Cruise West, Spirit of Oceanus

[ScottnZelda]

We sailed on the Oceanus in October 2006 around Japan. Recently we received a brochure for their Grand Asia trips in 2008 and, being very tempted by this, I came here to see what new comments there were. Both my husband and I were stunned to see so many negative comments by a few posters. I thought I would share our experience with those who are considering this type of itinerary on Oceanus.

 

In summary, our trip greatly exceeded our expectations. We rank it as one of our top trips.

 

Having said that, I think it important when considering CDW to distinguish between the line's itineraries and various ship types. My comments are directed solely at the CW flaghip, Spirit of Oceanus. It would be useful if posters commenting on CW could always indicate ship and itinerary, since they cover a broad range.

 

Also, I've found it useful on other boards to have some idea of a commentator's past experience, in order to put comments in context. So a bit of my own: starting in 1972 with s.s. France, the QEII (twice), Holland America (15 or so times), Celebrity, Regent/Radisson (4 times), Seabourn Goddess, Renaissance, and a few others. As young retirees, we take one or more cruises a year along with land-based trips. And as former executives for a majore international airline, our lives have been filled with travel.

 

I can speculate that a reason for the difference in opinions about CW may stem from the difficulty in categorizing their "products." These are not typical cruises with the amenities associated with those. Some CW trips are really expedition-oriented. Ours could be viewed as a tour that happened to include a cruise ship. It's a special niche market shared by few other companies. At least in the case of Asia, the itineraries are unique and can't be duplicated elsewhere.

 

We thought that CW packed a lot into our trip. There was no "down time." Daily shore excursions were included in the price and with 100 or so passengers on board, we usually toured in 3 buses with 25 -35 passengers on each.

 

The CW Exploration Leaders (CW employees) were three well-educated, enthusiastic and articulate younng people who treated everyone on board as family and who responded to our myriad questions with grace. Further, there were three professional Japanese guides who accompanied the entire itinerary and were available to us on board. Plus there was always the customary "bus lady" who could answer specific local questions. So we had three "guides" aboard each bus every day. And did I mention the ship's medical doctor who went ashore with us and with his big medical bag every day? We felt pretty protected and pampered.

 

We traveled with another couple, also seasoned travelers, and had done some research before booking, so we had a pretty good feeling of what to expect on board. We weren't looking for gourmet cuisine. And since food is subjective and has been a controversial issue on this board, I can only say that we found it good to above average. Breakfasts were some of the best we've had at sea; desserts were fine; coffee was great (we normally find it really weak on ships); and the steak was always good. I could quibble about the bread, which needed improvement. One member in our party wanted an Asian food choice at dinner, but we had some really great and fun meals ashore, courtesy of CW.

 

After a full day of sightseeing, it was rather nice to come back to the ship and not have to deal with a more formal dinner. I appreciated the prompt service with no dragged out waits between courses. We can dine at 3-star restaurants elsewhere. We were here for Japan ! And of course, we still had the "nightly briefing" ahead of us before bed.

 

The Nightly Briefing was a nice touch. It enables Leaders/Guides and passengers to review and ask questions about what we did that day and get us focused on how the next day would unfold. There were also classes in basic Japanese, a generous sake tasting session, local performers in costume, a session on cloth folding and other "enrichment" type sessions.

 

The Spirit of Oceanus is one of the former Renaissance small (Roman numeral) ships that has a lot of loyal followers due to her size and large cabins. She is not a new ship, nor is she an old hulk. We tried to get a balcony cabin, but could not, so we were in a mid-range "Classic" cabin that worked out perfectly. It was clean, comfortable and spacious. The bedding was very comfortable, and we're picky.

 

Price is a very personal matter, but at least in our view, CW was an extremely good value. They didn't "cheap out" on anything nor did they nickel dime passengers. Sure, it would be nice if they included liquor and wine as some of the luxury lines do, but that was about the only thing missing in the price. The shore excursions and itinerary seemed to be set by an old friend who thought about everything he could include in a Japan experience and did it. In fact, there are so many things that they include that don't even get advertised in their brochures or online, CW is doing itself a disservice. For example, among others, shore meals, private visit to a master potter's workshop, dinner with a Geisha, the sake tasting, etc. These things surpassed our expectations and the price seemed very reasonable when the "value added" items are taken into account. (One of our party, a business consultant, kept saying, "I don't know how CW can make any money on this!") Japan, as you know, is not known as a bargain destination...

 

When we sailed with CW to Japan, they only operated this itinerary four times that year, and since this was their inaugural season there, the staff modified or tweaked the trip based on passenger feedback as they went along. So far, I haven't found another line that offers anything comparable to the new Grand Asia itinerary, which is why it's so tempting to us.

 

And that's why these trips sell out a year in advance. Cruise West is certainly doing something right.

 

If you are considering a CW trip, you owe it to yourself to read the "Member Reviews" section of Cruise Critic. And thank you for reading mine.

[pacmom]

So good to hear from you!!!!! Did you find your beads? Glad to hear they tried to improve things Expidition leaderwise after our trips. Was Sue-san one of your guides. We found her just so full of knowledge, as was Akiko in Hiroshima. We were only disturbed by the lack of info re: difficulty walking and climbing. Pat

[ScottnZelda]

Dear Pat,

WOW! It sure is nice to meet again here! And what a good memory you have. Yes, thanks to you, I did find a few beads in Japan, though not as many as I'd hoped. Some were a little expensive, too, but worth it for souvenir purposes. They have become a necklace. Some from Korea, some from Japan.

 

I don't remember Sue-san. I think she may be the guide that took us on the Bullet Train over to Niigata, but did not accompany the ship. Aki-san was with us and he was great; our favorite guide, in fact.

 

When we were aboard, Jen gave us a pretty good idea as to how strenuous each sight might be, so we could be guided accordingly and pace ourselves during the day. Hubby climbed all the steps and ladders in the temples. The other gentleman with us had two hip replacements, is in his mid-70's and uses a cane, but he was able to do most of the shore activities. Applause for him! One of my happiest and most serendipitous moments was at Himenji Castle....actually across the street from it...when I did not do the whole climb at the Castle. There was a cultural street fair there in honor of "Culture Day" which was full of pottery exhibits/vendors, demonstrations of tea ceremony, potter's wheel, rice ball making, food, music....the works. Wonderfully colorful and I wandered around as the only Westerner there. At one point, there was a group of Downes Syndrome kids playing instruments on stage that was quite moving.

 

I also found great people watching and shopping opportunities when I short-circuited the formal sightseeing.

 

Yes, there's a lot of walking. But it's do-able. And, like you, we adored Miyajima. We spent extra days in both Tokyo and Kyoto and would definitely recommend that. We also found a comparatively reasonably priced place in Kobe for Kobe beef lunch through Frommer's. Wonderful and memorable. The real deal.

 

What's next for you?? We're off to Corsica and Paris for three weeks this Fall. Our last cruise trip was in February...Regent's "Paul Gauguin" for two weeks around French Polynesia/The Marquesas. Gorgeous scenery, and more of a "cruise" experience, but not as fascinating as Japan.

 

Good to hear from you, Pat.

[tsd1]

Thank you so much for your review of the Spirit of Oceanus. About 4 years ago, we cruised with CW on their Daylight Alaskan Cruise on The Sheltered Seas (a yacht). Overnights were spent in Petersburg and Ketchikan in small inns. I see they no longer offer the same itinerary and am not sure of what happened to The Sheltered Seas. We had a wonderful experience with the knowledgeable and friendly staff. That is why we decided to look into The Bering Seas Cruise for July 08. I was apprehensive after reading the negative comments, but decided that it offered what we were looking for so I put down a deposit and was told they are already 1/3 sold. We are looking forward to visiting Dutch Harbor, which is seen on Discovery Channel's "The Deadliest Catch", one of our favorite programs!

Sheila and Tim

[dlhamlten]

Thanks for taking the time to write a fair & balanced review.

 

I agree with your admonitions about writing negative comments without the perspective of the author's experience. I have been concerned about some of Cruise West's reviews on certain trips especially since they charge a premium price. Perhaps these reviews are at least worthwhile for tempering our expectations.

 

On our upcoming Sea of Cortes / Copper Canyon CW trip, we are hoping to replicate in some way our Celebrity Xpedition trip to the Galapagos. We are also experienced world travelers on land and sea, and highly recommend that you consider that wonderful experience which exceeded all our expectations. It is doubtful that CW can match up, but the Itinerary and learning experience is more important to us than the food.

 

In the final analysis, would you take another Cruise west Trip ? That is our litmus test !

[ScottnZelda]

To tsd1 and dlhamlten....thanks for your replies! I hope some other folks who had positive experiences with CW will also share their thoughts.

 

And to tsd1: (Shelia and Tim) We saw the Bering Sea itinerary and thought "Wow" what a trip! Have a wonderful time in Dutch Harbor! (Yes, we sometimes watch Deadliest Catch, too, so I know what you mean.) Your Alaska trip sounded like fun, too, though I don't know much about the CW Alaska offers. We sailed Alaska on a large ship a number of years ago and haven't "rotated" back there yet.

 

To dlhamlten: We have sailed from Santiago to Rio, including Antarctica, (on HAL) but have yet to get to the Galapagos on the Xpeditioin. However, we enjoyed Chile so much that last year we took 3 weeks driving northbound from Puerto Montt. Great trip. Hubby would really like to find a sailing that tracks the Kon Tiki route someday.

 

Also, I see you'll be in Benelux next year for Queen's Day in the Netherlands. (It's the Saturday closest to April 30th.) It's a wild time throughout Holland....New Year's in Times Square/Mardi Gras/Halloween in Greenwich Village....all combined. Enjoy Keukenhof Gardens. We've been there for Tulip Time a few times in recent years, though always by land, not boat.

 

And to answer your question: Yes, we would book CW again. I think I mentioned we're seriously considering the Grand Asia, November 2008 trip, though we've visited some of those ports rather recently. We have to weigh whether there is sufficient difference to justify the trip. (We've sailed from Singapore to Hong Kong on Regent, including in depth Vietnam, some of which is also included on the CW trip.) But I'd offer a definite "Yes," we'd sail on CW in a heartbeat if the itinerary was what we wanted and -- especially -- if it was on the Oceanus. We're not looking for active "adventure" travel, so are less likely to do a real expedition on one of their smaller ships. But that's just our preference.

[pacmom]

Hi Scottnzelda,

 

Yes, like you we loved the ship. The cabin was so roomy. The sitting area lovely, the bed comfortable. The mini bar full of water and soda was great and free. Somebody must have spoken with Jen, because on our cruise she left things to the guides. The only time that difficulty ot the tour was mentioned was for Nagasaki. We opted to go on our own. They didn't seem to have knowledge or maps of the towns we were visiting. When we were in the first garden was when we found out that the silk mill had been taken of the itinerary. The spring group thought it was smelly and no shopping. We could have been told about this before sailing. Yes, it was really good to have a Doc on board. Think since she is Ocean going it's a maritime law. It is strange that Dr.Tom who was on your cruise (I think) thought the food was mediocre. We have been on almost 10 cruises and found the food very good, but not on a par with Oceania.

 

Thing that you're right on about picking the itinerary and the boat--not just saying "I'm going to Japan or Alaska".

 

We just returned from a river cruise on the Elbe River--Berlin to Prague. In Oct., we are going on a trip that has a week on the Perunian Amazon and aweek in the Area around Cuszo and Mauchu Pichu. Then in Jan a Panama Canal cruise with Oceania and in May a repositioning cruise with O from Rome to Stockholm. Then we'll take a beachhouse in Sandbridge Va. for a week for the whole family. Travel safely and enjoy. Glad you found some beads. Pat

[ScottnZelda]

Hi, again, Pat! Maybe the reason the Exploration Leaders on your sailing left much to the local guides, etc, is because they had not taken this itinerary before. I know yours was the first Fall sailing for Japan, ours being the second (and last). We had Jen, who was wonderful with the passengers, Andy Compton, who had helped set up the land portion of the trip, at least in the Kyoto area, so was very knowledgable, and "Bo" a Chinese-American woman living in remote northern Japan, who was our cultural expert and linguist. Between this group and the Japanese guides, I never felt that we were traveling without expertise. I guess that being "the first" on an itinerary may entail being part of working out some kinks. Thanks for breaking ground for us, Pat.

 

When we arrived at the village where the silk factory is located, Jen (who was on my bus) showed everyone where it was in case they wanted to visit it. She said that it was eliminated due to passenger feedback, but that we had the opportunity to go and skip the garden. (We opted for the garden, and it was a beauty....if I remember correctly, this is where we had the formal tea ceremony, too.) And I hit the Prefecture Arts and Crafts shop right by where the bus parked, which was great.

 

And, yes, I'm sure you're right about having a doctor on board. My surprise was that he came along fully equipped every day with us. Thank goodness I don't think anyone needed him except perhaps for a bandage for a blister or two. At least I didn't observe any other difficulty.

 

We enjoyed Dr Tom a lot. But I think he mentioned on this board that he really likes Regent cruises, and they are very deluxe with wonderful food. It's a different experience.

 

So you have many trips planned! How wonderful! I'm extremely impressed that you are going to Machu Pichu. Now THAT's what I'd call a strenuous trip! Enjoy all your adventiures and especially the family holiday.

[Louise22]

I have been reading all the posts with great interest and happy to hear the good posts on the Oceanus. I backed away from a trip on the ship before because of posts I had read about the food. It seems I shouldn't have been so concerned. Pat - do go to Machu Picchu. It is not strenuous at all. I was there in early May and stayed at the hotel right at the entrance - you can walk in and out when you wish with your day pass. The trip I did was with Lindblad and combined with the Galapagos. A truly wonderful trip and absolutely first class accomodations in Peru. Two hotels are listed on the internet for $700-800 a night. Food was fantastic also. There were 20 of us who continued on from the cruise and had two buses so only 10 on each bus (plus driver and guides) which was pretty amazing to me.

[Louise22]

Sorry Scottnzelda, I should have addressed you instead of Pat.

[nowornever]

Thanks, scottandzelda, for your reassuring words. 7 of us are on the 10/26 Sea of Japan & were beginning to get a bit worried after some very discouraging words posted here. While we're primarily going for the cultural experience & sights, I'd hate to think we're relegated to eating college cafeteria food. We're arriving in Kobe a day early & staying 2 extra nights in Tokyo. We're in a "premium" cabin which looks fine for us. I'll write down the names you mentioned & hope they'll be on our cruise. Maybe CW has gotten the hang of it by now & we won't be the ones they experiment on. Thanks again for your remarks.

[ScottnZelda]

Dear Louise,

No apology necessary. Pat is the one going to Machu Picchu, so you were correct to address your comments to her. And I'm happy to hear about your experience there. We haven't been, but I've heard warnings about the altitude. Glad to hear that these warnings may be overdone. Maybe we can put that back on our "to do list" now! How many days did you have at the hotel at the entrance? More than one?

 

The CW Japan trip used great hotels, too, including the famous Imperial in Tokyo. Hotel locations in Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo were all very central and great for independent exploring.

[Louise22]

Surprisingly, Cuszco is at a higher elevation than Machu Picchu. 11,150 versus 7,874. On my tour we landed in Cuszco, did a short downtown tour with lunch and then continued directly on to the Sacred Valley by bus. This was meant to lessen the affects of altitude. In the Sacred Valley we stayed two nights at the most beautiful Sol y Luna. Individual round accomodations with lovely interiors and porches to sit outside. Great food. From there we did several tours and then continued on to Machu Picchu and the hotel where we stayed one night. A whole day exploring was plenty. There was one person had altitude sickness at the Sol y Luna and none at Machu Picchu. However, when we returned to Cuszco there were several more people who felt badly. Everywhere we stayed, the local people are very conscious of the affects to tourists and have oxygen available. The guides are right on top of everything too.

[donmimi]

Many thanks, ScottnZelda, for your thorough and reassuring review of the Oceanus tour around Japan. We are booked on 10/26/07, and had become somewhat discouraged after reading some of the negative inputs on this board -- we too are young retireds who travel frequently, and we choose our trips based on itinerary, not cruise line or even price. Your review tells us that we have selected exactly the right trip to see Japan -- we are interested in experiencing as much as possible of the culture, the people and the landscape as possible on our trip.

 

We do have a couple of questions for the trip however -- we will be arriving into Japan a few days early to visit with our nephew who lives near Osaka. Our FF miles route us R/T to Narita and we are guessing that the best way to get from Narita to Kobe is to transfer by air. Does anyone have any inputs on this?

 

Also we have elected to do extend our post stay in Tokyo, extending our stay at the Imperial (Cruise West hotel). Is the location good or would it be worth researching another?

[ScottnZelda]

You are all lucky people to be going so soon to Japan. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

To nowornever, we really enjoyed being a group of two couples, and with 7 you'll have quite a party. Nice to share everyone's experiences. Againk about the food, since you asked....it's been many years since I ate in a college cafeteria, but I sure wouldn't make that comparison. (No "food fights" here!) One person in our party (who can judge this well) thought some of the pasta dishes were really superb. I mentioned prompt service earlier, but I should have also remarked that two of the waiters were loud, and the presentation to the table could have been more refined. This impacted the "total dining experience," but the food was pretty good. If you adjust your expectations and remember that you're there for the trip itself, not the ship/food, you'll have a great time. And the meals ashore were truly memorable, prompting me to plant some of the exotic vegetables in my tiny garden.

 

To Donmimi,

We flew JFK-Narita on the JAL nonstop (you can use AA miles for this, though we bought the 2 for 1 Biz class tickets from Amex Platinum Card).

You can fly from Osaka to Tokyo, but be sure you go back to Narita or you will have to change airports in Tokyo (domestiic to international). Also note that Osaka has both domestic and international airports. I believe the international airport in Osaka is symbol KIX. We did the Kyoto/Nara extension and then added even one more extra day in Kyoto(a wonderful city!) And CW provided the airport transfers to Osaka for us. (This is about an hour or so drive and otherwise quite costly.) A few passengers interested in trains took that mode from Kyoto/Osaka to Tokyo, but then you have the hassle of getting to Narita. I'd recommend flying. If you sit on the left of the aircraft, you should get a great view of Mt Fuji.

 

And look no further than the Imperial hotel. We went to Tokyo a day early, too. It's a short walk to the Ginza, and is really well located.

You can join the Imperial Hotel's frequent guest program (for free) and this gets you certain bennies there, too, which vary seasonallly. I think we had a discount on food, upgraded room to the Imperial Floor, etc. It's a bit of a hassle to do, as I don't think you can join online, but . . .

CW includes full buffet breakfasts at all the hotels, but try to have your other meals outside the hotel, as the many restaurants in this large hotel have prices that are breathtaking. (Welcome to Japan) And the charming female concierges can recommend other restos close by.

 

When you board the bus to take you to the Bullet Train on the last day in Tokyo, try to sit on the left. You'll see why:-)

[ScottnZelda]

Oops: Donmimi, I think my answer to your question reversed your itinerary. But you can fly from Narita to Osaka. Just ask which your nephew which Osaka airport you should use. Try to get a flight from Narita so you don't have to change airports in Tokyo. And then sit on the right side of the plane to see Mt. Fuji. (Though likely it will be nightime then, I think.)

[reggieny]

Thanks ScottNZelda for your honest assessment of the CW. My husband, my mother and I are on the October 16th Cruise. The "negative" posts were a little scary but never swayed us not to take the trip.

 

We are going for the experience of Japan. As my Mom said, if she wanted to cruise with fine food, she would take a Regent cruise (which she absolutely adores).

 

Thanks again.

 

Reggie

NYC

[ScottnZelda]

CW will send you a suggested list of books to read in your documentation package. I had already selected a number of subjects/books well in advance, including some on Japanese gardens (worthwhile); Japanese art prints (not as relevant, but interesting to me), Memoirs of a Geisha (film or book, of course.)

 

But the two that my husband and I especially liked were:

My fave: Different People by Donald Richie (who also wrote The Inland Sea, which is good, but Different People was better IMHO.) Different People is out of print, but you might find a used copy at Amazon or

Half.com. It's worth a search. I also enjoyed A Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata. (Nobel Prize winner.)

Hubby bought Enola Gay by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts after returning from Japan, and really loved it. He wished he had read it before the trip.

CW will keep you so busy on the trip, I would not expect too much reading time there, so you may want to read some books before leaving.

I just finished booking a segment of the Regent World Cruise on Voyager (Singapore to Mumbai), so I'll finally fulfill my dream of seeing the Taj. (With a lot of other exotic ports, too.) An expensive trip, and no shore excursions included....it will get pricey!

[pacmom]

A random thought just passed through, as they are wont to do. I seem to remember a conversation at the end of our Japan cruise last Oct. In it I was told that both Jen and Andy would be joining the home office in Jan of theis year. Maybe someone who went in the spring can let us know. Pat

[ScottnZelda]

Dear Pat,

Jen left the Oceanus at the end of our tour, and Andy is in the home office. I don't know about "Bo."

For anyone who is interested, the Exploration Leader biographies are on the CW website, though they are not linked to any particular cruise. Reading the bios will give you an idea of the type of person they hire for this, though.

Jen's photo is still at the top of this section of the website in case you want to have a nice memory.

[ScottnZelda]

That's the spirit! You were right to go with your first instinct.

[sanne]

We did this cruise/tour March this year and it was a fantastic trip. More than bettered our expectation.Well organised, good food, great ambience on the ship, friendly interesting passengers, and a wonderful itinerary. We would cruise again on the SOO if the itinerary interested us.

[Fragam]

We are on this Cruise - anyone else signed up for it ? We will be taking the front end extension (Kyoto) -Does anyone know what is involved in transferring from the Dock to the Bullet train if you don't take the rear end extension and do Tokyo on your own ?

[donmimi]

We noticed that at least 7 of you on this thread are going to be on the Oct 26th sailing to Japan -- we are a young retired couple looking forward to this trip as well. We will be spending our first three days in Kobe/Osaka visiting with our nephew and his family and then joining the cruise itinerary in Kobe the night before embarcation. We did a couple of things that might be helpful -- we ordered Japanese Yen from Bank of America to bring with us because of the difficulty in finding ATMs that will work with our American system, we are renting a Japanese phone from Verizon for $4.00 a day to keep in touch with the home front and have ordered two of the "NOrth American Style Adaptor plugs #tem EA351A from the Magellan's catalog for our pre and post stays in the Japanese hotels for our rechargeable batteries IPODs etc.

 

The biggest question now is what kind of clothes to bring. . .as far as we can tell Japan is also experiencing the heat wave that we on the East Coast are

 

Looking forward to meeting you all on board.

 

Don & Mimi Anderson

donmimi@optonline.net

[nowornever]

We will look forward to meeting you. Our group of 7 will be spending the pre-night in Osaka & then 2 post nights at the Imperial. We are from the Seattle area, 2 are from Charlotte, 2 from Walnut Creek & 1 from New Orleans. We're all very excited & share your thoughts on packing. Have you checked out www.wunderground.com? Go to the "trip planner" tab. We're all counting on the "very casual" part, also. Maybe the weather picture will be clearer as we get closer, otherwise it's a bit of this & a bit of that. Counting down now.............. cheers, Bonnie & Lynden, Redmond, WA