SUMMARY:
We absolutely loved Japan and had a fantastic time on this ABD, but it didn’t blow me out of the water the same way that China or Scotland did. It’s a solid itinerary with excellent food (#1 to my mind) and accommodation—the Peninsula Tokyo is probably my favorite ABD hotel ever—and I really loved our guides and some of the activities, but there was something missing for me. Unlike China, Japan doesn’t have those big bucket list sites like the Great Wall, Gum Drop Mountains, Pandas, Terra Cotta Warriors, and the Forbidden City. And unlike Scotland we didn’t have that incredible hike in the Quiraing or the horseback ride through the blooming heather or the special access (canoeing on Lach Ness and boarding a private plane to Lewis) . For me, what stood out with this ABD was Japan itself, the culture, the food, and the great hotels, especially the Peninsula.
The group size and pace also took away from my overall enjoyment of the trip. At times, I felt like I was on a big bus tour again like the Baltics ABD add-on. 39 people is just too many for us, and for the amount of money we paid for four people, I shouldn’t feel as if I’m on a big bus tour or cattle call. Moo… Good thing we really enjoyed all of our fellow travelers--we had a great bunch.
The long bus rides also got to me. Smaller numbers would have made them more bearable, but I really wish they could integrate more train rides. I love the train, and Japan has some of the best in the world (maybe the best?). It’s a shame to be stuck on a bus. I believe the thought was that some of the stops along the way would have to be eliminated. IMO it might be worth it, but I suspect the real issue for ABD is cost. I’d wager it’s quite a bit cheaper to stick everyone on a bus than to pay for multiple bullet train rides in the green seats (1st Class).
Hint hint:
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As much as I enjoyed this ABD, I think I’ve hit my saturation point on what I’m willing to give up for a great itinerary. I’m not willing to risk the luck of the draw anymore on numbers and group make-up. If we book another ABD, it will be last minute relying on our DVC opening day price so I can be assured it won’t be a full trip. But I will probably be looking elsewhere for smaller group trips that offer similar destinations. This makes me sad, and I really hope there is a plan to address the smaller group size issue by ABD in a meaningful way. But I suspect it isn’t as profitable for them, and while they are filling trips, there isn’t a reason to change.
My daughter pointed out something else that was different on this trip from other ABDs that I think was due to the large groups we had on the trip. Instead of walking into a restaurant and filling out tables on our own (where families are sometimes broken up and you have an opportunity to sit with different families each night), the guides sat us at every meal. I think this was done not to break up the big groups, as the group of 10 was almost always seated first, then the two 6 groups and then the rest of us. But it ended up meaning that we never sat with any of the group of 10 and sat with only one of the group of 6 on the last night. We only sat with one party of two for one meal! We mostly sat with the same family, who we really liked, but I would have loved to get to know some other families. It might have been a function of the restaurants (or maybe the big family didn’t want to be split up), but it was definitely different and not in a good way. It gave less opportunity to talk to different people and the kids didn’t have a chance to sit with some of the other kids their age.
Other than the long bus rides and group size issues, the biggest thing I think they need to work on are the activities in Tokyo (assuming they don’t integrate my Tokyo Disney idea ☺). I know they want to give people time to explore on their own or enjoy the hotel, but it would have been nice to be given at least an option of excursions to the National museum, the Kimono museum, or the Sword museum. I would also have loved to visit the Tokyo Tower and the Fish Market (the new one). I was very surprised when we drove by an impressive Kabuki theater that was walkable from the hotel that we weren’t doing that either. It seems like the perfect kind of cultural outing that is typically in the ABD wheelhouse.
What I really wish we’d done our free night in Tokyo (#9) is go see a baseball game. I wish I’d thought about it ahead of time, but it was only while we were there that it occurred to me. There are a ton of teams nearby, and we could have seen the Giants that night. Baseball is really big in Japan, and those are the kind of things that really end up being a blast and memorable. #seriousmomfail
Here are the hats that we had to venture a little afar to pick up: Hanshin Tigers (DS), Yomiuri Giants (DH), Hiroshima Toyo Carp (me), Yokohama DeNA BayStars (DD):
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But the biggest gap on this itinerary for me was Mt. Fuji, which is one of those bucket list type of items and so iconically Japan. I really wish we’d had an opportunity to get up close and hike part of it. It was pure torture on day #7 when we drove past it and had a clear view of the summit, which is really rare. Ken—who is a hiker—and many of us on the bus were going crazy trying to get pics and looking longingly at the famous mountain. It is such big symbol of Japan, it’s really a shame that it isn’t part of the itinerary.
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I also really wanted to stay at a traditional Ryokan, and it was disappointing to hear confirmed that the reason we couldn’t was because of group size.
I haven’t said a lot about the local guides somewhat on purpose. They were all really nice, and I feel really bad saying this, but I didn’t think they were very strong overall. Compared to China where we had excellent local guides, there is definitely some room for improvement. Most of the times with the local guides were on the dreaded whisperers, and I found myself pulling it out of my ear or daydreaming. Keeping people entertained on whisperers is tough, but most of the time I felt as if we were listening to monotone recitations of facts. We missed out on beating DH and DS in the trivia because of a couple questions when DD and I had our whisperers out. (Can you tell I’m still bitter at losing, LOL?
@Calfan will understand as the competition in my family is fierce with stuff like this and there is equally fierce gloating ☹).
There weren’t a lot of perks or big surprises. I think those are becoming a thing of the past.
As many people have noted in previous comments on Japan threads, the theme park add-on is way over-priced. I knew that when I signed up, but I was really worried about the stress of getting reservations on my own at 6 months, and I wanted the extra FPs. I gave my thoughts above, but if they changed the hotel, and upped the breakfast, it would be much 100% better (without upping the price!).
We did have a great transfer driver to the airports though. Ichiro did both of our transfers, and he had the coolest car. It was some kind of Toyota van, and there were reclining captain chairs in the back. I never sleep in cars, and I somehow fell asleep for the 25 minute ride to Haneda.
So where does this ABD land on my list? It’s a solid favorite, probably number three. If anyone is interested, here’s my list:
1 & 2: China and the original 1st year Scotland (note: the current Scotland trip is completely different)
3: Japan
4: Greece
5 & 6: Backstage Magic and Ireland (we went to Ireland in 2007 so I don’t remember it—it could be on par with Greece).
7: Ranking way way way below the others: Baltics ABD Add-on
Lastly, I filled out the survey on our return and was asked about future destinations. These stuck out—not sure if someone has posted them before: Thailand, Antarctica, Chile & Argentina, Patagonia, Asian river cruising, New Zealand, Russia, Croatia and India.
Well, that’s it. Hope you guys enjoyed reading along and hope that it will be helpful to future travelers. Someone please go to a baseball game so I can live vicariously ☺.
And remember … MELON PAN!!!! If you need something to go along with it, we fell in love with this unsweetened green tea that can be found at most vending machines.
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