Which cruise would you recommend?

[travellovers2]

We booked a cruise on Holland America and another on Princess trying to decide which one to keep. 

One is in April and the other in May.  We like both cruise lines. This will be our first time to Asia.

 

Can you help us decide? Based on the ports, which one would you choose to get the best of Japan?  

 

Holland America Westerdam - April 10, 2020 - 14 nights

Ports: Yokohama, Shimizu, Osaka, Kochi, Fukuoka, Kanazawa, Vladivostok, Otaru, Hakodate, Aomori, Yokohama

 

Diamond Princess - May 10,2020 - 13 nights

Ports: Yokohama, Kagoshima, Busan, Hakata, Kobe, Kochi, Hiroshima, Matsuyama, Miyazaki, Busan, Kobe.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2019 by travellovers2

[terry&mike]

The first consideration is the cruise line profile - Holland America is a slightly more mature and sedate demographic, Princess is a slightly more diverse and lively demographic. 

In Japan, I'd go Princess hands down, as they are extremely good in that market, with a very good enrichment program that includes on-ship cultural activities.

[travellovers2]

What about the itinerary? This is our first time to Asia and might be the only time around Japan since we have so many other places to see. We want to make sure we don’t end up in ports with only shopping as an option. Thank you. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by travellovers2

[smtcan]

My choice, based on ports would be HAL and I would build in a couple of days in Tokyo before or after the cruise.  For us Kyoto was a highlight in Japan and I would think tours would be available from Osaka port, although you may have to decide between Hiroshima and Kyoto if it is a one day stop.  Both are worth seeing for different reasons.

 

We enjoyed Hakodate - we arranged a Goodwill guide for our stop there and he took us around the city, into markets and to a museum of ethnic history which was fascinating.  Otaru was our first introduction to Japan since we took a Transpacific cruise then toured Japan independently.  Otaru was not a particularly exciting port, a small town with lots of small museums.

 

Japan is a good introduction to Asia - safe, clean and very interesting.  I don't really think you could go wrong with either cruise, but if you have time don't miss Tokyo.  It is a mix of historic sites (although many rebuilt post war) and ultra modern architecture.

 

Sheila

[travellovers2]

Both cruises allow us a couple of days in Tokyo when we return. The Princess cruise allows us to go to Kyoto when we arrive on Friday afternoon and stay there until Sunday that we would have to take a train to Yokohama to get on the cruise. 

 

Can you take an excursion to Kyoto from Kobe?

Edited January 4, 2019 by travellovers2

[smtcan]

3 hours ago, travellovers2 said:

.....

Can you take an excursion to Kyoto from Kobe?

 

I don't know, but we had four days in Kyoto and wished we had longer.  The only trip we took from there was to Nara which was a short train journey.  Transportation in Japan is really easy.  Trains and buses have boards with the next stop written in several languages including English.  We quickly learned that the secret is to sit where you have a clear view of the board, then you can't miss your stop.  

 

We went from Yokohama to Kyoto on the bullet train (Shinkansen) and had to change trains once.  TripAdvisor is a very good resource for planning.  We used the Japan forum to research ports, then to arrange our land tour.  The "Japan Experts" on there are very quick to answer questions.

 

I wrote a brief journal of our trip and would be pleased to share it.  If you are interested, email me at sheilatorres at live.ca

[loeb]

Another thing to consider is that the HAL cruise is at the beginning of April and the cruise goes to the northern part of Japan, there is a chance that you might see the Cherry Blossoms.  The HAL cruise also goes to the southern part of Japan so you will get to see a lot of the country.   The Princess Cruise looks like it's a B2B cruise so you are repeating Busan and Kobe. 

 

 

[travellovers2]

Thank you for your thoughts and recommendations. We decided to change to Celebrity -April 10 cruise. It gives us 6 extra days after the cruise so we can stay in Kyoto and Tokyo for a few days before flying back. 

 

Is the train station for Shin-Yokohama close to the cruise terrminal so we could take a taxi there? 

 

smtcan ... I sent you an email. Looking forwarding to reading your journal. Thank you. 🙂

[smtcan]

1 hour ago, travellovers2 said:

Thank you for your thoughts and recommendations. We decided to change to Celebrity -April 10 cruise. It gives us 6 extra days after the cruise so we can stay in Kyoto and Tokyo for a few days before flying back. 

 

Is the train station for Shin-Yokohama close to the cruise terrminal so we could take a taxi there? 

 

smtcan ... I sent you an email. Looking forwarding to reading your journal. Thank you. 🙂

I have not received your email yet.  Did you notice .ca not .com?

 

Sheila

[BruceMuzz]

Diamond Princess is a Japan-built, Japan-based ship. They know the market and are part of Japan.

Westerdam is older and a part-time visitor. They have a lot to learn about sailing in Japan.

 

Something else to consider:

Holland America Westerdam - April 10, 2020 - 14 nights

Ports:

Yokohama - Good for one visit

Shimizu - Only one thing to do here - see Mt Fuji (if it is not cloudy)

Osaka - Good

Kochi - Nothing to do there

Fukuoka - Almost nothing to do there

Kanazawa - Nothing to do there

Vladivostok - Less than nothing to so there

Otaru - Nothing to do there

Hakodate - Almost nothing to do there

Aomori - Almost nothing to do there

Yokohama - You already saw it at the start of the cruise

 

Diamond Princess - May 10,2020 - 13 nights

Ports: Yokohama - Good

Kagoshima - Good

Busan - Very Good

Hakata - So-so

Kobe - Very Good (visit Kyoto from here)

Kochi - So-so

Hiroshima - Very good

Matsuyama - OK

Miyazaki - Not much to do there

Busan - Worth repeating

 Kobe - Worth repeating

 

Shin-Yokohama Shinkansen Terminal is a 20 minute taxi ride from Osanbashi Cruise Terminal in Yokohama.

Cost is around 2,500 yen.

[travellovers2]

BruceMuzz.. after considering the amount of time we are allowed for Kyoto where we would like to stay a couple of days, we decided to change to the Celebrity Millenium for 11 nights cruise. It allows us to stay in Kyoto and Tokyo for a few days each after the cruise. 

 

The ports are more or less the same: Yokohama - Shimizu - Osaka - Kobe - Kochi - Fukuoka - Busan - Aomori - Yokohama

 

We would have loved to sail on the Diamond Princess because we love Princess, but 7 nights cruise is not enough and 14 nights is too much for what we want to do. 

 

Not so bad for the taxi fare vs having to deal with luggage on a metro. We will definitely take a taxi then. Thanks.

 

Thank you for reviewing the ports. This gives us an idea of what to expect.