This was my 25th Princess cruise and 1st one to Asia. This time I was traveling solo. I booked a 2 night pre-cruise package in Osaka.

The flight on Cathay Pacific through Honk Kong was uneventful. Japanese emigration was quick and my driver was waiting for me. The drive to the Imperial Hotel was about 1/2 hr. My room was ready so I freshened up and at 2:00pm went to explore the Osaka Castle. The next day I had breakfast at the hotel and used the free shuttle to get to Osaka train station and explore Osaka.

The following day at 11:30am we all met in the lobby to travel to Kobe for embarkation. The drive was about 1hr with no traffic issues. I was in my balcony cabin (free upgrade) at 1:30pm. Read more