be of interest to me..

china will be keeping a very close eye on what is happening....

8 hours ago, JohnCoffield said:

Thanks for your comments above. We are stopping there for a day with Holland America this November. I'm minded to stay on the ship that day - something we've never done before.

it is very sad what has happened to sihanoukville. i enjoyed a holiday there back in 2007 as part of a cambodian land holiday before the cambodian government was lured into allowing the disastrous chinese casino investment & development. if this is your only visit to cambodia, i would urge you not to stay on the ship but rather to pay for a ship excursion into phnom penh which is really interesting culturally, historically & now a booming city - quite the very opposite of sihanoukville!

21 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

Yes - the shuttles at least got us away from the ports - as an example, the Kanazawa railway station (where the shuttle busses took us) is a sight to behold in itself - but the World famous Castle park and adjoining Kenroken gardens are 10Klms on foot after that . 

no need to walk from kanazawa station at all - just a short bus ride on the 800yen circle bus which leaves from kanazawa station & allows you to get off and on at: kenrokuen gardens; castle park; ninja house (great fun); geisha area & more. we went to all of these in one day using the bus. very enjoyable & low-cost day. 

http://www.hokutetsu.co.jp/en/en_round

5 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Just back a few days ago from Japan - a week in Tokyo plus a 10 day Cunard QE cruise. Had a good time (first time Japan - 5th time QE) - Japan is certainly a challenging hard work destination. It could be less so at some added cost. ABSOLUTELY convinced now that Balcony cabins are a waste of money. If anybody has any specific questions regarding a possible future cruise to Japan please ask. Personally I would probably not do another cruise around Japan for a number of reasons - mostly including port locations, and necessity to do ship tours.  We managed to see the Cherry blossoms. 

just to give another perspective, we really enjoyed several cruises around japan on the diamond princess (admittedly pre-covid when cruises were cheaper) and we did not go on any excursions. perhaps it was helped by princess providing information & advice for travellers wanting to do their own thing. we always paid for the reasonably priced shuttles from the port and then went off on our own on local transport.

for example in kanazawa they have a very reasonalbly priced day bus pass for 800yen which allows you to get off and on at the main sites without excessive walking. buses go every 15 minutes. we found similar options at other ports. 

http://www.hokutetsu.co.jp/en/en_round

5 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

The edge was in Adelaide yesterday so would be on it's way to Hobart 

we are on kangaroo island today - finally.. some blue sky & sunshine

not keen on the coffee on us ships, so wonder how much is a double espresso now please?

we are elite on celebrity now so get free drinks between 5-7pm so that's a help. 

wonder if you have had a sea day yet? if so, wondering who the  guest lecturers are? (part of "beyond the podium presentations"). 

5 hours ago, Okahukura said:

 

 

many thanks for the price re the eden restaurant menu kia ora. i hear the food is great but usd102 is quite expensive. we will be on the edge early april & already eden is quite heavily booked! 

thanks for your review - i am interested to find out more about the eden restaurant if you get there. in particular the charge for the restaurant menu (as opposed to the tastimg menu which i think is usd102). thanks

On 3/4/2024 at 5:28 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

NAHA, OKINAWA – STREET FOOD AND PUB CRAWL (POST #38)

Feb 24-25, 2024

 

We find some great street food and enjoy Naha nightlife on a Pub Crawl on our overnight visit to Okinawa

ARRIVAL Naha – Day ONE: 24 Feb

The ship was cleared quickly. We have a late night planned with our Pub Crawl ashore so we took it easy in our cabin and left the ship to check out the local area around 3:30 pm.

We moored next to the modern cruise terminal. There weren’t any shops inside.

We had to show our cruise card and passport to enter the cruise terminal. Showing our cruise card ashore while leaving the ship was a first.

An ATM and money-changing machine are in the terminal. WiFi is available.

There is a taxi stand outside the terminal, but we never saw any taxis waiting. You need to use the DIDI or GO TAXI app to summon a taxi here. A little further down the sidewalk, a shuttle bus will leave about every 30 minutes to take you to Kokusai Street for ¥240  each way.

 

We walked across the street and checked out the large statues on either side of the Main Street leading to the port.

This is one of the two dragon pillar monuments constructed in 2011 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Friendship agreement between Naha and Fuzhou City China.

STREET FOOD

Near the Max Valu Grocery store, we spotted a Yakitori stand selling a variety of skewered chicken, quail eggs and more. All for ¥500  per package of four each. We got some of the Salted Chicken and Quail Eggs & Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto.

This stand is easy to find, right across from the Max Valu grocery store There is a small covered seating area next to the stand

MAX VALU SUPERMARKET

Exploring supermarkets in different countries is interesting and gives you a feel for the local culture and what types of food are popular. Once again, Google Translate makes this more interesting as you don’t have to guess about the contents of packages with only Japanese characters.

Going up and down every aisle, we picked up a few items – some Ghana chocolate, giant chocolate Pocky sticks, and Lipton Yellow Label pyramid tea bags.

NAHA LOCAL PUB CRAWL

I found the Naha Local Pub Crawl on Viator and we booked it with tablemates, Kim and George. Check it out HERE

Our tour group: Pete, Judy, Kim and George Our tour guide – Arito

The normal meeting time was 6 pm, but the organizer shifted our start time to 7 pm to accommodate our guide’s schedule. We would meet in front of the Lawson Convenience store in Makishi on Kokusai Street, near the center of all the action in Naha.  See the maps at the bottom of this post.

Outside the cruise terminal, I requested a taxi using the GO TAXI app. After 3 minutes, the app was still searching for a taxi when a taxi arrived to drop off another fare. I canceled our GO ride and waved over the taxi. I used Google Translate to translate our meeting location into Japanese and showed it to our driver on my phone. He nodded, we piled in and were on our way. Twenty minutes later, we arrived. The fare was ¥1,400, paid in cash.

We met our guide, Arito, at the Lawsons and were on our way to the first stop. It was Saturday night and the streets were crowded and full of young people having great time.

Our first stop was nearby, where we found a low table in the back. It was loud and fun – everyone was having a great time. I didn’t see any other Westerners, but the place had English menus available and catered to tourists. See the map below for our routing.

Our first stop: Izakaya Ryukai

We had a choice of drinks. I selected the traditional rice liquor Awamori, which is unique to Okinawa and made from long-grain Indica rice. It was nice.

They provide a basket for your bags and purse to keep them off the floor

In the middle of our table was a large glass jar – maybe 2 gallons, filled with an amber liquid covering a dead Pit Viper snake. There was a spigot on the bottom. I learned later that this was Habushu , an Okinawa rice liquor. Everyone walking by our table took a second glance at the Habushu and of course I had to give it a taste. This was an extra ¥500 . They served it in a shot and I tossed in back in one motion – reminded me of a Vodka Shot!

A shot of Habushu was an extra 500 Yen

You can buy Habushu in a variety of sizes, complete with a snake, for anywhere from $10 to $400, depending on the size and probably the quality. Bringing dead Pit Vipers into the USA may not be allowed under the Endangered Species Act, so check this regulation carefully if you are considering buying a bottle to bring home.

We had a selection of local food, and we all picked something different to try. It was all pretty good and we enjoyed sampling a variety of dishes. We were here about 35 minutes.

We spend the next 40 minutes wandering through back alleys and narrow covered streets. This area was for pedestrians only and filled with young locals having a good time on a Saturday night. We were supposed to stop at a bar here, but it was either closed, too crowded or Arita couldn’t find it. Nevertheless, we had fun walking around and soaking in the atmosphere.

We came across these street performers celebrating the anniversary of a store opening This was typical of the small bars and cafes in this area

Our next stop was Izakaya Hateruma, off Main Street, Kokousai, on the second floor. We sat in the back on traditional tatami mats with our feet in a well under the table. We had to remove our shoes and put them in the plastic bags they provided. If you had to use the restroom, they had rubber sandals just off the mats you could use instead of putting your shoes back on.

Our guide placed our order on a tablet, and the servers quickly delivered our food and drinks. We all ordered the local beer Orion.

This is the food we enjoyed at our second stop

An entertainer was on stage at the far end of the room. He played a guitar and sang various catchy tunes in Japanese while his partner played a drum. Patrons in the restaurant were completely engaged, singing along and occasionally standing and waving their arms in unison. We were the only Westerners.

The crowd was on their feet, waving their arms during this song.

We were here over an hour before moving on to our final stop, a coffee and beer stand which was back inside the maze pedestrian walkways. We sat at the bar, and I got a Moscow Mule while Judy got some delicious hot chocolate. The Bartender, Akita, was fluent in English and very friendly. We enjoyed chatting with him. This was a small place with only a couple of tables. Once again, we were the only obvious tourists.

Our final stop was this small Coffee and Beer stand Akita was a great bartender

We left about 10:40 and were back on the main street in a few minutes. After saying goodbye to our wonderful host, we found a cab that was completing a ride and we were on our way back to the Cruise Terminal, fifteen minutes away.

There was a movie on the World Stage tonight, “Murder on the Orient Express”.

NAHA – Day 2 – The Grand Fair – 25 Feb

SHUTTLE TO SHOPPING

We left the ship around 1 pm and caught the 1:30 shuttle to Kokousai Street for ¥240. They accepted credit cards and Apple Pay, so I could use my watch to pay the fare. I held it before the payment scanner for a few seconds until I heard the “ding.”

The shuttle bus accepted cash or credit cards.

The shuttle dropped us at the eastern end of Kokousai street closed every Sunday to allow for more friendly pedestrian access and let musicians perform there. Sunday street closures are common in Japan on popular shopping streets.

One of several performers on the closed street, playing to small crowds.

It was windy and cool today, so we spent much of our time in the shops along Kokousai. We walked westward toward the Lawsons, where we had started the Pub Crawl the previous night.

Kokousai Street is closed on Sunday

There are dozens and dozens of touristy shops selling almost anything you can imagine—a few shops selling wine, liquor and some Habushu with the snake inside.

There are dozens of shops like this along the street.

Ever present was Shisa, a cross between a lion and a dog, a very common feature and distinctive trait of the culture of the Okinawa islands. They were for sale in every imaginable size and style.

Shisha dogs were everywhere This machine made a tasty layered cake – spun on these large spindles then baked

After two hours we were almost to the Lawsons where we started our Pub Crawl. As the wind started to pick up, we spotted a line of waiting taxis and decided to head back to the ship from here rather than walk back to the shuttle bus. Taxi fare was ¥1000.

 

MAPS

This is the route we took on our Pub Crawl

many thanks for your very detailed & interesting report covering your overnight cruise port stay in naha. we enjoyed visiting naha on a diamond princess cruise but it was only a daytime stay. we are considering staying in naha for several days as part of a land-based trip to japan so welcome your recommendations re izakayas!

some background information... just back from the xmas/ny cruise on the edge which docked in lyttleton. we had a chance to talk to a bus driver. apparently many lyttleton local residents wanted to stop the cruise ship shuttles altogether (enjoyed being tourist-free during covid) but those who benefit like bus drivers, shops, cafes etc were keen to continue so there were negotiations to come up with a compromise. as a result the free shuttles are continuing but on a more restricted route to previously - only one drop off/pickup point - short walk up a bit of a steep hill to london st, the main shopping area. 

1 hour ago, icat2000 said:

This bit is correct. I only read the first couple of lines. But I doubled checked the page. I think that reasonable. As they would have costs too.

yes i agree, including loss of hours for the allocated fantail tour guide. 

16 hours ago, icat2000 said:

Make sure you check out the cancellatin policy. Ive just read the one for Fantail Tours and you get nothing back if the ship can't dock. 

 

 

as i have just booked a fantail tour for the end of december, this is of interest to me... i found this in the fantail cancellation policy which implies you get 80% back if the ship can't dock. 

• A booking fee of 20% will be charged to cover some of our costs, should your ship be unable to dock due to bad weather

6 hours ago, mr walker said:

My suggestion is to contact local tour operator https://tourworks.co.nz/

Russ should be able to arrange something for you

thanks for your suggestion. i contracted russ & while his tour does not include the albatross centre the day the edge is there, he was extremely helpful & gave me four other companies to contact.  

celebrity edge will be in port chalmers on boxing day. have been to dunedin before & have always wanted to visit the royal albatross centre. it will be open that day. problem is how to get there? don't want to rent a car. celebrity has a tour which also goes to lanarch castle which i am not so interested in - 6 hrs - 1 place left - $355 aud!!  we leave sydney 21 dec so not alot of time left to organise. i have emailed the albatross centre & am going to explore google possibilities but wondered if any folks on this forum may have suggestions/experience please?

5 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

The longer it goes on can make it frustrating but also gives you a better chance of an upgrade. We got a minisuite for an oceanview.

a minisuite for an oceanview!! how lucky were you. we have a guaranteed oceanview booked on the celebrity edge xmas cruise. judt over two weeks until we sail & still waiting for it to be assigned. so one of the infinity balconies would be nice!!

On 11/1/2023 at 1:36 PM, cruiser3775 said:

I'm pleased to say that didn't happen on my Princess cruise. They covered the geography of the islands, and history and culture, in brief.

The presenters also told you how you could do it yourself if you wanted. They covered things like where you could find independent tour companies just outside the port gates, what sort of tours they might offer, and sometimes how much it would cost, and whether you had to pay in local currency or could use a credit card. They also covered accessing public transport from the ports, which is how I discovered I could do a five hour tour of the island of Oahu by public bus, and it cost me the grand total of $9 in fares.

I found you got the same independent shore excursion information on Holland America also.

yes, one of the things i really appreciate about princess. we were on rci brilliance of the seas recentlly where there was no info for independent travelers. thanks for your review. 

hi cheznandy, wondering if you have heard any mention re whether after will be any changes to the itinerary for the next voyage given the news of cyclone damage in vanuatu? we board on sunday & are scheduled to go to luganville, vila, mystery island thurs-sat next week? thanks

2 hours ago, cheznandy said:

For Chilli...there is a veterans get together 9am day 6 King and Country pub.

Also, coffee good for me, I have long black. Bar/coffee port side outside buffet so tried there. Now at Lattitudes and good, not strong and bitter like some.

Also kettles in rooms, been a while since we cruised Royal and can't remember if they took them away for Oz but we have one.

2 hours ago, cheznandy said:

For Chilli...there is a veterans get together 9am day 6 King and Country pub.

Also, coffee good for me, I have long black. Bar/coffee port side outside buffet so tried there. Now at Lattitudes and good, not strong and bitter like some.

Also kettles in rooms, been a while since we cruised Royal and can't remember if they took them away for Oz but we have one.

 

thanks for the good news re the coffee. kettle in the room is a welcome surprise, as they were unavailable on our last princess & celebrity cruise. 

2 hours ago, cheznandy said:

For Chilli...there is a veterans get together 9am day 6 King and Country pub.

Also, coffee good for me, I have long black. Bar/coffee port side outside buffet so tried there. Now at Lattitudes and good, not strong and bitter like some.

Also kettles in rooms, been a while since we cruised Royal and can't remember if they took them away for Oz but we have one.

 

23 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Hi all. We are onboard .

So good to be back on Royal, check in a breeze about 10 minutes.

If anyone cruising on Briiliance soon needs any info I will try to help.

Don't have ship WiFi but will have my data in all the ports.

Beautiful day in Sydney today.

thanks - great to hear boarding went well. we will be down there next sunday to join the brilliance for the south pacific cruise, so hope we have the same experience.

we are looking forward to being a smaller rci ship - our very first cruise was on rhapsody of the seas way back in 2014 which we really enjoyed. 

wondering if you took wine on

board? we plan to carry one bottle of red wine each. also wonder if you have set up

a cash account? prefer to avoid credit card so will take usd cash - reckoning on usd500 to create the cash account for 2 people for the 10 days. have you tried the coffee yet? coffee was awful last time we were on rci back in 2016 so hoping it has improved! 

thanks & hope you really enjoy the voyage. 

34 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

My "Live(ish)" thread will be for the whole of our Japan trip including both cruises, Diamond and Explorer. We fly out on the 28th of this month so I'll probably start the thread a day or two before that. 

great news - many thanks - looking forward to it as considering booking a 2024 japan cruise. 

48 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I'll probably start a "Live(ish)" thread for that trip as we're doing a cruise on Regent Seven Seas Explorer after the Diamond cruise. The Regent cruise starts in Tokyo and ends in Bangkok.

wondering if you plan to do a thread for your upcoming japan diamond princess cruise? 

18 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Interesting side note. Moscato is not listed on either the white wine or sparkling wine lists on the App. So if you like Moscato for dinner, just ignore that it’s not listed and just order it.

if you like sweet wine, i suggest trying the japanese plum wine if it is available. it was served in the bars when we were on the diamond princess in 2019. 

i recommend taking a ferry to nearby taketomi island. https://visitishigaki.com/yaeyama-islands/taketomi-island/

tickets can be purchased from the ferry terminal at the end of the wharf where the cruise ship tender boats go ashore in ishigaki (well this is the way it was when we went in 2019)