My wife and I will be traveling to Japan for our first time, and doing the Essence of Japan, starting 6/1. We want to come a couple of days earlier, so I called Tauck for help. The tour is booked at the Shangri-La of Tokyo hotel starting 6/1, but we're arriving on 5/30 (two days earlier). I called the Shangri-La and they have no rooms in the same category as the tour available. The only option was a "Deluxe Imprerial Garden" room at a nightly cost starting at around $850, so the two nights would cost us $1700, and we'd have to change rooms when the tour group arrives. Tauck apparently has no pull with the hotel, and can't recommend any other nearby hotels.
So it seems we have the choice of paying $1700, or finding another hotel on our own and hoping it's OK. I'm a little disappointed in Tauck and the lack of helpfulness. Surely we can't be the only ones who ever came in a couple of days early?
Does anyone have any suggestions for us here? Thank you - we've never been to Japan and don't really know much!
