Japan's Southern Islands With Diamond Princess | Day 1: Embarkation in Yokohama
Escape with us to Japan’s Southern Islands on an 8-Day voyage aboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess!
Diamond Princess, our home-away-from-home for the next 8 nights! PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY
Our itinerary for the next 8 days. PHOTO: PRINCESS CRUISES
Singapore Cruise Society is back in Japan! And this time, we are cruising on the ship that kick-started our Japan obsession — Diamond Princess, from Princess Cruises.
We will be sailing an 8-Day Southern Islands Cruise, visiting Naha (Okinawa), Ishigaki-jima and Keelung, Taiwan (for Taipei) before returning to Yokohama. Do join us on our social media to stay tuned for our daily updates.
But First, A Quick Re-Introduction
Built in 2004 at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, this ship is a fan favourite amongst fly-cruisers to Japan, and the local Japanese clientele! Onboard, guests will find Princess favourites like the Skywalkers Nightclub, Movies Under The Stars and The Sanctuary.
Early readers from 2019 may also remember we took a 14-Day Christmas & New Year’s Cruise from Yokohama to Singapore as well!
Embarkation Process
We arrived to the Osanbashi Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, which is about 35 minutes away by car, or around an hour by public transport from Tokyo Station.
Checking-in was easy, with lots of signage staff guiding guests through the check-in process.
The Ocean Medallion & MedallionNet
Diamond Princess is the first ship in the Princess fleet to offer MedallionNet in Asia, after receiving the upgrades in 2020. In place of a cruise card, guests cruising with Princess will now receive an Medallion.
The Medallion enables features like Keyless Stateroom Entry and Simplified Safety Training (similar to Royal Caribbean’s eMuster). Guests can also download the companion MedallionClass Smartphone App to access features like the Shipmate™ Locator, which allows guests to see where the members of their travel party are onboard, and OceanNow® — an on-demand ordering system for everything from pool towels to food & beverages!
We opted to have our medallion picked-up at the terminal, though guests can choose to receive it via mail.
Staff were on hand to check guests’ check-in status, and the functionality of their medallions.
Keyless Stateroom Entry is also made possible with the Medallion! When in close proximity, the guest’s stateroom door will be unlocked automatically.
Our Medallion.
Our Stateroom
We are staying in a Balcony Stateroom this trip. The location is great — perched high up, yet somewhat sheltered!
Princess Cruises’ staterooms always feel a little roomier, probably due to the walk-in wardrobe area.
Sail-Away From Yokohama
We casted off with a crowd of onlookers waving goodbye!
Bye Bye Yokohama!
And on our way out, we passed under the Yokohama Bay Bridge.
On deck, there were sail-away festivities, accompanied by lots of drinks.
Dinner At The Main Dining Room
Main Dining Room Menu.
In order to cater to local preferences, the ship offered some Japanese dishes, which may not be found on every ship in the fleet. On the menu, dishes like Tonkatsu Curry and Miso Soup are just a few of the Japanese-oriented selections, offered alongside the usual Western fare found on Princess Cruises.
See More Here:
Check out more of our day at our Facebook Page, in the embedded post below!
JAPAN'S SOUTHERN ISLANDS WITH DIAMOND PRINCESS | Day 1: Embarkation in Yokohama Singapore Cruise Society is back in...
Posted by Singapore Cruise Society on Wednesday, 21 June 2023
See more of our voyage in the links here:
DIAMOND PRINCESS 8-Day Southern Islands Cruise (Yokohama round-trip)
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