LIVE from the Diamond Princess - 35 days Singapore to Vancouver

[Dorinda]

Sammi -cruise director extraordinaire - will be going to the Golden.

 

Cheers, Dee

[Kiwi Kruzer]

[mjd]

Sammi was talking about retiring when I worked with her in 2002/2003.

 

She'll go sooner or later but I know she'll really miss life at sea. (And I used to hear some of her behind the scenes complaints!)

 

Mary Jo

 

She was on the Star when we were but got off when we did in San Francisco--March 19th--was going to Fla where her new husband lived for her break. She is the greatest--was talking about retiring. Thinks her days are numbered!

 

Dottie

[Pia1913]

It’s Friday morning and déjà vu. We are back in Busan and in store for us is the complimentary shuttle into town. Last week Mike bought a black leather belt for $8.00. Today he’s going back to buy a brown one. Me? I need my Starbucks fix. We are in port all day so this time there’s no great rush. The sun is shining; life is good.

　

Those staying aboard can see Anna and the King on MUTS at 10:00 or also on MUTS, Crazy, Stupid Love at 2:00. Otherwise, there’s not much else until the evening when Bayne Bacon appears again in the theater and MUTS has Footloose. All in all, a not so very interesting day. And tonight, we again have the pleasure (NOT) of losing another hour of sleep.

　

Last night we saw the comedian/ventriloquist Phil Hughes. His comedy by itself is lacking, but once he works with the puppets it’s much better. We also participated in the 50’s Music Trivia afterwards. Should have gone to bed. Out of 40, we got 26. Winner had 33. I shouldn’t complain, because the paper we marked only got 17.

Thanks all for the Sammi answers, though even though she got married a little over a year ago, I didn't think she'd be retiring yet.

Bye for now,

[Pia1913]

It’s Saturday morning May 5th, we lost an hour last night and we’ll be losing another one tonight. Fortunately, these 23 hour days do not affect us at all. We still get up at the same time and more or less go to bed at the same time. Mike has always been more of a night owl; extremely proficient with a tv remote.

According to today’s Patter, it appears as if we won’t be going through the Japanese up close and personal inspection for Muroran (Sapporo), the same way we did it in Nagasaki. Evidently the Japanese officials are already on board since inspection will begin today. We need to present ourselves with passports and the landing permit, according to zones. Our passports were returned last night, and this morning we got a note stating we are in zone 7 at noon.

　

Very few people in the gym this morning; probably due to time change. Sun is shining, seas are wiggling a bit, and air is coldish.

　

Lots happening today, such as; port lecture on Vladivostok, documentary, “Touring the World: India”, arts and crafts doing Iris-folding cards and a lecture; Volcanoes, Earthquakes and 2012: Is Earth becoming more unstable?” There’s an ice carving demo in the afternoon, the movie “The Beach” on MUTS and the movie in the theater “The Ides of March.” Evening brings us Rikki Jay again in Explorer’s, “Moneyball” on MUTS and in the theater - Versatile vocalist Preston Coe. I think we will watch Footloose on stateroom TV.

　

 

Nothing else to say. Later.

[ccrain]

At Sea and Busan:

 

The days are certainly just blurring together. Soon we will surpass our previous 21 day maximum cruise length and head into uncharted territory. We do miss our suite (we’ve had suites on the previous 3 cruises), but not as much as I thought we would. We mainly miss Sabatini’s, the larger bathroom, the better balcony furniture and the fresh fruit baskets with the suite exclusive additions of grapes and strawberries. The aft balcony we have with no wind is much more preferred than a side balcony that is almost unusable while the ship is underway. Our breakfast the other morning was perfect, except of course for the coaster with legs they call the coffee table.

 

The at sea day was busy with Zumba, ballroom and line dance. At night we stayed on Club Fusion and danced to canned music for a couple of hours then headed for bed.

 

Busan was a do it yourself port this time around. We waited until around 0930 for the crowds to clear, then headed for the shuttle bus and headed downtown. The Phoenix hotel was the dropoff point and it was just across the street from the fish market. We headed into the bowels of the market and shopped for a few hours, picking up a few knick knacks here and there. I tried my four words in Korean, Good Day and Thank You, on a variety of locals and got the biggest smiles and thumbs up from all of them. One lady really appreciated me at least trying some of the language. They really laughed when I put my finger about ¼ inch from my thumb and said, that’s it, that’s all I know.

 

The shops, the markets are just incredible as to variety and diversity, but not in the same shop. There were shoe shops with every kind of shoe, or a luggage shop packed to the gills with luggage, or a T-shirt shop, or a food shop with just one or two kinds of packaged foods that I did not recognize. There were also lock and key shops, with every kind of padlock and some I’ve never seen before. And this went on for blocks and blocks. With little narrow alleyways and small street. Scooters zooming by, delivery trucks, cars. It was a unique experience.

 

A couple of tips on the market. You almost have to go down every little alleyway to see it all. Some alleyways are so narrow, it looks like they are part of the stores, but they are not. Also, there are street underpasses everywhere so you don’t have to risk life or limb – especially on the major drags. I also tried half a dozen ATMs and none of them would recognize our ATM card. Hopefully its still working, but we will have to wait until we get to Alaska to double check. Hutch said most ATMs here were not international.

 

The cruise buddies were out in force. Local young men and women dressed in distinct garb helping out, giving directions. The girls were all cute and giggly, more than willing to get their picture taken with us Americans. Very, very friendly people.

 

One of the main reasons I wanted to get out on our own is that we are not seasoned international travelers – but we have to learn how to do this as we plan to travel a lot after I retire. This was a perfect spot to jump in the shallow end of the pool with no fear of drowning. Some trepidation, stepping out into a foreign land without speaking the lingo, but a good first step. We were here last week, so I knew the lay of the land. We felt perfectly safe in this environment. No beggars, no high pressure sales and a very westernized culture that felt familiar.

 

Didn’t get a chance to sample any of the local food as we had committed to come back to the ship around 12:45 and cheer our room steward on in a game of soccer at a field near the ship. It was India vs. the world. Frank, our room steward, was on the India team and they kicked major tushie! 6 to 1 was the final score. The world got trounced. I did ask Frank later why they didn’t let them score a few more points and he pointed out that the world was trash talking the night before how they would run up a 6 to 0 score against India. Guess they could talk the talk, but not walk the walk.

 

I know, sounds pretty weird spending a couple of hours in port watching the ship’s crew play soccer, but it was fun. Frank had his own cheering section. All five of us. (It was a very small wave when he scored.) But no one else had anyone cheering them on, so he really appreciated us showing up and we had a really good time.

 

After walking around town and the markets all morning, we had a late lunch and crashed back at the ship. Decided to grab some chips and guacamole at the Elite Lounge and then settled down to watch Footloose, the new one, on MUTS. Temperature was perfect. A slight chill in the air that made snuggling down nice. Definitely not as good as the original and they screwed up a few of the old classic songs, but it wasn’t a total waste of time.

 

Watching Footloose last night brought one of those light bulb moments that happen to me every once in a while – and brings up a subject I’ve been avoiding since I really don’t like to criticize things. But here goes. The Princess shows, which used to thrill us, seem old and tired. The choreography, the dancing, just seemed off. We saw, Do You Want To Dance a couple of weeks ago and just haven’t been back. Watching Footloose last night made me realize why. The dancing in the new Footloose is much tighter, choreographed to modern standards. Yes, they screwed up Ren’s solo in the warehouse compared to the one Bacon did, but it was a much more difficult routine. Judy and I watch Dancing with the Stars religiously and over the past several years the dancing and the choreography has gotten better, better and better. Princess is simply not keeping up. It may be unfair to compare the ship’s dancers to Dancing with the Stars, but perception is reality and when we watch, quite frankly, the tired same old choreography of a Princess show and compare it to what is on TV, the differences are striking. Princess needs to turn their dancers loose. I would love a show in which the dance company self choreographs little vignettes in the Atrium or the Piazza (they do this sometimes on the Emerald), or maybe a dance competition between troupe couples in Explorer’s/Vista lounge. Or an entire show that emphasizes up to date modern dance choreography – choreographed by the troupe during the cruise. Our favorite Princess show is still Caliente (with Motor City a close second), with the emphasis on troupe and individual dance. While we do enjoy the vocals, there is still no reason to not have a significant amount of modern precision dance routines to back up the vocals.

 

Come on Princess. Turn em loose!

 

We lost another hour last night and will lose another tonight. Getting out of bed this morning was hard. Hopefully a couple of latte’s will help.

[wineforhealth]

Pia

 

In the gym what machines are the most popular?

 

CHEERS

[Carolina Cruisers 2]

Hello Pia and Mike,

 

Thanks for sharing your adventures. Sounds like you guys are having a good time.

 

Regards,

 

Franky and Jack

[Kamloops50]

We just booked for the Bangkok to Vancouver on the Diamond for 2014.:cool:

[rdsqrl]

ccrain, your day in Busan sounds wonderful -- even including watching the soccer match, which is a detail I loved. Sometimes it's the oddest little things that turn out to be the most memorable. Meanwhile, good for you getting out there and exploring "foreign" lands on your own. It's like jumping into the bone-chilling cold swimming pool on Lido deck -- once you do it, the next few times are easy. Okay, well maybe not easy -- but at least you know you won't expire of hypothermia.

 

Speaking of pools, are the outdoor ones heated now or are they too cold to use? What are the air temps like at sea at this point in the voyage?

[kobecat]

Thanks for your postings. We did the Diamond Vancouver to Bangkok in September/October 2009 and it was wonderful. Your postings bring back memories.

 

Beryl

[Pia1913]

Pia

 

In the gym what machines are the most popular?

 

CHEERS

 

By far the treadmills

 

Hello Pia and Mike,

 

Thanks for sharing your adventures. Sounds like you guys are having a good time.

 

Regards,

 

Franky and Jack

 

yes, we are. And drinking lots of wine too :p

 

Speaking of pools, are the outdoor ones heated now or are they too cold to use? What are the air temps like at sea at this point in the voyage?

 

Freezing. Supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow in Vladi. Will advise. Goodnight. We are now 15 hours ahead of you.

[caribill]

Supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow in Vladi. Will advise. Goodnight. We are now 15 hours ahead of you.

 

That is warm compared to when we were there on Princess. It was snowing and about 25 when we arrived, but by early afternoon it was in the mid-30s and the morning's snow had melted.

 

One nice thing about Vlad is they are so far from Moscow the same rules for cruise ship passengers do not apply. No immigration booth to line up for and you can wander about on your own.

[ccrain]

ccrain, your day in Busan sounds wonderful -- even including watching the soccer match, which is a detail I loved. Sometimes it's the oddest little things that turn out to be the most memorable. Meanwhile, good for you getting out there and exploring "foreign" lands on your own. It's like jumping into the bone-chilling cold swimming pool on Lido deck -- once you do it, the next few times are easy. Okay, well maybe not easy -- but at least you know you won't expire of hypothermia.

 

Speaking of pools, are the outdoor ones heated now or are they too cold to use? What are the air temps like at sea at this point in the voyage?

 

Hopefully over the next couple of years I will get over my phobias and worry wart attitude. Today we explore Vladivostok on our own. Hutch's port talks definitely help.

 

Air temps are now very comfortable for the two of us since we are from Colorado. It got chilly enough during footloose to snuggle down under a couple of blankets, but that just made the experience a bit better.

 

Quite frankly we haven't made it to the pools yet. Maybe when it gets real cold we'll try it, so I don't know how cold or hot they are.

 

We have noticed a definite increase in interior temperature. So much so that most of us dancers in fusion are carrying hand towels with us to towel off after dancing.

[Pia1913]

Good Morning from Vladivostok, Russia, where there’s a definite chill in the air and skies are cloudy with a chance of rain. I think it always looks like this here, since it’s exactly the same as when we left it 20 years ago. Talking about 20 years ago, when Vladivostok became the headquarters for the Soviet Union’s Pacific Fleet in 1932, it was closed to foreign ships. The port was reopened in 1992 and we were one of the first foreign ships to visit. We were aboard the Ocean Pearl. Vladivostok, as most of you know, is the Pacific end of the almost 6,000 mile long Trans-Siberian Railway. This city allows you to roam around on your own without having a VISA, or being part of a guided tour; unlike Moscow and St Petersburg. We are in port until 7:00 PM, and it may take some time to actually be able to get off. It was very slow going way back when. Hope things have improved with time. Since we have already visited the main sights; i.e. the submarine monument and the Naval Museum, we will just walk into town and meander about.

Our visit to Japanese immigration yesterday was short and painless. We reported at 11:30 and there were only two other passengers in the room. We again had temperature and fingerprints taken and our passports were collected. We need to get them back some time soon, but as alluded to above, Russian immigration is very very slow.

　

On board today is a documentary, Dolphins and Whales on MUTS - way too cold to watch a movie out there this morning. Afternoon movie in the theater is Rum Diary and a folkloric show is scheduled for 5:30. Evening brings “Real Steel” on MUTS and guess who is still around. Yep………..Lovena Fox. I wonder if she will ever get off. Nothing happening in Explorer’s either. No complaints. We like to read.

Off to breakfast looking at very grey skies.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

 

 

[ccrain]

Misc Ramblings:

 

In support of Pia’s statement about Kelvin, I agree he is one of the top CDs that Princess has, and I really agree about Matt. He has a good future with Princess and Princess really needs some fresh young blood in the ranks. Although we’ve really only had one “bad” CD in all of our travels – our 2010 Antarctic cruise on the Star. Tim Donovan was also one of our least favorites on a CP cruise we had in 2004, but has really performed well in our last couple of cruises with him, making him one of our favorites as well – and no one does pub night like Tim does. Martin on the Grand last year was great and David Cole on the Golden is also very good. (BTW, we heard that David Cole will be taken off the Golden in 2013 and moved to the Sapphire to start a new HI program on that ship. After seeing the Golden’s new schedule of South American cruises, now I see why. I wonder if EULA is moving with him. )

 

While the CD makes a big difference it really takes a great cruise staff to support him. Kelvin is blessed with a pretty good staff. Matt, of course, we’ve pretty much already mentioned. Kim, our Zumba, Line Dance and Ballroom dance instructor. Paul, who helps Kim, Jorge, Nicole and Heidi are those who we’ve had the most interaction with. It’s a good crew.

 

At Sea to Vladivostok:

 

Another one of those really nice days at sea. Up early after losing another hour, this is really going to suck on the crossing, we hit the lobby coffee bar. We are now on our third coffee card and Ronnie in the bar is taking very good care of us. Tall white chocolate latte’s are the drink of choice while typing up the latest travel log. I have only used 240 minutes so far. Half of my time and none of judy’s yet. Typing off line and uploading is the only way to go.

 

BTW, we stopped by the internet café last night to talk to the internet lady. Just wanted to stop by and say everything is working fine and thanks. She gets so many complaints and gripes, the line is always long, it just seems fair to stop by every now and then and say thanks. I remember one person commenting on the internet speed compared to military naval ships and how slow it was. Well geez, if I had a multi-billion dollar satellite network, I’d better have a fast internet connection as well!

 

So anyway, after coffee it was time for Zumba with Kim. Club fusion is getting so crowded its getting dangerous. We’ve moved off the dance floor and onto the carpet in front of a TV to keep from hitting fellow Zumba’ites and we now get people trying to walk around us to get a seat for trivia, or to watch the Zumba antics. Trust me, when I get moving you do not want to be in my way when I reverse. Almost took one guys head off with a side snap punch and then almost ran over a lady when I did a blind pivot turn with arms flailing.

 

We missed breakfast and ended up at the Mexican buffet for lunch, which was really quite good. The Pico de gaio was quite good and they had chopped fresh jalapenos to go with everything. Refried beans, chicken and beef fajitas, flour tortillas, fresh guacamole, sour cream, onion, it was really tasty and I was so tempted to go back and get another plate, but we had decided to go to the steak house for dinner. After lunch we did something new on Princess. X-box Kinect dance central 2. We have this at home and it is a lot of fun since both of us can go head to head. I kicked Judy’s but 2 out of 3 times. We like the kinect version much better than the Wii version since the body tracking does not let you cheat with a controller.

 

After Dance Central 2, it was line dancing with Kim and Paul and then off to shower, do laundry (oh I love that little black card), watch Hutch’s Vladivostok talk, catch 40 winks and get ready for dinner.

 

Dinner was pretty good. The old Sterling Steakhouse menu lacks lamb like the new Crown Grill menu, so I had to settle for grilled halibut, which was really, really good. Judy had the filet and we shared the BBQ chicken breast as well. The creamed spinach, corn casserole and clam chowder were really good. The steak was a bit overdone, but tasty, the chicken was very moist, but the BBQ sauce was too overpowering. I would have preferred a simpler roasted chicken with a lighter sauce, or no sauce at all.

 

I had the chocolate pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. Judy had the fried peach turnover with vanilla ice cream. Mine was ok. I wanted to try something different and chocolate pecan pie is just not my cup of tea, but the vanilla ice cream was wonderful. Judy really liked the turnover, especially with the sauce and the ice cream. The highlight of the meal for me was the grilled halibut. It looked overcooked, but it was very moist. Halibut is a difficult fish to cook, but this was done just right.

 

We went down to Club Fusion for dancing after that, trying to take it easy. We got in a few dances during the ballroom hour, then switched to the Elton John hour, but for some reason the tracks kept skipping. How in the heck does an MP3 track skip? Dirty CD or dirty player? I figure everything is off of a hard drive, but maybe not. That was pretty frustrating to most of us and we left about 30 minutes into the hour. Rikki Jay was doing his routine in Explorer’s, but we’d already seen his material. Stopped by the wheelhouse to check it out, but the temperature had been increased in there as well. It was warm. So we decided to settle down and watch a movie in the room instead. Besides, we would lose another hour.

[highland cruiser]

Good Morning from Vladivostok, Russia, where there’s a definite chill in the air and skies are cloudy with a chance of rain. I think it always looks like this here, since it’s exactly the same as when we left it 20 years ago. Talking about 20 years ago, when Vladivostok became the headquarters for the Soviet Union’s Pacific Fleet in 1932, it was closed to foreign ships. The port was reopened in 1992 and we were one of the first foreign ships to visit. We were aboard the Ocean Pearl. Vladivostok, as most of you know, is the Pacific end of the almost 6,000 mile long Trans-Siberian Railway. This city allows you to roam around on your own without having a VISA, or being part of a guided tour; unlike Moscow and St Petersburg. We are in port until 7:00 PM, and it may take some time to actually be able to get off. It was very slow going way back when. Hope things have improved with time. Since we have already visited the main sights; i.e. the submarine monument and the Naval Museum, we will just walk into town and meander about.

 

 

Our visit to Japanese immigration yesterday was short and painless. We reported at 11:30 and there were only two other passengers in the room. We again had temperature and fingerprints taken and our passports were collected. We need to get them back some time soon, but as alluded to above, Russian immigration is very very slow.

 

　

On board today is a documentary, Dolphins and Whales on MUTS - way too cold to watch a movie out there this morning. Afternoon movie in the theater is Rum Diary and a folkloric show is scheduled for 5:30. Evening brings “Real Steel” on MUTS and guess who is still around. Yep………..Lovena Fox. I wonder if she will ever get off. Nothing happening in Explorer’s either. No complaints. We like to read.

 

 

Off to breakfast looking at very grey skies.

 

 

I have been really enjoying everyone's comments. Thank you so much for them.

We are on the Diamond leaving Whittier in Sept. and stopping at several of your ports.

But we were told if we wanted to get off the ship at Vladivostok, we needed a visa or needed to take a Princess tour. Hmmm...hope we will be able to do what you did ....just get off and walk around.

I better do some more checking on the Princess site. :confused:

 

Thanks again for all the great info.

[Pia1913]

I have been really enjoying everyone's comments. Thank you so much for them.

We are on the Diamond leaving Whittier in Sept. and stopping at several of your ports.

But we were told if we wanted to get off the ship at Vladivostok, we needed a visa or needed to take a Princess tour. Hmmm...hope we will be able to do what you did ....just get off and walk around.

I better do some more checking on the Princess site. :confused:

 

Thanks again for all the great info.

 

Whomever gave you Vlad info gave incorrect info. We just got back on ship; Vlad is as gray as I remembered it. After walking 3 1/2 miles of hills and steps and standing water; enough exercise for today. Should have skipped the gym this morning. :D The only souvenirs you will find are at the port. It was drizzling when we got off; still doing same on and off. It did warm up though. Nothing else to say. GUM dept. store same as 20 years ago.

[highland cruiser]

Thank you so much Pia for the Vald infor!!

We would much rather do our own thing.

Enjoy the rest of our tip...counting the days to ours.

I will continue following all your travel tales.

Mary

[Pam in CA]

Whomever gave you Vlad info gave incorrect info. We just got back on ship; Vlad is as gray as I remembered it. After walking 3 1/2 miles of hills and steps and standing water; enough exercise for today. Should have skipped the gym this morning. :D The only souvenirs you will find are at the port. It was drizzling when we got off; still doing same on and off. It did warm up though. Nothing else to say. GUM dept. store same as 20 years ago.

So glad it's not on our itinerary next year. I think we have sea days instead. :)

[caribill]

So glad it's not on our itinerary next year. I think we have sea days instead. :)

 

We found Vladivostok to be a fascinating city when we were there on a Princess ship. We spent the moring exploring on our own and the afternoon on an interesting and enjoyable Princess tour.

[Pia1913]

Just stopping by as we are about to leave Vladivostok. The day turned out to be good. It warmed up and the itty bitty rain disappeared. We are leaving here late due to negligent passengers not returning their passports in a timely fashion and also the fact that Russian immigration does not move quickly.

　

Just a note about the folkloric show. It was excellent. This one had talented people, unlike many that we have seen in other countries. It lasted an hour and we really enjoyed it.

Now we are back in our cabin and intend to stay here until morning. Clocks go back tonight. Yippee!!! We gain an hour. Then we’ll give it back.

　

Just a reminder. We will lose our internet capability again while in Japanese waters. Not exactly sure when this will happen, as we are due into Muroran (Sapporo) in approx. 36 hours. If you don’t hear from me you’ll know it happened. I don’t know whether or not wifi is available at that port, but will take my netbook off with me and give it a shot.

 

Goodnite.

[treesah]

Pia, we just got back in town. Following your travels with great interest since this particular voyage is on our agenda. Thank you for sharing. You are one generous lady.

[Pia1913]

Happy Monday on this partly cloudy and cold morning on the way to Muroran. We gained an hour of sleep last night and will do it again tonight. Moving clocks back and forth so often is really confusing when you try to keep track of time at home. Each time I think I’ve got it; I “don’t got it.”

　

All kinds of stuff going on this morning beginning with a port lecture on Muroran by Hutch at 9:45. 10:00 brings three choices:

1. Documentary on MUTS - “Ocean Wonderland”

2. Arts & Crafts - make a magnetic bookmark

3. The first of the 3 hours only “up to 75% off” sale

Later in the morning is a lecture “The Story of Buddha & Reflections on Buddhism,” and a pub lunch in Savoy starting at 11:30.

　

Afternoon brings us a martini demonstration, a George Michael concert on MUTS, a movie in the theater - “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, and Grapevine wine tasting.

　

Tonight in Explorer’s there’s a double header of Preston Coe and Bayne Bacon. Yes, Bacon is still here. In the theater, the production show “Words and Music,” and MUTS has “I Don’t Know How She Does it.” I understand (a/k/a rumor has it) that all solo talent is/are getting off in Muroran, so we should expect some new entertainment. Hope rumor is correct.

　

The Patter officially states that our internet service will quit tonight, but last time it went off much earlier than anticipated. Bye for now. Will “see” you when I can.