Is a cruise to Japan for us??

Hello. We have been on many cruises to Med.Europe, Baltic, and several carribean cruises on Princess, Celebrity and Royal Carribean.. We absolutely loved the cruises to Europe and Baltic, and of course carribean cruises are very relaxing..

We saw a princess cruise to japan, which caught our eye, so we put a deposit down. It leaves and returns to Tokyo (Yokohama) and makes the following ports of call

Kushiro, Japan Shiretoko Peninsula (Cruising)

Korsakov, Sakhalin, Russia, Hakodate, Japan Aomori, Japan ,otaru Japan

and back to Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan ... I have a few general questions,

1- Is it difficult to get around if you do not speak Japanese? How difficult is it to get from Tokyo airport to the port and back?

2- What is there to do/ sights of interest at these ports of call? The descriptions offered on the website were very vague and there did not seem to be much to see or do besides of course, Tokyo. I am assuming that there must be some points/sights of interest..

Any information would be greatly appreciated so that we may make a more informed decision as to whether or not this cruise would be a good fit for us.

Thank you so much for your time and help!:)

I have just booked my first "Japan" cruise (on Celebrity) and I'm very much looking forward to it. What is particularly interesting about your itinerary is that it seems off the beaten path, and adventurous! Pristine, northern trip to Hokkaido, like an Alaskan cruise would be. (*sigh with relaxation*).

Since your ports of call on this cruise are in small cities/towns and enjoyment of the quieter life, I would suggest some time in Tokyo if you can spare it. Tokyo and Yokohama are next door to each other.

1. A. The Japanese are not that adept at English. That said, if you're with ships' excursions you can be sure that they will have hired competent people to escort tourists. This is one of those regions where it would make more sense to stick with cruiseline excursions. DIY is probably not easy.

1. B. The easiest way to get to Yokohama (through Tokyo) from Narita (assuming you will arrive and depart from Narita) is the JR Express Train. It costs around $30 into Tokyo and has space for luggage in the compartment. It will take you to several Tokyo stations and even Yokohama now (this might be new). Here is the link:

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/nex_oneway.html

If you're going directly to and from airport to Yokohama port (Osanbashi pier), then rail would serve almost all the way, and you could get a cab from Yokohama station or take the Minato Mirai line which puts you closer to the port.

A cab from Narita to Tokyo or Yokohama is prohibitive, so scratch that.

The only reason NOT to take the Narita Express is if you have lots of luggage and if you are going into a part of Tokyo that's not directly served or you need to transfer a couple of times in those crazy busy train stations, up and down stairs. To avoid that scenario, take an express bus to a terminus closest to your destination, either a train station (where one may get a cab) or your hotel, of which there are many taking advantage of this setup. The bus trip is longer, but you don't have to deal with the luggage and it may be able to take you right to the hotel entrance. Ask your hotel about this. And then check with the tourist office in Narita.

2. I would pick up a Frommer's Guide to Japan and start to read about those ports. I always use google images to see the snapshots of the area and use maps.google to scout the terrain.

As for fit, this cruise appears to be stopping at tertiary ports and cruising along the unsullied waters off Hokkaido, which should be gorgeous. You will be able to see temples and castles, maybe ruins. National and regional parks. You might encounter thermal pools/baths and be able to enjoy those. If you like nature and a quieter Japanese experience, then this may be a good fit.

I have just booked my first "Japan" cruise (on Celebrity) and I'm very much looking forward to it. What is particularly interesting about your itinerary is that it seems off the beaten path, and adventurous! Pristine, northern trip to Hokkaido, like an Alaskan cruise would be. (*sigh with relaxation*).

 

Since your ports of call on this cruise are in small cities/towns and enjoyment of the quieter life, I would suggest some time in Tokyo if you can spare it. Tokyo and Yokohama are next door to each other.

 

1. A. The Japanese are not that adept at English. That said, if you're with ships' excursions you can be sure that they will have hired competent people to escort tourists. This is one of those regions where it would make more sense to stick with cruiseline excursions. DIY is probably not easy.

 

1. B. The easiest way to get to Yokohama (through Tokyo) from Narita (assuming you will arrive and depart from Narita) is the JR Express Train. It costs around $30 into Tokyo and has space for luggage in the compartment. It will take you to several Tokyo stations and even Yokohama now (this might be new). Here is the link:

 

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/nex_oneway.html

 

If you're going directly to and from airport to Yokohama port (Osanbashi pier), then rail would serve almost all the way, and you could get a cab from Yokohama station or take the Minato Mirai line which puts you closer to the port.

 

A cab from Narita to Tokyo or Yokohama is prohibitive, so scratch that.

 

The only reason NOT to take the Narita Express is if you have lots of luggage and if you are going into a part of Tokyo that's not directly served or you need to transfer a couple of times in those crazy busy train stations, up and down stairs. To avoid that scenario, take an express bus to a terminus closest to your destination, either a train station (where one may get a cab) or your hotel, of which there are many taking advantage of this setup. The bus trip is longer, but you don't have to deal with the luggage and it may be able to take you right to the hotel entrance. Ask your hotel about this. And then check with the tourist office in Narita.

 

2. I would pick up a Frommer's Guide to Japan and start to read about those ports. I always use google images to see the snapshots of the area and use maps.google to scout the terrain.

 

As for fit, this cruise appears to be stopping at tertiary ports and cruising along the unsullied waters off Hokkaido, which should be gorgeous. You will be able to see temples and castles, maybe ruins. National and regional parks. You might encounter thermal pools/baths and be able to enjoy those. If you like nature and a quieter Japanese experience, then this may be a good fit.

Thank you shadowrider for the very useful and informative information, especially how to get back and forth from the airport. I really appreciate it! It sounds like the itinerary is right up our alley! Looking for something a little more relaxing.. Thanks again and have a great time on your cruise!:)

We just booked the Celebrity Around Japan cruise 27 September 2015. My Son has been to Japan and says that some Japanese speak English and are very helpful.

My daughter, a neural chemistry professor, had a meeting last year in a smaller city of Japan. She was there for the international meeting for 5 days but the conference hotel, transportation, restaurants and free time were on her own. She said it was very difficult because an English speaker did not have the clues of language patterns/words/similarities to other languages that you count on in encountering situations in other places like Germany, Sweden and Italy. She could not tell a grocery store or small snack shop from say a dress shop etc without going inside the shop and when inside the shop could not always make her need known. She often travels for business and is not afraid of being in other cultures but Asian cultures are just a bit harder. She said she did not have trouble with subway or airport -- those maps and instructions were fairly standard to what you expect in airports.

One thing that she did discover with her I phone and GPS it would "navigate her" in English ("turn right in 200 ft") and they had given addresses etc. for meetings in English. Carry the card from hotel with hotel address so that you can show to people. Have the website for hotel, restaurant etc programmed into phone as backup communication. Another of my tips is to go to an international hotel and sometimes they can understand enough English to help write out directions and phrases to show to non English speaking folks you might need to communicate with. (or you can use the bathroom:p )

Final tip -- get an English speaking tour guide -- you see and enjoy so much more of your trip. Really worth the money and they plan the trip for what you want to see and do, communicate with others, often know how to avoid long lines and they know where the clean bathrooms are!:D Tour guide is not an expense -- they are the way of assuring that all the money you spent to travel does not buy you a frustrating experience.

Is the 5 day cruise in Japan slanted to the Japanese population or the American tourist? Waiting to see how the mixture of cultures on cruise ships works with Japanese itineraries on American ships like Princess and RCCL.

Thank you shadowrider for the very useful and informative information, especially how to get back and forth from the airport. I really appreciate it! It sounds like the itinerary is right up our alley! Looking for something a little more relaxing.. Thanks again and have a great time on your cruise!:)

Lots of good information by shadowrider.

To the OP:

I agree that that ship's shore excursions are probably best for this itinerary. There is not a strong tourist infrastructure in the ports visited which means it would be hard going to find an independent licensed English-speaking tour operator pre-cruise on the internet. The ship's shorex would be "the best of the best" in terms of local places of interest and you would have a competant English speaking guide.

The "express bus" referred to is known as the Airport Limousine Bus and you can goggle it to find routes/times/fares in English.

For anyone interested, there is a thread on the first page of the Princess Board, "Pictures: Diamond Princess New Features for Japanese Market." These photos were taken by a CC member in Hong Kong, who got a tour of the ship after her re-fit for the Japan cruises.

Kate