JAPAN PRE TOUR BEFORE THE CRUISE?

[rosewood jo]

Would those of you that have been on the pre or post with regent in TOKOYO let me know how their trip was.   Thinking of doing  it as I have not been to TOKOYO before.  

Edited September 25, 2023 by rosewood jo

[PaulMCO]

1 hour ago, rosewood jo said:

Would those of you that have been on the pre or post with regent in TOKOYO let me know how their trip was.   Thinking of doing  it as I have not been to TOKOYO before.  

There are several threads in the past -- this was the most recent,,  We are booked in March.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by PaulMCO

[Techno123]

I agree witH @PaulMCO there are a few reports on these ( there is a search box at the top of the forum which you can customise) which I have had a look at.

@flossie009 chose the Tokyo and Hakone one which is a little more expensive but from her report, sounded far better.

[DeepFreeze63]

We have done many Regent pre- and post- cruise excursions. Did the Tokyo pre-cruise several years ago and that tour as presently offered looks exactly the same (we will do it again post-cruise in March).  It is leisurely which was great for us pre-cruise with 13-hour flight and 12 hour time difference.  Hilton Tokyo was nice; being near (15 minute walk or 5 minute hotel shuttle.) to Shinjuku Station area was exciting - we did an independent night tour of area with "Tours by Locals" - a WOW!

[RetiredandTravel]

We did the Regent pre cruise Tokyo package because it was included (actually "free").  Other than some logistical issues setting up the excursions we were satisfied with the package.  Agree with Deep Freeze that the Tokyo Hilton was nice but very crowded at peak times.  Having said that it was a Hilton and it wasn't "luxury" and if we had to pay for the pre cruise package we would probably do it on our own (depending on the economics).  Tokyo is very manageable.

 

 

[Scout16]

I have been on one post tour in 2015 and there were twelve people in the group which was nice and you got to know everyone.  This past Spring I was on the pre tour in Tokyo which was included with the cruise and there were several hundred people on the tour.  It was reasonably organized but the breakfast and the loading of the tour buses was a bit of a mess.  The recent opening of Japan to tourists again also created some confusion.

[Tsunami74]

Has anyone ever done the Tokyo - An Edo Experience?

[Brownie54]

We are doing it a year from now. 
 

[marne-c]

We will do it two years from now, in 25 months to be exact.  We'll disembark the Explorer on 28 October 2025 and begin the Edo Experience tour.

 

--Marne

[Tsunami74]

Maybe the Edo Experience is a new offering

[rosewood jo]

Are u booking edo tour thru regent ? 

[Brownie54]

Edo Experience is offered on our segment Tokyo-Tokyo next October as a post-cruise 3 day (included) tour.

[taxare]

We did the Pre-tour in late April of this year. Except for the crowding indicated above we found the Hilton totally satisfactory and the breakfasts which were in a separate room for Regent was slow but good.

Japan had just opened up to visitors earlier this year. They were not prepared for the number of tours that Regent were providing and a number of tour guides had left the profession during COVID to make a living. Our friends and others that used the Pre-tour four weeks before us were provided a credit from Regent due to the poor quality of the tours. Most of our tours were poor-fair due to logistical issues and primarily poor tour guides. On the second day we ended up hiring a "Tour By Local" who saved the day for us. The last day with the transportation to the ship was a wasted day as we spent way too much time at the television tower. After outlining our concerns to the excursion desk, we received a letter from Miami apologizing indicating that the pre-tour was not up their standards. The excursions once we sailed were very good-excellent. Since the pre-tour was included, using the Hilton as a paid for base with breakfast and the included airport/ship transportation made it worthwhile especially with a private tour the second day and we were over our jet-lag. Perhaps they have their act together by now. We have been on 12 Regent cruises so we have been on a number of their excursions. The Tokyo pre-tour was the worse we have ever experienced.

[Tsunami74]

23 hours ago, rosewood jo said:

Are u booking edo tour thru regent ? 

Yes  It is a post tour for us.

[makai 7]

We did the post cruise upgraded Hakone tour and based on feedback about the “included “ Tokyo tour, it was definitely worth paying for the upgrade.