China Oct. 2005 - Diamond Princess

[cruisinlivin]

Is anyone booked on this cruise or considering it?

[spunkymoldy]

We will be going to China ... October 12, 2005 Osaka to Beijing Cruise.

[cruisinlivin]

Has anyone recommended any land tours to you?

[drjdm]

Yes we have a lot of people on this cruise. Keep looking and you will find we have another thread going.Look on the princess cruise board

 

jeff

[spunkymoldy]

Do you mean the pre and post? If so I'm flying in early to go to Tokyo & Kyoto. I will do this myself. For the post I will be doing the Beijing package offered by Princess. There are cheaper packages for the Beijing part but I decided to go with Princess. Which cruise are you on?

[cruisinlivin]

Spunkymoldy,

 

Thanks for your reply. I was given the Roll Call thread for our cruise, Beijing to Bangkok October 2005.

[Sumar76]

We will be going to China ... October 12, 2005 Osaka to Beijing Cruise.

 

Hi Spunkymoldy...saw your post and realized you are on the same cruise as I am...as far as I can tell we are the only 2! We are planning to go a day or 2 early, and go to Tokyo, and do the Great Wall trip after. Hate to go sooo far and not be able to spend more time...Oh well, guess work is somewhat important!Let me know if you have any other ideas, I haven't thought of...

[spunkymoldy]

Nice to know some one else is on this cruise. I know the boat is fairly booked up. Have you made any flight or other arrangements for this cruise?

[Sumar76]

Spunkymold.....we are doing air on our own, from NY, and probably getting into Tokyo 2 days early. My husband is a train enthusiast, so he wants to take the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Osaka, the day of sail. It is only a 3 1/2 hour trip...so....guess I'll do it.

 

Did you make any plans yet? and did your TA tell you the cruise was pretty well booked? I think it is the first time for this itinerary..? So there might not be much on the boards re: others experiences..Maybe its the Diamonds first time.

Let me know what you find out, and I'll let you know if I come across anything.

8 monthes to go..............Sue

[cruisinlivin]

Sue,

 

Hi, we are on the Oct. 23 cruise but stopping in Tokyo on the way to Beijing. I was looking at hotels in Tokyo, the rates are pretty high for standard hotels. Have you found a good site for hotels?

 

Gail

[spunkymoldy]

Sue. We will be in Tokyo for two full day, taking the bullet train to Kyoto for 1 night, and then train to Osaka the day we cruise. We will be staying at the Shinagawa Prince (cost is $14,600 Yen (Double) or $17,500 (Triple). I am staying there because I figure it was the easiest way to avoid morning rush hour on the city underground metro... I just have to run across the street to Shinagawa Train Station to catch the bullet train. I also read that there is not much room on the bullet train for lots of luggage.

 

A good website to go to is japan-guide.com The forum is pretty good to look for questions and answers.

 

Some helpful info ...cruiseship terminal is beside the Osaka aquarium (the tube station is osakako). Since we are not coming from the airport we also saved on the cruise transfer. Princess was charging from the airport to the cruise terminal - $95.00/pp.

 

Some other people that we know that is joining the same cruise was told originally that the cruise was sold out. But they manage to purchase tickets from different agent. In December, Princess told me it was filling up quickly. Don't know if that was a line.

[Sumar76]

Hi Spunkymoldy....I am away right now in Phoenix and Georgia, so when I return home I will look into the Japan website, and get that info. Thanks

 

That is good info. you gave me re;the location of hotel, etc...will also look into that. We were thinking of flying into Tokyo 2 days before then taking the Bullet the morning of the cruise. Do you know what time boarding will be allowed?

Also we are planning to use Sky Miles for our airline tx., as we were quoted $1400+ pp thru TA.

 

I wonder if we can carry lg (26") suitcases x2, and 2 carry bags, and garment bag on Bullet...now I'm paranoid about not being able to jam it on.

 

Everyone seems to be talking about travel channel show featuring China, did you happen to see it?

 

Also what airline are you going, and if its Korean Air, do you know if they have weight rest. for luggage. ? Not that I completely overpack, trying to trim it down, but always have to have choices!

Thanks, Sue

[greatam]

SuMar76,

 

You will have difficulty getting all that luggage on the bullet train. There is a small area at the front of some cars for luggage. If the train is crowded, the shelf will be full of briefcases and backpacks (the kids all have large ones). AND the biggest thing-the train arrives and departs VERY rapidly. Maybe about 2-3 minutes.

 

Twice in Feb. 2004, I ended up either sitting on my roller bag in the baggage area or trying to stuff it and me into the seat area. I rode the bullet trains all over Japan for 3 days. Getting all the luggage through the Tokyo train station will be another hassle. Depending on the platform, some are accessed only by stairs, so be prepared. I think there were 14 levels in the Tokyo train station and 10 in Kyoto. Tokyo station makes the NYC subway look very small, except the Japanese are VERY orderly. Everyone waits patiently in line and if the doors close, you just get on the next train.

 

There is a service, although pricey, which delivers luggage to hotels-pickup in Tokyo and deliver it to ????. When I find the website, I will post. May be an option. Or what about shipping excess (cruise) luggage to your final hotel? The post office does a great job of shipping to Japan. And not nearly as pricey as FedEX or DHL.

 

You may want to take the mid afternoon train from Tokyo to Kyoto. It was the least crowded.

[spunkymoldy]

Sue, I have not bought my air yet, but we are hoping to fly Japan Airlines.

 

I also was worried about my luggage on the Bullet Train. I have trimmed down what I am bringing and I am now bringing a small suitcase. I will just have to use the Laundry room on the ship more often. I hear that if you go on the green cars (first Class) there is a lot more room for baggage and it is not as crowded. But you still have the problem of carrying it in the stations. Apparently there are no porters to help. I did look into having my luggage shipped, but it does not work for me.

 

I don't know what time boarding on the ship is but I would think it is early noon. I will be in Kyoto that morning and will probably arrive quite early in Osaka. Hopefully I can drop off the luggage early and do some sightseeing.

 

I missed the show on China. Was there anything of interest?

 

There was a show on Primetime about cruiseships and all the nasty things in the cabins that are not cleaned up (makes you not want to sit, touch anything in the cabin) Perhaps I will have to bring my lysol wipes and rubber gloves.

[Sumar76]

Spunkymoldy...lol re: bringing lysol and wipe-ups for cabins. My husband and I have taken a few amtrak trips, and also a Tauck tour to Mexico, which had alot of train travel involved. AND thats exactly what I did! After we got our cabin, I got out the lysol wipes and went to work. Of course my husband thought I was crazy, but I sure felt better....makes you wonder right?

 

Where do you find out about shipping luggage ahead? wouldn't it be great to ship it to the cruise ship and bring a small carry on? I KNOW i overpack, and its not like I bring great outfits either, somehow it multiplies as it goes in the suitcase....just like it sometimes shrinks when it goes in my closet.

 

Well if you think of it send me the info. re: shipping ahead, although I'm sure it'll be a fortune. thanks , sue

[Sumar76]

Greatam....thanks for the thoughts on the Bullet train. When we were traveling thru Europe once on the train...we had to leave our stuff in a "vestibule" area, and everyone would come and go off the train right there, so I was paranoid someone was just going to walk off with it..AND my sons were teasing me that my suitcase fell off and went on the train tracks..very enjoyable experience.THEN we got to Paris, and we had to lug our suitcases all thru the station UP the stairs, and around in circles (so it seemed):mad: , because we had no idea where were going, and of course did not know a word of French,exept bonjour. Which brings me to think.....why am I THINKING of taking the bullet train:confused:

 

Thanks for any info you can give me re: having luggage sent. Of course I could just cut down on the amt. I would normally take, but I always have trouble with that....Sue

[spunkymoldy]

Sue, here is the link for companies at the airport that does delivery service.

 

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_05.html

 

Yamato has a website but they do not list prices but perhaps you can email them ....http://ytcg02.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/english/overview/index.html

 

 

Also if you do a search on the forums at http://www.Japan-guide.com ... they talk about it also. Hope this helps.

 

I think I will bring those Lysol wipes afterall.

[tranceparent]

Hi there. There is a Diamond Princess Seattle to Osaka and Osaka to Beijing (9/24/05 and 10/12/05) thread under Princess Roll Call that I started that you may want to visit.

tranceparent

[Sumar76]

Hi Gail....we are staying at the Renissance Tokyo Hotel Ginza...not etched in stone as yet...as when my husband makes the res. and I always have to look further into it. It does seem to be located in a good, however expensive area. He found it on Tripadvisor.com sorry I don't know how to underline. Hope this helps...Sue

Sue,

 

Hi, we are on the Oct. 23 cruise but stopping in Tokyo on the way to Beijing. I was looking at hotels in Tokyo, the rates are pretty high for standard hotels. Have you found a good site for hotels?

 

Gail

[cruisinlivin]

Sue,

 

Thanks for the info. I have learned that most hotels are pretty expensive. We will be staying in Tokyo for three nights so I found a special for New Takanawa Prince Hotel for 13000 Yen $122 US a night. It is on the water, I think on the South side of Tokyo if I am reading the map correctly. It is a 5 star hotel and looks beautiful in the web pictures.

I would love to stay in a Japanese style hotel - Ryokan but I don't think it will work out for this trip.

I have been watching your msgs back and forth about the train trips. It reminds me of our Europe trip with our 3 teenagers. A real adventure. It's great to travel by train though you see much more of the country. We will be traveling to Xian and Yichang by train during our China trip, soft sleepers. We like to experience a country and its' culture.... it certainly will be an adventure. To get around the luggage issue we will start in Beijing, leaving the majority of our luggage at the first hotel and returning to stay more days, picking everything up before the cruise. I can't imagine working our way through local transportation with our cruise luggage but I'm sure it is doable.

Gail

[Sumar76]

Gail..thanks for the info. on the hotel you are staying in Tokyo...I think we will look into that. Yes train travel can be very interesting, to say the least.

 

When we went on our Mexico train trip...we were with Tauck on a tour of Copper Canyon in Mexico, when we boarded the train I noticed "bee-bee" like holes in the windows. When I brought it to the attention of my husband , the tour guide heard me and said..."oh, those are from rocks that some of the drunks throw at the train, as you go thru certain towns"...so when it is nighttime and we put lights on, we have to close the curtains....great....warmed my heart...looked like bullet holes to me! Let the adventures continue! Sue

[cruisinlivin]

:D

 

Sue,

 

LOL What a great story! We'll be sure to keep our curtains drawn(here's hoping our bunk mates like them drawn too:rolleyes: )!

 

I have read all of the reports about Chinese train travel and seen some pics of the stations with crowds. We will have our schedule in order and best patience ready for our night trip from Beijing to Xi'an and Xi'an to Yichang. I am sure both will be very interesting experiences and maybe even some stories.

 

We plan on having the river cruise to relax and regroup for a couple of days after the trips.

 

BTW, our price for the hotel was a 3 day special. I have seen the same hotel range from $132-$211 on the web and be rated 3-5 star. It is worth searching over and over again when looking for a hotel in Tokyo.

 

I love traveling this way. Knowing that tomorrow brings a whole new experience is the best.

 

Gail

[Sumar76]

Gail..all your plans sound great...all I can think of is the people they hire in China or Japan, whose job it is to squeeze the people on the trains...or maybe thats subways. Not sure...However thats what I'm concerned about with luggage.

 

I saw on one of the web sites that we can board for the Osaka-Bejing cruise at 12 noon.....do you think we can get our luggage on then go site-see for the rest of the day?? Sue

[cruisinlivin]

Sue,

 

On previous cruises they have taken our luggage on the dock with instructions that they will be put outside our cabin door within a couple of hours. In some ports(Tahiti) we were able to easily get off the ship and wonder around. In others(Alaska to Vancover) because of immigration and processing it was more difficult to do that. I think as long as there isn't immigration involved there should be no issues with getting off the ship and site seeing for a while. It just means your bags are outside of your cabin until you get back. I think on some cruises our stewards have put our bags in our cabins but this wasn't always a guarantee.

 

They prepare a welcome buffet for lunch and usually you can't go to your cabin at all until 1-2PM. Most people just wonder around to get their bearings if they haven't been on the ship before.

 

There is also the muster training to consider. On a recent cruise we boarded at 11AM on and I think we had muster training just before sail away. Best to check the daily newsletter to find out the schedules before leaving the ship.

 

Have you considered landing in Osaka, staying one night leaving the bulk of your luggage in lockup and then taking day train trips, maybe staying over in a destination, they returning to Osaka? There is an added cost but it might be less frustrating then dealing with all the excess luggage.

 

Gail

[Sumar76]

Gail...what a great idea that would be. Where would the lock-up be?

 

The only problem I have with that is we are using FF MIles for our tickets, and we are now booked to come into Tokyo on the 10th. I'm not sure if we can change that easily. But I will mention this to my husband..although he never thinks schlepping luggage around is a problem...unlike me who envisions the bag either falling down stairs and crushing an innocent bystander to death, or having the zipper break, and having undergarments take off in a breeze like the sails on a sail boat.. Will have to rethink this....Sue