Diamond - Hawaii Jan 6-22, 2023. Semi Live

[cruzin4us]

1 hour ago, CruisingGrandmaW said:

@Cruizin4us  Love your humor-style of writing.  So entertaining to read your various experiences.

 

Re:  Passenger rude to Crew Staff.    Want to share a "story" of my own. 

Was at second Set Sitting Time in MDR.

An elderly widow at our table was very demanding & hyper-critical over the food. 

Meat was not cooked to her liking and waiter forgot to put a couple extra pieces of Veggies on her plate.  When the waiter came to the table next to us to take their order ........ this elderly lady picked up her dinner plate and threw it across our table at the waiter -- all while yelling to him about her lousy food & his poor service.

Well the problem in her doing that - is the food from her plate landed on me and soiled my clothes and of course all over the tablecloth making an ugly mess for all of us dining at the table to look at.

 

Waiter was great - he reported incident to MDR Manager.  They re-assigned our table for remainder of cruise & gave me Free Dry Cleaning for my dress that had gotten soiled.

 

PEOPLE - Oh God - Please don't let me turn into an Old Bitty as I age!!!

Woozer that created a bit of a stir I’ll bet. Did they escort her off at the next port?

[cruzin4us]

You know, I wasn’t expecting much on this cruise as far as good meals, service or anything else for that matter.   I really thought since the Diamond has been out of service since Covid (recently started up in November 2022) she wouldn’t be up and running smoothly.  
 

I didn’t expect a well oiled machine as far as everything being up to what I consider the normal Princess standards.  I expected mediocre food, poor service, long wait times for items ordered on the app, and irritable people.    
 

I am really happy to report everything has been top notch, especially the food in the dining room.  It’s arrived hot and seasoned properly and exceeded my expectations by miles.   The scale will show it when I get home.   The Buffet isn’t figured into my opinion.   The crew has been awesome.   For a full ship (almost) and many new crew, they have been superb.   I hope more of the Princess ships can get to this standard (especially the food).  
 

Sure, there have been wait times especially on the first couple of nights at the MDR.   Learn to avoid these times and pretend it’s a freeway and try to avoid rush hour.   
 

That’s my after dinner cocktail thoughts 

[AZjohn]

1 hour ago, CruisingGrandmaW said:

@Cruizin4us  Love your humor-style of writing.  So entertaining to read your various experiences.

 

Re:  Passenger rude to Crew Staff.    Want to share a "story" of my own. 

Was at second Set Sitting Time in MDR.

An elderly widow at our table was very demanding & hyper-critical over the food. 

Meat was not cooked to her liking and waiter forgot to put a couple extra pieces of Veggies on her plate.  When the waiter came to the table next to us to take their order ........ this elderly lady picked up her dinner plate and threw it across our table at the waiter -- all while yelling to him about her lousy food & his poor service.

Well the problem in her doing that - is the food from her plate landed on me and soiled my clothes and of course all over the tablecloth making an ugly mess for all of us dining at the table to look at.

 

Waiter was great - he reported incident to MDR Manager.  They re-assigned our table for remainder of cruise & gave me Free Dry Cleaning for my dress that had gotten soiled.

 

PEOPLE - Oh God - Please don't let me turn into an Old Bitty as I age!!!

Oh man…. That would have been the green light if I was sitting there to jump up and yell as loud as I could FOOD FIGHT! then proceed to get in real trouble in my retaliation mode 😆😂🤣

[wildflowersnhoney]

22 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

 

Rolls are offered at every meal and Princess makes a good dinner roll.   Be careful, they are really addictive.   

So glad I am not the only one who loves the dinner rolls. Are the butter pats back on the table? Last year we had to ask for the butter and then they doled it out in 1/2 the normal size pats. LOL.

 

Thanks for the pics of the Elite & Platinum lounge snacks. Also not a big meat eater, so I will probably fill up on fruit and cheese at the lounge then stuff myself with rolls and the French Onion Soup.  I never seem to have room for it all.

 

When we cruised in April 2022 out of San Francisco to San Diego and Ensenada we found the food to be just "ok". Everything was lukewarm and nothing that we would write home about. Now that you pointed out the "complainers" I do remember the LONG long lines that were constantly in front of guest services.  (The only time I went was to get some larger bills broken into small bills for tips and the casino was closed).  Even then the staff didnt seem happy or smiling like we normally see.

Thank you again for your frank and entertaining updates!  I am looking forward to the adventure of a mini-suite and navigating the bidet. Also I wont be "jumping" into the bath, since I am only 5' 1". 😂 (while I read some historical smut). 

 

[BritRet]

21 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

You know, I wasn’t expecting much on this cruise as far as good meals, service or anything else for that matter.   I really thought since the Diamond has been out of service since Covid (recently started up in November 2022) she wouldn’t be up and running smoothly.  
 

I didn’t expect a well oiled machine as far as everything being up to what I consider the normal Princess standards.  I expected mediocre food, poor service, long wait times for items ordered on the app, and irritable people.    
 

I am really happy to report everything has been top notch, especially the food in the dining room.  It’s arrived hot and seasoned properly and exceeded my expectations by miles.   The scale will show it when I get home.   The Buffet isn’t figured into my opinion.   The crew has been awesome.   For a full ship (almost) and many new crew, they have been superb.   I hope more of the Princess ships can get to this standard (especially the food).  
 

Sure, there have been wait times especially on the first couple of nights at the MDR.   Learn to avoid these times and pretend it’s a freeway and try to avoid rush hour.   
 

That’s my after dinner cocktail thoughts 

We are also on this same cruise and agree wholeheartedly with the comments above.

 

[miagirl]

I have really enjoy your reports and I want to thank you in advance for recommending Kai Sushi.  I love sushi but was planning on giving it a pass as I do with all the other sushi I've ever seen on board a ship.  (Confession time - I'm afraid I'm a bit of a secret food snob.  I also don't mess around with any on board guacamole -  we grow our own avos so I can't imagine that even coming close.)

 

I'm counting the days till I board now thanks to you!

[cruzin4us]

Decided I definitely needed to cut back on my food consumption - only took me 11 days into the cruise to take a good hard look on the mirror and reality sank in pretty quickly.   
 

I had egg sandwich this morning and skipped lunch.   
 

Tonight is Italian night which typically isn’t my favorite but hunger sank in about 4:00 and I was ready to eat my right arm.   
 

The hazmat group was cleaning the room next to me this morning.  I’m not sure why I always walk out of my room when their door is open and they are stacking their dirty dishes, but I do.  Now I just take a big gulp of air, hold my breath, open my door and make a B-line for the elevator.   Not sure it’s going to help but it makes me feel better.    There are always dirty dishes piled up outside and I’m not sure who hails them away, but it’s ugly nonetheless and I almost trip on it every time I leave my room.   It’s just kind of odd to me.   Moving on….
 

Weather is colder as we make our way home.  Seas are rocking but nothing too bad, it’s a far cry better than our way to Hawaii

I’ve had really good success ordering on the app.  Drinks have been delivered promptly.   
 

Internet also continues to work well.  Princess seems to be getting their act together.   At least on this cruise.  
 

At the Meet & Greet I signed up to do the Chef’s Table.  I received a call confirming my attendance and a card confirming the dinner which is tomorrow.   They must have just taken a copy of the invitation from the Island Princess because it mentions the Island Princess in the letter.        It instructed me to wear closed toe shoes       Guess that means I’m wearing my tennis shoes because that’s all I have.   TACKY.   I’ll be embarrassed if we don’t do a Galley Tour and we head right to the table.  

Normally, I do this post while I’m at dinner since it’s just me.   Tomorrow my post will be delayed until after we are done.  
 

Dinner - Italian Night

 

Prosciutto and Melon - very good but I wish there was a tad bit more melon to balance out the amount of prosciutto on the plate.    Plated really nice

 

Eggplant Parmesan - another appetizer the server recommended so I tried it.    It arrived and was beautifully plated.  The eggplant was a bit thicker than I care for, but it was tasty and the eggplant was tender.  Could have been a tad bit hotter. It was a good choice and a healthy one to boot 😁. Cleaned my plate. 

 

Veal Scaloppine, Marsala Wine Sauce - I was hesitant to order this because of out tough mine was in Sabatini’s.  Well, this is a far cry better than what I had in Sabatini’s.  It’s hot and very tender, just the way it should be.  Yay!   Could have licked the plate clean.  
 

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake - (Forgot to take a picture of the dessert menu).    It was good, not quite lemony for me. But it’s one of my favorite cheesecakes that Princess makes. 

 

I keep waiting for the disappointment in the dining room and every night I leave thinking how good the food has been in the dining room.  Tonight was no exception.  Excellent all around.  

 

Pic:

Promenade Deck at night

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by cruzin4us

[cruzin4us]

1 hour ago, miagirl said:

I have really enjoy your reports and I want to thank you in advance for recommending Kai Sushi.  I love sushi but was planning on giving it a pass as I do with all the other sushi I've ever seen on board a ship.  (Confession time - I'm afraid I'm a bit of a secret food snob.  I also don't mess around with any on board guacamole -  we grow our own avos so I can't imagine that even coming close.)

 

I'm counting the days till I board now thanks to you!

you and me both….I grew up on homegrown avocados and I’m also a guacamole snob 😁

[cruzin4us]

Not going to lunch today but here’s the menu. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@Cruizin4usthanks for such a great live from. I am really annoying it!  If it’s not too much trouble would you mind posting a picture of the officer board?  I am boarding on the 29th and am so happy to hear how great so many things are right now. 
 

Also I noticed that the wine and fruit you got at the very beginning had a card from the Vice President of Food and Beverage. Since the officer on the ship is usually called the Food and Beverage Director I’m wondering if you have corporate on the ship now?  
 

Thanks again and I hope your last few days are as great as the first many days. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Cruise frenzy]

Did you have your Captain Circle party yet?  If so, what are the top three numbers?  Thanks.

[cruzin4us]

6 hours ago, Cruise frenzy said:

Did you have your Captain Circle party yet?  If so, what are the top three numbers?  Thanks.

they did have the Captain’s Circle party yesterday, but I did not attend.  I don’t know why I never go, but for some reason it’s never been my thing.   
 

soooo, unfortunately I can’t answer your question.    
 

one of these cruises I’m going to go 😁

[stevec999]

On 1/17/2023 at 10:07 PM, cruzin4us said:

You know, I wasn’t expecting much on this cruise as far as good meals, service or anything else for that matter.   I really thought since the Diamond has been out of service since Covid (recently started up in November 2022) she wouldn’t be up and running smoothly.  
 

I didn’t expect a well oiled machine as far as everything being up to what I consider the normal Princess standards.  I expected mediocre food, poor service, long wait times for items ordered on the app, and irritable people.    
 

I am really happy to report everything has been top notch, especially the food in the dining room.  It’s arrived hot and seasoned properly and exceeded my expectations by miles.   The scale will show it when I get home.   The Buffet isn’t figured into my opinion.   The crew has been awesome.   For a full ship (almost) and many new crew, they have been superb.   I hope more of the Princess ships can get to this standard (especially the food).  
 

Sure, there have been wait times especially on the first couple of nights at the MDR.   Learn to avoid these times and pretend it’s a freeway and try to avoid rush hour.   
 

That’s my after dinner cocktail thoughts 

We are on the cruise with you but this has not been our experience at all. Dinning room has been awful. No mater when our reservations a table has not been available. Seated at tables that are not set. 15 to 20 minutes before orders are taken. Long waits between courses. Food has varied, some good and some bad. Our shortest dinner took 2.5 hours. We finally gave up on the dinning room.

 

[cruzin4us]

Tonight was the Chef’s Table and of all of them I’ve done in the past (maybe 10+) this was favorite by a long shot.    The Chef knows what he is doing and you can tell he had a passion.  He doesn’t just they something together.  There was a lot of thought, time and effort going into preparing our dinner.    Everything was seasoned just perfectly.   
 

Im not going to give comments on every item because everything was a 10+

 

included with dinner is a group picture, individual picture with the Chef and the Head of Food and Beverage.   Also included was a Culinary Cookbook and a Red Rose for the women.  
 

I waddled out of dinner and headed directly to bed because I felt a food coma coming on.  
 

Well worth the $

[cruzin4us]

On 1/18/2023 at 4:15 PM, wildflowersnhoney said:

So glad I am not the only one who loves the dinner rolls. Are the butter pats back on the table? Last year we had to ask for the butter and then they doled it out in 1/2 the normal size pats. LOL.

 

Thanks for the pics of the Elite & Platinum lounge snacks. Also not a big meat eater, so I will probably fill up on fruit and cheese at the lounge then stuff myself with rolls and the French Onion Soup.  I never seem to have room for it all.

 

When we cruised in April 2022 out of San Francisco to San Diego and Ensenada we found the food to be just "ok". Everything was lukewarm and nothing that we would write home about. Now that you pointed out the "complainers" I do remember the LONG long lines that were constantly in front of guest services.  (The only time I went was to get some larger bills broken into small bills for tips and the casino was closed).  Even then the staff didnt seem happy or smiling like we normally see.

Thank you again for your frank and entertaining updates!  I am looking forward to the adventure of a mini-suite and navigating the bidet. Also I wont be "jumping" into the bath, since I am only 5' 1". 😂 (while I read some historical smut). 

 

they have large pats of butter on the tables now in a silver colored bowl.  There is always plenty of butter and it’s in pretty thick pats.   😁

[cruzin4us]

12 hours ago, stevec999 said:

We are on the cruise with you but this has not been our experience at all. Dinning room has been awful. No mater when our reservations a table has not been available. Seated at tables that are not set. 15 to 20 minutes before orders are taken. Long waits between courses. Food has varied, some good and some bad. Our shortest dinner took 2.5 hours. We finally gave up on the dinning room.

 

 

which dining room were you in?  I was In International which wasn’t my first choice.  I think the key is to go to the Maitre D as soon as you board.   I asked for a private table, didn’t care where it was per se (like close to a window) I just asked for a table that wasn’t in a busy area (by the front door).  Told him I didn’t even care particularly what time.   I just wanted the same table every night so I didn’t have to mess with standing in line.    I think if your demands are great (like wanting a window view, at a certain time in a certain location or certain restaurant it cuts your chances to get what you want).  Flexibility is the key.     Prime time hours of 6-7 make it even harder.   I dined at 5:20 which was after the first rush but before the large 6-7 o’clock crowd 

[miagirl]

Again thanks so much for all the info and amazing food port!  Where did you find the Maitre D when you boarded?  Also what times are the main evening shows scheduled?

[cruzin4us]

4 hours ago, miagirl said:

Again thanks so much for all the info and amazing food port!  Where did you find the Maitre D when you boarded?  Also what times are the main evening shows scheduled?

At the podium right inside the dining room.   
showtimes are 7:30 and 9:30 

[jwattle]

I'm almost in a food coma after the Chef's Table pics thank you!!!!😁

[LATTELOVE]

16 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

Tonight was the Chef’s Table and of all of them I’ve done in the past (maybe 10+) this was favorite by a long shot.    The Chef knows what he is doing and you can tell he had a passion.  He doesn’t just they something together.  There was a lot of thought, time and effort going into preparing our dinner.    Everything was seasoned just perfectly.   
 

Im not going to give comments on every item because everything was a 10+

 

included with dinner is a group picture, individual picture with the Chef and the Head of Food and Beverage.   Also included was a Culinary Cookbook and a Red Rose for the women.  
 

I waddled out of dinner and headed directly to bed because I felt a food coma coming on.  
 

Well worth the $

WOW!!!

Food at this restaurant looks out of this world, so beautifully 

displayed. Love it!!

[cruzin4us]

Cruise is coming quickly to an end.  Tomorrow we will be in Ensenada and the home to San Diego.  

 

Seems like there is a lot more coughing, runny nose’s and mask wearing.  Hearing mumbling about Covid cases on board.   I know of the room next to me but I haven’t wandered the halls looking for tables in front of doors.   Such is cruise life.   

 

Headed to lunch, no other reason than it’s there……I sure don’t need to eat.   

 

Lunch

 

Spicy Andouille Sausage and Southern Style Potato Salad - I ordered this mostly out of curiosity.  It was good, basically it was cold Andouille Sausage slices with a tasty potato salad 
 

Grilled Chicken Paillard - Glad I ordered this as it was fairly light.  Ate the chicken and a few fries.  All came out good.   Fries were hot.  
 

Apple Peach cobbler - The funny thing with lunch is they ask you what you want for dessert when they take your order.  Not like dinner when they bring you a new menu.  I ordered but forgot I did because I sure didn’t need it.   I ate it anyway.  

picture of the butter too.   I’m sitting by myself thus the small portion 

 

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

Has the room next to you been COVID the entire cruise?  That's a bummer for you and them.

[wildflowersnhoney]

2 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

 

Apple Peach cobbler - The funny thing with lunch is they ask you what you want for dessert when they take your order.  Not like dinner when they bring you a new menu.  I ordered but forgot I did because I sure didn’t need it.   I ate it anyway.  

picture of the butter too.   I’m sitting by myself thus the small portion 

 

 

 

 

yay for butter!   it was like a bad joke how there wasnt any last April when we sailed. LOL.   There was a rumor that the butter was in storage along with the barrel chairs that used to be in the balcony cabins. 😉 

 

Apple Peach Cobbler....that sounds divine!  a portion or two of that and some hot coffee, my day would be complete. 

[cruzin4us]

Decided to get a head start on packing.  It’s supposed to be a high of 57 tomorrow in Ensenada so no need for any of my Hawaii clothes.  It’s pants and a long sleeve shirt from here on out.  Too cold to sit outside

 

I forgot to mention last night at the Chef’s dinner.  The Chef explained every day/night before dinner all the dishes are lined up for him to taste prior to dinner time.  He said the plates must be hot as well as the food and they must be presented well on the plate.  “If not, we have a problem”.  Not sure if all Chef’s fleet wide do this of if it’s unique to this this Chef.    Maybe that explains why the food is seasoned well/correctly, plated nicely and served on hot plates.   Dunno but he made me happy this cruise 😁

 

couldn’t order a dirty banana from the casino bar because they ran out of bananas.   Not sure if other bars are out too.  They were also running short on the small bottled waters so the gave me a huge one at no additional cost. 
 

Talking out loud to myself and anyone that wants to chime in on the dreaded tipping subject.   I’ve been fortunate to have as close to traditional dining as you can get on Princess.    I have the same waiter and same assistant waiter (he’s new….like brand 14 days new).  Back in the days of old when the waiters relied on what their passengers tipped at the end of the cruise (different from the auto gratuities) they had an uncanny memory of the little things.  For instance, I order an ice tea without exception and one yellow packet of Splenda.   To this date, I have yet to come to my table and they take the initiative to automatically deliver it to my table.    I know this is a petty thing, but every day I ask for the iced tea and then wait for the Splenda.   I’m still planning on giving them a tip but they would have received a larger one had they just taken that little extra step and just done it automatically.  Do any on you understand what I’m talking about?      For example, every morning without exception I head to Good Sprits and order 4 shots of espresso in a flat white.  By day 3, they knew what I wanted as soon as I walked up.    Now, I realize that there are 2447 passengers on board and they can’t remember everything, but that’s pretty basic.   

 

Another example is my room steward knows I would like an extra bath towel.    Again, without exception, it is done daily.  
 

I think if I was at a different table every night, this wouldn’t be an issue for me because I probably wouldn’t be tipping unless some extraordinary thing took place.  
 

There are a few waiters that know I like a Dirty Banana and they will come up and ask if I’d like one today.   That’s the kind of service that I think warrants tipping and what I’m referring to.  
 

If my DH was here we would discuss this and come to some mutual agreement as what to tip.   But, since he’s not I’m just talking out loud trying to figure out if it even matters or I’m being petty on such a small thing.  
 

oh, for the record:   I have not removed the auto gratuities.  It’s just a matter if I should tip more because they have been my servers for 15+ days.   
 

Anyway, that’s my dilemma for today and I’ll probably stew on it all night.  
 

Update:   I started typing this before I got to dinner and was going to finish this up after I ate.     Well, my dilemma has now been solved.  Waiting on my table was my iced tea with my Splenda.   😁.   
 

Mist if you probably know this, but if you don’t:   Don’t be shy about ordering smaller portions of items such as soups and pastas.   It gives you a chance to try a few more items without the guilt of wasting food.   The guilt from eating them another another story.    

 

Gala Night Menu
 

Escargot -  on the past few cruises the escargot has been ok, but it seems like something had changed post Covid.   I haven’t been able to put my finger on the problem.   Snails smaller perhaps?   Sometimes the come in bits and pieces.  Tonight these knocked all the others out of the park.  They were large and the garlic butter was the best to date.  Bread dipping in the butter was soooo good.  The escargot was tender and not overcooked.  I could have easily eaten another round as my main course. 

 

Roasted Tomato Bisque - ordered just a cup for research purposes.     Basically a roasted tomato soup with a basil pesto drizzled on top.   It came out so hot, I wanted to ask for an ice cube like a child.  ….lol.   Glad I ordered just a cup.   Dang bread is filling me up.   I swear if one person tells me their food is cold, they need to order this soup!   They should serve this for lunch with grilled cheese sandwiches.    I really enjoyed the flavor of this soup.   One of my favs. 

 

Lemon-Scented Ravioli, Truffle Oil - Ordered an appetizer size portion (again for research).   On the Discovery it was good,  so I ordered it on the Ruby it was horrid.    So, I was looking forward to trying it here.   The dish arrived on my table and I could smell both the lemon and the truffle.  Good dish if you are going the vegetarian route.    Probably my least favorite item I ordered tonight but it was still good.   Lots of diced tomatoes and asparagus.   Much more veggies that my previous orders.  

 

Beef Wellington, Truffle-Madeira Demi-Glacé - BW can be good or excellent and many shades in between.   Sometimes the pastry is mushy or there is more mushrooms between the meat and pastry than there is meat (Ruby).    This BW was cooked rare which is what I asked for.   I tried cutting it and I thought OMG this is the toughest piece of meat ever, until I realized my knife was upside down.    Duh.   It was really good and my meat had to be almost 2” thick 

 

Lobster Tail - Ordered just an extra lobster tail, did not want a full dinner with rice, etc.     It was good for the MDR, but not near as good as what I was spoiled with last night at the Chef’s dinner.  
 

Crepes Suzette - Probably the worst thing I’ve eaten in the main dining room.  It tasted like dry flour tortillas?   Aren’t crepes supposed to be soft and pliable?  These were like cold flour tortillas ( you know like when you fold a refrigerated tortilla and they break).    Wasn’t a fan.    

While I’ve been enjoying the meals, I’ve found the desserts seriously lacking in the variety department.   It’s mostly ice creams, flambés, and a few cheesecakes mixed in one in a while and Princess special dessert which is lackluster to me since they have changed many of them.   It’s a just a fancy name for a “try to be fancy” dessert.    Why not some pies like coconut cream, key lime or even berry? 

 

Sufficiently stuff, I waddled out of the dining room to go search for the elusive Officer Board for @HaveDogWillTravel

Normally, I stumble upon this numerous times during a cruise.  This time it’s eluded me as I wander around the ship.   
 

 

 

 

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

I am glad that your iced tea and splenda packet showed up on the second to the last night....I hope you made a huge deal of this and praised him for remembering (in a good way).  Granted, the tea is the "job" of the junior waiter and you had mentioned that he was brand new.  I am sure he would appreciate knowing that a small gesture like that was the cherry on the top of your wonderful dining experience you had on this cruise. 

 

That's the teacher in me...