The company has chartered MSC’s “Bellissima” to offer cruise trips such as round-the-Japan and tropical resort cruises at reasonable prices starting from around 200,000 yen. The Silver Moon is an all-suite ship, with a butler (steward) in every stateroom to provide assistance in all aspects of the ship. The Verissima is a 315.83-meter-long, 19-story, 170,000-ton ship with 2,217 rooms and a maximum capacity of 5,655 passengers, while the Silver Moon is a smaller ship, 212.80-meter-long, 11-story, 40,000-ton with only 298 rooms and a capacity of 596 passengers. With a capacity of 596 passengers, the ship is designed to provide ample space for each individual passenger. This means less congestion at the ship’s restaurants and activities, as well as during embarkation and disembarkation. This tour departs from the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, calling at Kumano/Shingu (Wakayama Prefecture) and Tokushima, then passing through the Seto Inland Sea to Pusan (Korea), Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Amami-Oshima, and Iseshima (Mie Prefecture) before returning to Tokyo. The nearest station to the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, the departure point, is Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station on the Yurikamome Line, but it takes less than 10 minutes to walk there. This time, Japanease has provided free shuttle buses from Shinagawa Station and Tokyo Teleport Station every 15 to 30 minutes, which shows that they have taken care of the transportation before boarding the ship. At the cruise terminal, passengers check in their suitcases, receive a card key for embarkation, disembarkation, and entry, and register a credit card for onboard payment. Once on board, a tour of the ship’s facilities is given in the theater (Venetian Lounge), and a tour of the restaurants, spa, and other facilities is also available, although the number of participants is limited.
Butler Service to be Utilized Once on board, I then headed to my room and found my suitcase delivered in the room. As mentioned above, Silver Moon’s greatest asset is its butler service. You can call your butler on the extension phone and ask him or her to unpack your luggage, open a bottle of champagne as a welcome drink, or even choose a pillow of the right firmness for you or one of three different bathroom amenities (the default is Bvlgari). Communication with butlers is basically in English. If you, like the readers of this magazine, are familiar with the Internet and smartphones, you can use a translation application such as Google Translate. In addition to the language barrier, Japanese who are unfamiliar with butler services tend to be at a loss as to what to ask for and how to ask for it. According to Ionut Munteanu, butler manager, there is no definition of what a butler does. Of course, they will charge extra for things that require additional money, such as a surprise gift, but they can also help with special requests, such as bringing food from the ship’s restaurant to your room or re-buttoning a button on a garment that has accidentally come undone. There is no extra charge for physical activity. Silver Moon also does not require tipping butlers. It is said that many people on U.S.-based vessels approach butlers to ask for tips, but this is not the case on the European vessels. The exquisite distance between the butlers and the passengers is said to be a consideration so that the passengers can spend their private time comfortably during the trip.
Passengers can spend their time as they wish at each port of call, whether they participate in the optional tours offered by Japanease for a fee, go anywhere they like on their own, or just relax on board the ship. Passengers spend their time as they wish at each port of call. In some ports, the nearest station or bus stop may be a distance away. For example, in Kumano and Shingu, a shuttle bus was provided from the port to the front of Shingu Station. Cabs were also available at each port, and since the number of passengers was small, it was possible to board a cab at any port without having to wait. Getting around in unfamiliar destinations is no problem with the Google Maps app on your smartphone. The reporter took an optional bus tour only in Busan, but in the rest of the country, he enjoyed traveling by a combination of transportation methods, including trains, buses, rented cars, and rented bicycles.
© Source travel watch
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