celebrity cruise japan excursions reviews

• Celebrity Cruises

Shore excursions sold out eight months in advance?

By FolsomMike , September 7, 2023 in Celebrity Cruises

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We are cruising Japan next May and I see that many excursions are already showing as sold out. What are the chances that Celebrity will add more excursion availability in the coming months?

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cruisestitch

No one knows, sorry

We are cruising with 3 other couples next July to Japan on Solstice and saw 45% off excursions. We all booked our excursions at the same time with a deal like that.  Maybe that has something to do with your cruise also.  I had 8 excursions booked on another Celebrity this November to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in which I booked excursions several months ago. When the discount went to 45% off this past week, I cancelled everyone of the excursions we had for Singapore trip, had money refunded and booked the same excursion all over again saving me alot of money. 

Sorry I meant to say on the Celebrity Millennium not the Solstice next July.  

Chardonnay Char

Sometimes -- if you use a big-company travel agent -- the travel company also sponsors its own excursions.  I recently booked one through our TA for Hawaii in a couple weeks.  The Celebrity ones were already sold out.  

On 9/7/2023 at 4:48 PM, FolsomMike said: We are cruising Japan next May and I see that many excursions are already showing as sold out. What are the chances that Celebrity will add more excursion availability in the coming months?

Keep checking your CP. Also once on board stop by the shore excursion desk to see if the excursion you are interested in is available.

19 hours ago, shipmate13 said: We are cruising with 3 other couples next July to Japan on Solstice and saw 45% off excursions. We all booked our excursions at the same time with a deal like that.  Maybe that has something to do with your cruise also.  I had 8 excursions booked on another Celebrity this November to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in which I booked excursions several months ago. When the discount went to 45% off this past week, I cancelled everyone of the excursions we had for Singapore trip, had money refunded and booked the same excursion all over again saving me alot of money. 

I saved over $500 on their sale. Finally! A REAL SALE!  Booked additional items for the same price I originally spent.

Multiple excursions were sold out for my cruise next May when I first booked it in Late July.   Very surprising.  I was able to take advantage of the sale and saved about $500, but there was one that I had booked that I couldn’t save on because it was sold out now.   I do hope that they add some more excursions and I am also starting to research other excursion options because I have booked a few that I am not that excited about.   

hawkesbaynz

We are on the Millennium in April to Japan. April 9th cruise. I have booked tours through Tours4locals.com & Gowithguide.com. If you are independent minded it is cheaper and only 6-10 people to share with. I did do a Celebrity tours (Aomori as little on offer independent).   

I have read all the Millenium RCs for info on Japan. Research is the key. Some well informed people on there. 

Did the same for Solstice in November too. 

Most excursions on my upcoming Eclipse South America cruise for January showed sold out five months ago.

Then about six weeks ago, additional times were added and most suddenly became available.

So I’m assuming if early demand is strong extra capacity will be added when and where possible.

NMTraveller

I had one or two excursions added to my cruise.  I always book early.

8 hours ago, hmorrow said: I saved over $500 on their sale. Finally! A REAL SALE!  Booked additional items for the same price I originally spent.

I did the same.  Added a couple more excursions and upgrade our wifi and still came out way in front.

Boatharbour

It may be a real sale with Celebrity but their excursion prices can be over the top. 

I was looking at a NZ excursion that was more than  AU$800 with Celebrity. While searching for alternatives I found exactly the same tour listed with several other cruise lines for less than AU$400.  When the recent sale was on, the price jumped to over AU$900 with the reduced price still more than other lines. 

In our experience tours by coach or minibus are often listed sold out then reappear. I assume they initially book x coaches then add more depending on uptake. It is tours using sea planes, specific types of boats etc that seem to go and then rarely come back up. Understandable, there are finite number of these resources. Still worth checking as if people cancel then limited places will reappear.

On 9/7/2023 at 11:48 PM, FolsomMike said: We are cruising Japan next May and I see that many excursions are already showing as sold out. What are the chances that Celebrity will add more excursion availability in the coming months?

It might be worth looking at the roll call for your cruise and seeing what tours others have arranged and companies they would recommend. Some may be booking tours that have spaces on them you could join. If you are reluctant to book independently going through a roll call can be a great idea as many who do the arrangements are really well travelled and very experienced.

The 45% off sale for shore excursions was a solid deal and I suspect that's why so many are sold out. I noticed some are sold out for our South America cruise next April. If you're comfortable going on a non-ship tour, check out shoreexcursions.asia. They have lots of Japan excursions. 

We have a cruise that sails in about 13 months, and some excursions are sold out. Yeah, I think that sale did a number on inventory. 

As for whether they add more, that's been pretty well covered. 

I have found that some of the small group excursions tend to sell out fast.  

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Or do I consider another excursion provider for this cruise ? Are there any out there that are reliable and value for money? Thanks.

I would think that most of them would be value for money when compared to Celebrity. Private excursions are usually small 2-12 pp compared to a bus load with the ship and usually cheaper.

Go to cruisecritic.com and join your roll call to see what other passengers are doing re excursions. Maybe you could join them or propose some of your own.

Otherwise look up each port you are visiting and google for information, look at Tripadvisor listings and reviews or google "(name of port) shore excursions" you can then read reviews for the various companies and what the tour covers.

https://www.tomsportguides.com/mediterranean-cruises.html

Thanks for the advice that's great.

Depending on the port, and what you want to do, you may not need an excursion at all. Maybe you could do your own thing, take a sightseeing bus or a taxi to wherever.

If Celebrity can't be bothered to0 sort their IT out and help you, then I certainly wouldn't be bothered enough to use them for shore excursions.

If you do decide that an excursion is the right thing for you, then go to the operator, not a third party.

You're quite right. I've cruised with Celebrity many times but I find their website slow and clunky. I'm not impressed they couldn't be bothered to help. Saying 'it's all on the website' just annoys me because that's not accessible for people with sight issues.

also try https://www.whatsinport.com/index.htm

Thanks for the advice. This is is really helpful.

I agree that it is not a good idea to book tours via a third party but to book directly with the supplier.

Never book anything at all via Trip Advisor!

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Exotic. Evocative. Extraordinary: Words that perfectly describe Asia shore excursions on offer when your Asia cruise travels take you to far Pacific ports of call around the South China Sea, the Sea of Japan, and beyond.

Experience Singapore , traditional and contemporary, by daylight and moonlight, on Asia cruise excursions that put the sights, sounds, and scents of the city within easy reach, and where ancient architecture meets modern innovation. Take a break from sightseeing and try your hand at creating national dishes at a cooking session that evokes the spice world of long ago and the culinary trends of today.

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Asia shore excursions while in Vietnamese ports of call offer city tours that combine visits to historic landmarks like Reunification Hall in Ho Chi Minh City with cultural heritage sites like Notre Dame Cathedral, a testament to the city’s French heritage, and Jade Emperor Temple. On a day-long tour of Hanoi , you’ll see the hallmarks of an ancient country, including the Temple of Literature that dates from 1070 and is dedicated to Confucius.

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Royal Caribbean's family-friendly private island is about to get more crowded with Gen Xers

• Celebrity Cruises will sail to Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay for the first time.
• The cruise lines target different demographics, but the business case is solid.
• The private island is scheduled on 47 of Celebrity's itineraries this year.

Royal Caribbean's family-friendly private island is about to get a bit more crowded — with Gen Xers.

On April 21, Gen X-beloved Celebrity Cruises will voyage to Royal Caribbean International's Perfect Day at CocoCay for the first time, marking the start of a Celebrity-CocoCay bonanza: The premium cruise line plans to visit the family-friendly getaway 47 more times before the end of the year.

According to Celebrity, these itineraries will both double its year-round Caribbean offerings and launch its first weekend cruises . And travelers are hyped: A handful of these sailings are halfway or close to selling out.

Fares start at about $277 per person for a three-day roundtrip cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which the Caribbean island is the only destination on the itinerary.

Travelers familiar with Celebrity and CocoCay might be scratching their heads

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity share the same parent company, Royal Caribbean Group .

For the most part, that's where their similarities end.

Royal Caribbean's private island is a tropical dream for cruising families dotted with sprawling beaches, clubs, a zipline, and a waterpark. The private destination is colorful, loud, kid-friendly, and generally the antithesis of what travelers might find on Celebrity's ships.

Celebrity's stylish vessels do offer children and teen programming. But if you want the exciting water slides, fun rides, and rock climbing walls of the popular mass-market ships, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Compared to Royal Caribbean's ships, Celebrity is best if you want to be on a premium, trendy, and more subdued cruise.

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If it's not obvious, the two brands are vying for different guests. Royal Caribbean goes after multi-generational families, while Celebrity's target demographic is Gen Xers, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the then-CEO of Celebrity Cruises, told Business Insider in 2021.

Celebrity sails to 300 ports on all seven continents — why this sudden push for the private Caribbean island?

In short, cruisers love Celebrity's upcoming Caribbean destination .

Last year, Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, told analysts that CocoCay had seen robust demand, including from repeat travelers.

About two-thirds of Royal Caribbean's Caribbean-bound guests will stop at CocoCay this year. And most of them aren't complaining: "The vast majority of people love the islands," Patrick Scholes, a lodging and leisure research analyst at Truist Securities, told Business Insider in March.

But for the two brands' parent company, there are more benefits to private island cruising besides guest satisfaction.

CocoCay is one night's sailing from Florida's major cruise ports, reducing the visiting ships' fuel consumption and costs.

More importantly, these private destinations keep more profits in-house.

A day pass to CocoCay's waterpark can exceed $100 per person. Entry to the recently opened Hideaway Beach costs up to $89 per person. Nearby, an afternoon at the more luxurious Coco Beach Club could be shy of triple that cost.

Even the complimentary parts of the island have splurge-enticing amenities like rentable cabanas and snorkeling gear. And because there's no need to rely on other excursion operators, Celebrity's parent company gets to pocket more profits.

Most of Celebrity's 2024 cruises to CocoCay will be on two of its largest ships: the 3,849-guest Celebrity Beyond and 3,480-guest Celebrity Reflection. That's plenty of guests ready to spend big on the popular private island.

But that doesn't mean Celebrity cruisers will be fighting kids for beach chairs

It is possible to escape the hoards of families at Perfect Day at CocoCay. For example, the new Hideaway Beach is rowdy, boozy, and thankfully adult-only.

While not kid-free, on the other side of the island, the Oasis Lagoon pool has become the de facto hot spot for afternoon ragers "packed with intoxicated people having a really good time" on one end, and children on the other end, Bayley told reporters in late January.

If nothing else, at least there won't be any kids drinking at the island's more than 10 bars.

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