Most ships give Shimizu a day. Star Seeker is moving in. Windstar’s brand-new yacht — 224 guests, 112 suites, delivered in January 2026 — makes three calls this autumn and nine more across 2027, more visits than any other international ship on the calendar except Celebrity Millennium. Somebody at Windstar clearly liked what they saw from the bridge.
Every Star Seeker call at Shimizu
2026 — confirmed by the port committee (revised 5 October; 17 September was her first-ever call, welcome ceremony included). The 5 and 7 October calls were struck from the schedule in that revision:
| Date | Arrives | Departs | Time ashore* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 17 Sep | 08:00 | 17:00 | ~8 h |
| — | — | cancelled | |
| — | — | cancelled | |
| Sun 25 Oct | 08:00 | 17:00 | ~8 h |
| Tue 27 Oct | 08:00 | 17:00 | ~8 h |
2027 — the lines’ published plans (the port confirms ~30 days ahead): Mar 20, Mar 22, Apr 9, May 1, May 19, then a four-call October — Oct 4, 6, 24 and 26. Arrival patterns alternate between 09:00–17:00 and an earlier 07:00–15:00; the 2027 page tracks them as they firm up.
*Back on board 16:00 under the one rule.
What 224 guests changes about this port
Shimizu is easy even for a 3,000-passenger ship; for a yacht it’s frictionless. The practical differences:
- The water bus to Miho no Matsubara is genuinely pleasant rather than a queue — 25 minutes across the bay, ¥1,000, and on a Star Seeker day you may share the boat with more locals than cruisers. Carry cash for the return leg; the Miho pier sells tickets on board only.
- The Nihondaira ropeway and Kunozan Toshogu work without timing tricks. Big-ship days mean waiting for gondolas; with 224 guests ashore you walk on. Taxi up ~25 minutes, ~¥3,500.
- An 8:00–17:00 pattern is the port’s sweet spot — early enough for Fuji’s clearest window (06:00–08:00 from deck, then the morning haze race), long enough for the full panorama loop plus a proper tuna lunch at Kashi-no-Ichi after the 11:30 rush.
One planning note for the October 25 and 27 calls: those are two-ship days (Westerdam on the 25th, Diamond Princess on the 27th), so the market and taxis carry big-ship crowds even though your own gangway doesn’t. Book anything guided ahead rather than at the pier — the English-speaking operator pool here is small, and it sells out in busy weeks.
The Fuji odds
Mt. Fuji shows clearly about 3–4 days in 10 — better in October than September, best of all on the 2027 spring dates. Check the summit from deck at arrival and decide the day then; if it’s hiding, this port still fills eight hours well.
First call here? Start with the complete Shimizu cruise port guide — piers, shuttle, money, Wi-Fi in one read.
2026 times are officially confirmed (port committee, rev. 5 Oct 2026); 2027 dates are the line’s published plans. Your daily programme always wins. We’ll add Star Seeker photography once she’s called often enough for good CC-licensed shots to exist — she’s that new.
