SO HOW WAS THE DIAMOND PRINCESS?

 One news item.  Democrats did well on election night this week.  Abortion adds to Republican woes.

We arrived in Yokohama this morning and went back to the Sheraton Yokohama Bay.  A truly wonderful 9-day cruise.

There were some negatives:

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  The bed widths were too small.  I worry about falling out of bed, and was concerned.  Amazingly enough, I slept well, and must have averaged 8 hours/night.
• Like in 15 Craigside, the shower is combined in the tub, and it was dangerous to get in and out.  There were safety bars, but not enough of them.  Plus the shower head was placed awkwardly,
• We took no tours, but that was by our choice.
• I'm trying to think what else was bad....and might come back to add more.

This was, maybe, the best cruise we have ever taken.  Better than the recent Regent 7 Seas, Seabourn and Norwegian adventures.  Why?

• The service was exceptional.
• The cuisine was uniformly terrific.
• The Japanese washlet toilet was warm.
• The premium liquor package was wonderful.  We were limited to a maximum of 15 drinks/person/day, and got close every day.
• We had meals and drinks with four others from Hawaii, and the camaraderie was nice.
• The WiFi worked well.  While photos took 10 times longer to download (5 seconds at home and one minute on board), the service was uniform and good.  Best yet on any cruise we have experienced.
• The ship uses some form of bluetooth system to simplify opening your cabin door, ordering drinks and purchasing anything on board.  You carry a medallion.  Very convenient.
• There were other good reasons I'll detail in my final analysis of this cruise.

On the final night on the Diamond Princess we had dinner with Cheryl/Clarence and Bob.  The feature was the Baked Alaska parade.  Clarence bought another wine, an Oregon Pinot Noir.

An appetizer started the dinner.

I began with a salad and cream of tomato soup.

For the entre, a combination of pork and New York steaak.

Then the parade began.

Cheryl with her Baked Alaska.

Bob got special attention with his Baked Alaska.

My piece of Bakes Alaska

There are many versions of Baked Alaska.  The usual one uses a bottom crust and Neopolitan ice cream covered with meringue.

• The name was supposedly coined in 1876 at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City to honor the acquisition by the U,S. of Alaska from the Russian Empire.
• Some say the original was called Alaska Florida.
• A variation is Bombe Alaska, with dark rum splashed over the Baked Alaska, and flambéed.
• Why do many cruise ships have a Baked Alaska parade on the final dinner night?  It is extravagant and visually impressive to add to the sailing experience.  How did it all start?  Probably on some ship crossing Atlantic to American around 1905.  Read the 1978 book by John Maxtone-Graham.

Well, we arrive in the Port of Yokohama and had breakfast before leaving the ship.

Next?  We have three separate 7-day Japan Rail Pass adventures to follow the changing Fall colors, beginning with Sendai and Sapporo.

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