Okinawa...any suggestion on what to do there?

[cruisecruzer]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do there and whether I should joing the ship's excursion on tour it on my own?

 

Any suggestions is appreciated! Thanks!

[laughing husky]

I have been looking for the same info. As much as there is on the net, I can't see to find a tour that would cater to cruisers.....and it looks like ships tours might be the thing due to a short period of time that I will be there....

[Sandy R]

We stopped in Naha in 2006. We hired a taxi and driver and visited the major sites... very easy, taxis were lined up outside the dock. Can't recall the price of the taxi and driver but had it not been reasonable, I would have remembered!

 

Our itinerary:

Kokusai covered market: a one-mile thoroughfare in the heart of Naha, lined with shop’s, department stores, restaurants & souvenir stores. No bargaining here and prices were high.

 

Shikinaen Garden: beautiful area, lovely and serene, containing the residence, designated a national place of scenic beauty, the garden was the largest 2nd residence for the Ryukyu royal family.

 

Shuri Castle: commands a panoramic view over Naha Harbor. The castle was the center of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. The main hall has been restored & houses 33 dragons, the symbol of the king.

 

Monorail: you get an elevated view of the city. (we didn't take the monorail, so I can't tell you anything about it)

[alanmal]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do there and whether I should joing the ship's excursion on tour it on my own?

 

Any suggestions is appreciated! Thanks!

 

This is what our group is doing on our December 2nd 2009 Ocean Princess cruise.

 

0800: Princess arrives at Naha New Wharf

 

0830: Meet your tour guide (Yukari Marsh) at the dock.

0830: Leave Naha New Wharf

0920: Visit Peace Memorial park, Peace Memorial Museum

1020: Leave Memorial Park

1050: Visit Japanese Navy Underground HQ

1130: Leave the HQ

1200: Visit Shuri Castle, Shurei Gate, Ryutan Pond

1310: Leave Shuri Castle

1330: Visit Okinawa Prefectural Museum

1420: Leave the Museum

1440: Kokusai Street, Makisi Public Market in downtown Naha city

(prefectural Government Office Bldg. from the vehicle)

1550: Leave downtown Naha

1630: Back to Naha New Wharf

 

 

 

The 8-hour tour estimate for 8 people in a mini-van

72,000 Japanese Yen per group (NOTE PRICE WAS ACTUALLY $202.31 PER COUPLE)

<Prices include: 1 English speaking tour guide,

1 hired mini-van for 8 people

English guide map.

<Prices does NOT include: admission fees, travel insurance,

drinks and meals, any personal spendings.

Pay Pal currency conversion fee of 4%

is an extra when making a full payment in advance.

 

CONTACT: yukari.marsh@nifty.com

[kobecat]

This is what our group is doing on our December 2nd 2009 Ocean Princess cruise.

 

0800: Princess arrives at Naha New Wharf

 

0830: Meet your tour guide (Yukari Marsh) at the dock.

0830: Leave Naha New Wharf

0920: Visit Peace Memorial park, Peace Memorial Museum

1020: Leave Memorial Park

1050: Visit Japanese Navy Underground HQ

1130: Leave the HQ

1200: Visit Shuri Castle, Shurei Gate, Ryutan Pond

1310: Leave Shuri Castle

1330: Visit Okinawa Prefectural Museum

1420: Leave the Museum

1440: Kokusai Street, Makisi Public Market in downtown Naha city

(prefectural Government Office Bldg. from the vehicle)

1550: Leave downtown Naha

1630: Back to Naha New Wharf

 

 

 

The 8-hour tour estimate for 8 people in a mini-van

72,000 Japanese Yen per group (NOTE PRICE WAS ACTUALLY $202.31 PER COUPLE)

 

 

 

<Prices include: 1 English speaking tour guide,

1 hired mini-van for 8 people

English guide map.

 

<Prices does NOT include: admission fees, travel insurance,

drinks and meals, any personal spendings.

Pay Pal currency conversion fee of 4%

is an extra when making a full payment in advance.

 

CONTACT: yukari.marsh@nifty.com

 

We were fortunate enough to have Ms Marsh as our guide when on the Diamond Princess in Okinawa on Saturday 10 October. We did not do all as stated above as we were only in port until 2.00 pm. We had been told that Okinawa was easy to see on your own, and this is true; HOWEVER it comes alive with Ms Marsh as your guide. Our tour was from 8 am to 12 noon and cost 42,000 yen per group (10,500 per couple - UAS$114 per couple). We paid cash on the day. Ms Marsh did not require a deposit or any payment in advance.

 

If for any reason Ms Marsh is not available she can recommend a colleague to you. We would not hesitate to tour again in Okinawa and it was first class. People who were on Princess tours at the castle came up to us in the afternoon to find out how we had been able to book such a wonderful guide. They were not especially happy with their tours (too large for a start) and could tell we were delighted with ours.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Beryl

[kobecat]

I wanted to add another point to my posting above and apologise if it is confusing.

 

Initially I was in contact with Ms Marsh who was not available on the day we were in port and she referred me to her colleague. Her colleague was happy to be paid in cash on the day, so when Ms Marsh took over our booking she very kindly agreed to follow all the conditions including the payment conditions previously agreed upon. I now understand that as stated above she does usually ask for full payment via Pay Pal or under special circumstances only a 50% deposit is required. I appreciate the reason for this and would have been happy to comply if she had asked this of us. Much as we always pray the guide will turn up when we have paid in advance, the same is obviously true for the guide. They put a lot of time and effort into their work and need to be guaranteed of payment. I can assure you that Ms Marsh is a total professional.

 

A final point, we had received our quote quite some time prior to our visit to Okinawa and as we booked early we were favoured with this rate. Obviously as costs rise, so the costs of tours must increase. I assume Ms Marsh will be in this position in the new year like all businesses but I am sure that any price increase will be well worth it.

 

Cheers

 

Beryl

[CtheW0rld]

there is nothing to see in okinawa. taxis are VERY, VERY expensive. keep in mind, okinawa was bombed flat in during the war. for the life of me, i do not understand why ships stop here. many nicer places to see in Japan.

[alanmal]

there is nothing to see in okinawa. taxis are VERY, VERY expensive. keep in mind, okinawa was bombed flat in during the war. for the life of me, i do not understand why ships stop here. many nicer places to see in Japan.

 

We where in Nagasaki 2 years ago, I think it was bombed flatter, and there where plenty of things to see an do. To each there own.

[Apalmetto]

We just returned from the Diamond Princess with a port stop at Okinawa. We elected to do Okinawa on our own. Time was limited... so there were not many options.

 

We took the free shuttle to town and then took the sky train to visit Shuri Castle, Shurei Gate, Ryutan Pond. I think it was the last stop, then you have to walk about 1/4 mile. We took a taxi back to the shuttle location.

 

The other option is to visit the Peace Memorial. I don't think you will have time to visit both on your own. There just wasn't much to do at this port stop...so doing it on your own is a good, cost saving idea.

 

The city was clean and the people were nice, but everything was more expensive than other stops on the cruise.

[cruisecruzer]

We just returned from the Diamond Princess with a port stop at Okinawa. We elected to do Okinawa on our own. Time was limited... so there were not many options.

 

We took the free shuttle to town and then took the sky train to visit Shuri Castle, Shurei Gate, Ryutan Pond. I think it was the last stop, then you have to walk about 1/4 mile. We took a taxi back to the shuttle location.

 

The other option is to visit the Peace Memorial. I don't think you will have time to visit both on your own. There just wasn't much to do at this port stop...so doing it on your own is a good, cost saving idea.

 

The city was clean and the people were nice, but everything was more expensive than other stops on the cruise.

 

 

Hi,

 

I'll be going there next week.

 

Can you tell me where to catch the free shuttle once we get off the Diamond Princess? How much is the sky train?

 

Is there any tips you can give us or what to see?

 

Thanks!

[Denverite]

We were in Okinawa in April this year and did Okinawa on our own. If I had to do it again, I would get a guide, like the one recommended in this thread. I think you would learn a lot more about the culture there and it would be more interesting.

 

Princess has a shuttle that you catch when you disembark and it runs continuously into the main part of Okinawa, very near the monorail. We elected to take a cab to Shurijo Castle from the shuttle drop-off point (about 1100 yen for 4 of us in a cab). We bought our tickets and toured the "castle" (which is really not a castle but a series of a few buildings) and walked a bit on the grounds. We then walked to the monorail (quite a distance) and took the monorail back to International Street. The monorail ticket was 300 yen (I think). We walked down International Street (pedestrian only street) back to the shuttle pick-up point. We didn't shop (stopped in McDonalds for a cold drink).

 

It was an okay day, but certainly not a highlight of the trip.

[KCcruisin07]

For those who traveled on your own, was language a problem when using public transportation or looking for sites?

[tamadig2001]

I don't know how much time you'll have in port, but on the Volendam last month, we had only four hours from the time we were allowed off the ship to all aboard. We took a taxi (around 1,500 yen) from the dock to Shuri Castle, paid the 800 yen p.p. admission and had a whirlwind tour of the main buildings. Then we walked to the monorail station - Shuri Station - and took the monorail (230 yen) to Makishi Station to get to the main shopping street, Kokusai-dori. We only walked around for less than an hour, had some fruit drinks and took a taxi back to the pier in time for lunch on the ship. Even if you have a longer stay than we did, I'd advise against being too ambitious or adventurous because traffic in Naha is absolutely atrocious.

[Denverite]

For those who traveled on your own, was language a problem when using public transportation or looking for sites?

 

Our taxi driver did not speak much English. When we asked him how much to Shurijo Castle, he wrote the amount on a piece of paper. When we needed help in the monorail station to purchase tickets, there was a person in the booth who helped us. So in answer to your question, we were able to get around using public transportation with no problems; however, I would not count on getting a guided tour with an English-speaking taxi driver unless you really luck out or you arrange ahead of time.