Day 1: Delayed Departure from Kobe – Smooth Check-In, Warm Staff, and a Bit of Chaos - Appy Travel

👉🌐 English Articles｜Peace Boat Travel Guides
📘 This is part of Appy’s English Cruise Diary series!
You can read about life onboard the Peace Boat through real experiences, starting with Day 1 here.

Hello, I’m Appy!

Today marks the first day of my journey on the Peace Boat’s 118th Global Voyage.
Originally scheduled to depart yesterday, our ship set sail from Kobe Port a day late due to Typhoon No. 7.

And so, my cruise diary begins!
I’ll be sharing events in chronological order, mostly as multi-day summaries.
Hope you’ll come along for the ride 🚢✨

🧳 Hi, I’m Appy — a Japanese traveler in my 50s.
I joined Peace Boat’s 118th global voyage after retiring from work, fulfilling a lifelong dream of seeing the world by sea.

Here, I share real-life tips on how to prepare, what to expect onboard, and what it’s really like at each port.
I hope my stories help make your first cruise easier and more exciting!

【目　次】

Boarding Day – Excitement in the Air
Smooth Check-In at Kobe Port
First Meal: Let’s Try the 14F Buffet
Final Thoughts

Boarding Day – Excitement in the Air

That morning, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time—giddy excitement, like a child heading out on a school trip.
The road to Kobe Port felt dreamlike, with a strange mix of joy and a bit of nervous anticipation.

A Typhoon Delay Turned Bonus Prep Time

With the cruise delayed by one day due to a typhoon, I got an unexpected chance to double-check all my preparations for this 108-day voyage.
Honestly, the delay gave me breathing room. And when they moved our check-in time from morning to afternoon—lucky! Afternoon is just easier, right?

Appy

Of course, this was only true for the Kobe group. The folks boarding from Yokohama were hit hard by the typhoon and even had to extend their stay. So sorry, truly.

Smooth Check-In at Kobe Port

Our check-in window was 14:00–15:30, but I expected long lines. I arrived right at 14:00… and was pleasantly shocked.

Only 15 minutes later, I had completed registration, received my ID card (also my room key and onboard payment card), and was being ushered to immigration.

Warm Welcome Onboard

As we stepped onto the ship, staff lined both sides of the corridor, smiling and waving at every passenger.
I even spotted the bearded staff director I’d seen on YouTube!

Walking past the staff felt like being a VIP.

After immigration, a porter—a foreign staff member—took our suitcases and guided us to our cabin.

Our Room: Exactly as Expected (Thanks, YouTube)

We weren’t surprised at all. After watching so many cabin tour videos, even the “vintage” bits felt familiar.

Two boxes we’d shipped 10 days earlier were already in the room—one squashed, one torn.
Inside, a cracked plastic bin lid, but everything else was intact. Not bad, all things considered!

Room Staff from Indonesia (Hi!)

As I unpacked, we heard a knock.

Standing there was a dark-skinned crew member asking if we needed anything—extra towels, blankets, help with the room?

He was our assigned steward, and all the rooms on our floor were managed by staff from Indonesia.

When I asked, “Will you be with us the entire cruise?”
He replied, “No, I disembark in Singapore.”

Appy

Hmm, I guess a new team boards in Singapore?

Strange Sounds from the Vent & AC

A high-pitched hum from the vent. A rattling sound from the aircon.

We mentioned it to our steward, and within minutes, a repair tech arrived, assessed the issue, fetched tools, and fixed it swiftly.

Appy

Impressive speed, but shouldn’t this have been checked before boarding…?

We later learned our steward’s work hours were 7:00–14:00 and 17:00–21:00.
Guess we’ll be besties until Singapore!

First Meal: Let’s Try the 14F Buffet

After setting up Wi-Fi (10GB purchased at the shop!), it was already 6:00 PM.
Starving, we headed to the 6F restaurant where our assigned course dinner was scheduled.