Japan - Singapore excursions questions

[elmsliebev]

Hi, we are UK cruisers and are taking our first Oceania cruise in October 2024 from Tokyo to Singapore. I have a couple of questions around excursions (and believe me, I've read the various questions on here and I'm still confused!)

 

Are more excursions likely to be added as time pases?

 

Peeople have mentioned a PDF of excursions - how do I get that?

 

We have $1000 excursion credit and my account shows a minimum of 6 excursions to get 25% off. Is that 6 excursions per person? So if I choose 4 excursions that take up the $1000 and then 2 more, does the 25% come off the running total? What happens if I choose a 7th trip?

 

Also, it seems we dock in Hiroshima itself and there is a frequent shuttle service. How easy is it to see the main sites yourself? We're fully mobile, confident travellers 

 

many thanks, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions!

[EJL2023]

18 minutes ago, elmsliebev said:

Hi, we are UK cruisers and are taking our first Oceania cruise in October 2024 from Tokyo to Singapore. I have a couple of questions around excursions (and believe me, I've read the various questions on here and I'm still confused!)

 

Are more excursions likely to be added as time pases?

 

Peeople have mentioned a PDF of excursions - how do I get that?

 

We have $1000 excursion credit and my account shows a minimum of 6 excursions to get 25% off. Is that 6 excursions per person? So if I choose 4 excursions that take up the $1000 and then 2 more, does the 25% come off the running total? What happens if I choose a 7th trip?

 

Also, it seems we dock in Hiroshima itself and there is a frequent shuttle service. How easy is it to see the main sites yourself? We're fully mobile, confident travellers 

 

many thanks, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions!

Could they add more? Possibly, but I would not go into it counting on that happening. They may add additional times for the same excursion if demand warrants it. 
 

Pdf Version - If you did not get one with original invoice ( which most likely you didn’t as assume you booked more than one year in advance ) I’d call your TA to have them check with Oceania to have a pdf version emailed. If no TA, just call Oceania directly to have it emailed 

 

The $1000 shore excursion credit is actually broken down $500 per guest, especially if under SM.  If you look at your original invoice it should show as such. So that would be minimum of 6 excursions per guest to qualify for the 25% discount.  Once you have hit the 6, any above and beyond 6 would also qualify for the discount. 
 

If I’m incorrect, I’m sure someone will be more than happy to let me know. 😉

[clarku]

We had taken a Japan intensive cruise on the Nautica this past April and had hired a private guide in Hiroshima that took us to various sites that we wanted to see, using public transportation.  I’m sure we could’ve figured it out ourselves but it was such a timesaver having someone know exactly where to go and what to do.  We also found a private guide in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagasaki, and those days were the highlights of our trip.  We ended up booking private guides because the excursions we wanted to were sold out.

[elmsliebev]

14 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Could they add more? Possibly, but I would not go into it counting on that happening. They may add additional times for the same excursion if demand warrants it. 
 

Pdf Version - If you did not get one with original invoice ( which most likely you didn’t as assume you booked more than one year in advance ) I’d call your TA to have them check with Oceania to have a pdf version emailed. If no TA, just call Oceania directly to have it emailed 

 

The $1000 shore excursion credit is actually broken down $500 per guest, especially if under SM.  If you look at your original invoice it should show as such. So that would be minimum of 6 excursions per guest to qualify for the 25% discount.  Once you have hit the 6, any above and beyond 6 would also qualify for the discount. 
 

If I’m incorrect, I’m sure someone will be more than happy to let me know. 😉

thanks so much, thats very helpful. Yes, we booked 1+ year in advance, I'll contact my TA. 

[elmsliebev]

12 hours ago, clarku said:

We had taken a Japan intensive cruise on the Nautica this past April and had hired a private guide in Hiroshima that took us to various sites that we wanted to see, using public transportation.  I’m sure we could’ve figured it out ourselves but it was such a timesaver having someone know exactly where to go and what to do.  We also found a private guide in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagasaki, and those days were the highlights of our trip.  We ended up booking private guides because the excursions we wanted to were sold out.

Thanks. Kyoto is the place my OH is most excited about so I might look for a private guide there. We have 2 days in Tokyo pre-cruise & don't go to Nagasaki but I might look for a Tokyo guide for our full day there to make the most of it. 

[clarku]

2 hours ago, elmsliebev said:

Thanks. Kyoto is the place my OH is most excited about so I might look for a private guide there. We have 2 days in Tokyo pre-cruise & don't go to Nagasaki but I might look for a Tokyo guide for our full day there to make the most of it. 

We also had two days in Tokyo prior to our cruise and had a private guide on our first day and he showed us the ropes of how to use and navigate the trains, mostly the Yamanote line which is the circular one that hits many of the different areas you want to visit.  Also, not sure if you booked a Tokyo hotel already, but we stayed at the Tokyo Station hotel and loved it, very convenient.  They provide a Meet & Greet service and will have a porter waiting on the platform in the precise location of your Narita Express rail car, you just need to text or email your ticket stub information once purchased at Narita airport

[PhD-iva]

On 11/3/2023 at 4:14 PM, clarku said:

We had taken a Japan intensive cruise on the Nautica this past April and had hired a private guide in Hiroshima that took us to various sites that we wanted to see, using public transportation.  I’m sure we could’ve figured it out ourselves but it was such a timesaver having someone know exactly where to go and what to do.  We also found a private guide in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagasaki, and those days were the highlights of our trip.  We ended up booking private guides because the excursions we wanted to were sold out.

Thank you so much. Can you share names and contact information of the private guides? I have a cruise booked in April 2025. Arigato!

[elmsliebev]

On 11/4/2023 at 12:30 PM, clarku said:

We also had two days in Tokyo prior to our cruise and had a private guide on our first day and he showed us the ropes of how to use and navigate the trains, mostly the Yamanote line which is the circular one that hits many of the different areas you want to visit.  Also, not sure if you booked a Tokyo hotel already, but we stayed at the Tokyo Station hotel and loved it, very convenient.  They provide a Meet & Greet service and will have a porter waiting on the platform in the precise location of your Narita Express rail car, you just need to text or email your ticket stub information once purchased at Narita airport

thanks that's helpful. We are getting the flights, hotels & transfers through our UK TA, so that all should be taken care of. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by elmsliebev

[PSahoy]

Any recommendations for private guide in Tokyo?

[Cape Hernlopen]

In response to your questions regarding Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto tours I will give you my recent Oceania experience (June 2023).  At the end of our tour we spent 3+ days in Tokyo without a private guide using taxis and the subway and visited every site on our list with ease. In Hiroshima we took the Oceania shuttle to the downtown drop-off and toured the Atomic Bomb sites, Hiroshima Castle and Hiroshima Art Museum.  In Kyoto I highly recommend that you hire a private guide and visit the three or four sites of your choice.  Remember that the Oceania ship will most probably dock in Kobe which is 90+ mins from Kyoto. As an added attraction if you spend two days in the area  both Kobe and Osaka are wonderful destinations.

Joel Barry