Ssislandgirl

Hi there,

Thank you for your interest in the thread!  

I really don’t know if the trail starting point is marked now. At the time we visited, we actually had to ask to find it, but the locals were really friendly, gave us directions and let us know where we could park the car. The trail was not very well marked either at that time and we just followed the trampled down grass path fellow hikers left behind. Don’t worry it is a very easy hike, you can’t get lost!

Hope this helps

Regards

Petra

thanks again Petra for a very useful review. We only stop in Alesund, if you had to choose between this day trip or doing the trolls path which would you choose?

James

Hands down, the Trollstigen! The drive is wonderful and the viewpoints fantastic! Leave as early as you can to beat the crowds....

Regard

Petra

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Hi there teamflames,

I am the original OP and included a copy of my email to Europcar. Keep in mind that the car rental prices might have increased since we cruised in 2015!

We used Europcar and were very happy with the service and the car.

Dear Petra,

It is our station in Leknes who can deliver a car to the port in Gravdal.

The delivery charge is NOK 250,- + tax.(same for collection)

Rate for 1 day rental grp A: NOK 788,-incl. tax, unlimited mileage, collision/theft waiver.

Do not hesitate to take contact again for any question or reservation.

Have a nice afternoon.

Med vennlig hilsen / Best regards

Grete

Europcar Norway | ServiceCenter

Phone: + 47 815 51 800 | www.europcar.no

Interrent AS | Org.nr. 913 237 935

Fjordveien 1 | Postbox 523, N-1328 Høvik, Norway

E-mail: grete.boe@europcar.no

www.europcar.no

I used Grete’s email above to contact her. She replied within a few days and was very helpful. Hopefully she is still with the company.

Have fun on your cruise!

Regards

Petra

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I have condensed your post links into one thread. I would like to ask permission to share the posts on my roll call for this year's World Cruise on Queen Elizabeth.

Your information has been amazing. Your photos are so beautiful.

Thank you so much.

Hi there bananavan!

Thank you very much for your kind words. Yes, please share all of the info. This is what Cruisecritic is all about...

Happy travels

Regards

Petra

Tai-O is a community of fishermen who have built their houses on stilts above the tidal flats of Lantau Island. It is very scenic.

20161031-DSC_0431 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161031-DSC_0436 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We strolled around the waterfront for a while and took a dolphin watching excursion through the canals and out to sea.

The bus from Tai-O to Mui Wo, the ferry station, runs only every 40 minutes and takes about 1 hour. We planned our visit accordingly and enjoyed the scenic bus ride on an almost empty bus.

At Mui Wo we boarded a ferry back to Central on Hong Kong Island. The ferry ride was absolutely beautiful during the late afternoon hours.

20161031-DSC_0452 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161031-DSC_0457 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161031-DSC_0460 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

From Central we took the Star Ferry back to Victoria harbor from where we walked back to our hotel.

It was an incredible day and created a wonderful finale to our month in Asia.

The next morning we took MTR to the airport, where we cashed out the balance of our Octopus cards and boarded another long flight back to the US.

I hope my reports are helpful to some of you fellow cruisers. I certainly enjoyed writing them!

Safe travels

Petra

After a while we were on our way to Po-Lin Monastery.

20161030-DSC_0420 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0421 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Lots of worshippers come to pray, pay their respects and bring offerings in form of incense.

We walked back to Ngong Village and boarded Lantau Bus #21 for a 20 minute ride to the fishing village Tai-O. Our Octopus card was accepted as payment.

The Buddha (Tian Tan) stands 112 feet high. 300 steps lead up to a circular viewing platform.

20161030-DSC_0398 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0401 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It is great exercise to climb the steps and the views of the area are very rewarding.

After visiting the Buddha we continued on to the Wisdom Path. We had the trail to ourselves! It is not very well maintained and leads past a few abandoned buildings reminding me somehow of a very modern Angor Wat.

20161030-DSC_0406 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Wisdom Path features a series of 38 wooden pillars with calligraphy of the heart Sutra arranged in an infinity pattern.

20161030-DSC_0409 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It is very peaceful and beautifully presented.

On our last full day in Hong Kong we are going to Lantau Island using public transportation and a cable car. We left our hotel around 8:30 am and took MTR to Tung Chung Station, where we used exit B to reach Ngong Ping cable car station. We ordered our tickets online the day before to avoid a long wait and also arrived about 25 minutes prior to the opening of the cable car station. We were almost the first people in line and were quickly moving towards Lantau in our gondola. We had great views of the airport, beaches as well as the South China Sea.

20161030-DSC_0360 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

You can also hike to the top, if you so desire

The gondola ride to Ngong Ping village takes about 25 minutes. The village itself has somewhat of a theme park atmosphere. You will find souvenir shops and lots of Western and Asian eateries.

20161030-DSC_0429 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0387 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It is very easy to find your way to the Big Buddha. It is towering above you in plain sight!

By the time we reached the Ladies Market, it was getting dark and we enjoyed seeing all the colorful neon signs on the buildings.

20161030-DSC_0358 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0359 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

The Ladies Market features lots of very inexpensive articles of clothing as well as knock-off designer handbags and perfumes. Don't expect to find quality here...

The market was soon getting too crowded for us and after a day full of new cultural experiences and lots of walking, we returned to our hotel.

We then moved on to the colorful and fragrant Flower Market

20161030-DSC_0323 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0332 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161030-DSC_0349 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

and the Bird Market

20161030-DSC_0341 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We watched elderly locals take their birds out for a stroll where they met other bird owners to socialize and feed their birds together. It was quite a unique experience.

On our second morning in Hong Kong we had to disembark the ship after a wonderful 2 week cruise. We decided to spend 2 more days in Hong Kong to experience more sights.

Again, we used the complimentary shuttle bus from the cruise ship terminal to Diamond Hill MTR station, where we took the subway to get to our hotel in Kowloon, very close to Tsim Sha Tsui Station. We left our bags at the hotel since check in was not until 2 pm and joined a free walking tour of Tsim Sha Tsui. The walk took about 2.5 hours and was very interesting. We learned a lot about Hong Kong's history, culture and cuisine. The guides work solely for tips and are very engaging.

The following are a few photos from the walk.

Hong kong as seen from the Kowloon public pier.

20161029-DSC_0299 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Clocktower and Kowloon water front

20161031-DSC_0458 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

After the tour we returned to our hotel to check-in and to find a bite to eat.

In the afternoon, we first explored Kowloon Park and came across these beautifully painted steps at the entrance

Afterwards, we took MTR to Mongkok station to find some of the much talked about markets of Hong Kong.

We first visited the Goldfish market.

20161030-DSC_0318 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Lots of stores are clustered together, spilling their displays out in the street and selling all kinds of "pet" fish and aquariums as well as anything and everything a hobbyist fish keeper could possibly want.

The journey to Aberdeen Promenade took about 30 minutes and we were soon walking along the side of the harbor towards the wholesale fish market.

We were approached by an older lady who sold us on a 30 minute Sampan ride. For $5 each, my husband and I had our private, scenic boat tour through the harbor, passing junks and houseboats crammed together with a backdrop of ultra modern high rises.

20161029-DSC_0263 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161029-DSC_0274 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161029-DSC_0279 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161029-DSC_0272 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161029-DSC_0290 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161029-DSC_0293 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It was great!

In the late afternoon we boarded Bus #70 again in the opposite direction, then took MTR from Central to Diamond Hill from where we took the free shuttle back to the ship.

We truly enjoyed our DIY experience and felt very safe using public transportation.

The "Millennium" arrived at The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal early in the morning for an overnight stay. We left the cruise terminal around 8 am on a free shuttle bus. The bus dropped us off at Plaza Hollywood Mall with access to Diamond Hill Subway station (MTR). We purchased a tourist Octopus card at the station and loaded it with 200 $HK each ($25 US) for our 3 day stay in the city. The card enabled us to easily use buses, MTR trains and the peak tram by just swiping it instead of carrying exact change.

We had to change MTR trains once and soon arrived at Central station from where we walked to the peak tram's lower Terminus. We did not have to line up in the long queue for tram tickets (thank you Octopus) and waited for about 10 minutes to board the funicular. We entertained ourselves by reading all the info about the tram's history. It is very interesting. After only a few minutes on the tram, we arrived at the Peak Tower from where traveled on several escalators and elevators to the Victoria Peak Observation Deck.

Victoria Peak has an elevation of 1800 ft and is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island. The views of Victoria Harbor are incredible, even on a slightly overcast and hazy day.

20161028-DSC_0241 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161028-DSC_0245 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It was also very, very windy up there. We really enjoyed the experience! After about 1 hour on the deck we walked further uphill to get a better look at the very expensive residences in the area which are enjoying a cooler climate and panoramic views of the city.

Lots of nannies were out and about with children and many joggers were enjoying their daily work-outs.

We then made our way to the Peak Bus Terminus for the ride back down and boarded bus #15 to get us to Central. We were able to get front row seats on the upper deck of the double decker bus. It was a wonderful and thrilling ride of about 50 minutes. The road is narrow and winding and the views are awesome! We can highly recommend it!

We met a local lady on the bus who directed us towards the bus stop for bus #70 to Aberdeen once we reached Central. We were able to sit in front row seats on the upper deck again.

Traffic was very heavy including lots of taxis

I noticed the combination of old and run down apartment buildings right next to brand new glass fronted modern architecture.

In a tunnel I was able to capture our fellow bus travelers as a reflection in the front window

20161029-DSC_0260 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

There are several more temples in Nara, but temple fatigue set in for us. After 4 hours of walking around in this wonderful place we decided to make our way back to the train station and headed back to Osaka.

As a photographer interested in architecture, I wanted to see the Umeda Sky Building with its rooftop viewing platform

The building is located in close proximity to the Osaka train station. Signs will point you in the right direction. After a 10 minute walk we arrived and took several elevators and escalators up to the top. What a unique building! A must for people interested in modern architecture.

20161019-DSC_0867 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We had a great view over Osaka

20161019-DSC_0887 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Here is the view of the entrance to the train station as seen from the platform

We really enjoyed this little side trip. We were able to combine the ancient Japan with the ultra modern. What a great experience!

After 90 min we returned to the train station and were back in Kobe just in time for a delicious dinner on the ship.

Hopefully this report will aid fellow cruisers in planning their day in port.

Happy and safe travels

Regards

Petra

We then continued on to Nandaimon Gate

20161018-DSC_0834 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

It is a the main gate to Todai-Ji Temple

20161018-DSC_0842 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

The temple was constructed in 752 and its main hall is the world's largest wooden building. It houses a huge bronze Buddha statue

20161018-DSC_0854 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161018-DSC_0859 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

The deer are obviously curious sightseers as well!

On our second day in Kobe we decided to explore Nara and Osaka. Our JR pass was only valid for 1 more day. We certainly enjoyed using it! The Hyperdia website is an indispensable tool for planning train rides and our pocket wifi was very helpful since we needed to have an internet connection to access the website.

We left the ship early in the morning and got on the port liner again to reach Sannomiya JR Station. We had to change trains in Osaka, which was very easy and arrived in Nara 80 minutes after leaving Kobe. We picked up a free map of Nara at the station and walked for about 15 minutes to Nara park which is home to hundreds of free roaming deer. They are very tame and follow you around to get treats in form of crackers which are being sold around the park.

We walked through the park and first explored Kasuga Taisha Shrine. It is famous for its lanterns, which have been donated by worshipers. Hundreds of stone lanterns are lining the paths approaching the temple. It is incredibly scenic!

20161018-japan (62 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Remarkably, the castle was never destroyed by earthquakes or war. The castle is about 600 years old and is one of the most significant wooden buildings in Japan.

You will have to take your shoes off to enter the main structure and need to climb numerous steep and narrow staircases to make your way to the top. Each level gets significantly smaller as you ascend. The top floor houses a shrine from where you have a great view of the city.

20161017-japan (48 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

The whole experience was a lot of fun and very interesting.

After the castle we decided to explore Koko-En Gardens, a wonderful traditional Japanese garden with old Samurai Houses and Koi ponds. It is absolutely beautiful there and should not be missed!

20161018-DSC_0751 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161018-DSC_0740 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We purchased a combo ticket at a discounted price for both sites at the castle.

We returned to the ship in the early evening taking JR Special Rapid Service from Himeji to Kusatsu or Tsuruga and got off the train at Sannomiya.

We had a fantastic day!

Many fellow cruisers took advantage of this overnight stay in Kobe and traveled to Kyoto. Since we had previously visited Kyoto as part of our pre cruise Japan exploration, we decided to experience Himeji on our first afternoon in port.

We arrived in Kobe on time and had a wonderful reception by the locals

20161017-DSC_0677 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Smaller ships were welcoming us with colorful water fountains

20161017-japan (44 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Miss Kobe was present at the pier to greet us and a band was performing

They also released hundreds of balloons upon our arrival

We felt very special for sure!

We were able to leave the ship by 11am and were on our way to the train station. We used the port liner (tram) to get from the pier to Sannomiya JR Station where we boarded the JR Rapid Service to Himeji. The train runs more frequently (every 15 minutes) from late morning to early afternoon and the whole journey to Himeji took about 1 hour from the port. Our JR pass covered the rail road trip, but the port liner cost 210 yen per person.

After exiting the station in Himeji we picked up a free tourist map and walked another 30 minutes to reach this beautiful castle.

20161017-japan (49 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161017-japan (47 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Hi Petra,

We are cruising from Vancouver to Yokohama next month. We overnight in Yokohama. I like the sound of a day trip to Kakura, apologies if I have mis spelled the name. How easy is it to get from the station to the big Buddha?

Your review makes it all sound easy and your photos are wonderful. Thanks so much for posting.

Libby

 

 

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Hello Libby,

It is very, very easy to get to Kamakura and to see the temples there. Take the train from Yokohama to Kamakura and then all you have to do is take the electric railway (Enoden) from Kamakura Station to Hase. From there we walked to the Buddha. It was a paved street with no inclines. You can also take a taxi from Kamakura Station, but I don't know how much that would cost.

Thank you for your encouragement!

Have a wonderful cruise

Regards

Petra

Thank you so much for explaining about the mailing envelope. sounds very easy and the thing to do. We are also on the Yokohama-Anchorage trans-pacific cruise in April, and I will post that info on the roll call.

Thank you for following this thread!

Happy cruising

Petra

can you tell me how you returned them after the ship? sounds great, but I am also going back to Alaska on the ship.....

Hi there laughing husky,

I am sorry that I wasn't clear enough about the return of the pocket wifi. We received a postage prepaid envelope with the device which was also addressed to the rental company itself. Our last Japanese port was Okinawa. We sailed from Yokohama to Shimizu, then 2 days in Kobe, then Nagasaki, Shanghai and back to Okinawa, then Keelung for 2 days, then overnite in Hong Kong. We mailed the wifi back to the rental company from Okinawa. There were several mail boxes close to the pier. I am not really sure about the itinerary of your cruise. As long as you mail the device back from your last Japanese port, you should be in good shape.

Hope this clarifies things

Regards

Petra

Petra,

 

Thank you for the tour link.

 

Regarding wifi, do you think it is worth renting the mobile device, or are there enough hotspots, etc throughout the different cities that it's not really needed? My husband and I are DIYers as well, so we are considering this option. Also, was wifi working on the ship only at or near ports?

I definitely think it was worth having the pocket wifi! I really liked being able to access Hyperdia and Google Maps whenever I wanted too. We also enjoyed having Skype available all the time. We are using Skype as our home phone with a Skype number and were able to forward our cellphones to the Skype number. Therefore we could stay in touch with family back in the States and make phone calls for free whenever we needed to and felt like it. I can't really tell you anything about hotspots because I honestly wasn't paying attention. I noticed that the crew was using the free wifi in the ports, but it is usually slow and hard to access. The pocket wifi worked well on the ship as well as in the ports. I think this was mainly the case because we really did not go out to "sea" very far in Japan and could always see land. Compared to the rate of ship wifi ours was a bargain!

Hope this answers your questions

Regards

Petra

Thanks for posting the trip report and great pictures- very informative and brought back memories of a recent trip. I can't wait to return!

 

 

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What a great review, Petra! Thank you for sharing.

 

Can you share the name of the tour company you used in Kyoto?

Thank you both for your kind words and interest. It is very much appreciated!

Here is the link to the tour company that runs the "Geisha experience"

http://www.waraido.com/walking/gion.html

We pre-booked from the US and payed in cash on the evening of the tour. There were only 10 participants on the day we took the tour

Regards

Petra

The temple garden is very pretty. It features ponds

20161015-DSC_0662 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

and hiking paths with lots of steps, which lead you to a terrace with an excellent view over Kamakura and out to sea.

20161015-DSC_0659 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We left Kamakura in the early afternoon and arrived at Nihon Odori Station in Yokohama around 3 pm. We walked to the pier, where check in was very fast and easy.

By 4 pm we were sitting on our balcony and relaxing with nice cocktails enjoying the view

20161016-DSC_0666 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

and again right before departure later in the evening

20161016-DSC_0667 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

We had an wonderful time exploring Japan on our own and were now looking forward to seeing more in our upcoming ports through DIY shore excursions. I will review the different ports in their own individual threads.

Thank you for following along and I hope you will have an incredible and unforgettable vacation in this beautiful part of our world.

Happy cruising and safe travels

Petra

KAMAKURA and YOKOHAMA

another early morning for us...

We are leaving Kyoto and are visiting Kamakura before embarkation in Yokohama. After a pleasant train ride we arrived at Kamakura station and stored our luggage for a few hours. We then boarded an electric railway (Enoden) to Hase, from where we immediately walked to the large bronze Buddha.

20161015-DSC_0626 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161015-DSC_0637 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

For a small fee you can enter the statue and see how the bronze pieces are joined together.

It did not take a long time to explore the temple around the Buddha and we were soon off to see Hase-Dera Temple. It is a beautiful temple located on a hill side overlooking the ocean.

The temple grounds are home to hundreds of small Jizo statues representing the souls of miscarried, stillborn or aborted children.

20161015-DSC_0651 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161015-DSC_0647 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

20161015-DSC_0660 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

I have just begun to read your blog of your trip. We are taking the same trip on Celebrity in November 2018. We haven't done very much on our own before the cruise and really want to this time. You have given us a lot of encouragement. I hope you don't mind if we ask more questions. We are right down the road in Ponte Vedra Beach Florida!!

 

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Hi there neighbor,

I am so glad that this report is inspiring both of you to do some pre-cruise travel! That's what it is all about! You will have a wonderful time. The Japanese people are so friendly and helpful. We never had any issues.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. Hopefully I will be able to answer and/or recommend websites for research, etc.

I will try to finish up the posting for the pre-cruise part tomorrow and then start on the individual ports of call. We DIY'd them all. I am still editing the photos for Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Regards

Petra