Regent's Tokyo Hotels and pre/Post Land Tours -- What is your experience?

[marne-c]

My wife and I, now on the Navigator on our first RSSC cruise, are about to book a round-trip Tokyo itinerary on the Explorer.  

 

For folks who have cruised on Regent to or from Japan, what hotels has Regent booked you into in Tokyo?  And for anyone who has taken a Regent pre- or post-cruise land tour in Tokyo, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

--Marne

[Techno123]

I will read the answers to your post with interest as we are doing a Tokyo to Tokyo as part of a B2B next October-so have 3 days in Tokyo at the beginning and 3 in Hong Kong at the ende 😁

[labonnevie]

For our April Explorer Tokyo to Tokyo cruise the pre-cruise program hotel is shown as the Tokyo Hilton. 

[AJCM]

Hilton is good. Large, comfortable rooms for Tokyo. Breakfast in a large conference room but ok. Outside of the included pre/post trips Regent  puts on a regular shuttle bus for the 5-10 minute drive to Shinjuku station, which is one of the major stations and on the primary Tokyo loop. Plenty of restaurants  in the immediate vicinity of the station- in all directions. Good shopping and a magnificent public garden are in easy walking distance of Shinjuku. What they include in the pre/post cruise is good, although with the Imperial Palace you’re kept outside and don’t see much. It’s a very good introduction to a confusing major city, which prepares you well if you want to spend a few days in Tokyo after the cruise. If you do, then consider looking for a suitable hotel near Shinjuku, as you’ll already have some familiarity with the area and so can more easily get around some Tokyo highlights from the station; which is initially very confusing because it has lines on different levels but you get the hang of it - especially if you stick to stops on the loop.

 

We did an April cruise in 2019 and just loved it. All the ship excursions we did were very enjoyable (other than Mt Fuji white out - it’s hit or miss). We’re booked for Oct 2023 and we’re really looking forward to seeing Japan during the change of seasons. Fortunately, the itinerary is a bit different from last time, so we’ll visit some new places; in particular Kyoto. We’ll try different excursions in repeat destinations. The pre cruise land trip also has some different inclusions, so we’re happy that Regent is looking after repeat cruisers. It’s a remarkable, beautiful  country and probably the  safest feeling country we’ve visited.

[marne-c]

Thank you, @labonnevie and especially @AJCM for your detailed response!

 

--Marne

[Gilly]

We have always booked our own hotel in Tokyo and highly recommend the Park Hyatt (Lost in Translation hotel for those with longish memories!)  Though also in Shinjuku and convenient for the transport/shopping/restaurants, it's off the beaten track and in a quiet location.  It's a very elegant and peaceful hotel and the rooms are beautiful, some overlooking Mount Fuji.  It can be pricy but if you've got Hyatt rewards, then worth the splurge 😉    In October 2015 we were lucky with both view and weather.

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Gilly
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[RetiredandTravel]

We had a free pre cruise package in Tokyo (4/19) and stayed at the Tokyo Hilton, we mostly agree with AJCM.  Very nice Hilton.  In addition the elevators were  packed when all the Regent folks try to go down at the same time so allow extra time.  We were there on a weekend and all the restaurants were completely booked for lunch so if you plan on eating lunch there make a reservation.   If you go down the escalators towards the subway just on the right is a convenience store to get water beer wine etc at a reasonable price.  Regent farms out the pre cruise logistics and although the people were very nice they were very disorganized.    Excursions themselves were well done once we got on the bus.

 

The Japanese people are wonderful they are very sophisticated, professional and kind.  Beautiful place to visit.  Tokyo has exceptional restaurants but because of WW2 there aren't a large amount of sight seeing locations for a city of this size.   We found Kyoto to be the most interesting stop on the cruise.

 

One observation is if you have to pay for the pre cruise package it may be much cheaper and higher quality to do it on your own.  Tokyo is a very manageable city.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[fudge]

On 11/21/2022 at 1:03 PM, AJCM said:

Hilton is good. Large, comfortable rooms for Tokyo. Breakfast in a large conference room but ok. Outside of the included pre/post trips Regent  puts on a regular shuttle bus for the 5-10 minute drive to Shinjuku station, which is one of the major stations and on the primary Tokyo loop. Plenty of restaurants  in the immediate vicinity of the station- in all directions. Good shopping and a magnificent public garden are in easy walking distance of Shinjuku. What they include in the pre/post cruise is good, although with the Imperial Palace you’re kept outside and don’t see much. It’s a very good introduction to a confusing major city, which prepares you well if you want to spend a few days in Tokyo after the cruise. If you do, then consider looking for a suitable hotel near Shinjuku, as you’ll already have some familiarity with the area and so can more easily get around some Tokyo highlights from the station; which is initially very confusing because it has lines on different levels but you get the hang of it - especially if you stick to stops on the loop.

 

We did an April cruise in 2019 and just loved it. All the ship excursions we did were very enjoyable (other than Mt Fuji white out - it’s hit or miss). We’re booked for Oct 2023 and we’re really looking forward to seeing Japan during the change of seasons. Fortunately, the itinerary is a bit different from last time, so we’ll visit some new places; in particular Kyoto. We’ll try different excursions in repeat destinations. The pre cruise land trip also has some different inclusions, so we’re happy that Regent is looking after repeat cruisers. It’s a remarkable, beautiful  country and probably the  safest feeling country we’ve visited.

We sail from Vancouver to Japan on the 18th September 2023, we would love to know about Japan from someone who has been?  What's "not to miss"? Any replies appreciated.

[RetiredandTravel]

This link may be helpful, if you have any more questions please ask.  Kyoto & Hiroshima are top picks.

 

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2859002-links-to-any-tokyo-to-tokyo-trip-reports/#comment-63378722

 

[fudge]

7 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

This link may be helpful, if you have any more questions please ask.  Kyoto & Hiroshima are top picks.

 

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2859002-links-to-any-tokyo-to-tokyo-trip-reports/#comment-63378722

 

Thank you for sharing the link, very useful information on there.

[1982CruzStart]

On 11/20/2022 at 1:02 PM, labonnevie said:

For our April Explorer Tokyo to Tokyo cruise the pre-cruise program hotel is shown as the Tokyo Hilton. 

We stayed at the Hilton Toyko and really enjoyed our stay.  We weren't with Regent so booked an executive level room that included access to the executive lounge. We ate breakfast there before leaving for a day of touring and then had drinks and snacks there for dinner.  The appies were so good and varied that we never felt the need to go out for dinner.  It may be worth looking into upgrading. 

[Gilly]

20 hours ago, fudge said:

We sail from Vancouver to Japan on the 18th September 2023, we would love to know about Japan from someone who has been?  What's "not to miss"? Any replies appreciated.

We've travelled in Japan both independently and with Regent and never tire of being in this delightfully fascinating country.  The Regent tours we've taken have been good, but there's nothing to beat the adventure of trying something for yourself, however simple.  People are extraordinarily helpful, so travelling a couple of stations on a subway train isn't so difficult, especially as many signs are in English now.  Everywhere you go, there are "souvenir" rubber stamp stations (rather like the US National Park Passport Stamps) and I love to collect these, getting stamps in museums, places of interest and yes, every station has one too.

Here's my account of an (included) Regent tour from Hitachinaka as an example of the kind of experience to expect (there are other posts tagged Japan there too if you are interested)   I'm happy to answer any questions you have, of course.

[RetiredandTravel]

This is somewhat off color but important to know.  The bathrooms (toilets) in Japan can be challenging in many locations.

 

🙄

 

 

[BajaBarry]

On 11/20/2022 at 1:02 PM, labonnevie said:

For our April Explorer Tokyo to Tokyo cruise the pre-cruise program hotel is shown as the Tokyo Hilton. 

Where is it shown? We are also on that cruise. Looking at my account there is preliminary info about the pre-cruise:

 

[Portolan]

Not easy to find.  Here's the link: | All-Inclusive Asia Cruises | Asia Cruise Luxury Vacations | Regent Seven Seas Cruises (rssc.com)

[BajaBarry]

20 minutes ago, Portolan said:

Not easy to find.  Here's the link: | All-Inclusive Asia Cruises | Asia Cruise Luxury Vacations | Regent Seven Seas Cruises (rssc.com)

Thanks. It says "or similar" (but only in unforeseen situations) so we won't know for sure until we receive the final cruise documents about 3 weeks before. We arranged our own flights. We had assumed that we would need to arrange our own transfer, but this document indicates we will met as long as we supply our flight info.

[labonnevie]

We are actually on the cruise prior to yours, but the website shows the same hotel(s), Keio Plaza for pre-cruise stays (quite pricey) and Tokyo Hilton for the Vibrant Tokyo pre-cruise tour package. I was surprised to see availablity for several categories on both cruises, we did not clear the waitlist until mid-August.

Also, the flight credit for your cruise is $5500 while ours has increased from $5500 to $6000 - Regent fares have increased more than that for our cruise. As for your last comment, I hope you are correct, but I wonder. I thought that in the past passengers making their own flight arrangements had to arrange their own tranfers, although, to be honest, I don't think we have ever used a Regent pre-cruise program before. We have supplied our flight information to Regent.

[RetiredandTravel]

We arranged our own flights to Tokyo.  We had to set our own transfers from the airport to the hotel.  The car service from Narita to the hotel was about $225, many use the train or bus we like the convenience with luggage.  Regent provided the transfer from the hotel to the ship and we purchased Regent bus transfers ($100 each) from the ship to the airport at the end.  We were in a Concierge suite and could not add the free night to the free 3 night pre cruise package.

 

 

 

 

[tango223]

50 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

We arranged our own flights to Tokyo.  We had to set our own transfers from the airport to the hotel.  The car service from Narita to the hotel was about $225, many use the train or bus we like the convenience with luggage.  Regent provided the transfer from the hotel to the ship and we purchased Regent bus transfers ($100 each) from the ship to the airport at the end.  We were in a Concierge suite and could not add the free night to the free 3 night pre cruise package.

 

 

 

 

We did an air deviation to come into Tokyo early but had Regent booked the flights for us. We were told that we had to provide our own arrangements from the airport to the hotel (which we booked the same as the Regent 3 day land), but we were told that all the other transfers were included.  I'm wondering why you had to purchase the transfer at the end of your cruise.

[cruiseaholic78]

22 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

This is somewhat off color but important to know.  The bathrooms (toilets) in Japan can be challenging in many locations.

 

🙄

 

 

Sorry but I have to ask, we have been to Tokyo twice and leaving to return next week, but what did you find challenging?

I have found them to be the cleanest we have ever encountered anywhere 

even in public parks supplies of ample wc paper.

Rosalyn 

[RetiredandTravel]

3 minutes ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

Sorry but I have to ask, we have been to Tokyo twice and leaving to return next week, but what did you find challenging?

I have found them to be the cleanest we have ever encountered anywhere 

even in public parks supplies of ample wc paper.

Rosalyn 

 

 

Completely agree the toilets were all exceptionally clean.  I will say there was a lack of paper towels after cleaning your hands in some areas.

 

We are somewhat older and my wife in particular found the old style toilets to be challenging.  Quite a few in the parks were even more primitive than pictured below.  Sort of self explanatory. 

 

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/japanese-style-squat-toilets-a-surprising-way-to-stay-healthy

 

 

 

 

[RetiredandTravel]

30 minutes ago, tango223 said:

We did an air deviation to come into Tokyo early but had Regent booked the flights for us. We were told that we had to provide our own arrangements from the airport to the hotel (which we booked the same as the Regent 3 day land), but we were told that all the other transfers were included.  I'm wondering why you had to purchase the transfer at the end of your cruise.

 

 

Hi, because we took the air credit and made our own flights.  When you take the air credit you also need to make your own transfers.    Notice below at the end of the room categories.  They did provide transfer from the hotel to the ship.

 

 

"A Savings of up to $5,500  per person is available when arranging your own flights and transfers."

 

 

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP230314/summary?source=top results

 

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[Portolan]

16 hours ago, BajaBarry said:

Thanks. It says "or similar" (but only in unforeseen situations) so we won't know for sure until we receive the final cruise documents about 3 weeks before. We arranged our own flights. We had assumed that we would need to arrange our own transfer, but this document indicates we will met as long as we supply our flight info.

While it says "similar," I asked our TA to check with Regent and they said it'd be the Hilton in March for our cruise.  Of course, this is a trust but verify situation when we get closer.  Important to us becuase we have an extra night booked there in advance of the pre-cruise tour.

[Techno123]

1 hour ago, RetiredandTravel said:

We are somewhat older and my wife in particular found the old style toilets to be challenging.  Quite a few in the parks were even more primitive than pictured below.  Sort of self explanatory. 

 

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/japanese-style-squat-toilets-a-surprising-way-to-stay-healthy

 

 

 

 

Those are very similar to some of the French toilets in the ski resorts (but definitely cleaner) Not the easiest things for a woman to use when wearing salopettes and ski boots 😂😂

[cruiseaholic78]

16 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

 

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/japanese-style-squat-toilets-a-surprising-way-to-stay-healthy

 

 

 

 

Now I understand, seriously I never saw these ones when we were in Japan, even my brother has a toilet with shower function and music.

I’m not sure where but I really saw this sign somewhere on my travels I think it was Kuranda Australia.