Samurai Shrines & Silk Road – Busan, Hakodate & Nagasaki
About this cruise
The kind of trip where you lose track of what day it is, and nobody cares. 27 nights from Tokyo on July 30, 2028, visiting Miyako-Iwate, Hakodate and Aomori, with additional stops along the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan. There's a stretch of back-to-back port days, so those days are busy, but the sea days around them give you time to recharge. Karaoke bars, hot springs, and temples draped in moss. East Asia does culture and chaos in equal measure. Most ports give you about 11 hours, so you can do more than just tick off the main sights. As for the ship itself, Sapphire Princess takes the food seriously, with 14 restaurants to choose from. 7 are included, and the rest are worth the splurge. By night three you start recognising faces; by night ten you're swapping numbers. That's the magic of a longer sailing. A proper voyage for people who like to take their time and hate rushing through destinations. Pro tip: fly in the day before. Tokyo has plenty to offer, and you'll board relaxed instead of rushed. It's peak season, so the weather is at its best and the ship will be full. That's part of the fun. If you've been thinking about a cruise, this 27-night sailing is a strong place to start.