Princess Shuttle Tokyo

[ezspirit72]

We are scheduled on a Princess Cruise (Japan & Taiwan) on Feb. 12th 2020 aboard the Diamond Princess.  We are planning on flying in to Haneda Airport 2 days early, and enjoying Tokyo before starting our cruise.  My question concerns the Princess Shuttle.  The Shuttle will only take us from the airport to the Cruise Terminal..   If we fly in early and stay at a Hotel which is not part of Princess... can we take the hotel shuttle back to Haneda Airport on the day of our cruise, and catch the Princess Shuttle to the ship???   Our Travel Agent hasn't been able to answer this one...  Hoping a seasoned cruiser who's taken this cruise can help answer.... or possibly offer some advice...  Thanks in advance for your answers....

[Briggy1]

I don’t have an answer for you, but have you contacted 

your hotel and ask if they have shuttle service to the port? I’m following as I am also interested in princess cruises to Japan and would also like to stay in Tokyo for a couple days. 

[terry&mike]

You can, but this would not be a good use of your funds or time. To do this, you would purchase your airport to ship transfer from Princess, which is not cheap. You will need to give them some flight info, just pick a flight arriving that day and use that info. Then make your way back to the airport around the time of the flight info you provided, and meet the Princess rep.

It will be cheaper and quicker for you to take a shared transfer from Tokyo out to Yokohama, and much cheaper and quicker to take the train option, but you'll have your luggage to contend with, so I'd go with the shared transfer. 

[Tara Jane]

Another option is to take the airport train/ bus direct from airport to yokohama.  Stay at a hotel in Yokohama and travel in to Tokyo 31 minutes 470 yen when you  go in to Tokyo.   The airport Keikyu train or bus  takes 23/40 minutes and costs 450/580 yen from Haneda airport to Yokohama station.   The most important thing is to stay close to a station.

https://www.haneda-tokyo-access.com/en/transport/

for train timetable information from YOkohama to Tokyo  www.hyperdia.com

 

 

Edited April 20, 2019 by Tara Jane

[ezspirit72]

Thanks so much..   very good information so far.....    for those who have done this cruise.. do you have a hotel which you might recommend???    

[Tara Jane]

In Tokyo or Yokohama?

I can recommend hotel edit in Sakuragicho Yokohama.   Not 5 star but clean and comfortable.  Need to book a long way ahead to get good price. I always book on website with free cancellation option.  

Be aware that hotels in Japan have small double beds that they sell for 2 people.   Definately not 2 westerners.  We tend to book twin beds as a true double size will often have one side against the wall.  Ok if you dont need a trip to the bathroom during the night.😉

Edited April 20, 2019 by Tara Jane

[jkgourmet]

Public transportation in Tokyo is excellent, efficient, comfortable and cheap.  Taking a cruise transfer is a big waste of money.

 

Select a hotel that is on the Airport Limosine drop off points - it's a bus that will take you door to door to your hotel from Haneda.  Or take one of several trains - many will not require a transfer.

 

Same thing from Tokyo to the ship in Yokohama.  Train to Yokohama station, quick taxi ride to ship.

 

Our friends did this last week.  Haneda to the door if their hotel on the airport limousine bus.  Cost was maybe $22 each.  Cost of cab would be about S150 USD.

 

We did NRT to Ueno by train, then a quick taxi to our hotel in Asakusa (beautiful area).  Fun, cheap and easy.  Cost including taxi was about $20 each.  A taxi would have been over $200usd.

 

BTW - regular taxis will fit 4 with no luggage.  Got 3 people - 3 carry on bags only.  Anything larger and your getting two taxis.

Edited April 21, 2019 by jkgourmet

[ebslcc]

On 4/19/2019 at 4:45 PM, ezspirit72 said:

We are scheduled on a Princess Cruise (Japan & Taiwan) on Feb. 12th 2020 aboard the Diamond Princess.  We are planning on flying in to Haneda Airport 2 days early, and enjoying Tokyo before starting our cruise.  My question concerns the Princess Shuttle.  The Shuttle will only take us from the airport to the Cruise Terminal..   If we fly in early and stay at a Hotel which is not part of Princess... can we take the hotel shuttle back to Haneda Airport on the day of our cruise, and catch the Princess Shuttle to the ship???   Our Travel Agent hasn't been able to answer this one...  Hoping a seasoned cruiser who's taken this cruise can help answer.... or possibly offer some advice...  Thanks in advance for your answers....

We haven't been to Tokyo.  I am researching pre-cruise options for our Tokyo to Hong Kong late November cruise.  Below are some suggestions on your situation based on my research and what we have booked so far.

 

1. You will save significant travel time from the airport flying into Haneda vs. Narita.  However the flights from Haneda tend to be more expensive.

2. There's a LOT to see in Tokyo. Considering travel time you may only have one full day in Tokyo. In addition to transfer options and travel time consideration from the airport to the hotel and hotel to Yokohama port, you may want to consider the convenience of staying near where you want to see with your full day in Tokyo.  Tokyo is BIG!!!  The above post  mentioned Asakusa is a beautiful area.  It would be a good choice where to stay. Other top areas that you may want to consider is Shibuya or Shijuku or Harajuku. Here is a good guide: https://nerdnomads.com/where-to-stay-in-tokyo  Google for more ideas.  We opted to stay 3 nights before and spend one full day seeing sites on the west side of Tokyo Shibuya / Shinjuku / Harajuku ... area and one day on the east side Asakusa / Akihabara ...

3. Excellent advice above re: staying at a hotel that's on the Airport Limo drop off points. For example, check out the hotels in Shibuya https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/detail/hnd/shibuya.  It's only ~$10 per person to ride on the Airport Limo bus service!  Go here to see a list of routes: https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/  It is much more convenient to be dropped off right at the hotel.  Taxi to Yokohoma will be expensive.  However there are reasonable priced shuttle service available.  See https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=yokohama airport shuttle&destId=16.  If you are not staying at one of the Airport Limo drop off points you may want to consider using one of these shuttles from the airport to your hotel.

 

Laurence

[ebslcc]

37 minutes ago, ebslcc said:

We haven't been to Tokyo.  I am researching pre-cruise options for our Tokyo to Hong Kong late November cruise.  Below are some suggestions on your situation based on my research and what we have booked so far.

 

1. You will save significant travel time from the airport flying into Haneda vs. Narita.  However the flights from Haneda tend to be more expensive.

2. There's a LOT to see in Tokyo. Considering travel time you may only have one full day in Tokyo. In addition to transfer options and travel time consideration from the airport to the hotel and hotel to Yokohama port, you may want to consider the convenience of staying near where you want to see with your full day in Tokyo.  Tokyo is BIG!!!  The above post  mentioned Asakusa is a beautiful area.  It would be a good choice where to stay. Other top areas that you may want to consider is Shibuya or Shijuku or Harajuku. Here is a good guide: https://nerdnomads.com/where-to-stay-in-tokyo  Google for more ideas.  We opted to stay 3 nights before and spend one full day seeing sites on the west side of Tokyo Shibuya / Shinjuku / Harajuku ... area and one day on the east side Asakusa / Akihabara ...

3. Excellent advice above re: staying at a hotel that's on the Airport Limo drop off points. For example, check out the hotels in Shibuya https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/detail/hnd/shibuya.  It's only ~$10 per person to ride on the Airport Limo bus service!  Go here to see a list of routes: https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/  It is much more convenient to be dropped off right at the hotel.  Taxi to Yokohoma will be expensive.  However there are reasonable priced shuttle service available.  See https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=yokohama airport shuttle&destId=16.  If you are not staying at one of the Airport Limo drop off points you may want to consider using one of these shuttles from the airport to your hotel.

 

Laurence

OOPS sorry wrong link re: Yokahoma shuttle.  See https://www.viator.com/Japan-tours/Transfers-and-Ground-Transport/d16-g15 scroll down to see the ones providing transfer to Yokohama Port.  

[jkgourmet]

On 4/21/2019 at 1:58 PM, ebslcc said:

We haven't been to Tokyo.  I am researching pre-cruise options for our Tokyo to Hong Kong late November cruise.  Below are some suggestions on your situation based on my research and what we have booked so far.

 

1. You will save significant travel time from the airport flying into Haneda vs. Narita.  However the flights from Haneda tend to be more expensive.

2. There's a LOT to see in Tokyo. Considering travel time you may only have one full day in Tokyo. In addition to transfer options and travel time consideration from the airport to the hotel and hotel to Yokohama port, you may want to consider the convenience of staying near where you want to see with your full day in Tokyo.  Tokyo is BIG!!!  The above post  mentioned Asakusa is a beautiful area.  It would be a good choice where to stay. Other top areas that you may want to consider is Shibuya or Shijuku or Harajuku. Here is a good guide: https://nerdnomads.com/where-to-stay-in-tokyo  Google for more ideas.  We opted to stay 3 nights before and spend one full day seeing sites on the west side of Tokyo Shibuya / Shinjuku / Harajuku ... area and one day on the east side Asakusa / Akihabara ...

3. Excellent advice above re: staying at a hotel that's on the Airport Limo drop off points. For example, check out the hotels in Shibuya https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/detail/hnd/shibuya.  It's only ~$10 per person to ride on the Airport Limo bus service!  Go here to see a list of routes: https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/areas/  It is much more convenient to be dropped off right at the hotel.  Taxi to Yokohoma will be expensive.  However there are reasonable priced shuttle service available.  See https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=yokohama airport shuttle&destId=16.  If you are not staying at one of the Airport Limo drop off points you may want to consider using one of these shuttles from the airport to your hotel.

 

Laurence

 

Re:#1.  Going to most points in Tokyo from HND is roughly 25-30 minutes.  From NRT roughly 45-55 minutes.  I don't agree that it's significant enough to spend any extra money to choose one or the other.  From YOKOHAMA, NRT is about one hour more than HND.

 

Re: #4.  Those prices shown on the Viator site become WAY higher when you actually go to book.  Sort of like cars;  the advertised cheap prices aren't really there.  

[davidlara]

We are also flying in early to Tokyo.  We are taking the September 2019 cruise and were told by Princess to return to Haneda Airport on the day of embarkation for our transfer and go to the meeting desk in the Arrivals Hall on the second floor to meet with the Princess cruise representative.  We were told to be there no later than noon. We are staying at a hotel in Tokyo on the Limousine bus route.  You can by a roundtrip.  The schedule for the Limo bus is posted online or you can pick one up at the Limo bus counter in the arrivals hall after you exit immigration. They are directly across from the Tourist information desk.

[loeb]

You might look into an independent contractor to take you to the port.  We used the Roll Call for our cruise  to get 8 passengers and then booked a Green Tomato mini bus to take us from a hotel in Tokyo to the port in Yokohama.  See the information from Trip Advisors

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298161-d8674294-Reviews-Green_Tomato_Airport_Shuttle-Narita_Chiba_Prefecture_Kanto.html

[PurpleRose23]

We are doing the same thing as OP but next year in July. Our hotel is not far from Haneda airport. We plan on going back to the airport and catching a limousine bus.   The limousine bus will take us to the pier. Below is a link to the schedule of the bus we are looking to take. 

 

http://hnd-bus.com/airport/h-yamashita/

 

Hope this helps.  Have a great trip!!!