Kagoshima

[Ned49]

Can anyone please give any information about the port, do the cruise lines offer transportation to the town or is it walkable? Thanks for any help

 

[WESTEAST]

1 hour ago, Ned49 said:

Can anyone please give any information about the port, do the cruise lines offer transportation to the town or is it walkable? Thanks for any help

 

The volcano, Mt. Sakurajima, towers 3500 feet over the city and the bay. Take a look at this site: https://www.whatsinport.com/Kagoshima.htm  map you can print, cruise calendar to see what other ships will be in port that day, hint and tips etc. This site also has great info: https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/for/cruise/marinport. We opted for a ship shore excursion to see Samurai homes + Museum to Kamanzi Pilots. 

[Miaminice]

You can find info on Kagoshima in our travelogues. It´s a port easy to do DIY.

Part 10 of this one 

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

 

Beginning Post #136 of this recent one
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

 

 

We have also done this cruise to Japan but Kagoshima wasn't a stop. However you might still find it interesting.

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

 

We absolutely love Japan - so much that we just booked our 4th cruise to Japan :-) 
Millennium May 2025

 

[JBSteelerfan]

On 2/13/2024 at 7:44 AM, Miaminice said:

You can find info on Kagoshima in our travelogues. It´s a port easy to do DIY.

Part 10 of this one 

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

 

Beginning Post #136 of this recent one
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

 

 

We have also done this cruise to Japan but Kagoshima wasn't a stop. However you might still find it interesting.

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

 

We absolutely love Japan - so much that we just booked our 4th cruise to Japan 🙂
Millennium May 2025

 

 

Excellent trip reports and photos!  Thank you so much for sharing!!

[shecritic]

Miaminice provided some great resources about Kagoshima. Based on their reports, it sounds like the port is walkable into town. There might be some shuttle options from the cruise lines too.

[YORKI1]

On 2/13/2024 at 1:44 PM, Miaminice said:

You can find info on Kagoshima in our travelogues. It´s a port easy to do DIY.

Part 10 of this one 

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

 

Beginning Post #136 of this recent one
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

 

 

We have also done this cruise to Japan but Kagoshima wasn't a stop. However you might still find it interesting.

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

 

We absolutely love Japan - so much that we just booked our 4th cruise to Japan 🙂
Millennium May 2025

 

I have enjoyed reading your reports when planning our trip to Japan. Sadly we are on the Millennium 15 March 2025 cruise, it would have great to meet up and buy you a drink. I am amazed that you are doing a 4th Japan cruise.

[Miaminice]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:06 AM, shecritic said:

Miaminice provided some great resources about Kagoshima. Based on their reports, it sounds like the port is walkable into town. There might be some shuttle options from the cruise lines too.

Hi,

 

just to correct the above. You can´t walk into town. That´s definitely to far! However, a shuttle is provided - by the port. Once you are in town, Kagoshima is easy to do DIY.

 

[shecritic]

15 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Hi,

 

just to correct the above. You can´t walk into town. That´s definitely to far! However, a shuttle is provided - by the port. Once you are in town, Kagoshima is easy to do DIY.

 

Thanks for the correction on Kagoshima - good to know you can't walk into town from the port. Really appreciate you taking the time to clarify and provide more details on the shuttle. 🙂

[ROCruiser]

Here is my report on our day in Kagoshima, March of 2023. https://chiumemories.blogspot.com/2023/07/rushing-through-kagoshima.html

I'll try and see if I can post the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gexizn-pM1w&t=31s

 

[little britain]

On 3/4/2024 at 11:48 AM, YORKI1 said:

I have enjoyed reading your reports when planning our trip to Japan. Sadly we are on the Millennium 15 March 2025 cruise, it would have great to meet up and buy you a drink. I am amazed that you are doing a 4th Japan cruise.

We are on the same date. We plan on going over to the island. 

my friend who did this cruise recently advised…

Docked miles away and had an hour long queue to get through immigration.  The free shuttle takes you to waterfront (30mins journey - best free shuttle ever).  We caught the ferry to Sakurajima island Y200 pp each way.  Ferries every 15 mins.  Then took the tourist bus round to an observation point - hop on off type bus but was packed so we only got off once. Try out the hot thermal foot spa by the tourist info centre and there’s an exhibition there too.  Back onboard fabulous sail away with the sunset and volcano and the city.

 

Ferry is about 5 mins walk from waterfront where the shuttle drops you off - really easy get it. Ferry and pay the other end

 

We also arrive in from Jeju so there were very lengthy queues because they were reentering Japan - need to build this into any itinerary planning! 

Edited March 27 by little britain

[sheba376]

Some cruise lines charge for the shuttles. We were on HAL in feb and it was $25 round trip

[Miaminice]

Btw… getting the CUTE card (sold at the port) is a good idea.

Very inexpensive and includes the ferry etc.

 

https://www.kagoshima-yokanavi.jp/en/feature/one-day-pass2

 

[monkey@cruise]

5 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Btw… getting the CUTE card (sold at the port) is a good idea.

Very inexpensive and includes the ferry etc.

 

https://www.kagoshima-yokanavi.jp/en/feature/one-day-pass2

 

I was in Kagoshima in early March.

 

Paper Cute (1,200 Yen) is only available at tourist information desks in city center. They have digital version Cute.

Paper One-day pass (600 Yen) is available at city tourist center or from City View bus driver, is an unlimited riding on Kagoshima City View buses, streetcars and transit buses.

 

The One-day pass is easier to purchase and moneywise especially a limited time in port after immigration clearance.

Edited Sunday at 04:21 PM by monkey@cruise

[Miaminice]

2 hours ago, monkey@cruise said:

I was in Kagoshima in early March.

 

Paper Cute (1,200 Yen) is only available at tourist information desks in city center.

in October it was available at the port terminal.

[monkey@cruise]

49 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

in October it was available at the port terminal.

Many Japan passes are moving to digital to reduce cost and manage. Osaka Amazing Pass and Kobe Loop-bus pass moved to digital version. Anyone who like to see Kagoshima city from a bus, just take the city view bus (not a HOHO), a 80 min circle run and cost 230 yen. 

[Miaminice]

13 hours ago, monkey@cruise said:

Many Japan passes are moving to digital to reduce cost and manage. Osaka Amazing Pass and Kobe Loop-bus pass moved to digital version. Anyone who like to see Kagoshima city from a bus, just take the city view bus (not a HOHO), a 80 min circle run and cost 230 yen. 

Anyhow... I wouldn´t recommend limiting a visit of Kagoshima to a bus tour of the city.
The nice thing about the Cute pass is that the ferry to Sakurajima and the loop bus on Sakurajima are included as well a the public bus which one can take to the Sengan-en Gardens.
 

[monkey@cruise]

5 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Anyhow... I wouldn´t recommend limiting a visit of Kagoshima to a bus tour of the city.
The nice thing about the Cute pass is that the ferry to Sakurajima and the loop bus on Sakurajima are included as well a the public bus which one can take to the Sengan-en Gardens.
 

Celebrity had changed Kagoshima port time to 10am - 6/7pm lately. If the ship must clear immigration, do expect loosing > 2 hours port time except suite passengers. All the view buses stop operating after 4:30pm. Do you know no public bus access to Sengan-en except City View buses? Because the City View buses making loop trip, so is a 15 min ride from Sengan-en to Ferry Terminal, but 40 min vice versa. 

 

When we were in Kagoshima in March, our port time limited us for a single attraction, some went to Sakurajima, some visited Sengan-en, some rode the City View buses. Also these tourist buses are not HOHO, but a medium size public buses, limited seats and capacity, do expect remain standing while riding. 

 

Visit Sakurajima Island only: Ferry to Sakurajima costs 200 yen; 【One Day Bus Pass】500 Yen (Available for sales on the Sakurajima Island View Bus).  The Sakurajima Island View bus makes a 60-minute loop trip around Sakurajima Total cost: 200 + 200 + 500 = 900 yen only.

 

If you calculate that your travel costs will be lower if you buy individual tickets for each journey, then it's not worth buying a Pass.

[Miaminice]

13 hours ago, monkey@cruise said:

If the ship must clear immigration, do expect loosing > 2 hours port time except suite passengers

we have been to Kagoshima 3 times so far - incl. immigration process. I think it’s fair to say we know our way around there and how to do the things we like to do 😉

 

On our last visit the only problem we encountered was traffic. We happened to be there on the day of the Ohara Festival. Great experience.