2024 Grand World Voyage with The Inside Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Took s taxi to the other side of the island for a glass bottom boat ride.  

 

RT taxi $58.  

 

Boat ride $9

 

the ship is at the bottom.   boat ride at the top 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Would you mind saying which ipad mini keyboard you got and if you like it? I have an ipad mini I mostly use when I'm on vacation. Really miss the days of 8" laptops.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

11 hours ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

Would you mind saying which ipad mini keyboard you got and if you like it? I have an ipad mini I mostly use when I'm on vacation. Really miss the days of 8" laptops.

I bought three different keyboards to try them out. 

Here are the Amazon descriptions – you can find a bunch a reviews on YouTube

 

Typecase Keyboard Case for iPad Mini 6 - Trackpad - Wireless Case with Keyboard for iPad Mini 6th Generation 8.3" 2021-10 Colors Backlit Keyboard Cover - Midnight Black - $65  This one has a trackpad and the apostrophe key can be used without pressing the Fn key first.  This is my favorite. --$65

 

 

The other two I tried are identical but labeled differently – they are exactly the same.   They are all OK

 

GreenLaw iPad Mini 6 8.3 inch 2021 Case with Keyboard, Magnetic Detachable, Bluetooth Wireless, Silicone+ABS Case, Type-C Rechargeable, Grey - $50

 

Arteck iPad Mini 6 (8.3-inch) Keyboard Case, Bluetooth Keyboard with Folio Full Protection Shockproof Case for Apple 8.3-inch iPad Mini 6 (2021) with 130 Degree Swivel Rotating

Arteck –    . --$36

 

[Btimmer]

For more than 3 years I have used a simple white folding Bluetooth rechargeable keyboard with my iPhone or iPad.  It was around $30 on Amazon.  I think Pete has seen it. There are lots of options there.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

ISHIGAKI, JAPAN – GLASS BOTTOM BOATS AND FU CHANPURŪ (POST # 37)

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2024 World Cruise

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We snorkel without getting wet and try the local dish: Fu Chanpurū

 ARRIVAL ISHIGAKI

We arrived about 7 am to give time for the Japanese Immigration Officials to get set up before our official arrival at 8 am.  Cruise Director Kimberly announced a little before 8 am that all people on HAL tours leaving before 10:30 should now go to Immigration.

Here was the setup on the Pier in Ishigaki – the tent in the center was for customs inspectors

As usual, the inspection was taking place in the MDR on Deck 3.  I wandered down to check out the queue, and it was packed – stretching back almost to the World Stage.  People were coming down the mid-ship stairs and trying to figure out where the end of the line was.  We had no specific plans so we were in no hurry to get off.

Our Deck, Deck 8, was called at 9:56 am.  Then at 10:04, they announced the “final call,” and everyone should proceed to Immigration.  The line started around the Ocean Bar when we arrived but moved quickly and we were completed, back in our room in about 15 minutes.  We got arrival stickers in our passports.  This was the first stamp or sticker put in our passports for all cruises.

BUS TO FERRY TERMINAL

A little before Noon, we headed to the dock, passed through customs after giving them our customs form and boarded a waiting shuttle bus.  A few taxis were available.  The shuttle bus ride to the Ferry Terminal took 10 minutes.

No food or fruit allowed ashore

The Ferry terminal sends ferries to outlying islands and was filled with local tourists.  A table set up in the center of the terminal had a sign offering help to cruise ship passengers.  An ATM was near the entrance and I withdrew 50,000 Yen for $347.  Changing the same amount on the ship would have been $361.  The cost at the official bank rate was $332.  I suspect that if I found an ATM outside the Ferry terminal, I may have gotten a better rate.  The machine gave me five 10,000 Yen notes, which is basically a $60 bill, but they weren’t hard to use, and everyone accepted the large bill without hesitation.

The ATM machine allowed you to select English.  Make sure you know how much Yen you want to withdraw – not how many dollars.

Having a phone with Google Translate will significantly enhance your tourist experience and is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.  Google translate will help you identify snacks in the grocery store, menus, museum placards, store signs – you name it.  This, along with a map program, will allow you to explore with confidence and not be restricted to shops and stores with English menus and signs.  You have to download the languages while you have good WIFI before you can use them offline.

We also use Pocket Earth, MAPS.ME and Google Maps, which will make your touring much more enjoyable.  They are all available for use offline if you plan ahead.

Without Google Translate – you would never know what this statue was all about Here is the placard on the statue’s base – translated

TAXI TO GLASS BOTTOM BOAT

We asked one of the hosts at the Cruise Ship Help Desk about getting a taxi to Kariba Bay for the glass bottom boat tour.  He walked us out to the taxi stand and negotiated a round-trip fare to Kariba Bay (about 12 miles each way) and back for 8,800 Yen.  The driver would take credit cards but preferred cash.  I downloaded the Japan Taxi Apps DIDI and GOTAXI, which I would have used if the Cruise ship hosts weren’t available.  You could have also typed in “Glass Bottom Boat Kariba Bay” and got the job done.

The drive to Kariba Bay took about 25 minutes and the driver pointed to the ticket booth where we bought out tickets for 1,300 Yen each.  The driver followed us inside to help with the purchase.  He drove us to the spot where we would walk down to the beach to catch the boats and showed us where he would be waiting for us after the ride.

Our driver didn’t speak much English, but he was friendly and helpful

GLASS BOTTOM BOAT

The boats ran aground on the beach and lowered a boarding stair – one of the boat crew waved us over, and we got onboard.  The boat was soon filled with Japanese tourists, and we were on our way for the 30-minute tour.  It’s easy to see the fish and coral as we glide over the shallow bay.  The boat crew made announcements from time to time, but they were all in Japanese.  We spotted dozens of fish and a few turtles.  This was my first time in a glass bottom boat, and it was sorta like snorkeling, only you didn’t have to get wet, and you could move around more quickly.  It was hard to take pictures through the reflection on the glass.

Waiting for our boat

Here are the stairs you have to climb

HAL tour loaded after our return

Good views of the bottom, but hard to photogragh

FU CHANPURU

We got back to the Ferry Terminal around 2 pm.  The last shuttle bus was at 3:40.  After checking out the rest of the Ferry Terminal, we headed out looking for an interesting restaurant.  Many of them were closed at this time of day, but we found one close by, Yaeyama Noodie and Country Dishes.  Once inside we were seated and given an IPAD sized tablet, with the menu in English, to make our selections and order.  We picked the local specialty Fu Chanpurū, which is a stir-fried dish containing vegetables, tofu, spam, wheat gluten, bean sprouts, and more.  There are several different versions, and you will find various choices.  Chopsticks were the only utensils available.

Yaeyama Noodie and Country Dishes

Order on a tablet

Fu Chanpurū

Our check was available on the Tablet – pay at the register

By the time we left the restaurant, it was close to 3 pm so we decided to make a loop around a large city block and walk through Euglena Mall, which was several pedestrian only covered shopping streets – not the traditional mall you would find in the US.  We browsed thru several shops and picked up some Sata Andagi, which is a local treat similar to a fried doughnut hole.  Google translate was helpful to learned about the details of everything for sale.

Inside the Mall

We bought a keychain and Sata Andagi here,

Spam is very popular in Okinawa

BACK TO SHIP

We got the last shuttle bus back to the ship.  The SailAway was moved to Deck 3 in anticipation of a departure ceremony, but with the cool weather and high winds – that never materialized.

WORLD STAGE

Trumpeter Chaw was on the World Stage and put on a wonderful show – this time accompanied by the Grand World Voyage Orchestra.  This performance included Pick Up the Pieces, The Look of Love, Spain, When I Fall in Love and ended with Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

11 hours ago, Btimmer said:

For more than 3 years I have used a simple white folding Bluetooth rechargeable keyboard with my iPhone or iPad.  It was around $30 on Amazon.  I think Pete has seen it. There are lots of options there.

I was looking for something built into a case.   I also go the full size apple magic keyboard, but if I am using that I probably will be on my laptop.   I'm still playing around with what's best for me.   

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is a YouTube short from today as we enjoy some street food. 
 

 

[ORTravelGal]

Thanks once again for the recommendation for Google Translate. We were in Hawaii a few weeks ago and we were trying to determine if a dish in the condo was microwave safe. Unfortunately, all the writing on the bottom of the dish was in Japanese. I launched Google Translate, held my phone’s camera lens up to the writing on the dish and was able to see all the writing in English. This thing is perfection and will really come in handy on our HAL transatlantic (at the ports) in a few months. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 hours ago, ORTravelGal said:

Thanks once again for the recommendation for Google Translate. We were in Hawaii a few weeks ago and we were trying to determine if a dish in the condo was microwave safe. Unfortunately, all the writing on the bottom of the dish was in Japanese. I launched Google Translate, held my phone’s camera lens up to the writing on the dish and was able to see all the writing in English. This thing is perfection and will really come in handy on our HAL transatlantic (at the ports) in a few months. 

For those who don't want to get a data plan or pay a lot for a phone, I bought this phone a year ago as an experiment to see how well an inexpensive smartphone works:

 

 

This phone is locked and requires you to buy data cards from Verizon.   I never bought any cards since I only wanted to use it with Wifi.  It works great without a SIM.   It will work MAPS.ME off the ship as well as Google Translate - I connect to the ship's wifi - download the map and the language before I go ashore- and for less than the price of a Pinnacle dinner, I have worldwide detailed maps and a language translator.   Plus it works the Navigator App on the ship.

 

For the price of two pinnacle dinners, you can get an unlocked phone, which will allow you to buy data cards from anyone - even from different countries.   I haven't used this phone, so I can't say anything about it other than it seems to work based on reviews

 

 

These phones require some practice and probably some lessons if you have never used a smartphone, but the payoff in your cruising experience will be worth it ten times over.  Working a phone is no harder than driving a car with a manual transmission - it took training and practice, but everyone figures it out if they want to invest the time and energy.

 

Plus they have built-in cameras, voice recorders and more....

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We had a great time on our Nara Bar Hopping Tour. - from 6:30 PM to 11 PM.  Highly recommended.  HERE is the link to the tour

 

Here is a sneak peek of me trying the Habushu! more later -

 

Was that a real Pit Viper in the jar?

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

The Grand Fair is in progress.  Hal President Gus is onboard and will present tomorrow.

 

Here is a preview of tonight's activities

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Party in progress.   Great time.  Lots of food 

 

Gus is here 

 

[cruzingnut]

5 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Party in progress.   Great time.  Lots of food 

 

Gus is here 

 

 

 

Is this fair the "big shindig" that happens on the WC?   I'm still bummed over the fact that 2020 was going to be on top of the "surfboard" hotel in Singapore.  I would hope there would me more to it than this.... 

 

Linda R.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 hours ago, cruzingnut said:

 

 

Is this fair the "big shindig" that happens on the WC?   I'm still bummed over the fact that 2020 was going to be on top of the "surfboard" hotel in Singapore.  I would hope there would me more to it than this.... 

 

Linda R.

Off ship events were always the exception.   I think the last one was 2019.   All parties from 2016 and 2018 and 2023 were on the ship.    I think they had off ship events in 2017 (Amsterdam) and 2019 (Turkey).  I was never aware of what was planned for 2020. 
 

This was a very nice party, lots of participation- everyone who attended had a great time from my POV.    It's always about the people and participation for me - the venue is secondary.  
 

I always treat every cruise as if it's my first and last.  

[sandiego1]

Looks like they upped the decor and stations since last year. Very nice.

 

In March 2022, We were on the Zuiderdam for a short 9 day Mexico cruise and ran into Henk. I told him about a fun “Country Fair” that I had read about in a 2020 WC blog for a different cruise line. He said activities like that were easier to do on other WC ships because they were smaller, not on the Zuiderdam. So I was shocked when we had a fair on the 2023 WC! Guess he took my suggestion 😀

[The-Inside-Cabin]

15 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

Looks like they upped the decor and stations since last year. Very nice.

 

In March 2022, We were on the Zuiderdam for a short 9 day Mexico cruise and ran into Henk. I told him about a fun “Country Fair” that I had read about in a 2020 WC blog for a different cruise line. He said activities like that were easier to do on other WC ships because they were smaller, not on the Zuiderdam. So I was shocked when we had a fair on the 2023 WC! Guess he took my suggestion 😀

I was off the ship last year.    Don't recall seeing any photos.    I will check out old blogs 

 

Kimberly is a great Cruise and Travel Director.   Infectious enthusiasm!  

 

All the games were pretty crowded most of the night.  
 

They had deep fried Mac and Cheese Balls,  mini corn dogs, mini sliders, popcorn, cotton candy, candy apples, mini pulled pork sliders., ice cream in waffle cones.   More pics later. 
 

deep fried Mac and cheese was a first for me.  
 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/186033/fried-mac-and-cheese-balls/

[REOVA]

5 hours ago, cruzingnut said:

 

 

Is this fair the "big shindig" that happens on the WC?   I'm still bummed over the fact that 2020 was going to be on top of the "surfboard" hotel in Singapore.  I would hope there would me more to it than this.... 

 

Linda R.

Yes missed the Singapore event in 2020. And missed Bishop Tutu (on board) in 2018 as we were on Safari during So. AF port. I thought 2019 was at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam but Pete can check. 

[1ANGELCAT]

Pete, many many years ago, they used to have a Dutch night with a Dutch fair. The games were similar. I think tickets were a quarter apiece. Somewhere I still have a bottle opener from Rotterdam V. Looks like you had a great time.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

53 minutes ago, REOVA said:

Yes missed the Singapore event in 2020. And missed Bishop Tutu (on board) in 2018 as we were on Safari during So. AF port. I thought 2019 was at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam but Pete can check. 

I may have that backwards.    I think 2019 was Amsterdam and 2017 was Turkey?   Maybe it was 2015??

[The-Inside-Cabin]

47 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Pete, many many years ago, they used to have a Dutch night with a Dutch fair. The games were similar. I think tickets were a quarter apiece. Somewhere I still have a bottle opener from Rotterdam V. Looks like you had a great time.

Last night games were free.    You got tickets for participating and more for winning.  You then put the tickets in a drum and they pulled winners for prizes.  Mainly dinners, sparking wine and spa stuff 

[cruzingnut]

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Off ship events were always the exception.   I think the last one was 2019.   All parties from 2016 and 2018 and 2023 were on the ship.    I think they had off ship events in 2017 (Amsterdam) and 2019 (Turkey).  I was never aware of what was planned for 2020. 
 

This was a very nice party, lots of participation- everyone who attended had a great time from my POV.    It's always about the people and participation for me - the venue is secondary.  
 

I always treat every cruise as if it's my first and last.  

 

I had "inside" info into what the plan was for the 2020 WC party so that would have been a big "do" off the ship.   I guess I got spoiled with Kusadasi and Ephesus in 2015 and then the Rijks Museum on 2019.  The big party in Bali (2013) was on the ship and that was pretty awesome.  And, I think the 2010 WC had a big South African Braai onboard the ship.  So, you're right, there are plenty of times that the celebration is held on the ship.

 

Linda R.

[cruzingnut]

5 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I may have that backwards.    I think 2019 was Amsterdam and 2017 was Turkey?   Maybe it was 2015??

 

Amsterdam was 2019 WC.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

1 minute ago, cruzingnut said:

 

Amsterdam was 2019 WC.

Thanks.   I found the Turkey event.    2015.    Not sure what they did on 2017. 

Here is a link to @WCB 's report from 2015.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2059436-come-along-with-bill-amp-mary-ann-going-full-circle-on-the-2015-world-cruise-114-days/?do=findComment&comment=44954583

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

6 minutes ago, cruzingnut said:

 

I had "inside" info into what the plan was for the 2020 WC party so that would have been a big "do" off the ship.   I guess I got spoiled with Kusadasi and Ephesus in 2015 and then the Rijks Museum on 2019.  The big party in Bali (2013) was on the ship and that was pretty awesome.  And, I think the 2010 WC had a big South African Braai onboard the ship.  So, you're right, there are plenty of times that the celebration is held on the ship.

 

Linda R.

People are still talking about 2015.  Must have been spectacular 

[WriterOnDeck]

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

deep fried Mac and cheese was a first for me.  

 

You've obviously never been to the Texas State Fair, which has had that for years. They deep fry everything -- including butter one year.