Japan Cruise in September VISA

[Razgumio]

Does anyone know if Japan is accepting cruises in September?

I called the Japanese Consulate and they claim anyone entering Japan must have a VISA but they are NOT offering VISAS nor TRANSIT VISAS unless you contract with a Japanese Tour Company to escort you while in Japan. They did not think that the ship would be allowed into Japan.

We are on Silversea Muse and Silversea does not offer any worthwhile information.

For this and multiple other reasons, this is our first and probably our last Silversea cruise assuming it does not get canceled first....

[Philob]

If this isn't moved you might want to post your question in the Ports of Call - Asia forum here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/43-asia/

 

There's a thread or two about Japan's current visa requirements.

[ldubs]

Huh, I thought Japan was still closed to cruise ships (I hope I'm wrong).   That of course doesn't mean cruise lines won't sell future cruises in the hopes they will open.  There have been a number of cancellations as a result.  Hopefully Japan will reopen soon. 

[Hlitner]

All we can do is speculate, but I would be willing to place a major bet on Japan not opening to western cruise ships by Sept, Dec, and possibly not for most of 2023!  This has become somewhat of a political situation in Japan where recent polls show a lot (over 60%) of support to continuing COVID restrictions including limitations on tourism.

 

Some have speculated that the Japanese government was not going to even deal with this issue until after their upper house Diet elections scheduled for this Sunday.  Once past those elections the government and ruling political party may (and I would stress "may") address the future of tourism in Japan.   I have my own "feelings" about the issue having spent 2 years of my youth (early 20s) living in Japan.   The Diamond Princess issue left a lot of negative feelings in Japan towards the entire western cruise industry.  Japan politics tends to move at a very slow pace and there does not seem to be any internal pressure on the government to reopen to the cruise industry.  Their very slow and step by step reopening (now allowing some tour groups into their country under very tight restrictions) will likely continue at a slow and cautious pace.   We have a March 2023 trip (and cruise) planned for Japan and we are already looking at European options because we give very low odds of any cruise in the first half of 2023 being able to call at Japanese ports.  And I would imagine when they do eventually start to reopen to cruises there are going to be so many ridiculous restrictions (such as carefully monitored bubble tours) that it will turn-off most cruisers (includng me).

 

Hank

P.S.  I really hope what I have speculated is completely wrong and Japan reopens tomorrow.  But to quote a good friend, "It ain't going to happen."

[SimplyMarvie]

@Hlitner We have Japan booked for July and I think it'll be a nail-biter. And whatever the situation was 24 hours ago, before the shooting of Abe, the odds have definitely decreased since I would think the Japanese Government will be very busy with other and more pressing issues and won't be focusing on the cruise industry or tourism. 

[wcook]

No one knows. But I recently cancelled a land trip to Japan scheduled for October 22. I see little reason to hope for change anytime soon. 

[jsn55]

Our NCL Christmas Japan cruise got cancelled a couple of months ago.  I had already booked a different cruise on Princess.  My advice is to move now to rebook your cruise on a different itinerary and/or ship before the cruise line cancels Japan and all the good cabins are gone.  We are 'cabin-centric' so our preferred aft-facing mini suites go quickly.  My clever TA booked the cruise and pounced on the first mini-suite aft that showed up a month or two later. I think she has 'friends' at Princess. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by jsn55

[BruceMuzz]

Japan remains closed to foreigners until further notice.

The only tourists being allowed to visit must go through a few approved Travel Agents, get a special COVID Visa, travel in a bubble with a small group, escorted by a travel agent, must avoid public transit. must stay in an approved hotel with the group, must wear a mask always, will be tested frequently, and will be deported if you test positive or violate any of the requirements.

 

US Military bases in Japan continue their lockdowns, with major COVID outbreaks. Japan will not be opening up until that gets sorted out.

 

Japan remains closed to foreign cruise ships. Japanese Cabotage laws require a foreign cruise ship to visit a nearby foreign country during the cruise. All those nearby foreign countries are also closed to foreign cruise ships. It is safe to guess that nothing will be happening very soon.

 

[Hlitner]

14 minutes ago, BruceMuzz said:

Japan remains closed to foreigners until further notice.

The only tourists being allowed to visit must go through a few approved Travel Agents, get a special COVID Visa, travel in a bubble with a small group, escorted by a travel agent, must avoid public transit. must stay in an approved hotel with the group, must wear a mask always, will be tested frequently, and will be deported if you test positive or violate any of the requirements.

 

US Military bases in Japan continue their lockdowns, with major COVID outbreaks. Japan will not be opening up until that gets sorted out.

 

Japan remains closed to foreign cruise ships. Japanese Cabotage laws require a foreign cruise ship to visit a nearby foreign country during the cruise. All those nearby foreign countries are also closed to foreign cruise ships. It is safe to guess that nothing will be happening very soon.

 

Thanks for the update and you confirm my own suspicions.    I remain puzzled as to why several cruise lines continue to show Asian/Japan itineraries for the winter/spring of 2023.  IMHO they need to cancel all those cruises and repurpose those ships to other markets (i.e. Alaska, Europe, etc).  I lived in Japan long enough to understand that they march to their own drum which beats at a very slooooow rhythm.  Just like Japan was very late to accept Covid vaccines they will also be very late to rejoin the rest of the world.  For us it simply means spending more time in Europe rather than in Asia.  I just wish that HAL would get their act together, acknowledge reality, and cancel all their Japanese itineraries until at least 2024.

 

Hank

[Razgumio]

I suggest we all write to Silversea management. I HAVE.

[Razgumio]

[jsn55]

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Thanks for the update and you confirm my own suspicions.    I remain puzzled as to why several cruise lines continue to show Asian/Japan itineraries for the winter/spring of 2023.  IMHO they need to cancel all those cruises and repurpose those ships to other markets (i.e. Alaska, Europe, etc).  I lived in Japan long enough to understand that they march to their own drum which beats at a very slooooow rhythm.  Just like Japan was very late to accept Covid vaccines they will also be very late to rejoin the rest of the world.  For us it simply means spending more time in Europe rather than in Asia.  I just wish that HAL would get their act together, acknowledge reality, and cancel all their Japanese itineraries until at least 2024.

 

Hank

Agree with you in principal, Hank ... but it takes a great deal of effort to make changes of this magnitude.  And a cruise line is not going to cancel anything until new plans are in place.  They want to keep as many customers as possible instead of having them switch over to a different company/cruise.  The smart ones are offering a nice bonus to rebook. 

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Agree with you in principal, Hank ... but it takes a great deal of effort to make changes of this magnitude.  And a cruise line is not going to cancel anything until new plans are in place.  They want to keep as many customers as possible instead of having them switch over to a different company/cruise.  The smart ones are offering a nice bonus to rebook. 

We sure know the drill.  We originally booked this cruise for March of 2020 and it was cancelled by HAL because of COVID.  So took the refund and they gave us some generous FCCs which we rolled over to the similar cruise in 2021.  That cruise was cancelled by HAL and we took their offer to roll it over to 2022 which was also cancelled by HAL.  At that point we rolled the booking over to 2023 with HAL simply offering to keep the 2022 pricing.  So now, it is likely that HAL will ultimately cancel 2023 and probably offer a price guarantee if we roll it over to 2024.  Not sure we want to play that game anymore.  We absolutely do not blame HAL since this is all about Japan and COVID.  HAL is as much a victim as the passengers.    But some blame should go to HAL for not cancelling these Japan cruises somewhat further in advance.  Since the cruise world has reopened (except for some pockets in Asia) HAL does now have the opportunity to repurpose the Westy.  But waiting too long will make it more difficult for HAL to sell new itineraries.   We have already noted that Seabourn already cancelled their 2023 cruises that involved Japan and started booking alternative itineraries.  Several other cruise lines have made a similar move.  However, HAL, Cunard and a few others have yet to make the cancellation move.  

 

For us it becomes interesting.  We could wait for HAL to do something, but heaven knows when that will happen.  If they wait too long, other trip/cruise opportunities will sell-out.  We are not loyal to HAL so have no issues booking other cruises (or independent land trips) with other lines.  Oceania has some interesting itineraries in the Spring of 2023 which has our interest.  There are also some decent Seabourn cruises that time of the year.  For us, the time is running out for HAL to make a move.   Their inaction may well force our hand to book a Plan B and just assume that HAL will   eventually cancel the Westy cruise.  If not, we could simply cancel our booking up until final payment.

 

We really want to take this cruise/trip to Japan next year.  But, for us, Japan must be open and allow independent travel (we are planning to fly-in about 2 weeks prior to our Westy cruise.  If Japan plays the bubble tour game, and puts all kinds of restrictions on folks flying-in pre-cruise we would immediately cancel our booking.  What is sad about all this is that COVID is here to stay and will continue to be a problem (along with every other communicable disease) forever.  Most of the world has adapted to the situation and moved-on.  But in typical Japanese fashion, their government will likely take many years to accept what is already known.  As much as we enjoy Japan, the country has always created roadblocks and hassles for travelers.   Just consider their ridiculous drug import procedure called Yakkan Shoumei.  Even bringing aspirin into Japan may require getting advanced permission (in writing).  Their government certainly marches to their own drum.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, jsn55 said:

but it takes a great deal of effort to make changes of this magnitude.  And a cruise line is not going to cancel anything until new plans are in place.  They want to keep as many customers as possible instead of having them switch over to a different company/cruise.

 

Unfortunately, though, those cruise lines who aren't proactive end up scrambling for port berths in more desirable or "open" locations if they wait too long to acknowledge the writing on the wall. I've seen that happen over the last couple of years too. 

 

Those of us who aren't cruise-line loyal will eventually cancel on our own, look around, and book a more attractive itinerary on a different line. By the time the original line gets around to making a change they may be left with inferior itineraries due to availability and a reduced pool of passengers looking for cruises during that period....

 

(I also have skin in this particular game. Like Hank I have booked, canceled and rebooked these particular BTB Japan cherry blossom cruises on HAL started from 2020....)

 

[Razgumio]

[Razgumio]

https://japanstartshere.com/2022/07/01/when-will-japan-reopen-to-tourism/

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Razgumio said:

https://japanstartshere.com/2022/07/01/when-will-japan-reopen-to-tourism/

Interesting link which I read with a lot of interest.  So what we have is a 30 something well traveled guy who lives in St Louis.  Like many of us he is just speculating. His blog ignores some interesting facts.  So lets go over a few other items that has been mentioned by both Brucemuzz and myself.  We assumed that nothing much would change prior to the Japanese Diet elections (upper house) this coming Sunday.  That date will soon pass but the assassination of previous Prime Minister Abe is going to be a big distraction and delay lots of things.   Personally I would put my money on BruceMuzz who is a regular poster here on CC, a mariner, and somebody who lives in Japan. 

 

I think the most important factor ignored in that link are the recent internal Japanese polls which favor keeping the status quo.  As I have previously pointed out, the Japanese mind set has often favored isolation (it is a big part of their history).  So, the idea of keeping out much of the world in the name of "safety" is more acceptable to the Japanese culture than in most other countries.  The link also does not mention the negative feelings that still exist because of the Diamond Princess incident.  

 

I have started to believe that China and Japan will likely be the last two major tourist countries that will reopen, and a complete reopening could be years away!   The political reality is that without a lot of internal pressure to reopen the easier political decision is to stay closed or semi-closed.  Japanese (and Chinese) political folks are not risk takers and tend to play the long game.  In fact, there is a part of oriental culture that is critical of the West for acting rashly and not carefully considering all their options.  

 

As always, I pray that I have this all wrong and everything will reopen tomorrow.

 

Hank

[BruceMuzz]

Hank,

You have a very good read on the current situation.

The only thing you missed is the continuing high COVID numbers at all the US Military bases in Japan.

The Japanese are not very happy about this, as the infections are spreading to the locals who live and work in the cities around those bases. The US Military have been caught several times now, trying to fly infected US troops on commercial flights into and out of Japan.

The US Military is hoping the whole thing will go away, but are doing basically nothing to mitigate the situation. This doesn't give the Japanese any warm fuzzy feelings about allowing any more foreigners into the country.

[Razgumio]

All great information being shared. Thank you

However, I believe that at this point Silversea (and perhaps other lines) are being illusive in an attempt to hold "us" captive. In our particular case, the cruise to Japan is scheduled to depart on September 1st with travel to Vancouver on August 30th. At this point, with only approximately 50 days to go, the cruise line should be admitting that there is a huge issue with Japanese Visas and granting "us" the option to wait until something happens with the Visas or refund our money so we can get another cruise and/or offer an acceptable alternative itinerary. The longer Silversea waits, the more difficult that it will become for "us" to replace the cruise during the same time period.

I strongly suggest that anyone that agrees begin respectfully yet forcefully communicating with Silversea until they understand that they need to consider the needs of "us" passengers and not continue to ignore the situation while holding us captive. Emails, phone calls, this chat and all other social medias are fair game.

I understand their needs but they need to understand ours.

I have already started communication with Silversea, my TA, this chat and the Japanese Consulate - I will continue to do so until I get results.

If anyone is interested I will post the names of the people at Silversea with whom I am communicating and if I have any success.

Please share your thoughts.

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, Razgumio said:

All great information being shared. Thank you

However, I believe that at this point Silversea (and perhaps other lines) are being illusive in an attempt to hold "us" captive. In our particular case, the cruise to Japan is scheduled to depart on September 1st with travel to Vancouver on August 30th. At this point, with only approximately 50 days to go, the cruise line should be admitting that there is a huge issue with Japanese Visas and granting "us" the option to wait until something happens with the Visas or refund our money so we can get another cruise and/or offer an acceptable alternative itinerary. The longer Silversea waits, the more difficult that it will become for "us" to replace the cruise during the same time period.

I strongly suggest that anyone that agrees begin respectfully yet forcefully communicating with Silversea until they understand that they need to consider the needs of "us" passengers and not continue to ignore the situation while holding us captive. Emails, phone calls, this chat and all other social medias are fair game.

I understand their needs but they need to understand ours.

I have already started communication with Silversea, my TA, this chat and the Japanese Consulate - I will continue to do so until I get results.

If anyone is interested I will post the names of the people at Silversea with whom I am communicating and if I have any success.

Please share your thoughts.

 

As far as lines being illusive -- I suspect that one of the metrics used for financials is booked passengers.  Not something they want to let go of until they have to.  Just a guess on my part of course.     

[Razgumio]

[Razgumio]

https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/travel_and_visa.html 

[Essiesmom]

What are people on the Silversea. Board saying?  And is there a roll call for your cruise?  If so, what are they doing?

[Rrehfe4969@aol.com]

It is my understanding that silverseas just cancelled all cruises to Japan for the year and are offering fcc or money back and 15 percent off another cruise if booked by august

Richard

[donaldsc]

On 7/8/2022 at 8:45 PM, Hlitner said:

Thanks for the update and you confirm my own suspicions.    I remain puzzled as to why several cruise lines continue to show Asian/Japan itineraries for the winter/spring of 2023.  IMHO they need to cancel all those cruises and repurpose those ships to other markets (i.e. Alaska, Europe, etc).  I lived in Japan long enough to understand that they march to their own drum which beats at a very slooooow rhythm.  Just like Japan was very late to accept Covid vaccines they will also be very late to rejoin the rest of the world.  For us it simply means spending more time in Europe rather than in Asia.  I just wish that HAL would get their act together, acknowledge reality, and cancel all their Japanese itineraries until at least 2024.

 

Hank

 

Do you think it is just possible that they do this because cruise companies just occasionally lie to their customers?

 

DON