Locals looking to sail on one of the most luxurious ocean cruise lines can take advantage of a transoceanic cruise to Japan this fall.
If you associate ocean cruises with huge crowds, boisterous guests, and massive ships, this cruise line may sound like a luxurious breath of fresh air. Not only is the guest capacity significantly lower — try 596 passengers rather than 1,500 to 6,000 on medium and large ocean liners — but the guest-to-crew ratio is much higher.
For those 596 passengers, there are roughly 408 crew members on board. This means guests are afforded the highest, most attentive level of service, with the crew anticipating their every need.
The cruise departs from Vancouver on Sept. 7 and sails to Alaska, where it makes stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Zodiak, and Dutch Harbor before it heads across the Pacific Ocean.
When it reaches Japan, the cruise numerous stops around the country, starting with the first in Kushiro on Sept. 22. The Japanese portion of the itinerary also includes stops in Muroran, Shimizu, an overnight in Osaka, Busan, an overnight in Kanazawa, Aomori, Hakodate, and then it finally disembarks in Tokyo on Oct. 9.
| Date | Port | Arrive | Depart |
| Thursday, September 7 | Vancouver, BC, Canada | 6:00 p.m. | |
| Friday, September 8 | Inside Passage, AK (Cruising) | ||
| Saturday, September 9 | Ketchikan, AK | 8:00 a.m. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, September 10 | Juneau, AK | 9:30 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Monday, September 11 | Sitka, AK | 9:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, September 12 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, September 13 | Kodiak, AK | 8:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, September 14 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, September 15 | Dutch Harbor, AK | 8:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 16 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, September 17 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, September 18 | Crossing International Dateline (Cruising) | ||
| Tuesday, September 19 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, September 20 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, September 21 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, September 22 | Kushiro, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 23 | Muroran, Japan | 7:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, September 24 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, September 25 | Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan | 6:30 a.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, September 26 | Shimizu, Japan | 1:30 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday, September 27 | Osaka, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | |
| Thursday, September 28 | Osaka, Japan | 11:00 p.m. | |
| Friday, September 29 | At Sea | ||
| Saturday, September 30 | Hiroshima, Japan | 7:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 1 | Busan, South Korea | 9:00 a.m. | 11:30 p.m. |
| Monday, October 2 | At Sea | ||
| Tuesday, October 3 | Kanazawa, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | |
| Wednesday, October 4 | Kanazawa, Japan | 2:00 p.m. | |
| Thursday, October 5 | Akita, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Friday, October 6 | Aomori, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | 11:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, October 7 | Hakodate, Japan | 8:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 8 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, October 9 | Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan | 6:30 a.m. |
Vancouver cruise: Silversea Cruises experience
Headquartered in Monaco, Silversea Cruises offers all-inclusive luxury cruising experiences. Guests enjoy 24-hour room service, open dining at a wide choice of restaurants, and beverages in their cabin and throughout the ship. This includes champagne, selected wines, and premium spirits, too.
To complete the pampered cruising experience, guests each have their own butler on board, too.
In addition to a high guest-to-crew ratio, the ship for this itinerary, the Silver Muse, boasts the most dining options of any luxury ship. This means you'll have a wide range of dining options to choose from while not sacrificing gourmet quality. There is a jogging track, fitness centre, swimming pool, showroom, dancing area, casino, and five bars/lounges.
There are only three suite categories currently available: the deluxe veranda suite, the superior veranda suite, and the panorama suite.
The cruise starts at $21,600 per person for the 31-night sailing, which works out to roughly $696.99 per diem. Keep in mind, however, that this includes all of your meals and premium alcohol, entertainment, luxury accommodation, transportation, and butler service for the entirety of your cruise.
For comparison's sake, a one-night stay at a luxury hotel generally costs more -- and that's without any food, entertainment, butler service, or alcohol.
Book your sailing with .
