BruceMuzz

You are probably visiting KOMODO island, to see the very large Monitor Lizards (Komodo Dragons) living there. Note that Indonesia requires you to book a tour to go ashore there. The end of your cruise will probably be a short walk on the Benoa Harbor Pier, through the old and picturesque Terminal, into a taxi, and and a short ride to the airport. You shouldn’t need to worry about rabies shots.

There is another very important aspect of menu planning / feeding budget projecting that most cruisers overlook. As soon as I explain, you will recognize it. Most cruisers - inexperienced or not - cannot wait to get onboard and start eating. All that food available, and most of it at no extra charge. On any length of cruise, food consumption is by far the highest for the first 3 days of the voyage. Some passengers want to “eat their money’s worth”. Others just cannot resist the variety of foods available. Regardless of the reasons for the high consumption, cruise lines tend to put out large volume, relatively low value food items for those first 3 days. All the punters stuff their pie-holes for those first 3 days. On Day 4, many wake up and realize that if they continue eating at this pace, they may not survive to the end of the cruise. Nearly everybody, it seems, decides to go on a diet on Day 4. Day 4 is usually when the Chef starts to get serious with menu and buffet items. He can offer pricier, higher quality foods, and still have an overall lower consumption and lower cost. Those of you going on a 3-day “booze cruise” are not going to see many of those better food items.

Frequent repeaters are not too big a factor on some ships and cruise lines. But on some lines, they can be problematic. Companies with very high volume repeaters know that these people rarely go ashore, and almost never buy a shore excursion. They are onboard for EVERY meal. This factor can have a negative effect on food budgets.

No, I am not saying that at all. Ships know what their feeding budget (for crew and pax) is going to be many months before a sailing. They must have this information to allow them to place their food and beverage orders months before the sailing in order to more or less guarantee receiving the goods in time. The Corporate F&B People have forecasted a feeding budget based on itinerary, number of sea days, country where the provisioning will take place, menu cycle being used, number of children expected, number of repeat cruisers expected, average price paid for the cruise, special groups onboard, time of year, and many other factors. Then the Exec Chef, F&B Director, Controller, Hotel Manager get together and guess - based on all the information they have - how many chickens the Chef will serve during that cruise, how many lobster tails will be needed, how many jars of peanut butter will be consumed. Once that is determined, they compare the cost of all that food against the budget sent to them by the head office. If they are under or near that budget, all is good. If they think they will go over, then menus need to change, and alternate quality (and price) items must be ordered. Most cruise ships have very limited storage space for food. There is very little of anything extra" lying around". Chefs often get very creative when their best guesses went wrong and they must improvise. Last resort is local purchasing - which most corporate F&B people get very upset about.

Excellent question, and generally good answers. The question that was not asked was, “Is food quality the same on all itineraries for the same cruise line?” The answer is “No”. In most cases, the head office sets the menu cycles and food cost budgets for each ship on each itinerary. These menu cycles and daily feeding budgets can vary significantly from one itinerary to another - even on the same ship, with the same Chef.

I have sailed on 2 ships where the ship’s horn malfunctioned when departing a port. Each time, they had to find the guy who could turn it off and fix the problem. Each time, it took quite a few minutes to turn it off. This sounds like the same thing.

From the Japan Times today, 08 June: Beginning Friday 10 June, Japan will allow a limited number of foreign tourists to visit Japan. They must be from a list of approved countries. They must book their tours from a list of approved Japanese Travel Agents. Only 3 Japanese Airports will be allowed to accept them. The itineraries will be pre-approved by the government. Hotels will be pre-approved by the government. Masks must be worn at all times. The sponsoring travel agencies will send escorts with the tourists to ensure that all rules are followed. These will be essentially Bubble Tours, but there will be some free time as well. Tourists must have negative PCR tests before flying to Japan. They must have proof of at least 3 COVID shots. They must pre-purchase Medical insurance that will cover any problems. They must carry a smartphone with tracking Apps installed. They must agree to be deported if they violate any of the regulations. These are land tours to some of Japan’s most popular tourist sites. There has been no mention of any foreign cruises allowed.

If you want to do Summer Cruising in Japan, you might look at a Japanese Cruise Line Company. Mitsui O.S.K has Nippon Maru NYK has Asuka II (former Crystal Harmony) Japan Cruise Line has Pacific Venus These ships are Japanese Flagged, so are not required to visit a foreign port (although they sometimes do). The product is VERY Japanese, with Japanese entertainment, food, drink, tours, etc. They do carry Interpreters who can assist non-Japanese speakers. The ships are relatively small, so are able to visit very small, out of the way ports.

Japan Times today (03 June) announced that Japanese Immigration will most likely increase the cap on daily arrivals in Japan, from 20,000 per day to 30,000 per day, sometime in July. National elections are coming up in July. The Government is most likely waiting to see the election results before making any official changes.

Japanese Cabotage Laws require foreign flag cruise ships to visit at least one non-Japanese port when cruising in Japan. Even if Japan opens up, all the other countries in the area are still closed - except Russia. You probably do not like that option.

This new “Bubble Tour” Test for foreign Tourists has not started well. The first group arrived in Japan yesterday (31 May). This morning one of the members of this group tested positive for COVID. The entire Tour was cancelled and all the members were flown home today. Maybe there will be better luck with the next groups.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida announced yesterday (26 May), that small groups of foreign tourists will be allowed to visit Japan beginning 10 June. These tourists must be on a package tour that will visit pre-arranged tourist destinations in Japan. They will not be allowed to use public transportation; traveling all together with a Japanese escort to each location. They will all stay together in pre-arranged hotels. All must have at least 3 COVID Injections, provide negative PCR test results before and after the flight to Japan. They will also be PCR tested during their visit to Japan. They must be masked at all times. They must have full medical coverage for any medical issues encountered in Japan. They must sign a declaration agreeing to be deported if they violate any of the COVID requirements. On 01 June the Japanese Government will raise the cap on arrivals to Japan from 10,000 to 20,000 per day. It is believed that most of the 20,000 allocations will be for returning Japanese Residents.

There are none.

Yesterday Windstar Cruises became the latest foreign Cruise Line to announce cancellation of their 2022/2023 Asian Cruise Season. Today (18 May) the Yomiuri Shinbun and the Japan Times have reported that the Japanese Government will allow around 50 foreign tourists to visit Japan before the end of this month as part of a test project. They will be in 10-15 pre-selected small groups, from USA, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore. They will be taken together in “Bubble Tours” to pre-approved tourist destinations in Japan. They must have proof of a minimum 3 vaccinations and must pass PCR Tests before and after arrival in Japan. Masks must be worn always. They must also have private medical insurance that will cover any possible medical problems in Japan. Results of these visits will be used to develop a comprehensive plan for more foreign visitors in the future. The government re-emphasized that the ban on foreign tourists using public transportation will continue until further notice.

In an opinion poll last week, over 75% of Japanese Citizens do not want the government to open up to foreigners this year. With elections coming up, the Government is paying attention. Travel Agencies in Japan (I work for one) are pushing to open up more quickly. Japanese domestic cruise lines are doing a brisk business in Japan and do not want the country to open up to visits by international cruise lines. On June 1, Japanese Immigration will increase the cap on returning Japanese Residents from 10,000 per day to 20,000 per day. Japanese Immigration is considering to test (in June) removing the Antigen Test and Quarantine requirements for returning Japanese Residents who are fully vaccinated, boosted, and are returning from Countries with low COVID numbers. Japanese Government is considering testing “bubble tours” with small groups of foreigners (wearing masks) on very restricted itineraries. No official word yet on when this will actually start. China, South Korea, and Taiwan remain closed as well. Japanese cabotage laws require foreign flag ships sailing in Japan to call at one of these countries as well. So long as they remain closed, foreign cruise companies will be unable to visit Japan. Japan remains closed to foreign ships anyway, with no discussion on when this might change. I visited Yokohama a few days ago, and watched Asuka II (ex- Crystal Harmony) boarding pax at Osanbashi Terminal. The ship appeared full. Then I drove past the new Tokyo International Cruise Terminal on Tokyo Bay. Two Japanese cruise ships were there; both very busy.

I have done several 7-day cruises with a rented canoe, a borrowed tent, and a backpack. Same thing.

Japanese Government confirmed today that caps on returning Japanese residents will be increased from 10,000 to 20,00 per day in June. They are also proposing to remove PCR testing and quarantine of returning Japanese residents who have tested negative before their flights to Japan, and who have received at least one COVID booster injection. They also announced a trial plan for “bubble tours” of Japan by foreigners, with small groups on fixed itineraries, possibly starting in June. There is currently no plan for international cruise ships to visit Japan in 2022.