Asia Cruises

Asia is several cruise seasons stitched together. Southeast Asia - Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia - is at its best in the dry months from roughly November to April, with December to March the most reliable. Japan peaks in March and April for the cherry blossoms, and those sailings out of Tokyo sell early and at a premium. Singapore and Hong Kong work as turnaround ports almost all year.

The weather risk is typhoons. Japan's season generally runs May through October and is most active July to September, with August and September the months of most direct hits. Ships handle it by swapping ports - a call in southern Japan can turn into an extra day somewhere else at short notice - so a late-summer Japan or Korea itinerary is best treated as provisional.

Itineraries here tend to run longer than in the Caribbean, and many are one-way: Singapore to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Tokyo, or Bangkok's port at Laem Chabang to Singapore. Laem Chabang sits about 120 km southeast of Bangkok, and the drive in commonly takes two hours or more in traffic - so a "Bangkok" port day is mostly spent on the road unless the ship overnights.

Visa rules vary port by port, and the cruise line will tell you which ones need paperwork in advance. China is an easier stop than it used to be: since May 15, 2024, foreign tour groups of two or more arriving by cruise ship and handled by a Chinese travel agency can enter visa-free at cruise ports in 13 coastal cities for up to 15 days, as long as they stay with the ship and leave China on it.

Sources: cruiseline.co.uk, japansophy.com, global.chinadaily.com.cn, foreverkaren.com