Spontaneous travel? Really?

NOTE:  I will be posting a few of the previously unpublished editions of our previous trips and then switch to writing with the mister a combined blog called The Optimistic Tourists11@blogspot.com. 

There will be several more of the unpublished to come. Thanks for reading.

September15, 2018 Planning is almost complete

It is hard to believe we decided to go on a cruise at the end of the month just 7 days ago!  Usually we or I decide more than 9 months in advance where we will go and then work to build a trip.  This is short notice for sure.  I am not even sure what we want to see, but we will not let an opportunity go to waste.  

This started when an email came advertising a 14 night cruise on Holland America Westerdam from Vancouver, BC, via Alaska to Yokohama, Japan at a price we found hard to believe.  After putting in our Mariner numbers, it became $500 cheaper and they were giving us more onboard credit!  Hard to pass up, but that was the cheap part of the adventure.  The real costs were to come along as the week progressed. 

The following was written post trip and therefore contains a critique of a supplier or two. 

We decided that this might be our only opportunity to get to Asia, again, so we expanded the land portion of our trip.   We would now visit  Hiroshima and Seoul.  it was learned that  getting to Seoul required an 18 hour layover in Shanghai, so we decided we may as well stay for several days and explore that city also.  These side trips and the fare home were where the REAL costs.  Airfares and hotels ran just about double the bargain price of the cruise.  Considering the value of having a wonderful adventure together, it was well worth the total financial expenditures.

There was only one unexpected glitch in the planning;  the ship would let us off at 7 am and our flight left Haneda airport at 10:30.  The transfer provider, Viator/ Cherry Tomato, said the time was too short and we would need to rebook our flight. We were not advised of this until 2 days before arriving in Yokohama.   It was an extra $600 and we lost the $200 already paid on nonrefundable tickets.  Worst of all was that we were at the airport in less than 30 minutes and would have had plenty of time for the flight. I kicked myself for listening to the "service". Viator and Cherry Tomato never offered as much as an apology!  Those companies are off of our supplier lists for future travel and/or recommendations. Viator and Cherry Tomato get 5 rotten tomatoes  from us.  

Viator did compensate us for our lost money and reimbursed us for prepaids when I sent a copy of the text conversation to them.  Now I check my credit card benefits or get travel insurance. 

Sept 29—to Vancouver.