Princess Cruises Releases New Season in Japan Due to High Demand

Princess Cruises announced it will again deploy its Diamond Princess to Japan for the spring and summer seasons of 2025. Cruisers can look forward to the ship visiting 36 destinations in three countries, and choose from two cruisetours.

Diamond Princess to Sail 35 Japan Cruises

Built in Japan and designed for the Japanese market, Princess Cruises’ 2,670-guest Diamond Princess will offer a wide selection of cruises, plus two cruisetours, from her homeport of Tokyo between March and August 2025.

The Gem-class ship will return to Japan following similar seasonal deployments in 2024. Diamond Princess in 2025 will feature 7- to 22-day voyages to three dozen ports of call across Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

The 2025 schedule offers 35 cruise departures, roughly the same number the ship will sail in 2024, when it will operate 36 departures. Princess Cruises released its 2025 Japan sailings, which have officially opened for booking due to increasing demand.

“Japan is best experienced on a cruise, sailing around this scenic island nation taking in festivals, flowers, legendary sites and landscapes,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises.

“Our upcoming 2025 season features itineraries and offerings crafted with area tourism boards to showcase the best of the local art, cuisine, music and popular culture,” added Padgett.

New to the itinerary roster in 2025 is an 11-day “Spring Flowers” voyage, offered in March and April. A 10-day version of this cruise also is available. Both visit four Japanese islands, sailing from south to north and following the flower bloom season.

Other voyages in 2025 include a 9-day “Southern Islands” cruise, with two calls to the Okinawan islands and two calls to Taiwan, and 9- and 10-day “Sea of Japan” voyages that call at ports along the historic Kitamaebune trading route.

Two more 10-day sailings also are on the schedule. “Hokkaido” voyages call at Otaru (for Sapporo), Hakodate, and Kushiro, while “Japan Explorer” sailings visit the iconic destinations of Shimizu (for Mt. Fuji), Osaka or Kobe (for Kyoto), Hiroshima, and others.

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Japan’s traditional summer festivals are itinerary highlights on select 2025 cruises that coincide with the events. Guests will have opportunities to attend the Aomori Nebuta Festival (August 2 and 7); Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival (August 12); Tokushima Awa Dance Festival (August 13); and Kumano Fireworks Festival (August 17).

Itineraries that include a festival event will provide extended late-night or overnight stays in port, giving guests extra time to enjoy the traditional activities.

Two Options for Cruisetours Offered

Two cruisetours will be featured in Diamond Princess’s 2025 schedule. The 13-day “Highlights of Japan” includes a land tour in Kyoto and Tokyo for the first five days, followed by an eight-day sailing with port calls to Nagasaki, Sakaiminato, and Aomori, and Busan, South Korea.

A 14-day option also features a five-day land tour to the same destinations as the shorter cruise, and a nine-day sailing that calls at Akita, Toyama, Tsuruga, Sakaiminato, and Kagoshima, Japan, plus Busan, South Korea.

Both land tour components offer guests sightseeing at Kyoto’s famous gardens, Nijo Castle, the Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple and the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Also featured is Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Princess Cruises announced in December 2022 that it would return to the Japanese market following the Japanese government’s decision to reopen its ports to international cruise ships. The country had imposed a two-year ban on cruise ships during the pandemic.

In 2023, Diamond Princess offered 43 unique itineraries between March and August, on cruises from five to 19 days. Two cruisetours also were offered.