My Escorted Tours

Oceania Cruises: Yokohama to Singapore - Oct 29 to Nov 16, 2024, Travel certainly is a curious part of human nature as wherever we travel, we meet people living varied lives not too unlike our own. Except of course the culture, cuisine and customs, often determined by the climate, making each place unique. Which is why since the infancy of tourism in the mid-1800’s we all appear to have a never-ending curiosity to explore new destinations, whether near or far. In late October 2024 my wife and I flew nonstop to Tokyo on Japan Airlines followed with a prearranged private transfer to Yokohama, 95 km south. We spent two nights in this pleasant city before boarding the Regatta of Oceania Cruises (see comments on the last page), destination Singapore (29Oct-14Nov/2024).

First, five Japanese ports of call. Shimizu (famous for its iconic beach view of Mt. Fuji), Kobe, Hiroshima, Miyazaki, Ishigaki, then west to Hong Kong. Continuing onto Keelung in Taipei and finally the cities of Nha Trang and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam before disembarking in Singapore. My impressions on this cruise will be focused on Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hong Kong and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) along with comments on our cruise ship. Japan in 2025 is scheduled to be one of the top ten most visited countries globally and in just a day it is possible to experience the tranquility of life here and appreciates why. Of course, the larger cities are bustling, but more so with pedestrian than vehicle traffic. Almost 75% of Japan is mountainous, so flat land is precious. Starting in 1989 multi-level roads and freeways were built crisscrossing the cities, more often on the outskirts so they do not isolate communities on either side of the roads. As most roads are only two lanes, parking a car is solved by multi-storied parkades. At times one can look down roads and hardly see any traffic - hence the calming effect on the lifestyle. With less than 3% foreigners living in Japan (versus almost 15% in USA, 11% in the UK) this country maintains a lot of traditions and festivals and ensures historical buildings and castles are well kept. In a nutshell Japan is very Japanese.

We arrived in Yokohama three days (2 nights) before the cruise to adjust to the time zone, staying at The Rose Hotel, adjacent to the very colourful Chinatown. We had stayed at the same hotel a decade ago on our previous Japanese cruise and had visited Nagasaki where our cruise ship the Diamond Princess was built. That city suffered from the second atomic bomb explosion, on this cruise we visited Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb fell. We took ship tours in several of the ports which were in the main very good. Our philosophy when travelling is if you view a port just from the streets near the quayside, it’s rather like taking a book from the library and not reading it.

Our cruise started with a visit to Shimizu where on the beach adjacent Sunpu Castle Park, one can view the iconic Mt. Fuji when on this visit the clouds parted briefly. Then onto Kobe, the port city for Kyoto and Osaka. Having visited the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto many, many years ago we took a tour to the grounds of Osaka Castle Park instead, but on this occasion, there was not enough time to explore the castle. The name Hiroshima speaks for itself but for the one iconic building that has remained as a reminder of the ultimate destructive powers of the human mind, you would be hard pressed to compare the photos inside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum with the bustling city outside. A torrential rainstorm darkened the skies, almost matching the somber black and white photos inside documenting the destruction and aftermath, both physically and geographically. The full day tour included an afternoon visit to the island Miyajima (via a ten-minute ferry) to view the Itsukushima Shrine. Our final Japanese port of Ishigaki due southwest, one of 160 islands in the Okinawa Group, lies in a sub-tropical area and so very different from mainland Japan. Next port of call Keelung due west in Taipei. Powerful broad tugboats were a common sight in all the ports of call and whenever assisting the cruise ships a white “apron” is spread across the bow to avoid blackening the cruise ship’s hull. This is a unique practice in all the ports we visited throughout Asia that I have never seen elsewhere during our global travels.

A day at sea took us across the East China Sea to visit Taipei and then we changed course southwest arriving 36 hours later in Hong Kong. One of my favourite ports that I often visited when I worked on board P&O iconic ocean liners (1968-1982) in the Purser’s Department (now known as Hotel Management). For over a century since 1845, well before the jet age, it was the only way to reach the Orient . Natural l y the s k y line has changed dramatically but the iconic green and white Star Ferries still crisscross the harbour from Kowloon (on the mainland) to Hong Kong Island. Ride on the top deck for HK$5.00 or just C$1.00. Nowadays two tunnels offer quicker alternatives and private cars pay HK$20.00 which is still a bargain. On the Kowloon side the cruise ships always tie up at Ocean Terminal (this hasn’t changed since the 1970s) and few hundred metres away is the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Tower. One of the few structures that I found worth photographing in the city of skyscrapers. Finally setting a course south by southwest to Vietnam and two ports of calls Nha Trang and Ho Chi Ming City, still more popularly known as Saigon. We picked up our pilot the previous evening at 2000 hrs, taking almost ten hours to navigate the 80km along the Saigon River before reaching the capitol at dawn. From experience the most winding river we have ever traversed.

Wherever we travelled in Asia we noticed amazing buildings, taking advantage of modern technology. Particular attention is paid to the very top to ensure that the unsightly elevator housing shaft is creatively hidden, out of sight. On an all-day coach tour beyond the capital, I took in the buzz of the city, with motor bikes in dedicated lanes often outnumbering vehicles 20 to one. This city’s traffic lights had unique count down times from 60-90 seconds. When they turned green the bikers took off like a shot! Less than an hour away from the city and the horizon rapidly changed as farming in Vietnam covers 39% of arable land and some 43% of the population still working it. At this time of the year the second growing season of rice was well under way. As we sped along the paddy fields looked like vast rich green manicured lawns stretching for kilometers on either side.

We departed at noon the following day taking less than seven hours to cover the same distance as the pilot and Captain could measure the river activity. Numerous gravel laden motorized barges crawled across the river and due to strong tidal movements, they could not change course, so timing was everything. In less than two generations (from 1975) the city’s skyline is starting to mirror many neighboUring capitals. The Landmark 81 Skyview shown (so named as it has 81 floors) dominates the skyline at 462 metres. It is some 80 km from the Saigon to the South China Sea and as our ship weaved around countless bends on the Saigon River the Landmark 81 building was still visible hours later.

Our cruise concluded in Singapore also known as the Lion City where we spent three nights at The Clan Hotel Singapore Hotel enjoying dining on the 4th floor overlooking the city and relaxing on the 30th floor’s open air infinity swimming pool and jacuzzi. As we have visited this city three or four times before we just opted for a Hop On / Hop Off bus tour of the city with 18 stops. As it was the usual hot day, we settled for a visit to the National Museum which also offered air condition relief! In closing some details of our Oceania Cruises ship the REGATTA, one of four identical ships accommodating just 670 guests. It is pleasantly sized (30,000 tons) and designed in a calming style where any place of interest is just an easy stroll away. Although she is a small ship in comparison to competitors, still able to offer so much like talented guest entertainers vocalists, casino, Aquamar Spa and Vitality Center, fitness classes, strolling and running track, two open-seating and two specialty restaurants, eight lounges and bars with almost 70% private verandas, 400 crew to serve 670 guests. The sister ships Insignia, Sirena and Nautica (of 7 Oceania Cruise ships) are unique

 Nicholas Howard ~ Maritime Travel ~ October 2024

ALASKA.. my most popular destination - the “flightless cruise”experieince. The perfect opportunity to experience your first cruise and then likely more to follow as you will be sea bound for years to come. {|} .........

Rhapsody (Paquet Cruises) 7nts - 1982 <|> Westerdam (HAL) 7nts -1990 <|> Crystal Harmony (Crystal Cruises) -10nts 1991 <|>  Star Princess (PCL) 7nts - 1993 <|>  Windward (NCL) 7nts -1994 <|>  Nieuw Amsterdam (HAL) 7nts -1995 <|>  .Galaxy (Celebrity Cruises) 7nts -1997 <|> Regal Princess (PCL) 7nts -1999 <|> Regal Princess (PCL) 7nts -2001 <|> Vision of the Seas (RCL) 7nts -2002 <|>  Radiance of Seas (RCL) 7nts -2003 <|> Serenade of the Sea (RCL) 7nts - 2004 <|>  Veendam (HAL) 14nts - 2005 <|> Infinity (Celebrity Cruises) 7nts - 2007 <|> Ryndam (HAL) 7nts - 2008 <|> Diamond Princess (PCL) 14nts - 2009 <|> Millennium (Celebrity Cruises) 10 nts - 2009 <|> Golden Princess (PCL) 7nts - 2010 <|> Oceania Regatta (OC) 12nts - 2011<|> Zuiderdam (HAL) -7nts - 2012 <|>Amsterdam (HAL 7nts -2013 <|> Pacific Princess (PCL) 7nts - 2014 <|> Volendam (HAL) 7nts - 2016 <|> Volendam (HAL) 7nts - 2018 <|> Westerdam (HAL) 7nts - 2018 <|> Queen Elizabeth (Cunard) 10nts - 2019 <|> Volendam (HAL) 7nts - 2019 <|> Koningsdam (HAL) 7nts - 2022 <|> Nieuw Amsterdam (HAL) 14nts - 2023 <|>

EUROPE… so many of us have personal connections to this continent with the history never ending {|} .........

Crown Odyssey (RCL) Mediterranean 18nts -1989 <|>  Radisson Diamond (Radisson 7 Seas) Mediterranean 14nts - 1993 <|>  Grand Princess (PCL) Transatlantic 16nts - 1999 <|> Royal Princess (PCL) Norway 12nts - 2004 <|>  Grand Princess (PCL) Mediterranean 12nts - 2005 <|>  Grand Princess (PCL) Mediterranean 12nts - 2008 <|> Grand Princess (PCL) 21nts Canary Islands & Mediterranean <|> Pacific Princess (PCL) 12nts - Mediterranean <|> Regal Princess (PCL)12nts - 2016 Baltic & Scandinavia <|> Nieuw Statendam (HAL) 14nts - 2022 Iceland & Scandinavia

CARIBBEAN… perfect winter destination with so many islands you will need to sail on three or more cruise to see them all {|} .........

Sun Viking (RCI) 7nts- 1988 <|> Crown Princess (PCL) Inaugural 10nts New York Nassau - 1990 <|>  Star Princess (PCL) 7nts -1992 <|>  Sun Princess (PCL) 7nts - 1995 <|>  Pacific Princess (PCL) Bermuda 7nts - 2000 <|>  Nieuw Statendam - 21 nts - 2022

MEXICO … a short flight to California offers 7, 10 or even 14 day west coast Mexico winter breaks {|} .........

Golden Odyssey (RCL) 7nts - 1990 <|> Dawn Princess (PCL) 7nts - 1992 <|> Statendam (HAL) 10nts - 2001 <|> Sapphire Princess (PCL) 7nts - 2005 <|> Diamond Princess (PCL) 7nts - 2006 <|> Pacific Princess (PCL) 14nts - 2015

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Dawn Princess (PCL) Mexico 1992 7nts <> Originally the RMS Sylvania launched in 1957. Being part of the Cunard Line she was built for the trans-Atlantic route from Liverpool to New York until 1968. Refurbished for cruising in tropical zones worldwide. She had six names including Fairwind (Sitmar Line) and Dawn Princess (Princess Cruises) through to 2004 when she was retired (i.e. no longer afloat).

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