Shenzhen

ByTravelling Minion May 24, 2026 0 Comments
Today we head to Shenzhen for the day. Getting to Shenzhen from Hong Kong is pretty simple. We make our way to the MTR and within an hour we are leaving the train, crossing the river and the Chinese border. After existing border control, we find ourselves in Luohu Port. It opens up into a large pedestrian area with malls large shopping centres on both sides along with lots of tasty food stalls....

Final Sailing and arriving in Hong Kong

ByTravelling Minion May 17, 2026 1 Comment
After two weeks cruising through Asia, we head to our final port of Hong Kong. We have two final days at sea, which are a perfect "break" before saying good bye to the Holland America Westerdam. Prime Rib Brunch For one of the sea days, our ship offers a Prime Rib Brunch. We head to the dining room, get seated and order the prime rib for our "morning meal"; it didn't disappoint. There’s...

2 Days in Shanghai

ByTravelling Minion May 10, 2026 1 Comment
Our cruise stop in Shanghai is for two days instead of the customary one. Rather than taking the hour-long bus ride from the port to the city and back each day, we decide to stay overnight in town. After riding the bus from the port, we arrive in Shanghai and leisurely make our way towards the hotel, while taking in the first few glimpses of the city. Shanghai is Papa Minion's hometown so he's...

Busan

ByTravelling Minion May 3, 2026 1 Comment
Our cruise stops in Busan today! It will be our only South Korea stop but it's one we are all excited to explore since none of us have visited before. After disembarking our ship and clearing Korean customs and Immigration we hop into an uber and head to BIFF Square. It's a popular cultural street that celebrates Korea's film industry. It's also home to the Busan International Film Festival and...

Nagasaki

ByTravelling Minion April 26, 2026 1 Comment
Today our cruise takes us to Nagasaki. It's a place none of us have to before, so we are all looking forward to the visit. After our now-routine breakfast on board we disembark the boat and make our way through the pretty port of Nagasaki. As Nagasaki is the other nuclear bombing site, our family is curious to see how the event is memorialized here. We hop onboard one of the city trams and make...

Cruising the Kanmon Strait to Fukuoka

ByTravelling Minion April 19, 2026 1 Comment
Today is a day at sea without any ports as our boat sails from Hiroshima through the Kanmon Strait to Fukuoka. Since there isn't any port of call, the ship offers a few extra events and activities for its guests. One of which is a brunch in the main dining room. Our family decides to partake and head into the ship's dining room. We order several different dishes which includes a fresh fruit...