thehowlingroad

We stayed at Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo right outside Ginza; relatively quiet area, 5-min walk to Shimbashi station which is a major transit hub, reasonably-sized rooms compared to other Tokyo hotels if you don't mind the dated decor, lots of konbini and restaurant options in the area: https://www.hankyu-hotel.com/en/hotel/dh/dhtokyo. My parents were 69 and 68 at the time of our trip and enjoyed the stay there. Before recommending particular attractions, I think mobility needs are the most important thing to consider because Japan is not particularly accessible to folks with mobility issues. Invest in some comfortable, lightweight city walking shoes (not hiking boots!) because you're going to want them and need them. Even my mother, who walks with a cane, was averaging 10k+ steps a day, even with us using taxis instead of public transit when we needed to. If you have no concerns about mobility, then your next thought would be to narrow down what you're interested in. Historical or religious sites/shrines, vs shopping, "modern" Tokyo, nightlife, vs cultural experiences (tea ceremonies, seafood markets, etc). And don't forget that on your cruise, you'll be able to have a lot of similar experiences at other shrines, seafood markets, etc, especially if you're DIYing each port like we did. Honestly, 4 days in Tokyo isn't even enough; we could've happily spent a full week there before boarding our cruise.

We stayed at the Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo: https://www.hankyu-hotel.com/en/hotel/dh/dhtokyo. They have multiple locations in Tokyo and throughout Japan. We chose this one in particular for a multitude of reasons: They had triple rooms that are equivalent to American hotel rooms in size-- a rarity! That bathroom was MASSIVE. They are a stop for the limousine bus from Narita, so it was practically door-to-door service for us. They are near Shimbashi Station, which is a major transit hub in Tokyo. We found it convenient to go almost everywhere we wanted to in Tokyo through the subway, the Yamamote line, or other railways by being 5 mins' walk to the station. The hotel is also connected to the station directly through a public underground tunnel, which comes in handy when the weather is bad and you don't mind a slightly longer walk. The Shinbashi area is less rambunctious than Shibuya or Shinjuku at night. But we also never had an issue finding good food for dinner, open shops for the little things, and it's near enough to some chain restaurants and American fast food if you crave familiarity, or if you're like me and enjoy trying out international versions of McDonalds, lol. They had a great matcha and azuki frappe when we were there. Their concierge service was excellent-- they got us a cab from Tokyo to Yokohama with no worries at all about availability or size of the car vs. our luggage. I did look at the American hotel chains in Tokyo and felt they were significantly out of our budget for what we were getting. HOWEVER, the Hyatt Regency Yokohama, if you are boarding your cruise there, is a beautiful hotel with top-notch service and it was significantly cheaper than I expected it to be for a triple room. Highly recommend looking into them if you need a 1-night pre-cruise stay.

It is so dependent on when the warm spring weather rolls in that it's hard to predict, but generally, the south blooms earlier than the north. Earlier this year, we arrived in Tokyo on March 23rd. It was still snowing that morning, so no blossoms at all during the 4 days we were there. We were lucky enough to start seeing some in Nagasaki on March 30th, and then we saw Busan in full bloom on the 31st; photo attached! By the time we reached Kyoto on April 3rd, the blossoms were dropping (which was beautiful in its own way, with the petals flying around in the breeze). We did hear that Tokyo was in full bloom when we returned on April 6th, but we were on our way to Hong Kong by then.

I would say a lot of ports in Japan are easy to DIY, but it takes research, Google Maps and Translate, and being used to navigating new cities on your own. The locals were all very helpful once the language barrier was overcome (I was able to buy cold medicine in a pharmacy in Nagasaki through pantomiming the symptoms with the employee), and we were able to see and experience things that the large group tours just weren't able to get to. I think what also helped is that we spent 4 days in Tokyo and Yokohama pre-cruise, and so by the time we got on the ship, we were a little more acclimated to the culture, the language barrier, and how to navigate around a Japanese city. I felt much more confident on Day 6 of our trip, in Nagasaki, than I did on Day 1 when we arrived at Narita Airport! I recently wrote a brief post about our visit to Kochi: In Hiroshima, we had an overnight stay, so we visited the peace park in the evening (there are lights!) and then we went to Miyajima Island the next day. It was an easy cab ride from the cruise port, and we were VERY lucky in that a Japanese couple visiting from Hawaii was heading in the same direction we were and they led us like little ducklings all the way to the ferry.

Hong Kong is an easy DIY port to start with; I don't know how long you're staying in the city beforehand, but the MTR (subway) is extensive and reliable, the streetcars (ding-dings, as called by the locals) and buses augment the system quite well, and much of the city still has English signs/names and there are English announcements on the subway. I recently returned in April for a longer visit after 7 years away and it still felt familiar. In Busan, we used Korea Go Tours; Dylan runs the operation (we communicated through email easily and also ran into him with another group at the temple!) and brings in his tour guide friends if he needs extra people to handle all his bookings. We were able to book a March 2024 private tour for a very reasonable cost, but I know he can also arrange for slightly larger groups too: https://www.koreagotours.com/. It looks like he's added small group tours to his offerings since then... We had an easy time exploring Nagasaki on our own; their tram system is easy to navigate and the visitors center at the port has lots of helpful maps, and you can purchase all-day passes there too. We went up to the the Inasayma observation deck and then took a cab to the peace parks. We found ourselves picnicking with the locals for lunch at the Hypocenter Park, under the cherry blossoms in full view of the beautiful memorials, with food purchased from the konbini across the street. It was a moving experience, and one I really didn't expect. We also visited the Megane Bridge and then made a brief stop at Glover Gardens. We didn't go inside, but I had a fun time shopping outside on the hill and petting the shop cats. We opted for going into Kyoto during our Osaka stop and we hired our own guide, Hiroyuki-san. We absolutely could not have done it without him because Osaka's train station is a labyrinth, but he knew exactly where to go at all times. He also has some Osaka walking tours to pick from if you'd rather stay in the city. https://gowithguide.com/supplier/25006

We did exactly that: 4 nights in Tokyo and left for Yokohama around 1 pm the day before the cruise. I highly recommend asking if your Tokyo hotel has a concierge service (or even if the front desk can do it!) to arrange taxi availability for you in advance; just ask them if the quoted amount is metered fare or a flat fare (so you won't be surprised later on; there's not much difference between the two rates). I had 2 main concerns about taking a cab to Yokohama, which was the availability of a large-enough car for 3 passengers and all our luggage, and also whether someone would be willing to take a 45-min fare out of the city, and asking the hotel concierge to handle it for me was the best decision I could've made. If you want to go directly to the cruise port on your embarkation morning, I think you'd be okay to get a cab in the 11 am hour (assuming you have a normal 4 pm ship departure). It was a 45-min ride for us, and I think the only thing you'd have to be prepared for is the traffic going into the cruise terminal once you get into Yokohama. It's very busy on turnaround day, but still shouldn't add more than 20 mins to your trip.

I wrote my post from a different laptop than usual, but now I can attach some photos! But enjoy your time there; I thought it was a great "off the beaten path" port and the locals, especially at Hirome Market where they get a lot of tourists, were very kind and helpful.

We were recently in Kochi in March. Wonderful city, one of my favorite stops, even in the pouring rain. We took a taxi from the port to Kochi Castle (approx $30 USD, but we had 3 people in our group), which is one of the few remaining samurai castles in Japan. It's a bit of an uphill hike to the castle itself from the park entrance, but we did it slowly (my mother walks with a cane, and with some arm support in the steeper sections, was able to navigate quite well.) and stopped in all the little gardens along the way. There is a free public restroom in one of the cherry blossom groves. If you pay the entrance fee for the castle (I think it was $8 USD per person?), you can climb all the way up to the top of the tower-- beware the ladders, but it was a beautiful view. After the castle we walked to Hirome Market and had a leisurely lunch (wagyu beef for $14USD, fresh sushi for $5 USD, an incredible yuzu drink for $2 USD!) and then strolled the shopping arcade right outside the market on our way to Harimaya Bridge. There's a beautiful little water feature, a small shrine, and some shops around there too. It was pouring heavy rain by then, so we took another taxi back to the port. It was quite the scenic drive during cherry blossom season, with pink splashes all over the hills and mountains. If the weather hadn't been as terrible as it was, we had plans to visit the botanical garden as well, which is closer to the port than the castle area. The port itself had a little vendor fair for us, with local souvenirs, foods, etc, similar to what you can find in Hirome Market, if you happened to forget something. I bought a citrus jelly pouch (delicious!), a few carved wooden magnets, and some green tea. Hope this all helps.

As did we; we stayed between Minato and Ginza and needed a taxi to our Yokohama hotel. $95 USD (metered fare) for 3 passengers + 2 large (28-inch) suitcases and 1 standard carry-on; it was a 45 min ride door-to-door. Well worth the expense to us! Our Tokyo hotel arranged getting an appropriately-sized taxi for us when I emailed the concierge about a week in advance of our trip, but I believe you can also alert them about your plans and needs when you check in.

We were on the Diamond in March, in an interior room. She's showing her age; we had a faulty uinversal outlet in our room where the American plug just kept falling out (I ended up using our UK/Hong Kong adapter, problem solved) and it took us a while to get used to her layout, since our previous cruises the last few years have been on the newer ships. We grew to love the smaller MDRs and the covered pool area, but I missed the International Cafe. The pastry station in the buffet just wasn't the same... It was still pretty chilly in Japan while we were there, so can't say anything about the heating/cooling system for a humid Japanese summer. We kept our room on the cooler side and the HVAC seemed to work fine.

I'll add that the use of simplified characters or trying to use Mandarin to get by on a day-to-day basis is a politically charged topic, so it's best to just avoid the whole scenario. Most locals who grew up in HK or have been there a while, especially those working in tourism-adjacent industries, will know a smattering of English, and/or recognize English addresses.

My recommendation is to extend your trip as much as you can, pre- or post-cruise. I was so incredibly grateful for the 4 days we spent in Tokyo and 1 day in Yokohama pre-cruise this past March, because it allowed us to get used to some of the cultural differences, beat the jet lag, learn how to navigate public transit, get our Pasmo cards, etc, so that when we boarded the cruise, we had such an easy and fun time in the other ports. It felt like the true start of the vacation! A cruise will never be the immersive experience some people want, but cruises in general aren't going to be for those people who want the backpacking type of experience but without the work of roughing it themselves...

If you have the time for, I would recommend separating Windsor and Stonehenge. We did the International Friends tour mentioned above, and found it unbalanced-- too much time at Stonehenge and not enough at Windsor. It was convenient for us, coming back from Southampton port, but if you don't need the transfers, then consider looking for a Stonehenge-specific tour, or one of the specialty tours that allow for inside-the-henge viewing, and then doing Windsor on your own. The town outside the castle is a lot of fun to wander, but the combined tour will give you the option of the castle or the town, but not enough time for both. We also did Bath on our own on our last trip to London and it was very easy-- 90 min one-way train from Paddington Station.

We use Klook (pronounced K-look) in Asia to book transport and attractions; they are a Hong Kong company that's like if Groupon/other "deals" website merged with Booking/Hotels/Expedia, etc. We ultimately chose GoTourHK for our airport-hotel transfers, after a glowing recommendation from a relative who used them last year. Passing the recommendation on to you, as we had excellent experiences and communication with the company and our drivers. 3 passengers, 2 large, and 2 small suitcases all fit in one of their mini-van options for about $60USD each trip, and we were staying on the island side.

Well, I would definitely recommend reaching out to Korea Go Tours for Busan. We had a really great day with them and I know others on our cruise had also used them. There are several popular places in Busan, such as the temple and Gamcheon Cultural Village, that can be very difficult to get to without a car. For the other ports, our cruise didn't stop there, but Tours By Locals or GoWithGuide have lots of guides offering their services-- you pay their transit and meal costs and their daily rate. I remember also seeing some discussions about Kagoshima in this forum recently. If you keyword-search for it, you should be able to find those threads. But Japanese tour guides, especially ones who speak English, are in very high demand, especially when a ship is in town, because Princess will likely be hiring guides from the same pool that their customers are. I will also say that if mobility isn't an issue, our experience in Japan, even in smaller cities, is that public transit is safe, punctual, easy to figure out (and even easier with an IC card and Google Maps!), and the locals are friendly and generally willing to help if they can. If you're not finding any guides in your ports, you may be able to reach the big tourist attractions on your own with some research.

If you're stopping in Busan, I recommend Korea Go Tours; they have several options for itineraries and work with licensed guides who have their own vehicles. But in Japan, it's more common to hire a guide for the day to conduct a public transit or walking tour with you and your group than it is to have access to a van/bus for the day. If you could let us know the ports you'll be in, that might be more helpful!

It depends on where you're staying and when exactly you'll need your cards. I got our Welcome Pasmo cards at Shimbashi Station; our hotel was only a few blocks away and we had pre-reserved tickets for the limousine bus, so we didn't need the IC card until we actually got into Tokyo. The IC cards' websites have listings of where you can still buy physical cards, airport offices included.

We were just on the March 28th departure (cherry blossom season!) and the ship was close to 100% capacity (2700+). I didn't feel like it was particularly crowded, but our itinerary only had one sea day and we're the type of travelers who leave the ship early and come back as close to all-aboard time as we can, so we didn't spend much time on board other than for meals and sleep. Others who spent more time on the ship might have a different experience. Princess as a whole caters to an older clientele than Royal Caribbean or NCL; you'll see families, of course, but Princess doesn't have water slides or roller coasters or any of those attractions on the top deck, so it doesn't tend to be the first choice for families with lots of children. The summer months will be a lot more crowded regardless, so your best shot for a non-crowded ship is going in the off-seasons (although Japan in the fall is also a popular time to visit because of the autumn leaves). There are designated smoking areas on board, so if you avoid those areas (usually a particular section of the outdoor decks), you shouldn't have any issues with second-hand smoke.

Narita is about 90 mins from Yokohama, so that's a very expensive cab ride. Your cruise line will likely offer transfers, but you should take a look at their pricing and timetables. We took the Limousine Bus from Yokohama City Air Terminal, which is their bus station, next to the train station, and about a $20USD cab ride from Osanbashi. We pre-booked tickets, and were glad we did because our bus ended up being so full that two people had to sit the fold-down jump seats in the aisle.

Last month, we disembarked at 7:45 am to catch a 9 am limousine bus, and I'm pretty sure we were in a cab by 8:10 am, but I believe we were only ship in harbor that day. But we also disembarked on a Sunday, so we didn't have to worry about commuter traffic holding us up.

Lots of taxi drivers will congregate right outside the port terminal and all of them will be advertising some sort of tour or all-day transportation for a flat rate. Can't guarantee the quality of said tours, since we pre-arranged ours, but make sure to discuss the price before you get into the vehicle.

I've been doing LAX-HKG for 14 years; at its worst, it was a 16-hour flight. I also just came back from our Japan cruise, with a week-long stop in Hong Kong. Agree with lots of the advice above: fly an Asian carrier, first of all. They tend to have newer planes, roomier seats even in economy, and better service. Try to find an airline that uses Airbus. I was very disappointed by Cathay Pacific this time around (unusual for me, I loved their 2010-2019 product), and very impressed by Korean Air (which code-shares with Delta). I've also flown Xiamen Airlines, but wouldn't recommend it for going to HKG; the hassle of trying to do a transfer in China isn't worth it. Flying red-eyes will help as well; most of the West Coast flights will be red-eyes, as it'll get you to Asia around sunrise, and you'll be able to sleep overnight in a mostly-natural rhythm. I'm usually able to sleep 6-7 hours on one of these flights, in smaller chunks, if I can get a window seat. Many Korean Air flights will layover in Seoul, but that's still going to be a 12-14 hour flight to get there in the first place. Sometimes you can get a layover in Honolulu, but that requires flying an American brand.

The cabs we took in Hiroshima and Kochi were explicitly cash only-- the drivers would say "cash! cash!" and I would say "ok!" and that was that. In Kyoto, I had to ask for the card reader, it was not pre-installed into the cab. Greater-Tokyo cabs were more card-friendly; the reader is usually installed into the cab itself, and the Go app is always an option as well. In Nagasaki, I vaguely remember a card reader being available, but I paid that fare through the Go app because we were in an area where there were fewer cabs to hail on the street.

If you're referring to IC cards (Suica or Pasmo, if you're landing in Tokyo first), keep in mind that they can be used throughout the whole country, not just in Tokyo or Osaka or wherever you bought it. We did most of our ports DIY and it would've been the worst hassle to buy paper tickets every single time we needed them.

Agreed with all the previous posters. My mother uses a cane and we just came back from our cruise. She struggled in many places, although the locals were very kind and gave up their seats on public transit, allowed us to skip the queues or wait in a different area, etc. But none of that negated the sheer amount of stairs or steep inclines everywhere. A wheelchair would be impossible to use in many of the places we went to. The families or groups with wheelchair users that I did notice often were accompanied by private transportation (whether a hired taxi or other type of vehicle), a hired guide who was able to help them, or with the cruise ship's accessible tours. You may have luck contacting tour operators directly to see what they can do. Many are doing the best they can, but Japanese accessibility infrastructure is limited at best. You may also find this site helpful: https://www.accessible-japan.com/.