Live from the Diamond, July 10-27, 17-day B2B around Japan and Korea

[chubbypiggy]

@Ken the cruiser  Next time when you are at the Fitness Center, please check if the free Sauna and Steam rooms are still there (by the changing rooms).  I heard some of the Grand class ships (for example, Emerald Princess), they have been removed from the Fitness Center.  TIA.

[charlie murphy]

19 hours ago, jawsbad said:

How much did the taxi cost to Haneda?  Good to know about having to store the bags.  Where in the terminal are the lockers and what do they cost?  Can you use a credit card or just yen.  Will have 2 26” and a 19” pilot bag plus backpack.

taxi cost : 7900 yen ( do not quote me, but as i recall it was about that ) . we did use the credit card. Make sure you ask the taxi driver first. The "porter" at the port helped us make sure that the taxi took credit cards before we loaded up. There were 2 bag storage facilities in terminal # 3 ( arrivals). When you arrive in Haneda you may want to scope them out , and if able make arrangements for when you return; we did not do this but the baggage storage places always seemed to be full when we went through if possible this would be a good idea. We got lucky to find a spot on the day of  our departure. When you arrive on your flight, The exit will let you into the arrival area in one location in the middle of the terminal. This is where you will meet the princess rep. if you have transfer via princess to the ship. To the right are the baggage storage areas one is mid way down, on the left the other is all the way at the end of this corridor. Again,  not exactly sure of price because we stored luggage for 7 people/ 3 carts. but i believe 400 to 600 yen. (depends on size of bag). Along the same corridor On the right,  where the restrooms are located is where you will find storage lockers for luggage. They did not meet our need so other than location that is all i know . The locker  area is not that large, but i do believe locker space was available both times we  went through the area.  the lockers looked to only use coins. ( again speaking from memory, but you could check them out while you wait for transfer to ship ) 

FYI : we were on a very early flight into Haneda, and spent half a day in Tokyo before boarding. For this we simply left our bag with waiting shipmates, a bit of trust in humankind, but a risk we were willing to take and an offer fellow ship mates were willing to offer while they waited in the terminal. ( there was only one princess shuttle for our cruise , departing at 1230 - 1 pm) 

the access to the train terminal is also in this location . I would recommend getting the PASMO card from the agent. It made independent travel all over japan VERY easy during our cruise. ( you can pick it up 50 yards from where you wait for transfer ) 

[Californian]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s the Busan excursion we’ll be going on.

 

 

This excursion has peaked my interest, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how strenuous this excursion really is.  I had hip replacement surgery and I'm doing better on walking up and down steps.  I'm hoping I can just take my time and maybe not go all the way down....just enjoy the scenery?  

 

Did you get some Korean currency for this port?  If so, where did you do your money exchange?

 

Thanks for taking us along on your journey.

[cr8tiv1]

@Californian I acquired Korean Wun from friends in Hawaii.  They came in handy while visiting the local market place in Jeju.  There was an exchange machine at the port with long lines (at every port).

 

I had bilateral knee replacement several years ago.  The steps to castles and other tourist attractions can sometimes be very challenging.  These "steps" are made from blocks of large "rocks" and are uneven.  Sometimes, it was a large step up/down.  Bring a walking stick or cane.  It will help you with your balance since there are no railings.

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived in Busan, South Korea!

 

 

 

 

   
It looks like it’s going to cloudy all day today, with very light rain. On the bright side, it’s only supposed to reach 81 degrees today. 😁

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 7/14/2023 at 2:48 AM, Steelers36 said:

From recent reports, it seems a minority of guests bother to dress in white/gold combo.  You can enjoy events whether dressed or not in white & gold.

Well, we brought our White and Gold outfits, so we’re going with the peace of mind that we did what was needed to blend in. But I’ll take some photos to see how many others did the same. But what can I say, we’re both retired military. 😁
 

Edited July 14, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Well, we brought our White and Gold outfits, so we’re going with the peace of mind that we did what was needed to blend in. But I’ll take some photos to see how many others did the same. But what can I say, we’re both retired military. 😉
 

I am sure you will let us know about that evening - and it could be a lot different than other world locations.  That said, it doesn't sound like there were enough participants to "blend in" rather than "stand out" on many voyages.  Of course "standing out" is not an issue at all as folks should participate in whatever way they choose. 

 

It would be nice, IMO, if PCL has a variety of theme evenings as I think they used to have more variety in them in the past.  Like a Caribbean Deck Party, a Sock Hop and I am not thinking of other ones.

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Well, we brought our White and Gold outfits, so we’re going with the peace of mind that we did what was needed to blend in. But I’ll take some photos to see how many others did the same. But what can I say, we’re both retired military. 😉
 

I do hope you get some nice weather soon.

[Ken the cruiser]

 

So we left our cabin at 8:20 am for a meeting time of 8:30 am in the theater. As you can see there were a few people ahead of us, as our group was 12. 😂

 

 
Once the ship was cleared, they started moving folks pretty quickly. Once we cleared the ship, we then got into the Customs line.

 

 
That line moved relatively quickly as well, considering everyone that was in line in front of us. We were on our bus and heading out on our excursion by 9:30 am. Our first stop was Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This was the entrance to the 108 steps down to the temple area. 😱

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Then from the temple area, there were some more steps to climb to get to the display area and vista few point above it all! Trust me when I say these were some steep steps! 😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Then back down we went.

 

  

The we were off to the 2005 APEC House on Dongbaekseom Island.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we were off to our final stop, the Gukje International Market.

 

 

 

 
And I was able to get some photos of the elusive Buson pigeon! 😂

 

 

 

 
This pigeon was just too pretty to not take a picture of! 😁

 

 
We also stopped by the fish market and took some pictures of live snow crabs and eels before heading back to the bus! Yum yum! 😂

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I do hope you get some nice weather soon.

Believe it or not it was a great weather day today. It was cloudy all day, with a few sprinkles here and there, but mostly when we were in the bus going from one place to another. The temperature remained in the mid to high 70s. 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

12 hours ago, Californian said:

 

This excursion has peaked my interest, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how strenuous this excursion really is.  I had hip replacement surgery and I'm doing better on walking up and down steps.  I'm hoping I can just take my time and maybe not go all the way down....just enjoy the scenery?  

 

Did you get some Korean currency for this port?  If so, where did you do your money exchange?

 

Thanks for taking us along on your journey.

If you have issues going up and down stairs, our tour guide did say there was a longer, more gradual path without stairs you could take. However, no one on our tour took it, so that’s all I know. But the temple visit was the highlight of the tour for us. Going to the 2005 APEC House involved a 20 minute walk each way, but with only a gradual incline as you can see from the above picture. Hope this helps.

[Ken the cruiser]

And we’re off! Next stop Osaka, Japan day after tomorrow!

  

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight after another tasty dinner in the Santa Fe RCDR, we’re headed to the theater to watch a juggling act

  

 
Followed by the White and Gold Party in the Piazza. Film at 11! 😁

 

[Ken the cruiser]

So here’s how the Party evolved. Now mind you we’ve never been to one of these before, so it was new to us as well. This photo was taken before the festivities started on Deck 5 in the Piazza. As you can see, some are dressed in all white, some are wearing white pants, some are wearing white shirts, and a lot of onlookers were just wearing their normal clothes.

 

 

Then the Princess dancers performed an introductory dance routine. They provided 3 more sets during the Party.

 

 

Then our two CDs and the Bingo lady kicked off the show by introducing the 5 preselected couples, the VIPs of the Party, who would be participating in the games.

 

 

 

The first elimination game was to untie the ropes linking a couple together without taking the ends off the ropes off their wrists. The last couple to untie the ropes was eliminated.

 

 

The second elimination game was to draw your partner. They then had the ship’s art director pick the picture that least portrayed the drawer’s partner.

 

 

 
The final test was a dance-off to see who could come the closest to matching the Princess dancers efforts.

  

 

 
Afterwards all of the Princess dancers came out again and invited people to join them. Then my DW drug me out onto the dance floor and we twisted the night away! 😂
 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 7 - July 16 - Sea day to include early morning cruise through Kanmon Straits 

 

  

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Day 7 - July 16 - Sea day to include early morning cruise through Kanmon Straits 

 

  

 

 

 

I am puzzled why the photos of the events listing are so fuzzy and out of focus when your pictures on excursions are very good?

[Ken the cruiser]

29 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I am puzzled why the photos of the events listing are so fuzzy and out of focus when your pictures on excursions are very good?

Wow, tough crowd. 😂  I use Turbo Scan on my iPad to make photos of the Patter. I use my iPhone SE to take pictures when on excursions and around the ship. I just retook them using my iPhone. Better? Now remember the ship is wiggling through the water which causes the pictures of the Patter to be fuzzy as well while I’m holding my iPhone.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[jawsbad]

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If you have issues going up and down stairs, our tour guide did say there was a longer, more gradual path without stairs you could take. However, no one on our tour took it, so that’s all I know. But the temple visit was the highlight of the tour for us. Going to the 2005 APEC House involved a 20 minute walk each way, but with only a gradual incline as you can see from the above picture. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the wonderful coverage of the temple.  We have booked a private tour there and are happy to hear about the more gradual path for the way back.  Down is not a problem.  I apologize for my inquiry about Haneda but the info received was most helpful!

[Ken the cruiser]

Tomorrow morning around sunrise at 5:15 am to 7 am (estimated), we’re going to be cruising through the Kanmon Straits, which separates two of Japan’s four main islands, Honshu and Kyushu. Hopefully I’ll be awake and it won’t be too cloudy so I can take some photos. Right now it’s looking pretty good! 🤞

  

  

 

[Ken the cruiser]

11 minutes ago, jawsbad said:

Thanks for the wonderful coverage of the temple.  We have booked a private tour there and are happy to hear about the more gradual path for the way back.  Down is not a problem.  I apologize for my inquiry about Haneda but the info received was most helpful!

Thanks, and no worries! You had some good questions, and I’m just glad there were some folks following the thread that could provide some helpful answers.

[Steelers36]

34 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Wow, tough crowd. 😂  I use Turbo Scan on my iPad to make photos of the Patter. I use my iPhone SE to take pictures when on excursions and around the ship. I just retook them using my iPhone. Better? Now remember the ship is wiggling through the water which causes the pictures of the Patter to be fuzzy as well while I’m holding my iPhone.

 
 

 
 

I was asking for a friend.

[Californian]

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

@Californian I acquired Korean Wun from friends in Hawaii.  They came in handy while visiting the local market place in Jeju.  There was an exchange machine at the port with long lines (at every port).

 

I had bilateral knee replacement several years ago.  The steps to castles and other tourist attractions can sometimes be very challenging.  These "steps" are made from blocks of large "rocks" and are uneven.  Sometimes, it was a large step up/down.  Bring a walking stick or cane.  It will help you with your balance since there are no railings.

Thanks for your input.  I like your idea of a cane, so I will packing my folding cane.

 

I'm wondering if I should stop at a bank while I'm in Japan to exchange for some Korean currency.  I don't a friend whom I can get the wun.  LOL 

[Californian]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If you have issues going up and down stairs, our tour guide did say there was a longer, more gradual path without stairs you could take. However, no one on our tour took it, so that’s all I know. But the temple visit was the highlight of the tour for us. Going to the 2005 APEC House involved a 20 minute walk each way, but with only a gradual incline as you can see from the above picture. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks so much for the information.  Did your tour group just stick together at the temple or were you able to wander around on your own and then back at the bus?   Did you feel it was sufficient time at the temple?  

 

Also, how about at Gekje Market?  Was it difficult to find your way back to the bus?  Did you buy anything at the market?  Were you able to use a credit card?  If you ate anything at the market, is there anything you would recommend?

 

Thanks again for taking us along on your journey... 

[cr8tiv1]

10 minutes ago, Californian said:

Thanks for your input.  I like your idea of a cane, so I will packing my folding cane.

 

I'm wondering if I should stop at a bank while I'm in Japan to exchange for some Korean currency.  I don't a friend whom I can get the wun.  LOL 

 

I tried to get Wun from a bank.  Not an easy task.  You have to have an account.  Then there is an exchange fee on top of exchange rate.  I looked into all kinds of avenues.  IF...you have a major bank that you do business with, then maybe worth a shot.  I honestly do not know what others have done, but having small change for the one day in Korea is worth it.  I didn't try getting Wun from an airport exchange booth.

 

Check your roll call.  See if there is anyone on a previous cruise who might be changing money for themselves.  

 

Glad you have a cane.  Even though I am quite mobile with new knees, I still travel with my cane.

Edited July 15, 2023 by cr8tiv1

[EDVM96]

17 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

Funny you get a german "Intervallfasten für Senioren" (intermittent fasting for elderly people) advertising in your app while in South Korea.

 

😁