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2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 The Narita Express Train goes to Yokohama station.  From there you can catch a taxi to the Yokohama Hilton. 

 

 

 That's your call.  Depends on your preference really.  There is no great hurry to embark as the ship is open for boarding until the afternoon. 

 

 

Thank you so much

Wondering what might be the best way to get to Hilton Yokohama from the Narita Airport.

Would it be easier to stay at the Hilton Tokyo Bay and then travel to the Yokohama on embarkation day?

We will be arriving at the airport at around 4pm on the Thursday.

Thanks in advance 

Thank you for your response!

How easy is it to get a local guide or taxi available when you disembark if we have not pre arranged any tours?

Thank you for the insights.

Hi,

It seems that the room prices almost double in some cases when we enter a triple occupancy. Is it possible to squeeze 2 adults and a teen into  a double room? Do you have any other suggestions for an affordable option for this? Thanks 

Thank you for sharing the information. Enjoy your trip.

On 3/29/2024 at 5:13 PM, onlyslightlymad said:

I had a quick look at your itinerary.  Actually, most of the ports are different, but I'll tell you what we did on the ones that are the same.  I realised that I said that we didn't do any ship excursions but that's not true.  We did do one in Shimizu and one in Nagasaki.

Not sure if you are staying pre or post cruise.  We spent a couple of nights in Tokyo and did a great cycle tour.

I see you are staying in Kobe overnight.  We did the same.  The train station in Kobe was within walking distance of the cruise ship.  On the first day, we took a train to Himeji and went to Himeji castle.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle It is a UNESCO world heritage site and I just really wanted to see it.  As I recall the train took about an hour and it is an easy walk to the castle from the station.   There are also very pretty gardens nearby.  We did this on the first day because we figured that if we were delayed, the ship would still be there and we wouldn't get left behind.

On Day 2, we took a train to the Nada district of Kobe, as it is known for it's sake breweries. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3556.html. We took a self guided walking map to visit the breweries.  We actually only managed to find three but it was fun and everyone was very helpful and friendly.  We then trained back into town because I wanted to try some Kobe beef.  From our Lonely Planet guide, we followed directions to a recommended gourmet burger joint, which was very funky.  Again, everyone was very friendly.  That was a bit of a walk so we were quite tired after that and headed back to the ship.  I prefer to see fewer attractions and see them well, rather than five minutes here and there.

For Nagasaki, we did do a Celebrity tour.  It was a walking tour, but also used the local trams to get about.  I learnt a lot and I would recommend it.  Note, everything we did involved some walking.

At Shimizu, we were only docked for a half day (less time that you are).  So for this we did a bus tour off the ship as we were worried about time.  It was quite frustrating as there was a lot of driving, stopping for short time, taking pictures, waiting for people to come back to the bus.  I do not recommend this tour.  The one interesting part of the tour was the visit to the original tomb of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunōzan_Tōshō-gū#:~:text=The Kunōzan Tōshō-gū (久能,gū shrines in the country.  If you have been watching the new adaptation of Shogun, the character of Toranaga is based on the historical figure.  If I was to visit again, I would find my own way to this tomb and not waste my time on all the other boring bus bits.

I know a lot of passengers will opt to visit Fuji but we didn't feel this was enough time on our port visit.  You have more time in port.  Also, after the cruise we went to Hakone for five days.  This is a thermal resort town close to Fuji, so we had the option to visit then.

We did not visit Hiroshima, Kagoshima, Jeju or Osaka (but I had been to Osaka before).  Instead we went to Busan, Aomori,  and Kochi.  So, sorry I can't be of more assistance with those other ports.

Hello, I would be interested in finding out more about  Busan and Aomori as we will be visiting these ones on our June 8 cruise to Japan.

Which one is the closest airport? HND or NRT?

And what about the area near Hampton Inn Hermosa Beach or El Segundo? 
 

Awesome, thanks again! I will look into the Torrance area for something. 

Wow, thanks! We are arriving on November 17 for 2 nights before the sailing of the NCL Bliss.

We need a room for 4 as my kids are coming in for the second night. I was primarily trying to reserve something using my Hilton Honors points. Would a hotel near LAX be a better option? We would use Uber to get to the Port and also if we had to scoot around to eat etc.

Is Torrance a better option - I think they may have some availability at this time for the HI for 2 nights.

I would like to use a Hilton property if possible. Is the DoubleTree better? 

Thank you so much for your help. 

I wanted to hear if any comments for the area where the Homewood Suites on Redondo Beach is located and if it would be okay to stay in that area for 2 nights pre-cruise?

The other one that we are looking at is Hampton Inn in Torrance.

Not sure which would be better in terms of  the surrounding area especially without a car.

Thanks  

Hi,

We will be on the NCL Bliss in November and the Antigua On Your Own tour through the cruise ship is either not being offered or is sold out. Please comment on the recent experience with a taxi cab or group van for transportation to and from Puerto Quetza and Antigua. We would love to do this tour.

Thank you!    

How much is taxi to Sorobon and how long does it take to get there? Is there a fee to enter? Thanks 

Hi, We are booked on the Celebrity Equinox which arrives in port at 130pm.

We are interested in snorkelling off a nice beach but not sure if there will be enough time before the sun sets.

It is quite expensive to rent a car for the day given the short time we will be able to use it.

Any suggestions on how to make the most use of the time available for this?

what is the contact information to book this excursion?

Thanks

Thank you!

What is the closest Hertz office near Port Everglades for a drop off?

I have read that both Hertz and Enterprise are close. Anyone know the address for the Hertz 

location? Is there a shuttle available to the rental office at the pier?
Is it at a walking distance?
 

Is it very deep to swim up to the spot where the snorkeling is good? Is it far from the shore? One person in our group isn’t a great swimmer. Also how much will a taxi cost? 

Thank you for all the great information here.

Thanks a million for this information. It is very helpful indeed.

Sounds like a cool tour. Will miss it this time but definitely to keep archived for reference another time. Thanks

Hi,

we have cruised with Celebrity and HAL and have always been allowed to bring our own wine on-board to enjoy on the balcony.

how does this work for NCL? Are we allowed to bring any wine or other beverages such as soft drinks in our luggage to consume during our cruise?