ARRIVAL YOKOHAMA.

14th - 15th Oct 2019

Well, we made it on schedule in drizzly weather to Yokohama, and disembarking was handled most efficiently with no delays. The Japanese immigration procedures were conducted quickly and with good humour. The ship is due to sail on to ports further west.

Left: The Captain (Mark Rowden, from Hull) stood at the bottom of the gangway to bid us all farewell. I hope he appreciated my "Ay oop Cap'n, grand trip. Sithee agin p'raps". My 'Yorkshire' is not much better than my 'Japanese'.

So, that was the end of my 'cruise' experience. It was, on the whole, most enjoyable and highly efficiently organised. The staff on board (bar, restaurant, stewards etc.) were predominantly Filipino, Indonesian or Thai and were superb. The 'ships officers' tended to be from Europe and Australia (I didn't notice any from the US even though the company, Holland America, is Seattle based}. Interestingly I was told that a large proportion of these cruise companies, including this one and Cunard, are all part of the Florida based mega-empire of the Carnival Corporation.
The only problem as far as I was concerned is that, despite all the 'entertainments' and comfort on board, one tends to become a touch bored after bit, and it was all very 'American' oriented. Two weeks was quite long enough.

Right: The final position report

There is a useful Tourist Information Office in the arrivals hall at the port as there are, I discovered, at all railway stations and other places as well. A helpful lady there suggested I took the free bus service to Sakuragicho Railway Station where there is a bigger info centre to organise onwards travel, which I did. I was looking for somewhere to buy a Japanese Rail Pass and for that I had to go to Yokohama main station. I was now armed with a city map and a good idea of how to use the underground system.

I had booked in that morning, on spec, by internet to the APA Yokohama Bay Tower Hotel because it looked nearby and was cheap (£40pn). It was within walking distance so I checked in. It proved an excellent place, very shiny and modern, in a great location. The rooms are fairly 'compact' but very clean and comfortable (large double bed) with all manner of electrical facilities, fast WiFi and a super-sized TV which had BBC World (if you want to get depressed) and other 'western' channels available. The Japanese do 'ergonomics' very well.

On the ground floor, amongst a spa and such-like amenities, is a smart little restaurant with a micro-brewery (left) attached. I had a pleasant snack lunch there, including a glass of the local brew.

Then off to Yokohama Main Station. For all my concerns about the complexity of the transport systems, and they are wide ranging and complex, it seems not to be a problem (so far) because there is always someone around who is only too pleased to tell you where to go. I duly purchased my Rail Pass which I had been advised is a sensible thing to do if you intend to travel around.

Back at the hotel for a quick wash and brush up I had my first experience of the typical Japanese loo. These, as I subsequently discovered, are all fitted with a control panel (right). Any instructions/labels are in Japanese and pushing the buttons can give you, the beginner, a somewhat alarming surprise. A jet of warm water up the jacksie and a blast of hot air when you are not expecting it concentrates the mind a bit.

I was only going to be here for the night before moving on, so not much time to see the town. I noticed from my window this Ferris wheel (left) across the Ooka river. I decided to investigate and discovered it was part of a large fairground called Cosmo World. Lots of different rides and sideshows and I decided to have a go on the Big Wheel, the Cosmo Clock. I was put in a gondola by myself and re-discovered just after 'take-off' that these things give me a slight feeling of vertigo. Nothing serious but I feel trapped and helpless and don't really enjoy the sensation.

It was getting dark by now but at least I managed to get a photo or two looking down at the fairground/docks below (right).

Left: The Wheel, clock in the centre, lights up spectacularly at night with an ever changing array of colourful displays. There must be a lot of light bulbs involved.

After a very decent supper of steak and chips at a nearby restaurant I called it a day, so not much to report from the city.

Right: I passed this illuminated ship, the Shogun Something or Other, on the way back.

Correction: Its the 'Nippon Maru' according to my conscientious 'editor'. A retired training ship for Japanese naval cadets.

Quite coincidently, apropos my rant about bedside lights in the previous blog, I found the Japanese have acknowledged the problem and have the solution. Next to my bed was this console (left) which operated, very simply, all the lights in the room. On the right is a white detachable torch which has a permanent glow on the top. In the event of power failure (unlikely here I suspect) or a failure to find a switch (unlikely also with this arrangement) you simply grab the torch which automatically turns on. Why can't western hotels provide something like this? It would save a lot of breakages and injury!

Check-out the next morning involved a very sensible and quick procedure. No arsing about waiting at a desk; you just dump your keycard into this slot (right) and bugger off.

I mentioned previously the 'towel sculptures' placed on your bed in your cabin every evening during the cruise. This one (left) was the final one. It must take the stewards inordinate time to do these for every cabin. I have since discovered that these towel sculptures are a standard 'cruise' tradition and there are even web-sites which show you how to make them!

I'd never, in my sheltered life, ever heard of them before. Can't see the point really.

So, that was my first day (apart from the brief run ashore in Kushiro)  in Nippon. So far so good and I expect I will learn a lot more about the place and its people in the coming days. And even get used to the loos.

Next off south to Kyoto..........

KUSHIRO. BRIEFLY

10th - 13th Oct 2019

Days 11 to 14

Sea State: A bit rocky on night of 12th, otherwise calm. We had been advised that a 'super-typhoon', Hagibis, was forming south-east of Japan.

The Oirish Bear (Irish Bar) I was planning to visit.

We docked in Kushiro port at the north-eastern end of the northern island of Hokkaido at 6.00am and were expecting to go ashore from 8.00am onwards. We were given 'colour coded numbers' for an order of disembarkation.  After a leisurely breakfast it sounded as if it was slow going getting people through the immigration process via a team of Japanese customs officials operating computers set up on the main theatre stage. To cut a long story short I did not get off the ship until 12.15pm, and we had to be back on board by 4.30pm. There was a local reception committee to greet us on the quayside and give us things (sweet alcohol-free sake....yuck) before we were bused (20 mins) to Fisherman's Wharf, downtown Kushiro. This wharf had an indoor shopping 'mall' and was of no real interest. Indeed  I was aware that Kushiro town had nothing of great interest to offer...it is a port and staging post for those visiting the rugged hinterland of Hokkaido (hikers, trekkers, skiers, bird-watchers etc.). So, I went off tappy-lappy to find the 'Coy' Irish Pub. I found it, not far from the wharf, and it was closed. Didn't open until 5.00pm. Bugger. At least the weather was nice.

.

Left: It might have been a decent watering hole and obviously sold Guinness. I doubt whether I will ever get the opportunity to find out.

Right: By chance I found a charming little bar/café nearby called Café Coron. 

Left: A few of our ship's complement had also discovered it. It served beer at reasonable prices, and I even convinced the lady behind the counter to rustle up some chips, courtesy of photos on the internet. which she did. They were very obliging and smiley.

There was an excellent internet service here and I managed to catch up with much domestic correspondence. I was also tempted to book some accommodation in Yokohama for the night of 13th while I had the chance, but I didn't; fortuitously as it happened.

The last bus was due to leave Fisherman's Quay at 4.00pm so I got there in what I thought was good time at 3.30pm. A lot of others had had the same idea! Long queue (right).

In fact there was a non-stop stream of buses and I think everyone was back by 5.00pm.

Left: There was a group of locals, including a guitarist, enthusiastically waving us on our way with torches (it was getting dark). I suspect for some dockyard locals, especially the children, the arrival and departure of a cruise ship is a significant event in their lives.

We were informed by the Captain that there had been much discussion between ship and shore as to future plans regarding the typhoon. The plan decided on was now to abort calling in at Hakodate tomorrow, and instead of routing down the east coast to Yokohama into the path of the typhoon we were going to go down the sheltered west coast of Japan and either cut across via the Kanmon Straits (between the southerly two islands) or even go the whole way around the southern tip before going back north up the east coast behind the typhoon. Of course that sounded eminently sensible...but I had secretly hoped that we might get stuck in a good old typhoon to give me something interesting to write about. If that had been the case I dread to think of the carnage involving multiple wheelchairs and Zimmer-frames, but it would have amused me. I think. This plan would mean that we would arrive a day late in Yokohama on Monday the 14th. I was much relieved that I hadn't booked any accom for the 13th! Flying by the seat of one's pants with nothing planned in advance, as I often do, has its advantages,

The next morning, Friday 11th, the Skipper (right) gave two presentations on the theatre stage to 'full houses' explaining what was being done in the interests of the safety of the ship and all aboard her. It was well received as far as I could tell. Various media reports had done enough to scare the pants off any possible dissenting voices. The original and proposed routes were displayed on the screen. Click on if you wish to enlarge.

Talking of wheelchairs and walking aids; I have identified several species on this ship that range from sticks, to Zimmer-frames to, what I think are caller, 'Rollators' (left), to wheelchairs of all kinds and complexity. I mustn't mock; I will probably end up using similar.

Right: These were left parked all over the place.

They could have had races, in various categories, around the deck which would have provided good spectator sport...and probably a lot of cheating. And casualties.

Left: A top-of-the-range model.

Our passage down the west coast was uneventful and the weather a bit overcast, with calm seas.

Right: Our position on Saturday 12th, the day England were due to play France at rugby. We were just about to enter the Kanmon Straits. There is a wind restriction of 20kts on this passage and it was OK to go! We were informed that the 'pilot' for this passage had been picked up. I thought for one minute that we were going to take-off!

Slightly annoying that they haven't shown any rugby on the ship's many TVs. It's all American Football, Rounders, Netball and Ice Hockey to cater for the predominantly American audience. Why can't they learn to appreciate proper sports! It's the World Cup Rugby for goodness sake (OK, the USA have a crap team).

Left: Into the Straits which at least gave us passengers something to look at as we wended our way through some fairly narrow parts. Apparently it is not often that cruise ships navigate this route.

Right: Some passing shipping. It was busy with various types of ships...no doubt using the same typhoon-dodging route as us.

Left: Under the Kanmon Bridge......

.....with seemingly little headroom.

The daily entertainments programme continued apace. I went to an interesting talk by a 'memory expert' who passed on various techniques of how to remember vast quantities of stuff. He could memorise the sequence of a pack of playing cards in 13 seconds.  Trouble is I have forgotten them. 

Left: These two pianists/singers performed regularly, as a duet, in the Billboard bar. They were brilliant with a vast repertoire of all sorts of pop and jazz type tunes and songs.

...as was a startlingly good Japanese classical pianist of international repute, Tomono Kawamura, who gave a concert on Sunday, the final evening. These cruise organisations go out of their way to attract some very talented musicians.

One 'activity' which seemed to occur daily mid-afternoon was 'Friends of Bill W Meet' in the King's Room, a secluded little room near the dining room, on deck 2 (right). My curiosity got the better of me. Who was this Bill W (and his friends)? I went along to investigate and met an old Irishman going in. He explained that it was an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Perhaps I should have stayed, but it clashed with the start of Happy Hour.

Left: Our continued routing up the east coast on Sunday. We never saw any signs of the typhoon or, indeed, experienced any heavy weather. It was slightly rocky on Saturday night when leaving the Straits, but that was about it. I think the typhoon was way further up north and dissipating. The Cap'n had chosen a very sensible, if unexciting (but interesting), route. He told us that he had been in several hurricanes and typhoons in his 35 years at sea and did not wish to repeat the experience.

Right: In fact Sunday (13th) was a gloriously sunny, cloudless, calm and warm day which resulted in lots of people sunbathing (not me I hasten to add).

One persistent complaint I have concerns bedroom lighting in hotels (and I've been in a few), and the cabins (sorry, state-rooms) on this ship were no exception. If you wake up, a bit woozy and disorientated, in urgent need of a pee in the middle of the night in total darkness it is near impossible to locate a light switch. The switches in my cabin were carefully hidden somewhere behind the bed. In total darkness you thrash around in vain causing Cat 5 damage to anything within arm's reach, often knocking over a bedside glass of water which spills over you and the bed and then smashes on the floor. Now, still in darkness, you are forced to stumble towards where you think the loo is, soaking wet, probably lacerating your feet on broken glass, causing further collateral damage and painfully stubbing your toe in the process. Why on earth can they not equip at least one bedside switch with a permanent gentle illumination? It sounds so bleedin' obvious. Am I missing something here?

Last night at sea. We are due to dock in Yokohama early morning tomorrow.

PS. As I was packing my case this evening I discovered a stowaway! The Return of The Rat.

ACROSS THE BERING SEA

7th - 9th Oct 2019

Days 8 to 10

Sea State: Nothing special. Heading 260˚ then 240˚. Weather. Mostly o'cast.

Right: Routing down the Kuril Islands.

As mentioned in previous, Sunday 6th October did not exist as far as we were concerned. We moved straight from Saturday 5th to Monday 7th across the IDL. We tracked west, south of the Aleutian Islands, and on towards the Bering Sea. Then to the south of the Kamchatka Peninsular before hanging a left down the eastern side of the Kuril Island archipelago towards our next port of call, Kushiro, on the northern Jap Island of Hokkaido. Kuril Islands? Didn't know much about them, but there are 56 of them apparently, mostly uninhabited, stretching 810 miles from Kamchatka (Russia) to Hokkaido (Japan). I believe there is an ongoing (diplomatic) dispute between Russia and Japan as to who owns some of the southerly ones.

I lump these three days together because a) I have no new 'on board' interesting photos or things to report b) The internet on board, even though one pays for access, is slow and erratic and takes ages to do things like write this journal c) the daily routine becomes, well, routine: Breakfast, either in cabin or dining room, wander around the ship in shorts and T-shirt passing the gym, snack lunch in the Dive-In restaurant, perhaps go to an 'activity' ('Relieve Pain and Digestion with Chinese Herbs' was one such exciting offer) but I did go to a 'Today's Trivia General Knowledge' which was quite amusing, the occasional music performance, drink in the Gallery bar, dinner in the Dining Room, back to cabin and maybe watch a film from a large but fairly lamentable selection. Kip.

I have yet to find any passenger on this ship, apart from the remarkable 92yr old Ed, remotely interesting or amusing. Maybe the ex-RAF Padre/Gorbals vicar is another exception, but I haven't seen him for a bit. They are all perfectly polite and decent folk I am sure, but  amongst the old Hiram T Birdbath IVs and their skinny/fat wives, elderly Orientals, retired Canooks or Aussies and the occasional dour ex-Glaswegian emigrant (seen and heard a few of those, curiously) plus the contingent of 'wheelie Zimmer-frame drivers', there just appear to be no kindred (ie slightly bonkers?) spirits. I'm sure the feeling is mutual.

I occasionally pass the Spa Centre where the ladies on guard now regard me with great suspicion and tend to melt away on my approach.

As previously mentioned the casino has ranks of very elaborate hi-tech slot machines. They are beyond my understanding, but I took an interest in a couple who were playing them. This 'Sid and Doris' (for those who read the old 'Private Eye') couple were here at the same, relatively simple, machines every day as I passed on my way to inspect the gym. On one occasion I watched with interest. These machines are clever. Sid and Doris (S&D), probably bored out of their minds, each put $10 credit into the machine. It offers enormous 'jackpot' prizes. Instead of just taking their money straight away (to save time) it made sure they won a bit, lost a bit and just as their last credit was about to run out they won a helpful bonus. It gave them enormous 'highs and lows' plus hope and disappointment and great amusement before finally, eventually, taking all their money. They would have been here all day, every day, I suspect....and happily lose loads of $ chasing that illusory 'big prize'.


Right: Also in the casino is such a thing as a 'craps' table. This is a curiously American invention of which I had heard but never played, or even seen played. As there were no players around I asked the croupier, or whatever he's called (crap collector?), to explain the rules. I got as far as understanding you throw two dice from one end of this large table to the other which had to hit the barrier to qualify as a valid throw. After that if became completely unintelligible in its complexity. I am no wiser.

Happy Hours! The bars operate a Happy Hour system between 4-5.00pm and 10-11.00pm whereby if you buy a drink at the normal price you get a second for $2. Better than a slap in the face with a wet fish I suppose.






I went to  a talk on 'What to Expect in Yokohama' given by the 'Entertainments Manager', Jeremy Hales (an Australian) on the main stage. It was quite useful but somewhat confusing concerning the rail/underground and general transport system around Yokohama and Tokyo. Japan prides itself on its rail system but looking at the diagram (left) he showed on the screen it seems incredibly complicated. At first glance it would probably take a Bletchley Park code breaking team a few weeks to make sense of it.
I have booked absolutely nothing in Yokohama and beyond. I intend to 'wing it' as normal. I may come to regret this rather cavalier approach...we shall see.







Right: A simplified version? I would be interested, if no less confused, to see the unsimplified one!














We are due to arrive in the port of Kushiro tomorrow morning for a run ashore. I have already sussed out an Irish Pub which might be worth a visit. We have also been made aware of the 'Super Typhoon'  Hagibis developing off the south-east coast of Japan. That might prove interesting.

PAST KODIAK ISLAND AND BEYOND

4th - 5th Oct 2019

Day 6.

Sea State: Slightly wobbly. Heading: 250˚. Weather: Overcast.

We were passing south of Kodiak Island (where the bears come from) but I never saw it.

The 'chill' I picked up in Juneau has developed into a cough and cold. Not serious but enough to put the gym on hold for another day.

I spent a bit of time sitting around in the 'Dive-In' restaurant (right). The photo does not show the scale of this 'help-yourself' eatery. It extends down both sides of the ship at the rear of deck 9 between the 'lido' and the open-air rear bar/pool area and offers a vast array of food and soft drink with an army of attentive waiters to top you up if required. Having found a vacant table, it was before the lunchtime rush-hour, I wasn't going to relinquish it for a bit.  Boringly my 'Kindle' had run out of new books and due to the useless internet I couldn't connect to top it up, so I had nothing interesting left to read.

I was joined (there were 3 spare spaces at my table) by a very respectable looking American gent. Normally I go into 'grumpy don't talk to me' mode, but this chap, Ed, proved both charming and very interesting. He was 92 years old, but looked much younger. Sharp as a pin and fit as a fiddle it seemed, and was travelling alone. He was travelling to Shanghai on this ship and then flying to Auckland, NZ, to join a group calling themselves the 'Roads Scholars' for an extended tour of New Zealand and then Australia. He told me a bit about his history. He was born in Yokohama in 1927 of an Austrian father and Russian mother (who had fled to Japan from Russia after the revolution). He was educated at an English-run school there, spoke Japanese fluently then, and got a good grounding in British history, Latin and French. His family left Japan in 1938 for the US and he completed his education in Washington DC with a short break on conscription to the USAF. He now lives in Houston, Texas. His wife died 4 years ago and he has obviously not been sitting around. Amusing company and goes to prove that there is life (for some) after 90! I tried to persuade him to do the bungee jump off the railway bridge in Queenstown (NZ) when he got there. You know, I think he will!

Another feature on this ship are the Gala Nights. Old cruise hands obviously know about these occasions. They seem to happen about twice a week. All it involves is the excuse to 'dress up' for dinner. It took me by surprise on the first occasion as I was shuffling off, scruffy, to the dining room. I passed lots of blokes wearing dinner jackets with wives in smart dresses dripping with jewellery. I did my best and went back to put a semi-respectable jacket on. Same style of dinner and service but with a 'Gala Menu'. I think the cruise aficionados expect this sort of thing. They must pack a lot of luggage.

Left: The upstairs dining room (deck 3, aft).

Right: One such suitatbly attired gent.....by no means the most elaborately so.

Left: The Gallery bar, near the casino on deck 2. This has become my favoured watering hole as it is usually sparsely populated (can't think why) and has a good seat next to a power output which is normally vacant. Quiet and pleasant.

Right: I couldn't work out if the mop on top of this lady's head was her hair or decoration on her hat. I was tempted to ask; but thought better of it.

That afternoon I went to watch a song and dance performance on the main stage. Quite jolly. They had to cancel their evening show as the sea had become a bit rough. Not unpleasant if you are a passenger but might have led to a prancing dancer missing his/her step and spraining something I suppose.

Day 7.

Sea State: Calm. Heading 255˚. Weather. Partly o'cast and chilly.

I think we are now going to be passing down the south side of the Aleutian Islands which stretch for hundreds of miles south-west of Alaska. I don't know what goes on there. Much aleuting I expect.

I was feeling much better this morning and decided to visit the gym. Unfortunately all the machines were occupied apart from this treadmill behind me (left) which was out of service.

I will try again tomorrow.

I saw on the programme a 'Military Meetup' was scheduled for 11.00am in the Gallery Bar. I went along out of curiosity and carefully stood, hopefully as a covert observer, at the back (right) by the bar. There were about 15 people there, including wives, and those with 'military' experience were encouraged to stand up and tell their stories. Actually some, that I could hear, were quite interesting. The others clapped politely after each little speech. There were a few Vietnam 'vets' and, surprisingly, a Scottish RAF Padre who ended up as a vicar in the Gorbals in Glasgow. Now that's a real war zone. I thought/hoped I had passed unnoticed but no such luck. I was cajoled into giving a short spiel which was entirely unimpressive, but I still got a few polite subdued claps. All harmless stuff.
By the way, this gathering was followed, not far away, by an LGBTQ+ Trivia Meetup. I most certainly did not risk going as a covert observer to that!

Left: Now this really does take the biscuit! An advert outside the Spa Centre. At the desk nearby were three silver-tongued pretty girls trying to persuade passers by to avail themselves of these indispensable services. Not being in a rush I decided to talk to them and let them have a go at convincing me. They said the massages were so relaxing and would make me feel much better and happier. They told me it was a bargain price because elsewhere you would have to pay another $I50 for a 'consultation'. I suggested, even at ship prices, I could achieve the same effect at one of the bars for a quarter of the price. As for the leg therapy....pull the other one! Leg mask?!

They are trying to flog this Elemis stuff in other places (ie. at the gym). A small bottle of said gunk costs a mere $75.99. It is supposed to delay ageing and reduce wrinkles if used regularly 'over time' (unspecified). I worked out that it would cost over $2000.99 per litre. It probably doubles up as embalming fluid which, looking at some of the potential clientele here, will come in handy long before any wrinkles have disappeared. The only thing it would most certainly remove is a lot of money from your wallet. For goodness sake; if you are a woman, or man, aged about 70 (which is about average on this ship) why on earth should you be so worried about a few wrinkles? It's not as if you will ever be capable of successfully pulling the chicks or the hunky yound studs, wrinkles or not. Flashing the cash would be a more effective option. Anyway, I asked, what if I used this stuff for a year and my wrinkles had not reduced. Who would I complain to anyway? "Ah", they silver-tongued, "if you hadn't used it your wrinkles would have increased". I think they soon realised they were flogging a (nearly) dead horse here, but took it in good humour. There must be, no there undoubtedly are, some very vain, gullible, bored and (temporarily) extremely wealthy old people around who are ripe for skinning....many of them on this boat.

Right: I saw this notice in the gym, spa and elsewhere. You get a free test. I have no doubt that you will be told that your feet need correcting, as left unchecked your posture will suffer. They will have just the solution for this, and as a result your bank balance will suffer. There is no such health offer as 'free' on this ship.

I asked the Spa team if they did burials at sea and how much they cost? It got me wondering how many people died on cruise ships each year. One site reported that the average worldwide was 3 per week. The Captain hasn't mentioned any in his morning briefings yet. Perhaps he isn't meant to.








Left: Ping-Pong is a popular diversion. There are two tables at the front of the Lido and frequently occupied. Much time is spent by the players hunting down escaped  ping-pong balls rolling under distant tables and chairs. Some probably end up on the buffet and happily eaten. "Say, Hiram, this Mongolian goose egg is really chewy. Pass the ketchup".

Early tomorrow morning we cross the International Date Line (IDL). As a result Sunday will not exist. We go straight to Monday. East to west you lose a day. West to east you gain one. I try to work out the simple maths and logic for this but usually fail. It just is. And the clocks go back a further hour just to complicate matters.

Chugging on.............

ONWARDS WESTWARDS

2nd - 3rd Oct 2019

Day 4.  Sea State: Wobbly. Strong SW wind. Heading 250˚. Overcast.

Woke up this morning feeling a bit grot. Headache and shivery. Suspect got a chill after the wet and cold visit to Juneau. Decided to give the gym a miss as a result.

Left: Extraordinary attention to detail on board. They even change the carpets in the lifts every night to tell you what day it is.

Distance to Yokohama is 4,034 miles as the crow flies, but we are calling in at Kushiro (Hokkaido Island) and Hakodate before, so not sure what distance we will cover. We are due to pass just south of Kodiak Island.

The clocks are going back one hour each night so beginning to lose touch on what time it is in UK.

Every night a different 'towel sculpture' is put on your bed. Right: This is one of them. Looks a bit rude if you ask me. 

Left: The casino on deck 2. Roulette, Blackjack etc. plus serried ranks of complicated looking slot machines offering enormous prizes. I succumbed to temptation and paid for $20 of chips for the roulette table. I should have known better from past experience. I lasted about 20 minutes before I lost the lot.

Right: The atrium in the centre of the ship.

As mentioned, the great majority of pax are American (retirees). They are very polite and greet you with a "Hi, how are you?" (as do the staff). The universal American reply to this is always, no exception or variation, "Good" (pronounced Gurd), or if they want to eleborate "I'm good". I tend to buck the trend and say "OK", or "not bad", or "tickety boo" or, in the case of this morning, "rather grotty actually". This completely confuses them.

Not feeling particulary hungry I went for a snack supper in the 'Dive In' restaurant on Deck 9. This is a large cafeteria where you help yourself to any amount of nosh, coffee or soft drinks. There must be about 200 tables available but if you arrive at a mealtime the chance of finding a vacant one is remote. Either arrive early or wait late, or you find yourself wandering around with a plateful looking for somewhere to perch.

Day 5.  Sea State: Calm. Light wind. Heading 259˚. Sunny.

Feeling much better this morning, but not 100%. Decided to give the gym a miss again until fully recovered.

After a light breakfast in cabin I just went on a wander around the ship. Passed through the shopping area which sells all kinds of expensive tat.

In the evening I went, for the second time, to listen to a quintet of ladies (left) who play a wide variety of music, from pop to latin-american to classical. They perform most afternoons and evenings in the Lincloln Centre, a small auditorium on Deck 2. They are absolutely brilliant and the house is always full.

I spoke to them after one performance. They are all from the US and hired for the ship by an agency. Amazingly, considering their vast repertoire, they only had two weeks to practice together before the voyage. Impressive. They are also very charming.

There are such talented musicians around, such as these, who probably don't earn that much money compared to some unshaven spotty drug-fuelled oik tunelessly twanging away at a guitar in front of unwashed screaming hordes and getting paid squillions.  C'est la vie.

Still on track towards Kodiak Island.

'