Live(ish) Cruising From Japan

[bazzaw]

10 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We retired, full in the stomach but somewhat poorer in our wallets!

Just curious as we are heading to Japan next year - how much was this meal?

[OzKiwiJJ]

9 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Just curious as we are heading to Japan next year - how much was this meal?

I think it was 22,000 Yen per person, . There was a couple of cheaper menus and one dearer one. We had a couple of 180ml bottles of sake as well and the total was 46,530 Yen. It was definitely worth it!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Tue 31st Oct - Embarkation Day.

 

 

Unfortunately I hadn't slept all that well, and woke an hour earlier than I wanted, but when I peeked through the curtains Diamond Princess was already docked waiting for us.

 

We had a leisurely breakfast, then packed  our stuff. We'd carefully organised our luggage so we only needed to open a couple of our bags for this stop so repacking them was very quick. Checkout time was 11am but we chose to leave around 10:30am to avoid any queues. We quickly got a taxi for the short trip to the cruise terminal, so were there about 10:45am. Check-in was due to start at noon. I was surprised to see how many people there were already there, there must have been several hundred and all the seating was almost already taken. Our Elite status certainly proved very useful for this embarkation although we ended up in group D. We thought we'd have a long wait but they started calling group A at 11:15, and they called the groups very quickly after that.

 

They had the check-in area screened off from the arrival area. We went through the security screening first, then to the check-in desk to get our medallions. There was no passport check. We were on the ship well before midday but couldn't access our cabin immediately.

 

Princess was being its usual sneaky self with lunch recommendations - the Horizon Court or Prego Pizzeria. Nope! I want my MDR embarkation lunch! A quick check in the medallion app showed the International MDR aft on deck 6 was open. Sadly it wasn't the usual embarkation day lunch menu so I missed out on my souffle but we had a pleasant meal, accompanied by a very basic pinot noir from the Plus list. Much to my annoyance they only list the variety of wine available, not the vintage or winery. It made the Australian Plus wine list pinot noir seem good in comparison.

 

After lunch our cabin was ready, and our luggage arrived there shortly after we did, so we were able to get the unpacking chore out of the way fairly quickly. Our cabin was extremely hot - apparently they were doing maintenance on it - so we sat out on our balcony for a while to cool off before showering and changing. We just made it up to Skywalkers for P.E.S. drinks in time for sailaway. It's odd but the Yokohama Bridge doesn't look like a cruise ship could fit under it but, of course, we did. It was surprisingly quiet up there. On Australian cruises with Skywalkers it is often packed for sailaways.

 

We'd booked a table for two in the Savoy MDR, and were escorted to our table but our waiters appeared to be missing. We were just about to give up hope when they appeared and in the end Ana Joy and Fernando turned out to be two of the best waiters we've ever had on Princess. We asked if we could stay in their section for the rest of the cruise and Ana Joy raced off to organise it with the MDR host.

 

Since it was Halloween all the waiters were dressed in casual clothes, with spooky face paint or masks, instead of the usual wait staff uniforms. It looked very strange.

 

The menu had the usual "Always Available" section but this time in two sections - Japanese and International. I chose miso soup and teriyaki chicken from the Japanese section. There was also a daily Japanese main, a Tonkatsu pork curry, which Rolf had.

 

I  chose the Plus pinot grigio but it was very bland. If I'd tasted it in a blind tasting I wouldn't have picked it as a pinot grigio, it just tasted like a generic dry white. So we placed a quick order for a bottle of our favourite gruner veltliner. Rolf tried the chardonnay but it was oaked so wouldn't have suited me. Luckily I've budgeted for purchasing one bottle of wine a day for this cruise.

 

We finished dinner with a silky-smooth crunchy-topped creme brulee.

 

I was a bit tired by then so we headed back to our cabin. Princess has gone mad with sensor-controlled night lights. There is an extremely bright one in the closet area, just outside the bathroom door, and also ones in the base of the bedside units. There is no way to turn these off, other than taping over the sensors. Wasn't it lucky that I just happened to have a large roll of masking tape in my suitcase! 🤣 I suffer from insomnia and if I'm woken by a bright light, or subjected to a bright light while going to the bathroom, it can take a couple of hours before I get back to sleep so night lights like these are a serious issue for me. Our cabin steward isn't happy about the tape but so far has left it in place.

 

Although the cabin was cooler than earlier in the day, it was still too warm for me so it took me ages to get to sleep.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Wed 1st Nov  - At Sea

 

I had another restless night. I usually sleep fairly well on Princess beds but my back is still a bit achy which makes it hard to get comfortable.

 

We had breakfast in the MDR, then went to the Good Spirits bar so Rolf could get a second espresso. We were lucky to get a waiter that understood coffee as asking for an Espresso resulted in an Americano! We have to ask for a Ristretto!

 

As usual on a sea day we went to morning trivia, hosted by Ian, the assistant cruise director. He had a great set of questions and we did better than usual. The winning team got all 20 correct.

 

I decided I wanted coffee so we went back to Good Spirits. The first attempt got us Americanos, the second attempt got us Macchiatos, so Rolf went and stood over them while they tried again. He convinced the barista to stop the machine at the right level but it still wasn't great. I think I'll have a grumpy Rolf on my hands by the end of this cruise!

 

We had joined another couple at a table and ended up having a great chat with them. They were from Victoria, Canada. We happily chatted away until it was time for lunch.

 

We chose to share a table for lunch and sat with a lovely local couple. She was a restauranteur so was very interested in our description and photos of the Kaiseki meal we'd had. We tried the Plus merlot. Rolf liked it but I wasn't too keen on it.

 

It was a gloriously warm afternoon so after lunch we sat on our balcony to enjoy the fresh sea air and the sound of the waves. Bliss! There were plenty of things happening around the ship, including some Japanese themed sessions which would have been very interesting.

 

 

It was our first formal night so we glammed up. Overall the standard of dress was much higher than on Australian cruises. The menu was a fairly standard formal night menu but with Japanese additions:

 

 

We both chose the Nasu Dengaku, the Black Pepper Duck (which was smoked not seared), and the Beef Tenderloin which is a favourite of ours. We asked for the beef very rare and it was just perfect.

 

Of course this meal needed a serious red wine so we decided to treat ourselves to our favourite Barolo but, sadly, they were out of it, so we chose a very nice Burgundy. To our delight our wonderful waiter, Ana Joy, whisked the regular wine glasses off the table and return with two Riedel glasses. It is such a pleasure to have waiters who actually understand wine.

 

We finished our meal with the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar, another old favourite, and which went well with the last of the wine.

 

We'd lingered a bit too long over dinner so it was too late to go to the show. So we retired to our cabin.

[MicCanberra]

Sounds great apart from the selection of wines for you, but we have had that discussion previously. Enjoy

[arxcards]

I think you are seeing the emergence of it Julie. Generic house wines look like they will be the norm for Princess plus by the glass.

 

I thought they had teamed with Lavazza to create an awesome coffee experience for everyone. I had my doubts when they announced it, so good luck with getting something that resembles a drinkable cup.

 

Thanks for your updates.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, arxcards said:

I think you are seeing the emergence of it Julie. Generic house wines look like they will be the norm for Princess plus by the glass.

 

I thought they had teamed with Lavazza to create an awesome coffee experience for everyone. I had my doubts when they announced it, so good luck with getting something that resembles a drinkable cup.

 

Thanks for your updates.

Yes, it makes the Plus package very borderline for us but we are still breaking even with it, based on internet, coffees, bottled water, cocktails, and the occasional beer Rolf sometimes enjoys with lunch. Although we've had to budget extra for decent wine.

 

The problem isn't the coffee, it's the baristas on Diamond. I very much doubt they have had Lavazza training. In fact I'm not sure they've had any training at all. We had exceptionally good coffee on Coral last year at the Good Spirits Bar. Diamond doesn't have an International Cafe and has been based in Japan for their season so may be low in priority for the Lavazza training, although espresso coffees seemed to be becoming more popular in Japanese cities these days - we had excellent coffee in Yokohama.

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, it makes the Plus package very borderline for us but we are still breaking even with it, based on internet, coffees, bottled water, cocktails, and the occasional beer Rolf sometimes enjoys with lunch. Although we've had to budget extra for decent wine.

 

The problem isn't the coffee, it's the baristas on Diamond. I very much doubt they have had Lavazza training. In fact I'm not sure they've had any training at all. We had exceptionally good coffee on Coral last year at the Good Spirits Bar. Diamond doesn't have an International Cafe and has been based in Japan for their season so may be low in priority for the Lavazza training, although espresso coffees seemed to be becoming more popular in Japanese cities these days - we had excellent coffee in Yokohama.

Training and experience is everything to a barista. I think the lavazza connection gave them beans and a training video. Yes, the problem is the baristas as they lack both. We had both good & bad last season. With so many on plus, they need extra machines in Oz, as they are trying to make them on a production line.

 

This is the spiel from March:

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Lavazza to offer you the ultimate coffee experience on your next onboard vacation. 
Enjoy an array of coffee options and convenient Ready-to-Drink cans on any Princess ship. But the fun doesn't end there! Coming soon, #PrincessCruises will include special coffee-inspired dinners and recipes collectively designed by Lavazza experts and Princess chefs, educational sessions, tastings, food pairings, and samplings.

 

Like Rolf, I would just settle for a solid to good cup of coffee.

[MicCanberra]

In my Experience, cruising and good coffee rarely meet at the same time.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, MicCanberra said:

In my Experience, cruising and good coffee rarely meet at the same time.

Normally I'd agree with you but Coral Good Spirits was the exception.

[arxcards]

45 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Normally I'd agree with you but Coral Good Spirits was the exception.

It was pretty good, but I think that is relying on the staff in residence at the time. We also had great coffee for one cruise on Majestic last year, horrible on the next. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, arxcards said:

It was pretty good, but I think that is relying on the staff in residence at the time. We also had great coffee for one cruise on Majestic last year, horrible on the next. 

True! We had Aljay in Good Spirits who was a master barista and I think he'd trained the others in his team as well. In reality Princess doesn't really understand coffee Australian-style. I think we're even fussier than Italians.

 

They don't understand wine either, other than American wine. The Diamond wine list does have some good European wines by the bottle but is mostly very heavy on US wines, mostly Californian, and the Plus wine list is also very American. But we're lucky, we've found the best waiter team ever and both of them understand wine. We now get the good Riedel glasses at dinner. 😊😊😊

[yes!yes!yes!]

5 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

In my Experience, cruising and good coffee rarely meet at the same time.

cruising made me give up coffee. I'm a tea drinker now

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, yes!yes!yes! said:

cruising made me give up coffee. I'm a tea drinker now

Lol, amazingly I tend to be almost as fussy with tea on cruises, the water never seems hot enough (boiled) to make the tea steep well.

[MMDown Under]

19 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Lol, amazingly I tend to be almost as fussy with tea on cruises, the water never seems hot enough (boiled) to make the tea steep well.

That is why Australians need kettles supplied on cruises, like in England.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, MicCanberra said:

Lol, amazingly I tend to be almost as fussy with tea on cruises, the water never seems hot enough (boiled) to make the tea steep well.

If you're in the buffet you have to carefully choose which drinks station you get your hot water from. Some are hotter than others. And try to wait a minute or so after someone else has just drawn hot water so it has time to heat up again. That's a tip from my favourite waiter, Ana Joy. 😊

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, MMDown Under said:

That is why Australians need kettles supplied on cruises, like in England.

We have kettles on on this Japan cruise. But I have to have my tea with my breakfast. If I have strong tea before food it makes me nauseous. 

[NSWP]

Thanks for updates thus far Julie, you a 'livin the dream again.  Good they have Japanese tucker on board.  Above all, enjoy.

🍣

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We have kettles on on this Japan cruise. But I have to have my tea with my breakfast. If I have strong tea before food it makes me nauseous. 

It is good to have kettles in the cabins

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

If you're in the buffet you have to carefully choose which drinks station you get your hot water from. Some are hotter than others. And try to wait a minute or so after someone else has just drawn hot water so it has time to heat up again. That's a tip from my favourite waiter, Ana Joy. 😊

Sometimes there isn't hot (boiling) water taps but urns.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Sometimes there isn't hot (boiling) water taps but urns.

I've never seen urns on Princess, just the taps that dispense hot water, regular brewed coffee and decaf coffee. I'm not sure how the coffee ones work but the hot water ones heat the supply of water as required but if too many people are drawing off the water too quickly it doesn't get time to heat up properly.

[Jean C]

I'm enjoying your posts, @OzKiwiJJ. We sailed on Diamond a few years ago and loved it. We dined in the Vivaldi MDR with Ronaldo as our waiter. I doubt he's still there, but he was a lovely, chatty, outgoing guy with very, very, very crowded teeth! We gave him an extra decent tip as we figured he needed to get his teeth fixed, hehehe 😄

[cheznandy]

Enjoy your cruise Julie and Rolf, enjoying your posts.

We cruised on Diamond through Japan to Alaska, a few years ago. Boarded in Beijing and disembarked in Vancouver, best cruise ever. Beijing to Alaska, loads of Japanese, then Alaska to Vancouver all  US passengers. It was like two totally different cruises.

[highflier01]

On 11/3/2023 at 7:59 AM, MicCanberra said:

Lol, amazingly I tend to be almost as fussy with tea on cruises, the water never seems hot enough (boiled) to make the tea steep well.

Yes, I too am very fussy with my tea, water must be boiling.

We are on Island Princess now and cabin steward actually asked us if we needed a kettle.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 11/3/2023 at 12:37 PM, MicCanberra said:

Sometimes there isn't hot (boiling) water taps but urns.

 

On 11/3/2023 at 7:13 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

I've never seen urns on Princess, just the taps that dispense hot water, regular brewed coffee and decaf coffee. I'm not sure how the coffee ones work but the hot water ones heat the supply of water as required but if too many people are drawing off the water too quickly it doesn't get time to heat up properly.

Princess was almost determined to make me a liar today. At the drinks station I usually go to the regular taps were out of action. However the replacements were those pump pots not urns. Very hot water so I was happy!