charlie murphy

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

my wife - pina colada - smooth, not icy

me - beer - cold - I'm a simple man (LS)

You have to be a 'simple man' to have a beer on a Princess Ship! Beer on a princess ship! Don't get me started, but if we are ever on a princess ship together lets discuss over a beer! I am also a "simple beer guy too" when on a princess ship! On the bright side you We can still order a Beer by brand, not just Ale or Lager, yellow or dark! Poor wine lovers, soon "you want red wine or white wine, let's see your medallion, yeah red or white that that's what your package includes? 

thanks for asking about the itinerary and then posting of the Itinerary. It was interesting to look at and to think about whether that would be something that would appeal to me. that is a lot of sea days. interesting ports along the way.   What happens at the international date line? I mean why is it listed like that in the itinerary like that?  I look forward to following your journey .  hoping you smooth sailing and a pleasant journey. 

if you leave the ship on a turn around day, walk/ tour and return later what is the process? do you just walk back on is there a process you go through upon return to ship. 

15 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

Keep in mind that the "visa organization they recommend" CIBT makes their money by charging you a fairly large fee to obtain a visa or in this case a K-EBT.  It costs less than $9. if you go online and get your own.  However, CIBT charges $60 per person to get it for you plus the cost of the electronic visa.  So of course they told you you had to apply (thru them).  Since it takes less than 24 hours for you to apply online and get the K-EBT, I plan to wait until a month or less before the cruise before I will apply for it.

thanks for the info.  could you please expand a bit on the process to obtain a visa and need for the Visa. This is new to me. I did not realize this may be necessary for our cruise. Our planned cruise does have a stop in Jeju. I did go through the process of obtaining Russian visas when we did a Baltic sea cruise so that we could tour independently from organized tours a few years back. do i need the same for S. Korea  

15 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

They would have to pay me extra to take the ones with Stanley on them.

They will never pay you for the cards . I think the Stanley cards are the free ones. You are paying 6 bucks for the imported Plastic case!

Seems like everything was too small for you: the terminal ( had to wait outside), balcony , shower, buffet, smallest casino. tendering, maybe the tender was too small but like High seas, Jaws was going off just recently which means Hawaii was getting hit by a swell ( hopefully your tour went by Peahi ) At least you know princess not for you. I hope my vacation will be better.  

yeah, fresh snow and someone goes and walks in it . I hate that. 

In SoCal we have been being told about "King Tides" the past few days , coastal flooding and beach erosion .  thanks for the updates and taking us all along. 

San Diego California Tides ... 2023-01-22 Sun 09:08 AM 7.63' High 2023-01-22 Sun 04:15 PM -2.08' Low ... 2023-01-23 Mon 09:55 AM 7.27' High

On 10/20/2022 at 3:11 PM, JimmyVWine said:

Canyon Road is what you bust out when you are the host paying for an open bar for your guests...and you really don't like your guests!!

Not EXACTLY true... Canyon Road is what you bust out when the host is paying for an open bar for his guests ... he really don't like his guests ... AND THE HOST IS SUPER CHEAP! 

so wait . what are we saying---  someone is paying for your drinks ( so to speak ) , they open the bar to you, the wine you can get at the bar is not so good but "free", BUT  the  host did offer for you to come to the party and pay a little more to supplement his open bar, he even offered to let his photographer take your picture, and I could get a better wine ... only if it is stock.  WHAT.... that reminds me ----  one time at band camp!

I am sure you may have seen this by now but if you have not, like me then here we go. this is some good news! I have not read the whole article. 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/japan-cruise-ships-return-6830107

Brucemuzz posted in another thread that South Korea was opening to cruise traffic. Thanks brucemuzz I do not know how to give you credit or acknowledge your post any other way so this is the best my limited knowledge / ability can do. This is great news for next year! If this is starting in November by spring next year even with a very soft open cruise travel may be in some form may be back. One of our ports is in South Korea. the other is in Taiwan.  

still no constructive information to the original question: "No Vines Wine Bar on Enchanted?!? Where to find "good" wine?"  so regardless of supply chain issues and not paying your bills. Where can you get a decent glass of wine? 

princess boasts and promises: 

(vines wine bar ) "Voted one of the “Best Wine Bars at Sea,” by  USA TODAY  and located in a charming corner of the Atrium, Vines boasts an extensive collection of wines, fine Champagne and sparkling wines and regional offerings for purchase. The menu also includes wine flights and a selection of unique wines by the glass. Gourmet delicacies, such as antipasti and tapas, are complimentary with any wine purchase."

SO without Vines where else has someone found a good wine by the glass . Regardless of the "why"  we can all agree that Canyon Road or whatever the house wine is it is Not good at any price and terrible at a 12$ price point.  Where can you use your 18$ by the glass service that you paid for when you upgraded to the premium package.

Very recently Princess goes on to promote the changes to the wine list :

"The selections were made by wine expert Doug Frost. He is one of only four people in the world to have both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier certification. He focused on three areas to help improve the menu: 

• Value for money 
• Variety 
• Quality of the producer 

“Princess Cruises’ guests have a passion for culinary travel so our goal in creating this new wine menu was to find fascinating wines from some of the memorable destinations Princess visits. This way guests can return from shore and still experience local tastes with exciting wines at all prices. Plus, what better way to celebrate any occasion than with a special bottle of wine that can be shared with friends and loved ones on a cruise.” 

Master Sommelier Doug Frost

The new wine philosophy of exploration, discovery and enrichment was used to curate a selection of wines

Come on DOUG, a truly refined sommelier would work on the low end of the wine list to find cost effective wines that are truly more then they are, to do that you have to taste the wine. Doug did you taste Canyon Road? Maybe Doug did this while he had Covid and did not realize he had lost his sense of taste and smell. It looks ok in the glass. 

If you are of the Supply chain limiting availability on board, then you may also recognize that there are may more passengers taking advantage of the to beverage package and thus the on board consumption of wine and spirits has likely increased. We would also likely find that the majority of passengers are content with the 'regular package' and not upgraded to the premium package.  However, I have not seen anyone on the boards complaining that they "can not get some of that house wine , red or white".  The wine distributor does not supply one type of wine so if it were a supply chain issue would the supply chain issue affect all wines on board, with the exception of the wines that may be delivered a bottle or a case at a time , those far exceeding any wine package price point. 

Anyway back to the point . On the Sapphire which had a Vines we also went to the specialty restaurant on the upper deck of the ship and got wine by the glass there, they had other wines. So maybe try the specialty restaurants that have a bar. 

As we all get closer,  I am sure that we will be more active in looking for info on the return to cruising for Japan an surrounding areas. BruceMuzz thankyou for you insight and i hope that with all of us seeking information we can share what we learn with other with the same questions. I look forward to this thread not being needed, let hope for sooner rather than later. 

thank you for the link as well. it was very helpful.  I think it is a crack up that you noticed the Costco. Am I the only one or were you curious  about what the inside of that Costco might look like. I might be very intrigued to see a Japanese Costco. 

Corrections and retractions: 

"Even if the Enchanted had Vines, right now the ships I have been on with Vines have no more good wine available in Vines than in the MDR....at least for white wine...pathetic..."

Even if the Enchanted had Vines, right now the ships I have been (PLEASE STRIKE "THAT I HAVE BEEN ON" AND REPLACE WITH, 'general consensus  is'})  on with Vines have no more good ( please strike good)  wine available in Vines than in the MDR....at least for white ( please strike AT LEAST FOR WHITE )  wine...pathetic...

Even if the Enchanted had Vines, right now the ships general consensus is Vines has no more wine available than in the MDR.... wine...pathetic...

dreaminofcruisin for sure!  i would just like to do it with a good wine. Good beer call me : dream-onofcruisin

NO WAY. would not chance it! Even if they had the black eyed peas and collards. The Ham would be all wrong and the red eye gravy would be made with that ship syrup coffee stuff. yuck and yuck! best bet! make it at home,  freeze it in the Tupperware, pack it, hope for the best. No one on board can make the real deal even if they tried it could not be close to legit! 

thank you for this information. I am beginning the long process of planning for an upcoming trip with my family. we prefer to travel independently so location and access to public transportation are important. I did not realize the two ports and i have planning based on the  Osanbashi Cruise Terminal. i will now look at this more carefully.  I have seen video where the diamond princess passes under the bridge ( this must be old )  I appreciate the knowledge , insight and information to help me plan. 

what is the feeling on returning tourist $ back into the economy in Japan? My only frame of reference is the devastating affect the loss of the cruise ship traffic had on the Alaska ports economy and how alaska worked very hard to return cruise ships to port.  From the TA the line is that "Oh Japan is very eager to have the cruise lines return to operations" ... " the Japanese tourism trade really needs things to get back to the way they were, they really count on the the tourists during the cherry blossoms". is that accurate?  

thanks for the encouragement.   It is hard to get an accurate read of the situation from what i have read online. I can not really find information on the climate now in Japan, Taiwan or South Korea toward cruise lines and passengers they bring. I think that i read that cruises that depart from japan need a foreign port like usa itineraries so our trip also depends on those two ports. I remember at some point looking at an Alaska cruise post pandemic and the snfu was the foreign port ( Canada ) not being available. We are scheduling on the Diamond princess and I wonder how that plays into the equation given her history in Asia. 

hello all 

my family is looking at  a cruise for June / July of 23 around japan with princess, I am wondering the likelihood of the cruise happening. When we first began to research the cruise i did not notice that there were no cruises in japan until march. I am not sure is this is standard for the season or because of cruise restrictions. i guess that would be the first question. why the march start date?

I thought well,  maybe to start a thread if one does not exist to map and monitor changes to the landscape of cruising in June / july of 23 in Japan, some place those of use who are watching this area can share what we find.  I see a plan to return to cruising Japan  in March of 23 on the princess sites. It looks like there may be some cruise lines with Japanese ports of call currently I am not sure. Any information that could be shared would be appreciated. Going to japan to cruise will be new to us and feeling a little unsure about whether the cruise will actually happen feels like the new norm.  also ports are in S. Korea and Taiwan as well so I would imagine those countries would have to open as well.  thank you to the CC nation in advance for the deep knowledge I know you all share.  

i have been on the Sapphire and loved the IC it always seemed to hit the spot. we are looking at the diamond as well and looking at the video it shows the IC . 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/di-diamond-princess/ 

around the 1:40 mark. I went back and looked again when saw this post about the  LaPatisserie , I was not sure what that was. I hope the IC is on the diamond and similar to sapphire.  

my question along the lines of the IC is : does the food choice change based on the itinerary of the ship, we are looking at a Japan cruise. it would be very cool if there were sushi and sashimi, i might stay there all day long.  

the wines with the princess plus are terrible! Knowing that the house wine is canyon road, there are better bag wines and jug wines out there, if you are not going to show the name of the winery anyway, then up grade the house wine to bulk bag or jug,  just hide the bag or jug behind the bar or pour from a decanter . Retail that wine is 5$, wholesale who knows.  how can you put a 5$ bottle on the same wine list as a 300$.  If I were a restaurant manager I would be embarrassed for myself, my staff and my restaurant to have to server this wine, especially if I was severing on table cloths, china and full silverware settings.  If I was running a road side diner and my clientele was something other than wine drinkers and I only had to have wine for the occasional spritzer or sangria then canyon road makes a lot of sense.  But to serve as my house wine in my main dining room, embarrassing!  If this was chosen by a sommelier that person should reconsider. The wine list is a reflection of the establishment and the image, values, and experience the restaurant / bar wants to provide their patrons. maybe it does reflect the new values of the cruise line.  maybe the drink packages should go away and the ship could BYOB. don't  get me started on the premium package and not having a majority of the wines available on board that are included in the premium package , and having to hope you like the one that is, or having to hunt for the bar that has the bottle you like. Then, likely the one you want will be over 18 / glass anyway. With respect to wine best practice ---- BYOB. in practicality  this is  a little difficult even for a week long cruise.  

LA 88  when you say "selection" as in the listed wines or do you mean availability as in what is in stock ship to ship? I known availability is an issue and not every bar has every wine.  

20 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

I came back from my last cruise and bought a large bottle.  I live in Alabama and it was no where to be found.  So I ordered it from a online store.  I shopped and finally got it.  $350.00 for this bottle.  I have had it for 5 months and it is 3/4 filled.  It is for special occasions and no one touches it but me in my family.  Really smooth stuff. BTW, it was $45.00 a shot on the cruise.  LOL.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

cruise out of LA/ san pedro . stop at Costco for 149. 99. you can resupply. maybe yours is a huge bottle hence the price. this is the regular tall bottle in nice packaging.   So finish that bottle you have and plan a cruise out of LA, quick once gone at Costco you never know if it is coming back. I asked the manager at Costco how they got it he said a cruise line cancelled their order and Costco picked it up. ( ok that is a lie but going for a reaction )  . On your advice,  I looked for one on those bottles on the Joy in the summer of 22 and NO luck . good advice to NOT go with expectation. -- frustrating. 

we did and I would say It depends for me if I would  repurchase. I feel like I would agree with KJ above. However,  Much of the time it was difficult or impossible to find the wine or top shelf somewhere on the ship. So it became more of a treasure hunt . We were not in the Haven so this may not be an issue.  For the rest of the ship, it was hit and miss. the bottles of wine with dinner are just OK and if the bottle thing is not important you can find wines by the glass that are as good or better. , nothing great with the bottle except that you can take it with you then you're the guy walking around with a bottle of wine . wine by the glass better but a lot not available if you find one you like then you are set. I would give it one more shot, to see.  I might just buy bottles I want with dinner and use the discount vs get the free bottles.