Perched on the shores of Hokkaido, Hakodate beckons with a captivating blend of history and charm. As the site of Japan's first international trade port, this city exudes a welcoming aura, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in its storied past. With a temperate coastal climate, Hakodate offers a refreshing escape from tourist crowds, unveiling authentic experiences beyond the beaten path. Cruise lines embrace its allure, ferrying passengers to explore its historic sites and culinary delights. From panoramic views atop Mount Hakodate to serene strolls through Motomachi District, Hakodate serves as a gateway to Japan's soul.
Perched on the shores of Hokkaido, Hakodate beckons with a captivating blend of history and charm. As the site of Japan's first international trade port, this city exudes a welcoming aura, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in its storied past. With a temperate coastal climate, Hakodate offers a refreshing escape from tourist crowds, unveiling authentic experiences beyond the beaten path. Cruise lines embrace its allure, ferrying passengers to explore its historic sites and culinary delights. From panoramic views atop Mount Hakodate to serene strolls through Motomachi District, Hakodate serves as a gateway to Japan's soul.
Er we’re travelling on Vision of the Seas from Baltimore. Ship is an older and smaller one in the fleet but despite this, cabin was spacious and a real plus was the cleanliness of the ship.
Limited facilities so no flow rider or ice rink, not even small crazy golf. Shuffle board (at an angle) was as exciting as it got, with badminton being played in centrum as no sports courts.
We were planning on a relaxing break and so lack of sports weren’t too much of a concern, however evening entertainment was a real let down. Shows of poor standard, no musical production, special guest stars were a let down. All of the above was not helped by such an old clientele who typically were on early dinner sitting and in bed by 9:30!
Quality of food was typically good and service in restaurant was excellent, but bar waiter service was very slow and could take up to half an hour from ordering a drink to receiving it.
I have no issue in sailing on an older ship but sadly this was more of a retirement home at sea - many guests simply stayed on ship to be looked after for months at a time. This is a great facility for some, but needs to be marketed as such. Not up to RCLs usual fun packed high quality offering.
11 night cruise tokyo to singapore with 5 stops; nagasaki, South Korea, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh and Na Treng. Within a few months of booking they had dropped Na Treng for unconvincing reasons. Then a weather event (not their fault of course) meant we couldn't board the ship until 2 days later than planned so our cruise was now 9 days. Despite having already dropped a port stop, they announced that they would be dropping two further ports to make up time so no stopping at nagasaki and S Korea. Then the day before we were due to stop at Ho Chi Minh, a tannoy announcement that we would instead be stopping at Da Nang. We couldn't research what to do there given the extortionate cost of Internet access. There was a stampede to book trips meaning 2+ hour queues.
So we lost 2 days of a cruise, 2 days of a drinks package, 5 stops became 2 of which only one was as advertised, the 2 extra nights we stayed in tokyo cost us dearly as we had to book a hotel room at short notice and to oay for food that would otherwise have been included on the ship, and the trips we had booked with external companies doe ports we didn't stop at were lost at considerable cost.
The Royal Caribbean customer service response? Just disgraceful. They refunded part of the hotel cost leaving us significantly out of pocket. The lost trips? Sorry but no refund. The extra food? Nothing. The loss of 2 days of the cruise and the drinks package, they offered an on board credit. I had no reason for a credit as I had nothing I needed to spend on board so wanted a cash refund. Nope, not budging. I have been with RC on several occasions and have now cancelled my crown and anchor membership and will never sail with them again. The measure of a reputable company is how they respond when things go wrong not when things go well and RC showed their true colours. Avoid at all cost
Lovely family cruise. Very busy as it was the summer holidays. Hot tubs full of kids which was off putting but great to see them enjoying themselves. Food great
We have sailed with RC for over 20 years and was very disappointed to find they had really cut back on their services they provide. No only 1 turn down per day had to ask for double towels rather than be provided, no tissues, stateroom not hoovered daily and balcony not cleaned. Even in the coffee shop always a big que. Entertainment very basic.
I think they need to up their game as there is a lot of other companies visiting the same cruise destinations, providing a better service for the same price.
We went as a family and had the most amazing holiday. All food was fantastic, especially the waiter-service dinners in the main dining room. The waiters were fantastic, they remembered my mum always had a cup of tea after her meal and they brought us things we wanted without us even asking, it was like they read our minds! The entertainment was fantastic, like being in the West End. We loved our cruise!
Brilliant ship with great dining options, fabulous staff, top entertainment and even the odd rocky day didn't put us off. Loads of onboard activities on the transatlantic journey. No chance of being bored... unless you want to be!
It is the best experience one can have just to rest and unwind oneself, eat different type of food and meet new people with same interest and most of all enjoyed my time with family.
