Mom39

Looks like fun! Enjoy! We are doing Tokyo for two nights afterwards in the teen area near Shibuya crossing. Wish we had more time for Kyoto. I think I'm going to love it. Jealous! I think we are fortunate just to be cruising Japan though. 🙂.

Also, if you are doing Kyoto on your own... there are plenty of wonderful restaurants near the train station (I hear/read), but I am very excited about the one that our concierge recommended: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d3779815-Reviews-Kura_Kura-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html Also, I booked my hotel above Kyoto Station for only $120/night and I'm looking forward to that as well: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298564-d1071189-Reviews-Hotel_Granvia_Kyoto-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html And, I'm booking the English-speaking rickshaw guide ahead of time and only doing 30 minutes: https://ebisuya.com/en/book/ I think these places are priced nicely. Unfortunately, my tour guide/driver are expensive but hopefully we will find two people to go with us and split the cost. In my experience, when you want to see a lot, the private tour is the way to go. But, if you share the cost it is not expensive.

Here is a link to kimono/tea ceremony. Perhaps the ones you saw included transportation or a Geisha? Hope this helps. The Trip Advisor reviews are excellent. I'm getting so excited about Kyoto 🙂 https://mai-ko.com/tour/kimono-tea-ceremony-gion-kiyomizu-at-the-registered-cultural-property/

I don't want to encourage gambling necessarily. But, I like to play a little black jack on cruises (even though I know the odds are bad). Drinks are free in the casino while you are gambling on Celebrity. And, the drinks are good. So, if you don't drink a lot, you can sit down for a few hands and enjoy a cocktail. I don't drink much, But, I do enjoy a nice Moito, Lemon Martini, etc., every once in. while. I never purchase the drink package.

A few clarifications. Mr. Hiro's charge of $800 is for port to port overnight, so it is for two days, 8am-4pm ish on day 1 and 8am - 2 pm on day two. Also, our Kura Kura reservations for 2 are for 7 p.m. and we plan to walk from our hotel (hotel is only $120 so I think it is a good choice). Any question, let me know. I have read that June is a rainy season, but my child is in school so June is our best choice and for me it is better than the August heat!!! Also, I think all the places I reference can bo Googled. Thanks.

If anyone on this thread is doing the Celebrity cruise on June 8, please note that I have booked private excursions for myself and my teenage daughter for: 1) Osaka/Kyoto overnight; 2) Busan, and 3) Tokyo. I am looking for one group of 1-3 to join us and share the cost. 1) For Osaka/Kyoto: Mr. Hiro (English speaking) will charge us $800 for pick up and drop off at port as well as being an English Tour Guide. We are paying separately for our hotel, tea ceremony, and rickshaw ride near the Bamboo Forest. We would like to add people and share this this cost ($200 per person if we add two people). Mr. Hiro will pick us up on 6/11 at 8am at the port and drop us at the hotel in Kyoto at 4 pm. I privately booked a room at the Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is above the train station, for $120 USD. I also privately booked wearing a kimono and attending a tea ceremony in Gion at 2 pm for around $50/per person. We have reservations for 2 at Kura Kura (on our own--and this might be filling up). We will see the Fushimi Inari Shrine. For 6/12, Mr. Hiro will pick us up at 8 am at the hotel and drop us off at the ship by 2 pm. He will take us to Arashiyama. We are separately booking a rickshaw there for around $70 for the two of us for 30 minutes (but you would not need to do this). 2) For Busan, our private English-speaking guide is charging us $355 (which we can split so if we add two people it will be around $88 per person. He is taking us to the following places and we will pay entrance fees and lunch separately (not included in tour price but also not expensive): Blue Line Capsule, Haeundae Beach, Dongbaek Island & APEC House, Oryukdo Skywalk, Songdo Marine Cable Car, Beomeosa Temple, Huinnyeoul Culture Village, Gwangalli Beach, X-the -Sky, UN Memorial Cemetery, Magnate, Busan tower, Youngdusan park. 3) For Tokyo, we are paying $595 for an English-speaking guide. He will pick us up at the port around 9:15 a.m. and drop us off at the hotel around 5:15 p.m. We are staying at the Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shibuya for around $550 for two nights (the guide might just drop us off at the Micpig cafe around 4 and take our luggage to the hotel). The tour will include the following: 10 am Yanaka area 12 am Akihabara Lunch Pass by Ginza, Imperial Palace 2 pm Meiji shrine 3 pm Gotokuji (Cat Temple) 4 pm Harajuku 4:30 pm Migpig. 5:15 drop off at Hotel Century Southern tower in Shibuya. Drop off is still a little fuzzy but Migpig is near the hotel and the guide will be flexible. Anyway, please let me know if you want to join us for one of these tours. Note that for Tokyo, we change the standard tour to see the Cat Temple as well as the Migpig cafe. My daughter is an animal lover so other animal lovers might appreciate these stops. 🙂. And, even if you are not joining us, I hope that our plans w/ prices might help you with your planning!!!! For the other stops, we booked ship tours when they were heavily discounted. We like to explore independently as well, but I have a bad knee and don't know what the weather will be like. Also, if it rains, I'm sure we'll make adjustments as needed.

Thank you everyone. I canceled my Celebrity tour for Osaka and booked the Kyoto hotel for our single overnight in Kyoto via Osaka. I think this was the right decision for us. I'm still working on planning our day but am happy to report that the Hotel Granvia Kyoto——-June 11, is only $120. Thank you everyone.

Sounds like fun!!!

Thank you. Good to know. If it isn't really authentic, maybe all I need is an afternoon tea with a Geisha the next day in Osaka...

OK. The room at the Kyoto station is inexpensive. Still not sure if we want to do that. I'll continue with the internet searches. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks! Would especially like to hear what others have thought of Celebrity's tours. I hate to give up my tour because it was 50% off, lol, but I want to see the best of Kyoto which means downtown with Geisha stuff, maybe even dressing up as one... Sounds silly, I know, but when we were originally going to do Japan, it wasn't going be via cruise...

Does anyone want to tell me that the Geisha stuff is really just touristy? And, should be avoided? It's funny but this is really bugging me. And, I saw one cruise review which said people complained about it being shrine after shrine after shrine. So, I really want to see the Geisha stuff. In my mind, the old area is what Kyoto is all about.... And, yes, I am REALLY looking forward to doing this cruise with my daughter. Very excited. And, we'll have two days in Tokyo post cruise which will be nice.

Only 17 minutes? Is it super easy? I live in Chicago and we have travelled. For some reason I've felt the need to over-book the excursions for this cruise.

I'd really appreciate some Osaka/Kyoto suggestions. Thanks!

I have a bad knee (can't walk too much) and would appreciate advice on the best way to see the Geisha culture in Kyoto during while docked in Osaka. We're booked on the Celebrity Millennium r/t Tokyo on June 8, 2024. REALLY looking forward to this 12-night cruise with my teenager. I booked early and managed to take advantage of discounts of up to 50% on shore excursions. I'm worried about Osaka because I don't want to miss out on seeing the best of Kyoto. The ship will be overnight in Osaka and I look forward to visiting Osaka. But, I'm worried. We're currently booked on a Celebrity tour but I don't think it will include any of the Geisha culture in Kyoto and that's something I really want to see. I'd hate to cancel our tour as it is now a lot more expensive, but, again, I really want to see the Geisha culture in Kyoto, or at least I think I do. Here's our excursion description ($326 for the two of us for this 9-hour tour because I bought it during a special sale): Explore Kyoto, the capital of Japanese culture. First stop: Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Head inside for a guided tour after soaking in the magnificent panoramic view of Kyoto city. Next, visit the famous Golden Pavilion, one of Japan's most popular attractions. And don't miss the gorgeous mirror reflection of the temple on the still pond in the garden - it's one of the most stunning scenes you'll ever see. Get to know this brilliant, vibrant city. Then you also visit Nijo castle which is a part of world heritage in Kyoto. Now, a tour operator recently sent me a quote but they want a whopping $1.4K to take the two of us to Kyoto: Arashiyama Area > Bamboo Forest > Togetsu-Kyo Bridge Kinkakuji Temple (the Golden Pavillion) Ginkakuji Temple (the Silver Pavilion) Kiyomizu-dera Temple Stroll Higashiyama District if time permits Dinner & Tea Ceremony with Maiko at Nihonbunka-An And, I'm thinking about just using the train and seeing Kyoto by ourselves. But, I'm not sure aboutwalking and whether we'd be missing out on a lot by just doing the old town and the Geisha activities. So, I'd really appreciate some feedback/advice, particularly if anyone has done the tour we are booked on through Celebrity and/or had a special tour in Kyoto. Thank you.

I went back to see your photos! Thanks. Maybe the smoothies, custom omelets, and blueberry pancakes are worth it! I'm looking forward to the cruise. Appreciate the information from everyone on this board. It will be my first time on Celebrity and I'm hoping that the room service coffee is better than what it served on HAL and Princess. And, I'm happy to be on any line and a fan of HAL. Thanks again and if you enjoyed smoothies, custom omelets, and/or pancakes w/ room service let me know what you thought!