Norwegian Jade Repositions to Yokohama for Fall Japan-Korea Season
If you're booking the Norwegian Jade's Far East season, note the ship departs Vancouver September 21, 2026, and reaches Yokohama October 7, 2026, with fall sailings running through late November from Yokohama, Tokyo and Incheon. The standout two-week voyage circumnavigates Honshu and Shikoku, calling at ports including Hiroshima, Busan and Nagoya. Check departure dates now, since the ship then repositions to Hong Kong in December for a Southeast Asia winter season before returning to Japan in late February.
Norwegian is putting the Jade back in Japan and Korea for the first time since 2019, and the routing tells you the strategy: a long repositioning cruise (Vancouver to Yokohama, September 21 to October 7) that monetizes empty legs with Alaska highlights like Hubbard Glacier before the ship even reaches Asia. The two-week Honshu/Shikoku circumnavigation with stops at Hiroshima, Busan and Sakata is the clear centerpiece, giving Norwegian a differentiated itinerary against competitors running shorter Japan loops. The drydock additions — Vibe Beach Club, a new Starbucks — are standard Jewel-class refresh items, not headline news, but they signal the ship was refreshed before this redeployment. My read: this is a full-year Pacific rotation (Alaska summer, Asia fall/winter/spring) rather than a one-off, so book early on the Honshu/Shikoku sailing if you want that itinerary specifically — repositioning cruises like this tend to sell out on the strength of scenic cruising days alone.