mamaclark

Hello Patti! I think this is the fourth attempt? I am pretty sure the port is Kobe and Oceania has excursions on their page to both Osaka and Kyoto. I am hoping @Jancruz sees this and can share some of her wisdom. I just need to be sure since we have booked a day in Kyoto. Are you on this cruise?

I am curious as to why the Oceania website itinerary for this tour lists Kyoto/Kobe port, but the accompanying map shows Osaka.

We were on an Alaskan cruise last September and Carson was the CD. We found him helpful and charming.

Thanks for your fast response. We will spend the short day in and around Kobe for sure. I'll try to find a private tour that will pick us up early and have us back by 5 at the latest. Perhaps I will need to rob a bank first, JK!

Your trip report was helpful, thank you! Was Kobe/Kyoto on your itinerary? We are in port from 11am one day until 7pm the next, 10/31-11/1. I am trying to figure out how to arrange our tours since the port is a distance away from Kyoto.

That was not a luxury train, I was mostly replying to the comments regarding handling your own luggage, stations, etc, We booked our own trains with no problems. If you Google luxury train travel you will see a plethora of options that are available all over the world. Have fun researching!

That's great, but it is not mine! It's simply a floating hotel with great food providing access to places I want to see. Thank God we are not all alike!

Hire a driver. We had one in Montenegro who took us up into the hills, scared us to death on those narrow windy roads with buses headed toward us, but nonetheless, we laughed all day. I tried to find a name for you, but alas I could not.

Thank you, spot on observations. We have been blessed to travel a lot over the years. We spent over 2 weeks in China on an excellent Smithsonian tour. Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima were cities we wanted to see. This will achieve that for us and then we will probably go back to land trips, some tours, but probably just exploring on our own, getting wet, being lost and loving life.

No, it was because (as they said) they were understaffed. And, of course, I like to think I am always polite.😇

it took us 5 days to get ours back on a 12 day cruise. Be sure you have enough time.

We used trains for a trip from Budapest - Vienna - Prague. Trains were on time, clean and comfortable. We absolutely loved it! I do agree with your stations and luggage statement though. Now I am looking at luxury train travel with time spent on and off the train and someone else handling all the details.😁

I think this is why you need a good TA!

When did Oceania get an app?

Yes, and we are looking at train travel!

I learned so much from all of you, thank you. At this juncture, so much of this is beyond my pay grade. Over and out.

I appreciate the comparison of the two inclusions. Food for thought, and that is not a poor pun!

I am a bit overwhelmed. I was sure when I opened this topic I would be shouted down as a traitor to O. Clearly, I misread the current climate AND my fellow cruisers. Forgive? What I have learned is that "times they are a changin' " in cruising and that I need to realize the old days at the price point I am willing to spend are gone. So, I shall look at this cruise from a different and more relative/current perspective. I cannot tell y'all how helpful this has been to us.

Now that made me laugh!

Thank you! Skipped ports and reduced ports were an issue for us in Alaska. We book for the itinerary. We have a lot to consider for this cruise since we will only have 48 hours to make a decision. May need to look at 2025. Thanks.

I agree! Thank you for mentioning the skipped ports.

I appreciate your excellent review and thank you for sharing your perspective. To be fair, there were too many "at sea" days (some scheduled, some not) FOR US which meant a lot more ship time. That could not be helped. We love the destination intensive itineraries O typically offers. We essentially use cruising to see the places we know we want to visit, but may never go on our own. Thus, our floating hotel needs to be comfortable, clean, have good food and worth the cost. Thank you!

Such an excellent post. I hope you are able to share your experience with us. One thing I should have stressed was the outstanding staff you will encounter on O, from top to bottom. I could never say enough good about them! Enjoy!

Thank you for your thoughtful and kind response. Have a wonderful celebration with your family.

As always, we chose this cruise for the itinerary. Japan, Vietnam and Singapore are of particular interest to us.