Some Concluding Remarks about Japan and Korea

I will look forward to your follow up thoughts, once you are home again.

Many crew members and guests had tattoos all over their body. Maybe they knew how to cover up when going ashore. Supposedly tattoos are prohibited in some places???

Just a couple of comments about this. In Japan, tattoos have long been associated with the Yakuza (organized crime) and criminals, and was even illegal until after WW II. They still carry a stigma, and those with visible tattoos are often restricted from using onsen, public pools, and some private establishments. Just one of the many reasons for doing advance research into social and cultural norms before visiting a new country. My son in law ran up against this on a trip to Japan this spring. He and my daughter and the couple they were travelling with were able to use the onsen pools only if they limited themselves to the private ones.

After the bumpy prelude to this trip, good to read that things went mostly well and you were able to enjoy the trip.

Thanks for the interesting reports

I have enjoyed your reports and am glad you had a mostly positive experience. I have yet to have a trip without a glitch. Usually they are self-imposed. LOL

I am planning a trip to Japan next year, so your insights have been helpful.

I hope the pain you experienced was a one-time thing and will not happen again. That sounded awful.

Thank you so much. I hope that knee gets attended to quickly so you never experience that again. Safe travels home.

The sort of trip report I enjoy the most. More about the feel and emotions than the cost of tickets and routes (which is all that I am good at doing). Thank you.

I really like the what I did type of report and how I feel as much maybe more than the how much I spent type

I know this was a great undertaking for you and I am so glad you enjoyed it and continue to explore the world. Knowing you, you probably already have an idea about your next trip. What places have caught your interest for a possible next trip?

Thank you for your reports. I’m also interested to hear what you are considering for your next trip.

Haven't anything from you since you were due back at Austin.

I know you were concerned about problems with the homebound flights - I hope it all worked out well for you.

Hello everyone

I am home and it was ok getting home. There were not big issues. It was mostly me being me, which is high stress. I. bring a lot of it on myself

I will write more about my flight home in the future but The Dallas airport is OMG. Connecting was OMG. I would suggest not using Dallas as a connection unless necessary.

I am now experiencing jet lag .... and I have picked up something I think from the cruise ship. I coughed all the way home on the flight.

Have had no further severe problems with my leg as I wrote about while after excursion. I see a cardiologist on Thursday, a nephrologist next week and my PCP early November. I will be bringing up the severe pain in my leg and my inability to move.

I have a lot more to add about the cruise. Never finished all my ports

Carol NR

I am thinking about the next cruise. I would like more nature. I think I would like more than 7 days but I found 14 days a bit too long Maybe 9 or 10 days.

Off the top of my head, I am thinking Australia / New Zealand or Norway, South America..... , maybe even British isles ...... Not ready to even look at the NCL site and see what is offered .

However I would not mind another Japan cruise if it left from Tokyo itself and was RT Tokyo to Tokyo.

CJean

Some of the Norwegian staff and crew members had tattoos from one end of their arm to the the other and the same with legs. I imagine they were also all over the body On the ship, these person were freely allowed to show themselves but I did see some on shore and they wore long pants and long sleeved high collared shirts.

I expect these crew members knew the score

One things that I have avoided saying until niow

Remember the taxi that was supposed to pick me up at APA and take me to the port.? Would you bellieve that it never showed up and the one that I hailed tried to bilk me. The men at the port intervened and sent him away but I gave him 1000 yen anyways. I would have given him more but I could not find my money

I also got notices from Go Taxi telling me that my cab was waiting for me even though there was no cab outside I was told that I might have to pay a cancellation fee. I suspect the cab went to another APA hotel. There was no way to call Go Taxi or text Go Taxi. I am going to have to look at my cc bills to see if I was charged a canc ellation fee by Go Taxi and dispute the charge

I do noti believe that I said APA had problems finding my reservation and then when they did my cc company declined payment. I had to straighten out both problems. They did get straightened out but it was a hassle and I was really really tired.

If there is a next time, I believe that it will be much easier knowing what I now know.

Dear Boston Phil,
It is interesting that Norway was one you were considering, because in my mind I was thinking that would be a good next choice for you. Norway is a great place to travel along the coast in a cruise ship. Most ports have options that do not require expensive excursions.

There are two main routings. One is in the south focusing on fjords and the other stretches north along the coast and is often a little longer cruise in terms of days. Both are great, but I have to admit the route going North past Nord Cap and back remains my favorite.

Carol N R

I know that you cruised Norway. I know of others who have also cruised Norway.

I have been looking at what NCL offers. NCL does not offer embarking from any Norwegian ports in 2026. I would have to leave from another port like Helsinki which would be ok with me. Would not mind spending. few days in Helsinki pre-cruise.

I would also be comfortable sailing Norway in July or August . Usually I do not travel in the summer because of heat but Norway would probably be cool in July or August. It might be nice to get away from the Texas heat.

Norway is definitely comfortable to visit in July and August. July is best, since the days are longer. However, a cruise starting from Helsinki probably doesn't have as much of a Norway focus - it is a long way! There are lots of worthwhile stops in the Baltic sea, but it is a very different vibe vs. Norway, which is largely about scenery and less about cities (although Bergen and Oslo are nice).

Hi balso

I have been researching cruses that include Norwegian ports on the NCL site. None of the cruises leave from Norway. I think that Norway ia becoming more concerned about over tourism.

There are cruises that include Norwegian ports with one including three Norwegian ports but none of the cruises are heavily "Norway."

However all the other countries and ports are of great interest to me such as Iceland, Scotland, Sweden. etc. All the cruises that I have been looking at fall under Northern Europe.

There are several cruises that begin or end in Helsinki. I think one included one port in Norway. The reason that I was thinking about Helsinki is that old friends from Austin have returned to Finland but I do not know how close they might be to Helsinki. I was hoping that maybe I could include a visit to see them.

The dress and money tips are spot on too; people always overthink that stuff. Sorry to hear about your knee though that must’ve been rough. Hopefully it was just a one-off and doesn’t happen again if you decide to go back, which honestly sounds like you should.

Hello karl

Yes, I was really worried if I would be dressed appropriately for Japan and Korea given what i had heard and read. There was nothing to worry about except that it was hotter than expected and most of my clothes were for cooler weather.

Money might have been a problem but i had. a lot of yen and won. Cash is still necessary in both Japan and Korea. Better to have too much cash than not enough. I was able to exchange my yen and won at the airport before flying out of S Korea.

I have spoken to a doctor about my leg and will have a diagnostic, I think an ultrasound, in January. It was the first and only time that something like this happened. It was very frightening.

I booked Iceland / Norway on the Prima for 2027.