Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Diamond Princess

shazz56

By shazz56,
in Princess Cruises

Recommended Posts

shazz56

shazz56

Posted
Posted

I have read so many threads here but most are about all the others from Ruby, Coral, CB.... too many to name..

 

Does any one have any recent info about the Diamond Princess?

 

We are off in May...sailing from Vancouver to Whittier then the 7 day land component.

 

I have been reading a great travel blog that i found here...and that has been a great help...but...

 

Everyone seems to forget the Diamond or does no one like her?

 

 

 

Cheers from 'Down Under'

 

sharon

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cheznandy Holiday Sharing Rare

cheznandy

Posted
Posted

Hi Shazz,

 

You may not have heard much here on the Princess board as the Diamond has been spending the summer in OZ, (our summer) so most post on the Aust/NZ board.

We cruised on the Diamond last January and loved it, we are back on again in a couple of months doing Beijing to Vancouver.......actually we may get off and you get on:)

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy Alaska:)

 

Chez

xx

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shazz56

shazz56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Hi Shazz,

 

You may not have heard much here on the Princess board as the Diamond has been spending the summer in OZ, (our summer) so most post on the Aust/NZ board.

We cruised on the Diamond last January and loved it, we are back on again in a couple of months doing Beijing to Vancouver.......actually we may get off and you get on:)

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy Alaska:)

 

Chez

xx

 

Hi Chez,

Looks like we will be 'like ships that pass in the night' LOL

 

I have been looking at the webcam and thought what a shame i cant hop on board and sail all the way instead of flying! Even if i could stowaway, i dont have enough annual leave up my sleeve!

 

shazz

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shazz56

shazz56

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Haha, we are away for 5 weeks, will have to work a year to save that again.

We will be updating our travel blog while away www.cheznandy.travellerspoint.com so you can read all about Alaska before your trip.

Its a long way for us Aussies, we have to make the most of it.

Chez

Xx

 

 

Lucky for us Aussies that the exchange rate is good at the moment! Last cruise we did, the $US was so bad, it cost us around $15au for the cheapest drink! As we were on board for 28 days, we limited ourselves to one drink a night. That was a very dry cruise!!

 

I have already exchanged some US$ ...ready to spend!!

 

shazz

Link to comment
Share on other sites
azbirdmom Great Review Rare

azbirdmom

Posted
Posted

We just disembarked the Diamond last Friday - in your lovely city. Many of our recent trips have been on the Star and the Diamond is different in a couple of ways. There are 4 anytime dining rooms, all with the same menu with one exception. Each has a special dish that is available every day. For our cruise, Vivaldi had Osso Bucco, Pacific Moon had stir fry seafood noodles, Santa Fe had fajitas, and Savoy had a pork chop. There is no International Cafe, but the coffee bar on deck 5 did have many of the same sandwiches on trays that you could help yourself to. Also no Vines but the Wake Bar near the traditional dining room did have wine and tapas. Club Fusion has many seats that do not face the stage, so they have lots of flat TVs. And the aft elevators face the sides instead of towards the bow, so a little different getting used to that. She was a fine ship and we really enjoyed sailing her in New Zealand and Australia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jdslkmj

jdslkmj

Posted
Posted

Our first cruise (to Alaska) was 5 years ago on the Diamond...we've done a few since then with Princess (including on the Ruby) and we are heading back to do an Alaska Cruisetour in September on the Diamond again! We selected the cruise to be sure we got the Diamond...It is our absolutely most favorite ship...You will love it!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bimmer09 "Live from...." Rare

Bimmer09

Posted
Posted

It's my favorite ship to date.

 

I wrote a 9,000 word review on CC (the Princess Board not the Member's review section). It will give you a sketch of life onboard the Diamond in Alaska.

 

Norris

in Chicago

Link to comment
Share on other sites
beg3yrs

beg3yrs

Posted
Posted

The Diamond, and her sister the Sapphire, are wonderful ships. They are considered to be Grand class like the Star (I've heard some call them the Jewel class) but were built in a different shipyard and are different in very minor ways. It's fun to hear the captains announce they are sailing the largest vessels in the Princess fleet (not after the Royal deploys though). Of course they have to explain that is by tonnage, not by passenger count. The outside on Promenade deck is a little wider as the ship's beam is wider than the others in the same class. This extra width is what gives the extra tonnage, even over ships like the Emerald which have the extra Riveria deck. They are laid out pretty much the same as the other Grand class ships except for the dining rooms which another poster explained. Personally we enjoyed the choice of various themes in the different restaurants. BTW, the specialty theme dishes can be obtained in any restaurant.

 

Sailing on board is just like being on all the others. It all depends on the crew, the passenger mix and the cruise staff. We've been on both for long cruises and had wonderful times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
runnerodb83

runnerodb83

Posted
Posted
The Diamond, and her sister the Sapphire, are wonderful ships. They are considered to be Grand class like the Star (I've heard some call them the Jewel class) but were built in a different shipyard and are different in very minor ways. It's fun to hear the captains announce they are sailing the largest vessels in the Princess fleet (not after the Royal deploys though). Of course they have to explain that is by tonnage, not by passenger count. The outside on Promenade deck is a little wider as the ship's beam is wider than the others in the same class. This extra width is what gives the extra tonnage, even over ships like the Emerald which have the extra Riveria deck. They are laid out pretty much the same as the other Grand class ships except for the dining rooms which another poster explained. Personally we enjoyed the choice of various themes in the different restaurants. BTW, the specialty theme dishes can be obtained in any restaurant.

 

Sailing on board is just like being on all the others. It all depends on the crew, the passenger mix and the cruise staff. We've been on both for long cruises and had wonderful times.

 

Tonnage is also based on a minor technicality of the Diamond/Sapphire. The enclosed Calypso pool counts on these ships whereas its excluded on the Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby because its not enclosed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
beg3yrs

beg3yrs

Posted
Posted
I saw the Diamond in Hobart on Tuesday. Im thinking i might have to go on it soon as well. Just out of interest does it cost to use the pool in the Lotus spa area. The pool looks rather big

 

No, the pool adjacent to the Lotus spa is a public pool. Many people think there is a charge because of its proximity to the Sanctuary and the Spa. Enjoy it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WaggesAZ

WaggesAZ

Posted
Posted
I have read so many threads here but most are about all the others from Ruby, Coral, CB.... too many to name..

 

Does any one have any recent info about the Diamond Princess?

 

We are off in May...sailing from Vancouver to Whittier then the 7 day land component.

 

I have been reading a great travel blog that i found here...and that has been a great help...but...

 

Everyone seems to forget the Diamond or does no one like her?

 

 

 

Cheers from 'Down Under'

 

sharon

 

Hello Sharon,

 

My family and I took the same cruise (left the 26th of May) last year and we truly loved the ship & cruise ports! The ship is beautiful, I enjoyed exploring her. We never found a reason to utilize the sanctuary as the weather was too cold when the ship was sailing, so I could not find the value.

 

The weather was beautiful, we flew into YVR early the day prior. We stayed at the Pan Pacific and it was a great stay! We toured the Gastown area the evening prior, and prior to embarkation we toured Stanley Park via horse drawn carriage, which I wish we could have spent more time there. The walk along the sea wall was quite enjoyable.

 

We had ATD, as with the long days (in port & at sea) and 2 aft cabins, we didn't want to be locked into a dinner time and it worked well. We very much liked the Vivaldi dining room, as ATD allows you to choose between 4 dining rooms. The oso bucco was delish & our wait staff was exceptional. The boys and my dad had the UKP & our youngest son could have gained 5 pounds drinking milkshakes! :D

 

My parents had never cruised before, and they bought a future certificate to book another cruise, as they enjoyed themselves so much. They loved the staff & their friendliness. Our steward was fantastic, and truly most of the staff were a delight. We had an issue at security with our son, but lesson learned for us. There are not good cameras where bags are scanned upon re-entry & someone took my son's collective coin upon having it scanned. We let him go ahead of us (he was 17) because it was slightly drizzling, but we will enter together going forward. It's did not affect our view of our cruise.

 

My immediate family of 4 did not book any tours through the cruise line, but my parents & aunt did book the railroad in Skagway, and enjoyed themselves. My aunt also did the duck boat in Ketchikan. After we left Ketchikan, we actually enjoyed the hot tubs & the beauty of the coastline of Alaska. It was crazy to be in the hot tubs, when we could see snow all around us, but the sun was shining & it was so beautiful!

 

The open water along through the Gulf of Alaska was a little rough, and it was the 2nd formal evening. We did not see many people at dinner that evening, as the waves were pretty rough. The captain did tell everyone after 3pm, we would be leaving the bay & to expect a rocky crossing. We took meclazine which seemed to work well, and enjoyed a lovely evening.

 

If there is a specific question or concern, I will try to answer it. It was truly an amazing experience, and I could spend months in the beauty of Alaska. Although I have many places to go before I can make that happen! :D Your country & New Zealand are on that list!

 

Safe travels!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hobart Hurricane

Hobart Hurricane

Posted
Posted

Awesome review. We just did New Zealand and it was fantastic. The place really knows how to do tourism. Very helpful iStations everywhere and the weather was great. We did average 9 metre swell after leaving the Fjordlands for Melbourne so the trip home was a little bumpy and a few people ended up in the Medical centre. Coming from a family that is fisherman and around boats a lot it didnt worry me, but did take a few travel sickness tablets just to be careful and i was fine

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MargoK

MargoK

Posted
Posted

We cruised on the Diamond for Christmas New Year 2010 and loved the ship. Would travel on her again given the opportunity.:D

 

I wrote an extensive blog that you may find useful. See the blog address in my signature below.

 

But have to say I am liking Celebrity too...:eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
beg3yrs

beg3yrs

Posted
Posted
Tonnage is also based on a minor technicality of the Diamond/Sapphire. The enclosed Calypso pool counts on these ships whereas its excluded on the Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby because its not enclosed.

 

That comment made me look up the formal definition of GRT and you are spot-on. I never expected adding a roof would increase GRT by the volume enclosed. I "assumed" GRT was more a measure of displacement. I now stand corrected and now more knowledgeable.

 

Maybe it will help someday in a trivia contest ... but then again, the cruise staff will probably have the wrong answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...