15. Return to Yokohama

The cruise section of our holiday is now drawing to a close as we head back to Yokohama and we now look forward to a few days in Japan.

It's been a very good cruise with interesting ports of call, despite the missed port and the heat and humidity. But we do have a few grumbles about Princess. For example, it peeves me that the itinerary says Hiroshima, and yet to get there you have to pay for a shuttle bus to the port station and then pay for a train to get into the city itself. The alternative is to pay for a tour, so I guess it's another way of Princess making money.

Claire (along with a few others) are disappointed that lobster has disappeared from the dinner menu and the international cafe no longer serves food (more cost savings, presumably). So, you can no longer get food at 3am if you feel peckish, although room service is an option. 

For some reason, we no longer need to take life jackets to the safety drill. Maybe maritime law has changed.

The staff and crew have, as always, been superb. The entertainment staff, especially Riyota who has a great sense of humour and Rie who is as mad as a box of frogs, work tirelessly. We have seen three shows, one, a magician was mediocre, but the other two with the singers and dancers have been pretty good.

The Japanese constitute, by far, the majority of the passengers and are unfailingly polite. It's lovely to see a number of the ladies, both old and young, in their yukatas especially on formal nights. There are quite a few children on board too, as the schools in Japan have just broken up for the summer holidays and they all seem very well behaved. The entertainment laid on for them has been excellent.

We've had great fun with our trivia teams, both during the first week and the second week of the cruise. Likewise, our dining companions, especially Barry and Hilary who have been good company throughout and Carole and Ian who joined us on the second week. And we can't forget our Channel Islands neighbours from Guernsey, Debbie and Dave.

Unfortunately it looks as if it might be a little wet for our few days in Japan, but we won't let that put us off!