Everything "Far Eastern Horizons": Hong Kong to Tokyo

[millybess]

We will be in Hong Kong for a couple of days before we board Orion.  We're staying at the Shangri-la Kowloon which we booked independently, but happens to be the same hotel Viking uses for the pre-extension.  The hotel overlooks the harbour and has many restaurants, which is what we were looking for.  I'll let you know what it's like.

 

We are travelling independently in Hong Kong.  Here's an outline of our plan:

Museum of History

Kowloon Park

Maritime Museum

Avenue of Stars

Signal Hill Garden

Symphony of Lights on the Dukling

Star Ferry to Pottinger Street

The Escalators

Mon Mo Temple

Peak Tram

Repulse Bay

Stanley Market

 

The day after we join the ship, we have reserved 2 Viking excursions:

Kowloon Highlights

Hong Kong by Vintage Tram

[Hazel52]

Thanks so much for resurrecting this thread. We, too, are on in October and I’m just starting to research our plans….. we much prefer smaller independent tours. Will be happy to share if I learn something relevant.

 

Deb

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Hazel52 said:

Thanks so much for resurrecting this thread. We, too, are on in October and I’m just starting to research our plans….. we much prefer smaller independent tours. Will be happy to share if I learn something relevant.

 

Deb

Thx Deb.  Will hopefully learn from you as we go Oct 2025

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, millybess said:

We will be in Hong Kong for a couple of days before we board Orion.  We're staying at the Shangri-la Kowloon which we booked independently, but happens to be the same hotel Viking uses for the pre-extension.  The hotel overlooks the harbour and has many restaurants, which is what we were looking for.  I'll let you know what it's like.

 

We are travelling independently in Hong Kong.  Here's an outline of our plan:

Museum of History

Kowloon Park

Maritime Museum

Avenue of Stars

Signal Hill Garden

Symphony of Lights on the Dukling

Star Ferry to Pottinger Street

The Escalators

Mon Mo Temple

Peak Tram

Repulse Bay

Stanley Market

 

The day after we join the ship, we have reserved 2 Viking excursions:

Kowloon Highlights

Hong Kong by Vintage Tram

Excellent hotel and itinerary.  We were in Hong Kong before Covid and plan to stay several days again after Oct 2025 cruise.  Love that city!  So vibrant and a fantastic walking place.  Easy to put on 15K steps without even realizing it.  
Star ferry is still the best ride deal ever!  We called it “the poor man’s cruise”!   And Stanley market was fun - easy to get to by bus.

[Peregrina651]

My son and daughter in law went to Japan pre-pandemic and she is sharing a lot of information with me. They are going back in November and will have even more to report.

 

This is from her report:

First of all -- temples do a cool thing where they hand paint and red stamp a sheet that you can buy and put in a book called a Goshuinchou. You can buy the book at most temples and they can either paint directly in them or you can buy a pre-drawn sheet and paste it in later to save time. Tip: if you do this, write down the name of the temple so you can keep track of which inscription goes with which location -- it's surprisingly challenging to Google later if you forget. Also, if you have a small unlined notebook, a lot of sites, including train stations, towers, you name it, also have stamps that you can put in the book as a fun commemoration of the location.

 

This is what she is talking about. (I just hope I remember about this when the time comes)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25 by Peregrina651

[Hazel52]

Love this, thank you!! We’ll be going in October so anything else she thinks of before that would be much appreciated!

[millybess]

This is our plan for Tokyo

 

Day 1 with a guide:

Asakusa (Senso-ji temple)

Ueno park

Yanaka

Monzen-Nakacho or Skytree

 

Day 2 independently:

Tokyo National Museum

 

Day 3 with a guide:

Imperial Palace

Meiji-jingu Shrine

Shibuya Crossing or Yoyogi park

Kyu Asakura

 

On our own, we plan on cruising the Sumida River in the evening and visiting Nihonbashi and possibly cruising on the canals.

 

I want to find one of the three year-round Christmas stores in Tokyo and Messybill has a camera store in mind where he can find a particular lens he's looking for.  

[millybess]

We had a Viking excursion booked for Kyoto (Kobe) and then decided we could see much more and take the bullet train if we toured on our own.

 

Once your voyage gets closer, and if you're interested, we can post our tour map.

 

 

[Hazel52]

Does anyone have a list of excursions (from past years) that includes pricing for this itinerary? I'm reading about options on Viking's website but they don't list prices until we can book and need to have a better idea of things before then. 

 

Thanks!

[Lilyskittymom]

7 hours ago, Hazel52 said:

Does anyone have a list of excursions (from past years) that includes pricing for this itinerary? I'm reading about options on Viking's website but they don't list prices until we can book and need to have a better idea of things before then. 

 

Thanks!

These are the excursions, and prices, from our cruise in April 2023.  Hope this helps with your planning.  Just a note - we docked in Yokohama, not central Tokyo.  Yokohama is a very nice port area, but it took over an hour to drive into Tokyo.

 

Hong Kong

Postcards of Hong Kong – Included

Hong Kong Walking Tour - $59

Bamboo Monastery & Walled Village - $59

Hong Kong Cultural Discovery - $59

Kowloon Highlights - $59

Taipei (Keelung)

Taipei in Brief - Included

Best of Taipei - $149

Sky Lantern Ceremony & Old Town of Jiufen - $119

Landscapes & Lanterns - $69

Reflexology & Massage - $99

Highlights of Taipei - $99

Yangmingshan National Park & Hot Springs - $99

Nagasaki

Scenic Nagasaki – Included

The Atomic Bomb Museum & Peace Park - $109

Historic Highlights of Nagasaki - $159

Arita & Imari Pottery - $149

Glover Garden & Mt. Inasa Observatory - $249

Battleship Island - $99

Kagoshima

Kagoshima Scenic Ride – Included

Highlights of Kagoshima & Surroundings - $199

Ibusuki Sand Bath Experience - $169

Sakurajima Volcano & Arimura Lava Observatory - $109

Chiran Samurai District & Peace Museum - $129

Beppu

Steaming Sights of Beppu – Included

Yabakei Gorge - $109

Shinto Shrine & Natural Treasures - $99

Buddhas, Castle & Monkeys - $149

Private Hot Spring Bath - $289

The Hells of Beppu - $99

Hiroshima

Postcards of Hiroshima – Included

Itsukushima Island & Its Shrine - $99

Ultimate Hiroshima - $149

Kintaikyo Bridge & Iwakuni Castle - $89

Mitaki Temple & Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - $99

Hiroshima Castle & Shukkei-en Garden - $79

Japanese Dining Experience - $99

Osaka

Osaka City Tour – Included

Ancient Kyoto - $149

Sights of Kyoto - $169

Best of Kyoto - $159

Timeless Traditions of Kyoto - $259

Osaka Highlights - $99

Shimizu

Stunning Vistas of Shimizu - Included

Highlights of Mt. Fuji - $159

Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine & Nihondaira - $99

Shiraito Falls & Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha - $99

Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum & Miho no Matsubara - $99

Tokyo (Yokohama)

Tokyo Panorama – Included

Tokyo Highlights - $149

Traditions of Japan - $199

The Temples of Kamakura - $149

Yokohama Highlights - $79

An Evening in Tokyo - $89

Geisha Performance & Dinner - $229

[CCWineLover]

38 minutes ago, Lilyskittymom said:

These are the excursions, and prices, from our cruise in April 2023.  Hope this helps with your planning.  Just a note - we docked in Yokohama, not central Tokyo.  Yokohama is a very nice port area, but it took over an hour to drive into Tokyo.

 

Hong Kong

Postcards of Hong Kong – Included

Hong Kong Walking Tour - $59

Bamboo Monastery & Walled Village - $59

Hong Kong Cultural Discovery - $59

Kowloon Highlights - $59

Taipei (Keelung)

Taipei in Brief - Included

Best of Taipei - $149

Sky Lantern Ceremony & Old Town of Jiufen - $119

Landscapes & Lanterns - $69

Reflexology & Massage - $99

Highlights of Taipei - $99

Yangmingshan National Park & Hot Springs - $99

Nagasaki

Scenic Nagasaki – Included

The Atomic Bomb Museum & Peace Park - $109

Historic Highlights of Nagasaki - $159

Arita & Imari Pottery - $149

Glover Garden & Mt. Inasa Observatory - $249

Battleship Island - $99

Kagoshima

Kagoshima Scenic Ride – Included

Highlights of Kagoshima & Surroundings - $199

Ibusuki Sand Bath Experience - $169

Sakurajima Volcano & Arimura Lava Observatory - $109

Chiran Samurai District & Peace Museum - $129

Beppu

Steaming Sights of Beppu – Included

Yabakei Gorge - $109

Shinto Shrine & Natural Treasures - $99

Buddhas, Castle & Monkeys - $149

Private Hot Spring Bath - $289

The Hells of Beppu - $99

Hiroshima

Postcards of Hiroshima – Included

Itsukushima Island & Its Shrine - $99

Ultimate Hiroshima - $149

Kintaikyo Bridge & Iwakuni Castle - $89

Mitaki Temple & Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - $99

Hiroshima Castle & Shukkei-en Garden - $79

Japanese Dining Experience - $99

Osaka

Osaka City Tour – Included

Ancient Kyoto - $149

Sights of Kyoto - $169

Best of Kyoto - $159

Timeless Traditions of Kyoto - $259

Osaka Highlights - $99

Shimizu

Stunning Vistas of Shimizu - Included

Highlights of Mt. Fuji - $159

Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine & Nihondaira - $99

Shiraito Falls & Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha - $99

Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum & Miho no Matsubara - $99

Tokyo (Yokohama)

Tokyo Panorama – Included

Tokyo Highlights - $149

Traditions of Japan - $199

The Temples of Kamakura - $149

Yokohama Highlights - $79

An Evening in Tokyo - $89

Geisha Performance & Dinner - $229

Thank you! 

Which ones did you take?

Which ones did you enjoy and which were not worth it?  (Including the Includeds too)

[Lilyskittymom]

6 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Thank you! 

Which ones did you take?

Which ones did you enjoy and which were not worth it?  (Including the Includeds too)

If you go back to page 2, post 48, you'll see the review I posted in another thread.

 

Maria

[Peregrina651]

 

This is post# 48 on page 2.

 

On 3/17/2024 at 8:34 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

This is the second relevant post, written by @Lilyskittymom. I've edited to highlight the ports and "tour names". The author has promised to hang around to answer questions:

 

A little back story on our cruise.  We were originally booked for Hong Kong to Vancouver but had to shorten it to Tokyo when my husband started having medical problems and couldn't be gone that long.  We had quite a bit of money to spend on a cabin upgrade and excursions.

 

Since we could book our excursions earlier with the upgrade, we had no problem getting what we wanted and there was no need to look for outside tours.  But there were local guides meeting people who booked private tours at every port.  Clay's suggestion of goodwill guides is something we would have done if it had been necessary.

 

We did a combination of included and paid excursions and generally liked everything, with the exception of the included tour in Kagoshima, the "Kagoshima Scenic Ride".  It was a rainy day so the stop at the scenic overlook was soggy and the trip to the local museum was ok, but literally something you could find in any city, anywhere in the world.  A private tour would have been a better choice.

 

I'm not going to get into a lot of detail on the excursions because the descriptions were accurate.  Here's what we did.  Hong Kong - we flew into HK a day early, took the ferry across the harbor, and the tram to Victoria Peak, on our own. We enjoyed the views and the walk down one of the hiking trails.  The next day we took the Hong Kong Walking Tour, which was a nice representation of the city.  Afterwards, we wandered the area near the port, which is home to the largest shopping mall in HK.

 

In Taipei, we did the "Highlights of Taipei".  Since we didn't have a lot of time in port, this was a good tour for us. 

 

In Nagasaki we went on the "Atomic Bomb Museum and Park".  The museums in Nagasaki and Hiroshima are very different, and I'd recommend going to both of them if that's where your interest lies.  It was a very good tour.  The Glover Gardens are a short uphill walk from the ship and was definitely worth the visit.  In addition to the main house, and the gardens, there was a museum that had costumes and floats used for local festivals - very interesting.

 

In Beppu, we did the Steaming Sites of Beppu, which was very interesting.  If you'd like to go to an onsen, look for one close to the port - they're everywhere.  The Viking onsen tour is robbery. I wanted to go to an onsen, but would have had to go to one a bit further away because I have large visible tattoos.  Yes, there are tattoo friendly onsens in Beppu especially.  A Google search will find them.  Instead, we took the Viking shuttle bus (most ports had one) to the area near the train station.  From there, we wandered through shopping areas and stopped at some small neighborhood shrines and temples (Google maps is your friend).

 

"Ultimate Hiroshima" was wonderful, with its visit to their Atomic Bomb Museum and Park, and the trip to Miyajima Island.  The island was really worth going to - very quaint and lovely.  Again, the Atomic Bomb Museum is very different from Nagasaki's.  We were in port until noon the next day and went on a walk along the water the morning we left.

 

In Osaka, we were on "Sights of Kyoto", another wonderful all day tour.  Food on the all day tours was always very good and at local Japanese restaurants.  

 

Shimizu took us to "Highlights of Mt Fuji", another all day tour that took us to the 5th station of Mt Fuji, the furthest you can go by vehicle up the mountain.  Fuji-san wasn't visible when we pulled into port the evening prior, but we were treated to unobstructed views of the mountain the next day - a rare occurrence in April.

 

Tokyo had us docked at the port of Yokohama, and while the port area is very nice, it was a 1+ hour drive to Tokyo, so the "Tokyo Panorama tour" wasn't as good as it could have been because we spent 2.5 hours driving.  We did go back for "An Evening in Tokyo," which was very nice.  The views from the Skytree and the way the streets are lit up at night was amazing.  Viking guides were available to help people navigate the subway system, for anyone who wanted to head out on their own.  Hopefully you'll be docked in Tokyo itself, which would put you so much closer to the city.

 

Overall, this was a wonderful cruise and makes me want to go back to Japan.  We were warmly welcomed, and sent off, from the all the ports.  The port areas themselves are surrounded by parks and are well taken care of.  International ATMs can be found at 7-11 and Lawson. Perfectly safe; I got Yen there a couple of times. And the stores are everywhere especially near the ports.  If you don't know about the wonders of 7-11, Lawson and Family Mart, look it up before you go.  They're not the sad version of 7-11 we have in the US.  

 

 

 

[CCWineLover]

7 minutes ago, Lilyskittymom said:

If you go back to page 2, post 48, you'll see the review I posted in another thread.

 

Maria

Yes I see it now Maria.  Thank you!  I had already read Peregrina's review in post 48 but somehow had missed that link (probably because it was posted by OneSixtytoOne).

Appreciate your taking the time!

[Lilyskittymom]

6 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes I see it now Maria.  Thank you!  I had already read Peregrina's review in post 48 but somehow had missed that link (probably because it was posted by OneSixtytoOne).

Appreciate your taking the time!

Let me know if you have any other questions.  We really loved the cruise.

 

Maria

[Peregrina651]

10 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes I see it now Maria.  Thank you!  I had already read Peregrina's review in post 48 but somehow had missed that link (probably because it was posted by OneSixtytoOne).

Appreciate your taking the time!

 

Sorry for the confusion. Post 48 is not my review; I haven't sailed yet. Giving credit where credit is due, it is Maria's review that I posted with her permission.

Edited April 8 by Peregrina651

[Mich3554]

Just pulled into Hong Kong this morning.  Everyone had to get off the ship and do a face to face with immigration before they’d let us back on.  I went on the hunt for an ATM while waiting to reboard (my excursion doesn’t leave until this afternoon).  
The port is attached to a very upscale mall.  Name a designer, the store is there.  After quite a bit of walking (and acquiring others on the hunt for the elusive ATMs) we finally found the single bank that had a bunch of ATMs.  Anyone looking, it’s on the third level back in a corner.  
Then I had to find myself out of the maze of the mall.  I had a couple of wrong turns to get my way out.  
We were told in the port talk that the markets mostly accept cash, not plastic.  I’m guessing the mall was the exception!

[Hockeyump]

We went to Stanley Market and some stalls take every major currency plus plastic.

[Hazel52]

12 hours ago, Lilyskittymom said:

These are the excursions, and prices, from our cruise in April 2023.  Hope this helps with your planning.  Just a note - we docked in Yokohama, not central Tokyo.  Yokohama is a very nice port area, but it took over an hour to drive into Tokyo.

 

Hong Kong

Postcards of Hong Kong – Included

Hong Kong Walking Tour - $59

Bamboo Monastery & Walled Village - $59

Hong Kong Cultural Discovery - $59

Kowloon Highlights - $59

Taipei (Keelung)

Taipei in Brief - Included

Best of Taipei - $149

Sky Lantern Ceremony & Old Town of Jiufen - $119

Landscapes & Lanterns - $69

Reflexology & Massage - $99

Highlights of Taipei - $99

Yangmingshan National Park & Hot Springs - $99

Nagasaki

Scenic Nagasaki – Included

The Atomic Bomb Museum & Peace Park - $109

Historic Highlights of Nagasaki - $159

Arita & Imari Pottery - $149

Glover Garden & Mt. Inasa Observatory - $249

Battleship Island - $99

Kagoshima

Kagoshima Scenic Ride – Included

Highlights of Kagoshima & Surroundings - $199

Ibusuki Sand Bath Experience - $169

Sakurajima Volcano & Arimura Lava Observatory - $109

Chiran Samurai District & Peace Museum - $129

Beppu

Steaming Sights of Beppu – Included

Yabakei Gorge - $109

Shinto Shrine & Natural Treasures - $99

Buddhas, Castle & Monkeys - $149

Private Hot Spring Bath - $289

The Hells of Beppu - $99

Hiroshima

Postcards of Hiroshima – Included

Itsukushima Island & Its Shrine - $99

Ultimate Hiroshima - $149

Kintaikyo Bridge & Iwakuni Castle - $89

Mitaki Temple & Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - $99

Hiroshima Castle & Shukkei-en Garden - $79

Japanese Dining Experience - $99

Osaka

Osaka City Tour – Included

Ancient Kyoto - $149

Sights of Kyoto - $169

Best of Kyoto - $159

Timeless Traditions of Kyoto - $259

Osaka Highlights - $99

Shimizu

Stunning Vistas of Shimizu - Included

Highlights of Mt. Fuji - $159

Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine & Nihondaira - $99

Shiraito Falls & Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha - $99

Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum & Miho no Matsubara - $99

Tokyo (Yokohama)

Tokyo Panorama – Included

Tokyo Highlights - $149

Traditions of Japan - $199

The Temples of Kamakura - $149

Yokohama Highlights - $79

An Evening in Tokyo - $89

Geisha Performance & Dinner - $229

So helpful, thank you!!!

[Mich3554]

23 hours ago, Hockeyump said:

We went to Stanley Market and some stalls take every major currency plus plastic.

Temple Street Market did not.  It was cash only.

[PasadenaDave]

Anyone get off the ship in Hong Kong and have late flight?

 

 reason I ask is that we do the Tokyo to Hong Kong trip in October 2024 and we fly out in the early evening.  I wonder if there is an excursion with a drop off at the airport mid-afternoon.

 

We might just go to airport in the morning, check bags and sightsee from there.

[Peregrina651]

47 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

We might just go to airport in the morning, check bags and sightsee from there.

 

Interesting approach but will the airport let you do that? Because of terrorism, many airports don't accept bags that far in advance and they don't have lockers or baggage holding areas before security.

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, PasadenaDave said:

Anyone get off the ship in Hong Kong and have late flight?

 

 reason I ask is that we do the Tokyo to Hong Kong trip in October 2024 and we fly out in the early evening.  I wonder if there is an excursion with a drop off at the airport mid-afternoon.

 

We might just go to airport in the morning, check bags and sightsee from there.

You must have been to Hong Kong before.

We've been but still plan to spend a couple days after our Oct 25 cruise, just because we totally enjoy the vibrancy and food of this city!

 

But - best of luck!

[Hockeyump]

Left Orion earlier this week., no excursion offered.  Our flight was 19:40 and we left the ship at 08:15, all departing passengers had to be off ship by 10:00. We were taken to the Regent Hotel where all our luggage was held in a separate but accessible room and well guarded! We had a conference room with tea, coffee, water and cookies but only dining room chairs so not very comfy. We walked around the area, plenty of thing to look at and a lovely promenade for strolling. Very close to the Star Ferry terminal as well.  Our bus to the airport was 16:00 and this was the last of the day so a couple who has a 23:00 flight had a long wait at the airport.

Edited April 11 by Hockeyump
Added info.

[PasadenaDave]

7 hours ago, Hockeyump said:

Left Orion earlier this week., no excursion offered.  Our flight was 19:40 and we left the ship at 08:15, all departing passengers had to be off ship by 10:00. We were taken to the Regent Hotel where all our luggage was held in a separate but accessible room and well guarded! We had a conference room with tea, coffee, water and cookies but only dining room chairs so not very comfy. We walked around the area, plenty of thing to look at and a lovely promenade for strolling. Very close to the Star Ferry terminal as well.  Our bus to the airport was 16:00 and this was the last of the day so a couple who has a 23:00 flight had a long wait at the airport.

Thank you, that will help with our planning and we recognize that they might use a different hotel