Rec for cruise line to Korea/Japan for 20 year olds

[134West]

Many of the cruise lines that go to Asia tend to attract an older demographic. Looking to take a cruise to Asia with 20 year olds who would like to see people their own age on the trip. Any ideas? We are especially interested in Japan and Korea. Thanks!

[Hlitner]

19 hours ago, 134West said:

Many of the cruise lines that go to Asia tend to attract an older demographic. Looking to take a cruise to Asia with 20 year olds who would like to see people their own age on the trip. Any ideas? We are especially interested in Japan and Korea. Thanks!

As an "old as dirt" guy who lived in Japan, when your age, I want to encourage you to do your best to visit Japan (and Asia).   Because trips to Japan are so darn expensive, and are generally longer trips, it does tend to attract an older crowd.   I would take an educated guess that your best bet, to cruise with some others in your age range, would be found on Princess.  The Diamond Princess is often cruising in Japan and Asia, so you might want to take a look at its' itineraries.

 

I would also suggest that you try to find the time and money to spend some time (either pre or post cruise) in Japan.  It is a fascinating country, one of the safest places on earth, and can be loads of fun.  There is plenty to see, the food is interesting (there is also McDonalds, KFC, etc), and the Japanese are very polite and helpful.

 

Hank

[134West]

Thanks, Hank! This is very helpful. I did see Diamond Princess. I will check them out.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 6/9/2024 at 11:55 PM, 134West said:

Many of the cruise lines that go to Asia tend to attract an older demographic. Looking to take a cruise to Asia with 20 year olds who would like to see people their own age on the trip. Any ideas? We are especially interested in Japan and Korea. Thanks!

 

TBH, people in their 20s aren't generally taking cruises around Japan: these cruises usually longer than a week, are a pain to get to, and cost more than the usual 7-night Caribbean trip out of Florida. My first time in Japan was actually on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago, and my husband and I were the "young" people on the cruise... both in our 30s. We absolutely met other youngish people, but we were the exception, not the rule, so be prepared.

 

Of the American lines that sail Japan/Korea regularly (HAL, Princess, Celebrity, NCL) you might have the best luck finding youngish people on NCL/Celebrity, but again see the above caveats. 

 

The best advice I can give is to *not* do cruise line excursions. Japan has spectacular public transportation that is easily accessible from the cruise piers in almost every port. The country is very easy to navigate as a westerner with a phone, and you have a much much higher chance of interacting with people your age outside of the cruise crowd. It's what we did in almost every port, and I have zero regrets. 

[Northern Aurora]

We were B2B on Celebrity this past spring with slightly different itineraries.  Both had one port stop in Korea.  We also were on Celebrity for B2B Japan itineraries in 2018 (again with one port call per itinerary in Korea).  

 

The demographics on the 2018 fall B2B was quite different from the March/April 2024 set.  This past March/April there are a great number of folks in their late 20s to early 30s.  And also a great number of Japanese families and a number of the families had little kiddos in strollers.

 

Japan itineraries are port intensive.  But I also think that folks need to spend time on land.  Japan is indeed easy to navigate if you are willing to use local transportation options.  And the bullet trains are absolutely amazing.