reynoldswrap

If you are flying Etihad Business Class or higher you get a car and driver as part of your flight fee. You would need only to book your car for the time you wanted. If you are not BC or higher then you can buy a service that would include a transfer then assistance to go through official and security and possibly a electric cart to the gate. We bought this service for Dubai and found that it was helpful in that our "lady" took us through a "special gate" which was essentially jumping the line== and we got out before BC friend without the greeting service did:D. Look on the Etihad site and it is under additional services. (I found Dubai airport to be huge -- lots of space there just to show they are rich and have lots of building materials == swear 1/2 mile or more to security. Pay for the golf cart if you tire easily walking after a long flight) AUH (Abu Dhabi ) might be different but it looked pretty big when we drove by it. Abu Dhabi is a wonderful place to visit if you can spare a couple of days. Very different from Dubai. Enjoy. We are going back through Abu Dhabi on way home from Cape Town South Africa disembarkation from Insignia's 2018 world Cruise segment.

We appreciate the info - we are flying Bus class; however, the chauffeur service is not available to us due to our booking with miles. Will definitely consider the 'Meet and Greet service' - thanks!

We are on a 9:20 a.m. Etihad flight and have been told to arrive 3 hours early so we need to leave the cruise terminal about 5:20 a.m. Will taxis be available at the cruise terminal just outside of the ship or should we book a transfer? Also, do we go thru customs at the port as well as at the airport? Thanks!!!

If you fly into Narita, you can board the JR Narita Express train on the B4 level of your terminal. During the day, these trains run about every 15 minutes; later they run about every 40 minutes. For about US$30 per person, they will get you directly to Tokyo Station in 59 minutes.

Narita and Haneda have similar options (buses, taxis, trains). The advantage of Haneda is it's closer, so quicker and cheaper to get to Tokyo. However, Narita traditionally had more international flights so more options from overseas.

WOW - you guys are a fountain of info - thank you so very much for sharing!!!

Shinagawa Station is further from Tokyo station that Hamamatsucho station is from Tokyo Station.

Shinagawa Station to Tokyo Station by taxi will cost you about US$ 40.

thank you so much for all of your help - it sounds like we would be better to go to Narita to ensure use of more transportation choices . . .

Sorry, I lied.

JR Keikyu line does get you out of Haneda, but not directly to Tokyo Station.

You can take JR Keikyu from Haneda to Shinagawa, then transfer to a different JR train to Tokyo Station. Be warned that JR trains (excepting Narita Express) do not generally have luggage storage areas.

Maybe your best bet is a bus from the airport to Tokyo Station, or your hotel.

That's okay, appreciate all of your help! So, would a taxi from Shinagawa to Tokyo station still be about $20?

Also Haneda station is directly linked to the Tokyo train network. There's no need to change trains and you can take a train direct into Tokyo city, either staying on, or switching to another subway line as needed depending where you are going.

Thank you and BruceMuzz for all of the help! We are going to the Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouchi so we would be able to get a train from Haneda that would go direct to Tokyo Station?

If your flight arrives on time, you should be out of the airport in 30 or 40 minutes. Early evening is usually a rather quiet time at Haneda.

 

There is a monorail train that will take you from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho Station in Tokyo. The fare is very reasonable - about US 5$. The trip takes about 20 minutes, with free WIFI on the train. Since the train is designed to carry airline passengers, there is some extra storage area for suitcases.

At Hamamatsucho station, you can transfer to trains, subway, bullet trains, shuttle buses, or taxis.

In Tokyo, most public transport runs until around midnight. It's taxis after that.

BruceMuzz - thank you so much for the quick response - do you know if both the monorail as well as the connecting train to Tokyo station would be accessible with luggage easily (no stairs)?

We are looking at a flight that would arrive at Haneda at 8:25 p.m. - approximately what time can we expect to be leaving the airport? It appears that the limousine bus stops running at about 8:00 p.m. Are there other options than a taxi?

We are on the Constellation docking in Abu Dhabi - tour guides are telling us that they only pick up from Mina Zayed Port, Gate No. 2. Can anyone confirm that the Constellation docks at this terminal? If yes, do you know if there is an ATM here? Thanks!

While the Indian Visa can be arduous for U.S., Canada and Australia it actually goes through rather quickly if you follow the tutorials to the T.

 

I have to say we had a bitch of a time rejoining the ship after our land tour. Celebrity didn't have our return properly handled after charging us $60. Recommendations if you do a multi day land tour is to find out in advance phone numbers of the port agent where you will rejoin and how you obtain a landing cruise to get past the first and subsequent security check points.

 

The press has reported that India has approved sea ports to have electronic visa processing but no date when it might happen. When you personally view how manual the process is currently I don't see how in the world they will implement.

Jim, thank you so much for the great review of the trip - we are planning this cruise next spring 2018 and are very excited about the trip. Were you able to get your passport when you left the ship for your Taj Mahal tour?

Thank you for your responses!

Bowie MeMe - we are also interested in going to Al Ain as well as the car museum http://www.enam.ae/index.php - both sites are closer to Abu Dhabi, but we have more days in Dubai then Abu Dhabi. Looking forward to your comments after your cruise - wishing you a wonderful trip!

You should post this on the Middle East/Africa board rather then on the Asia board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=32

 

Keith

Thank you!

We would like to go on an evening desert safari and would like feedback about doing it from Abu Dhabi vs Dubai as well as your recommendations of a tour operator - Thanks!

We would like to go on an evening desert safari and would like feedback about doing it from Abu Dhabi vs Dubai as well as your recommendations of a tour operator - Thanks!

I flew from Abu Dhabi to Delhi after the cruise for a three day Taj extension and then flew back to the USA from Delhi. I had the extra time and chose to do it that way for several reasons. One is economics. I was already paying for several nights of a cruise and if I went off to the Taj, I would have been essentially paying twice. This way, I also only ended up paying for one additional plane ticket which was Abu Dhabi to Delhi instead of two. The second reason was it also felt less rushed to me. I was able to enjoy all the ports and the sea days... and the Taj. I was happy with my choice to do it this way.

Appreciate the info - totally agree that going direct as you did is ideal; however, for us, we are on a B2B2B so it's not easily doable and we won't be missing any ports unless we decide to do 4 days/3 nights - thanks again!

Some further information regarding Magic Tours costs for the Taj Mahal tour.

 

The cost quoted was 19,000Rs for staying in 3-star hotels and/or bed and breakfasts. The cost per person to upgrade to the Shangri La and Double Tree was an extra 6,425Rs.

Thank you again!

There is no question in our minds that the Taj Mahal (and other sights we saw on the tour) were well worth the money, and again - it was by far the best experience we had on the cruise.

Thank you so much for all of the info! Just a few questions:

Did you follow the same schedule as the ship's tour? Since we are doing B2B, we will have seen Mumbai, Goa and New Mangalore, but am beginning to wonder if we should do a 3 night tour to the Taj and miss Cochin?

Which ports did you miss?

Did Magic Tours tell you which flights to book? Thanks again!

great review and pictures - thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip and tour details. Especially appreciate the details on the Taj Mahal private tour!

Thank you so much for all of the quick feedback and great photos! This is what we love about cc!!!

Feedback regarding 7208 vs 6144 on the Constellation is appreciated. 6144 is between suites and has received good remarks on a large balcony; however, it is above the restaurant. 7208 has received good remarks on the view of the wake as well as a huge balcony, but some feel a vibration on the back. Thanks for the help!

We had great success for the land portion our Japan trip with tours booked through Viator. The tour company was JTB Sunrise out of Tokyo.

 

Check out my review for details:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

thank you for the great review - how many people usually made up a group on JTB's tours?

Please accept our thanks for providing so much info on Japan - we are very excited about our future trip!

For those of you who took either the Viator or JTB Panoramic Tour of Tokyo, how many people were on the tour/coach? Thank you!

When we landed in Le Havre, we took a private taxi tour of Giverney (Monet's home and gardens) and Rouen.

It was absolutely wonderful, and worth every penny (400 Euros). The company was lehavretaxis. I can give you their e-mail if you need it.

Yes, please post their email address - Thank You!

Perfect!!! We could have our own tv show!

brazilgirl - you do the best reviews! Thank you so much! We are interested in the tour you took with Ireland Chauffeurs to Cashel - how much time were you in port for this tour? We dock at Cobh and only have about 5.5 hours so are concerned we wouldn't have enough time at Cashel - thank you!

I have posted this question on the Cruise Insurance board as well.....I have always booked my insurance using the cruise line offered coverage but I want to investigate options for our Greek Island crusie on Silhouette this summer....When using insuremytrip.com, the 1st thing it asks is where you are traveling to and it only lets you pick one country, so how does this work for a cruise? Should I pick the country we embark at? In this case, Italy?

I think they will tell you the country you will be 'visiting' the most, but to be sure, just give them a call - they are very helpful!