Temples & cities

Asia Cruises

Singapore and Tokyo are where these cruises begin. After that the South China Sea is a long stretch of open water, so the flights belong in the same booking as the cruise.

Request a quote What you can do in port

Compare cruise lines Departure ports

Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian sail from Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Cunard does not sail a weekly cruise from those cities. It comes through on a longer voyage. We compare the ones that are actually scheduled, and we match the routing to the time you have.

Limestone islands in Ha Long Bay — Ha Long Bay is the sailing among the limestone islands, when the ship is already in the bay.

The ports are unlike a standard Caribbean or Mediterranean list. Share your preferred travel dates, and enjoy a custom itinerary shaped exactly around the destinations you care about most.

Longtail boats on a tropical beach in Thailand — In Thailand the beach is a boat ride from the pier, with the longtail boats pulled up on the sand.

Where they go

Singapore — Marina Bay at night
Tokyo, Yokohama & Tokyo Bay
Shanghai & Hong Kong
Phuket — Patong has the beach. Phuket Old Town has the older streets. The ship docks at the deep-water port, not on the sand. Patong is about 40 minutes away. Old Town is about 30 minutes from the pier. A boat toward Phi Phi is about an hour to an hour and a half after that.
Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong, and Ha Long Bay
Busan, Jeju & the Korean coast
Trans-Pacific crossings with a stop at Honolulu or Fiji

Worth going ashore for

In Singapore, visit Gardens by the Bay, then Hainanese chicken rice, poached chicken with rice cooked in the chicken fat and stock, or laksa, rice noodles in a spicy coconut broth with prawns
Visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, then boat noodles nearby: rice noodles in a pork or beef broth, darkened with spices and a little blood, with sliced meat and morning glory. The bowls are small
Walk Tokyo’s outer market, then order nigiri, a slice of raw fish on a small pad of vinegared rice. The dawn tuna auction does not fit the hours the ship is in port.
Visit Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, and have a banh mi: a baguette with pâté, pork, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, and chili
The Peak, the Star Ferry, and theme parks are in Hong Kong. The Peninsula is a hotel for the nights before or after the cruise.
The French Concession and the Bund are in Shanghai. The Fairmont Peace Hotel is a hotel for the nights before or after the cruise.
A boat trip in Ha Long Bay, only when the ship is already in the bay

Singapore and Tokyo often keep the ship in port into the evening, and some sail as late as 10 p.m. A beach stop is still only a few hours. A night before or after is a chance to explore one district, or a museum, instead of racing through three cities.

When to go

December through March is the calmer stretch of the year. Typhoons are most common in summer, and a plan ashore is less certain then.

The Singapore skyline across Marina Bay at night

In port

What to expect in port

Singapore and Tokyo often keep the ship in port into the evening. A beach stop is still only a few hours.

Time in port: Bangkok, Kyoto, and the other cities are inland from the pier. The visit and the trip back to the ship are separate.
Worth the time: The Grand Palace is in Bangkok. The ship docks at Laem Chabang. The palace is about two hours from the pier. The Peninsula Tokyo is a hotel for the nights before or after the cruise. Gardens by the Bay is in Singapore. Raffles is a hotel for the nights before or after the cruise. The Peak and the Star Ferry are in Hong Kong. The Peninsula is a hotel for the nights before or after the cruise.
Travelers: This suits people who want to visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, or a district in Kyoto such as Fushimi Inari or Arashiyama.
Also: One temple, or one district in the city, is the visit. Getting back to the ship takes its own time.

In port

Where the ship docks, and what you can do there

Patong is a beach on Phuket. The Grand Palace is in Bangkok. Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong are other stops on these cruises.

See the ports

Sample itineraries

These are typical routings and ports. Ships, dates, and fares change.

Marina Bay in Singapore at dusk — Singapore is a common start, and an overnight leaves the evening at Marina Bay.

Southeast Asia

7–14 nights

December–March

Singapore round trip, or one way

Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, or a luxury line

Phuket
Vietnam
A day at sea across the South China Sea

Tanah Lot temple on the Bali coast — On Bali the ship docks at Benoa. Tanah Lot is about an hour along the coast.

Japan

7–12 nights

Spring or fall

Tokyo / Yokohama

A line that overnights a Japanese port when possible

Yokohama
A regional port such as Osaka, Kagoshima, or Busan
Time in the city, not only at the pier

The Phuket coast and green headlands — The ship docks at Ao Makham. The beaches are a taxi ride over the hills.

Trans-Pacific

16+ nights

When ships move between regions

Asia toward Honolulu, Los Angeles, or Vancouver

A ship you would be comfortable living on for two weeks at sea

A stop at a Pacific island
Most of the sailing is on the ocean
We tell you that before you book

Planning Asia Cruises?

A cruise from Singapore tends to include Phuket, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. A cruise from Tokyo tends to include Yokohama, Osaka or Kagoshima, and Busan. A longer trans-Pacific sailing can add Honolulu, Los Angeles, or Vancouver. Name the city, and how many days you can be away.