BruceMuzz

If you Google "Vietnam Embassy" or "Vietnam Consulate" in your country, you will find many telephone numbers for them.

Google is your friend.

My colleagues at USPH warn that the best places to become infected with a virus on a mass market cruise ship are the Buffets and the Public Toilets.

People raised by wolves who sail on mass market ships love to taste things on the buffet and then put them back, drop utensils on the floor and put them back, pick up things with their hands, lick serving utensils, etc.

People with GI problems on mass market ships do not want to mess up the toilets in their cabins. Instead, they visit a public toilet and leave the mess in there. They manage to contaminate that space for the next user.

Celebrity has a slightly better itinerary.

Diamond Princess was purpose-built for Japan.

There will be more Japanese passengers on Diamond, and more authentic Japanese offerings as well.

In my career I have worked 1,563 cruises, and have never experienced the situation you described.

The roughest seas I experienced were just over 100 feet in height (with a very small ship), and it was very difficult to move around, but the Captain did not require guests to remain in their cabins.

8 hours ago, blueskies123 said:

I’m sorry, but I’ve lost track of this thread. We shall be staying in Shinjuku at the Keio Plaza. Where are you looking at travelling to? I’m not sure where in Tokyo the Imperial Hotel is.

The Imperial Hotel is at the end of Ginza, across from Hibiya Park, and not far from Tokyo Station.

28 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

I wouldn't limit it to country per se, It's the world we live in.

To think that con men didn't exist before would just be a bit naive. The internet has just made it easier. Con men of the past just had to work up close and personal.

Also so sad to live in a country where you have to worry about things like that, too.

So sad to live in a country where you need to worry about things like that,.

18 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

For me it is water on the rocks ,perhaps with a slice of lemon.

The Major Cruise Lines are dying to get more people like you on their ships.

8 hours ago, clkelley said:

I've got a question about meds when visiting Japan by cruise ship. Found a cruise that starts in Australia, has several port visits in Japan, and then transpacific to USA. Our goal is to visit Japan, but spouses' prescription meds and all the rules seem daunting if we were to fly into Japan and stay/travel there. If we leave the meds on board the ship at the Japan ports, will we have to deal with all the forms and requests to import (pain meds)?

Every month or so, someone on CC obsesses about the very strict Japanese laws about importing controlled substances into Japan.

Yes, those laws are in the books, They are designed to deter illegal drug smuggling and distribution in Japan. They are not used to hassle a tourist from Alabama with Prescription Meds. Unless you are carrying large quantities of a controlled substnace, you have nothing to worry about.

Currently in Alabama:

It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket while walking on a street.

If you have a lantern attached to the front of your vehicle, you can drive the wrong way down a one-way street.

Bear wrestling matches are illegal and are a Class B felony.

If you told us which passport you carry, we could probably answer your question.

18 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never sailed on Princess.Although I have been on Celebrity a few times I;cannot recall ever seeing Indiana food on the menu.

You should try the Pennsylvania food, then.

Rome2Rio website is your friend.

Type in your starting point and your desired destination.

For example: Yokohama Station to Nippori Station

The website will give you the best options for walking, bicycling, driving, taxi routes, train routes, bus routes - as well as fares and traveling times. 

On 1/17/2024 at 12:21 AM, JaxB1571 said:

Are Taxis readily available at most ports?

Yes, they are

8 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I do not recall saying or implying that I rarely eat foods that others eat.What I may have said is that I normally do not frequent upper echelon

restaurants.I probably said that I do not eat lamb,steak and chicken/Turkey.

Thank you.

Lamb, chicken, steak and turkey are foods that most humans eat.You also claim to not eat many types of seafood that most human eat.

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I live in NY where virtually every food is available.To date there has been nothing on a cruise ship menu that I could not get in a restaurant.However,I tend to eat “exotic” dishes more when on a cruise.

Len,

According to what you have told us so far, you rarely eat any foods that other humans eat.

Yes, New York has many varieties of food, but you rarely eat any of them.,

On 1/7/2024 at 4:04 AM, lenquixote66 said:

My perception is that 50 years from now everything on cruises will be serviced by robots.I visualize this for dining rooms as well.Any other opinions ?

50 years ago the “experts” predicted that we would all have flying cars, robots would be doing all of our work, cancer would be cured, airplanes would no longer need pilots, and we would be traveling to other planets by 2025.

Very little of that has happened in the past 50 years.

There is very little reason to believe that much of that will happen in the next 50 years.

Windstar

A taxi from Osanbashi Cruise Terminal in Yokohama to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo will cost you something around 12,000-15,000 yen, and take an hour or so, depending on traffic.

Osanbashi Terminal to Yokohama Station by taxi will cost you about 1,500 yen and take about 10 minutes.

Narita Express Train from Yokohama Station to Tokyo Station will cost you about 1,200 yen per person and take about 30 minutes. The train runs several times every hour.

The train has secure baggage storage at each end of each train car, and free WIFI.

Taxi from Tokyo Station to Imperial Hotel will cost you around 1,500 Yen and take about 10 minutes.

Be sure to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Bar at the Imperial Hotel. It is the only original remains of the first Imperial Hotel. It is pricey, but you get a live glimpse of Tokyo in the 1960’s.

It has nearly always been possible to bring visitors onboard a cruise ship.

COVID made it a bit more difficult, but that is past us now.

Often, if you ask the Reservations or Head Office people, they will say “No”.

But the final authority is the ship’s captain.

When onboard, if you send a request to the Captain, the answer is usually “Yes”.

The ship needs a few days notice to allow them to confirm with Port Security, but other than that, it is very simple.

Osanbashi Terminal has storage lockers on the 2nd Floor.

The very best way I can think of to trigger an IRS Audit is to claim a cruise vacation as a business expense.

But is is always fun to dream of getting something for nothing.

What you are planning is rather unusual.

If you inform the Reception Desk on your first cruise, they may be able to make special arrangements to transfer you to the second ship.

Passport stamping depends on many factors:

How the Official is feeling today

How busy they are at Immigration

How the Official land his wife are getting along.

How close it is to a meal break

Whether or not you smile at the Official

The passport you are presenting

It is really hit and miss - especially at a cruise port.

I am aware of 2 Cruise Line Companies that can legally perform marriages (by the Captain) onboard their ships; Princess and Cunard.

This may have changed since I last worked on those ships.

Legally and Technically, marriages CAN be performed on any cruise ship - but the legal requirements are difficult - and the cruise line and the local government both have the option of saying “no”. The Ship’s Flag State may also have something to say about this.

Depending on the laws of the country where the ship is parked, a local marriage license must be applied for and purchased (if possible), and a local Priest, Reverend, Rabbi must agree to perform the ceremony onboard (if the cruise line and local government agree).

In most countries, the logistics of setting all this up are prohibitive or impossible.

You may also like to be aware that onboard marriage ceremonies rarely go as well as expected. The logistics of getting the wedding participants through port and ship security to board the ship on time, as well as lack of space, security clearance of wedding gifts, taking over public areas that other passengers want to use, late deliveries of flowers, cakes, etc, very high expectations, and the already existing high emotions of some of the families can create difficult situations.

There are two methods for determining a sold out cruise:

1. All available beds are occupied.

2. Some Lifeboat maximum allocations have been reached.

As mentioned earlier, cancellations are nearly guaranteed to happen.

On a typical mass market cruise departing a US Port, at least 1% of the cabins cancel by the day of departure. 1% doesn’t seem like much - until you count the thousands of cabins on the ship.

You just need to check availability at the right time.