Shimizu

Our first port of call on this cruise and a short one, all aboard was 1:30pm. It is the port for Shizuoka and only about 44 kilometres from Mt Fuji. Unfortunately it was raining and there was a lot of low cloud so there was probably lots of disappointed people who were hoping to see Mt Fuji today. We missed the sign for the free shuttle bus and headed for the fish market instead. The Shimizu Market was about 1.2 kilometres from where the Volendam was docked. The market wasn't large but the seafood looked extremely fresh. There were stalls selling beautiful looking sushi and quite a few restaurants as well. We also saw the largest muscles ever. By the time we left the market the weather had improved. Our next stop was the S-Pulse Dream Plaza Shopping centre via the Shimazakinishimiya Shrine. We wandered the craft and food stalls for some time and then made our way back to the ship via Uniqlo. When we arrived at the dock a large group of kindergarten children were performing. They were amazing and all controlled by someone blowing a whistle. Back on board it was time for lunch accompanied by a very nice Alaskan Pale Ale (2 for 1 deal). After lunch we went to our first Cruise Critic meeting. We were hoping to meet some of the people we are doing our Beijing tour with but that didn't happen. We sat with a couple from Philadelphia who had been on the ship since Vancouver. Would we go to another, not sure. On our way back to the cabin we met up with a couple from Bundaberg we stood next to at the lifeboat drill. He loved to talk and they have travelled extensively, so it was easy to pass some time with them. After finally making it back to the cabin we changed and did 7 laps around the promenade deck. The Captain's toast was at 7:45pm and then on to dinner. It was gala night so escargot's were on the menu. After dinner we had a quick look at the shops and then headed to the show.Read more