Japan Cruise

Diamond Princess Cruise from Brisbane to Japan. February/March 2025 Les mer

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15. februar 2025
Japan Cruise Reisende
Day 1 - BICT
17. februar 2025, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Day 0 is finally here. Made it to Michelle's place ok yesterday and had a catch up with all the girls and grandkids. Heading off to the BICT this morning with a car full of luggage and excited senior citizens 😃🛳️
Well, the check in took much longer than we had hoped. Seems the people getting off in Sydney had priority while those going to Japan had to wait. Quite a few disgruntled cruisers waiting in line.
Finally on board, found Muster Station, checked in, had our first bubbles and beer, then headed to the cabin to unpack. Faye's bags arrived much earlier than mine so we were a bit delayed.
Off to the Sail away party and a bit of an explore of the ship.
Turns out our departure time was pushed back more than an hour because of a medical evacuation. Poor lady has missed her cruise 😟
Had dinner in Santa Fe restaurant. Lovely meal. Back to the cabin to sleep as we were all knackered.Les mer
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Day 2 - Sea Day
18. februar 2025, Coral Sea ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Woke early to a fine day off the coast of northern NSW. After a coffee & tea we headed to the Horizon Court buffet to brave the crowds. So good to see staff directing everyone to the wash basins before entering. Staff also served all food so no one was touching the utensils.
Went to see an astronomer named Donna the Astronomer for a talk about how indigenous Australians used the stars. Unfortunately her projector broke down which took away a lot of the detail.
A quiet afternoon catching up on our rest before heading to Kai Sushi for dinner. After a fabulous meal we headed to the Princess Theatre to catch the production show Bravo. These performers are seriously talented.Les mer
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Day 3 - Newcastle
19. februar 2025, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
A lovely sail into Newcastle this morning for our first port of call. Breakfast again in the Buffet with a nice Eggs Florentine. Off to explore Newcastle via the free shuttle bus without Rob & Geoff. The Sushimi apparently didn't do Rob any favors last night. Walked along the redeveloped foreshore of the Hunter River down to the mouth and around to the ocean beaches. It really is quite lovely. A quick visit to the Newcastle Museum before back to the ship for lunch. Another failed trivia afternoon before watching the tugs hitch us up and guide us back out to the open ocean.
Dinner at Pacific Moon with a great table, staff and meal. We were looking forward to a Fleetwood Mac tribute concert when there was some medical problem with the main performer so a group of the backing band and other randoms put together a great rock and roll concert. AC/DC, The Doors, Status Quo, it was a great concert.Les mer
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Day 4 - Sea Day
20. februar 2025, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
A pretty uneventful sea day to allow us to catch up a bit. Sailing due east from Newcastle to pass the day as we couldn't get into Sydney until the next day. We filled the day attending briefings about the upcoming ports, exploring the ship, playing trivia and cards between meals. We kept a lookout for reported Chinese warships in the area but didn't spot any. A lovely dinner in The Savoy restaurant before settling in to watch the high energy production show Born To Be Wild. Looking forward to Sydney tomorrow.Les mer
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Day 5 - Sydney
21. februar 2025, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
A spectacular sail in to Sydney Harbour in the early hours didn't disappoint. The city lights up like a Christmas tree. We had a leisurely breakfast while we watched all the unfortunates disembarking. Being "In-Transit" guests we were given a special card to show the port staff that allowed us to skip all the lines. After breakfast we headed off for a walk around Circular Quay and the Opera House. Spectacular as always. Back to Circular Quay to catch a Manly Ferry across the harbour to Manly Beach. By this time it was quite overcast and cool. Faye decided she needed a cardigan so we visited several op-shops in Manly but without success. A stroll along the Manly foreshore and then back to the ferry. By now the showers we could see out to sea had arrived so we headed back to the ship for some lunch. The magic "In-Transit" cards worked again as we strolled past numerous plebs of the NSW variety and straight on to the ship. The walk around The Rocks area was abandoned due to the persistent showers. Looking forward to another sail-away party.
Well the weather didn't really cooperate so the sail away was moved indoors. People still seemed to enjoy themselves. The ship feels much more crowded now but hopefully it will settle down.Les mer
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Reisende Love this pic.
21.02.2025SvarOversette
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Day 6 - Sea Day
22. februar 2025, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Time to wind down today after Sydney. Funny it took us 5 days to get from Brisbane to Sydney and yet we have made it back to offshore of Brisbane in less than a day 🤔. Formal night tonight so we get the glad rags on. More people than I expected with suits and tuxedos on. After dinner we went to a hilarious game show in the Explorers Lounge. Totally worn out again by the end of the night.Les mer
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Reisende Go Geoff and Robyn. Love it.
22.02.2025SvarOversette
Reisende You both look lovely x
22.02.2025SvarOversette
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Day 7 - Sea Day
23. februar 2025, Coral Sea ⋅ 🌬 26 °C
A fine start to the day but we are watching a developing cyclone right in our path. Fingers crossed.
A very interesting presentation this morning by the resident marine warfare expert about the significance of the Japanese advance through the South Pacific. The battles of Milne Bay and the Coral Sea held great consequences for Australia.
Early afternoon and the seas are getting quite rough. The Captain has decided to head in closer to the reef to avoid Cyclone Alfred. With a strong south easterly behind us we are consistently doing 20+ knots. Amazing.
A lovely meal in Santa Fe and a nightcap in The Wheelhouse Bar saw the day out.Les mer
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Reisende Looking lovely ladies.
23.02.2025SvarOversette
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Day 8 - Sea Day
24. februar 2025, Coral Sea ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
Our last sea day for a little while and we seem to have avoided the cyclone so far. I did an overlay of our position on the cyclone map early this morning and we are past the worst of it. Now just worry about it going towards Bundaberg 🥺. Another interesting talk this morning about Rogues of the Pacific. There has certainly been some characters in our part of the world. Faye went to Zumba this morning and Line dancing this afternoon. With all the up and down stairs we hopefully will negate all the yummy food and drinks.Les mer
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ReisendeThank goodness you’re on dry land for a bit, you went so close 😬 very interesting tracking the ship through the reef compared to the planned route
24.02.2025SvarOversette
ReisendeYes we have been watching and glad your skipper avoided the worst of it. We are watching to see what happens here too. Yay lucky Faye going to LD. Can't wait to see the new dances she has learnt. Enjoy your time on land.
24.02.2025SvarOversette
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Day 9 - Alotau
25. februar 2025, Papua Ny-Guinea ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
We snuck into Alotau in the early morning. It's easy to see why the Japanese were so keen to take control of this lovely harbour. After breakfast we headed out into the town in overcast but pleasant weather. Alotau really is a very basic New Guinea town. The people are generally friendly and welcoming. The arrival of a ship the size of the Diamond has a huge impact on a town like this. We walked off ship and down the main street surrounded by locals, both adults and children. A favorite pastime of the locals is to follow the tourists and strike up a conversation. After offering advice they proceed to request payment for guide services. Some are more aggressive than others but we had no real problems.
The photos will give an idea of the state of the streets. I think they had actually tried to have a clean up before the ship arrived as there were neat piles of rubbish scattered around.
We walked down to the Milne Bay War Memorial and spent some time. The Memorial area was very well kept. By this time the heat and humidity had kicked in so we headed back to the ship, stopping at a local store to buy some necessities like hair conditioner and pegs 🤔. Back onboard a dip in the pool and several beers cooled us downLes mer
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Day 10 - Conflict Islands (or not)
26. februar 2025, Solomon Sea ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Bugger. The crappy weather and strengthening storm have combined to wipe out our day at Conflict Islands. We were so looking forward to being able to snorkel in the apparently crystal clear waters but it's not to be. The Captain announced the cancellation the night before so we now have 7 sea days to look forward to. An early visit to the gym for us both before Faye went off to a highly entertaining Zumba class. Good to be able to get a good workout in. The rest of the day spent swimming in the covered pool, playing cards and relaxing.Les mer
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Day 11 - Sea Day
28. februar 2025, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
The weather continues to be a nuisance with showers and wind restricting outdoors activities. We are watching the progress of Cyclone Alfred like everyone else even though it is not really affecting us any more. We spend our time exercising, Zumba and Line Dancing. Well, Faye does anyway. Exploring the ship gave up some interesting items. We found the plaques or mementos that each port gives the ship on its first visit to that port. Brisbane's was completely uninspiring compared to many others. The formal afternoon tea was a bit of fun where we met some American passengers. Vivaldi Restaurant for the first time for dinner It was no better or worse than the other included eateries.Les mer
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Day 12 - Yep. Another Sea Day
28. februar 2025, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
The weather in the mornings is surprising. We seem to be getting dismal weather early and it fines up a bit later in the day. Explored more of the upper parts of the ship this morning. The golf course was closed off probably because of the wind and rain. Later in the day we realized we had changed from Polliwogs to Shellbacks but there was no official announcement by the Captain or staff. We've been told there will be a celebration tomorrow. Dinner tonight was at Sabatini's, one of the speciality restaurants onboard and it didn't disappoint. 6 courses of delicious Italian inspired, waist increasing scrumptiousness. After dinner show with a wonderful entertainer topped the day off nicely.Les mer
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Day 13 - Sea Day
1. mars 2025, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Today was dominated by the Equator Crossing. Any staff and many passengers who had never crossed the Equator in a ship were inducted as Shellbacks by King Neptune and summarily thrown into the pool. A massive food fight ensued. Good fun all round. We are all a little tired of dressing up for dinner every night so a quick meal by the pool and an early night was called for.Les mer
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Day 14 & 15 - Sea Days
2.–3. mar. 2025, Philippine Sea ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Nothing much happening on these days as I got a bit sick. Probably COVID but we don't have any test kits and I'm not going to the Medical Centre. It'll pass. A few nice shots of some brown boobies picking up fish scattered by the ship.Les mer
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ReisendeOh no that's not too good. Hope you feel better very soon.
03.03.2025SvarOversette
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Day 16 - Sea Day
4. mars 2025, Philippine Sea ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Another sea day and another day spent mostly in bed for me. We have pretty much had a gutful of this bug which we think is influenza and Faye is coming down with it now as well. All variations of pills don't seem to be helping much. Perked up enough by dinner time to go to the Italian restaurant Sabatinis again for dinner. The menu is just as delicious as last time. Another early night.Les mer
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Day 17 - Manila
5. mars 2025, Filippinene ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
Finally some solid land again. Arrival in Manila Harbour was a bit chaotic with multiple small fishing boats moving out of our path at the last minute even with the captain blasting them on the horn. After arrival and disembarking it proved no less chaotic. Have to say we have never been so relentlessly hounded by locals as soon as you get off the boat as we were here.
The Tuk-tuk (or tricycle) drivers were aggressive to the point of being abusive. And there were around 63,000 of them at the gates to the port. Our original intention was to take a Tuk-Tuk to Fort Santiago and then walk back to the ship through the Intramuros historical area. However the drivers were so aggressive in trying to sell a full day tour they would not listen to what we wanted, so we ended up taking a taxi. This turned into a comedy of errors as we had no local cash, the cabbie refused to take a card, even though he had a machine there, so we had to find an ATM to get cash. The driver spoke next to no English. Anyway, after all that we spent the day exploring Fort Santiago and The Intramuros. Manila is not a particularly clean city and it was hot and sticky as well. We were happy to get back to the ship for a cold beverage. Dinner followed by a Beatles tribute show rounded out a very busy day. The sunset sail-away was spectacular.Les mer
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ReisendeHad a quiet laugh on this post OMG can't wait to hear the story when you get back.
10.03.2025SvarOversette
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Day 18 - Sea Day
6. mars 2025, South China Sea ⋅ 🌬 23 °C
Rest day after Manila and glad of it. Seems we are not as young as we used to be. A quiet day with a nice meal and entertainment in the Wheelhouse Bar before unconsciousness.
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ReisendeLooking great guys.
10.03.2025SvarOversette
ReisendeOh but yes Steve that fish ???
10.03.2025SvarOversette
ReisendeDixie it was so dry I could have used it as sandpaper. Only disappointing meal so far.
10.03.2025SvarOversette
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Day 19 - Hong Kong
7. mars 2025, Hong Kong ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Another chaotic start to our day in Hong Kong. The ship provided very little information about transport options from the cruise terminal and we had to get to a start point in the city to meet our guide Gary. Ended up taking another taxi from the terminal with what we were told was an English speaking cabbie. This time we had what we thought was enough cash to pay. Gave the cabbie the address in the Central City and off we went..and went..and went. An hour later and the meter showing more cash than we had, the cabbie stops in this incredibly busy spot (not, it turned out, our requested destination) and demanded payment. Suddenly unable to speak english we gave him what cash we had and shot through. Still on time for our tour start but we had no idea where we were or how to get to where we should be. No internet connection and no legible street signs. Boy are we hopeless.
A lovely young lady took pity on us and directed us to where we should be just in time for the tour start. Our faith in people somewhat restored we headed off with tour guide Gary and about 6 others, including a couple from the Gold Coast also on our ship. Drizzling rain didn't do much to cheer us up.
Well, Gary was great, the tour was wonderfully exhausting and we dragged ourselves back to the ship via the Metro Underground and bus by around 8.00pm. An enormous day that turned out enjoyable in the end.Les mer
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ReisendeHahaha thank god for Gary.
10.03.2025SvarOversette
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Day 20 - Sea Day
8. mars 2025, South China Sea ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
A day to recover from Hong Kong., do some washing and relax. I didn't even take one photo!
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Day 21 - Keelung (Taiwan)
9. mars 2025, Taiwan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Original plan was to catch the local train to Taipei to explore but we are all still feeling the effects of this bug we've caught so we decided to explore Keelung. First thing was a visit to a chemist for some throat lozenges. Thank goodness for Google Translate. Wandered around town for a bit and went up top of the near mountain to a shrine. Bit of a drizzly overcast day.Les mer
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Day 23 - Kagoshima Japan
11. mars 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Japan! Finally we make landfall in Japan. Another drizzly day but we are just happy to be able to explore our first Japanese city.
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Day 22 - Sea Day
10. mars 2025, East China Sea ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
A drizzly miserable old day heading north. We occupied ourselves with the standard stuff, eating, drinking, trivia and cards.
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Day 25 - Kobe
13. mars 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Another drizzly cold day for our day in Kobe but it didn't really affect us much. Hopped on the Port Liner train for a quick trip into town. Went looking for the Herb Gardens Cable Car and eventually found it. A great trip up the side of the mountain to a Bavarian style resort. We read it had in fact been modelled on a place we visited in Wartburg, Germany. Explored the garden and enjoyed the trip back down.
Hopped a quick train ride to Kobe Chinatown, apparently one of the oldest in the world. These shopping and food stall streets are bedlam but somehow enjoyable. Back to the ship for sail away drinks. Another big day.Les mer
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Day 26 - Shimizu
14. mars 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A late 1:00pm arrival time in Shimizu on another cold, drizzly day. We caught the free shuttle into town for a bit of an explore. Had a browse down the covered shopping street. Nowhere near as many people as Kobe. We decided to walk back to the ship as we had plenty of time. A big attraction in Shimizu is the fish market that was really interesting. A pleasant walk back along the foreshore past some of Japan's Fisheries boats. Very impressive.Les mer
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Day 27 - Yokohama / Tokyo
15. mars 2025, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Very sad to leave the Diamond Princess but ready for the next part of our trip. Disembark went fairly smoothly after a bit of delay. The private transfer we had booked to get to our hotel was very efficient and professional and we dropped our bags there mid-morning, so we had plenty of time to explore some of the Asakusa area. The first stop was "kitchen street" where you can buy everything needed for the kitchen. The knife shops are fantastic. Further down the street we found Euno Park which is a large park with temples and markets included. We were delighted to find a couple of early blooming cherry blossoms. Very special. After checking in to the smallest hotel room I've ever seen, the weather was fine but cold so we decided to head out to Senso Ji temple which wasn't far. Spectacular at night. A small local restaurant near the hotel provided dinner. Geoff wasn't sure when whatever he ordered turned up on a small gas cooker. Cook your own! It was excellent though and we did return.Les mer
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