briar14

We agree with @chaunceyb about our Explorer trip. The visit to Miyako today, learning about the tsunami and destruction and seeing the beautiful rocky coast scenery was spectacular. Returning to the ship we found food trucks and various booths selling Japanese items. As Explorer neared departure, town residents and officials turned out to send us off as a group of drummers and a flute player sent us off. And, the weather was beautiful as were the cherry blossoms. A good Regent day.

On the inaugural crossing, we had one of those suites, 780, and liked it. The furniture on the balcony was 2 chairs and a table, which was disappointing. Maybe more has been added?

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!

Your tour, pictures, and descriptions are wonderful! I hope to meet you and hear more about your tour when you board Explorer on the 13th. Thank you for this excellent contribution.

We stayed at the Okura Hotel, chosen for sentimental reasons, as it was my first introduction to Japan when we moved there. Even though the hotel was rebuilt and reopened in 2019, it was still as serene as I remembered it with excellent, intuitive service. It is across the street from the US Embassy in a quiet neighborhood. The Ginza Line’s Toranomon Station is a 10’ walk, Roppongi, Ark Hills, and Azabudabai, 15 minute walks.

We were in 733 in Nov./Dec. one morning we clearly heard a phone conversation, including home address and credit card number. These were not loud voices. Never heard TV.

We also made it to Japan today🇯🇵! Not quite the journey Forgap had, but we began with one glitch—a major traffic jam at 4:30 am on I85 going to GSP. Made it to our 6:30 flight with minutes to spare. United flight from ORD to HND was ontime. Immigration very crowded. We each had our own QR codes. No problem at Customs. The Hotel Okura welcomed us with typical Japanese graciousness. Now to figure out how to turn off the lights in our room 😊.

Thank you.

@PaulMCO, Boarding on Monday for 30 days. What are issues with Destination Services and excursions? Thanks.

We are staying at The Okura next week.

Bill, I second Marc’s recommendation. In 2022 we enjoyed an excellent post cruise safari arranged by our TA. It was everything we hoped for, the accommodations were excellent, and we saw tons of wildlife. One tip I would have is to use a provider that can go “off road” in to the bush, tracking the animals.

@GillyA good tour choice from Southampton, don’t you think 😊?

London-London in September ‘21 was Splendor’s third revenue cruise and Regent’s first cruise after lockdown. It was fantastic. I still remember the feeling of sitting on the pool deck, champagne in hand, absolutely gleeful to be back on a Regent ship.

@mrlevin. Marc, as I understand it from our TA the itinerary for the Grand Voyage does include the Dubai-Dubai loop. The Grand Voyagers will stay on the ship. We have decided to rebook this and are waiting to hear from Regent and our TA. Jan

We stayed there in June and really liked it. Great location and staff.