The best of Japan May 16, 2022. Luggage transfer from Tokyo to Maizuru??

[Cie]

Hi all,

 

Going on Ponant, Le Soleal, The best of Japan May 16, 2022.  Just wondering if anyone else here is going or if anyone has gone on a cruise from Maizuru with Ponant before. 

 

We are planning pre cruise touring in Tokyo and Kyoto prior to the cruise since the cruise does not go there.  We have never been to Japan before.  I am trying to figure out if there is away to arrive in Tokyo and then ship our luggage ( people say it is easy to travel very light around Japan when using the bullet train) to Maizuru area a few days before we get there to pickup the ship.  

 

Thanks all and happy cruising

[cruising cockroach]

There are (very efficient) luggage transfer services so you can ship your bags ahead.  Just not sure what the shippers would do for Maizuru if there's no one to receive it (it's usually shipped to hotels or some such where it can be received).

 

Maizuru is a very small town (by Japan standards).  Not much in the port or port passenger facility (it's pretty much just a couple of warehouse buildings), not even benches (that I recall) to sit on.  Don't get there too early!

 

Arrived there 2 1/2 years ago.  Le Soléal arrived some 8 hours (partly due to avoiding bad weather) late repoing non-stop from Honolulu and some people may not have gotten the message (or were informed) and it'd look they were waiting for quite some time.   Even those on the ship weren't informed of the delayed arrival until a few days before though it as obvious the ship would arrive late (travelled too south of a course for the first week). So if the ship is repoing from afar on the previous voyage, call to see what time it is expected a day or two ahead.  Fortunately for you, the ship is scheduled to be in Japan for several cruises already.

 

What I'd do is to go to Kyoto as you are planning to and then take the local/regional train to port (there's a no-change service every 2 hours or so). It's not a very far walk (<2 km).  You want the Nishi Maizuru rail station and the wharf is labelled as Kyoto Maizuru Second Wharf Passenger Terminal on Google Maps.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Nishi-Maizuru/Kyoto+Maizuru+Second+Wharf+Passenger+Terminal,+18+Matsukage,+Maizuru,+Kyoto+624-0931,+Japan/@35.4478841,135.3173411,2161m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x5fff8a4730e8943d:0xd2c97a1ecb86908d!2m2!1d135.3304825!2d35.4417083!1m5!1m1!1s0x5fff8bcc350e21a7:0x8a2dbb27e2b4711b!2m2!1d135.3217145!2d35.4540651!3e2!5m1!1e4

Edited November 20, 2021 by cruising cockroach

[Cie]

Thank you for the information