txtechmk

Regarding the weather in Japan in October: In Tokyo and other "northern cities", it was pleasant. I did wear jeans, knit tops with a hoodie or lightweight jacket. Our particular cruise went south to Okinawa, Jeju Island, South Korea, Kyoto, and others. It was warm enough for shorts during the day while on a tour. You may have to wait until closer to your cruise and check the weather forecast. We lucked out, but your cruise could be cooler.

Thanks so much for this Ascent review. We sail on her next month, so I am glad to hear that the Ascent was great!

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. Panama Canal is on our bucket list.

The kids would love this! It is definitely worth doing at least once.

This is one of our favorite cruises. We did this last October. I would definitely go to Japan again. Yes, that walk at the airport is LONG!! Enjoy your cruise. I'll be following along.

Good to know that the buses take cash only and when you board. However, I read somewhere that you can get a combo ticket (I think at the port) for a boat to Oia that includes a bus ride to Fira. ?? I wanted to make sure this isn't a gimmick for the boat people to collect extra money. Should we purchase everything separately?

I actually used Expedia to book it. Instead of going to the hotel's website, have you looked at Expedia or one of those type sites? Might make a difference.....

We are staying at INNAthens in Plaka next month. We have not stayed there, so I can't recommend or comment yet. My grown son picked in out online. It looks to be a quaint, but modern boutique hotel. We will see....... Good luck.

The last time I used the laundry service (I think it was the Apex), I wrote COLD Water Please on the ticket, and everything came back good. And I stuffed the bag really full......at least seven items were in the bag.

Loved the photos! Thanks for sharing.....

Loving all the pictures! Thanks! Looking forward to more......

Looking forward to this great adventure.....looks like an amazing cruise! Enjoy!

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for posting. We board the Ascent in May!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Sounds like a great cruise overall.

Thanks for the review. We were on the Apex a couple of years ago and really had a great cruise.