Vibrant Tokyo - Precruise Review

[Stickman1990]

On 10/25/2023 at 8:30 AM, Techno123 said:

@rkaratsu which cruise terminal did you depart from? We are staying near Shinagawa and the Tokyo port seems to be fairly close - if it is that one we may get a taxi rather than wait for a bus

 

Your cruise is leaving from the Tokyo Cruise Terminal which is the one close to where you are staying

 

I think a taxi is an excellent idea

 

See you onbaord

[Techno123]

Thank you @Stickman1990 - see you onboard 😁

[Brewgator]

On 10/26/2023 at 9:14 PM, labonnevie said:

You’re not forced to go on the tours. You could easily stop in for breakfast and go your own way afterwards, or even skip the breakfast entirely. You would get transport from the airport to the hotel and transport to the ship which would include some touring. 

This is what we are doing.  We are taking advantage of everything BUT the tours including the transfers to the hotel and, on the third day, the 1/2 day tour that ends up at the cruise dock (in essence a glorified transfer from hotel to ship with a tour stop in between).  On the two full days we have hired a private tour guide to show us around Tokyo.  Best of both worlds.

[Avidtravler]

Hi Brewgator,

We would appreciate all information on how you found your guide to show you Tokyo. Who selects the points of interest ,and what about dining? Perhaps you can give us a more detailed summary after your excursions. We are booked for later in 2024, and your details would help us and many others.

[Brewgator]

2 minutes ago, Avidtravler said:

Hi Brewgator,

We would appreciate all information on how you found your guide to show you Tokyo. Who selects the points of interest ,and what about dining? Perhaps you can give us a more detailed summary after your excursions. We are booked for later in 2024, and your details would help us and many others.

We are relying totally on a well reviewed local guide through Tours by Locals.  If you go to the site, there are, I believe, more than 75 guides.  It is a bit of comparison shopping but most have detailed reviews and the tours they provide are fairly well detailed.  Most will tailor the tour to your particular interests.  What we did was provide a list of desired outcomes (eat like a local, local crafts people, etc. in addition to regular tourist sites) and let the guide tailor the itinerary as best she sees fit.  We appreciate the ease of the pre-tour stay from Regent such as the booking of the hotel, transfers and breakfast every morning.  Getting there three days early allows for acclimation prior to the cruise itself.  We have simply chosen to substitute our own tours for the ones being offered as part of the pre-stay package.  Like I said, win-win.