Back from the Diamond Princess , Japan.

There is good and bad with most cruises and if you are lucky everything was good.

Firstly this was our first cruise with Princess and we were aware that there had been some modifications for the Japanese market. We had spent three days in Tokyo prior to the cruise.

Good. Overall the entertainment throughout the ship was good and there were many places to see the performers.

The staff, Jojo and Grace , at the crooners bar were two of best we have come across after many cruises.

There were many areas across the ship you could sit and relax comfortably.

The staff in the Santa Fe dining room were very good . We used this dining during an open dining evening.

Our cabin steward on Dolphin, Selwyn , was excellent.

Bad. When were picked up at the hotel our luggage was taken and transported to the ship. We presumed that the luggage, because they had cabin tags on them would go to the room. It was only when another passenger told us that you had to take your own bags into cruise terminal.

Our two waiters in the international dining room were really poor .

The portion sizes were more like starters than a main course.

When you ordered your drink at the table it took up to 20mins for it to come.

Going through customs on the ship after we had been to South Korea took over 90 mins. We were late getting off the ship.

It is perhaps hard to judge Princess on this cruise as it was tailored for the Japanese market , however this has tainted our view of Princess and we would be reluctant to cruise with them again in the future.

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Sorry the cruise didn't work out very well for you.

Keith

How were the ports?

Where announcements in English and Japanese?

Was the dining room food American or Japanese or both?

Were the japanese friendly to sail with?

Were there English speaking excursions?

Were shows in English?

Was the patter bilingual?

How were the ports?

 

Where announcements in English and Japanese?

 

Was the dining room food American or Japanese or both?

 

Were the japanese friendly to sail with?

 

Were there English speaking excursions?

 

Were shows in English?

 

Was the patter bilingual?

The ports were great but we missed Toyama because we had to stay overnight in Busan due to Super Typhoon Lan.

Announcements in both.

Both.

The Japanese were superb.

Yes.

Don't know.

I loved Japan and would go back. Everywhere was spotless, they have a fantastic ethos of considering others and are willing to help if you are lost. The city's were visited were different in various ways but very interesting.

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Did you get the hotel to port transfer from Princess? Luggages on Princess transfer are always dropped at terminal drop off area. I would also expect the same, unless it is a hotel shuttle.

Glad that the crew service was good.

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I am booked for June but am still deciding, thanks for the information.

So you wouldn't cruise Princess again because of a few things, that aren't handled by Princess?

If portion sizes were small order 2

Bad waiters I agree........ just ask to move to another section

Drinks taking a long time, that's be cause they have to go to a separate bar to get them. Next time take one in with you.

Princess has nothing to do with customs, or luggage handlers.

Thanks.

Did they have the buy one get one $1 happy hours onboard ?

I was actually scheduled for that same cruise, but we decided to cancel. There were a few reasons. First, because of the language barrier, we were worried that it would be a bit segregated cruise. Second, we weren't thrilled with Princess on an earlier cruise, and finally, haven't ever been to Japan, we didn't think that cruising was the best way to see the country, with the typical excursion start at 10am, and being back on the ship at 4pm. (You only see what's within an hour of a port.)

When we added up the price of all the excursions, several precruise days in Tokyo, plane fare, we decided a cruise wasn't the best value for our money. Instead we signed up to take a 15 day land tour across Japan, with an added 4 days pretour, which is also guided. With a luxury tour company, the whole cost and included airfare was just about the same as the cruise. Most meals are included, all very nice hotels, all land and air transportation, and a group size of 16 people max. with full-time tour guide. Were going at the end of March when cherry blossoms start.

So you wouldn't cruise Princess again because of a few things, that aren't handled by Princess?

If portion sizes were small order 2

Bad waiters I agree........ just ask to move to another section

Drinks taking a long time, that's be cause they have to go to a separate bar to get them. Next time take one in with you.

Princess has nothing to do with customs, or luggage handlers.

Anyone can have their own opinions, and I know how they feel. When you get a series of disappointments, they can add up. Certainly, each could likely be overcome, but why? There are other cruiselines and other forms of travel, and if one does work for you, there is no reason to repeat it. Life is too short. There are lots of other cruiselines that want my money, and there is absolutely no reason to stay with one that doesn't agree with you.

So you wouldn't cruise Princess again because of a few things, that aren't handled by Princess?

If portion sizes were small order 2

Bad waiters I agree........ just ask to move to another section

Drinks taking a long time, that's be cause they have to go to a separate bar to get them. Next time take one in with you.

Princess has nothing to do with customs, or luggage handlers.

That's your take on it. Why can't people be allowed to critize without repercussions

There is good and bad with most cruises and if you are lucky everything was good.

Firstly this was our first cruise with Princess and we were aware that there had been some modifications for the Japanese market. We had spent three days in Tokyo prior to the cruise.

 

Good. Overall the entertainment throughout the ship was good and there were many places to see the performers.

The staff, Jojo and Grace , at the crooners bar were two of best we have come across after many cruises.

There were many areas across the ship you could sit and relax comfortably.

The staff in the Santa Fe dining room were very good . We used this dining during an open dining evening.

Our cabin steward on Dolphin, Selwyn , was excellent.

 

Bad. When were picked up at the hotel our luggage was taken and transported to the ship. We presumed that the luggage, because they had cabin tags on them would go to the room. It was only when another passenger told us that you had to take your own bags into cruise terminal.

Our two waiters in the international dining room were really poor .

The portion sizes were more like starters than a main course.

When you ordered your drink at the table it took up to 20mins for it to come.

Going through customs on the ship after we had been to South Korea took over 90 mins. We were late getting off the ship.

 

It is perhaps hard to judge Princess on this cruise as it was tailored for the Japanese market , however this has tainted our view of Princess and we would be reluctant to cruise with them again in the future.

 

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I was also on this cruise. Our waiters in the International Dining Room were excellent (sorry yours weren't up to par). The portions were smaller than usual and our waiter told us several times to let them know if we wanted more as the portion sizes were targeted for the Japanese. Personally, I found it perfect as I could actually have an appetizer, a soup or salad, and a main course, as well as have a little room left for dessert.

Agree that going through immigration in Japan after Korea did take a long time. Wish there were a better way to do this. (While it doesn't help, this time was actually better than on a previous Asia cruise back in 2012 when immigration was done in the port--it took over 2 hours standing in line after getting off the ship, so having it done on board was actually an improvement.)

How were the ports?

Where announcements in English and Japanese?

Was the dining room food American or Japanese or both?

Were the japanese friendly to sail with?

Were there English speaking excursions?

Were shows in English?

Was the patter bilingual?

Thought I'd add my comments:

Announcements were in both English and Japanese. This does mean that the announcements take a bit longer as every announcement is done in both languages. The passenger safety drill (muster drill) also took a bit longer as it too was done in both languages.

The dining room had menus in both English and Japanese. Most of the tables were assigned based on language, so Japanese-speaking passengers together and English-speaking passengers together. Our table was a bit unusual as my SIL speak English, while my aunt and uncle speak Japanese (we had to change the table assignment after boarding to be able to sit together and asked for a "Japanese" table since my uncle doesn't speak English and I wanted to be sure he had someone to talk to). The waiters normally hand the Japanese menus out at the Japanese table and the English menus to the English-speaking table, but ours had a mix (4 people with Japanese menus, and 2 with English menus). They were the same food items with both American and Japanese foods.

The Japanese are exceptionally polite and therefore great to travel with. No pushing, cutting in line, etc., from the Japanese (can't say that about all passengers though).

There were excursions offered in both English and Japanese, so you could book whichever you wanted.

Shows were in English; some of the entertainment was done in both (for example, trivia was held in both English and Japanese versions); movies on MUTS were primarily in English with Japanese subtitles in some.

There were two primary patters--one in English and another in Japanese. My aunt and uncle received the Japanese one in their cabin while my SIL and I received the English one. (I also know there was a German one as there was a group of German speaking passengers on board who had a German Princess agent on board who did the translations for them.)

The Diamond Princess is designed for the Japanese market, but is still very much a Princess ship. Some things are a little different (as mentioned above). There is only traditional set dining and no anytime dining; this is due to the two primary languages on board as well as a larger mix of other languages, such as Chinese and Korean speaking passengers. The maitre d explained that table assignments are done based on passports so presumably the same language would be spoken at that table (in our case we didn't want that, but it was easily adjusted once on board).

I enjoyed this cruise so much that I've booked another cruise on the Diamond sailing from Yokohama for March of 2019, and definitely looking forward to going back.

Thought I'd add my comments:

.

Thank you, I feel a litle easier now. Very nice review.

So you wouldn't cruise Princess again because of a few things, that aren't handled by Princess?

If portion sizes were small order 2

Bad waiters I agree........ just ask to move to another section

Drinks taking a long time, that's be cause they have to go to a separate bar to get them. Next time take one in with you.

Princess has nothing to do with customs, or luggage handlers.

Yes, portion sizes were small, and we were told we could order more, but not all waiters were as good as ours or as accommodating. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to move to another section since there is only traditional set dining on the Diamond. Drinks the first and second nights did take a while, but by the third night, our waiters knew what we wanted and had them ready for us (again, not all waiters were as good).

People should be allowed to express their opinion of their experience without getting criticized for doing so. Several people on the same cruise will have different experiences and consequently a different opinion of how good that cruise was. Each of the things mentioned by itself is probably not a big deal, but several little things can add up. When on vacation, you shouldn't have to accommodate and adjust too many things (order two entries, deal with less than great waiters, bring your own drink into the dining room, deal with luggage and immigration issues--even if this isn't handled by Princess, etc.). Each of us has our own idea of what is "acceptable" and what isn't. Reading other people's opinions allows me to decide what I can accept and what I would prefer not to have to deal with. It doesn't really matter that Princess doesn't handle the luggage transfer or the immigration--if issues in that area bother me, then I may need to rethink what kind of vacation I should go on.

I do agree that Princess shouldn't be blamed for issues outside their control, so saying I won't cruise again in Japan due to immigration and port issues makes sense, but saying I won't cruise with Princess again doesn't make sense, and saying I won't cruise with Princess in Japan, but will cruise with, say Celebrity or Holland America in Japan due to immigration also doesn't make sense.

Having said that, the OP should be allowed to express opinions, and I thank him/her for doing so--those opinions help each of us decide whether a specific cruise line, cruise itinerary, ship, etc., will work for us or not. I want to hear both the good and bad comments. I can then decide what is acceptable or not acceptable for me personally.

Just my opinion... ;)

That is a funny review because I just got off Diamond Princess this morning in Yokohama and absolutely loved it. No difference at all to the usual Princess product. In fact because of the typhoon and missed ports our cruise got 50% cruise fare refunded in the form of a future cruise credit. So I am definitely doing Diamond Princess next year to in Japan. I have so far done 3 cruises on that ship in Japan and enjoy it every time.

Was there an Entertainment Director on the Diamond as well as a CD? Were they OK?

That is a funny review because I just got off Diamond Princess this morning in Yokohama and absolutely loved it. No difference at all to the usual Princess product. In fact because of the typhoon and missed ports our cruise got 50% cruise fare refunded in the form of a future cruise credit. So I am definitely doing Diamond Princess next year to in Japan. I have so far done 3 cruises on that ship in Japan and enjoy it every time.

I suppose it’s all down to what you are use to . I can only relate to our experience on the cruise. We have cruised extensively over the years , with various cruise lines, and the food portions on this cruise and the table service we had were by far the worse. The main reason we choose a cruise is because of the itinerary and then the reputation feedback about the cruise line. Perhaps on this cruise we were unlucky with some aspects of it.

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many thanks to all of you who went on cruises from Japan. we appreciate your info. we have wanted to take some of these and were wondering about the cruises. certainly an experience worth doing. an adventure - something different. some thing to adapt to. many thanks

I suppose it’s all down to what you are use to . I can only relate to our experience on the cruise. We have cruised extensively over the years , with various cruise lines, and the food portions on this cruise and the table service we had were by far the worse. The main reason we choose a cruise is because of the itinerary and then the reputation feedback about the cruise line. Perhaps on this cruise we were unlucky with some aspects of it.

 

 

 

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I actually dislike the Australian based Princess experience more due to losing so many items from the menu. I find the atmosphere in Japan cruises more relaxed and much less aggressive than other cruises where the passengers reserve deck chairs all day, children ruin the swimming pools and go feral.

Thanks for info. Cruising Diamond to Japan and around Japan in March/April.What time is happy hour and what times were shows at night.

There is good and bad with most cruises and if you are lucky everything was good.

Firstly this was our first cruise with Princess and we were aware that there had been some modifications for the Japanese market. We had spent three days in Tokyo prior to the cruise.

 

Good. Overall the entertainment throughout the ship was good and there were many places to see the performers.

The staff, Jojo and Grace , at the crooners bar were two of best we have come across after many cruises.

There were many areas across the ship you could sit and relax comfortably.

The staff in the Santa Fe dining room were very good . We used this dining during an open dining evening.

Our cabin steward on Dolphin, Selwyn , was excellent.

 

Bad. When were picked up at the hotel our luggage was taken and transported to the ship. We presumed that the luggage, because they had cabin tags on them would go to the room. It was only when another passenger told us that you had to take your own bags into cruise terminal.

Our two waiters in the international dining room were really poor .

The portion sizes were more like starters than a main course.

When you ordered your drink at the table it took up to 20mins for it to come.

Going through customs on the ship after we had been to South Korea took over 90 mins. We were late getting off the ship.

 

 

It is perhaps hard to judge Princess on this cruise as it was tailored for the Japanese market , however this has tainted our view of Princess and we would be reluctant to cruise with them again in the future.

 

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Thanks for the review.

I love the Japanese culture, it’s people, and it’s food. :)

On Diamon, how was the quality of the Japanese cuisine?

Also, just curious, what modifications were made for the Japanese market? Ship, cusine, entertainment, venues, other?

And, if this cruise was specifically for the Japanese market, why are you reluctant to cruise with Princess (in other markets) again?

I was also on this cruise. Our waiters in the International Dining Room were excellent (sorry yours weren't up to par). The portions were smaller than usual and our waiter told us several times to let them know if we wanted more as the portion sizes were targeted for the Japanese. Personally, I found it perfect as I could actually have an appetizer, a soup or salad, and a main course, as well as have a little room left for dessert.

 

Agree that going through immigration in Japan after Korea did take a long time. Wish there were a better way to do this. (While it doesn't help, this time was actually better than on a previous Asia cruise back in 2012 when immigration was done in the port--it took over 2 hours standing in line after getting off the ship, so having it done on board was actually an improvement.)

We are booked for Diamond Japan cruise in 2019.

Are there Formal Nights, and is the dress code enforced?

I would prefer not to pack a suit/sport coat/dress shirt, tie, if not necessary. I will, if required to dine in the MDR on Formal Night but really would like to wear my Wafuku Hakama.

We are booked for Diamond Japan cruise in 2019.

Are there Formal Nights, and is the dress code enforced?

I would prefer not to pack a suit/sport coat/dress shirt, tie, if not necessary. I will, if required to dine in the MDR on Formal Night but really would like to wear my Wafuku Hakama.

Yes, there were formal nights. Sorry, I can't say whether or not the dress code was enforced since I didn't pay any attention to what others were wearing.

We are booked for Diamond Japan cruise in 2019.

Are there Formal Nights, and is the dress code enforced?

I would prefer not to pack a suit/sport coat/dress shirt, tie, if not necessary. I will, if required to dine in the MDR on Formal Night but really would like to wear my Wafuku Hakama.

I disembarked the Diamond on Nov 10 , and was on her for 40 days. I suspect you will be able to wear the Wafuku Hakamai on formal nights. We saw lovely kimono, and some gentlemen were in traditional attire as well. However, the dining room we were in (Pacific Moon) did enforce the dress code for men, either sport coat and dress shirt (with or without tie) or dress shirt and tie (no jacket) at a minimum. And I will say that my observation was heavy on the sport coat and tie, very light on the tux.

We enjoyed the cruises, and there were some differences from the US market, but mostly we missed the International Café as an additional casual dining option. We had great cabin stewards and waiters, the food was generally very good (but that can vary depending upon the chefs) and the port calls were great. We only encountered nasty immigration lines a very few times, and that is beyond the control of Princess.