Day 72 - Tuesday March 26, 2024, Shimizu, Japan Arrival: 07:00 All Aboard: 15:30 Departure: 16:00 The rain that started Sunday evening through Monday continued as we sailed into Shimizu. The Oceania Currents from the previous night had a picture of Mount Fuji with the cherry blossoms. Two strikes - (1) too rainy to see Mt. Fuji and (2) no cherry blossoms yet. Janice had booked a tour by locals for the day and our friends, Jean and Pete decided to join us. ...

Days 70-71 Sunday and Monday, March 24-25, 2025, Tokyo, Japan Arrival: 08:00 Overnight Departure: 19:00 I have titled this blog - "Trains, Subways and Walking (lots of it)." Janice had booked a 1 ½ day tour with Viator. The tour used trains and subways to get around Japan. Welcome to Tokyo. It's the largest city in the world with a population of 37.4 million people. We expect it to be busy and crowded. Our guide, Yasuhiro Suzuki meets us a...

Day 64 - Monday March 18, 2024, Ilocos (Salomague), Philippines Arrival: 10:00 All Aboard: 18:30 Departure: 19:00 The ocean is like glass as we make our way to our second and final stop in the Philippines. There is not a breath of wind to speak of. Wow what a welcoming! This port gets very few cruise ships, we were just the fourth this year, so the locals were very excited. First the tugboat adorned with flags greets us with its water cannon streaming water...

Day 63 - Sunday, March 17,2024, Manila, Philippines Arrival: 07:00 All Aboard: 16:30 Departure: 17:00 Happy St. Patrick's Day The port of Manila is the major port for the Philippines and home to the Philippines Coast Guard. Many container ships can be seen anchored outside the port. As we dock two tugboats maneuver the ship into its berth. Across the Cunard Queen Victoria (capacity 2,000 passengers) is docked. A welcome band greeted us. Has anyone heard ...

Day 68 - Friday March 22, 2024, Kagoshima Japan Arrival: 09:00 All Aboard: 17:30 Departure: 18:00 Welcome to the Land of the Rising Sun. Hello - Konnichiwa This is our first-time visiting Japan, and we are very excited! I was able to shoot the sun rising in the east early this morning which was neat. Today is also World Water Day, a UN event that ripples across the world, reminding us of the importance of this resource. Everyone needs water to survive and...