We hope you enjoy our photo blog of our recent travel & cruise of Southern Japan aboard the Celebrity Millennium.
Southern Japan Cruise 2023: The Return
Art and I are off on our next adventure; revisiting Japan. Art travelled there frequently while working, and I was able to join him once, which is when I also fell in love with the country and the people. This cruise was originally scheduled for 2019…then the lock down happened, and it was postponed to…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise 2023: 2 Days to Embarkation: Itadakimasu
Ahead of our cruise, we decided to use our few pre cruise days to visit places not included in our selected excursions from the ship. We find ourselves craving tours with more intimate, quiet experiences, that allow us time to relish and explore a place; to experience discovery. Discovery is a magical practice. It combines…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise 2023: 1 Day to Embarkation: Lost In Translation
Today we travel to the Intercontinental Grand Hotel in Yokohama to be near the cruise port for sail away day. We packed our suitcases and headed to the train station. The concierge at the Strings Hotel gave us directions for which trains to take, and we thought we were good to go! I mean, this…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise 2023: Day 1: Let’s Sail Away!
We woke early this morning and watched Celebrity Millennium sail into port from our Harbor facing room. It was exciting to anticipate being on board again! We relaxed with breakfast on the harbor and talked about how we were looking forwards to walking to the ship; we specifically selected this hotel as it was in…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise: Day 2: Wanderers
We woke this morning to a colorful sunrise as we arrived into Shimizu Port. Today we decided to take a walking tour of this port city, versus one of the many cruise bus excursions traveling out to Mount Fuji, which we did earlier on one of our pre-cruise days. Shimizu is an old port town…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise: Day 3: Rokkō Mountain High
We woke to a beautiful morning of clear blue skies after an evening at sea. Late morning we sailed into Osaka Port, passing impressive container ships and marine docks. As we sailed further into port, a harbor pilot boarded our ship to navigate under the bridges and through the busy waterways. Soon the cruise port…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 4: A Kiss is But A Kiss
Today is our second day in Osaka and we have an excursion to Osaka Castle and a visit to Dotonbori District, a downtown restaurant and shopping area. We board our tour bus and head off to the castle, a bit of a drive away. We arrive at Osaka Castle, which is now part of Osaka…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 5: A Few of Our Favorite Things
Today is a favorite cruise day of ours: a sea day! A day at sea allows us to take in the ocean views from our balcony and around the ship, and a chance to have a photo shoot. Today’s theme: Photos of things unique to a cruise ship. Let’s go to the obvious: The FOOD!…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 6: Among Friends
This morning brings us to Naha Port to visit the cities of Naha and Okinawa. The port is spacious and well organized. Disembarkation was easy and we were welcomed by many helpful volunteers. Having sailed towards the south, there is a noticeable difference in the weather; the humidity and temperature are both high, and our…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 7: Ground Hog Day
Yay! Another day at sea as we sail to South Korea. Today’s photos continue with things you can only find on a cruise ship, along with things that entertainment us while on board. Today it is a bit rough at sea. We are rocking and rolling all about the ship. It’s not often you see…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 8: Kaleidoscope Day
We arrive to the port at Jeju Island South Korea while it is still dark. Even through the darkness, we see the preparations for our arrival: tour buses are lining up in the parking lot, walkways are being set up, and activity is bustling inside the terminal. This is our first visit to South Korea.…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 9: Charmed
We are very excited for today! We are visiting another new site to us; Kagoshima. The view from our balcony is of Sakurajima, an active volcano across Kagoshima bay. We are touring on our own, visiting Sengan-en, a beautiful botanical garden. It is cool in the fresh morning, and we grab our jackets and head…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 10: The Firefly Effect
Overnight we sailed from Kagoshima North to Honshu Island and its capital, Hiroshima. We woke early before sunrise and watched the deep dark skies gently turn to soft blues and golds as the rising sun backlit the mountains. It was very quiet, and seemed a bit surreal as we sailed up Hiroshima Bay. Art and…
Keep readingSouthern Japan Cruise Day 11: Until We Meet Again
Today is our final port of call: Kochi. We are happy to visit Kochi, but sad it is our last excursion of the cruise. We are welcomed into port with a flag performance that was quite impressive! I wonder how many steps that would count for, on an activity app? As we disembark, volunteers help…
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