Just off the Diamond Princess in Japan- AMA!!

Thank you so much for posting! OK if I reference this post in our Roll Call? It has been really slow, but yours is the best post I have seen about the Diamond. Where did you stay before the cruise? Any tips for Yokohama?

Do be aware that taxis from the airports are very expensive. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku and the car we arranged was about $200.00 for a ride a bit over 1 hr, You can take the limo bus for about $30.00 however.

Thank you so much for posting! OK if I reference this post in our Roll Call? It has been really slow, but yours is the best post I have seen about the Diamond. Where did you stay before the cruise? Any tips for Yokohama?

Referencing is fine. Thanks for asking.

Our cruise left from Kobe so we flew in & went straight to port. Afterwards we did stay in Tokyo for a few days. We rented an apartment and the guy we rented from has a shuttle option we took advantage of.

We really didn't do much in Yokohama except get on the bus & drive into Tokyo for a shore excursion. This was 2 cruises back to back & the second cruise round tripped from Tokyo so we picked up a lot of people there.

Thank you so much for the information posted. I'm looking forward to my cruise next June but I have 4 others first, all on Princess. I was apprehensive about the language barrier but not any more.

We didn't find the language barrier to be a problem at all. The one issue we had I realized later was due to my misnaming of something. I was asking for the Champagne Afternoon Tea & once they put it in the Patter it was called English Afternoon Tea.

We had a flat screen. We were in a balcony on the Aloha deck.

 

IDK about the HDMI source. I'll ask my husband. He tends to notice those things.

Thank you for filling me in.

Craig :)

Where did you stay before the cruise? Any tips for Yokohama?

We stayed at the Yokohama Intercontinental which was a few yen by cab from the ship. An older hotel but very nice. Great breakfast buffet with a mix of Japanese and Western foods.

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We found the Japanese to be some of the most polite people we have ever met and Japan to be very clean. If you are stopping in Hakodate I can provide a link to a goodwill assn. that has guides at very reasonable prices.

Our stops are Kobe to kochi, Hiroshima, kagoshima, busan and beppu, with a few nights in Kyoto and Tokyo beforehand, so any tips anyone has for any of these ports are much appreciated! It's so much to see in 2 weeks, so want to make sure we make the most of it.

We cruised to the north which also had a stop in Korsakov Russia so sorry I can't help you as we did not hit any of those ports.

We did not see the robot show but I have seen in on TV on Anthony Boudains No reservations and its unique to say the least. Its like Blue Man Group on steroids, a lot of steroids. If we ever go back I won't miss it.

https://www.viator.com/Tokyo-attractions/Robot-Restaurant-tours-tickets/d334-a22115

Also not everyone likes baseball but i do and we saw a game at Jingu stadium and it was amazing. Its like a Saturday afternoon college football game. You can just feel the electricity in the air so if you like baseball don't miss one in Japan.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1066457-d1847875-Reviews-Jingu_Baseball_Stadium-Shinjuku_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

We cruised to the north which also had a stop in Korsakov Russia so sorry I can't help you as we did not hit any of those ports.

 

We did not see the robot show but I have seen in on TV on Anthony Boudains No reservations and its unique to say the least. Its like Blue Man Group on steroids, a lot of steroids. If we ever go back I won't miss it.

 

https://www.viator.com/Tokyo-attractions/Robot-Restaurant-tours-tickets/d334-a22115

 

Also not everyone likes baseball but i do and we saw a game at Jingu stadium and it was amazing. Its like a Saturday afternoon college football game. You can just feel the electricity in the air so if you like baseball don't miss one in Japan.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1066457-d1847875-Reviews-Jingu_Baseball_Stadium-Shinjuku_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Thanks for the review. We 'Moved Over' on to this cruise and are sailing on 4/8. You've answered a lot of questions for us [emoji846]

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the robot show looks fantastic! The sumo tournament is on while we are in Tokyo, so we may go see that. Just so much to read up on, it's great hearing other people's recommendations!

You're welcome.

I'm sure you will enjoy whatever you choose to do. :cool:

Thanks for posting. We are on the grand Japanese trip next July. I just was wondering what they offered cultural wise onboard ship. Did they talk about the ports and did they have origami or other things Japanese to immerse yourself in their culture.

There were no port talks, just a very short 2 minute blurb on tv about each port. That is one of the few things I felt was missing. I understand that Japanese are in the majority on those cruises, but it would be nice to have some lectures on Japanese history, art and life on board. I mentioned that on my survey last year and this year, but so far no changes.

Luckily all of our tour guides were excellent and answered all of our sometimes silly questions about Japan. One even thought origami during a bus ride to our destination.

If you are in Ishigaki, take a ferry to Taketomi island. It is a short ride and only $10. It is a sleepy village with sandy alleys, beautiful flowers and beaches. It even has 'star' sand. In the small post office you can buy a set of beautiful Taketomi stamps. You can rent a bike to ride around the island. There are tiny cafes to stop for refreshments and ice cream.

Enjoy your cruise ! This was my 2nd one and I can't wait for next year to visit Japan again.

Eva

We've done 59 cruises on Princess, and never have had timed staggered boarding by deck enforced. But this is our first trip to Japan, hence, our first time sailing out of there on Princess. We got the staggered timed boarding notice for our cruises out of Yokohama, and were wondering if they were actually adhered to in Japan. Thanks for any input that can be provided on this topic.

Thank you both for posting your info, we cannot wait to go on Diamond in a few months time.

Thank you so much for starting this thread cowgrrl, you are totally correct there has been so little that gets posted about the Diamond and the Japanese cruises. We are flying to Tokyo Oct 5th and will board the Diamond on the 9th. I started taking notes of things that I must do once on board the ship and thanks to you I have started the most important ones so we can get signed up for everything right away. This is our first cruise around Japan although it will be my second time to Japan but my first was as a teenager in 1970 so cannot really compare. You have given some great information. Right this minute I cannot think of any questions but I am sure I will.

What I do plan to do is a "Live From the Diamond Princess" Thread here on CC, I have been doing these for many years although have stopped in recent years but I think that Princess cruisers may be interested in my daily diary type post that will have lots of pictures from excursions to the on board activities.

Thanks again for starting this thread. :)

I am going on the Princess in September and there is only one excursion available in Tokyo - Princess have advised no more will be added pre cruise but more could be available once onboard. I find this unusual and very limited

Our stops are Kobe to kochi, Hiroshima, kagoshima, busan and beppu, with a few nights in Kyoto and Tokyo beforehand, so any tips anyone has for any of these ports are much appreciated! It's so much to see in 2 weeks, so want to make sure we make the most of it.

We took the ship's hot springs tour. at Beppu. Very interesting. At Kagoshima, we went to the Samurai houses. Busan doesn't offer a lot but the fish market is a hoot to go to or you could go to the huge Lotte mall ( about a 20 minute cab ride from the boat. There will be a money exchange trailer set up on the dock at Busan to exchange your currency for Korean Won. We did a day trip to Hiroshima before the cruise and it was absolutely fascinating that just a few blocks from Ground Zero there is now a high fashion district with stores from Gucci, Ferragamo,etc. Whatever you do, when the opportunity presents to sample local food, do it!

Also, for those spending time in Japan pre or post cruise, I HIGHLY recommend that you learn about and use the public metro and rail system. Go to Japan Rail for details. You can buy an unlimited rail pass prior to your departure that can whisk you literally anywhere in Japan.You exchange it for your actual tickets either at your arrival airport or at any of the rail stations. The metro signs are in English as well as Japanese. You can purchase a discounted metro pass at one of the BIC Camera stores in Tokyo. Just bring your Passport. The best Wi-Fi value out there in Japan is Ninja Wi-Fi. It's a pocket wi-fi device that cost us $100 USD for almost 3 weeks of usage! Saved a bundle on Verizon fees. There is typically a brochure in with your Japan Rail voucher pack. Google Translate is an essential App for your phone.

In Tokyo, don't miss going to the Asakusa Temple complex for a real taste of local culture. You can also do the free walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds. And go eat at a real Ramen-Ya. Yum!

We took the ship's hot springs tour. at Beppu. Very interesting. At Kagoshima, we went to the Samurai houses. Busan doesn't offer a lot but the fish market is a hoot to go to or you could go to the huge Lotte mall ( about a 20 minute cab ride from the boat. There will be a money exchange trailer set up on the dock at Busan to exchange your currency for Korean Won. We did a day trip to Hiroshima before the cruise and it was absolutely fascinating that just a few blocks from Ground Zero there is now a high fashion district with stores from Gucci, Ferragamo,etc. Whatever you do, when the opportunity presents to sample local food, do it!

Thanks for all the great informative about Tokyo. We are also going to ishinomaki, Hakodate, Vladivostok, sakaiminato, busan, kochi, and Tokushima. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it. The live blog about the diamond princess will be great to read also.

we plan to try and do most tours ourselves, hopefully this will be easy enough. The hells in beppu look great, and really looking forward to Hiroshima, that was the main reason for picking this cruise. Any local food in particular, or just generally all Japanese food? We are looking forward to beef in Kobe for lunch after the cruise!

In Hiroshima, try Okonomiyaki. It's like a grilled pancake with cabbage, veggies, shrimp. Oishi!

We just booked the August 4 Diamond Princess - festivals cruise. Literally an hour ago.

Passport question:

Princess website at checkin says 6 months passport required post-cruise

I had checked government websites prior to booking since flying to Japan which showed Japan requiring a validity of "time of travel" only - no extra months. Same thing with our South Korea port.

Our daughter's passport according to Princess rules will expire 12 days prior to 6 months post cruise

Is there some reason Princess adds extra months when governments are more lax?

Trying to figure out now how to get a passport before flying out in ten days. Cruise paid in full. Can call tomorrow to get appt at local passport facility that we can walk out with it in hand same day but the whole six month thing baffles me Princess is stating (cruise ends Aug 12 and passport expires January 30 - child passports only good 5 years of course )

Holland America tried doing that same thing for Alaska but ended up not being a problem on hubby's - they wanted 6 months validity for northbound Vancouver departure and his expired four months later. Was so weird because we cleared customs in Vancouver prior to boarding ship and all ports were American (and we are US citizens). It makes me wonder if many cruiselines list 6 months without any regard to the actual country laws?

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We just booked the August 4 Diamond Princess - festivals cruise. Literally an hour ago.

 

Passport question:

Princess website at checkin says 6 months passport required post-cruise

I had checked government websites prior to booking since flying to Japan which showed Japan requiring a validity of "time of travel" only - no extra months. Same thing with our South Korea port.

Our daughter's passport according to Princess rules will expire 12 days prior to 6 months post cruise

 

Is there some reason Princess adds extra months when governments are more lax?

 

Trying to figure out now how to get a passport before flying out in ten days. Cruise paid in full. Can call tomorrow to get appt at local passport facility that we can walk out with it in hand same day but the whole six month thing baffles me Princess is stating (cruise ends Aug 12 and passport expires January 30 - child passports only good 5 years of course )

 

Holland America tried doing that same thing for Alaska but ended up not being a problem on hubby's - they wanted 6 months validity for northbound Vancouver departure and his expired four months later. Was so weird because we cleared customs in Vancouver prior to boarding ship and all ports were American (and we are US citizens). It makes me wonder if many cruiselines list 6 months without any regard to the actual country laws?

 

 

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Update:

Princess said they require 6 months (5.5 months won't work for Japan on ship) so we are driving to Arkansas for a same day passport appointment renewal Monday for her. Whew!

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Thank you for all this great information. Did you notice if any men tourists wear shorts at all in the cities? DH is considering what to pack for August - hot and humid so jeans might be uncomfortable. Any impressions would be most helpful.

I love Japan though have flown there almost every time. The one time I have sailed there it only stopped at Osaka, Did you go to Osaka? Amazing place but I really wish you got more time at these stops when sailing. We had a brass band waiting for us in Osaka, the Japanese are amazing people. One member recorded almost every port, I don't know this person but this is the day in Osaka, my stateroom was directly under where he is filming from, best cruise ever.

Thank you for all this great information. Did you notice if any men tourists wear shorts at all in the cities? DH is considering what to pack for August - hot and humid so jeans might be uncomfortable. Any impressions would be most helpful.

I suggest convertable travel/hiking pants for both men and women. Good brands will keep you cool and comfortable in hot humid weather, and you'll never end up feeling embarrassed because you're the only one in shorts - just zip the legs back on. They are an essential part of my travel wardrobe.