Japan cruise. Any feedback on these ports

Old Apr 4th, 2014, 04:25 AM
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Japan cruise. Any feedback on these ports

Hello: We are considering a cruise from Japan that goes to ports I have no knowledge of. It doesn't go to say Hiroshima or Nagasaki but goes to;
Kushiro
Otaru
Hakodate
Aomori
Korsakov, the only non Japanese port. its in Russia.

I have never heard of these places. Any fb would be appreciated. Also any fb on the Diamond Princess would be appercaited as well.
Thanks! Larry.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 06:37 AM
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I've been to Hakodate, though not on a cruise, and it's fairly easy to do on your own.

This site tells you where the ship docks (you will need to take the X out--I had to put it in as otherwise the site blanks it all out):
http://japan-cruXise.com/ports/hakodate.html

And these sites tell you about the local sights and transport:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5350.html
http://wikitravel.org/en/Hakodate
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/r.../hakodate.html
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 07:38 AM
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Thank you.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 09:18 AM
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Unfortunately even if I take the "x" out the link doesn't work. Anyway the other links have enough info about Hakodate so no worries.

I see per your profile there is alink to a cruise website so per chance can you comment on the ship we may be taking for this cruise, the Diamond Princess. Any idea when she had a refurbishment? Thanks!
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 01:21 PM
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I understand that the Diamond Princess has had a refit within the last year.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 11:05 PM
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Actually the Diamond Princess just got out of the dry dock.

http://www.princess.com/news/press_r...l#.Uz-q6ahdURc
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 12:03 PM
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According to the link she just got out of dry dock 2 days ago so she's as fresh as a daisy. .

Does anyone know if private tours are available at the docks? We prefer to do it ourselves.
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Old Apr 15th, 2016, 10:55 AM
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I have mobility limitations and want, very much, to find a tour or tour guide for Hakodate, Japan. Our ship (Celebrity Millennium) has zero tours for people like me who have limited walking ability. Does anyone have a recommendation?

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Old Apr 15th, 2016, 12:37 PM
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Hakodategoodwill.com
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Old Apr 15th, 2016, 12:40 PM
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We used them and they tailored a tour just for us and its was great and very reasonable.
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Old Apr 15th, 2016, 12:41 PM
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I offered some suggestions on your Hakodate thread on the Asia board.
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Old Apr 15th, 2016, 01:49 PM
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We cruised on Diamond Princess a few years ago and enjoyed it. I particularly liked the walk-in robe/bathroom instead of the usual cupboards. Good to hear it has had a re-fit.
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Old Apr 16th, 2016, 05:12 AM
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jacketwatch,
Thanks for the tip about Hakodategoodwill.com
I have contacted them and I'll wait to see what they can do.

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Old Apr 16th, 2016, 06:21 PM
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jacketwatch,
One very important question. Are these walking tours or does someone drive?

As I said, I have mobility limitations and can not walk very much. A walking tour would absolutely be out of the question.

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Old Apr 16th, 2016, 08:28 PM
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OV its tailored to you. We had a driver and his wife. My mobility was limited to at the time sec. to some knee problems I was having then so there was a little walking but not much. One cool thing we did was get driven to a restaurant on the top of a hill for a 6 course Japanese lunch. Then we were driven to a train station for a ride into town on a quaint one car Japanese train. Prior to this we stopped at a home which had a sun room converted to a coffee parlor so it wasn't too strenuous at all. I suggest to ask whatever guide you get to make the tour per your needs. They were very accommodating for us and it was just the four of us.

Good luck!! I think you should be OK.
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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 06:02 AM
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That is fantastic news! Thanks again.

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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 09:40 AM
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No problem. As I recall now we cut short our tour of a nature park as walking was a bit difficult for me at that point and they saw that. I think you will find the Japanese to be very friendly and polite.

Good luck OV!!
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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 07:26 PM
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I travelled on the Diamond Princess in Asia before and found it quite adequate, so if it has been further updated, all the better.

I have booked the Hokkaido cruise for this September. Whenever you plan to go, be sure to book early. Since Princess started its Japan itineraries last year, they have been very popular, especially with the Japanese. When we booked in January, the cruise was already almost sold out, and we had to take a mini suite. I heard that two other dates were already sold out by then as well. We were unable to book our desired dinner time (early rather than the second seating). It appears the Japanese also like to eat early. On the many Princess cruises we have sailed before, we have never had to book as early before.
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Old Apr 17th, 2016, 07:36 PM
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Regarding tours: I have tried to book a few private tours as well. Otaru is the port city for Sapporo, which is both large and historic. I had a recommendation for two different tour companies, and have found that (a) they are not inexpensive and (b) both require substantial deposits that become non-refundable within 10 days of the scheduled arrival in the port. While I have had a number of very good private tours on other cruises, I have become leery of this practice if there is a substantial deposit paid up front. On my cruise from Beijing to Bangkok, we skipped Shanghai because of hurricane force winds, and arrived very late to Singapore. On my British Isle cruise we arrived in Belfast at 5 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. because of rough seas. If I had paid up front for tours at any of these cities, I would have been out substantial amounts of money. I am now more cautious when in "open ocean" rather than calm seas like the Mediteranean or the Baltics -- something you might consider.
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Old Apr 18th, 2016, 03:40 AM
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Typically the private tours for Japan are quite expensive. However when we booked the tour thru the Hakodate Goodwill Assn. there were no upfront fees and it was unbelievably cheap, around $40.00 USD.

Its true that if you book private you could lose your deposit if for some reason you can't port whereas with a ships tour you are safe. However usually private tours are less and more crowded. For example in Israel our private car was about $550.00 per day from a private company whereas Celebrity was going crazy asking over 2k for a private car.

As for the other Japanese ports we stopped on on the Diamond besides Hakodate which were Otaru, Aomori and Kushiro we found those easy to do on our own.

You can't miss using the HGA.
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