Japanese Cruise Shore Excursions. Disappointed

Sorry you are having trouble finding excursions meeting your interests and criteria.

I suspect a number of regular posters on Japan and S. Korea threads have visited some of the places offered on the excursions. I'm thinking if you have questions about the terrain or specifics of a site or sites, someone might offer first hand experience or an opinion.

I don't know Austin, but I am used to Chicagoland - flat. I have no mobility issues and am athletic. Nonetheless, the number of stairs required at many spots in Japan - indoors and out - have slowed me down on more than one occasion. More hills than at my home also!

I hope the research improves for you!

can your tame sales rep you have mentioned in previous years answer the questions about the missing shore trips?

Regarding the apparent scarcity of desirable shore excursions- absolutely no surprise that 5 months out, on a cruise like this, the most popular ones have long filled to capacity and been removed from the list. Is there an active Roll Call for your sailing on Cruise Critic? On itineraries like this there are often groups doing their own excursions that they share. Perhaps some may still have room for one more.

As for the Mt Fuji excursion, it's hard to say how strenuous this would be without knowing exactly where you would be going and what you would be doing. All I'll say is that on the day I visited the Mt Fuji area our group stopped at multiple places and ALL of them involved slopes, steps, or flights of stairs. So it's excellent that you were forewarned.

Boston Phil- my experiences with shore excursions in Japan really made me think that one can often do much better by themselves. Although I was on Princess and not NCL, I'm pretty sure they are contracting with the same tour agencies. My shore excursions were free due to a special offer, but I would have felt pretty disappointed for most of them if I had paid. My favorite port days were actually the ones where I did choose to go off on my own.

Some ports offer free shuttles that you don't know about until you arrive. For others, taxis are not that expensive compared to the cruise line excursions and you only go where you are really interested. Most excursions had one site I was very interested in and then 1-2 "extra sites" that were pretty much time wasters for me. One location that was described as a castle in the shore excursion description was actually a candy store with castle in the name. Boy did we feel misled! The addition of these extra sites makes the excursion sound like it covers more places but the actual effect is that it decreases the time you get to spend in the location you are interested in and you don't get enough time there.

You should also know that tour buses often park quite a distance from the site. This is especially true in Kyoto where you may walk as much as 1/3 mile from the parking lot to the entrance.

Every port has a great visitor information desk or center. Many of them set up a free shuttle to downtown or nearby sites of interest. Taxis are always there. Public transport is nearby. However, I am going to encourage you not to try the Busan Subway system even though it is close. Once you leave the main station there are multiple flights of stairs to deal with and I think that would be too hard on your knee. My phone counted 22 flights and it often undercounts on stairs.

We didn't have any shore excursions with less than 40 people and no whisper or audio systems were used in Japan. Half of the group couldn't hear the guide half of the time. One guide crossed the street with 1/2 the group and strode off quickly while the other half was left on the other side due to traffic lights. He never noticed. The teacher in me couldn't stand leaving 1/2 of "the class" behind, so I actually ran up to him stopped him and told him he had left the group behind. He was quite surprised and did go the 2 blocks back for them....

I realize this all sounds pretty negative, and I did get some good experiences out of my shore excursions. However, I don't think I would want to pay what they are charging for shore excursions for the experiences they are providing. Get some guide books, study ahead, and consider where just going on your own might make the most sense.

well, first a puzzle has maybe been solved.. I just booked an excursion from Hiroshima. I talked to the rep about why I had so few excursions on my entire page. This morning I had only 13 available excursions for the entire cruise.

The rep explained to me that I needed to log out of my account and log back in. I had not logged out in over. a year. I always stay logged in because I have had so much trouble logging in to NCL in the past.

I have been to lunch and now I am trying to get the courage to log out of NCL.

CJean, Carol and others

Here is the excursion that I booked for Mt. Fiji and you can see a caution at the end for those with mobility issues

"Delve into Japanese culture by visiting an art museum, enjoying a ritualistic tea ceremony and admiring one of the most spectacular views of sacred Mount Fuji.

Visit the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in the fishing village of Yui. More than a thousand woodblock prints from Utagawa Hiroshige, a 19th-century master of the ukiyo-e genre, are beautifully displayed here. As you will discover while browsing the works of art, the ukiyo-e genre typically depicts subjects of everyday life that include landscapes, birds and flowers.

Hiroshige’s genius for landscape composition and color in works such as The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido influenced European painters such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

At a tearoom in a nearby park, you’ll enjoy a tea ceremony. You will be served traditional green tea, but the ceremony involves more than merely the beverage. It is a ritualistic art form in which the tea must be prepared and presented in a certain manner known as the Way of Tea.

Drive to the seaside pine grove Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, including a 650-year-old tree thought to have mythical powers. The view from the shore with Mount Fuji lording over the scenery has been rated one of the top three views in Japan.

Need To Know:

There will be sand, concrete and gravel paths, as well as a significant number of steps to negotiate. Please wear comfortable shoes. The tea ceremony is limited to 15 guests at a time and all guests must remove their shoes when entering the tea room. Those wishing to make any purchases should bring along local currency. Views of Mt. Fuji are weather dependent. Tour not available on some Monday calls."

And it happens that we will be there on Monday but the rep told me that they do offer this excursion on this Monday.

CJean, it has occurred to me that most of the excursions have sold out. The ship is almost full. I asked the rep and she did not think that the excursions have sold out. She is with Shorex, the company that contracts with NCL to provide shore excursions. She thinks that once I log out and back in, the problem will be solved.

Carol

I think that it is Shorex that offers NCL cruise excursions and they do contract with other cruise lines for shore excursions.

You must have sailed a more upscale line than myself to have shore excursions included.,

After i get the courage to log out and back in on NCL.com, I will see if more shre excursions are
included.

Bui I am on the facebook page for NCL Spirit Yokohama to Seoul on the dates of my sailing. It is not very active but some persons have complained about the low number of excursions offered and how expensive they are.

And I am on CruiseCritic Roll Call which has very low activity.

You might have forgotten, Carol, that I am the person who can get lost when no one can possibly get lost. How could you have forgotten Bruges a couple of cruises back? I believe that it was at this time that Forum and I agreed I need guided tours.

Hi Nigel

I have a Personal Cruise Consultant but he can not answer any questions regarding shore excursions. That is for the Shore Excursions Department. When I book a shore excursion, I have to call a dedicated number for Shore Excursions.

ORDtraveler

I have spent hours doing research and watching youtube videos. It can become exhausting. I am on facebook pages for different NCL cruises ariound Japan.

I am a faller and just took a terrible fall last Friday in my own apartment. I thought that I broke my foot but fortunately is is healing.

The problem is more that I move too fast and or do not pay attention. I am more of the problem than the terrain.

However for instance in Lisbon, we are told that most of the neighborhoods are hilly but for the Baixa and one other neighborhood so I booked a hotel in the Baixa neighborhood

The shore excursions are labeled 1, 2 and 3 with 1 requiring less physical activity and. 3 being very challenging.

ADDED. Thought I should add that I do not fall all that often . I fall maybe three times a year which is three times too many and almost always it is because I was not paying attention and got my foot caught under a small rug or under something else. Has almost nothing to do with the terrain but in downtown Austin the sidewalks are irregular. They really need work. Either the city does not have the money or staff. Roads take priority.

Chuckling at your descriptions of getting lost. That was indeed very true when you first started off on your international travel adventures. You may still prefer tours, but I just wanted to point out that I have seen tremendous growth in your travel skills in the past few years and you should realize the amount of progress that you have made.

Hi Carol,

Glad that you responded back so that I can further respond. Going back to an earlier response to me.

I am not going to Busan so I do not have to worry about the steps in the subway.

I have no trouble walking a 1/2 mile or less. I can even walk. a mile.in many to most situations.

But back to guided shore excursions. I am short, 5 feet tall. And I walk slowly due to age and some mobility issues.

I am one of those persons who ends up on the other side of the street when the tour guide walks too fast or is not considerate of some of us slower and or older guests. Not all guests who are slow are old. There may be other issues.

And when we stop at a place so that the tour guide can share information, I am often on the outside of the group with tall guests blocking even my view yet alone being able to hear the tour guide. But then it is up to the tour guide to include everyone. If the tour guide sees that someone 5 feet tall is blocked by tall men and others who surround him / her, then that tour guide should make.a point of bringing us in to the inside. I do niot block anyone.

Other times, I do have to sit down on a rock or step or bench and I can not hear the tour guide. Usually I am not alone and one or two other guests join me.

In Rome, we had a tour guide in front and an assistant in the back. Both carried numbers. At least one other time, this happened where this was someone in front of the group and an assistant in the back of the group. And that is what I call professional.

Question: what port was the excursion where there was a candy shop with the name Castle in it? Did you complain to Guest Services when back on ship?

Well, I did log out and then back in to NCL. I had to do something else and then I got 35 excursions on my page which is sufficient. I have two booked now and am going to book 10 others. It is unlikely that we will port at all 12 ports because of weather or some other factor.

I am reading. a lot of reviews and reports. A whole lot of cruisers have had to accept missed ports usually because of weather.

And almost all have a good attitude. They seem happy with what they do get and Norwegian has been generous in compensation for missed ports.

bostonphil7 I'm sorry but although I'm only 5'4" , I don't remember any tour guide moving us short people to the front. I think they're too busy giving the tour and sometimes counting to make sure they haven't lost anyone. I think our issues are only our own issues, except for the kind people on planes who will put our carryons in the too-high overhead bins.

Hello cala

Agreed that tour guides have a lot to watch out for including not losing anyone but how can they count everyone if there are short persons at the back of the group while persons 6 ft tall are at the front of the group.

And it could be a kind generic invite for everyone who is short to come forward so that they can see and Hera the tour guide. It would be nice if guests in the group were more aware but I think the ultimate responsibility rests with the tour guide.

We pay money to take these shore excursions, sometimes a lot of money. I hope the tour guide is paid well but we also give tips and I think the tour guides get some nice tips. I am generous.

I think what Cala is saying, BP, that you shouldn't count on on the tour guide to guide you to the front. All your reasons for them to do that are valid, but I wouldn't bank on it.

I'm 5'4" also, and if I want to see something, I make sure I am positioned off to the side or more to the front, if possible. If that's not possible, I would consider asking tall people in front if there is any way you could move up a bit. Most people are helpful and would probably help get you situated. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands. :-)

I think the ultimate responsibility rests with the tour guide.

I disagree. And I'm 5' 2". The ultimate responsibility rests solely with you. Speak up. Politely, of course. If someone taller is blocking your view, just ask if you could step in from of them so you can see/hear. Shore excursion Guides already have enough on their plate without having to cater to the individual needs of every single person in the group.

check with shore excursions group

Thank you Mardee and CJean

Appreciate your input and opinions but I do not agree with you on this one.

It would be very easy for tour guides to say "all you short people, come on up front. Taller people, please make room for your shorter friends" when we stop somewhere . It can be done in a friendly manner.

Hello stephen

I am uncertain what you mean when you say "check with shore excursions group" could you clarify for me.

Shore Excursions Group are a third party aggregator company who specialise in providing tours for cruise passengers round the world, very like Viator.

BostonPhil, the challenge with your suggestion about shorter people is that other people may also have challenges that they are trying to accommodate for. For me, it would be hearing. I am plenty tall and if I can hear always put shorter in front, but sometimes I need to be there to hear (even with my hearing aids in!). Others could have vision issues.

A tour group of 40 without auditory support devices is bound to fail on several fronts. Everyone tries to cluster near the guide in order to hear. This causes a large mass of people that often ends up blocking others that are trying to walk by or see the site as well. Usually a large number can't hear anyway.

My position is that if the ship is going to allow excursions that are this large, charge $150-$250 , ($6000--$10000 total) and not insist the provider offer auditory support devices, they are providing a substandard service at a high price.

Bostonphil7,

I agree with Mardee and Cjean. You really do need to advocate for yourself.

I'm 5'2" and have no problem asking others to please let me move up so I may also see. When walking with a group tour, I do my best to stay near the guide.

Just think, if the guide said "all those who are short, or have vision or hearing issues come up front" there would be hardly anyone left in the back.

thank you all for your feedback. You have presented another side to my reasoning and I appreciate it. I see things differently because of the feedback.

I appreciate the comment on hard-of-hearing folks possibly needing a forward position. That had not occurred to me.

I have been fuming about a recent art gallery visit which required a guided tour to visit. I am short; there was one man, at least 6 feet, who kept positioning himself front and center, blocking my view and I'm sure that of many others. It became tiresome manipulating out of his way in a large group in small exhibit rooms. I refrained from saying anything, just shuffled as necessary and fumed.

I get it now - I bet he was hard of hearing. Right age group! I will be more sensitive next time!