Celebrity Shore Excursions-Japan

Are there any Celebrity shore excursions that you would highly recommend for the Japanese Explorer cruise?

What were your favourite excursions-ship and private?

dog:)

We did the Millennium last year and loved Japan.

We did very few X tours.

Here is my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

We did the Millennium last year and loved Japan.

 

We did very few X tours.

Here is my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

Thank you,

I will bookmark this---good info there.

dog:)

We were on the same cruise as 4774Pappa.

We took the Okinawa excursion through HAL - which went to Peace museum/park, Japanese underground headquarters and the Himeyuri museum - I thought it was an excellent day.

We also took the Mt. Fuji/Hakone tour through Celebrity, as we had a shortened port stop.

For the other ports I had arranged private excursions.

We are returning to Japan, this time visiting more southern islands and also hitting a few northern ports, along with visiting South Korea. We will be in Naha again (Okinawa) and this time I have arranged a private tour for 8 of us to visit Shurijo Castle, royal gardens, pottery street, etc.

We were on the same cruise as 4774Pappa.

 

We took the Okinawa excursion through HAL - which went to Peace museum/park, Japanese underground headquarters and the Himeyuri museum - I thought it was an excellent day.

 

We also took the Mt. Fuji/Hakone tour through Celebrity, as we had a shortened port stop.

 

For the other ports I had arranged private excursions.

 

We are returning to Japan, this time visiting more southern islands and also hitting a few northern ports, along with visiting South Korea. We will be in Naha again (Okinawa) and this time I have arranged a private tour for 8 of us to visit Shurijo Castle, royal gardens, pottery street, etc.

Which port was the Mt. Fuji tour from with Celebrity?

which port was the mt. Fuji tour from with celebrity?

shimizu

Celebrity- what was the on board currency on the Japan cruise?

The ports for my cruise-last week of April:

Yokohama

Nagasaki

Busan

Nigata

Aomori

Sendai---April 29th---holiday in Japan

I prefer to do a small group or tour for 2, but will consider the ship's excursions.

Any suggestions?

on board currency is US $ - shipboard account, and prices for drinks, stores, etc. the front desk will probably have Japanese yen ....

Nagasaki : the tourist office will be right outside when you get off the ship. They have maps and you can purchase your tram pass. The peace park and museum are the highlights of the city - other interesting sites are Djema (spelling) which is the Dutch settlement area, and spectacle bridge. I had booked a tours by locals guide for 8 of us, and we used public transportation to get around.

Yokohama : depending on your length of time in port, either Tokyo or Kamakura are doable. Yokohama itself has some interesting sites, primarily Chinatown and Sankein gardens.

Aomori : there are a few sites in Aomori : Sannai Muryama archaeological site, museum of art next door, Nebuta Wasse museum which showcases the famous floats used in their annual event, and an interesting fish market - just to name a few highlights. You could choose to visit Hirosaki, which has famous cherry blossom viewing site/grounds surrounding the castle. It is approx at least one hour's drive away, but you could also take the train from Aomori station, which would be slightly less time.

on our upcoming Japan trip, several on our roll call are going to Hirosaki through an arranged private excursion while some are electing to remain in Aomori.

if you want better pricing on private excursions, you could post on your roll call to ask for more participants. We had a VERY active roll call, and I was able to organize excursions for most ports which proved more economical than ship excursions. Another benefit is that you can customize your itinerary to suit your needs and interests.

On a previous post of yours, I had given my email if you wanted to correspond more. feel free to email me with questions or further details

cgvelocci at gmail dot com

on board currency is US $ ...

Yokohama : depending on your length of time in port, either Tokyo or Kamakura are doable. Yokohama itself has some interesting sites, primarily Chinatown and Sankein gardens.

 

Aomori : there are a few sites in Aomori : Sannai Muryama archaeological site, museum of art next door, Nebuta Wasse museum which showcases the famous floats used in their annual event, and an interesting fish market - just to name a few highlights. You could choose to visit Hirosaki, which has famous cherry blossom viewing site/grounds surrounding the castle. It is approx at least one hour's drive away, but you could also take the train from Aomori station, which would be slightly less time.

 

on our upcoming Japan trip, several on our roll call are going to Hirosaki through an arranged private excursion while some are electing to remain in Aomori.

 

if you want better pricing on private excursions, you could post on your roll call to ask for more participants. We had a VERY active roll call, and I was able to organize excursions for most ports which proved more economical than ship excursions. Another benefit is that you can customize your itinerary to suit your needs and interests.

 

On a previous post of yours, I had given my email if you wanted to correspond more. feel free to email me with questions or further details

cgvelocci at gmail dot com

Thanks so much for replying. My roll call is not active at all, so it looks like I am just planning excursions for 2 of us.

I will be in Yokohama for the afternoon & night before my cruise.

I will take down your email and once I do some more reading I will get in touch.

I really appreciate getting so much help on this site.

dog:)

I am surprised your roll call is not very active, ours was amazing, and the participants kept growing and growing. In fact for our 2 days in

Taipei I added an extra bus for each day - and I maxed out the number of people (6 or 8) with Tours by locals, except in Shanghai where she could accommodate up to 15 (had a minbus with separate driver and guide). In fact, I happened to get 2 couples from our cruise who were staying pre cruise in Tokyo for a full day walking tour with guide - made it very reasonable in price.

Even with one or two more couples, it can really cut the price down for a private tour.

I thought Celebrity arranged very good tours for the 2 I took with the ship.

I am surprised your roll call is not very active, ours was amazing, and the participants kept growing and growing. In fact for our 2 days in

Taipei I added an extra bus for each day - and I maxed out the number of people (6 or 8) with Tours by locals, except in Shanghai where she could accommodate up to 15 (had a minbus with separate driver and guide). In fact, I happened to get 2 couples from our cruise who were staying pre cruise in Tokyo for a full day walking tour with guide - made it very reasonable in price.

 

Even with one or two more couples, it can really cut the price down for a private tour.

 

I thought Celebrity arranged very good tours for the 2 I took with the ship.

Probably because my cruise was only available to book for a little over a week. It looks like it was a charter, then space opened up, so they filled that space very quickly. Not sure, and my TA wasn't able to tell me. There's less then half a dozen posting on the roll call and no one since I signed on.

Very disappointed. Atleast I have a few of you helping me over here. Appreciate it.

dog:)

Probably because my cruise was only available to book for a little over a week. It looks like it was a charter, then space opened up, so they filled that space very quickly. Not sure, and my TA wasn't able to tell me. There's less then half a dozen posting on the roll call and no one since I signed on.

Very disappointed. Atleast I have a few of you helping me over here. Appreciate it.

dog:)

The first Celelbrity cruise I had booked got chartered, and apparently another one that fall, ours was the only sailing available for booking .

It could be that you have a large group on board, perhaos it was going to be chartered but the organization saw they could not fill the entire ship, and thus perhaps are only a large group on board.

In any case, I see some of your ports differ from the ones I visited- but as far as those which overlap with my itinerary, I would be glad to share info or leads.

We spent 5 days in Kyoto and then 5 days in Tokyo pre cruise..

Carol,

did you post a review or photos anywhere?

dog

Carol,

did you post a review or photos anywhere?

 

dog

here is 4774Papa's review - it is fairly comprehensive. I did not publish a review.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

We were in Tokyo last year at this time and did not have a problem getting around the city ourselves on public transportation. Because Tokyo is the world's largest city, you really need to plan in advance and decide what exactly you want to see and where you want to go.

Tokyo is a fascinating city and the people there are incredibly polite and friendly.

http://TokyoJapan.ca

[quote=Grant2000;51208659

http://TokyoJapan.ca

Thanks for the link.

I've got 4 guide books and trying to do some reading up on what to see in 3 days in Tokyo and 3 days in Kyoto/Kobe area.

I'm going to purchase the 7 day Japan Rail Pass.

Thanks for the link.

 

I've got 4 guide books and trying to do some reading up on what to see in 3 days in Tokyo and 3 days in Kyoto/Kobe area.

I'm going to purchase the 7 day Japan Rail Pass.

I considered purchasing a rail pass, but decided not to do so for two reasons.

First, we booked tours that included transportation or bullet train tickets.

Viator was a great source for booking tours, including a three day tour of Kyoto and Nara from Tokyo. Also, we did a city tour of Tokyo, tour of Kamachaka and wonderful tour of Nikko.

Second, the are several rail lines in Japan that are privately owned. You need to make sure if you purchase a pass that it covers the trains that you wish to use. Just pull up a map of the rail system in Tokyo, you will see all the lines.

I considered purchasing a rail pass, but decided not to do so for two reasons.

First, we booked tours that included transportation or bullet train tickets.

Viator was a great source for booking tours, including a three day tour of Kyoto and Nara from Tokyo. Also, we did a city tour of Tokyo, tour of Kamachaka and wonderful tour of Nikko.

 

Second, the are several rail lines in Japan that are privately owned. You need to make sure if you purchase a pass that it covers the trains that you wish to use. Just pull up a map of the rail system in Tokyo, you will see all the lines.

Thanks for the info.

I found a forum on the Japan tourist link someone provided on here and asked questions there about the pass. Then went to the site where I could put in all of my train routes. It shows me that all the trains I want to use are covered by the 7 day Japan Rail Pass and shows me the savings. I prefer to not be tied to a group's schedule, so this is my best option.

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=KYOTO&arv_node=SHIN-YOKOHAMA&via_node01=&via_node02=&via_node03=&year=2017&month=04&day=21&hour=04&minute=49&search_type=0&search_way=&transtime=undefined&sort=0&max_route=5&airplane=off&ship=off&lmlimit=null&search_target=route&facility=reserved&sum_target=7

However, I may book some of Celebrity's excursions in the ports, since there's only 2 of us and my roll call is not active to put together small group, independent ones.

Thanks for that wonderful Trip Report! Very much appreciated.

dog:)

Thanks for the link.

 

I've got 4 guide books and trying to do some reading up on what to see in 3 days in Tokyo and 3 days in Kyoto/Kobe area.

I'm going to purchase the 7 day Japan Rail Pass.

Hello

If it's any help, even in showing what some of the names in tour descriptions look like this was my video diary from a Japanese Gardens holiday based in Kyoto and Tokyo

Maybe Hiroshima is a possibility from Kyoto with your JR pass ? All the best, Tony

Hello

 

If it's any help, even in showing what some of the names in tour descriptions look like this was my video diary from a Japanese Gardens holiday based in Kyoto and Tokyo

 

Maybe Hiroshima is a possibility from Kyoto with your JR pass ? All the best, Tony

Thank you! I look forward to watching these!

dog:)

Our Japan roll call for 2018 is incredibly active already! A first time experience for me. Usually they limp along.

10 of us met in the cafe after muster drill yesterday. This cruise and next one are charters. Japanese and Russian this week. I just found out my Celebrity Busan tour is cancelled. Needed 12. I am about to get off to take the tram in Nagasaki. Appreciate the input. Dog:)

Shuttles/trams so far to do it on our own:

Nagasaki has a tram to Peace Park. Get ticket/ pass in terminal. Walk a block. Make sure you are going in right direction. A change in trams is needed to get to Peace Park. It is lovely place, gardens, statues, washroom, benches and across the street is ground zero and museum. Chinatown is easy to get to from tram.

Busan- free shuttle bus offered to main shopping area with outdoor markets and a couple of blocks totower and Lotte dept store.

Niigata - free shuttle to garden, spa, plaza in Seiro small town mall fee to Niigata.

Aomori. Free port shuttle to town. Maps, walking tours offered at drop off point which is a mall with food vendors.

Sendai 3 free shuttles run by port. To outle mall, train station and to the Sendai Aquarium. We had a blast at the aquarium. Fee to get in. Sad to see contained space for sea. Life.