Tokyo 5 - Privat time charter med NRT / HND lufthavn transfer

These guys were so easy to work with. We had arrived on a cruise ship late one day and had to fly out the next morning - so we wanted a quick driving tour of Tokyo on our way to the airport. We weren't looking for a tour guide (our driver was not a guide, and spoke limited English, although his English was better than our Japanese!), just a terrific driver. These guys delivered! We only had about 4-1/2 hours, and we got to see the Tokyo Tower (main deck views), the Imperial Palace garden and some gates (we hadn't booked ahead and didn't have a lot of time so didn't go in), Shibuya crossing, Senso-ji temple, and the new watershow at Odaiba. Loved it! We had several questions about logistics and about sites to see, and they were always super responsive and helpful. Amazing! Highly recommend.

Over all we had a good experience but a few things went wrong, so keep this in mind. We booked the 5 hour tour/transfer with drop off at two different airports. The problem started because Pick-U Tokyo doesn't offer on their website drop down menu, the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, so they don't have a fixed address for it. Emails clarified this and I was assured that pickup there could be arranged, but we still had pick-up issues. We provided the Toyoko International Cruise Terminal address but could not find our driver. We suspected because there is a private car pick up area and our driver's license plate was not listed by the officials there. Language problems with the Pier Staff complicated the issue as they provided me with the wrong information, which I then provided to the driver and it took several WhatsApp messages to straighten out the problem. But we finally connected and were pick-up. I received a message from the company that usually there would be an extra charge due to the 20" used to correct issues - I didn't appreciate this because I had booked for 5 hours, so it should not be an issue, how we spent the 5 hours. They did not charge any extra money for the confusion. When you book the 5 hour tour/transfer you are provided a choice of sights to see. Not communicated is how long you can stay at the sights and the driver had very limited English, using Google Translates to help. Make sure you know how long you have for touring and how much time should be left for the airport transfer. We had requested a photo opp at the Imperial Palace and a visit to the gardens. The garden visit was lost in translation, so we did not get to visit it, but the driver took us to Tokyo Tower unstead. I would recommend, just sticking with their suggested three areas to visit rather than make your own itinerary. And be sure to understand your timing at each site. After seeing the sights the driver suggested the transfer times, thus we used the driver's guidelines for the transfer part of the trip. It broke down to - 2.5 hours for touring and 2.5 hours for the transfer from city center to two airport. We ran into terrible traffic getting to the airports (even on a Sunday) thus our transfer time was over by 29 minutes thus we were penalized another 5,000 yen (about $32). Be sure to keep in mind that any overage of time is your responsibility and you will pay for it. While our driver barely spoke a word of English, he was courteous and helpful. The car was exceptionally comfortable and clean. Using WhatsApp gives you direct access to both the driver and the company, should things go wrong as they did for us, yet we always had a way to communicate. This was reassuring. While the 5 hour tour/transfer service seems rather expensive, it is inline with what Regent Cruises would charge for a bus transfer with city tour for two people. (minus the additional charge for the 29 minutes we were penalized, which made it more expensive) We were certainly more comfortable in our van with private driver, then being loaded on a bus, thus this could be a good option. Overall recommended, but with the above considerations.

Driver was on time. He had great communication in finding us at the cruise ship terminal. We wanted to do some shopping at a mall. He first took us to a coffee shop as the malls were not open yet. It was a wonderful experience. He then took to the mall and then to Haneda Airport. A wonderful and caring driver.