Diamond Princess Japan Trip Review – April 2023

[mandapanda13]

My husband and I just returned from a 9 Night Japan Explorer Spring Flowers on the Diamond Princess and thought we would share some of our experience given the recent return to cruising in Japan.

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

We arrived at Haneda Airport on the afternoon of Friday, March 31. Although not required to enter Japan, we completed the quarantine, immigration, and customs procedures through Visit Japan Web and saved screenshots from Visit Japan Web to our phones (one blue quarantine screen, one yellow immigration QR code, and one blue customs QR code) before we left home. This sped up the process at the airport, as there were separate lines for those who had the blue quarantine screen as well as those who had the customs QR code. We got through everything in about 30 minutes.

 

We then went to the bus ticket sales counter in the airport to purchase tickets for the limousine bus (Keikyu Bus to Yamashita Park, Minato Mirai 21, Red Brick Warehouse). It cost ¥800 per person, which was about $12 for the two of us. The bus ride from Haneda Airport to Yokohama was approximately 40 minutes. We got off at the Yamashita Park stop, which was less than a block away from our hotel, the Hotel New Grand.

 

The staff at the Hotel New Grand were bilingual and incredibly kind. At check in, they gave us our pocket wifi, which we had shipped directly to the hotel, without us asking and then walked us all the way to our room. We reserved a Bay View Corner Double room, which was spacious and had a queen-sized bed, plenty of seating, a large bathtub, an electric kettle with tea and coffee, and a beautiful view overlooking Yamashita park and the bay. The bed was a little too hard for my liking, but my husband thought it was perfect. The location of the hotel was great, as it was within a few blocks of a subway station and Chinatown and mere minutes (walking) from the shuttle to the ship. The hotel would have cost about $480 total, but we used credit card points, making our hotel stay free.

 

On Saturday, April 1, we ate breakfast at the McDonalds down the street from our hotel. As we were still on California time and most cafes and restaurants don’t open until 9:00 or so, our breakfast options were very limited. We spent most of the day in Shibuya in Tokyo. We purchased PASMO cards (IC cards valid for subways, trains, buses and some vending machines) at the train station and took the subway directly to Shibuya. With the PASMO cards, we were able to just tap the card as we entered and exited the subway stations, without needing to calculate how much each trip would cost and purchase individual tickets for that exact amount, and could easily reload if we ran out of money. Note that the machine to purchase PASMO cards did not accept debit/credit cards. We found Google Maps to be quite accurate in giving detailed directions for navigating public transportation. It took about 50 minutes to get to Shibuya and cost about $16 roundtrip for the two of us. After we returned from Shibuya and rested in our hotel for a bit, we took a walk along the water, stopping at Yokohama World Porters for dinner and window shopping and wandering around Cosmoworld lit up at night. We spent about $35 on food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks from vending machines) this day.

 

For Japan cruises, Princess currently requires all adults to have the COVID vaccination (original + at least one booster) and produce a COVID test result taken within two days before embarkation. This may be a self-administered antigen test result photo with a time and date stamp. The evening before our cruise, we both took an iHealth COVID rapid antigen self-administered test and then took a picture of the negative result next to our ID and piece of paper with the date and time. We uploaded this to the Princess app.

 

CRUISE DAY 1 – EMBARKATION

 

On Sunday, April 2, we spent the morning walking through and admiring the cherry blossoms in Yamashita Park and then exploring Chinatown. We checked out of our hotel at 10:30 and walked the four minutes from our hotel to the Yamashita-futo/Yamashita Pier bus stop, where we got on the complimentary Princess shuttle to the Daikoku Pier. There were several people with Diamond Princess signs directing us to the correct shuttle. We arrived to Daikoku Pier around 11:00. We were in the earliest check-in group of 12:00-12:30, but the terminal was already packed. When we arrived, they had someone check our vaccine cards and COVID test results and then handed us a piece of paper with a number. We then sat for about 15 minutes until they called our number, and then stood in line for about 40 minutes. Being in the “green lane” on the Princess app did not expedite the process at all. Once we got to the front of the line, they checked our passports, vaccine cards, and COVID test results. Medallions were given to passengers at this time, but we had ours shipped to us ahead of time. We got on the ship around 12:10 and rooms were ready around 1:00. We ate lunch in the buffet and then went to our room and completed the e-Muster. Our bags did not arrive to our room until 4:30, which was much later than our previous experiences on Carnival and Holland America.

 

We originally booked an ocean view room. The cost difference between an ocean view and a balcony was about $600 per person, which was a little too high for a port-intensive cruise for us. We decided to bid $175 per person for a standard balcony (minimum bid was $170 per person) through the Princess Upgrade process. Our bid was accepted 16 days before departure. This increased the cost of our vacation protection, costing a total of $378 for the upgrade. We got a mid-aft standard balcony on the Baja deck.

 

CRUISE DAY 2 – SHIMIZU (7:00am to 3:00pm)

 

On Monday, April 3, we spent the day in Shimizu. We were required to carry our passports and Medallions in all ports and went through immigration in Shimizu, which took about 10 minutes. Princess did not offer a shuttle. We took an excursion with Princess, Nihondaira Outlook & Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, which was scheduled from 8:30 to 12:00. The tour guide was helpful, although not as knowledgeable and fluent in English as our guides on other excursions this cruise. Princess should have listed the excursion as strenuous rather than moderate activity, as there were a lot of steep stairs at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. We are active and in our early thirties so this wasn’t a problem for us, but there were several people in our group with canes who were unable to navigate the stairs at the shrine or walk up the hill at the outlook. Both locations were beautiful and peaceful, and there were quite a few cherry blossom trees at both locations. It was a little cloudy, but we were able to get a peak of Mt. Fuji from the outlook and on the drive. The time at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine was a little too long (everyone seemed ready to go about 25 minutes before the scheduled time to leave) and the time at Nihondaira Outlook was a little too short (we only had about 25 minutes here). When we returned to the port, we walked about 8 minutes to S-Pulse Dream Plaza for lunch. We spent about $12 on food (lunch and drinks from vending machines) and $200 for the excursion this day.

 

CRUISE DAY 3 – OSAKA (9:00am to 9:00pm)

 

On Tuesday, April 4, we explored Osaka on our own. Japanese officials checked our passports again in Osaka, which only took a couple minutes. Princess did not offer a shuttle. The subway station was about a 10-minute walk from port. We took the subway to Osaka Castle. We spent a few hours walking around the Osaka castle grounds. The cherry and plum blossoms were the most gorgeous out of everywhere we went on this cruise. There was a very long line to go inside the castle, so we opted not to do that. We then took the subway from Osaka Castle to Dotonburi for an afternoon of window shopping, eating, and exploring the arcades before taking the subway back to port. We spent about $18 on food (lunch, snacks, drinks and ice cream from vending machines) and $12 on transportation this day. This was one of our favorite days.

 

CRUISE DAY 4 – KOCHI (7:00am to 5:00pm)

 

On Wednesday, April 5, we spent the day in Kochi. Princess offered a shuttle from the ship to Hariyamasbashi Bus Terminal for $25 per person, with the first shuttle departing around 8:00am. We opted to pay for the shuttle. On the walk to Kochi castle, we stopped by the Harimaya bridge and walked through a shopping area, but all the shops were closed because it was only 8:30am. We walked around the grounds of Kochi Castle, which was mostly empty because it was so early, and ate some snacks from 7-Eleven at the Kochi Castle Freedom Park while waiting for the shops and Hirome Market to open at 10:00am. After spending a few hours wandering the shops and a departure store, we went back to the ship for a late lunch. We spent about $4 on snacks and $50 on transportation this day.

 

CRUISE DAY 5 – HIROSHIMA (9:00am to 6:00pm)

 

On Thursday, April 6, the ship docked in Hiroshima, in an industrial area near Mizutorinohama Park. Princess offered a shuttle from the ship to Itsukaichi Station for $25 per person. We took an excursion with Princess, Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine, which was scheduled from 11:30 to 3:30. It rained this day, which dampened our experience in Miyajima a bit. Most of the Itsukushima Shrine was covered, so we able to enjoy walking through the shrine and see the “floating” torri gate. We were given some free time to walk around Miyajima, which had quite a few little shops and food vendors. We spent about $6 on food and $220 for the excursion this day.

 

When we returned to the port, we had to go through a Japanese departure immigration inspection, since our next stop was in South Korea. It took about 45 minutes to get through immigration.

 

CRUISE DAY 6 – SEA DAY AND SCENIC CRUISING OF KANMON STRAITS

 

The day before our cruise departed, we received a notice of itinerary change, informing us “that to enhance the guest experience Diamond Princess will conduct scenic cruising of Kanmon Straits from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM.” We enjoyed sitting on our balcony looking the islands and little towns along the Kanmon Straits, although it was quite cold that early in the morning.

 

CRUISE DAY 7 – SOUTH KOREA (7:00am to 5:00pm)

 

On Saturday, April 8, we were scheduled to go to Jeju, South Korea. However, during our sea day we were advised that due to high winds and strong currents around the area of Jeju, our call to Jeju was cancelled and we would instead call to Busan, South Korea. We asked the Shore Excursions Desk where in Busan the ship would be docking and where the shuttle would drop us off, but they were unable to answer either question. Since my husband and I knew nothing about Busan and the Shore Excursions Desk was unable to answer our questions, we decided to use some onboard credit on a Princess excursion. Given the last-minute change, there were only three excursions available, which were all scheduled to begin between 8:00 and 8:30 – Gamcheon Cultural Village and Markets, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, and Korean Spa Experience and Market. We chose the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. Princess did offer a shuttle from the ship to Stanford Inn Busan, which is within walking distance of the Jagalchi Market and Gukje International Market, for $20 per person.

 

We completed the K-ETA for entry to South Korea a couple of weeks before the cruise. We did not end up needing the K-ETA, as it is not currently required for visitors arriving by cruise ship.

 

Our excursion was scheduled to begin at 8:00am, but the ship did not receive clearance from port officials until close to 8:15am. We were among the first to go through immigration and got on the excursion bus around 8:30am. Our excursion was very active, with stops at the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, APEC House near Haeundae Beach, and Gukje International Market. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and self-deprecating in the most light-hearted way. The tour was scheduled to end at 1:00, but she kindly extended it until 2:15 given the late start, some traffic, and the packed schedule. We could have spent hours walking through the Gukje International Market. We spent about $11 on food (coffee and lunch) and used $180 in onboard credit for the excursion this day. This unexpected port ended up being another one of our favorite days.

 

CRUISE DAY 8 – NAGASAKI (7:00am to 4:00pm)

 

On Sunday, April 9, we spent the day in Nagasaki. The ship did not receive clearance from port officials until around 7:45am. We had to go through immigration again and each stateroom received an assigned time to clear immigration. We were given the time of 8:30am, but they made an announcement at 8:00am that those passengers with assigned times between 8:00am and 8:30am could debark. We left the ship at 8:20am and we were through immigration and customs within 10 minutes.

 

We scheduled a tour of Hashima Island (aka Gunkanjima or Battleship Island), a tiny abandoned island off Nagasaki, through Gunkanjima Concierge. Our tour included admission to the Gunkanjima Digital Museum and cruise and landing to Hashima Island. The museum is a three-minute walk from the ship, and staff at the museum spoke English and were very kind and all signage in the museum was written in Japanese and English. Narration during the cruise and landing was only in Japanese, but they provided a very detailed written guide providing all of the information that was being spoken. After the tour, which lasted about four hours, we walked to the Youme shopping mall and ate lunch.  We spent about $8 on food (coffee, lunch, drinks from vending machine) and $88 for the tour this day.

 

CRUISE DAY 9 – SEA DAY

 

CRUISE DAY 10 – DEBARKATION AND FLY HOME

 

On Tuesday, April 11, the ship arrived in Yokohama around 6:30am. Self-assist walk off began at 7:30am and the latest departure time was 9:30am. Since the estimated cost for a taxi from Daikoku Pier to Haneda Airport was $75 and taking public transportation would require a couple transfers, we decided to use the Princess transfer, $44 per person. Since our flight wasn’t until 4:30pm, we were given a debarkation time of 9:25am (the earlier debarkation time for a transfer to Haneda was 8:00am) and the bus left at 10:00am. It took about 15 minutes to get through immigration and customs. The bus ride from Daikoku Pier to Haneda Airport took about 30 minutes. Check-in and security at the airport were a breeze and we spent our time window shopping (the international terminal looks similar to a mall) and in the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge.

 

A FEW MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

 

Food – The food quality on the ship was good, but we were a little disappointed in the lack of variety. The Horizon Court is arranged more like a traditional buffet than a buffet with multiple stations/types of cuisines like our experience on Carnival Splendor, Carnival Miracle, and Holland America Zuiderdam. They did have some Japanese dishes both in main dining rooms and in the buffet. We did not try any specialty dining.

 

Izumi – The Diamond Princess has an Izumi Japanese Bath, which is modeled after Japanese onsens. This is separate from the Lotus Spa and is not included in the spa pass. The cost per person was $25 for one 90-minute session, $75 for five 90-minute sessions, and $125 for one cruise pass. Passes could not be shared. My husband went to Izumi twice and really enjoyed it. Clothing was optional at all times.

 

Internet – We did not purchase an Internet package or Plus/Premier package from Princess. We instead decided to order a pocket wifi, as having internet while in port was more important to us than having internet on the ship. We ordered it through Japan Wireless and it cost about $65 total for twelve days, allowing for up to 10 devices to be connected simultaneously. The pocket wifi is a small device, about the size of an iPhone, and we carried it in our backpack while in port. It worked flawlessly in every Japanese port and also worked from our stateroom while cruising from Yokohama to Shimizu, Shimizu to Osaka, and Osaka to Kochi. It surprisingly worked for 1-3 hours after leaving the port in Kochi, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, but we lost coverage when we got farther out to sea, which we completely expected. We did not have wifi coverage when in Busan, since the pocket wifi only covers Japan. We arranged for the pocket wifi to be shipped directly to our hotel, which was a free service, but there is also the option of picking it up at the airport. Japan Wireless provided a return-envelope (already addressed and prepaid) and directions for us to drop it off to any postbox in Japan. There was a postbox right by Japan Airlines check-in at Haneda Airport.

 

I hope you all find this information helpful as you’re planning your cruise to Japan. It was our first time to Japan and truly exceeded our expectations in every way. Let me know if you have any questions!

[cr8tiv1]

Thank you so much for doing this.  I had good intentions of doing a review.  But sort of got sidetracked.  I was on the previous voyage (March 24) and know you had different ports.  My cousin was on your cruise.  I do not want to hijack your thread.  But ... if there is anything I can help you with, please ask.

[nini]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us!

[mandapanda13]

8 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Thank you so much for doing this.  I had good intentions of doing a review.  But sort of got sidetracked.  I was on the previous voyage (March 24) and know you had different ports.  My cousin was on your cruise.  I do not want to hijack your thread.  But ... if there is anything I can help you with, please ask.

I found all of your comments on the roll calls and your Konnichiwa Japan thread to be so helpful! Thank you.

[Kellyansapansa]

Thank you for the wonderful review! My husband and I love the Diamond and have two cruises booked on her in the next 18 months. It's good to know that there were multiple types of passes available for Izumi. Other posts have suggested that you only have the option to purchase for the whole cruise, so it will be interesting to see what options we have available in February and September 2024. 

 

Japan is such a beautiful country, with so much to explore. It sounds like your itinerary gave you a chance to sample many different aspects.

[charlie murphy]

thank you for sharing this review. I appreciate the time lines and $ estimates you gave. I had not considered the pocket wifi but will consider based on your review. I have a questions about the shuttle from the ship to the bus stop in Yokohama, is this a complementary shuttle? does it have specific hours of operation? or is this a shuttle one would pre purchase? I ask because we are on a back to back and plan to disembark in Yokohama take the train to Tokyo or Kamakura and then return in the afternoon to board. we will be doing this independently via train and just want to make sure it is possible .   I will also look up the PASMO card. You insert cash to load the card? I assume it is like a pre paid TAP card. Could you purchase train fare for both of you on one card or did you each have to have your own card?

thanks

[mandapanda13]

21 minutes ago, charlie murphy said:

thank you for sharing this review. I appreciate the time lines and $ estimates you gave. I had not considered the pocket wifi but will consider based on your review. I have a questions about the shuttle from the ship to the bus stop in Yokohama, is this a complementary shuttle? does it have specific hours of operation? or is this a shuttle one would pre purchase? I ask because we are on a back to back and plan to disembark in Yokohama take the train to Tokyo or Kamakura and then return in the afternoon to board. we will be doing this independently via train and just want to make sure it is possible .   I will also look up the PASMO card. You insert cash to load the card? I assume it is like a pre paid TAP card. Could you purchase train fare for both of you on one card or did you each have to have your own card?

thanks

The shuttle from the bus stop in Yokohama to the ship on embarkation day, and from the ship to the bus stop in Yokohama on debarkation day, is complimentary. Exact times were not provided, but I saw it from my hotel window around 9:00am on embarkation day. You do not need to reserve a spot on the shuttle in advance. On debarkation day, you should be able to take the complimentary shuttle to the the bus stop on Yokohama and then walk the couple of blocks to the subway station.

 

Yes, for the PASMO card, you insert cash to purchase the card and reload it. It works like a prepaid TAP card. Each person needs their own card. A 500 yen deposit (about $4) is required when purchasing a new PASMO card. You can return your PASMO card at the end of your trip to get your deposit back if you’d like, but we decided to keep our cards as souvenirs.

[Halehuaka_i]

Mahalo for the review! We are on the April 20th departure. Do I understand correctly that we have to clear immigration at every port?

[mandapanda13]

5 minutes ago, Halehuaka_i said:

Mahalo for the review! We are on the April 20th departure. Do I understand correctly that we have to clear immigration at every port?

There was only warning about needing to clear immigration and customs at Hiroshima (to leave Japan) and Nagasaki (to return from South Korea), but we ended up having to Japanese or Korean officials scan our passports at every port except one (I believe Kochi).

[cr8tiv1]

I was advised to take my passport everytime I left the ship.  Some places they were just scanned upon leaving/returning the ship.

 

Embarkation:  Regular procedure

Day 2 Sea Day: 

Day 3 Kagoshima:  Japanese Departure Immigration (leaving Japan for Jeju).  Everyone regardless if you were going ashore or not.

Day 4 Jeju:  Korea Arrival Immigration.  Korean Face to Face immigration inspection in the terminal.  If not going ashore, not required.

Day 5 Nagasaki:  First re-entry port (after foreign country), a mandatory Immigration inspection in the terminal.  ALL guests.  Sometime between embarkation and Nagasaki, needed to go online to Japan digital website and reporcess immigration form. Instructions will be given to you.

Day 6 Aburatsu/Miyazaki:  No Immigrations

Day 7 Matsuyama:  Passport required to leave/return to ship

Day 8 Kochi:  Passport required to leave/return to ship

Day 9 Sea Day:

Disembarkation:  Immigrations and Customs at the terminal.  Gather bags then check see officials.  There were porters with carts to help you with your luggage.  Several lines.  Organized chaos.

 

Most ports had one for handicap in a wheelchair.  Some included passengers with canes.  Some processing took an hour.  Others were a little quicker.

 

Princess was actually very efficient with notifications and how to handouts.  

 

Kudos to the Japanese.  There were so many volunteers and staff to guide you.  I was even impressed that they had them on the corner when I got off the tram.  Person was directing passengers to Kochi Castle, or provide general information.  

 

Once I asked some young people where to find a Daiso.  She walked me a couple of blocks to a street corner map.  I ended up going across the street to ask in a police office.  

 

[chubbypiggy]

On 4/12/2023 at 10:13 PM, mandapanda13 said:

 

My husband and I just returned from a 9 Night Japan Explorer Spring Flowers on the Diamond Princess and thought we would share some of our experience given the recent return to cruising in Japan.

Izumi – The Diamond Princess has an Izumi Japanese Bath, which is modeled after Japanese onsens. This is separate from the Lotus Spa and is not included in the spa pass. The cost per person was $25 for one 90-minute session, $75 for five 90-minute sessions, and $125 for one cruise pass. Passes could not be shared. My husband went to Izumi twice and really enjoyed it. Clothing was optional at all times.

 

 

We will be doing a 9 night cruise on Diamond in Sept., and very interested to do the Izumi.  For the $125/person cruise pass, is it unlimited for the entire cruise that you can go as many times as you want and stay as long as you want?   Thank you.

[Szekhely]

On 7/9/2023 at 11:13 AM, chubbypiggy said:

We will be doing a 9 night cruise on Diamond in Sept., and very interested to do the Izumi.  For the $125/person cruise pass, is it unlimited for the entire cruise that you can go as many times as you want and stay as long as you want?   Thank you.

from my recollection when the ship was in Aus/NZ that was the case but there were very few people who took advantage (I used it daily - sauna fanatic) There were different hours for clothed/unclothed and no time or visit limits. This of course may all change with a Japanese cruise in Japan where I assume it would be much more popular. 

[chubbypiggy]

12 hours ago, Szekhely said:

from my recollection when the ship was in Aus/NZ that was the case but there were very few people who took advantage (I used it daily - sauna fanatic) There were different hours for clothed/unclothed and no time or visit limits. This of course may all change with a Japanese cruise in Japan where I assume it would be much more popular. 

Thank you.