En Route with Hank in Japan and the Westerdam

[Hlitner]

15 minutes ago, Expo67 said:

Geez Hank I would of thought you were along with us on our 35 night S. Pacific cruise last month. Same complaints and yes a snail mail was sent to corporate HAL upon our return. Gonna redo the Voyage of the Vikings that we do with you 2 and Larry and Cheryl a handful of years ago. Not expecting much change but we will enjoy what we can and continue to note the things that just makes us shake our heads. 😉 Enjoyed reading all of your observations and recommendations. 👏

Fond memories of that cruise.  😃. DW just asked for a mimosa with sparkling wine other than the lousy Japanese champagne they have been serving.  She was told they are out of Chandon and other options.  Even the bar tenders can keep a straight face when explaining the shortages.  On our various cruises in the past two years we have experienced all kinds of shortages on Princess, Seabourn and now HAL (all part of the HAL group).  No shortages when we cruised in MSC Yacht Club.  Do

we detect a pattern?  And this morning DW could not find any black tea in the Lido.  She was told there is a shortage due to all the English aboard?  A tea shortage?  No problem if you want to buy Tasso tea at Explorations.

[Expo67]

15 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Fond memories of that cruise.  😃. DW just asked for a mimosa with sparkling wine other than the lousy Japanese champagne they have been serving.  She was told they are out of Chandon and other options.  Even the bar tenders can keep a straight face when explaining the shortages.  On our various cruises in the past two years we have experienced all kinds of shortages on Princess, Seabourn and now HAL (all part of the HAL group).  No shortages when we cruised in MSC Yacht Club.  Do

we detect a pattern?  And this morning DW could not find any black tea in the Lido.  She was told there is a shortage due to all the English aboard?  A tea shortage?  No problem if you want to buy Tasso tea at Explorations.

lol … Dutch Cafe ran out of chocolate the last 4 days on us so I had to go get the powder packs from the lido and have them make the hot chocolate using them. 🤭 BTW … they tan out of Chandon on ours too as well as the Cognaq that they tried to push something called E & J brandy that was more suited as varnish remover. Of course they did have something for $38 if we wanted that. 😳 Keep on enjoying and give DW our best. 👍

[cruisemom42]

I’m loathe to add more complaints about the onboard experience but I took a couple of pics of two recent Daily programs showing the front pages with “Today’s Highlights”. I like trivia, but it seems a bit sad when 2 of the 3 (or 2 of 4) Highlighted activities are trivia (and a third is Coloring for Adults)!!

 

Yes these are port days but still - this is very sparse.

 

[Copper10-8]

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

No.  When the band is finished the room goes dark and the bar closes.  Not sure we even have anyone in staff that would know to be a DJ.

 

Could be another change and not for the better! In the past, the No. 2 cruise activities staff individual, formerly known as the ACD, was always the DJ. No bueno! 😔

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Could be another change and not for the better! In the past, the No. 2 cruise activities staff individual, formerly known as the ACD, was always the DJ. No bueno! 😔

Yes, and in the past we usually had a small group band, piano bar entertainer, no documentary films parading as main theater entertainment, lobster tails without extra charge, the ability to order a starter and salad in the Pinnacle without paying a $8.26 extra charge.  And before folks scoff at the Pinnacle issue they might to consider that dinner for two in the Pinnacle with starter, salad, main and dessert now costs $108.56!  And this does not include the other add-ons such as for lobster tail, delmonico steak, etc!  And the bill that is presented in the PG still has a line where folks can add an extra tip.  Of course, we are aware that many PG diners (including us) are not paying the full price in the PG.  

 

The reason I write all this in response to your DJ post is to point out that there is very little about the current HAL that can be compared to the HAL of yesteryear.  While DW and I do think this cruise is exceeding our expectations (we had  low expectations) I found it interesting that DW made a comment today that this will likely be our last HAL cruise.  Why?  Her thinking is that there are just too many other cruise lines that offer a better product.  Our major issue with HAL continues to be the lack of entertainment.  And no, we do not count BBC Documentaries or cabin TV as cruise entertainment.  If HAL corrects their current thinking on entertainment than that would likely impact our future cruise decisions.  My thinking differs from DW in that I would still consider HAL for some of its terrific itineraries.  But I cannot disagree with her that cruising on Princess, MSC (Yacht Club), Seabourn, "O", Azamara, and Explora Journeys (if it lives up to expectations), would be far above HAL on preference listing.

 

Hank

[Alphen]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’ve continued to enjoy the Lincoln Center group but Hank is right that live music is missing outside of the set performances in Music Walk.

 

For those concerned about classical music onboard, I did hear the guitarist in the group performing in The Rolling Stones room announce offhandedly last night that when the LCS group departs on April 10, they’ll be replaced by some kind of jazz group. 
 

Stay tuned….

Just throwing it out there; could it not be the case that there are just not that many musicians out there post Covid, that still want the life on board cruise ships?

 

Maybe many searched and found other jobs during and past Covid, just like many other professions and not only those on cruise ships! So many people switched jobs, careers and even professions during and past Covid that in many sectors, it is so hard to find staff!

[cruisemom42]

48 minutes ago, Alphen said:

Just throwing it out there; could it not be the case that there are just not that many musicians out there post Covid, that still want the life on board cruise ships?

 

Maybe many searched and found other jobs during and past Covid, just like many other professions and not only those on cruise ships! So many people switched jobs, careers and even professions during and past Covid that in many sectors, it is so hard to find staff!

In this case, HAL announced earlier that they were changing their relationship with LCS and instead of having resident groups would instead have a visiting group or groups for special performances.

 

Given the number of fine arts graduates from schools like Juilliard and the dire job prospects for many, I suspect jobs such as these provide would be pretty desirable… but that’s just my speculation. I keep hoping they’ll plan for a Q&A with the current group before they leave. It would be a good question to ask…

 

Now it could be that having a different type of band on board might allow them to peel off different variations around the ship, for more live music in venues, but it would so much more preferable to have both!

 

 

[ghstudio]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

But I cannot disagree with her that cruising on Princess, MSC (Yacht Club), Seabourn, "O", Azamara, and Explora Journeys (if it lives up to expectations), would be far above HAL on preference listing.

 

Hank

 Our recent cruises on Princess would put them at the bottom of any list.  Azamara is a real maybe....new management and a complete failure on converting old reservations and customers to their new system....with no one to talk to.....they have some real problems and I'd suggest avoiding until the dust settles, if it ever does.  

[ghstudio]

19 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Hank, how 'bout the Gallery Bar/ Been in there so far?

 The gallery bar was our favorite venue a couple of weeks ago on the W.  Most of the time, we were the only ones there and we like peaceful and not having to look for a seat. One bartender and one waiter.

 

On the other posts....agree that there are very few (and I'm being kind) activities during the day/evening.  Liquor tastings were scheduled for 7PM...probably the worst time to choose given folks actually eat dinner. The ship essentially closes down at 10pm. I only attended one show in 14 days...a magician who was adequate.  I didn't mind the shuttle prices but the shuttles often took us no where near where you wanted to be. We saw officers walking through the ship occasionally...never saw the captain. Pluses: we never felt crowded..seemed like the ship wasn't full (it was full).  Food seasoning was quite good...(it's non existent on Princess).   

[Beejay4016]

1 hour ago, ghstudio said:

 The gallery bar was our favorite venue a couple of weeks ago on the W.  Most of the time, we were the only ones there and we like peaceful and not having to look for a seat. One bartender and one waiter.

 

On the other posts....agree that there are very few (and I'm being kind) activities during the day/evening.  Liquor tastings were scheduled for 7PM...probably the worst time to choose given folks actually eat dinner. The ship essentially closes down at 10pm. I only attended one show in 14 days...a magician who was adequate.  I didn't mind the shuttle prices but the shuttles often took us no where near where you wanted to be. We saw officers walking through the ship occasionally...never saw the captain. Pluses: we never felt crowded..seemed like the ship wasn't full (it was full).  Food seasoning was quite good...(it's non existent on Princess).   

Ah well, when we join on the 24th, I know to bring along plenty of reading material. Perhaps we can start a singing group ourselves - good for the soul, if not the ears.

 

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’m loathe to add more complaints about the onboard experience but I took a couple of pics of two recent Daily programs showing the front pages with “Today’s Highlights”. I like trivia, but it seems a bit sad when 2 of the 3 (or 2 of 4) Highlighted activities are trivia (and a third is Coloring for Adults)!!

 

Yes these are port days but still - this is very sparse.

 

I'd be excited by all the trivia, and DW would be ecstatic about the ballroom dance hour. There was nothing like that on our last HAL cruise! I wonder how she as a (retired) art teacher would feel about adult coloring.

 

And BTW, I do not know how much longer I can remain patient in this lotus position waiting for you to contact Hank. 😉😉

[cruisemom42]

54 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

 

And BTW, I do not know how much longer I can remain patient in this lotus position waiting for you to contact Hank. 😉😉

Who says we haven’t been in contact? 😉

[cruisemom42]

I don’t think Hank will mind me saying that I met him and his better half. We had dinner together, conversation flowed, and I didn’t even have to pretend to be British or Australian….😄. It’s always delightful to meet others with travel in their DNA.

[0106]

On 4/4/2023 at 3:52 AM, Hlitner said:

One negative are in the booze department.

Agreed! On our Caribbean Rotterdam cruise in February, I found it ironic that an Aperol Spritz was on the featured cocktail menu every day BUT there was no Aperol on the ship.

 

I refused to sign the paper receipts because I didn’t want to touch the pen.  No server had a problem with me refusing to sign.  
 

I only had 1 experience in 11 days with an incorrect charge which I reported on the Navigator app.  The next day it had been removed.  Guess I was lucky.

 

Thank you for your detailed live thread.

[Vatch]

Cruisermom I saw on your daily program a note about fruit, meat or vegetables not being allowed on shore and quarantine people being posted onshore.   Do you know if that include the dried fruit in my trail mix?  I like to have something on hand just in case I get peckish wandering around and no ash ice cream is available.  Is it to prevent people from picking up things in the buffet to bring ashore with them?

 

hank and cruisermom I’ve really enjoyed following along and I really appreciate differing perspectives as I get ready to join you on Monday.

[Tricia4]

It is probably an agricultural restriction - all those products carry diseases and pests that could contaminate crops and herds.  New Zealand had the same restrictions but I think we were allowed to take trail mix with dried fruit as the drying process would have destroyed any bacteria or pests.

[cruisemom42]

18 minutes ago, Vatch said:

Cruisermom I saw on your daily program a note about fruit, meat or vegetables not being allowed on shore and quarantine people being posted onshore.   Do you know if that include the dried fruit in my trail mix?  I like to have something on hand just in case I get peckish wandering around and no ash ice cream is available.  Is it to prevent people from picking up things in the buffet to bring ashore with them?

 

hank and cruisermom I’ve really enjoyed following along and I really appreciate differing perspectives as I get ready to join you on Monday.

I couldn’t say for sure, but every time we disembark there is a full complement of Japanese officials checking passports but also holding signs saying no fruit, meat, veggies, etc. They do X-ray bags. I probably would try to find a different snack or alternatively visit one of the numerous convenience store chains to find something   Japanese and prepackaged. You’ll find 7-11, Lawsons, and Family Market on virtually any street corner in a Japanese city, large or small….

 

Some might suggest to try bringing your mix, but those guys look serious and I for one would rather not be the one to cause a problem.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

Who says we haven’t been in contact? 😉

Neither of you had commented on it before.

 

Bad assumption on my part. Now I hope I can just get the blood flowing again after getting out of this uncomfortable lotus position.

[Vatch]

Thanks cruisermom for the quick reply.  I’ll rethink snacks then!

 

[mrmoviezombie]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:09 AM, Hlitner said:

They both ordered "double" glasses of wine at the bar to take into the MDR.  Their reasoning was that it has taken them up to a half hour to get wine in the MDR (there are no wine stewards) and they complained about being overcharged for wine in the MDR (this has ONLY happened to us once)

On our last cruise where we had the wine package, we discovered in the MDR that they don't have access to most of the wine/beverages. They have to send someone to a bar when you order a wine. That's why it takes so long, a person is doing a full roundtrip to a bar for each order.

We started doing the same thing, with the wine package they will store a partial bottle for you a bar. So, we would pick up our bottle before heading to the MDR (or Lido).

I'm guessing it's to control access to only the beverage staff.

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

. You’ll find 7-11, Lawsons, and Family Market on virtually any street corner in a Japanese city, large or small…

Just a note to add that these are famous for their sandwiches.  Eugene Levy did part of an episode on the egg salad sandwiches on the reluctant traveller.  I highly recommend the chicken Katsu sandwiches if you need a light meal and the delightful peach drinks they have.   The vending machines are also interesting to try both hot and cold drinks, 
 

Glad you and @cruisemom42 got to meet!  

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by bennybear

[Aitchgeye]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

Just a note to add that these are famous for their sandwiches.  Eugene Levy did part of an episode on the egg salad sandwiches on the reluctant traveller.  I highly recommend the chicken Katsu sandwiches if you need a light meal and the delightful peach drinks they have.   The vending machines are also interesting to try both hot and cold drinks, 
 

Glad you and @cruisemom42 got to meet!  

 

Hey, interesting following your journey and comments.  Just wondering, could you take the japanese mixed alcoholic beverages on board.  Last time we were in Japan, you could purchase 'mixed drinks'at 7/11 type stores.  This possibly be a cost saving measure for us Aussies.

Helen

[MomentsNotice]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

Just a note to add that these are famous for their sandwiches.  Eugene Levy did part of an episode on the egg salad sandwiches on the reluctant traveller.  I highly recommend the chicken Katsu sandwiches if you need a light meal and the delightful peach drinks they have.   The vending machines are also interesting to try both hot and cold drinks, 
 

Glad you and @cruisemom42 got to meet!  

 

 

Love the Japanese combini egg sandwiches. Fluffy egg on a crustless white bread (I wouldn't dream of eating white bread in USA but  it works perfectly with this sandwich. I think Family Mart makes the best because it is a bit chunky. Lawson's has an option for one egg and one tuna in the same bag which I prefer for balance (instead of 2 egg halves). But each person may have their own favorite. 

 

Many conbini sell cups of ice if your hotel does not have an ice machine and you want a cold drink but don't want to purchase a big bag of ice. It must be an unusual method of making the ice as mine stayed in my hotel's mini-frig for 3 days and never melted. Frig didn't seen overly cold. 

 

7-11 is also the best place to use your ATM  to get cash IMO as it works with most types of cards and minimal fee (I think 110 yen per 10,000). if you want 10,000 yen. suggest using the option of 10 x 1,000 yen or you will receive one 10,000 note which may be hard to cash. 

 

And note, if you are getting the Suica card (I suggest)and need to refill it, use a MC. Visa and AMEX and known not to work for refills. If you have an iPhone you likely have a Suica transit card built into your Wallet. Go to Wallet, click the + sign upper right, click Transit card and scroll down to Japan. Pasmo and Suica are virtually the same. And you can use your Suica card to purchase many things in stores including a combini. Helpful if you are leaving Japan and still have some yen left on your card. Remember  to use MC to refill. 

[bennybear]

3 hours ago, Aitchgeye said:

Hey, interesting following your journey and comments.  Just wondering, could you take the japanese mixed alcoholic beverages on board.  Last time we were in Japan, you could purchase 'mixed drinks'at 7/11 type stores.  This possibly be a cost saving measure for us Aussies.

Helen

Don’t know about the alcoholic drinks.  These were soft drinks.

 

3 hours ago, MomentsNotice said:

 

Love the Japanese combini egg sandwiches. Fluffy egg on a crustless white bread (I wouldn't dream of eating white bread in USA but  it works perfectly with this sandwich. I think Family Mart makes the best because it is a bit chunky. Lawson's has an option for one egg and one tuna in the same bag which I prefer for balance (instead of 2 egg halves). But each person may have their own favorite. 

 

Many conbini sell cups of ice if your hotel does not have an ice machine and you want a cold drink but don't want to purchase a big bag of ice. It must be an unusual method of making the ice as mine stayed in my hotel's mini-frig for 3 days and never melted. Frig didn't seen overly cold. 

 

7-11 is also the best place to use your ATM  to get cash IMO as it works with most types of cards and minimal fee (I think 110 yen per 10,000). if you want 10,000 yen. suggest using the option of 10 x 1,000 yen or you will receive one 10,000 note which may be hard to cash. 

 

And note, if you are getting the Suica card (I suggest)and need to refill it, use a MC. Visa and AMEX and known not to work for refills. If you have an iPhone you likely have a Suica transit card built into your Wallet. Go to Wallet, click the + sign upper right, click Transit card and scroll down to Japan. Pasmo and Suica are virtually the same. And you can use your Suica card to purchase many things in stores including a combini. Helpful if you are leaving Japan and still have some yen left on your card. Remember  to use MC to refill. 

We too found the best and easiest exchange at 7-11. 

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, Aitchgeye said:

Hey, interesting following your journey and comments.  Just wondering, could you take the japanese mixed alcoholic beverages on board.  Last time we were in Japan, you could purchase 'mixed drinks'at 7/11 type stores.  This possibly be a cost saving measure for us Aussies.

Helen

I don’t know the answer but it’s a challenge I’m willing to take up if I see something interesting today. 😉