Ship excursions on Tokyo-Tokyo cruise

[bebop bonnie]

We’ll soon be able to book our Tokyo cruise excursions for April 2025 on the Explorer.  Any suggestions about your Regent excursion experiences in Japan will be appreciated!

[RetiredandTravel]

Post #15 reflects on some of our experiences (2019)

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2859002-links-to-any-tokyo-to-tokyo-trip-reports/#comment-63382085

 

[PaulMCO]

The only issues were that many that were coded moderate were actually strenuous.

And there were some errors -- like restaurant had steep stairs  - but in reality yes but also had an elevator.

[Breckski]

We are visiting in 2025 also.  The ship spends two nights in Kobe.  Based on research both here on CC and otherwise, we plan on staying one night at a hotel in Kyoto instead of sleeping on the ship in order to maximize our time in Kyoto.  I know not really excursion related but something for you to consider.

[PaulMCO]

Just now, mwike said:

We are visiting in 2025 also.  The ship spends two nights in Kobe.  Based on research both here on CC and otherwise, we plan on staying one night at a hotel in Kyoto instead of sleeping on the ship in order to maximize our time in Kyoto.  I know not really excursion related but something for you to consider.

Just a note.  Sometimes the tides and winds can make docking an issue.  We missed one day in Kobe this March 18th cruise.

[briar14]

If you are really interested in seeing Kyoto, I would also recommend spending the night. You could take the Shinkansen from Kobe, perhaps meet up with a guide in Kyoto or plan something yourself. There are so many beautiful temples and gardens to see, plus a movie set for Japanese shows, that a few hours is not sufficient. 
 

Tours we have enjoyed on the current cruise are the paper making tour (Kochi), visit to stone Buddhas in Usugi (Beppu), Senganen Garden (Kagoshima), and museum visits in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Happy planning!

[DeepFreeze63]

We were on the March 18th cruise. Had aGREAT time at the Toyota Museum in Nagoya. Mind blowing visuals, equipment and signage. Regent only allocated an our - should have been 2 hours!

[maryogreen]

@bebop bonnie My husband and I were on the Explorer's November Tokyo to Bangkok cruise and took Regent excursions in most ports, including the "Vibrant Tokyo" pre-cruise. We were extremely pleased with the tours and guides. I agree with @briar14 that Kyoto is best to do with a private guide, especially if it's high on your "must see" list. Our itinerary didn't overnight in Kobe, so we had just one day to see Kyoto. We took the Shinkansen to Kyoto and met our guide at Kyoto Station for a whirlwind tour!

 

Here is link to my blog posts on Japan, which may help with your tour selection as well as photos of the places we visited. 

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/category/japan/

 

Happy travel planning...Japan is a fantastic experience!

Mary

The Modern Postcard