rinshin

Doing my very best trying to relax at the SFO Polaris. Finished having a very good huevos rancheras with pulled pork and very light but crispy tortillas with black beans and perfectedly cooked eggs. Already endulged in prosecco and cappucino. Now just chilling with whiskey sour. Our flight time is 10 1/2 hours and I have a fear of flying for the last 30 years.:-(😂 checkin through polaris was a breeze. My husband is happy as long as he can have so beer. and very light secirity thru tsa pre. very calm atmosphere. This flight is direct and will be about an hour more than our normal flight to Tokyo. my posts will be heavy on food and drink offerings.

I could care less if Celebrity cares or not. I decided to go back with them on this upcoming cruise for ports in Scandinavia and schedule after not cruising with them for over 12 years. There are other ways to enjoy with our money.

Well then, fine, our cruise in few days time will be our last Celebrity cruise for us. One less 30+ plus years customers for them.

Yes, it is not hard to get to Kamakura from Yokohama or Tokyo by trains. Looks like there is even monorail to there now. the Big Buddha is there and the town still retains older buildings.

At 40’s and used to walking 3 to 5 miles, and independent, I would go for it. Although my husband walks everywhere at home including grocery shopping, dental/medical appointments, post office etc pegging 5-10 miles often, I am more out of shape now due to asthma (being easily out if breath) and not being more active like I was when I was still working. So, my husband encourages me to go for walks with him increasing distance every few days for 3-4 months before our annual trip back to Japan and that gets me in shape. now days almost all train and subway stations have elevators and escalators making much easier to to get around. It was not always this way and I remember many times carrying my mother’s heavier bags for her when going up and down the stairs often dodging people through steep stairs. She was able to go up and down holding the rail but not with baggage with age.

Being on your own as a woman in Japan depends on your temperament, how independent you are traveling in the past, prior planning, studying train routes and maps of Tokyo area. It will be safe no doubt about it, but you need to be used to traveling on your own. In the past you would see Japanese coming up to ask if you need help with directions etc, but with so many foreigners coming to Japan, I see less of that in metro areas. Google map works well for finding where you need to go. I lived in Yokohama too as a child, but instead of hanging out there, go to Kamakura. Much more interesting area. Traditional tea houses, decent restaurants, and shopping for more higher end craft items. I have taken two groups of my close women friends through Japan in the past showing them both well travelled tourist areas as well as less known to tourists areas and their ages then ranged from early 20’s to early 50’s (mothers and their daughters). They were all great sport and we had great time traveling together. They knew we would be walking a lot so they were prepared for that. And traveled light.

I see congee with toppings on Princess. How about celebrity? It would be nice to have for a change some mornings.

I think you will hit the beginning of cherry blossom season then. Earlier, it is ume blossom season. Weather then will be perfect hence big tourist season in Japan. Be prepared for crowds esp in metro Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Kyoto during the cherry blossom season will be packed with tourists ie throngs of tourists much like Venice. Late March is prime cherry blossom season starting fro southern Japan slowly extending north to Hokkaido. If you ever get a chance to do a week tour of Hokkaido, I really recommend it. Vast and very interesting esp the Ainu culture.

When we did Azamara cruise that went from Osaka, Hiroshima, Shanghai, Hong kong, Saigon and Singapore, we flew back to Tokyo and my husband stayed for two weeks with me in Japan and I stayed two weeks longer on my own. I always want to maximize my flying since I hate to fly. 😅

When is your cruise to Japan?

What was the flight time? My husband will not fly anything over 3 hrs unless in business class and going overseas, only the full lay down business seat. We were coming back from Japan to SFO via Vancouver. We had business seats on ANA from NRT to YVR, but our 2nd flight from Vancouver to SFO on United with about 1 hr 45 min flight time had some issues and only seats left were in economy. By then we just wanted to get home and figured I will take care of being refunded when we are settled in, but did not even have to do that as they credit us back within few days. Hopefully the airline will refund your difference quickly.

If you are retired military, really hard to beat Hale Koa in Waikiki. Great grounds, reasonable family restaurants for breakfasts, nice bars and very inviting lobby area. We stayed there several times when my father was still traveling and with mom on her own as a spouse.

What do you mean by talking or going to the concierge to request loungers in suites? Is there a place set up as concierge on Celebrity now? If no loungers in our sunset sky balcony in less than 10 days, I want to go request from them. Just one for us since my husband do not like loungers due to his back.

Arigatou Dakahuna. Enjoyed your photos on food and drinks. Safe journey home.

Again, thank you all. Will attempt to make an additional reservation once on board.

We are on 13 night Scandinavia. I should have booked more nights while some were still available back in February. I did not purchase the package because I read here that with package one cannot make reservations via app pre-boarding.

I had my nephew purchase a welcome suica card good for 28 days at JR station when he came to stay with us in Tokyo last year. suica cards are sold at JR stations as well as in Narita and Haneda. It is good that it is available with Iphone or Apple watch app now. I am sure he would have preferred that. We have regular suica cards purchased over at least 25 years ago and as long as is used once in a decade, it stays active. We normally keep upwards of 5000 yen on.

Ok, thank you jelayne. Will wait until on board to see any extra opening. Does Murano normally look full on most nights?

We booked one dinner for Murano back in March for our cruise in 12 days but recently it continuously show there are no reservations left. If possible, we would like to make another dinner reservation and lunch reservation. Never saw any spots for lunch. Is this normal to be fully booked up? Any chance once on board to make extra reservations.

Haha, we also like okra too. But growing up in Japan, we did not have okra but now youngish Japanese think okra came from Japan instead of Africa because it sounds lke Japanese and so abundant in Japan. Some are shocked it is not of Japanese origin.😂

Have to try that. Sounds very interesting. Many, many years ago, we were attending a captain’s club venue and my husband picked up a drink for me from a walking waiters with menagerie of drinks. In those days, I’ve never had a martini but I already did not care for things sweet. I tasted one and thought “wow, this is very different but I really like it”. I asked my husband to try it and he looked toward the bar in anger and said I am getting you another drink, this is awful. I said, no, no, I like it. My first time with dirty martini. Since then, I have experimented with making martinis at home and although my husband is mostly a beer drinker, he likes some I’ve made like French, guava or watermelon martinis. So, I am looking forward to the martini bar in few weeks.

Thank you. I like to spend it there on some days.

Been over 10+ years since our last Celebrity Cruise and not sure from the deck plan if there is a sauna on Silhouette. One picture looks like there may be one in the spa area. If there is one, is it open to non-Aqua passengers?

I have been to Hakodate several times on own and not by cruise ships so no idea where the cruise terminal is but it is close to the station. The best fresh squid we ever tasted. Yes, the Asaichiba.

We are finally warming up after long wettish spring. Can keep the afternoon wind though.