Princess Cruises released the 2024 Japan season. New for 2024, the Royal Princess ship makes her debut in Japan and marks the first Royal-Class liner to sail in the region.
The series of voyages offers many opportunities to view the spring flowers, as well as 4 summer festivals.
Royal Princess sails a brand-new "Japan & North Pacific Crossing" itinerary visiting the northern Tohoku and Hokkaido regions during the cherry blossom season. There is the option to combine with the Alaskan "Voyage of the Glaciers" itinerary to visit the USA. Passengers can opt to disembark in Anchorage/from Whittier for a 15-day voyage or continue to Vancouver BC Canada for a 22-day voyage. The sailing departs Tokyo on April 27th, 2024.
Japan-built Diamond Princess ship returns to Japan for a March-August 2024 season, sailing roundtrip from Yokohama (Tokyo), calling to 35 destinations in 3 different countries on 31 itineraries and 36 departures, ranging from 7 to 23 days.
Diamond Princess kicks off the Japanese season with a series of four 10-day "Spring Flowers" voyages, calling at all 4 of Japan's main islands and following the blooming season as it moves from south to north.
The festival season peaks in the summer, and in 2024 Diamond Princess offers passengers the chance to experience the following festivals with late-night port stays:
- Aomori Nebuta Festival (August 2nd and August 7th) features Nebuta float figures accompanied by traditional music, vibrant dancers, and audience participation.
- Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival (August 12th), one of Japan's 10 largest festivals, features teams of dancers with unique performances and colorful costumes.
- Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival (August 13th), one of the most popular summer dance festivals, dates back to the 1500s and features dancers performing throughout the port city well into the night highlighted by the "Fool's Dance."
- Kumano Fireworks Festival (August 17th), a display of 10,000+ fireworks visible from the Diamond Princess' decks.
Diamond Princess will also sail on 9-day "Southern Islands" cruises that call to two Okinawan and two Taiwan ports.
9-day and 10-day "Sea of Japan" itineraries visit ports along the Kitamaebune trading route.
10-day Hokkaido cruises visit Otaru/Sapporo, Hakodate and Kushiro.
The 10-day "Japan Explorer" itinerary visits Japan's iconic destinations Hiroshima, Shimizu (Mt Fuji), Osaka/Kobe (Kyoto), and more.
Princess Cruises Japan 2024 program also features access to 9 UNESCO Sites - Mount Fuji (from Shimizu), Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (from Kobe/Osaka), Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (from Kobe/Osaka), Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (from Kanazawa/Toyama), the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, as well as the newly inscribed Iriomote Island (from Ishigaki) and Jomon Prehistoric Sites (from Hakodate/Aomori).