Grand Pacific-Seven Seas Mariner-Sept 2008

[cruisetour]

:)Dear Friends,

We are frequently asked about where we have been and where we are going. This forum is the best way to check on our whereabouts, hopefully fantasize about being with us, joining us on a future voyage, and communicating with us in connection with any questions or comments that you may have.

During this trip, we will be onboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises cruise ship, Seven Seas Mariner, departing September 10, 2008. Not only will this be a wonderful cruise through Alaska, but also the Aleutian Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula of Siberia and four beautiful ports of call in Japan. How exciting!

We invite you to log into our forum and post comments as you read through our adventures. This way you will read our experiences during our voyage across the North Pacific Ocean.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and wish you good health and happiness.

Sincerely,
Jay and Mary Pat

[cruisetour]

We arrived in Vancouver in the early afternoon of September 10, 2008 and boarded our ship for its 8 night cruise of the inside passage where, in addition to 2 days of scenic cruising, we will visit Victoria (British Columbia) and Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and finally Yukatut Bay where we will observe one of the few advancing glaciers still remaining on our planet, before arriving in Seward where the initial segment of our adventure would terminate.

We left Vancouver at midnight for the short ride over to Vancouver Island.
The weather was perfect as we woke up for the 1st full day of our cruise. We were in Victoria, British Columbia. The complimentary shuttle provided by Regent Cruises took us to the city center where we walked along the waterfront while enjoying the beauty of this charming city before going to the Empress Hotel for lunch and high tea. This was a very nice treat and very enjoyable, as well as delicious. Afterwards, we returned to our ship.

At 3:30pm, we left Victoria. First on the agenda was the customary lifeboat drill during which we had a moment of silence in memory of the events of September 11, 2001. We had made arrangements with friends to meet in the Horizon Lounge after the drill. That was a good decision because all of a sudden, Charlie noticed a killer whale surfacing some distance away from the ship. At the same time, we noticed everyone heading for the open deck behind the lounge, so we went out there as well. That is when we saw what had to be the best whale sighting ever recorded. There were more than 100 killer whales all jumping and breaching in the ship’s wake. They were very close to the ship, and well within our view. Every time one of the giant shamus cleared the surface, everyone shrieked with excitement. The cheering seemed to motivate the whales to keep performing because the action kept increasing. Unfortunately, the captain never slowed the ship; so too soon, we were beyond the activity; but while it lasted, it was one of the most exciting activities we have seen from a cruise ship. Another disappointment, in connection with the show, was that because the whale sighting was so unexpected, none of us had our cameras with us, so there was no way to record what happened, but it will remain as an outstanding memory.

After clearing immigration, we were visiting with several couples that we knew from world cruise at afternoon tea when we were asked to leave because it was 6pm and we were still in our jeans. I was pleased that Regent still observes a dress code. We returned to our rooms to change into appropriate dress for the evening and went to dinner with two couples in our group.

Before ending the first day of our cruise, we went to the theatre to listen to the highlight performer brought aboard by Regent. It had been a wonderful start to our Alaska Cruise.

The following day was spent cruising the coast line of the inside passage. The scenery was magnificent, but we did not spot any more whales although we kept looking for them

When we awoke the next morning (Sept 13), we were in Ketchikan. We did not have an excursion today. This was the third time this year that we have been here so we just explored the town. Although Ketchikan is known as the rain capital of America, today was a lovely fall day with a sky full of sunshine. We returned to our ship and had a leisurely afternoon just visiting with friends. In the evening, Ensemble Travel held a cocktail party after which our group had a private dinner get-together in Signatures, the French restaurant on board the ship.

From here, the Mariner headed North, and the following morning (Sept 14), we were in Tracy Arm. When I looked out onto our balcony, I was disappointed to see that it was drizzling, and that there was a low cloud cover. The temperature was barely 50 degrees. I dressed quickly and headed for the open deck where I walked around the jogging track while listening to my Ipod, taking photos of Tracy Arm in all its glory. With all the stopping and photo taking, this did not qualify as exercise. Next, I attended the morning lecture about Native Alaskans after which it was time for the Tex-Mex luncheon buffet on deck. By now, we were approaching Juneau. The weather had worsened and it was raining heavily. All the tours were still operating though, so I made sure that all of our guests got to the right place and were on their excursions. While I was getting everyone organized, I talked with several locals and asked about their feelings concerning their governor, Sarah Palen. I found out that the citizens of Juneau are not fond of Sara, and that none of them would vote for her to be Vice President of the United States. After the tours left, I was so wet that I just returned to the ship to dry out. We just enjoyed being on our ship and watched the rain from the lounge as I sipped cups of hot tea and enjoyed some delicious pastries. Later, there was a private cocktail party for passengers who had cruised on the Seven Seas Voyager. We traded memories of our experiences during world cruise with other guests we knew from those trips. The Mariner stayed in Juneau until midnight giving its guests the opportunity to have dinner in town, but I really enjoy the dining options on the ship so we stayed on board and stayed dry.

The following morning,Monday, Sept 15. I opened the drapes to see a clear morning in Skagway. This is the day of the Ensemble excursion; Mary Pat and I plus 14 of our 28 guests are on this tour together. The others are on two other tours that we put together for them. Our tour was very interesting and started with a drive through Skagway’s historic downtown. After leaving town, we stopped at the Jewell Gardens, a historic site with gold rush history where we had a guided tour after which we were served tea and homemade cakes. From here, we drove over the mountain, 3,400 feet above sea level, to the White Pass Summit where we saw icy lakes, glaciers and stunning waterfalls before returning to Skagway, where we got off the coach and walked around town, visiting some of the shops. We returned to our ship in time for lunch, and had a lazy afternoon while enjoying the scenery and the activities onboard the Mariner. Our sail-a-way was at 5pm, and after a very nice evening and a good night’s sleep, I awoke to find that we were anchored off the shore of Sitka (Sept 16), the fifth largest city in Alaska with a population of 9,500 people. I had arranged with the shore excursion staff for tender tickets to get our group ashore in one of the earliest tenders so that we would be on time for our Sitka heritage tour. The tour included a walk through the rain forest where we saw thousands of spawning salmon in the river bed, followed by a visit to the museum where we were right on time to see a movie describing the history of Alaska. Afterwards, we shopped in town after which we witnessed a performance by a group of Tlingit dancers, before being driven back to the pier for the return tender to our ship. The Mariner lifted anchor and we were off for the final port of call for this segment of the Grand Asia Pacific Cruise, but we still had a day at sea during which we were going to see Yukatut Bay and Hubbard Glacier. We awoke on September 17th, to a dark, cloudy, and rainy day. We had been invited to attend the gold, platinum and titanium party on the open deck this morning to witness the approach to Hubbard Glacier, but the weather was so wet and cold that the ship moved the get together inside, where they served us hot chocolate and cookies. We could not see much because the views were limited by the heavy fog, but we sure heard the sounds of the glacier calving off huge icebergs into the bay. As a result of the weather, my photographs did not turn out well. However, No one seemed to mind, and everyone continued to have a good time. At noon, we said goodbye to the glacier and started our cruise toward Seward where 18 of our group will be leaving us and returning home, while five other friends will be joining us for the voyage to Kodiak Island in the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia, plus four different ports of call in Japan. The afternoon was spent saying goodbye to everyone, and packing our luggage as we will be changing our room tomorrow.

It was Thursday Morning , September 18, 2008 in the middle of a heavy downpour that we arrived in Seward, Alaska. Our departing clients had already left the ship, and our arriving guests would not arrive for several hours. We were joined by friends and, after breakfast, decided to brave the elements and take the 20 minute walk to town. We were in raingear and brought umbrellas with us, both of which were excellent decisions. The umbrellas turned inside out because of the high winds, and we were soaked even before reaching the Safeway store—our destination of choice because they had a starbucks inside. We warmed up with the steaming brew before braving the elements for the return hike which proved to be a harder walk because the wind, and the rain, was now blowing in our faces. Once back on the ship, and finally in dry clothes, we went to the observation lounge where we watched the train coming in from Anchorage. I went to the gangway to greet our new arrivals and welcome them to the ship. Despite the weather, everyone was in a good mood and looking forward to the upcoming cruise. Me too, because now we will be visiting places I have never been previously.
I sure hope that the weather is better during the rest of the trip.

[Mary Welden]

Mary Pat and Jay,

This is the first time I have sat down to read about your current travels! I was excited to read about the whales! Please tell them I'd like to see them when we are there next Spring!! I hope the weather improves for you. The kids will be excited to read about those whales when they get home from school today. We are all good here. Weather is marvelous. First day of Fall. Safe travels and carry your camera with you at all times!!
Mary Welden

[cruisetour]

Hi Mary,
The whales were quite a thrill, to be sure. You have a lot to look forward to.
Read the next posting. this is a brand new port for us, and very educational and interesting also.

Love,
Jay

[cruisetour]

Our ship docked at Kodiak at 8am. This is one of the places on this cruise that we have never visited previously, and one of the main reasons why we decided to take this cruise. As soon as the ship was cleared, we disembarked for our 3 ½ hour Kodiak City Overview tour. All of the tours today were conducted on old school buses that had been leased from a school district in Southern Illinois.

Our tour started with a drive-through of the city, passing cannery row and the boat harbor, making our first stop at the Baranov museum, which offered a blend of native, Russian and American history where I purchased a birch bark oil painting. Our next stop was at the Alutiq museum for a look at native Alaskan culture, including an Alutiq mask collection that had been illegally taken away by a collector, but was recently returned to the museum. From here, we crossed a bridge to a neighboring island for a visit to the Alaska Fisheries Research Center where we were guided through the museum by a docent, after which we had time to enjoy the aquarium and touch tank. Back in the bus, our tour continued as we drove to Fort Abercrombie State Park on the North side of the island, a historic WWII site, where we were able to observe a museum of wartime memorabilia in a WWII bunker, in addition to magnificent land and sea views. This is where I first heard the term “the forgotten war” about the forced movement of the Aleut native peoples and the occupation of the outer two islands of the Aleutian chain by the Japanese Military Forces during WWII.

Our final stop was at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium, where we were entertained by a lively performance of the students of St. Innocents Academy, all of whom were troubled youngsters who are being rehabilitated during their studies at the academy. From here, we returned to our ship, arriving there at 1:30pm, and getting into the dining room barely before they stopped serving lunch. Our ship left Kodiak Island, our one stop in the Aleutian Islands at 4pm, and headed out to sea where we are going to have four consecutive sea days before reaching our next port of call, Petropavlovsk, in the Kamchatka Peninsula of Siberia, Russia. This evening and each evening thereafter for the next three days, we changed our clocks back one hour.

[cruisetour]

This was the day that we thought we would be in PETROPAVLOVSK/KAMCHATKA PENINSULA/SIBERIA/RUSSIA.

But yesterday afternoon, Captain PHILIPPE FICHET-DELAVAULT announced from the bridge, into all of the staterooms (which he never does), that he had just received a communiqué from the Russian Government that our ship would not be allowed to enter the territorial waters of Russia because the Russian President, and some of his associates, were going to be in Petropavlovsk when we were scheduled to be there.

The president of Russia must be thinking that we are a threat to him; he must also be thinking that we are all very stupid to believe his reason for cancelling our call in Petropavlovsk.

Obviously, he had no interest in the tourist dollars floating into the Russian economy, because if he were, he could have suggested that we proceed to Vladivostok, and stop there instead. In this case, the Russian president opted to act like a spoiled child and refuse to allow us to visit any of the outposts of his country because of the political differences he has with the American government. I believe that there had to be as much disappointment among the people who live in Petropavlovsk as there was among the passengers of the Seven Seas Mariner. Those people who live in this little village are not politicians, they are ordinary people who probably needed the money that our passengers would have spent there to improve their economic conditions, but their government never considered that. It all comes down to politics.

During the day, I read an article in USA Today that said that the Russian Government was forbidding its people to celebrate the Western World’s holidays of Halloween and Valentine’s Day because those celebrations were detrimental to Russian values. This is another example of their government’s priorities in assisting their people. With this kind of leadership, I fully understand why Russia is having problems with their economy and with the world.

In any event, the Seven Seas Mariner continued along its path, redid the shipboard program for today and announced that we would have an additional day in Hakodate, Japan as a result of this change in plans. The passengers on the Mariner took the news with a touch of sadness, but continued to enjoy the activities and events onboard the ship as they continued on their journey with this additional day at sea.

[peggynathan]

Of course you are correct about the political reason for the port cancellation and the impact on the town's people . .foot stamping at an international level.

We've never been to the original stop but were in Vladivostok on the Sun in the early '90s. I remember two things -the nice people and the rows of rusting war ships as we sailed out.

Enjoy Hokida!

Love, Peggy

[cruisetour]

We awoke early this morning in time for the pre debate analysis of the first debate between John McCain & Barack Obama. We are now 14 hours ahead of the time in San Antonio so we will see the debate on Fox News at 10am, while the United States will see it on the evening of Friday, September 26, 2008. We had a quick breakfast so we would not miss anything.

We docked at 11am and the Japanese customs officials boarded for the immigration check including fingerprinting us. Hakodate is situated 260 kilometers southwest of Sapporo, at the southern end of Japan’s northern island of Hakkaido. This was one of the first Japanese ports to open to foreign traders which happened on June 2, 1859. The origin of the name goes back to 1454.

We were called to go to the Constellation theater for our security check just as the post debate analysis started, so we missed the best part, but we already had our own opinions, and we would be able to watch the analysis later on the reruns.

After lunch, we took the shuttle into the center of town. The weather this morning had been pleasant and sunny, but as we stepped off the ship, a drizzle started. By the time we reached downtown Hakodate, the rain had begun to fall in earnest, so we just stayed on the bus and returned to the ship where Mary Pat took a nap while I occupied myself with a pile of Sudoku puzzles.

Dinner tonight was in the suite, along with a couple of friends and one of the ship officers. The evening was very enjoyable; starting with champagne cocktails, and ended with a fancy soufflé dessert. We continued to visit until after 10:30pm after which I barely made it into bed before falling asleep for the night.

Sunday, we were up early and both went to the gym before breakfast where I walked for 33 minutes and covered more than 1.75 miles. After showering, we met our friends in the coffee corner for a bagel with cream cheese, after which we took off on our “Morning Market and Hakodateyama Hill by ropeway” tour that left at 9am. The weather today was much nicer than yesterday. We drove through the city before stopping at the morning market located in the bay area near the west exit of the JR Hakodate Railway Station. The market is made up of 360 tightly-packed stalls selling freshly caught squid, scallops, salmon eggs, mackerel, and huge crabs, as well as fruit, vegetables, and flowers. As might be expected, I found a treasure there that I had to have, a very pretty abalone shell. Funny though, the ship’s chef was also there, and he purchased 100 of these shells to take back onboard.

After visiting the market, we drove to Mt. Hakodateyama where we took a cable car to the top after which we were able to photograph some beautiful panoramic vistas overlooking the city and harbor. While there, we also saw a movie on the history of the city. While we were on top of the mountain (actually a hill just 1,095 feet above sea level), the weather changed from being lovely and sunny, dark storm clouds quickly gathered and it started to rain. But, as fast as the rain started, that is how fast it stopped and soon thereafter, the pleasant weather and beautiful day returned. Our guide told us that this is normal in Hakodate. Our coach had driven up the hill to pick us up, after which we drove back to the pier arriving there at 12:30pm. We went to lunch with our group and because we were able to sit by the window, we were able to see the goodbye performance on the pier as Japanese drummers put on quite a show.

We left Hakodate at 2pm and headed South in the Sea of Japan to our next port of call. At 3pm, I attended a lecture by Amb. Samuel Hart who discussed the status of the Middle East.

This evening, I attended the Cordon Bleu graduation party where a friend was receiving his diploma and award of excellence, after which our entire group had dinner together in La Veranda, after which we all went to the theater to see the ship production show, “harmony”, before returning to our room for the evening.

[cruisetour]

We both woke up early so that we could spend our morning exercising after which we rushed back to our room to get ready for our tour. The ship had already docked and the weather was warm and sunny. We are off to see “the many historical sights of Sendai” in this beautiful city of 1,000,000 people located on Honshu, the largest of the four main Japanese Islands. A number of our clients joined us on this tour that started with a drive along the coast to Shiogama, a thriving fishing port that is home to the famous Shiogama Shinto Shrine where we had wonderful sea views and photo opportunities. From here, we drove to the village of Tohoku to see the Zuganji Zen Buddhist Temple, constructed in 1606AD by Date Masamune, one of Japan’s most powerful feudal lords. We were required to take off our shoes before entering the temple, after which we were permitted to walk through the temple in our stocking feet, and while there, we saw the painted screens and interior carvings of the main hall along with the treasure house (the seiryuden) which contained works of art associated with the Masamune family.

We then visited the small wooden temple of Godai-do nestled on a pine clad islet and accessed by two bridges, built by decree of Date Masamune. This picturesque islet that allows people inside its walls just one time every 33 years often appears in pictures as the symbol of Matsushima. Our final stop today was at another landmark, the Kanran-Tei Pavilion that was presented to the Masamune family by Hideyoshi Toyotomi in the late 16th century, which served as a venue for tea ceremonies and moon viewing with its beautiful garden and its small museum housing a collection of relics from the Masamune family.

After our tour of the tea house, we had a little time left to shop. I purchased some small items for our grandchildren, including a wooden samurai sword for my grandson, and fancy children’s chopsticks for my granddaughters. We returned to the pier, and our ship, at 1:30pm and rushed into the dining room just before they stopped serving lunch, and then relaxed until 5:30pm when we went to this evening’s Erev Rosh Hashanah services. After our religious service with its special treats, we attended a special pre dinner showtime performance by HANDRE, the assistant cruise director, of compositions that he personally wrote. After the show, we ordered a copy of his first CD and complimented him on a wonderful show.

Next, it was time for dinner, and we, along with many of our friends, both Christian and Jewish, attended the special Rosh Hashanah dinner party in the compass rose restaurant. The dinner was excellent; the ship also provided entertainment during dinner by their Philippine string trio, “nature rhythm”, who sang and played a variety of music including Elvis songs, Texas music, and even what is called by some the Philippine national anthem, Prodigal Son (called “Enuk” in the Philippine language). All in all, this was a fun day and a lovely evening.

[cruisetour]

Mary Pat was up and out at 5am this morning doing her stint in the spa. I did not get up that early and was not as dedicated as she was to the exercise program, but I did attend the 7am Rosh Hashanah service conducted by Rabbi Cohen.

Soon thereafter, our ship docked in Yokohama, the second largest city in all of Japan with a population of more than 3,000,000 people, and we, along with our group of friends gathered for the Ensemble tour of “Yokohama’s Sights and Heights, with Lunch”. The tour started with a visit to Sankeien, a marvelous and beautiful garden filled with masterpieces of architecture and designed for strolling. The garden was created by a silk merchant, Hara Tomitaro, in the image of the Nara countryside, and opened to the public in 1906. The garden includes structures from Kamakura in the 16th century (1907); and a three story Tomyo-ji pagoda from 15th century Kyoto (1914). Unfortunately, the weather today was cloudy with rain, but not too cold; but the inclement weather did not diminish our enthusiasm for walking through the gardens. In fact, everyone wished that we had spent more time there enjoying the scenery.

Our next stop was to ascend the 70 story Yokohama Landmark Tower, opened in 1993, as Japan’s tallest building. This building also has the world’s fastest elevator, travelling at 750 meters a minute taking visitors to the 69the floor observatory in just 40 seconds. On a clear day, which this was not, it offers clear views of Mt. Fuji, the Tanzawa mountains, the Boso Peninsula, and Tokyo. From here, we drove to Chinatown, the 2d largest in the world after San Francisco where we were given a short amount of time to explore the area after which we had lunch at one of the better Chinese Restaurants located there. It was funny that they only serve Japanese beer there. The meal had 8 courses, several of which were okay for me so I did not leave there being hungry.

We got back to the ship at 2:30pm, and returned to our room to clean it up because we were having a cocktail party in our room at 6:15 pm for our friends and clients. We enjoyed hosting the party and toasted everyone who was there. Afterwards, we went to dinner and then returned to the room and packed for our overland trip scheduled for tomorrow morning.

[cruisetour]

Wednesday, October 1
The day started out with Mary Pat going to the spa early in the AM, after which we got ready for our overland trip and went to the constellation theater to meet our ship tour guide. Soon thereafter, we were on our way, driving along the ancient main road of Kamakura Kaido to Kamakura, the first Shogunate capital. Upon arrival, we visited the Kotoku-in Temple, a national treasure and home to the Great Image of Buddha (Daibutsu), Japan’s second largest Buddhist image.

We then drove to Hakone National Park via the Tomei Expressway, and had lunch at La Trianon, a French restaurant after which we visited the Owakudani Valley, one of the most scenic spots in the Hakone sightseeing area. We then took a 30 minute sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi to see the spectacular shoreline after which we arrived at the Prince Hotel Ryokan complex in Southern Gora, surrounded by majestic mountains. Our accommodations were in a large suite with a separate seating area, with a floor to ceiling picture window looking at a magnificent westerly view over Lake Ashi toward Mt. Fuji. The cloudcover was blocking the view of the mountain, but the scenery was still spectacular. Our bathroom had one of the fancy Toto toilets that Mary Pat loves. It sprinkles, blowdries, and has a heated seat. After checking in, the first thing we did was to head to the Ansen spa facility. Ansen in Japanese means a hot spring. Charlie and I went to the men’s area, while Mary Pat and Joan headed for the women’s area. Everyone strips naked and then showers so that they will be totally clean when entering the 116 degree water of the hot bath.

It only took 10 minutes to be turned into a lobster, after which it was important to get out of the steaming water and back to the shower to cool off before returning to our rooms to get ready for our “Kaiseki” dinner. Because there was going to be several courses that I would not be able to identify, I ordered a vegetarian menu, and I was sure glad that I did. We all sat on the floor in our kimonos for the full effect of a Japanese meal served by our six kimono-clad waitresses. There were at least 10 courses to the meal, and no one ate all of it. I was looking forward to 9pm when we would have our Shiatsu couples massage in our room. Neither of us had ever experienced a Japanese massage. We were expecting female therapists, and so were all surprised when two men arrived to give us our massage. I started to take off my kimono, and was quickly alerted that a Japanese Shiatsu massage is applied with clothes on. In addition, the therapists placed a cloth between their hands and the kimono so that they never touched any part of our body or our coverings. This was a pressure point massage, and I did not enjoy it as much as the full touch massages that I have experienced in China, Thailand, Europe, and Hawaii. It is interesting to see how different a massage can be in different countries of the world.

Thursday, October 2
Our wake up call came at 5:30am, after which MaryPat happened to look out the window to see the morning view, and found that Mt. Fuji was visible in all its glory. We took lots of photos before going to the 6:15am typical Japanese breakfast. At 7am, we left the Ryokan and drove to the Odawara Station where we boarded the 180 mph Shinkansen bullet train for the 2 hour and 10 minute ride to Kyoto.

Upon arrival, we headed for Nijo Castle, a world cultural heritage site. We had visited this site in 1987, and were still fascinated with the nightingale floors that protected the Shogun from assassination attempts. The castle was originally built in 1603AD as the Kyoto residence of Leyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and it was here that the Shogunate lost their power to the emperor.

From here, we went to a luncheon at an Italian restaurant, before proceeding to the Kinkakuji Temple (golden pavilion) that dates back to the Muromachi Period (1336-1573). Next, we visited the rock garden at the Ryoanji Temple, considered the finest dry Japanese garden in existence. Our final stop in Kyoto was at the Hakusasonso Villa where we experienced an authentic Japanese tea ceremony. The villa was built by a famous Japanese painter, Kansetsu Hashimoto at the turn of the 20th century. Afterwards, we drove to Osaka. We arrived at the port at 7pm and reboarded our ship. Soon thereafter, we went to dinner and then starting packing in earnest because we were disembarking tomorrow morning and our luggage had to be in the corridor before 11pm. We finally got to bed after midnight.

Friday, October 3, 2008
Our call to disembark the ship came at 8:30am. We were ready to go, and Regent, with their usual efficiency, pointed us to the bus taking us to the airport.