After my train journey, from New York City to Toronto, I booked “The Canadian”—VIA Rail’s flagship transcontinental train. The 4,466 kilometers (2,775 miles) trip to Vancouver goes across five provinces. The route is regarded as one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys. Ten years ago, I took “The Canadian” in the opposite direction. On that trip, I booked a semi-private berth. The fare included access to the dining room, panoramic dome car, and showers. My seating area was converted into a single bed each night.
This trip, I settled for a reclining seat and café car dining. The food was actually prepared to order and not microwaved, as is the case with coach meals on Amtrak. Once in Vancouver, I made my way to the bus service for Whistler. I just walked up and booked a ticket. You can also pre-book online. Once there, I stayed in the same pod hostel that I picked, before my Alaskan cruise, in May. Then, two days before the NCL Jade cruise to Tokyo, I headed back to Vancouver and slept in another hostel, before heading to the cruise terminal.
The check-in process was a nightmare. We had to share the terminal with another cruise line. Then, on top of that, the NCL Jade was late arriving to the pier. So, all the early boarding times were pointless. My 9:30 AM arrival time ended up getting me on the ship a little before noon. People were so confused and terminal staff kept getting conflicting messages to pass to the cruise guests. Finally, everything cleared up and we were able to board the ship. Talk about a case of foreshadowing. That arrival mix-up set the stage for the next sixteen days.
We had five stops in Alaska. My favorite was, of course, Sitka. I served in AmeriCorps there, 2020/22. An old Peace Corps Kenya buddy picked me, from the cruise terminal. She’s lived in Sitka for years. We did our favorite drive around town. There’s only sixteen miles of road on the island. Then, we had lunch, followed by a recording session for a local radio show. She dropped me by my old AmeriCorps worksite, before driving me back to the cruise terminal. That short visit was the best “excursion” ever!
The next day was technically a sea day, as we made our way to Hubbard Glacier. It’s the largest tidewater glacier in North America and stretches 76 miles from its source in Yukon, Canada. For cruises, the floating ice dictates how close a ship can safely navigate the area. This was my third “Alaskan” cruise, third glacier attempt, and the first time the ship made it through. Hubbard Glacier is moving forward, at a rate of about 80 feet per year and has been nicknamed The Galloping Glacier!
Our final port, before Japan, was in Kodiak. I decided to leave the ship and walk around the town. Two of my Peace Corps Armenia friends just moved from there. I had a nice visit with them, in Fairbanks, after the Alaskan cruise, earlier this year. On this stop in Alaska, I only exited the ship to find free WiFi, at the nearby McDonalds. But … it didn’t have WiFi. So, I purchased a few snacks, from a liquor store close to the pier, and made my way back to the ship.
So … the following day began the first of six days at sea. We were told to turn our clocks back one hour, every evening. Some passengers refused to do it. They would show up for breakfast and wonder why the buffet was closed. I would see them walking up to the theater, an hour before the scheduled show. Other guests said they kept waking up, at the same time, like they did back home. I slept like a log. Then, the day before Hakodate, our first stop in Japan, we were given the bad news.
Due to the weather conditions, we were going to skip our scheduled first stop in Japan and have another full day at sea! Refunds for all excursions booked through Norwegian Cruise Line were made. Then, our captain decided to sail south, moving further away from the upcoming storm that was keeping us from docking in Hakodate. In calmer waters, the outside pool was refilled, deck chairs were set up, and we had an amazing calm “sunny” day at sea. The ship’s DJ was even allowed back outside. It was the perfect way to end a week’s worth of sea days.
We arrived in Yokohama a day early and used the ship like our hotel for the night. We could come and go as we pleased. Our only task that day was to clear immigration, since we had just arrived in Japan. Everyone on the ship had to exit. After that, you could go off the ship or return. A few passengers decided they were not interested in returning. Around forty asked to leave the ship a day early. A handful of other passengers didn’t bother asking and simply had their luggage with them. I returned to the ship and took a nap. The next day, I took a taxi to my hostel.
I did a little research on Disneyland Tokyo. The park is not owned or operated by the Walt Disney Company. It is owned and operated by a separate Japanese corporation, with a licensing agreement with the Walt Disney Company. My online research said to arrive early for the “real” show. The doors open at 9:00 AM. People begin arriving and lining up before 7:00 AM. It was a sight to behold! Once inside, guests got a bite to eat, then began sitting along Main Street, to get the best seats for the first parade, … at noon! You have to see it to believe it!
I sat and enjoyed all the people-watching. I didn’t even walk over to the area with rides. The entire park was set up for Halloween and a lot of visitors were dressed up as their favorite Disney characters. I have never seen anything like it. From babies to grandparents, people had some amazing costumes. And, the Popcorn was sold in ceramic “keepsake” pumpkins. I went to Hong Kong Disneyland for my 50th birthday, twenty years ago! I’m happy to add Tokyo Disneyland to my list of Disney locations.
I originally planned on spending a few days in Tokyo and then heading to Okinawa. I was stationed there, during a 90 day Air Force TDY assignment, in 1979. I remember the flight from my Air Force base in California to McChord in Seattle, then an overnight at Hickam, in Honolulu, then on to Andersen, in Guam, and finally Clark, in the Philippines, all before landing, in Okinawa. The 90 day duty was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. A little more than six months later, I was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force.
Signing up for military service, at seventeen, was my way out. Leaving the Air Force and using the GI Bill to attend college was my way up! If Okinawa never happened, would I be where I am today? I look at it this way, Guam was the third country I visited, the Philippines the fourth, and Japan the fifth. Today, I’ve been to ninety-one countries. My military service was the start of my travel journey. Okinawa simply reset my path.
And, that new path led me to serve overseas in Peace Corps Kenya, 1986/88, Peace Corps Armenia, 2017/19, and Peace Corps Ethiopia, 2019/20. Then, while the USA was still dealing with the pandemic, I joined AmeriCorps and and served in Alaska, 2020/22. So, after my return to Japan, forty-seven years later, I picked Disneyland Tokyo, over a return to Okinawa. And, I’m totally OK with that! XOXO—GGT
