5 More Things to Know About MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES

Some cruise products require more education than others, even for experienced cruise clients. MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES, a Japanese cruise line that recently opened to the North American market, is one such product.

In a previous article, TMR offered travel advisors and their clients the seven most important things to know about MITSUI. But that wasn’t enough to cover everything that makes MITSUI unique.

Here are five more things – including one that probably should have been in the first piece – that travel advisors and their clients should know about MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES.

1. Omotenashi Service

In Japan, there is a concept of service known as Omotenashi, often described as “wholehearted,” “genuine,” and “selfless.” It’s providing service for the sake of being of service.

This is what clients will find onboard MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES, both from the Japanese and non-Japanese crew. It manifests itself as your preferred drink of choice materializing on the table before you ask for it. As waiters greeting you by name, even though you never told them. It’s your butler taking off her shoes before she enters your stateroom. It’s even the baggage handler waving away the tip, because he’s just doing his job.

It’s quiet, understated, and polite yet friendly, and not at all stuffy.

2. MITSUI’s Tips Included Policy

Speaking of tipping, crew gratuities are included in the MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES cruise fare for North Americans, and the line’s head of commercial strategies, Anthony Kaufman wants it to remain a cash free environment.

When asked by travel advisors on a recent MITSUI fam whether their clients should tip extra – the way many U.S. guests like to do – Kaufman said no. He cited the Japanese belief that service is performed for service’s sake (Omotenashi, as mentioned above) and that to tip someone can be construed as an insult.

One exception to the onboard tipping policy is in the spa, which like on most other cruise lines, is run by OneSpaWorld. Here, there is an automatic 15% gratuity added. (Be sure to let your clients know, as they did not inform us and we ended up tipping an additional 10%.)

Kaufman also advised not tipping shore excursion guides in Japan for the same reason. Instead, he suggested purchasing them gifts from the ports to show appreciation. We did this (usually sweets) and found our guides seemed surprised and honored by the gift. However, some of the advisors on our sailing tried tipping the guides with cash and found they were more than happy to take the money.  

3. MITSUI’s Modern Japanese Culture

Sailing onboard a MITSUI cruise is an immersive step into Japanese society and culture. But it should be noted that the Japanese culture onboard MITSUI is entirely modern. Clients should not come expecting to see some Hollywood version of “traditional” Japanese life – women in kimonos, traditional tea ceremonies, etc.

The Japanese guests on board are modern people. They might bow when they say thank but they dress just like we do (albeit somewhat more conservatively than many North Americans). They may eat their meals with chopsticks but they eat a mix of Japanese and Western food – the Western dinners in Fuji restaurant are especially popular, as is the pizza at the poolside grill. Most even speak English.

4. The Day Gets Started Early on MITSUI

Because MITSUI is a Japanese cruise line and the vast majority of guests onboard are (and always will be) Japanese, the onboard schedule reflects Japanese preferences.

Breakfast is short and ends early. Most days it started at 7 a.m. and was over by 9 a.m., even on sea days. North Americans who like to sleep in on a sea day will only find snacks in the Square to tide them over until lunch (in all venues) opens at noon.

This preference for starting the day early also applies to daytime activities with the majority of hosted activities offered before noon.

For example, activities offered before lunch on our first sea day included: a Funatabi class teaching the history and basics of Kendama (a traditional Japanese toy), two origami classes, a culinary presentation, a Giant Jenga challenge, and a putting golf challenge. After noon, there was a ring toss challenge, a ballroom dance class, and an English-language port presentation. (This does not include any spa- or retail-related seminars, which, as on all ships, are simply sales pitches in disguise.)

On our sailing there was also a progressive class on the last sea day, so to attend the afternoon sessions you had to have attended the morning sessions.

Clients should be prepared to start their sea days early if they want to make the most of the activities onboard.

5. Evening Entertainment on MITSUI

While activities onboard MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES get started early, the day doesn’t end early. On most nights, there is a show in the main theater, followed by some type of dance party or game show.

Main theater shows are divided into two types: revue-style productions using well-known songs from across the decades by the ship’s troupe of two singers and four dancers, and guest acts. On our sailing, the guests included a Jamaican born singer named Monique Dehaney who sang English-language jazz, soul, and disco songs but spoke to the guests only in Japanese, and a Japanese violinist and pianist duo who performed twice (once classical German compositions and once French).

The theater was dark only one night, replaced by an outdoor Summer Festival, replicating Japan’s famous street festivals with traditional food, (not so traditional) music, games, and dancing. While there is not a Summer Festival on every sailing, there are similar itinerary-inspired evenings on most.

On our sailing, the main show was always at 8:15. At 9:30, the show was followed either by a usually well-attended dance party (ranging from rock-and-roll to disco to Latin to country & western) or a game show, such as Majority Rules or Yes or No. Game shows are in Japanese, but the cruise director does attempt to translate some, if not all, of it. Other evening entertainment options generally included the house band or soloist guitarist and singer in the Ocean Club and instrumental melodies in the top-deck Observation Bar 36.

A few nights a week, the “casino” is open for one hour (usually from 10 to 11 p.m.) for play gambling. Because betting money is not permitted in Japan, it is not permitted onboard MITSUI either. Advisors we spoke to onboard said this was something that was important to share with some of their clients for whom the casino experience is usually a significant part of their cruise enjoyment.

Travel advisors can find out more about MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES at mitsuioceancruises.us or by emailing head of North American sales Joe Maloney at joe.maloney@mitsuioceancruises.us.