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On 4/11/2024 at 3:35 PM, PhillyTravelBug said:

Wow. I have tattoo sleeves on both of my arms. Guess I would stick to the thermal spa on the ship 😉

Well, if you look hard, there is usually one onsen that allows tattoos.  I used a gym in Korea where everyone but me had major tattoos.  Not the typical junior businessman crowd, but a great bunch of people.

On 4/4/2024 at 1:59 AM, YVRteacher said:

Why can’t people with tattoos go to the spa?

In most of Asia, tattoos are a sign of gang membership.  The "right" kind of people don't have tattoos, and will not go to places where tattoos are allowed.

14 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I am quite concerned about my dropping energy levels and think I'll start the day at the local urgent care.

 

Roy

 

Roy,

I have always hoped I would have a chance to thank you in person for your blogs, but my health and yours make that unlikely now.

It's too long a story to tell here, but the blog helped me get through dark times.  I was trapped in a hospital room, but you took me on a world cruise.

I thought you should know that your effort brought a little of God's light to a fellow traveler. 

I thank you, and wish you the best.

Mark.

She started as the Radisson Diamond, moved on to become Asia Star, then China Star, an is now laid up.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_China_Star

B46 is a ways off from the terminal, but there is a shuttle bus to it, so I would guess parking/checkin remain the same.

https://cruiseportwiki.com/LosAngeles

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Outer+Harbor%2FBerth+46/@33.7149348,-118.2751567,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dd37bf38979e7b:0x9157079449c6a915!8m2!3d33.7149348!4d-118.2751567

RSSC seems to be the only cruise line assigned to it.

Thank you for taking the time to post, and thank you again for posting menus.  For those of us who cannot be traveling right now, it helps to remind us of why we do.

I hope your trip went well.

Mark

Well, for those who complain that cruises always go to the same places, this one visits Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha.  Their nearest neighbor is St. Helena, and they have a total population of 266.  The Insignia will have four times the population when she arrives.

That shore visit alone might be worth the trip.

39 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Did you have to stand somewhere, or was there room for your suitcases next to your seats? Just trying to picture how to manage this.

There were seats in the middle with space open in front of them, so I just pulled the suitcase between two seats.  I was traveling at a time when the boats were not busy, so there was no problem. 

I have.  Rolling suitcase, small backpack, no problem at all.

Do make sure that where you are boarding doesn't have steps.  Almost all of their piers have ramp access, but not all.

Uluru is worth a visit, and while much is aimed at tourists, you will get a feel for the local people, and if you take the time, you will see why the rock is important.  I have been there a few times, and would gladly go again.

Alice is usually just a jumping off point for Uluru, and seems to have a lot of problems. Sails in the Desert always seemed to attempt to be more than it was. My last trip was a student tour, and we were camping, so I have probably covered all the accommodations available.

But, it's a very long way to go for just a few days.  Look at the flight times.  If you want to experience "native" culture, you needn't go to the outback.  There are quite a few places closer to Melbourne and Sydney that will give you a good introduction.

Of course, I am the one who started a thirty day tour in Alice, in January (40C!), just so I could go back to the rock.

It's not only doable, it should be easy.

There is a train from Tokyo station to Shin-Kobe about every twenty minutes, so if you leave before 10 am, you will be in Shin-Kobe before 12:30. Getting from the station to the port can be done by local train, or by taxi. You will need to know where your ship actually will be, but they should be providing that information to you anyway.

You should have no problem buying tickets the day of, but if that worries you, the ticket office in Tokyo station will sell them to you ahead of time without any problem, so you can get them when you arrive. They will not be cheap tickets: it's about a 15000 yen trip for an adult.

The Hyperdia website that TFCRUISER posted is my go-to place for schedules and fares in Japan. I'm over about once a month, and have never had a problem getting anywhere in Japan. I usually write out in English, and have someone at the hotel write out in Japanese, where I want to go and when. The only other question you will need to ask is "Platform?" since Tokyo station is a very large place. The signs in the station are in English, there are always people able to point you in the right direction.

The only thing I warn westerners about when they travel to Japan is timing: if the schedule says your train leaves at 9:38, it will start to roll at 9:38. Always plan on getting to the platform early.

You will have no problems in Seoul with the subway on a Sunday. There is less service, but this is a change of minutes. You will find that it may still be crowded at times, but the service is constant, and will get you anywhere in the city that you want.