I found cruising in foreign countries usually best by cruising for the same reasons as you. We have even become river cruising fans. Exceptions to this could be Italy, where you can base yourself in Rome but take highspeed rail day trips to Pompeii, Florence, and Venice. We will be cruising around Japan next year...like you said, all your meals and shows in one place. Good points.
Such a great video... we will be cruising this October to several of these ports some we have booked excursions but others we plan to explore.... we know that generally you can take the shuttle to town however can you tell me if it was then easy to walk around and explore or did you use other forms of transport on these particular cities... Sakata, Busan and Kochi thank you.
Once you arrive in the different city centers, it is straightforward to walk around. If it works for you, I suggest using the taxi service and asking to be taken to the attraction you want to see most.
Great video ! We want to see Japan via a cruise but the excursions are so expensive and soon add up, did you find it easy to get a shuttle or taxi to and from the ship to these attractions ? Thanks
Thank you! Yes, we found reaching the same attractions as the cruise's excursions affordable and accessible. We knew what we wanted to see and usually took a taxi unless the line was long or the taxis were unavailable. The Taxi service was excellent, and they loved sharing information about the area. This was primarily done with Google Translate on our phones. The ship will sometimes have a shuttle service that will take you to the downtown area and provide times to return throughout the day. The cost was $20 per person; they will charge it to your room bill. We always plan to return to the ship at least two hours before the debarkation time they set just to be safe.
Thank you for this video! I have a question: how much cash will I need approximately for 10 day cruise for 2 people? Or is it easier to use credit card? Thank you!
We find it easier to use a credit card linked to the ships card or medallion. You do not need any cash on the ship. You do have the option on some ships to pay with cash to cover your ship bill. We only bring cash for the ports incase vendors do not take cards. In Japan you can use an atm machine to pull out Yen. Will this be your first cruise?
With so many ports, how to do you choose what shore excursion to purchase with the ship vs touring yourself? I have a 19 day cruise in july that visit many of these same ports. It could get costly for a family of 4.
With a family of 4, the ship excursions can be expensive. We have been there. We will do research on each port and start planning out the top attractions we would like to see. Start with the ship's planned excursions, mimic them, and listen to the enrichment port guide sessions while on board. We didn't have any firm plans for any of the ports; we just had an idea of what we would like to see. This may be a little scary for some, but we prefer the self-guided trips instead of following a group and tour guide. Japan has a fantastic taxi service, with large vans for bigger families waiting at each port. If the port was within walking distance of the city and there was no exciting attraction, we would save the money, walk, and explore. However, if the taxi line is too long, you may need to be flexible and take the ship's shuttle bus. You will undoubtedly save by doing this, but make sure you return at least two hours before the ship's departure time. I always confirm the departure time just before leaving the ship to ensure there aren't any changes. I also take a picture of the port address so I can show it to the taxi driver to get back. They sometimes have maps and a return card address with this information at the port welcome team. Have fun. You are going to love it!
Yes, every port had taxis waiting, but some ports were limited, so the shuttle bus was faster. The taxi service is like any other taxi where you tell them where, and they will take you there. We didn't have any problems finding return taxis. All the ports had the address posted in the welcome tent or had return address paper written in Japanese so that you could hand it to the taxi driver when returning. I recommend always taking a picture of the port address and returning at least an hour early. One of our drivers offered to take us to the attraction and then wait for us to return us back to the port. I would always have Google Translate ready, and they appreciated that.
