There were 3 parts to this trip: Part 1 - Vancouver to Japan, Part 2 - Japan Explorer and finally Part 3 - Japan on Land - covering our 6 nights we spent on land after the 2 cruises.
Would I recommend the trip? You bet. Would I recommend doing a cruise around Japan? Yes I would. Originally, we chose a cruise because we thought it might be less expensive, and we were travelling with someone that had dietary needs which we thought might be a problem on land. We do think it was ultimately less expensive than an organized land tour, even with taking a few of the ship’s excursions. It was a huge advantage not having to pack/unpack every few days, or schlep luggage around the train systems. We got the chance to visit several cities that would not have been on a typical Japan Must Do list.
That said, we also really enjoyed our 6 nights on land after the cruise, giving us the chance to experience a city at night and eat in local restaurants. Sometimes the time in a port of call was a bit limited. In each place we visited (on the ship and after), it seemed we didn't have enough time, and as such we would want to revisit them one day… And that we hope to do. Next time we might fly over, spend a week or two travelling around and then take the cruise back to Vancouver when the ship repositions in May for the Alaska season. Celebrity Millennium was a great ship, even though it's not one of the newest, it has been refurbished well. And the staff and crew were great. All those days at sea are not to everyone's taste, but they are to us. In the end were very happy we had this chance to visit a very different culture and found the people of Japan to be very gracious, generous and polite. We could certainly learn a thing or two on how to get along in a crowded city.
The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan.
The End