With arrival at Hong Kong at 10:00 and the requirement to be out of the cabin by 8:00 we were camped out in the atrium once we were out of the cabin. To add to the excitement, our flight back home departed at 13:30 so had to be off more or less as soon as clearance was given.
Approaching Hong Kong
As it happens, we met a couple of absolute superstars, Marco and Roberta who positioned us in the right area and allowed us to be first off the ship. A rabble of Baltic passengers in a large group were in the same area waiting zone but were held back and we were through immigration really quickly because everything was empty. We were initially directed to the ground floor but with pre booked transport had to get back into the lift to level 1 where we were relieved to find our driver and car waiting for us.
The drive to the airport took 40 minutes and checking in and security was really swift, in fact we were airside by 11:30. With the pressure off, a drink and a bite to eat was a very welcome reward.
The old Kai Tak Airport, now the location of the cruise terminal
Our biggest hurdle today was getting off the ship and we owe everything to our Costa heroes.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER waiting to take us home.
We received a flight update whilst waiting at the gate which read as follows
“Your flight CX 253 has been delayed due to airport resource adjustment“
I don’t know whatever that meant but it was going to take 20 minutes to readjust and ended up taking an hour.
We have just landed back in the UK so have a drive back to Somerset ahead of us.
While it’s nice to have time to prepare for disembarking, I always think of it as a strange day with nothing really to do with your time and having to just go through the motions. We did enjoy a lie-in and if you can call it that, and a leisurely breakfast in the canteen (buffet).
While at breakfast, our room was made up, and when we returned,d we discovered a letter inviting us as Silver members to a galley tour at 3:45 so with nothing else on the agenda, we decided we would go.
We visited the Costa Hostess for information about disembarking tomorrow then went for a couple of coffees. Nicole was determined to finish a book she had borrowed from the library, so along with that and packing she was pretty much sorted for the day. For an hour or so I just passed the time people watching, but eventually we returned to the cabin, and while I sat out on our balcony and enjoyed the fresh air Nicole instigated phase one of the packing.
The sea was a lot calmer than yesterday, and it was also a few degrees warmer and actually quite pleasant to be outside so to give Nicole a bit of room, I walked the length of both prom decks.
By the time I got back, she was done and sitting on the balcony reading her last few pages.
The galley tour was interesting but very brief and nowhere near as comprehensive as the MSC one we did a few years ago. No photos allowed once inside but I do have one of me in the PPE we had to don in order to go in.
Our last night in the MDR was a bit of a mixed bag; while our tablemates were on fine form, the serving staff left a lot to be desired. In honesty, it’s not an isolated experience, and it has been very inconsistent right throughout the cruise. Every night, the courses have been arriving at unusual intervals, and it has been quite chaotic, even to the extent that people have been eating desserts while others are still finishing their main course. It’s not the Costa we have been used to, and it has been a very poor experience by comparison.
What has really tipped the balance is the water issue, which took another twist today. Yesterday I had a coffee that didn’t taste quite right, and I noticed it didn’t have that little bit of foam on the top. At the time, I put it down to operator error, but it happened again today and then early afternoon, Nicole said her tea was salty. She questioned this and was brought two cups of boiling water instead of a pot.
So, tonight after Nicole received another salty pot of water for her tea, she questioned this to the bar staff and was told they have issues with the desalination onboard. No thought to mention this to the passengers, just carry on serving and hope nobody notices. That is absolutely poor and has completely tipped us over the edge. Once we are ashore tomorrow, we will not be setting foot on any Costa ship ever again. What was once one of our favourite cruise lines has dropped completely off the radar.
Too many cutbacks and poor service have left the cruise line a shadow of its former self.
I just hope we can get off in good time tomorrow, as our timings are very marginal.
There are just two sea days now until we get back to Hong Kong and today was just perfect for kicking back after having two fairly intense port days on the trot.
Nicole skipped dinner last night after coming down with a heavy cold with aches and pains so I ventured out on my own. After dosing herself up with paracetamol she felt well enough to venture out to the buffet this morning for breakfast.
Little Paul rides again
We returned to the cabin afterwards to discover a towel animal on the bed, which provided a photo opportunity that Little Paul made full use of.
The power of the wind
The weather has been very changeable today, whilst really windy as well, the ship has been listing to one side and back for most of the day. It was so strong we were unable to open our balcony door until gone 4:00. So it was a day for catching up with photos and re-reading what we have done on this cruise, interspersed with food, drinks and naps.
We sailed under another suspension bridge this morning but today it wasn’t anything we were aware of. We were due in at 7:00 and had set an alarm for 6:30 and by the time it had gone off we had already passed under it. For this last port of call before returning to Hong Kong, we had booked another private tour with a company called Korea Go Tours, which I first found on Viator, but I always like to try and seek out the company and book directly. This is what I did, but then I found another layer, and they use freelance guides, so they took another slice of the fee for themselves. At least I removed one from the equation.
Our guide, who has an adopted Western name of Jason, made contact via WhatsApp the previous night to confirm details for meeting up, and although we had booked on the understanding there was a maximum of 6, until last night there was only the two of us. A couple of messages back and forth and we accepted a late addition to our group of another couple from our ship who facilitated a price reduction. The couple turned out to be Swiss and really fluent in English and we got on really well from the offset.
The sun rises over Busan Harbour Bridge
After disembarking the ship 20 minutes before our meeting time, we managed to locate Jason very quickly, along with the other couple who were already with him. After brief introduction,s we set off on our tour of Busan.
Busan Cinema Centre
Our first stop was not a scheduled visit and was purely a quick photo visit to see the Busan Cinema Center which holds the record for the largest cantilever roof in the world. The roof extends 85 metres from the central support column without any intermediate supports. I thought there wasn’t a lot of building considering its footprint but it was impressive all the same.
Next was another photo stop and this time to see the Haeundae LCT The Sharp towers at Haeundae Beach. 101 floors in the tallest tower which was the same as the 101 Taipei.
Mermaid Statue from Haeundae Beach
The next place was a 25-minute drive to Haedong Yonggungsa, which is a unique Buddhist temple located right on the sea front instead of somewhere mountainous.
It was busy but very picturesque, and we spent maybe an hour looking around. All the while we were there, we were able to watch some Buddhist ceremonies being practised and even enter the area where they were happening.
Despite there being signs asking people not to photograph these, there were still idiots taking that never-to-be-seen-again holiday snap.
Once again, we were on the move and this time for a cable car ride across Songdo Beach. Only a few minutes queuing on either side, with a 20-minute visit on the other side for photos.
Our next stop was for lunch and was probably the most uncomfortable part of the day. Our guide took us around to the Jagalchi Market, which is a fish market with a lot of very lively wiggling items for those who like their seafood fresh.
On the way into the fish market
To make matters worse, our travel companions liked the Idea of having lunch here in the food court. Our guide told Nicole that unbelievably they could conjure up something for her to eat, rice, seaweed and vegetables so we obliged our fellow travellers of their wish. In the end, Nicole ate really well, and if you could take your mind off of what was going on around, we managed to get through the ordeal.
A short distance away was BIFF Square, which is famous for its markets, and this is what we explored next. After a bit of souvenir shopping, we were back in the van and on our way to our final stop which was to Gamcheon Culture Village, another of Busan’s tourist attractions.
It has the nickname of Korea’s Machu Picchu and is known for its layered streets, narrow alleys, and brightly painted houses. It wasn’t that busy and was a nice area to explore and do some window shopping.
From there, it was back to the ship to put our feet up. It was a long day, and it felt like we had crammed a lot into it. What made it all the better was it worked out at less than £70 a head plus food and cable car tickets. An absolute bargain if you ask me. We are back in Busan next year, so we have taken our guides’ contact details so we can meet up again for part two.
The sun sets over Busan, and it’s soon to be finished Opera House
We pulled back the curtains this morning just as we were passing under a bridge; it wasn’t something either of us had anticipated.
We had formulated a plan for today, but hadn’t factored in something to eat as nothing was coming up on the Happy Cow app so although not really hungry, we both forced down some breakfast that neither of us really wanted. We were eventually off the ship at 8:50 and started to make our way to the nearest tram stop on the blue line, which was Dejina.
The plan was to start with the furthest away and gradually work our way back to the ship, and our first place to visit was the Peace Park. I had lots of preconceived ideas of how I would feel when visiting this particular place but it delivered the feel and atmosphere it obviously sets out to relay. The statues relate exactly what they need to and are very poignant.
He points up to the Atomic Bomb while his left hand points horizontally for peace
What I don’t understand is the need to have your photo taken with them, which is what we witnessed many times this morning. You should be reflecting on how hideous the human race can be, and making sure things like this should not be replicated ever again. We found the area very apt for reminding us of such monstrosities and in particular, the 8th of August 1945.
The Fountain of Peace
The monolith marks the epicentre of where the bomb went off
We also visited the Atomic Bomb Museum, but again found a lot of the remnants, artefacts and photos too much to comprehend, so although glad we made the effort, we ended up skimming many of the displays. It was a really tough place to visit.
So, moving on, back on the trams and the blue line to Nagasaki Railway Station, where I found a couple of EKI stamps and we had some lunch in the adjacent food hall. Nagasaki seems to be behind the rest of the world when it comes to veganism, as there is only one place, which is a Bento Bar.
We got back on the Blue line to the end, where it was a short walk to Yasaka Shrine, then another couple of hundred yards or so to the Sofuku-ji Temple.
As we were in the area, we made our way around the bottom of the cemetery and visited Kofukuji Temple as well.
We then walked back to the tram stop and caught a couple of trams back to the cruise ship, one of which was virtually empty.
We are very tired tonight but very thankful of our time in Japan, this trip was a taster for next year and has planted a big seed for the next instalment. Tomorrow we are in Busan, South Korea, which has the potential to be another full-on day, so an early night is in order.
As today was a sea day, there was no urgency to get up and go for breakfast. In fact, it was all very low-key key and while Nicole went to the gym, I found a sheltered spot outside on one of the beds and took a post-breakfast snooze. Apart from a few circuits walking around the decks after lunch, we really have done very little today so here are a few shots of tonight’s sunset taken on my phone.
Our conversation with the Costa Hostess seems to have paid dividends as Nicole was treated like royalty last night. We were getting visits from what seemed like every manager on the ship. Two plates of food for every course and even a special chocolate dessert. These were the same people we spoke with earlier in the cruise who were unenthusiastic and nonchalant when we expressed our dissatisfaction about Nicole’s vegan options compared to previous Costa cruises. I find it really poor that it took a proper complaint to motivate these people to do their job properly.
Today was another strange port time with an arrival at 3:00 and departure at 11:00. Yesterday evening we received notification by means of a letter in the cabin that we would require a number for disembarking which we would need to collect from one of the bars between 9:00 and 11:00 so being as we had a 3:30 rendezvous with our tour guide today, I thought I would get there early to try and get the lowest number possible.
Well, I arrived at 8:40 only to find there was already a lengthy queue of people waiting to get their numbers. I eventually ended up with number 73, but as it happens, the number would have made no difference whatsoever because we were called to leave the ship within 10 minutes of clearance being given, but nobody checked our ticket, so we could have got off at any point regardless of what number we had.
While we were waiting for clearance, we were treated to a display of some very enthusiastic and talented Japanese Taiko drummers.
We could also make out the cable cars going up to the Herb Gardens.
In the end, we were 10 minutes earlier than planned getting off the ship and our guide, Leo, was ready and waiting for us at the rendezvous point at the entrance to the Port Liner monorail with some pre-loaded IC cards which are good for most of Japan’s public transport. It’s a bit like the Oyster card in London, and you just use it to tap yourself in and out of the gates at the stations.
We were soon on our way to the city centre, where we got off and walked a few streets to get to Ikuta Shrine, which is one of Kobe’s oldest Shinto shrines, founded over 1,800 years ago.
Leo was very chatty and was constantly feeding us snippets of information along the route.
From there, we visited Nankin-machi (Kobe’s Chinatown). This is a vibrant district in Kobe filled with colourful streets, lots of delicious-looking street food, and shops, offering a lively taste of Chinese culture in Japan and being a Saturday night was very busy.
Part of our tour involved a bite to eat at a vegan cafe, and Nicole enjoyed another instalment of Japanese vegan food. From there, it was back on the subway for one stop to get to the Herb Garden cable car lower station.
There is a scenic garden at the top of the mountains of Kobe, offering panoramic city and sea views, and at this time of year, there is a Christmas market. It was dark by the time we left the restaurant, so my photos are not very clear, but I can tell you it was an amazing view looking down on Kobe all illuminated up.
The queues were long in both directions, but it was worth the wait and we were so pleased we made the effort. On the way back, Leo helped us purchase our own IC Cards so that we could use them in Nagasaki and also when we come back to Japan next year. We also collected two more EKI stamps en route. Time seemed to pass really quickly this afternoon and evening and by the time we had navigated the subway and monorail, it was coming up to 9:00 pm. Leo came back to the cruise terminal with us, where we said our goodbyes and made our way back on board the ship.
We had another memorable and fascinating day in Japan, and have just one more to go in this country before we head to Busan and then ultimately Hong Kong and the end of the cruise. We have a sea day tomorrow to recharge our batteries and then we plan to tackle Nagasaki on our own.
There was an announcement over the PA yesterday afternoon informing us that due to port traffic, we would be arriving in Tokyo 1 hour later than scheduled. To offset this change to our visit times, our departure would be an hour later, too, but also extended by 30 minutes.
With a pre-cruise visit planned for next year, we just got off the ship and went to the information hub run by volunteers.
They gave us a couple of options, both of which involved using public transport, so we decided to go to the Meiji Jingu Shrine. This trip involved using the Yurikamome Line from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station and seven stations down the line to Shimbashi Station, where we caught another train to Harajuku on the Yamanote Line.
Sounds simple enough, and it’s easy once you are on the train, but navigating the stations is the complicated bit. We managed it so it can’t be that difficult to do, and it was a good taster for next year.
Meiji Jingu Shrine is within a large park called Yoyogi Park and is very close to the station. It was very busy with lots of tourists making their way to and from the shrine itself, which is almost in the middle.
Having found the shrine and taken some photos of the area, and also getting our first 2 EKI stamps, we decided to make our way back for some lunch at a vegan restaurant close by to Harajuku Station. Just as we were leaving, we spotted a wedding procession at the shrine, which motivated just about every item capable of taking a photo into action; it was like a paparazzi experience.
On the way back, we spotted another EKI stamp opportunity at Meiji Jingu Inner Garden so we furnished ourselves with a third stamp.
After a walk around the garden, we got back on track and enjoyed lunch at a vegan restaurant called Vegan Bistro Jangara. Another excellent, tasty meal and again, not at all expensive.
The first train journey back was extremely busy, with standing room only most of the way; we were all packed in like sardines and getting on and off was a real task. I almost forgot, we also gained two more stamps at the stations on the return journey, so we now have 5 in the book. Not bad for a day’s work, and we are now more aware of what and where to look.
Travelling across Tokyo took about an hour in each direction and we decided that we had achieved our objective today, so we arrived back on the ship at 2:45, giving ourselves plenty of wiggle room.
The rest of the afternoon was quite a leisurely one, so I decided to write up the day’s first venture into Tokyo while Nicole went to the gym. The ship was fairly quiet, so we made the most of it. Tomorrow we have again been told to collect a number for getting off the ship, but we will take no notice and just mingle in with the ship’s tours as they leave. This is what a couple of our table mates did last time with great success, so fingers crossed it works for us tomorrow.
Another sea day before we get to Tokyo, I was previously under the impression we were docking at Yokohama but have recently discovered we are much further in and will be using Tokyo International Cruise Terminal. This has changed our plans entirely, so I have researched things to do and I think we will just get off and walk. As we are coming back next year and intend to spend 3 nights in Tokyo pre-cruise, there isn’t any urgency to see anything of major interest.
Nicole went to the gym this morning and, on her way back, decided to collect a bottle of water from one of the bars. After 7 days into the cruise, she was told that she had used up her quota. As she doesn’t drink alcohol and the price is worked out on a daily rate, we are struggling to make sense of this. If one person in the cabin has the My Drinks package, then anyone else sharing the cabin has to have it too. She can seemingly go and have as many spirits as she likes, but no more bottled water. Tap water is not even available in the dining room, and if you want water with your meal, you have to buy it or bring your own along which is what our tablemates have been doing. There are water dispensers in the buffet and a couple of areas around that deck, but there are stickers on them asking you not to fill water bottles directly from the machine, so it’s a case of filling a cup then pouring it into a bottle. We were not totally sure who to have a word with, so our first port of call was the English English-speaking hostess who is only available for an hour in the morning and 2 hours in the early evening. 3 hours a day on a sea day, nice job if you can get it.
So, having spoken with Hannah, the Costa Hostess, there is no movement on the bottled water situation, but we can apparently get a glass of water at any bar. We also expressed our extreme disappointment with Nicole’s vegan options, especially in the MDR, given the excellent service we received from our last 3 Costa cruises. Lots of notes taken, and whether anything comes of it remains to be seen.
A very quiet day today with lots of reading and browsing, only interrupted by meals and a few laps of the upper decks to get some exercise and steps in.
Tonight was a completely different scenario in the MDR; we had two tiers of management loitering and eventually confronting Nicole about her vegan options. Quite why it has taken for us to complain for Costa to take any action is very disappointing. The two management staff were people we actually spoke with at the beginning of the cruise, and didn’t want to know. All of a sudden, things have changed.
With another planned day ahead of us, we had a quick breakfast in the buffet, which by the time we got there was pretty deserted due to all the Costa excursions leaving soon after we arrived. We had given ourselves a buffer window of an hour and had arranged a pick up for 9:00, which worked really well.
We had booked a private tour through GoWithGuide labelled as Kagoshima Highlights, which was slightly modified to remove items that were of little interest. Our guide, Eiji, was ready and waiting for us by the information desk in the cruise terminal and after introductions, we were on the move to visit Sengan-en, a historic Japanese garden and former residence of the Shimazu clan.
The drive took around 40 minutes, and we easily beat all the ship’s tours so it was relatively empty when we arrived. It was a really nice place to visit with its beautiful gardens and house, complete with a spectacular view of Sakurajima. The house dates back to the 1700s and, with the gardens, is now a UNESCO Heritage site.
Once we had finished our tour, it was back in the car for a quick photo stop at Shiroyama park observatory, which provided a great panorama of Kagoshima town and Sakurajima.
It was then back to Kagoshima for a spot of lunch, which today was in a little vegan cafe called Café Indigo that is operated by a lady who runs it single-handedly. It’s a set meal which starts with soup, then followed by a platter of vegan Japanese bites. It was really tasty, and Nicole was chuffed to bits with it; she even had a Soy Masala Chai tea for the first time, and our guide, who has a keen interest in food, accepted our invitation to join us, seemed to be impressed with the offerings.
My chopstick management is coming along really well. I have never been a fan of using them, but when there is no other option, it’s a case of do or die.
From there, it was a 10-minute walk to the ferry, where we enjoyed the 15-minute ride to Sakurajima. On arrival, we took a nice walk along part of the Nagisa Lava Trail and experienced some more great panoramas of Kagoshima and the volcano.
On the return leg, Nicole took the opportunity to indulge in a foot bath in Sakurajima Yogan Nagisa Park.
Before taking the ferry back, we took a look around the visitor’s centre which was a short walk from the ferry terminal.
Eiji then brought us back to the ship, where we thanked him for the day and said our goodbyes.
We also discovered that Eiji has his own website, and you can book directly and not use the likes of GoWithGuide or Viator.
We can thoroughly recommend him, so here is the direct link to his website
