Fishbone

Is there anyone who has completed a Japan sailing that is willing to give a little insight into what you looked for in terms of selecting a route? I'm a seasoned cruiser that is in the early stages of planning a trip to Japan, but am very overwhelmed by all of the options. I'm been endlessly researching and now my head is spinning. I think I've narrowed it down for us (53/49/13) to sail on Princess in June/July 2024 from Tokyo (Yokohama). I found an ideal sailing (10-Day Sea of Japan) with 7 ports in May 2024, but those dates don't align for us & an identical route is not available in June/July. Is there a preferred line/sailings; ports not to be missed; locations that are highly recommended (ex: Glacier Bay in Alaska); or essential activities that should be included? I realize that we're all very different & that there are thousands of considerations, but I would love to get feedback from someone who has previously travelled to Japan. My main goal is to expose my son to as many new things as possible - cultures, religions, food, languages, modes of transportation, etc. All feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I hope you had a great cruise @AJSkarbo! So sorry so many of you got sick too! It did seem like the Majestic was very enclosed, which I thought was odd. Maybe it IS the ship! LOL! Don't wait to take a great Alaskan road trip! 14 years is a long time! I just got back from a work trip & missed the guys terribly. While I was away, one of them fell off the ladder & also caught poison ivy. Sigh. The good news is that I had so much free time on my hands without them, that I started dreaming about not only a return trip to Alaska, but also to my beloved Hawai'i! I turn 50 next year ... it could be epic!

Thank you so much, @cruisequeen4ever! The Friends & Family rate is exceptional! I tell my brother that he owes me for all the mean things he did to me when we were little ... like the one time he hit me over the head w/ a cucumber! I greatly appreciate your suggestions for next year! Those are excellent ideas! Currently, I'm planning the road trip portion for the last week of July 2024 & a southbound cruise the first week of August 2024. Do you think we'll have a good chance of seeing the salmon run? Now that I know what to expect, I'm having a great time planning! It's hit 100' here in Florida for many days in a row & I just flew home from Texas, where it was even hotter ... maybe Alaska wasn't so cold after all!

Thank you so much for your kind words @luvteaching! I too am in love with Homer! I didn’t think anyone was still following along & I didn’t want to be that annoying poster that revived an old post! Here’s how our vacation ended … Day 16 – Thu Jun 22 Ketchikan, Alaska! Our port call was from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. We awoke as tired as can be. We pulled ourselves together & made our way off the ship. Ketchikan was very awake! There were people everywhere. We slowly made our way to the Lumberjack Show. My husband has fond memories of going to a lumberjack show as a kid up in Hayward, Wisconsin, so I figured the guys would love it … and they did! But surprisingly, so did I! Yes, it was super goofy, but totally fun! My son was one of the lucky audience members to receive an autographed postcard of the cast from one of the Jacks! I’m sure he’ll treasure it forever! LOL! Afterwards, we had intended to take a nice long self-guided walking tour of Ketchikan, but everyone was just too tired. Thus, we meandered back to the ship, stopping at various stores along the way. My husband laughed out loud when he passed a display of matching “bear” pajamas and noted that it must have been setup just for me. It was so cute! Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear. Alas, I didn’t buy them. Not sure why. Sure wish I had! Back on board, we got all gussied up & enjoyed our last formal night. I got a little teary eyed watching my husband help Colt with his tie. My little guy is turning into a handsome young man! Colt ditched us after dinner & headed to the Beach Club. I think he’s having the most fun out of all of us! Day 17 – Fri Jun 23 North Pacific Ocean! Our final day at sea! We made the most of our last day at sea! We explored the ship, relaxed in the many different venues, & ate lots of food! The guys entered a basketball competition. Colt also participated in soccer & dodgeball competitions. Day 18 – Sat Jun 24 Vancouver, British Columbia! We woke up super late. So late that they started cleaning our balcony while we were still in the room. We frantically washed our faces, brushed our teeth, & threw on our clothes. We said goodbye to our room steward, who was so gracious and kind. We tipped him extra & then headed on our way. Apparently, our “departure letter” (E) had already been called, so we proceeded to just walk off the ship. And we kept on waking without any waits along the way. There was a guy who collected our declaration forms, but when we stopped, he told us we were good to go. There was a guy who looked at our passports, but when we stopped, he told us to have a nice day. It all went so smoothly that I thought surely something must be wrong! I had pre-paid for baggage storage with Gray Line West Coast Sightseeing inside Canada Place. At the time I arranged it, I was not aware that we’d end up with another suitcase filled with fishing waders and such. I tried to explain to the representative that what I paid for did not match what I needed to store. She simply smiled at me and said that it was all good. She took all of our bags and wished us a wonderful day. I was so grateful. Upon departing Canada Place, we grabbed a few chocolate croissants at a local eatery. Coal Harbour! We walked the length of the seawall, taking in the sites along the way. We enjoyed fabulous views; plane spotted at the water airport; admired the boats in the marinas; photographed public art displays/memorials & relaxed at several parks/green spaces. Stanley Park! Once we got to the end of the Coal Harbour seawall, we kept walking to Stanley Park, admiring numerous memorials/fountains/art displays/landmarks along the way. Vancouver Aquarium! We purchased tickets online in advance with an 11:00AM time slot. $125.85/3=41.95 per person. The aquarium was nice, but packed to the limit. Around 1:30PM, we started our walk back to Canada Place. We made our way back inside Canada Place, where we quickly retrieved our luggage and proceeded to the train station. We purchased tickets via an automated machine & then headed to the platform. Our train arrived quickly thereafter & we enjoyed a short trip to the airport, where we checked in, dropped off our bags, & made our way through security with no issues. The airport was very clean, was not busy at all, & had ample seating. Just prior to boarding, I bought my son a hot chocolate and little box of Timbits from Tim Hortons. Oh Canada! Our flight from Vancouver to Seattle was ridiculous. Within minutes of wheels up, the captain said he was preparing to land in Seattle. But our seats in the very back of the plane were super comfy & roomy! We weren’t ready to land! We hadn’t even gotten situated! Why do the best seats have to be on the shortest flight? Sigh. As we made our approach, I looked out the window & the tears started falling. There she was in all of her glory. Mt Rainier was gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. The Seattle skyline … the Space Needle. I lived in Tacoma for a couple of years when I was little & would have loved to introduce the guys to Seattle! Next time! Our arrival gate at SEA-TAC was literally next door to our departure gate. We desperately sought out a spot to relax in for the next five hours, but every single inch of the airport was filthy. We finally found a spot to sit, but were joined shortly thereafter by a guy who must have been starving … or drunk. Or starving & drunk? Not sure, but half of what he stuffed in his mouth, or attempted to stuff in his mouth, landed on the floor and/or the chairs around him. Pizza slices, pizza crusts, cookies. After about a half-hour, we had had enough & searched for a new group of seats. Minutes after sitting down in our new seats, a guy behind us let out the most massive fart I have ever heard. Growing up, I was never allowed to use the word “fart” because my super old German mom thought it was “unrefined”, but in this case, there’s no other way to say it. It was a fart. Pure and unadulterated. I looked at my husband and started to laugh. But he wasn’t laughing with me. His normally very blank expression had morphed into one of pure disgust. That made me laugh even more and once I started, I couldn’t stop. This obviously irritated my husband, because he got up & started to walk away. “Where are you going?”, I asked through bouts of laughter. “That guy just blasted out a burrito and you’re laughing like it’s funny!”, he said with a totally straight face. And then I really started laughing. Sigh. We eventually found a row of seats at our gate. We settled in for a wait that never ended. Our flight was delayed. And delayed. And delayed. I wanted to lay down on the floor and sleep, but there was trash everywhere. So we sat. And waited. There was a family of 11 that waited with us. They were mad. Very mad. They didn’t have seats together. They pestered the gate attendants for a solid three hours. Just prior to boarding, they were informed that 9 of the seats were now “together”. Hooray! Now they will finally shut up about not being able to sit together. Wait … they’re still mad? What? Oh my goodness. We finally boarded the plane sometime after 1AM. Everyone was moving so slow. They made numerous announcements … sit down … buckle up … let’s go. But half of us were still standing … waiting to get to our seats. Why were we waiting? Because there were two people in a party of eleven that weren't sitting together. They must all sit together or the world will end. “They told us that you were going to make people switch seats so that we could all sit together!” the lady shouted at the flight attendant (which was a complete lie). “It’s 1AM and all you’re going to do is sit down and buckle up so that we can take off,” the flight attendant calmly and very politely responded. I wanted to hug his neck and shake his hand and tell him that I loved him, but then the party of eleven started screaming & crying & cursing & … . Sigh. We pushed our way through their theatrics, sat down, buckled up, and promptly passed out. I have no idea what happened, but I wish they had all been kicked off the flight. Every one of them. I woke up once & thought I was back at the Lumberjack Show, but it was just the guy behind me snoring. We eventually made it to Orlando. We grabbed our bags & attempted to pick up our rental, but the car was cancelled because of our numerous flight delays. Avis quickly re-established our ride & off we went. We didn’t make it far. Once we hit the turnpike, we pulled into a rest area & slept for a few hours before continuing on our way. Why are we so tired? We finally made it home, where we discovered that my super old dad had mowed our lawn & stocked up our fridge with essentials. My super old German mom had washed our sheets, made our bed, & left us a dinner worthy of an Iron Chef win: Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat. A German mainstay. She even baked cookies in the shape of a moose in celebration of our return from Alaska! What is love? A super old German mom! We immediately dug in, but something wasn’t quite right. Everything tasted … different … awful! “I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” I texted to my mom, “Did you use new recipes or something?” I guess that was a really stupid question, because she doesn’t use recipes and she’s been cooking the same food for over 50 years and it’s never been anything short of delicious. Long story short, she told me (in very terse German) that I must have completely lost my mind … or … “maybe you finally have ‘The Covid’”. LOL! Yea right. Not me! So I tested AGAIN and … … … sigh. I have no words. I somehow managed to avoid "The Covid" for 3.4 YEARS despite working in a major health science center where everyone I know and everyone I work with has tested positive … repeatedly … except me! I earned my Covid-free status – I was so careful! I double masked. I Purelled. I wiped. I washed. I distanced. I endured the jokes for 3.4 years! I was probably one of the first people to be vaccinated (mid December 2020) and have had four jabs in total. What the heck! Sigh. Double sigh. Triple sigh. My beloved El Jefe allowed me to work from home while I coughed & snorted & sneezed & slobbered & slept my way into oblivion. There were days that I slept for 18 hours straight. What a waste of time! I decided that I never ever want to take another cruise for the rest of my life. And definitely not to ice cold Alaska! Clearly, one side effect that isn’t mentioned is that "The Covid" makes you go crazy! Like CRAZY CRAZY! Totally loco! While I was sleeping my life away, my dear husband unpacked our bags, washed all of the laundry, & cooked & cleaned & all that good stuff. He told me that one of our bags had strange green tags affixed to it and a letter fell out of it … the letter said that our bag had been searched by Canadian Customs because of its suspicious contents. Sigh. The bag that was searched was filled with … you guessed it … fishing stuff! Waders, lures, lines, reels, big hooks, little hooks … quadruple sigh. Fortunately, I woke up on the 4th of July & decided … that I’m ready to go on another cruise! To Alaska! And I’ve been planning our return ever since! 2024? Late July/August? When the salmon are running? On a different Princess ship? One way w/ a few days in Anchorage/Homer/Seward? I’ve been talking about it daily … much to the dismay of the guys! That’s actually not true – Colt is very anxious to go on another cruise – he said he had the time of his life! He even suggested taking a longer one ... so we can have "more fun"! And if that wasn’t enough, I’m searching for a cruise to go on this November/December. I found a fantastic voyage on the Norwegian Joy through the Panama Canal, but my husband told me there’s a sports-related conflict. Sigh. I’ll keep looking! No doubt. I need a do-over. I deserve a do-over! Thanks for reading along! Until next time! And in case anyone’s wondering … my husband’s fishing poles arrived today! We mailed them in a tube from a USPS in Juneau. They were shipped on a barge & arrived in pristine condition. He is overjoyed! Happy Husband = Happy Wife = Happy Life!

Sorry all - I really wasn't feeling that great towards the end of the cruise. And the internet wasn't working. And the heat in our cabin went out again & was blowing cold air. But I'm alive & that's all that really matters! 😁 Day 15 - Wed Jun 21 Summertime! And the livin’ is easy! I can’t imagine a more perfect place to celebrate the summer solstice than the land of the midnight sun! Greetings from Juneau, Alaska! Our port call was from 6:30AM to 5:00PM. We were the first ship to arrive this morning, followed by Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam, Princess’ Discovery Princess, and Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. Out of all of the towns we visited in Alaska, Juneau was the hardest to plan. There were many things we wanted to do, but time was scarce. In the end, we decided to stick to the theme of this cruise (Voyage of the Glaciers). We woke up early, ate breakfast, & walked off the ship not long after docking. Avis. The best rate using my employer-affiliated discount was from the airport, so we took a cab ($32 plus tip) to pick it up. 8 hour intermediate rental $50.36. We took care of the most important thing first – time to get rid of my husband's new fishing rods! I initially told him to give them away, or throw them away, but he got all teary-eyed, so I guess we’ll try shipping them home. Sigh. It’s not as though we don’t already have a more than ample supply of fishing rods! I see them every day, all lined up, hanging on the wall, ready to go fishing. Long ones, short ones, thin ones, think ones. They come in all different colors. Double sigh. FedEx! $100 to ship home two fishing rods via 2-day air. Sounds like a bargain. Umm. Firm no. USPS! $28 to ship home two fishing rods via barge. Sounds like a plan! It will be quite an adventure for those two little poles. Will they sail through the Panama Canal, or around the tip of South America? Will they survive their journey? Can’t wait to see! Note that everyone in line at USPS wanted to know where my husband got “the tube”. “That would be a great way to ship home a fishing pole!” someone exclaimed. My husband was smiling from ear to ear. Sigh. Mendenhall Glacier! We stopped by the visitor center to stamp Colt’s passport & then walked the Steep Creek & Photo Point trails. We would have liked to hike out to the falls, but time was ticking away & we’re all still feeling a little under the weather. Next time. Pucker Wilson’s Valley! Greasy burgers & fries. Finger. Lickin’. Good. Oh wait, that’s chicken. Never mind. Note that we parked & walked up to the window to order. Afterwards, we realized that we were supposed to drive up & order. This was also the case with the convenience stores at gas stations - instead of parking & walking in to get whatever it was that I wanted, we had to drive up to the window & ask. National Shrine of St Therese! Little stone chapel built in the 1940’s overlooking Lynn Canal. Very peaceful. Eagle Beach! We drove the Glacier Highway to the beach said to be filled w/ bald eagles … or not. Nevertheless, the area was super scenic & we would have loved to spend more time here. City Dump! We found out where the eagles like to play in Juneau. And the bears. The city dump. Yep, the city dump. I made my husband pull over to the side of the road next to the dump & we watched the eagles soar. Adults & juveniles. Hundreds of them. And then a bear trotted along. We watched him plod through the tall grass & over a creek. We heard a warning shot, so I guess someone at the dump saw him too. We were (I was) pretty happy with our city dump experience. My husband was not entirely amused. “We could probably hang out at the dump back home & see a bear there too,” he said while looking at me all cross-eyed like I was crazy. Interesting thought. Maybe we’ll give it a try! Avis. At around 3PM, we returned the rental to the airport & took a cab downtown. The Avis employees gave me a number to call for a taxi. They said they’d be right over. And they were. They pulled up & we jumped in. About five minutes later, I got a call & a text from Ricky w/ Juneau Taxi … “Do you still need a ride?” he texted. Umm. Didn’t you just pick us up? No? Oops! I guess we got in the wrong cab? So sorry! Alaska State Capitol! We snapped a few pictures of Colt in front of the capitol & were then waved in by a friendly employee who handed us a brochure. She told us to start at the top & make our way back down, so we did. The hours were slipping away & there was no time for the full self-guided walking tour of Juneau that I had planned, so we headed back to the ship. Colt was pretty happy about that! “Windfall Fisherman”! Statue of a fishing bear – in honor of Alaska’s silver anniversary in 1984. Patsy Ann! Statue of a beloved deaf dog that greeted ships arriving in Juneau until her death in the 1940s. Made us all miss our woofs back home. I’m sure Bruno & Copper the Whopper are patiently waiting on our return too! As we walked along the pier, money started to rain down. Yep, you read that right. Money started to rain down. Now there were a few people who simply walked on by. Others noted that the money was probably lined with drugs & shriveled up their noses. But my mama didn’t raise no fool, so we picked it up! Yes, we did! I’m not sure why someone was throwing dollar bills off the top of a parking garage in downtown Juneau, but they were. We walked back to the ship with ten crumpled dollars. And just in case those bills were counterfeit, or laced with drugs, or the result of some other illicit shenanigan, we did what any normal person would do … we stuffed them all into a single slot machine back on the ship & promptly won $150. How about them apples, or oranges … or cherries!

I think you’re right @Stealthdog. I need a back-to-back on the same ship. Alaska seems so energy intensive. Two weeks on the same ship sounds much more relaxing!

Thanks @pamps2801. We have. Twice.

PS: I literally lost my voice from coughing too much & cannot speak! The guys, of course, are elated. I saw them glance at each other & smirk. Don’t they know that I have eyes in the back of my head? I see everything! Sigh.

Day 14 - Tue Jun 20 Greetings from Icy Strait Point on Chichagof Island in Hoonah, Alaska! We enjoyed a nice breakfast from the buffet & then headed out to explore. Icy Strait Point. Our port call was from 6:00AM to 7:00PM. I’m not a fan of manufactured ports, but it’s quite nice. Because of the number of ships in port, we were advised that the Majestic Princess would move out at around noon & subsequently all access to/from the ship would be via tender. “Transporter”! We took a round-trip spin on the free gondola. Pretty fancy ride for such a small port. Glacier Winds! At high noon, we headed over to the “excursions hub” to meet up w/ Glacier Winds for our whale-watching tour (3.5hrs). I had booked w/ this family-run company back in 2020, but had to cancel due to the onset of the pandemic. They immediately refunded my money & thus I vowed to give them my business if we ever made it to Alaska. $641.25/3=$213.75 per person Not only do they provide exceptional customer service, their tour was also great. We loaded into a new van for a short drive into town, where we boarded a small catamaran (13 guests/2 crew). The boat handled the waves very well & we saw many humpback whales (moms w/ baby calves). The babies were frolicking in the waves, splashing all about. Our two crew, Casey & Kyle (the sons of the owners), were extremely knowledgeable. Hoonah! After our excursion, we had intended to walk back to the port, but we were so tired! Thus, we took a few pictures & then were driven back in the van. We took a quick stroll through the shops & toured the museum. Salmon Cannery Museum! Very interesting little museum. The old fish processing center was run by … women! The Cookhouse! We noshed on Halibut/Chips & a cup of Smoked Salmon Chowder. And an ice cold Dr Pepper from the fountain. Our order was served quick/hot & was delicious! Afterwards, the guys skipped rocks from shore, explored the beach, and then we headed back to the ship via tender. There was no wait & the process was seamless. Back on the ship, Colt headed immediately to the Beach House. My husband & I headed to dinner. Despite having just eaten, we were hungry! Symphony Dining Room. Tonight, I did the unthinkable. For the first time in nineteen cruises, I wore jeans to dinner. Gasp! I was cold, tired, under the weather, & maybe (just maybe) a little bit lazy. I did throw on a sweater set & a cute pair of sandals, but nevertheless, I wore jeans. Did anyone notice? Nope. Did anyone care? Nope. I still feel guilty! 🤣 My husband always tells me not to ask for a specific table, because it will end up being a doozy, but do I listen? Sigh. I really wanted a table by the window. I got one, but it was next to a group of four – dressed to the nines. I felt a little subconscious in my jeans. Sadly, the tables are so close together that we heard every word they uttered & muttered. They talked about catheters (which was very unappetizing); they trashed talked their family members (which is always unfortunate); but mostly, they talked about their wealth. Not a word about Alaska. After about 15 minutes of hearing about their homes in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Telluride … we focused on … Italian Night! “Bring it,” we said. And bring it they did! We ate too much & I staggered away ... in my jeans! We explored the ship for the rest of the night, admiring all the brave souls who were bundled up on deck watching the movie. Our time on the ship really is going by very fast. I think we're gonna need another vacation very soon!

I forgot to mention that upon waking in our icy cabin on Monday, I immediately found the room steward, who called engineering pronto. They arrived shortly thereafter, proclaimed it was legitimately "busted", & proceeded to fix it. Thus, our cabin temperature is now trending on the warmer side & polar winds are no longer blowing in from the north. Hallelujah and amen!

LOL! I would consider a "polar dip" @minniegidget! But only if there were warm & snuggly "just out of the dryer" towels to dry off with, unlimited hot cocoas to sip, & a blazing fire by which to sit! A mama bear I am, but a polar bear ... I am not!

Day 13 – Mon Jun 19 Happy Juneteenth! Commemorate, celebrate, educate, reflect! Greetings from Glacier Bay National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site! We had an incredibly scenic day transiting the park. National Park Service (NPS) Rangers boarded the ship this morning & brought along their “paraphernalia”, so we were able to stamp Colt’s National Park Passport. It was cold, but we were able to soak up the sun from our extra large balcony while sailing past glaciers & those cute little lazy otters. Colt spends the majority of his time at the Beach Club. We are helicopter parents, but decided to give him full run of the ship. I guess it’s time we gave him a little more freedom. Little does he know that we were (I was) tracking his every move via the Medallion App. He goes from the Beach Club to the Bakery to Swirls. Beach Club, Bakery, Swirls. Beach Club, Bakery, Swirls. After a few days, we stopped checking. That's not true. My husband ordered me to stop checking. "Give him a little bit of privacy," he said. Sigh. I guess we know where to find him! Last night, we saw him on the Lido Deck, at a large table next to the Bakery – filled with teenage boys laughing & eating cookies. We ducked out of sight before he saw us. Sure wish we could stop the hands of time. The cruise seems to be going by very quickly. We’re all very tired & are definitely under the weather. My husband & I snuggled up in the cabin & watched movies again. Colt stopped by around 9PM to check in & again at 10PM. “You don’t have to check in every hour,” I told him. “I know,” he said, “But I know how much you worry." I think if we ever took another Alaskan cruise, I'd opt for a longer one. Perhaps a north bound & a south bound on two separate ships? Although that might be more trouble than it's worth. I'd also time it differently - going in late July when the salmon are running. It would be warmer then too. And I'd buy myself a pair of the short little puddle jumpers that I saw a fellow passenger wear. I've never seen them before in Florida, but I could definitely use them there on days that I have to walk from the triangle lot to campus during torrential rains.

Thanks so much for your kind words @#55worktoplay! We did think that we were prepared for the weather, but I guess not.