En Route with Hank in Japan and the Westerdam

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Expo67 said:

Make sure you try the E & J Brandy which HAL like to substitute for their missing stock of decent cognac. It has a very similar taste to varnish p/paint stripper. 🤣 As for tea as the wife is a Brit and you know she never leaves home without her stash of Lifeboat Tea. 😉

Lol on the E &J.  Even Gallo won’t use their name on that stuff (hence E&J).  DW did bring along some Earl Grey, but her private stash was not sufficient for weeks.  The latest shortage is that the $20…12  Ounce lobster tail has now become two 5 ounce lobster tails (but only $15).  

We continue to have no Perrier and they have now run out of the “ah ha” substitute.  Plenty of Pelligrino, but only in large bottles not covered by drink package.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Well, today’s weather started out showery but it wasn’t complete crap. Still mostly cloudy but we did see the sun a few times. It was also quite gusty at times. The captain just mentoned that they had to use the bow thrusters throughout the day to keep the ship against the berth.

 

Shirikawa-go did not disappoint. One of the prettiest bits of Japan I’ve seen thus far. The “on your own” excursion was perfect for me, they gave us a decent amount of time to walk around take pics, sample food/ eat lunch before heading back - 3.5 hours total. Unfortunately the wind and rain have taken their toll on the cherry blossoms - there were more on the ground than on the trees. ☹️ Still found a few pretty late bloomers though. A few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning, we dealt with the Japanese authorities yet again as we are now about to depart Japan for South Korea. Truthfully it was not any more painful than the usual passport scrutiny upon reboarding the ship. But we still have to meet with S. Korea officials on the ship tomorrow (another sea day). 🤦‍♀️

[cruisemom42]

Sorry, duplicate post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by cruisemom42

[Expo67]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Lol on the E &J.  Even Gallo won’t use their name on that stuff (hence E&J).  DW did bring along some Earl Grey, but her private stash was not sufficient for weeks.  The latest shortage is that the $20…12  Ounce lobster tail has now become two 5 ounce lobster tails (but only $15).  

We continue to have no Perrier and they have now run out of the “ah ha” substitute.  Plenty of Pelligrino, but only in large bottles not covered by drink package.

 

Hank

🤭 The saga continues. What a disgrace with no Perrier. That is a staple for us so we would be all over the Beverage Manager to find some type of suitable replacement. They had Seagrams Seltzer in a can in Feb which was not bad so if they have it give it a try. 😉

[Stateroom_Sailor]

30 minutes ago, Expo67 said:

🤭 The saga continues. What a disgrace with no Perrier. That is a staple for us so we would be all over the Beverage Manager to find some type of suitable replacement. They had Seagrams Seltzer in a can in Feb which was not bad so if they have it give it a try. 😉

 

We purchased the HIA package for our upcoming 14 night cruise.  I primarily drink malbec wine, seltzer, coffee, and black tea.  At least they're got 1 of the 4 covered so far!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We continue to have no Perrier and they have now run out of the “ah ha” substitute.  Plenty of Pelligrino, but only in large bottles not covered by drink package.

 

Hank

 

I see only two options.  #1, passengers start ponying up to help the cruise ship restock beverages during embarkation, or #2 hold up signs to neighboring cruise ships, "Will work for Perrier."

 

 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Well, today’s weather started out showery but it wasn’t complete crap. Still mostly cloudy but we did see the sun a few times. It was also quite gusty at times. The captain just mentoned that they had to use the bow thrusters throughout the day to keep the ship against the berth.

 

Shirikawa-go did not disappoint. One of the prettiest bits of Japan I’ve seen thus far. The “on your own” excursion was perfect for me, they gave us a decent amount of time to walk around take pics, sample food/ eat lunch before heading back - 3.5 hours total. Unfortunately the wind and rain have taken their toll on the cherry blossoms - there were more on the ground than on the trees. ☹️ Still found a few pretty late bloomers though. A few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning, we dealt with the Japanese authorities yet again as we are now about to depart Japan for South Korea. Truthfully it was not any more painful than the usual passport scrutiny upon reboarding the ship. But we still have to meet with S. Korea officials on the ship tomorrow (another sea day). 🤦‍♀️

So, the 👍 I gave you for good weather partially worked. Maybe if more posters had also shared a 👍, it would have worked even better.

 

At least you got some nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Hlitner]

Evening fans ( all 1 or 2).  This will be a basic blog about our day in Kanazawa.  We docked around 7 and were awakened by the usual HAL announcements.  It was a cloudy, cool, quiet Sunday morning and we went to the Lido, about 8, for breakfast.  I got eggs, made to order, since most pre made options are not hot.  After breakfast, we went to the Crows nest for our usual cappuccino and to relax with some reading.  At 9:30, we decided to head off the ship.  Inside the cruise terminal,we asked about taking the local bus into town (about $3.00 round trip) but since it was Sunday it only ran once an hour.  So we opted for the HAL bargain $25 round trip shuttle to the local station.  At the station we took the local Loop Bus ($1.70 or about $4.50 for the entire day) over to the popular Kenrokuen Gardens.  Admission to the gardens (one of the best in Japan) was free for we seniors.  
 

After spending more than an hour in the gardens (and seeing HAL tour groups that paid hundreds to be at the same place) we walked over to the nearby Castle Park to do some exterior explorations.  We have had enough of climbing castle steps so did not go inside.  We then walked about 15 minutes to the local Omicho Market (also on some HAL excursions) where we browsed for about a half hour.  We then continued walking through the city, browsing some shopping areas, until we returned to the station.  All that walking was about 3 1/2 miles.  We decided not to spend more time in the city, and caught a shuttle back to the ship.  A very enjoyable morning when we duplicated a HAL Excursion that would have cost the two of us $210.00.  Our DIY cost was about $58 because we used the HAL shuttle.  If we had waited for the local bus our cost would have been about $8.

 

Since we are leaving Japan (to cruise over to Busan, Korea), everyone had to clear Japanese Immigration (required when entering or leaving Japan).  This was done in the cruise terminal and took us about 5 min. The Japanese procedures are a pain, but their authorities have, so far, assigned enough folks to expedite the procedures.

 

Tonight, DW and I stopped at the Ocean Bar at, chatted with a few friends and listened to the easy listening trio, and finally headed to the MDR around 7:30.  There was actually a queue of 4 folks (the longest line we have had for any dinner) and we were quickly seated at a table of 4 with another American couple.  Dinner was enjoyable, and we finally went on our way about 9:30.  The show was the same Filipino Violinist that has already performed 3 times on our cruise, so we did not attend.  
 

So let me explain about this ship at 9:30.  There were 100-150 in the main show.  Rolling Stone Lounge was closed tonight.  Lincoln Center Stage is always dark because there is no group onboard the ship.  The new easy listening trio was in the ocean bar playing to about 20 folks.  We went to Billboard to listen to the two piano players/singers (who quit at 10:45).  The adjacent casino (at 9:30) had zero clients and about 10 employees.  Not even a single slot player.  At 10:20, when the violin show let out, about 8 stopped at the casino, and 10-15 joined us in Billboard.  At 10:45, all the entertainment was over,  We stopped at the late night Gallery Bar where there were exactly 2 patrons,

 

DW’s reaction to this lively ship was, “we are not booking anymore HAL cruises.”  I have said this before, everything on this cruise is OK.   But we can do much better than OK on some other lines.  Perhaps we are being a bit harsh, but there are probably more lively nursing homes than this ship.  For us, the saving grace has been the excellent Rolling Stone Lounge Band, but they do get some nights off :(.

 

For long time HAL fans I will toss out a few things.  There are no  deck parties, no more special brunches in the MDR, no more cooking lessons, no dance classes, no Indonesian crew show, no Filipino crew show,etc.  One passenger told, us the highlight was being able to toss beanbags at the indoor pool,  No more ice carvings, fruit carving demos, etc.  HAL,does go through the motions, but something is missing from the line.  The crew knows it, and many passengers also seem to know it.  We still see some of the old HAL,with the terrific bar tenders, cabin stewards, and a few others.  Perhaps that is enough for some.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sea42]

15 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

So let me explain about this ship at 9:30.  There were 100-150 in the main show.  Rolling Stone Lounge was closed tonight.  Lincoln Center Stage is always dark because there is no group onboard the ship.  The new easy listening trio was in the ocean bar playing to about 20 folks.  We went to Billboard to listen to the two piano players/singers (who quit at 10:45).  The adjacent casino (at 9:30) had zero clients and about 10 employees.  Not even a single slot player.  At 10:20, when the violin show let out, about 8 stopped at the casino, and 10-15 joined us in Billboard.  At 10:45, all the entertainment was over,  We stopped at the late night Gallery Bar where there were exactly 2 patrons

That poor horse, I believe he's dead🫣

[Californian]

23 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 At 9:30, we decided to head off the ship.  Inside the cruise terminal,we asked about taking the local bus into town (about $3.00 round trip) but since it was Sunday it only ran once an hour.  So we opted for the HAL bargain $25 round trip shuttle to the local station.  At the station we took the local Loop Bus ($1.70 or about $4.50 for the entire day) over to the popular Kenrokuen Gardens.  Admission to the gardens (one of the best in Japan) was free for we seniors.  
 

After spending more than an hour in the gardens (and seeing HAL tour groups that paid hundreds to be at the same place) we walked over to the nearby Castle Park to do some exterior explorations.  We have had enough of climbing castle steps so did not go inside.  We then walked about 15 minutes to the local Omicho Market (also on some HAL excursions) where we browsed for about a half hour.  We then continued walking through the city, browsing some shopping areas, until we returned to the station.  All that walking was about 3 1/2 miles.  We decided not to spend more time in the city, and caught a shuttle back to the ship.  A very enjoyable morning when we duplicated a HAL Excursion that would have cost the two of us $210.00.  Our DIY cost was about $58 because we used the HAL shuttle.  If we had waited for the local bus our cost would have been about $8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Californian]

I am thoroughly enjoying your trip report.  Keep it up!

We will be in Kanazawa on a Princess cruise later in the year.  A couple of questions that I hope you would not mind answering.  We will be there on a Saturday.  Can you buy the all day pass on board the bus?  Where is the local bus by the port terminal?  Did you use yen to buy the passes?  If we take the ship shuttle, at which station do they drop you off and pick up?

Thanks very much for your help!

[BetsyS.]

To Hank and cruisemom - Thank you for your comprehensive reports 

and beautiful pictures! I'm sorry your entertainment ends so early at night. 

Years ago on the Veendam it was great and the crew shows were terrific!

[kurtmi03]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Evening fans ( all 1 or 2).  This will be a basic blog about our day in Kanazawa.  We docked around 7 and were awakened by the usual HAL announcements.  It was a cloudy, cool, quiet Sunday morning and we went to the Lido, about 8, for breakfast.  I got eggs, made to order, since most pre made options are not hot.  After breakfast, we went to the Crows nest for our usual cappuccino and to relax with some reading.  At 9:30, we decided to head off the ship.  Inside the cruise terminal,we asked about taking the local bus into town (about $3.00 round trip) but since it was Sunday it only ran once an hour.  So we opted for the HAL bargain $25 round trip shuttle to the local station.  At the station we took the local Loop Bus ($1.70 or about $4.50 for the entire day) over to the popular Kenrokuen Gardens.  Admission to the gardens (one of the best in Japan) was free for we seniors.  
 

After spending more than an hour in the gardens (and seeing HAL tour groups that paid hundreds to be at the same place) we walked over to the nearby Castle Park to do some exterior explorations.  We have had enough of climbing castle steps so did not go inside.  We then walked about 15 minutes to the local Omicho Market (also on some HAL excursions) where we browsed for about a half hour.  We then continued walking through the city, browsing some shopping areas, until we returned to the station.  All that walking was about 3 1/2 miles.  We decided not to spend more time in the city, and caught a shuttle back to the ship.  A very enjoyable morning when we duplicated a HAL Excursion that would have cost the two of us $210.00.  Our DIY cost was about $58 because we used the HAL shuttle.  If we had waited for the local bus our cost would have been about $8.

 

Since we are leaving Japan (to cruise over to Busan, Korea), everyone had to clear Japanese Immigration (required when entering or leaving Japan).  This was done in the cruise terminal and took us about 5 min. The Japanese procedures are a pain, but their authorities have, so far, assigned enough folks to expedite the procedures.

 

Tonight, DW and I stopped at the Ocean Bar at, chatted with a few friends and listened to the easy listening trio, and finally headed to the MDR around 7:30.  There was actually a queue of 4 folks (the longest line we have had for any dinner) and we were quickly seated at a table of 4 with another American couple.  Dinner was enjoyable, and we finally went on our way about 9:30.  The show was the same Filipino Violinist that has already performed 3 times on our cruise, so we did not attend.  
 

So let me explain about this ship at 9:30.  There were 100-150 in the main show.  Rolling Stone Lounge was closed tonight.  Lincoln Center Stage is always dark because there is no group onboard the ship.  The new easy listening trio was in the ocean bar playing to about 20 folks.  We went to Billboard to listen to the two piano players/singers (who quit at 10:45).  The adjacent casino (at 9:30) had zero clients and about 10 employees.  Not even a single slot player.  At 10:20, when the violin show let out, about 8 stopped at the casino, and 10-15 joined us in Billboard.  At 10:45, all the entertainment was over,  We stopped at the late night Gallery Bar where there were exactly 2 patrons,

 

DW’s reaction to this lively ship was, “we are not booking anymore HAL cruises.”  I have said this before, everything on this cruise is OK.   But we can do much better than OK on some other lines.  Perhaps we are being a bit harsh, but there are probably more lively nursing homes than this ship.  For us, the saving grace has been the excellent Rolling Stone Lounge Band, but they do get some nights off :(.

 

For long time HAL fans I will toss out a few things.  There are no  deck parties, no more special brunches in the MDR, no more cooking lessons, no dance classes, no Indonesian crew show, no Filipino crew show,etc.  One passenger told, us the highlight was being able to toss beanbags at the indoor pool,  No more ice carvings, fruit carving demos, etc.  HAL,does go through the motions, but something is missing from the line.  The crew knows it, and many passengers also seem to know it.  We still see some of the old HAL,with the terrific bar tenders, cabin stewards, and a few others.  Perhaps that is enough for some.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess it depends on the ship. We’re on the Eurodam now and there is a Sunday brunch this morning. There is also entertainment which lasts past 11:00 and bars that are open to at least midnight. I can’t comment on after midnight as that’s my bedtime. 

[bennybear]

@cruisemom42 glad you got to experience the lovely Shirakawa go in decent weather.   It is one of the top places to visit in Japan, and the cruise makes it easy to visit there.  We truly enjoyed this village as one of our favourite spots.   We grabbed a taxi when we got back to the ship to visit the amazing gardens too.   

Hank, sorry to hear you are not enjoying this cruise.  It was one of our favourites,  but our main focus is on what we see and visit.   We often fall into bed exhausted because we have been so busy during the day exploring.   

Edited April 16, 2023 by bennybear

[Nomadica]

Thank you for your report. Looking forward to following you. Booked on same cruise in 2024.

[Expo67]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Evening fans ( all 1 or 2).  This will be a basic blog about our day in Kanazawa.  We docked around 7 and were awakened by the usual HAL announcements.  It was a cloudy, cool, quiet Sunday morning and we went to the Lido, about 8, for breakfast.  I got eggs, made to order, since most pre made options are not hot.  After breakfast, we went to the Crows nest for our usual cappuccino and to relax with some reading.  At 9:30, we decided to head off the ship.  Inside the cruise terminal,we asked about taking the local bus into town (about $3.00 round trip) but since it was Sunday it only ran once an hour.  So we opted for the HAL bargain $25 round trip shuttle to the local station.  At the station we took the local Loop Bus ($1.70 or about $4.50 for the entire day) over to the popular Kenrokuen Gardens.  Admission to the gardens (one of the best in Japan) was free for we seniors.  
 

After spending more than an hour in the gardens (and seeing HAL tour groups that paid hundreds to be at the same place) we walked over to the nearby Castle Park to do some exterior explorations.  We have had enough of climbing castle steps so did not go inside.  We then walked about 15 minutes to the local Omicho Market (also on some HAL excursions) where we browsed for about a half hour.  We then continued walking through the city, browsing some shopping areas, until we returned to the station.  All that walking was about 3 1/2 miles.  We decided not to spend more time in the city, and caught a shuttle back to the ship.  A very enjoyable morning when we duplicated a HAL Excursion that would have cost the two of us $210.00.  Our DIY cost was about $58 because we used the HAL shuttle.  If we had waited for the local bus our cost would have been about $8.

 

Since we are leaving Japan (to cruise over to Busan, Korea), everyone had to clear Japanese Immigration (required when entering or leaving Japan).  This was done in the cruise terminal and took us about 5 min. The Japanese procedures are a pain, but their authorities have, so far, assigned enough folks to expedite the procedures.

 

Tonight, DW and I stopped at the Ocean Bar at, chatted with a few friends and listened to the easy listening trio, and finally headed to the MDR around 7:30.  There was actually a queue of 4 folks (the longest line we have had for any dinner) and we were quickly seated at a table of 4 with another American couple.  Dinner was enjoyable, and we finally went on our way about 9:30.  The show was the same Filipino Violinist that has already performed 3 times on our cruise, so we did not attend.  
 

So let me explain about this ship at 9:30.  There were 100-150 in the main show.  Rolling Stone Lounge was closed tonight.  Lincoln Center Stage is always dark because there is no group onboard the ship.  The new easy listening trio was in the ocean bar playing to about 20 folks.  We went to Billboard to listen to the two piano players/singers (who quit at 10:45).  The adjacent casino (at 9:30) had zero clients and about 10 employees.  Not even a single slot player.  At 10:20, when the violin show let out, about 8 stopped at the casino, and 10-15 joined us in Billboard.  At 10:45, all the entertainment was over,  We stopped at the late night Gallery Bar where there were exactly 2 patrons,

 

DW’s reaction to this lively ship was, “we are not booking anymore HAL cruises.”  I have said this before, everything on this cruise is OK.   But we can do much better than OK on some other lines.  Perhaps we are being a bit harsh, but there are probably more lively nursing homes than this ship.  For us, the saving grace has been the excellent Rolling Stone Lounge Band, but they do get some nights off :(.

 

For long time HAL fans I will toss out a few things.  There are no  deck parties, no more special brunches in the MDR, no more cooking lessons, no dance classes, no Indonesian crew show, no Filipino crew show,etc.  One passenger told, us the highlight was being able to toss beanbags at the indoor pool,  No more ice carvings, fruit carving demos, etc.  HAL,does go through the motions, but something is missing from the line.  The crew knows it, and many passengers also seem to know it.  We still see some of the old HAL,with the terrific bar tenders, cabin stewards, and a few others.  Perhaps that is enough for some.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spot on Hank as the crew is really the only draw they still have. The out of stock issues, reduction of food selections and increased pushing of ala carte purchase entrees, and total lack of entertainment is making it very difficult to justify future bookings even with the 5 Star Mariner amenities. I fear the VOV in July is going to be a continued disappointment. Like you I hear many faithful Mariners eyeing the gangway away from HAL. 😢 Enjoy Korea. 👍

[Expo67]

7 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

I see only two options.  #1, passengers start ponying up to help the cruise ship restock beverages during embarkation, or #2 hold up signs to neighboring cruise ships, "Will work for Perrier."

 

 

I think you may be on to something. 😉

[LAFFNVEGAS]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

So let me explain about this ship at 9:30.  There were 100-150 in the main show.  Rolling Stone Lounge was closed tonight.  Lincoln Center Stage is always dark because there is no group onboard the ship.  The new easy listening trio was in the ocean bar playing to about 20 folks.  We went to Billboard to listen to the two piano players/singers (who quit at 10:45).  The adjacent casino (at 9:30) had zero clients and about 10 employees.  Not even a single slot player.  At 10:20, when the violin show let out, about 8 stopped at the casino, and 10-15 joined us in Billboard.  At 10:45, all the entertainment was over,  We stopped at the late night Gallery Bar where there were exactly 2 patrons,

 

DW’s reaction to this lively ship was, “we are not booking anymore HAL cruises.”  I have said this before, everything on this cruise is OK.   But we can do much better than OK on some other lines.  Perhaps we are being a bit harsh, but there are probably more lively nursing homes than this ship.  For us, the saving grace has been the excellent Rolling Stone Lounge Band, but they do get some nights off :(.

 

For long time HAL fans I will toss out a few things.  There are no  deck parties, no more special brunches in the MDR, no more cooking lessons, no dance classes, no Indonesian crew show, no Filipino crew show,etc.  One passenger told, us the highlight was being able to toss beanbags at the indoor pool,  No more ice carvings, fruit carving demos, etc.  HAL,does go through the motions, but something is missing from the line.  The crew knows it, and many passengers also seem to know it.  We still see some of the old HAL,with the terrific bar tenders, cabin stewards, and a few others.  Perhaps that is enough for some.

 

Hank

 

Hank, I believe you and I have totally agreed with each other for a long time. I agree with you 1000% and been saying this often even before covid hit. HAL has been starting the downward spiral long before The Pause. The problem is it is now worse. For the extra money passengers pay for the Exotic cruises such as Japan one would think they would up their game but they don't. DH and I are big fans of NCL and cruised on them in November and a few weeks ago in February. We go to all the shows, enjoy lots of later nights.Lots of wonderful meals and end the day say "Now that was a good day" We also cruised Princess in December and were actually Extremely impressed with the amazing entertainment but then it was Discovery Princess the newest ship that is sailing. We were on HAL on the Rotterdam this past July and the only good comment I had about the cruise was the ship had some pretty areas. The best part was the pre cruise time in Amsterdam.

So one would ask why do I have 3 more HAL cruises booked?????? I have three answers for us. We will hit 5 Star on our second cruise booked that will be in December and we will also hit 300 days with HAL on that December cruise. Plus it is just hard to give up something we have known so well and cruised so often on. But then with hitting these Milestones we could say Game Over.....lol  Well not quite we decided and our keeping our fingers crossed that HAL will start listening and make improvement so we booked Noordam Japan for March 2025. We strongly considered NCL similiar ports but 4 days shorter during Sakura, but comparing NCL Aft Suite (not Haven) to Deck 6 Signature Suite the price was about 35% more with NCL with less perks. Although have to admit I am waiting for Princess to come out with their Japan 2025. I think Princess does an amazing job with Japan for entertainment (Japanese and Korean Themed) but even in September of 2019 before Covid the crew admitted they felt like the step children of Princess. They were not included in many things Princess did, products/supplies/beverages were actually shipped over from US and they often ran out before supplies arrived. Even though the Diamond stayed in that part of the World year Round. I am thinking the same thing is true for Westerdam. They sadly under estimated many of the supplies but were not going to spend the money to get supplies to Japan, nor were they going to spend the money. They still have your Trans Pacific cruise and I got bets they are running low on many things. By closing up the Casino and Bars early it saves on serving limited supply....On a side note reading about all the wonderful food and amazing things they are doing on the Rotterdam 150th Anniversary Crossing makes me a bit envious and also gives me HOPE. Passengers seem to be extremely impressed so hoping this helps HAL to see the light 🙂    

[slidergirl]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Lol on the E &J.  Even Gallo won’t use their name on that stuff (hence E&J).  DW did bring along some Earl Grey, but her private stash was not sufficient for weeks.  The latest shortage is that the $20…12  Ounce lobster tail has now become two 5 ounce lobster tails (but only $15).  

We continue to have no Perrier and they have now run out of the “ah ha” substitute.  Plenty of Pelligrino, but only in large bottles not covered by drink package.

 

Hank

Good ole' Ernest & Julio.  I remember their commerials.  

I'd rather pay for Pelligrino than get free Frog Water 😜

 

Is the Provisioning Officer still employed?????

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, Californian said:

I am thoroughly enjoying your trip report.  Keep it up!

We will be in Kanazawa on a Princess cruise later in the year.  A couple of questions that I hope you would not mind answering.  We will be there on a Saturday.  Can you buy the all day pass on board the bus?  Where is the local bus by the port terminal?  Did you use yen to buy the passes?  If we take the ship shuttle, at which station do they drop you off and pick up?

Thanks very much for your help!

I believe the all day bus pass must be purchased at a counter inside the train station.  But since we did not buy the pass, I cannot be 100% certain.  The shuttle drops at the Kanazawa Train Station, which is also a major bus station.  We simply paid the exact 200 yen fare to the driver.  Our SUICA card would have worked, but we only had 170 yen on the cards and did not want to go back into the station to replenish.

 

We do not know the exact location of the location of the local bus.  Once a Japanese tourist official showed us the schedule, we lost all interest.

 

Hank

 

 

[slidergirl]

Hank - I'm going to piggyback onto this thread for a second.  Starting a new thread seems a waste.

 

So, Perrier (ugh) comes with the HIA beverage package.  How much more was the Pellegrino?  And, is there a monetary upgrade available with the package to get the Elite?  Wondering minds want to know.

[Expo67]

2 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Hank, I believe you and I have totally agreed with each other for a long time. I agree with you 1000% and been saying this often even before covid hit. HAL has been starting the downward spiral long before The Pause. The problem is it is now worse. For the extra money passengers pay for the Exotic cruises such as Japan one would think they would up their game but they don't. DH and I are big fans of NCL and cruised on them in November and a few weeks ago in February. We go to all the shows, enjoy lots of later nights.Lots of wonderful meals and end the day say "Now that was a good day" We also cruised Princess in December and were actually Extremely impressed with the amazing entertainment but then it was Discovery Princess the newest ship that is sailing. We were on HAL on the Rotterdam this past July and the only good comment I had about the cruise was the ship had some pretty areas. The best part was the pre cruise time in Amsterdam.

So one would ask why do I have 3 more HAL cruises booked?????? I have three answers for us. We will hit 5 Star on our second cruise booked that will be in December and we will also hit 300 days with HAL on that December cruise. Plus it is just hard to give up something we have known so well and cruised so often on. But then with hitting these Milestones we could say Game Over.....lol  Well not quite we decided and our keeping our fingers crossed that HAL will start listening and make improvement so we booked Noordam Japan for March 2025. We strongly considered NCL similiar ports but 4 days shorter during Sakura, but comparing NCL Aft Suite (not Haven) to Deck 6 Signature Suite the price was about 35% more with NCL with less perks. Although have to admit I am waiting for Princess to come out with their Japan 2025. I think Princess does an amazing job with Japan for entertainment (Japanese and Korean Themed) but even in September of 2019 before Covid the crew admitted they felt like the step children of Princess. They were not included in many things Princess did, products/supplies/beverages were actually shipped over from US and they often ran out before supplies arrived. Even though the Diamond stayed in that part of the World year Round. I am thinking the same thing is true for Westerdam. They sadly under estimated many of the supplies but were not going to spend the money to get supplies to Japan, nor were they going to spend the money. They still have your Trans Pacific cruise and I got bets they are running low on many things. By closing up the Casino and Bars early it saves on serving limited supply....On a side note reading about all the wonderful food and amazing things they are doing on the Rotterdam 150th Anniversary Crossing makes me a bit envious and also gives me HOPE. Passengers seem to be extremely impressed so hoping this helps HAL to see the light 🙂    

All of us Mariners that have been cruising decades with HAL truly hope your feelings are correct Lisa. With 3 HAL cruises over the past 8 months all departing from different US ports with limited or no stock in some cases and reduced staffing I am skeptical but with hope like you. After each of these 3 cruises we have sent off letters to corporate expressing our concerns. Each letter received the typical stock letter of reply stating we continue to work on our issues and hope to have them addressed soon. 🫣 With the Voyage of the Vikings coming in a few months I think our decision will be made one way or the other. Considering the pricing for these Exotic/Grand Voyages it does leave us with other alternatives. We have already looked into different cruise travel options for replacement if need be but our hoping like you they will not be necessary.

[Expo67]

55 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Hank - I'm going to piggyback onto this thread for a second.  Starting a new thread seems a waste.

 

So, Perrier (ugh) comes with the HIA beverage package.  How much more was the Pellegrino?  And, is there a monetary upgrade available with the package to get the Elite?  Wondering minds want to know.

I will answer and am sure Hank will follow up. The small 8+ Oz bottles were $5.35 and with the SBP you were required to pay the full $5.35. If you upgraded to the premium package they were included. Somewhat mystified how a $5.35 drink was not included in the $11 SBP but that is what is was. Now if they were out if stock of Perrier then I certainly would of been all over the Beverage manager to substitute the Pelegríno for the out of stock Perrier but thats just me. 😵‍💫

Edited April 16, 2023 by Expo67

[Stateroom_Sailor]

4 hours ago, Expo67 said:

I think you may be on to something. 😉

 

LOL.  I've already been on a cruise ship running out of everything, which is when we decided to jump to HAL.  Since we bought $10,000 in gift cards during the shutdown, we're pretty much locked in for two more cruises.  We've certainly experienced better since, but I'm tired of chasing our first Carnival cruise from 2011, and watch everything sink beneath it in the mass market.  MSC may be more solvent, so the Yacht Club is an option, or moving on to better lines.

[cruisemom42]

Someone asked earlier about Asian breakfast options. I took a pic this morning of the Asian and Indian items offered every day in the main Dining Room: