Port of Kobe

[ezspirit72]

Hi there,

Our Diamond Princess Cruise ship will be stopping in Kobe on Feb.14th, 2020,  and there is only 1 excursion offered which is Osaka.   Can anyone recommend any private tour operators in which to book excursions?  We're very disappointed there are no Princess excursions going to Kyoto, and would love to visit.  Thank you in advance...

[kazu]

Try Shore Excursions Asia.

[cruiser man 60]

Or Triple Lights, we have booked a trip in Kobe with them for an MSC cruise. They will do an itinerary to suit you.

[BritinSoCal]

...Or depending how long you're in port, you could always DIY-it. Put together a short-list of the things you want to see,  a little bit of internet research, et voilà.  Even if this were just a box-ticking exercise, there aren't enough hours in the day to see "everything."

 

Take the Monorail from the port to Sannomiya JR station and a regular train service from there to Kyoto (every few minutes) - use Hyperdia to look up trains / fares - use an IC card (ICOCA, Suica, Pasmo, etc...) for fares for all public transport (cash only).

 

Public transport in Kyoto is a breeze, although traffic can be heavy, so try and circumnavigate by train or metro and foot.

[Miaminice]

We did tours with Tours by Locals and TripleLights. Both were great.

 

Maybe our travelogues can provide some ideas...

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

 

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

[Tara Jane]

Highly recommend goodwill guides all over Japan.  They are not professional guides but volunteers who enjoy showing their country. 

Some are uni students studying English others business people  retired teachers home makers they come from all walks of life.

Only cost is guides transport and meals while with you but book ahead.

They are in very high demand.

[waggie]

Hi Tara Jane

We are setting out from UK today for our cruise - I must thank you for all your  advice when planning it!

one point- we have booked goodwill guides for Himeji and Hakodate and there is a charge of Y1000 for one and Y5000 for the other plus transportation, meal and entrance fees for the guide. Not a lot compared to cruise excursions but worth noting when costing your visits.

Waggie

[Tara Jane]

Thats interesting having a set charge rather than just paying the expenses.   THanks for letting me know about it.

Have a wonderful time, I'm currently planning another trip to Japan taking a friend next year.