fisherguy

Been following this thread as Toba is one of our scheduled stops next March when we are on the Diamond. I was in Osaka in December. Wow what a difference in weather as we were in our winter jackets and snow was falling. Did they offer any excursions to Kyoto? That is my favorite city in Japan to visit.

Just got off the Crown. The internet center worker told me starlink went live on the second day of our cruise. Overall I was quite satisfied with the speeds. Was able to WhatsApp video chat with my mom at Hubbard Glacier. She was able to see the glacier pretty clearly.

We got in after you. Pic taken at 12:20 pm

Christmas time is nice too. The whole garden is lit up.

I took my first cruise in 1987. Back then it was all about the food and service. There was the extravagance of the midnight buffets every night and the french service provided at the MDR. Caesar Salad made fresh at your table. Pasta's and Cherries Jubilee also right at your table. Wait staff had only two tables to serve. Not much else to do on the ship itself. A couple of production shows in the Main Theater. A small cinema and that was about it. Rooms were basic and an outside cabin was a splurge. My have things changed.

Umm not quite. Most restaurant workers on land don’t have to deal with thousands of customers in a day and then share a small room with 3 others at night. Vaxxed or not you can still get sick. Covid has not gone away and may get worse in the fall. I see staffing issues ahead. Where I live, our local ferry service has had to deal with numerous cancellations due to lack of staff from illness since they got rid of masking reqiuirements around springtime. I’m on the Breakaway right now and most staff are still wearing their masks.