SE Asia and China Cruise—Disembarkation

March 30-31, 2012—Beijing

I didn’t sleep well and got up before the alarm went off at 4:00am.  I got ready quickly, finished packing, told my parents I would meet them back in the cabin by 6:15 and headed down to the Lobby Bar for one last cappuccino and one last farewell.

We had arrived in Tianjin (the closest port to Beijing) at 4:00am in the morning, and the crew was already hard at work unloading all the luggage and preparing for disembarking the current passengers, turning the cabins, loading the new luggage, and embarking the next group of passengers.  Turnaround days are always extremely busy for those who work on board and the dining room and buffet opens early to accommodate early breakfasts for those disembarking the ship early in the morning.

Ronald had opened the Lobby Bar by 5:00am, and as soon as I got there had my cappuccino ready for me.  He wasn’t busy yet, so we did a have a little bit of time to talk.  A few of the ship’s officers stopped by for coffee (“to go” since it was a busy day for them), and those that I had run into throughout the cruise said they hoped I had enjoyed myself and wished me a safe trip home.  I’m always amazed at how so many of the ship’s crew, staff, and officers remember my name considering there are over 2,000 passengers on board every couple of weeks!

Over that past few cruises, I had learned a few rudimentary words in Tagalog—I knew how to say good morning, thank you, how are you, and a few others.  This cruise I learned paalam—good-bye, and it was time to say paalam.

Finishing my cappuccino, I told Ronald it was time for me to leave.  He came around out of the bar, gave me a hug, and told me to email him.  I told him I would, then with one last hug and a sad good-bye, I turned and left the Lobby Bar.

My parents and I gathered our carry-on bags and headed for our disembarkation gathering point.  When our color number, Navy 1, was announced, we headed for the gangway, and left the Diamond Princess.  She’s a beautiful ship and hopefully, I’ll have the chance to cruise on board her again. 

Although the cruise was over, the vacation was not, so once we cleared Chinese customs, we found our bus and headed for Beijing—a 2-hour drive away. 

Our tour guide introduced himself saying he had given himself a western name of “Henry” to make it easier for us and spelling it for us so we’d know he was “Henry” (why he picked that name I have no idea since he couldn’t quite say it correctly and it sounded like he said Harry).  During the 2-hour drive, he provided quite a lot of information about China and Beijing, but many of us hadn’t had much sleep and I think most people dozed off—I know I did.

Our first stop was Tiananmen Square.  Wow—what a huge place this was and it was incredible to see it.  We were told that we were lucky that there weren’t many people there and it really wasn’t crowded at all.

Tiananmen Square

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enjoy it that much since it was so cold, and the wind was blowing pretty hard so the wind chill had to be pretty high.  The tour guide kept us together and while what he had to say was interesting, it wasn’t worth standing around in the cold wind.  As soon as he was done talking, everyone rushed back to get on the bus.  We had gone from high summertime temperatures to very cold, winter-like temps in just 2 weeks.

We then went to the Temple of Heaven.  This was a really beautiful temple and I would recommend anyone going to Beijing to see it.

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

It would have been much nicer in better weather, or if the tour guide had just let us explore it instead of stopping and providing all the commentary.  As it was, we were pretty rushed walking through and trying to snap pictures along the way, then standing for 10 minutes while he talked, then along again.  I’ve found that most of the excursions we’ve been on have been guided tours with no free time at all.  While it does provide a lot of information, and the security of having someone deal with the transportation, entry tickets, language, etc., is definitely worth going on the excursions, it would be nice if they could provide a map, some handouts, and some time to explore the different stops, then meet back on the bus.  But I guess that would cause issues with some people not making it back (as we were to find out later that afternoon).

We had lunch in a hotel with tables of 10, but was served a “typical” Chinese lunch family style.  Since there were so many choices, we were able to pass the plates around and only take what we wanted.  I tried a little of everything served and I thought it was all pretty good, although I’m not entirely sure what I ate other than the easily recognizable sweet and sour, and veggies such as bok choy. 

After lunch, we headed to the Forbidden City.  Our guide said we would enter through the south gate, then make our way to the north gate where our bus would meet us.  My parents decided to forego getting off the bus—by this time, the combined cold and wind had gotten to them—so I headed off the bus without them.  The Forbidden City was huge and I didn’t realize how big until we had gotten all the way through.  It is set up in a series of courtyards and each time we entered one, I thought it was the last one, until going through more arched tunnel-like doors and there was another courtyard with more buildings.

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Our guide stopped in each one to explain what the different buildings in the courtyards were as well as provide information on the lives of the emperors, the empresses, and the concubines.  He said that everyone thinks the concubines were always the prettiest girls in all of China since they were concubines to the emperor, but that wasn’t always the case since the person who selects the concubines isn’t the emperor, but the empress (imagine having the wife select the girlfriends for her husband and you get an idea of how pretty they were).  There is also a rank structure among the concubines with everyone entering at a very low rank with the quickest way to increase rank is first to attract the emperor, then to provide a male son. 

I would definitely recommend anyone visiting Beijing put the Forbidden City on their list of must-see places.  The only drawback is that after a while, the pictures of the various buildings in each of the courtyards will start to look alike, but they are incredibly beautiful with intricate details. 

Our last stop was for a tea ceremony.  The last, obligatory visit to a place where we are encourage to buy something—this time tea.  The tea ceremony wasn’t really a tea ceremony (like you would see in Japan), but more of a tea-tasting, where the salesperson made various teas, explained the differences, and poured everyone a little taste.  Of course everything we tasted was available for sale as well as the different tea pots and accessories for making the tea.  Even though I like tea and enjoyed the tasting, I didn’t buy anything at all.

Finally, we arrived at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel where we were booked.  Princess had booked this hotel for all those passengers who were staying one night and leaving on flights the next day.  Their standard process for passengers flying out the next day is to have all the luggage that had been left outside our cabin the night before taken straight to the airport and held there, so all we had was our carry-ons.  Our rooms had all been pre-assigned, and the Princess Cruise hospitality desk set up at the hotel had all our keys ready to hand out when we arrived.  The hotel had plenty of staff there to greet all of us handing out the signature Doubletree cookies and complementary coke or sprite.  It was all very well handled which was impressive considering that five busses of between 30-50 people each all arrived at the same time (but then Princess, like most cruise lines, are very good at handling a large group of people considering they can disembark 3,000 people along with their luggage and embark the same amount with their luggage all within a matter of hours, so a couple of hundred with only carry-on luggage would be easy). 

Since we were all very tired by this time and it was after 5:00, we just went to the hotel restaurant and had their buffet.  Even though we didn’t have to check out of the hotel until 1:00 and didn’t have anything planned, we went back to our rooms early.  I was in bed and asleep by 8:30 (the earliest night in a very long time). 

March 31, 2012—Headed Home

We started the long trek home, first by bus to the airport, then flying out of Beijing, changing planes in Hong Kong, and arriving in San Francisco where we stayed overnight.  The next day, my parents drove back to Sacramento and I flew home to Las Vegas.

The cruise and the vacation had ended.  I had once again made friends with so many people on board, both passengers and crew—some were friends only for the duration of the cruise, some I would meet again by chance on another cruise, and a few would become long-time friends.  The question cruisers tend to ask each other is “Where are you going next?”  I don’t have a future cruise booked (yet), but I know that over the next few months, I’ll be searching, and that I’ll embark once again for my next sea vacation. 

Until then, it was time to get back to reality, and back to work—no matter how jet lagged I felt.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 16

March 29, 2012—At Sea

The last sea day and the last day of the cruise—both one of my favorites (being at sea), and one of my least favorites (the last day before disembarkation). 

As usual, I went to the Lobby Bar for my morning cappuccino.  Ronald, Jeofrey, and Pong were working, said good morning and asked me how I was.  I told them I was sad because it was the last day.  They told me I should stay on again, and I told them unfortunately I couldn’t since I needed to get back to work.  Jeofrey said it is not the last day since I would be back.  While I was drinking my cappuccino, Ronald started singing to me—he sang good-bye lyrics from, Leaving on a Jet Plane and It’s Sad to Say Good-bye, and other farewell songs.  I told him to stop or he’ll make me cry and he said, me too, but I don’t want to cry. 

I then went back to the cabin to meet my parents for breakfast.  We went to Sabatini’s one last time, and I said farewell to Tudor, the headwaiter who was so good to us throughout the cruise. 

After breakfast, it was time to start packing.  After getting most of the packing done, we all went to Deck 14 Forward—we were scheduled for a bridge tour at 11:30, and needed to meet our security escort.  Paolo had added us to the list for a bridge tour and we had received an invitation from the captain the day before.  Unfortunately, when we got there, we were told that the bridge tour was rescheduled for 4:30 that afternoon.  I assumed it was due to the fog since the ship’s horn had been going off most of the night (although we couldn’t hear it in our cabin). 

Since the tour was postponed, my parents decided to get lunch in the buffet and I got pizza and joined them—the last Princess pizza I would have for a while.  After lunch, I picked up the “You Made a Difference Cards” and my stationery, and found a quiet place to fill them out.  After filling out the cards, I wrote individual thank you notes to each of the crewmembers on board who had helped to make my cruise so enjoyable and included an appropriate tip.  I wrote longer notes to those who I now consider friends and as always, I would miss seeing them every day, but would keep in contact with a few either through emails, or Facebook.  I always spend a few hours the last day filling out the cards and writing thank you notes.  With all the work the crew puts in, I feel it’s the least that I can do to show my appreciation.

Then it was time to finish packing and get dressed for dinner—since the bridge tour was rescheduled for 4:30pm, we knew we would be going straight to dinner afterwards.  Once we were ready, we headed for Deck 14 Forward once again. 

We met the security officer along with a few other people who had also been invited by the captain for a tour of the bridge, and we all followed as the security officer led us forward to the bridge.  My parents were amazed when they first entered the bridge and saw the incredible view.

Bridge wrap-around windows

View from the bridge

I had been on the bridge of the Sapphire and Diamond several times and never will get tired of seeing it, but I know that the first time is really impressive.  Captain Bob Oliver greeted us and gave pretty much the same speech he had delivered to the folks on the Ultimate Ships Tour.  He then turned over the group to Martin, the third officer, who then provided the tour and briefing that he had provided on the Ultimate Ships Tour.  

Martin, the third officer providing the bridge briefing

Martin, the third officer, explaining the control panel

Since I had heard this all before (both on the Sapphire and the Diamond) and was already familiar with the bridge’s operations and instrumentation, I simply spent time taking a few pictures.  Cameras are not allowed during the Ultimate Ships Tour, and when I had met with Paolo previously on the bridge, I didn’t carry my camera, but our invitation to this tour stated that we could take pictures, so this was my first opportunity to do so.

Diamond Princess Bridge

Taken from the bridge wing

Bridge wing control panel

Paolo was on duty on the bridge, so of course we couldn’t talk to him, but he did wave to my parents and I, and later, when the tour was over, I was able to talk with him a couple of minutes and say goodbye—this would possibly be the last time I would see him.  We did say we would stay in contact though emails.  We then left the bridge and went down to dinner.

David showed us to our table and Jerry, of course, was there to wait on us.  Since I had missed the escargot on the night it was offered (on one of the nights we didn’t go to the Pacific Moon Dining Room), Jerry said he had the kitchen prepare it for me.  My dad said that if I was going to eat snails, I really should eat it someplace else so he wouldn’t have to watch (he was joking of course…at least I think he was joking). 

The escargot was wonderful!  My mother had the Pacific Moon specialty which was Chinese fried noodles with scallops and shrimp, my dad had the turkey and had asked for mashed potatoes instead of the fruit stuffing and sweet potatoes, and I had fettuccini alfredo—a Princess specialty.  We all enjoyed our last dinner on board the Diamond Princess.  It was sad to say good-bye to Jerry (our waiter), Rhandy (our assistant waiter who had just started his contract and had joined the ship in Hong Kong), and of course David, the headwaiter who was so helpful in keeping our table reserved for us and patient with us whenever we made a change to the time or cancelled.  I would miss the fact that I could simply show up and have a wonderful dinner (and not have to worry about cooking—or in my case microwaving anything), but most of all, I would miss the outstanding service and warm, friendly, welcoming smiles from both David and Jerry.  I know that my parents really appreciated the way Jerry treated them and how he joked with my mother every night, calling her “kap-ee-tan!”  As we left the dining room for the last time, Jerry, Rhandy, and David lined up and they all saluted my mom as she and my dad walked passed.  We would all miss them and can only hope we would one day see them again on another cruise.

Afterwards, my parents went to the casino to use up the credits my mother still had on her cruise card.  Whenever you win or cash out in the casino, the amount gets transferred to your cruise card and is saved in the form of a casino bank (separate from your on-board account).  You can then pull from that casino account when you play the next time.  My mother had been drawing and adding from her cruise card throughout the cruise and tonight she would either have to use it all, or cash it out at the casino cashier.  If you forget to cash it out, you lose it since it is separate from your on board credits/charges and does not get transferred (the casino is run by Ocean Players Club which is a separate company from Princess and operates on several of the cruise lines).  Although they make frequent announcements about cashing out and there are notices all over the casino, I wonder how much they make from folks who forget to cash out.

I made my “rounds” saying good-bye to some of the special crewmembers and passengers I had met.  Michael and Jutta and I had an after dinner drink together—Michael would be disembarking with his passengers and flying with them back to Switzerland, and Jutta would remain on-board to greet the next group of passengers scheduled for the Beijing to Singapore run.  Jutta said she had found me on Facebook and sent me a friend request, so we’ll be able to keep in contact.  We all said good-bye when they left.  I also said good-bye to Kelvin, the cruise director.  I didn’t see Matt (the assistant cruise director), so I wasn’t able to say good-bye to him, but asked Kelvin to tell him for me.  Lulu, from the casino stopped by to say good-bye and we hugged and I wished her well; she said she hoped to see me again, and I said I did too.

I would miss all of my bartenders and bar stewards and it was hard saying good-bye to them:  Vyron (from the Philippines), Pong (Casino bar steward from Thailand), Richard (Casino bar steward from India), Miralyn (bar steward from the Philippines), Angelo (from India), Mega (bar steward from Indonesia who had worked during the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Wheelhouse Lounge and always said hello and remembered my name whenever I ran into her somewhere on the ship), and Enrico (from Mexico, he was a bartender in Calypso bar.  There were a couple of others that I said good-bye to, but hadn’t gotten to know them quite as well. 

There were three that I would miss most of all:

Jeofrey (he was from India and we had friends in common—bar stewards from India that I had met on board the Sapphire).  He and I became friends very quickly—his is engaged to be married and I wished him all the best. 

Ronald, who is from the Philippines, worked in the Lobby Bar in the early mornings from 6:00-9:00 am, and in the late afternoon starting at either 1:00 or 2:00pm.  I saw a lot of Ronald when I had my morning and afternoon cappuccinos in the Lobby Bar.  Ronald came into the lounge that night and since it wasn’t too busy, we were able to talk a little.  He couldn’t stay of course, but he gave me a quick hug and asked when I was going out the next day.  I told him I was leaving at 6:30 in the morning, and he said he was opening the Lobby Bar at 5:00am and asked me to promise I would be there for my last cappuccino.  So even though the next morning would be busy, I agreed—postponing my final farewell to him (I would miss Ronald most of all).

Richard, my bartender (not to be confused with Richard the bar steward in the Casino).  He was the only bartender willing to make me an Island Swizzler (the drink that Devinish had created for me on board the Sapphire).  I spent many hours talking with Richard and listening to him tell me about his wife, his job, and his home.  When I said good-bye to him, he thanked me for listening to him—he said, he doesn’t normally talk about his life with a passenger, but he said he felt as though he could talk to me and trust me and that I cared about the crew and understood.  He walked me to the elevator, we gave each other big hug, and I said good-bye to him as the elevator doors closed.

It was almost midnight, and my clock was set to go off at 4:00am—but I knew I could always sleep on the long bus ride into Beijing the next day.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 15, Busan

March 28, 2012—Busan

I woke up and left the cabin before my parents were up—seems my body clock has definitely reset and I’m back to my old habits of waking up well before 6:00am no matter what time I go to sleep.  While having my morning cappuccino in the Lobby Bar, I tried to connect to the internet with no luck, so I headed back to the cabin to see if my parents were up.

We had docked in Busan, Korea by 7:00.  We were berthed once again in the container dock and to get to town required a 20-30 minute shuttle ride.  We were scheduled to leave by 2:00pm with an all-aboard time of 1:30pm, so this was a short port call.  The last shuttle back to the ship was leaving town at 12:30.  My parents decided to go ahead and ride the shuttle into town and then ride it right back again just to see Korea from the bus.  I decided to just stay on board.  I did get off the ship and took a couple of pictures from the dock. 

I also saw Paolo and talked to him for a few minutes.  Otherwise, I just spent some time reading and relaxing, and talking to some folks who also elected to stay on board.

My parents were back by around 11:00 or so, and we had lunch on the Lido Deck in Horizon Court. 

As the ship prepared to leave, my Dad and I stood on the Promenade Deck, then went to the cabin and watched the sailaway show being performed on the dock from our balcony.  The Busan Tourism Agency put on a show of traditional Korean dances and music on the dock as a farewell to the Diamond.  Unlike the one in Nagasaki, there weren’t any of the citizens from town, and the passengers were not all standing on their balconies or against the railings like they were for the Nagasaki show.  They missed out since it was a good show and very nice to watch. 

Unfortunately, some of the passengers stood around the dock watching the show instead of getting on board by the all-aboard time, and I watched as the ship’s security people had to go and tell them to get aboard.  The last woman was making a purchase from the souvenir vendor on the dock, and I could see the security guy indicating over and over that she needed to get on board and finally she completed her purchase and the gangway was pulled up immediately upon her boarding the ship.  Why in the world some people think the ship should adjust its schedule for them, I’ll never understand. 

The show ended with the entertainers holding up letters which spelled out “See you again” and the ship sounded its horn and pulled away from the dock.  We were headed out to sea once again after leaving our last port of call.

Tonight was the last formal night and after getting ready, we headed down to the Pacific Moon Dining Room.  David and Jerry welcomed us back and Jerry said it was good to see us after two days of not coming there.  My mother and I had the asparagus appetizer and my dad had a salad, then we all had the lobster tail and grilled shrimp for the main course.  I decided not to have dessert, but my dad told Jerry that I would have the strawberry sundae and he ordered the banana ice cream—he actually planned to eat both, but didn’t want to order two desserts!

After dinner, I attended the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party in the atrium.  I actually sat in the Lobby Bar, so while I couldn’t actually watch the farewell speeches, I could hear them.  I met a couple that was sitting next to me that had been recognized at the Captain’s Welcome Reception earlier in the cruise as the most travelled couple.  Karen and Jim had been on over 50 Princess cruises!  The captain then came over and talked with them, and then looked at me, said my name, and commented that it was “A pleasure to see you again.”  (I would assume that he recognized me from the Ultimate Ship’s Tour.)  We chatted for a few minutes, then he left.  Karen and Jim and I talked for a while comparing cruises.  Although they had been on over 50 Princess cruises, they urged me to try P&O Cruise Line which they say they like better than Princess—not sure how many cruises they’ve done all together, but it must really be a lot!!

Ended up the evening in the lounge as usual, and finally went back to the cabin by a little before 11:00—since we would be turning the clock back an hour, it was really just after 10:00pm when I fell asleep, so a fairly early night. 

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 14, Nagasaki

March 27, 2012—Nagasaki

Nagasaki—this is the one port that I really wanted to see on this cruise.  I was looking forward to being in Japan again, shopping, and (of course) having lunch.  Some of the other reasons I was looking forward to seeing Nagasaki was that I was born on the island of Kyushu, just about an hour’s train ride from Nagasaki, although I certainly don’t remember it since I left when I was only a few weeks old.  This was also the “birthplace” of both the Diamond and Sapphire Princess; both ships were built by Mitsubishi Industries in Nagasaki—the only two Princess ships built in Japan.

Immigration in Japan was much more complicated than any other place and it took us almost an hour to disembark and clear customs.  We had previously filled out and provided the immigration forms a couple of days ago, and the ship provided our landing cards to us the night before.  When disembarking, we were required to provide our cruise card, a copy of our passports, and our landing cards to the Japanese immigration.  While in the long line waiting to go through customs, there was a thermal imaging camera that apparently was surveying the passenger’s temperature, presumably to make sure we weren’t sick.  Then we had to provide fingerprints, and have our picture taken which used facial recognition.  Over 2,600 passengers (along with about half of the 1,100 crew that were allowed to disembark) were all trying to clear customs, so the lines and wait time were the worse I’ve ever seen.  Still, once we were through, we were in the heart of Nagasaki, Unlike in other ports where we had to dock at the container port, Nagasaki’s port was deep enough to allow the Diamond to dock in town. 

The weather was sunny and clear with no wind, so while it was a little cool early in the morning, the day quickly warmed up.  We left the terminal and crossed the street walking up hill a couple of blocks to Oura Church and Glover Garden.

Oura Church

My parents and I really wanted to see Glover Garden after having seen Madame Butterfly.  This was presumably the site where Puccini’s opera took place, and where Cho-cho-san (Madame Butterfly) lived and waited for her American naval officer to return.  The real Thomas Glover was from Scotland and came to Japan in 1859.  He established a company in Nagasaki, and made enormous contributions to the modernization of Japan.

The house and garden overlooked the harbor and we had a clear view of the Diamond Princess at her berth.  

We enjoyed walking through the gardens which were very beautiful.

After leaving Glover Garden, we wandered around finding a temple off on a side street.



Afterwards, we took the streetcar to the shopping district where we had lunch and did a little shopping.  It was really nice having a real Japanese lunch (as opposed to the “Americanized” Japanese food we normally get at home).  I did buy a few things even though Japan is much more expensive than any of the other ports we’d been to.

After shopping, we took the streetcar back to the port and walked around some more before finally boarding the ship.  This was one of the few times that I really wasn’t anxious to get back on board—someday I’d like to come back to Nagasaki when I could spend more time exploring the city and the port.

The all-aboard time was 5:30 with sailaway scheduled for 6:00 pm.  The city of Nagasaki and it’s people feel a special kinship with the Diamond Princess since she was built here and when it was time for her to leave, the city always gives her a special send-off.  My parents and I stood out on our balcony and watched as a high school band played music.  There were crowds of people lined up along the railing at the port.  Each time the band finished playing a song, the passengers on balconies and on the Promenade and Lido Decks clapped and cheered for the student band.

When we had arrived that morning, there was a large banner which said “Welcome Back Diamond Princess.”  When we were leaving, another large banner was displayed next to it which said “See you again in Nagasaki.” 

As the last song ended, the Diamond Princess sounded her horn several times, then pulled away from the dock.  The crowd on land all started waving, and the passengers on board all waved back.  This was the most touching display during a sailaway I had ever seen. 

Later, while talking with some of the crew on board, I was told that Nagasaki feels as though the Diamond was their ship since she was built there.  Paolo had told me that the engineers from the Mitsubishi plant always want to come on board just to see her again.  The people in Nagasaki really seemed to feel a special kinship with the Diamond and their warm welcome and wonderful send-off was heartwarming, and even brought a sense of sadness that we were leaving.  The Diamond would be back again on the next run, but we unfortunately, would not be on board her and watched as the ship turned and headed out of the harbor as the sun slowly sank in the distance.

That night we had dinner at Sabatini’s.  Both my mother and I had the calamari, my absolute favorite appetizer!  I also had the linguini with clams, and the veal.  My parents had the lobster three ways, which included a lobster tail, lobster risotto, and lobster bisque sauce.  While I enjoyed every bite, my parents definitely preferred the lunch in Nagasaki to the more gourmet-type food on board the ship. 

After dinner, I met Jutta again and we talked for a while.  I left around 11:30pm and went to the casino where I lost $20 before heading back to the cabin.  We only had two more days on board and I was already starting to hate the thought of leaving on disembarkation day.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 13 (At Sea)

March 26, 2012—At Sea

We woke up to a bright sunny day and smooth seas with just a touch of white caps.  We had only had one day where I could feel the ship moving and even then it wasn’t rocking very much.  So far, the entire cruise had been very smooth which I know my parents appreciated, especially my mom.

I settled into my usual morning routine of having cappuccino in the Lobby Bar while checking emails and Facebook.  It really was nice to be able to connect to the internet without having to worry about using up minutes.  But by tonight, we would not have internet connectivity.  We had been told that as we entered Japanese waters, the internet would be shut off until we left (from approximately 10:00pm tonight until early Wednesday morning). 

I spent the morning chatting with several of the folks on board including Al, the comedian, who said I should attend his show that night since it was not a repeat of the last show he gave. 

At one point, I had returned to the cabin to find an invitation to dine in Sabatini’s the next night.  I saw my mother in the casino and let her know.  I also played for a little while, but lost.

After a light lunch of finger sandwiches in the Lobby Bar, I met the tour group for the Ultimate Ships Tour which I had signed up for once again.  I had done this tour on my first Sapphire Princess cruise in April of last year and even though the Diamond Princess was a twin of the Sapphire, I wanted to go on this tour again.  I like hearing about ship’s operations and knew that I would enjoy hearing about the ship and touring the behind-the-scenes areas.

There were eight passengers signed up and strangely enough, they were named, Donna, John, Donna, John, John, John, Rick, and Kim—four Johns and two Donnas.  We started off on the tour in the Princess Theater accompanied by the assistant cruise director, a photographer, and a member of the security staff.

The next stop was the Mooring Room where Paolo met the group.  We talked a few minutes before the rest of the group gathered, then he gave almost the same briefing as he had on the Sapphire.  Afterwards, he told me that he thought he had not said anything that I didn’t already know.  But after the short briefing, one of the passengers asked about the tensile strength of the mooring ropes and why they were not steel cables, and he explained the reasons—so I did learn some things.  Another passenger asked about our approach into Shanghai the day before and said he thought we had been going very fast.  Paolo tried to explain that the ship had actually been going only around 13 knots which wasn’t all that fast, but that the current increased the speed although the engine rpm’s were set low (similar to ground speed versus airspeed I assumed).  He also explained that if the ship slows down too much, she settles deeper into the waters than when she is moving.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the passenger understood at all, although it all made perfect sense to me.  As we left, Paolo said he would see me on the bridge.

We then visited the medical center, the galley, the engine control room, the laundry, and the print shop.  The tour ended on the bridge where we were welcomed by the captain, Bob Oliver.  He then turned us over to the third officer who briefed the systems on the bridge and explained how the various systems worked.  Paolo had joined us by then and stood off to the side.  The passenger who had asked about the ship’s approach speed spoke to the third officer saying that they were told by someone that if the ship slows too much, she settles lower in the water and asked the third officer “what’s that all about” in a tone that conveyed he thought the person who told him that had no clue what he was talking about.  Paolo then spoke up saying, “that was me who told you that and that it was based upon mathematics and the Bernoulli formula and that perhaps if he (the passenger) wished to know more, he could look up the Bernoulli principle on the internet as it is complicated.”  Then the captain came back on the bridge and the other passengers went to speak with him again.  I walked over to Paolo and said, really, Paolo, do you think passengers will read about Bernoulli’s principle of fluid dynamics—to which he replied, you did (of course, I’m probably not the typical passenger).  Paolo and I talked for another 20 minutes, but since all the other passengers had left the bridge, I said goodbye and headed back to my cabin.

It was after 5:00 pm and we had dinner reservations at 5:30.  When I got there, my parents said they didn’t feel like going to the dining room and that there wasn’t anything on the menu that looked good.  I had seen the menu as we toured the galley and some of the items were escargot and frogs legs—definitely not the usual fare.  Since the tour had gone much longer than advertised and I really didn’t have much time to get ready, I said that I would just cancel the reservation and also let David, the headwaiter, and Jerry, our waiter know that we would not be there the next night either since we would be having dinner in Sabatini’s. 

My parents went up to the buffet for dinner, and I had pizza up on the Lido Deck.  Tomorrow we would be in Nagasaki and I was really looking forward to this port.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 12 (Shanghai)

March 25, 2012—Shanghai

We had booked another 9-hour tour in Shanghai, but since my Dad had been sick, and after experiencing the previous 9-hour excursions we had done in both Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, we were not looking forward to such a long excursion.  So we cancelled the excursion and decided to just stay on the ship.  With the issues I had experienced with the Chinese visa (that’s a whole other story in itself), I was a little relieved that I wasn’t getting off in this port.

The ship was late docking in Shanghai and the captain had announced that it was due to congestion in the harbor.  We ended up being an hour late docking, so all the excursions were delayed.  The captain did announce that due to the late arrival, the ship would extend its stay in Shanghai by an hour, so the all-aboard time was pushed back.

Docked in Shanghai

For me, it was a treat to be able to stay on the ship when most of the other passengers are off; we had the run of the ship with very few passengers around.  I took advantage of that and managed to get a few pictures without the usual passengers.

Diamond Princess Lido Deck Outside Pool

Diamond Princess Lido Deck Inside Pool

Diamond Princess

Diamond Princess at the port of Shanghai

Diamond Princess in Shanghai (view from the stern)

I decided to check out the spa since I had never been there, and I knew that with most of the passengers off on excursions and sightseeing trips, there would be plenty of appointments available.  I spent several hours in the spa being pampered.  I had my eyebrows done, a new manicure, and even got a massage!  I took advantage of the 20-20-20 special they were running:  20 minute back and neck massage with hot stones, 20 minute foot and ankle massage, and a 20 minute facial.  This was my first massage ever and boy did it feel good!  I definitely need to do this again—especially the massage with the hot stones.  By the time I left the spa, it was after 2:00.

My parents had spent a relaxing day reading and playing on the computer.  They had gone to lunch in the buffet and said they were the only passengers there.

After my spa day, I went to the Lobby Bar for my afternoon cappuccino and spent time talking with Ronald.  He hadn’t gone out in Shanghai.  A few of the crew did go out, but Ronald said he caught up with some much-needed sleep.  The crew work so many long hours and the split shifts doesn’t allow for much continuous sleep—instead many of them sleep in spurts a few times a day—maybe 3-4 hours at night, then an hour or two in the afternoon during a 3-hour break, and even a 30 minute nap during a dinner break.  It really is a hard life working so many hours and never getting a full day off—the most they can hope for would be a few hours off on a port day and those times off are rotated among to crew to allow each of them some time in the ports the ship visit.  Many of them spend this time sending money home, shopping for necessities, and eating something other than what’s offered in the crew mess.

Dinner was as always, excellent.  I had the gnocchi as an appetizer, a Caesar salad, and the Chateaubriand with extra Béarnaise sauce.  On top of that, I ordered dessert—a vanilla soufflé with Lady Godiva sauce—yum!

My parents made plans to go see the show—a ventriloquist that had been on “England’s Got Talent” (similar to the same show in the US) and had made it to number 3—Kelvin, the cruise director, had told me he was very good (but of course, the cruise director would never say they had a show on board that wasn’t any good).  Since I really don’t like ventriloquists, I headed for my usual spot.

Instead of having my usual amaretto, I decided to have something different.  Richard ended up making me a Japanese Slipper which is melon and orange liquors and lemon juice.  When Richard went on his dinner break, Ronald came in to cover and asked what I was drinking.  I told him and also told him I liked the melon liquors.  Next thing I knew Ronald had put another drink in front of me and saying I should try that one—it was also made with melon liquor and was called a melon ball.  I have no idea what else was in it, but both drinks were stronger than my usual amaretto (or maybe I’m just used to drinking the amaretto).  In any case, I left by 10:30—considering we were moving our clocks forward that night, it probably was a good idea to leave before midnight. 

Tomorrow was another sea day, and we only had two more ports to go.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 11 (At Sea)

March 24, 2012—At Sea

We all slept in until a little after 7:00 am.  My dad was feeling just fine, and since he was released from quarantine the previous night, he was looking forward to getting out of the cabin.  It did get a little gusty out the previous night, but the swells were not nearly as bad as anticipated, although there were a few whitecaps.  Unfortunately, my mother really feels the motion of the ship.  She was wearing her sea bands and also took a Meclizine, a seasickness medication.

I saw our cabin steward, Gerald, in the hallway when I went to get coffee for my dad and he said he would be doing our room again—guess he got the word that my dad was no longer quarantined.

My mother really wasn’t sick (just a little dizzy from the motion), so she and my dad went to breakfast in Sabatini’s while I headed to the Lobby Bar for cappuccino.  Ronald was working that morning and it was pretty quiet, so we got a chance to talk a little.  The bartenders and bar stewards on Diamond rotate every few days, so I was getting to know more of them than I normally do. 

I went to the casino for a little while, and by the time I left, I still had almost $200 on my cruise card.  I met my parents later in the morning, and we decided to have lunch in the International Dining Room.  It was the first time that my parents had gone there for lunch.  Most of the folks were avoiding the Lido Deck and pools since it was still windy and cold, so there were a lot people hanging around the inside areas of the ship. 

After lunch, I spent some time in the Lobby Bar area reading and just relaxing.  We had an early dinner scheduled so the three of us were at the Pacific Moon Dining Room by 5:30.  David, the headwaiter, has been so good about taking care of our reservations and all the changes we had made (whether it was five people, three people, or two people for early dinner or late dinner); Jerry, our waiter, has also been very patient with us.  Both David and Jerry were happy to see my dad back for dinner.  There weren’t that many items on the menu that night that appealed to me.  I did ask Jerry about a couple of them, but from the expression on his face, I thought it best not to order those items.  I ended up having the garden salad and the rib eye steak which was very tender and flavorful—a good choice.  I also decided to have dessert and ordered the Grand Marnier and Orange Soufflé with vanilla sauce which was excellent!

At 8:15, I headed for Explorers Lounge for Al Katz’s show.  It was very crowded and I ended up standing in the back.  Al walked up behind me before the show started and said he was glad to see me there and asked if I wanted a front row seat.  I said I was fine standing in the back and that if the show sucked, I could easily leave.  He laughed, said he would see me later, and then went back stage.  The show wasn’t bad, and I even laughed at quite a few jokes. 

Afterwards, I headed back to the lounge.  Ronald was there and immediately poured my drink—he really does take good care of me.  Ronald actually works in the Lobby Bar, but comes in to work when Richard goes on his dinner break.  Al came in and asked me how I liked the show—I told him I thought it was pretty good, and that the other passengers seem to enjoy it.  He said he was doing another show in 2 days and that I should make a point of going since it is a different show and not just a repeat.

I was back in the cabin around 11:00 pm and asleep shortly afterward.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 10 (At Sea)

March 23, 2012—At Sea

The cruise is more than halfway over, but we still have three more ports to visit and a few days a sea.  The next two days we’ll be at sea as we make our way to Shanghai. 

My Dad was feeling better today, but was still quarantined to the cabin.  The medical center had provided a special room service menu for him which pretty much resembled hospital food—very bland.  He ended up ordering broth with crackers and jello for breakfast, and it was delivered by a crewmember who was gloved and masked.  Gerald, our cabin steward, was still not able to enter our room. 

My mother and I went to breakfast in Sabatini’s.  Afterward, we went back to the room to gather up some laundry.  We had been sending some clothes to the ship’s laundry, but we decided to do our more personal items ourselves.  Each cabin deck had a small laundromat available for passengers—the cost was $2 for the washer and $2 for the dryer (there was a change machine so we could get quarters).  I spent time reading while waiting for the laundry to finish. 

Our cabin was sanitized by the same team who had done it the previous evening and they said they would be back that evening as well.  The medical center called and asked how my Dad was, and even though he was feeling fine and was able to eat, they said he would have to remain in his cabin again that day. 

My mother and I went to the casino that afternoon, and I was able to win a little and my mother pretty much broke even. 

The captain announced that we would encounter high winds up to 45 knots with ocean swells up to 6 meters so it was going to get a little rocky that evening.  My mother gets seasick, so she made sure she was wearing her sea bands on her wrists.

That night was another formal night as well as the Captain’s Cocktail Reception.  Since our invitation said the reception started at 7:45 pm, we had changed our reservations for dinner to 5:30.  My mother said she wouldn’t go to the reception without my dad, but she would get dressed up and go to dinner.

We ordered room service for my Dad—poached chicken, potatoes, and veggies, along with jello, and ice tea (definitely very bland with no salt or seasonings).

My mother and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Pacific Moon Dining Room.  I had the asparagus bisque, while my mother had her usual Caesar salad, then we both had the lobster tail and crab cakes.  This time, I actually ordered dessert with my cappuccino and had the banana cream pie with Bavarian cream.  Dinner was great, but it was too bad that my dad couldn’t be there to enjoy it.  Both Jerry, our waiter, and David, our headwater, had asked about him, asked us to send their regards, and hoped they would see him the next night. 

My mother then went back to the casino for a little while, while I went for my usual after dinner drink before going to the Captain’s Cocktail Reception. 

While we were at dinner, the medical center had called, spoke to my Dad, and had released him from quarantine.  But since we had already left for dinner, he went up to the Lido Deck for a hamburger and brought it back to the cabin to eat. 

At 7:40, I headed for Club Fusion and the Captain’s Cocktail Reception.  A crewmember at the entrance was squirting hand sanitizer in everyone’s hands before we entered and there was a sign that said handshaking was discouraged for health reasons.  Many of the crew do not shake hands for this very reason and I had seen this sign before at other events.  But as I went through the reception line, the captain, Bob Oliver, extended his hand, so I shook it, and we exchanged the usual pleasantries, which is normal going through a reception line.  I found a place toward the back of the room and two bar stewards I didn’t know approached me.  Each of them had a tray of cocktails they were carrying and circulating around the room, offering the specialty drinks to passengers.  Ronald, one of the bar stewards I knew from the Lobby Bar, came over and told the others no, I didn’t want any, then immediately came back to me with an amaretto on the rocks—yes, “my” bartenders and bar stewards knew me well. 

I spent time speaking with Torsten, the food and beverage manager I had met at the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet.  He and I had run into each other several times on board.  On my previous cruises, I had made many friends among the crew.  On this cruise, I had made friends among both the crew and the officers since I had met some of the officers at the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, had run into them again several times around the ship, and they always seem to make a point of saying hello, and stopping to chat a little. 

During the “formal” portion, both Kelvin, the cruise director, and the captain welcomed everyone, announced the “most travelled passenger on board,” etc.  After talking some more with Torsten, I headed back to my usual lounge. 

While there, I met Al Katz, who had flown in the day before and met the ship in Hong Kong.  He was a comedian who was going to be doing a few shows on board before leaving in Beijing for another ship.  He has been working cruise ships for quite a few years and said he enjoyed the travel, although not the jet lag which he says is an occupational hazard.  He invited me to the show the next night, so I think I’ll probably go.

I also saw both Jutta and Michael as well.  The lounge was pretty busy—much busier than on previous nights, and it was still fairly busy when I left at midnight.  While the ship was moving a little, it certainly wasn’t rocking or pitching as much as the captain had led us to believe it might and I had no trouble walking back to my cabin in my formal shoes with very high heels.  Tomorrow was another sea day, and I had nothing planned.

SE Asia and China Cruise—Day 9 (Hong Kong)

March 22, 2012—Hong Kong

I wasn’t hungry this morning, so my parents went to Sabatini’s for breakfast while I headed to the Lido Deck for coffee and watched as the ship entered Hong Kong harbor.

We docked in the container shipyards since the Diamond was too big to dock at Ocean Terminal.  At a little after 9:00am, my parents and I headed for the Wheelhouse Lounge to meet our excursion tour group.  We were assigned to Bus 5 and headed off the ship.

The bus drove through the city while our guide pointed out points of interest, then we went through a tunnel taking us underneath Hong Kong Harbor to Hong Kong Island, which is also known as Victoria.  Our first stop was Stanley Market.

Stanley Market, Hong Kong

Stanley Market

Stanley Market

Yes, there's even a McDonalds at Stanley Market

I could easily spend all day at Stanley Market.  Unlike the market in Ho Chi Minh, this market was clean, and the items for sale were better quality.  There were some very good prices and I could have bought quite a lot here.  Unfortunately, we only had 45 minutes to shop—definitely not enough time!

We next went to the Hong Kong Jewelry factory.  All cruise ships seem to stop at a jewelry factory or jewelry store—or at least all the cruises I’ve been on seem to do that.  While the jewelry was beautiful, I didn’t buy anything.

Unfortunately, at this point, my Dad started feeling sick.  He and my mother ended up staying on the bus for the remainder of the excursion.

The rest of the excursion included a short cruise on a sampan—a small boat that apparently the “water people” actually lived on.

Sampan Cruise of Hong Kong Harbor

The "captain" of our Sampan

Then I took “The Peak” tram ride to the top of Victoria where the view of Hong Kong and the harbor was incredible.

View from the top of Victoria

We finally arrived back at the ship around 4:30.  My Dad was seen by the ship’s doctor who diagnosed Norovirus—the dreaded “cruise ship” virus (the virus is actually more prevalent on land than at sea, but of course, it doesn’t make the news when people get the “stomach flu” on land).

He was quarantined to his room, and a team was sent in to sanitize the room.  We were told that our cabin steward, Gerald, would not be servicing our room—to keep exposure to the other passengers down, I’m sure.  Instead, the sanitizing team would service our room several times a day and sanitize it each time.  I asked them if there were a lot of cases on board, and they said there were five.  On a ship this size, that isn’t too many cases, but time will tell if more cases occur.

Neither my mother nor I were quarantined, but were restricted to only eat in the restaurants and not go to any self-serve food areas, i.e., the buffet.  The medical center had given my Dad an injection for the nausea, which pretty much knocked him out and he was asleep by 5:30.

My mother and I went to the dining room for dinner, and I had an after dinner drink in, then was back in the room early.  My Dad was still asleep and ended up sleeping all night long without waking up once.  My mother and I sat out on the balcony that evening and looked at the night lights.  Even though seeing the lights in the container dock wasn’t as nice as the city lights of Hong Kong would have been, it was quiet and peaceful sitting outside, and the weather was perfect—not hot, not cold, with just a hint of a breeze.

We were both in bed by 11:30 and asleep before the ship let go her lines and left for Shanghai at midnight.  We have two sea days before arriving in Shanghai.  Hopefully, my Dad will be fine by then, and neither my mother nor I will come down with Norovirus.