Japan cruise and Asia cruises 2026–2027: routes, seasons and lines

Asia is two cruise regions with different seasons. Japan cruises sail from Tokyo and call mostly at Japanese ports, often with a stop in South Korea. Southeast Asia cruises sail from Singapore and Hong Kong to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. A few longer routes link the two.

Best time for a Japan cruise

• Late March and April: cherry blossom season, and the most popular weeks. In 2026 the blossoms were out in Tokyo and Kyoto from late March to early April, reached northern Honshu in mid-April and Hakodate, on Hokkaido, around April 22. Princess sells cherry blossom voyages of 9 to 24 days that follow the bloom from south to north. See our April 2027 guide.
• May and early June: after the blossoms and before the rains.
• Mid-June to mid-July: the rainy season on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Hokkaido mostly escapes it.
• Late July and August: hot and humid. Tokyo’s average high in August is about 31°C (88°F). This is festival season, and Princess times sailings to the Aomori Nebuta festival and the Kumano fireworks.
• August to early October: typhoon season. Five or six typhoons pass over or near Japan in a typical year. A typhoon can force a ship to skip a port.
• Late October and November: our other pick, with cooler days and fall color. September and October are Tokyo’s two wettest months, so later is better. See November 2027.
• December to February: cold and dry in Tokyo. Princess moves its ships to Singapore for the winter.

Best time for a Southeast Asia cruise

Most lines sail Southeast Asia from about November to April. Singapore is hot all year, with daily temperatures between about 25°C and 33°C (77°F to 91°F). Its northeast monsoon runs from mid-November to early March. December is the wettest month and February the driest.

Japan and Asia cruise lines compared

The ship details below are the ones each line has announced.

• Princess CruisesThe biggest Japan program. Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess, both built in Japan, sail from the Tokyo area from March to December 2027: 78 departures of 7 to 28 days. Both spend winter 2026–27 in Singapore. The 2028 Japan season has 85 departures.
  From $1,119 per personChecked October 2026
• Holland America LineNoordam sails 13- to 15-day cruises from September 2027 to April 2028, mostly from Tokyo, with others from Singapore and Hong Kong. Its 14-day Circle Japan route calls at up to 10 Japanese ports.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Jade sails 9- to 14-day cruises from October 2027 to April 2028 from Tokyo, Yokohama, Incheon, Hong Kong and Singapore, with more than 20 different calls in Japan.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Celebrity CruisesLists Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Solstice for Asia in 2026 and 2027, sailing from Tokyo (Yokohama), Hong Kong, Singapore and Bali.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Royal CaribbeanNavigator of the Seas is based in Singapore from October 2026 and adds 2- to 5-night trips in summer 2027. Voyager of the Seas sails from Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo from January to April 2028, with cherry blossom cruises.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Disney Cruise LineDisney Adventure sails 3- and 4-night cruises from Singapore all year, most of them with no port stops.
  Fares change daily; check current prices
• Oceania CruisesSmaller ships on longer routes. Our price data has a 10-night Southeast Asia cruise from Bangkok on Oceania Nautica.
  From $3,330 per personChecked October 2026

Ship guides: Disney Adventure and Royal Princess, which has a Southeast Asia sailing from Singapore in late 2026. World cruises also spend weeks in Asia, and several lines sell them in shorter sections. See our world cruise guide.

Our pick for a first Japan cruise is Princess. It has the most dates and the most routes, and its two ships carry about 2,670 guests each, which is mid-size by current standards. Pick Holland America for a longer trip on a smaller ship, and Royal Caribbean or Disney only if a short break from Singapore is what you want.

Typical length and price

• Japan: 7 to 14 nights is normal. Princess goes up to 28 days, and Holland America’s routes are all 13 to 15 days.
• Southeast Asia: 12 to 14 nights is typical on Princess and Holland America. Royal Caribbean and Disney sell 2- to 5-night trips from Singapore.
• Japan to Singapore, or the reverse: longer one-way sailings in fall and spring, when ships move between the two regions.

The cruise fare is often not the biggest cost. The flight is, and you should add a hotel night before boarding, because a delayed long-haul flight can make you miss the ship.

Departure ports

Cruises from Tokyo

A cruise sold as leaving from Tokyo may leave from one of three places. The Port of Tokyo has two terminals. Tokyo International Cruise Terminal opened in 2020 and takes the largest ships. Harumi Cruise Terminal reopened in June 2025 for small and mid-size ships that can pass under the Rainbow Bridge, and it is about 20 to 25 minutes by car from Tokyo Station. The third is Yokohama, a separate city down the bay, which Celebrity lists as “Tokyo (Yokohama)” and Holland America as “Yokohama (Tokyo)”. Check the terminal on your booking before you choose a hotel.

Cruises from Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore is the main port for Southeast Asia. Royal Caribbean and Disney sail from Marina Bay Cruise Centre, and Princess, Holland America, Norwegian and Celebrity all have sailings from the city. Hong Kong is the usual other end of a one-way Southeast Asia cruise. Holland America’s 14-day Far East Discovery route runs from Hong Kong to Singapore by way of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Cruise to Japan from the US

There are no round trips. The options are one-way crossings when ships move between Alaska and Asia.

• Holland America: Noordam sails a 13-day North Pacific crossing from Seattle to Tokyo in September 2027, and a 15-day crossing from Tokyo to Vancouver in April 2028. Both call in Alaska and northern Japan.
• Carnival: Carnival Luminosa has a 15-day Alaska and Japan crossing from San Francisco in October 2027 in our price data.

Crossings have many sea days in a row. We explain how they work in repositioning cruises.

Passports and visas

You need a passport for any cruise here. US citizens can enter Japan without a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Japan plans to bring in an online travel authorization for visa-free visitors by 2030. Other countries on these routes, including China and Vietnam, have their own rules, so check your line’s travel document page for every port on the route.

Japan and Asia sailings snapshot

Our price snapshot has only a few sailings in this region. The table shows what it had when we checked.

Ports of call

• Osaka and Kobe: the ports for Kyoto. Holland America, Norwegian and Princess all have overnight or late-night stays here.
• Hiroshima: the Peace Memorial and Itsukushima Shrine. Princess has longer stays here.
• Hakodate and Aomori: northern ports on round-Japan routes. Aomori is also a stop on Holland America’s crossing from Seattle.
• Shimizu: the port Celebrity uses for Mount Fuji.
• Busan, South Korea: the foreign stop on many cruises around Japan.
• Ha Long Bay, Vietnam: the port for Hanoi, with overnight stays on Holland America.
• Phu My, Vietnam: the port for Ho Chi Minh City.
• Laem Chabang, Thailand: the port for Bangkok. Princess and Holland America stay overnight.
• Shanghai, China: on Holland America’s Japan, South Korea and China route, with nearly two days in port.
• Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia: on Princess and Celebrity routes from Singapore. Disney Adventure calls at Langkawi on some sailings from December 31, 2026.

Japan and Asia cruise FAQ