Welcome to part three of my Japan adventure chronicles! In
part two, I shared my very first day in Osaka (not just the first day for this trip,
but my first time setting foot there ever!) which mostly consisted of
exploration of the immediate area surrounding our hotel. We were passing the
time until boarding of our cruise ship, the Silver Muse, was scheduled to
begin. Today, I'll share photos of my boarding experience (another first; I
had never been on a ship of any kind before!) and my first impressions being
on the ship!
Wednesday 15 March 2023 - Boarding the Silver Muse
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We were shuttled from the hotel to the boarding location via tour bus.
The wait for our group number to be called was longer than the ride
itself.
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First clear view of the Silver Muse!
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We were thrilled to discover that we had been upgraded from the cheapest
and smallest suite (all the cabins are suites on this ship) to the top
of the mid-range options! The bathroom included everything you see here
plus a separate shower and bathtub, with luxury Bulgari toiletries. The
only negative was how disturbingly loud the flush on the toilet was. I
have no idea if that's just a thing on cruise ships or what 🤔
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Here are the sleeping and sitting areas of our Deluxe Veranda Suite. The
black cases on the bed were luxury sanitation kits that included a pack
of face masks, hand sanitizer, antimicrobial wipes, and hand lotion
❤️
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Both of the gigantic mirrors in the sleeping/sitting areas had smart TVs
inside! We received notifications, messages, and news about the cruise
on it, and could watch live video feeds from a couple different
locations on the ship, among other things.
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Drinks were included in our cruise fare, and they provided a bottle of
sparkling wine in our room to kick everything off 🍾 I do wish marking
ourselves as teetotalers was an option, though. I like the flavor but
not the alcohol, and my husband, Sean, doesn't drink at all.
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The fantastic view of the Osaka Cruise Terminal from our ✨~veranda~✨
😄 We were expecting to have nothing more than a picture window (that
is, a window that gives a great view but doesn't open) when we booked,
so being upgraded to this suite was dreamy for the veranda alone!
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カンパイ！or Cheers! 🥂 I popped open the bubbly, and Sean had Sprite
😄
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We explored the ship after getting settled in our room. It was full of
interesting and unusual art! This is an example of some glass work.
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Here is an example of avant-garde sculpture.
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A framed tapestry; these were my favorite.
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Non-representational painting. I loved the colors and textures of this one.
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Me and the great wheel at night! My only regret is not getting to ride
on it!
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Our first dinner on board was at Kaiseki, a Japanese style restaurant.
They kept the drinks flowing much too liberally, especially the
delicious sake! I enjoyed it at the time but I don't want to drink like
that again 😅
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The atmosphere and food presentation was excellent in this tiny
restaurant, but I have to admit, their vegan "options" were very
limited. Still, we had a good time, enjoying our first evening on board
any ship ever!
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Although I don't have any memory of departing from the port, because I
drank WAY too much, my hangover woke me up at three-in-the-morning and I got to enjoy a
dreamy vision of the moon shining through the clouds and lighting up the
sea 🌘💕
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So ended our first day in Osaka, our first day on the Silver Muse, and our
first night on the cruise. I'll be back soon with part 4 of my adventure,
which was a full day at sea, heading towards Kagoshima. Please look forward to
it!
