Diamond Princess Day 24: 8 March 2023 Kobe, Japan

Surprise, this morning I my morning show was sunrise as the Diamond Princess was pulling into the cruise terminal in Kobe, Japan after a 3 year absence. The people of Kobe seem really excited to see us, at least one person anyway. 

Pro Tip: on port days it is best to be fully clothed before you whip open the curtain for that first glimpse of the day!

Kobe is a unique cruise port because the train station is directly above the cruise terminal. Personally, I think this is genius!!!

I'll admit, I think I have a bit of cabin fever from hitting only one port in the last 20 days.... that may not be totally accurate but that is what it feels like. I waited for the ship to clear immigration so I could get in line to get off the ship and decided to walk the top deck and take some pictures.

I waited an hour or so for the line on the ship to get shorter since I didn't have any specific plans other than to just walk around.

As of just after 10AM the line was still out to the atrium on deck 7 and the exit was on deck 6.

I made my move at 10:50 when I couldn't see the end of the line.

PRO TIP: After many days at sea we are in the port of Kobe Japan and going through immigration. It is because of this massive delay that I wanted to jot down a few thoughts.  The first time you hit a port after a long voyage seems to be prone to delays. If ever you want to book a ships excursion, this is the time. Those folks are first to get off through immigration. In retrospect, I wasted so much time waiting when I could have been exploring.

I was off the ship at 11:38... ugh, so much wasted time. By 12:15 I was looking for a geocache in the cruise terminal. 

I got into line for the free shuttle around 12:15. In retrospect, I should have walked to the train station and paid the $7 for a day pass and explored the city some more. Sometimes thrifty cruisers can be penny wise and pound foolish.

The free shuttle dropped me off at Chinatown about 1PM. I had wasted a lot of time just getting off the ship. That said, Chinatown itself was quite the spectacle and I walked around and did some window shopping.

The fact that there is a geocache in the middle of all this chaos in plain sight is absolutely amazing to me. It has to be my favorite cache so far (in the world!!) for that reason. In fact, it was on my second try that I found it.

I headed back to the ship about 3:30 and had to wait for the shuttle again but this time they were running multiple shuttles in order to get everyone back on the ship. The Kobe folks were.super orderly and organized about the line.

I was back to the ship before 4pm and grabbed a quick nap before heading to my 5PM dinner time.

Italian night was delicious. 

I had Iced Peach Bellini Soup, an appetizer sized Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Sauteed Shrimp and Sea Scallops.

For dessert I had the Trio of Italian Desserts which did not disappoint. I also tried the Mochaccino Semifreddo at my waiters insistence. It was sort of ice milk and not too sweet and definitely a healthier choice.

There was a magic show Daniel K in the theater but I skipped it because I heard a brass band playing when I got out of the dining room. I stood on the promenade deck and watched the band finish and pack up. It seemed like all of Kobe turned up to watch us pull away. At some point I realized the view would be better from the balcony and I went back to the stateroom and watched as we pulled out of port.

I really tried to convince myself to see the show but went to bed instead. I was exhausted from waiting all day. 

Happy Cruising!