Diamond Princess Hawaiian Cruise

[Oakman58]

Princess Cruises is a one and done for us.  We just returned from our Hawaiian cruise on the Diamond Princess Jan 6th to Jan 22nd. We’ve cruised with Carnival, NCL, Holland, and RCL.  Of the 16 cruises we’ve done this one was the worst.

 

Pre-Cruise, Princess Cancelled our excursion in Maui causing us to book a private excursion.

 

Worst embarkation we’ve ever experienced.  Three hours standing in lines, most of which was outside the terminal building, before finally getting on the ship.

 

Smallest standard balcony cabin. Sleeps two but only has seating for one (a chair).

 

Smallest shower area in bathroom. So small it was laughable.

 

Almost missed our privately booked Maui excursion because of the slow tendering.  Return tendering we had to stand in a line for 56 minutes in the sun before we were on a tender going back to the ship.

 

Smallest buffet, but excellent omelet station.

 

Smallest Casino, but now that I think of it, the Holland Westerdam might have been just as small.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sterling Steakhouse.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sabatini’s (twice).

 

Anything broken had a sign “we’re on it” but they weren’t.  The Ladies restroom near the Explorers Lounge had two stalls, one was locked with a “we’re on it” sign from day one.  It was still like that when we disembarked.

 

There were other negatives but you get the drift of our experience on this cruise.

 

Positives

 

Princess medallion and App. It worked perfect for us and is the best thing in the cruise industry.

Best Omelet station of any buffet.

Best Naturalist, Mark.

 

I will be canceling the Princess cruise I booked for December.  No more money from me.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

[voljeep]

7 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sterling Steakhouse.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sabatini’s (twice).

so, you had paid for these reservations prior to boarding the ship?

 

good news - you have learned that Princess is not up to your cruising standards on your very first Princess cruise so you are not vested in the cruise line.

[Oakman58]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

so, you had paid for these reservations prior to boarding the ship?

 

good news - you have learned that Princess is not up to your cruising standards on your very first Princess cruise so you are not vested in the cruise line.

 

Yes we had paid for the reservations before boarding.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the refund to show up on my credit card.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Yes we had paid for the reservations before boarding.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the refund to show up on my credit card.

what reason did Princess give you for cancelling those prepaid reservations??  Lack of staff and the restaurants weren't open to anyone?

[charlie murphy]

Seems like everything was too small for you: the terminal ( had to wait outside), balcony , shower, buffet, smallest casino. tendering, maybe the tender was too small but like High seas, Jaws was going off just recently which means Hawaii was getting hit by a swell ( hopefully your tour went by Peahi ) At least you know princess not for you. I hope my vacation will be better.  

[Oakman58]

34 minutes ago, voljeep said:

what reason did Princess give you for cancelling those prepaid reservations??  Lack of staff and the restaurants weren't open to anyone?

When we asked at customer service they told us operational issues, whatever that means.  The Sterling Steakhouse was closed for the entire cruise.  Sabatini's was opened for 4 nights but we saw people eating in there many other nights so I really didn't understand what was going on.

[Oakman58]

38 minutes ago, charlie murphy said:

Seems like everything was too small for you: the terminal ( had to wait outside), balcony , shower, buffet, smallest casino. tendering, maybe the tender was too small but like High seas, Jaws was going off just recently which means Hawaii was getting hit by a swell ( hopefully your tour went by Peahi ) At least you know princess not for you. I hope my vacation will be better.  

 

The size of the balcony was OK it was that cabin that was small.  Every other standard balcony cabin we've stayed in had a couch that could seat at least two people.  Also I didn't say the tenders were small I said the tendering operation was slow.

 

I'm glad we saw Hawaii but it sure cost me a pretty penny to find out Princess cruise lines is not for us and certainly not up to the standards set by other cruise lines.

[1025cruise]

Yes, Princess does not have couches in standard balcony cabins. 

[Skai]

Pre-Cruise, Princess Cancelled our excursion in Maui causing us to book a private excursion.

That sucks.  Was a reason provided?

 

Worst embarkation we’ve ever experienced.  Three hours standing in lines, most of which was outside the terminal building, before finally getting on the ship.

I've read that the cruiseport in San Diego is a clusterfudge when two ships are embarking/disembarking at the same time.

 

Smallest standard balcony cabin. Sleeps two but only has seating for one (a chair).

I absolutely concur.  Princess cabins fall short when booking a cabin below a mini-suite (deluxe-balcony on the newer ships).

 

Smallest shower area in bathroom. So small it was laughable.

See above.

 

Almost missed our privately booked Maui excursion because of the slow tendering.  Return tendering we had to stand in a line for 56 minutes in the sun before we were on a tender going back to the ship.

I've experienced mixed tendering experiences on various different lines.  I'm not sure this is unique to Princess.

 

Smallest buffet, but excellent omelet station.

The Horizon Court buffets on Grand class ships are indeed small and cramped.

 

Smallest Casino, but now that I think of it, the Holland Westerdam might have been just as small.

The Diamond Princess (ship-size length/beam) is only slightly larger than the Westerdam.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sterling Steakhouse.

That sucks.  It's disappointing that certain advertised services are not being provided.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sabatini’s (twice).

See above.

 

Anything broken had a sign “we’re on it” but they weren’t.  The Ladies restroom near the Explorers Lounge had two stalls, one was locked with a “we’re on it” sign from day one.  It was still like that when we disembarked.

It's a disappointing that maintenance issues are slow to be fixed.

 

There were other negatives but you get the drift of our experience on this cruise.

 

Positives

 

Princess medallion and App. It worked perfect for us and is the best thing in the cruise industry.

Best Omelet station of any buffet.

Best Naturalist, Mark.

We've had some really good cruises with Princess; some decent ones, and one(or two) that were sort of "meh".  It appears that most of your issues were operational ones.  We've found that such things may be endemic varying from ship-to-ship/staff-to-staff.  If our first cruise had been one of the "meh" ones, we may not have looked as hard at Princess for future sailings.  Fortunately (for Princess), our first couple cruises were of the 'really good' variety.  

 

I will be canceling the Princess cruise I booked for December.  No more money from me.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

If you were to ever consider cruising with Princess again, you may want to book a cruise on one of the newer vessels.  The Diamond Princess(Grand/Gem Class) is now one of the older ships in the fleet -- Almost 20 years in service.  The newer ships have larger buffets/casinos, but alas, one still has to book a deluxe balcony for a love-seat couch in their cabin.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Skai

[cr8tiv1]

I'm sorry your cruise to Hawaii was not up to your expectations.  Another thread had just the opposite reviews.

 

I understand your concerns regarding the one chair in a balcony.  That has been mentioned by many.  If you had scanned the floor plans, you would have seen that there are no sofa's in anything less than minis.  That is one up for HAL...they have sofas in most categories.

 

As others have said, you are lucky that you had a chance to cruise with Princess to know that this is not for you.  You won't be happy in a Royal Class ship either.  The balconies are horrible and there is no wrap around Promenade Deck.  

 

Tendering in Lahaina has always been awful.  Most every passenger wants off.  That's 2000 to 4000 passengers trying to ride on a small shuttle.  I've been in line for more than an hour to return.  Not fun.  It will be worse with a newer (Royal Princess) ship.

 

Mother nature was on huge display this past weekend.  We are having super (north facing beaches) swells.  Good for surfing, but doesn't make for the best cruise experience.  

 

Bottom line, I hope you had a really good time while in the islands.  

[Oakman58]

On 1/24/2023 at 8:39 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

I'm sorry your cruise to Hawaii was not up to your expectations.  Another thread had just the opposite reviews.

 

I understand your concerns regarding the one chair in a balcony.  That has been mentioned by many.  If you had scanned the floor plans, you would have seen that there are no sofa's in anything less than minis.  That is one up for HAL...they have sofas in most categories.

 

As others have said, you are lucky that you had a chance to cruise with Princess to know that this is not for you.  You won't be happy in a Royal Class ship either.  The balconies are horrible and there is no wrap around Promenade Deck.  

 

Tendering in Lahaina has always been awful.  Most every passenger wants off.  That's 2000 to 4000 passengers trying to ride on a small shuttle.  I've been in line for more than an hour to return.  Not fun.  It will be worse with a newer (Royal Princess) ship.

 

Mother nature was on huge display this past weekend.  We are having super (north facing beaches) swells.  Good for surfing, but doesn't make for the best cruise experience.  

 

Bottom line, I hope you had a really good time while in the islands.  

 

Yes, I read that review.  Apparently having a Mini-suite and higher status in the Captain's Circle makes a difference.  

I also didn't mention that the stairs to the upper bow portion of the promenade deck were always closed, at least every time I went walking.  Along with the other negatives I didn't mention the half inch of standing water that was sloshing around with the movement of the ship the first three days.

 

[cr8tiv1]

Status in Captain Circle will not get you an barrel chair.  I have requested an additional desk chair for an inside cabin.  

[SouthAltaCruisingFamily]

Just under 2500 pax on this sailing from every walk of life, multiple nationalities, & various age groups.

There were over 800 newbies on this cruise as well as the most traveled passenger having 2400 days.

 

Every single one of us(almost 2500 people) experienced the embarkation fiasco!

Many of us were inconvenienced by the steakhouse being out of commission in its normal location, all of us had delays in disembarking the ship, many had issues with dining, a lot of people had 10am airport transfers being a gong show, lots of passengers also were affected by the tendering, and other issues that were front and center.

 

However, you fail to acknowledge that Princess was handing out water while waiting in line in San Diego. 

In Lahaina, they were monitoring the lines and very quick to respond to medical issues (when a girl tripped on her shoes).  Or the fact that they were assisting the handicapped or those that were struggling.  And they were handing out cold clothes.

The captain went 250 miles around to avoid the storms which were impacting California (and other states severely). 

Fifty plus foot waves in Oahu and sloppy ocean conditions led to the cancellation of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational which is one reason we arrived in Hilo early.

They tried to create a solution by when the Sterling Steakhouse was not available.  Combining both the steakhouse and Italian restaurant in one venue while offering both menus at different times was the best solution they could offer.

 

Princess may have been at fault for some of the issues but you cannot blame them 100%. 

Supply issues were still evident, port construction, shore excursion vendors canceling or modifying excursions, weather conditions, covid repercussions.

 

Was it a perfect cruise?  Nope.

 

But I can assure you that you are in the minority. 

 

A lot of people took it with a grain of salt. 

 

I heard a lot of people commend the staff on doing an amazing job despite the circumstances. 

I also heard many comments about how this would not impact future cruising.

 

[northbeachgirl]

I have just gotten off of the Diamond Princess after 33 days. First cruise was 10 days to Mexico, then 16 days to Hawaii and then 7 days to Mexico. I witnessed it all, and heard many stories about the good and the bad experiences of the passengers. I will speak about my days at sea. On the first 10 day cruise our cabin didn’t have heat in our cabin which was fixed on day two. On day five our friend we were traveling with was injured onboard, the ceiling tile in the washroom next to the explorers lounge fell on her head and she was badly injured. Princess did compensate her but the rest of the trip was taken up with looking after her and numerous trips to guest services and medical for help and compensation. This was her first cruise and I felt responsible for seeing to her well-being. Princess did give her an escort to the airport when she disembarked after the cruise. Our next cruise to Hawaii was wonderful, the captain did an excellent job taking us below the high waves and the food, beverage and housekeeping staff were wonderful. The third cruise which was a seven day to Mexico was not great. With each cruise we had to change cabins and the last one was terrible. First night no heat again, then when they fixed it the cabin filled up with smoke, the technician refused to come back in and fix it. Back to guest services, I tell them what happened and how the smoke has made my throat hurt, I feel dizzy and nauseous but they tell me that they may or may not pay for me to see the doctor. I threw up for hours from the smoke I had breathed in. They did move us to another room with a toilet that didn’t work for most of the cruise. I was compensated by Princess but the dealing with guest services was a very bad experience. The food and beverage department was outstanding and the housekeeping staff were excellent. But with guest services I felt sorry for the young people who had to deliver the bad news from the people behind the scenes that wouldn’t speak to the customers and yet they were the ones making all the decisions as to how you are going to be treated.

[AZjohn]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:43 AM, Oakman58 said:

Princess Cruises is a one and done for us.  We just returned from our Hawaiian cruise on the Diamond Princess Jan 6th to Jan 22nd. We’ve cruised with Carnival, NCL, Holland, and RCL.  Of the 16 cruises we’ve done this one was the worst.

 

Pre-Cruise, Princess Cancelled our excursion in Maui causing us to book a private excursion.

 

Worst embarkation we’ve ever experienced.  Three hours standing in lines, most of which was outside the terminal building, before finally getting on the ship.

 

Smallest standard balcony cabin. Sleeps two but only has seating for one (a chair).

 

Smallest shower area in bathroom. So small it was laughable.

 

Almost missed our privately booked Maui excursion because of the slow tendering.  Return tendering we had to stand in a line for 56 minutes in the sun before we were on a tender going back to the ship.

 

Smallest buffet, but excellent omelet station.

 

Smallest Casino, but now that I think of it, the Holland Westerdam might have been just as small.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sterling Steakhouse.

 

Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sabatini’s (twice).

 

Anything broken had a sign “we’re on it” but they weren’t.  The Ladies restroom near the Explorers Lounge had two stalls, one was locked with a “we’re on it” sign from day one.  It was still like that when we disembarked.

 

There were other negatives but you get the drift of our experience on this cruise.

 

Positives

 

Princess medallion and App. It worked perfect for us and is the best thing in the cruise industry.

Best Omelet station of any buffet.

Best Naturalist, Mark.

 

I will be canceling the Princess cruise I booked for December.  No more money from me.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

I consider all your points valid, though I'm not a Princess apologist.

 

I don't blame you for cancelling the next cruise and I hope you find a line that is more aligned with your wants. I personally found that we need to pay a lot more $ for that so I lowered the bar when booking Princess.

 

The one point you touched on that I will not accept sailing with Princess in warm weather (especially their newly built class ships) is the very tiny balconies. Totally unacceptable (and useless) as far as we are concerned and will not support that design.

 

Cheers

[JudithLynne]

We were on this same cruise, I believe our 30th with Princess. This was our 3rd cruise on the Diamond.

I share all concerns mentioned above.  I would like to add that disembarkation was also a nightmare!  It started late and had little crowd control.  Those steel mesh ramps were frightening to say the least.

Someone made a comment that the Diamond was putting its energy into getting ready to move their business to Japan and were not focused on current cruise ship issues.

We will be on Princess again as we have future cruise credits.

I finished my survey today and I had a lot to say.

This cruise did not demonstrate Princess standards.

Very disappointing.

[memoak]

At many ports embarkation is an issue since everyone seems to show up before 11 and expect to get on board ASAP. When we saw this in San Francisco we just dropped our luggage and went across the street for beer and a pizza.  Came back in about an hour and a half and walked right in

[stevec999]

We were also on this cruise. Our first Princess. I have been cruising for 30 years and have never experienced the mess that was this cruise. 

 

We had all the issues that have been mentioned plus many more. I won't bother going into them beause the apologists will just refute them. This was our 7th cruise since the restart and we didn't experience  anything like this. We were on the Carnival Panorama last fall and had a far better experience. Our other recent cruises have all been on Celebrity. 

 

Will we go on Princess again? We have not ruled it out but it will have to be a unique itinerary or a real deal.

 

We had a good time and enjoyed Hawaii. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by stevec999

[cr8tiv1]

I'm not being a Princess apologist but merely adding my observation.

 

Embarkation and Disembarkation in San Diego is out of the hands of Princess.  It is difficult, at best, if two ships are in port the same day (either 1 in transit and the other embarking/or both embarking:disembarking).

 

The harbor had king tides (higher than normal tides) making the ramp challenging.

They only have one building to process passengers.

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) are responsible for everything once you leave the ship.

Agents on the ground are port authority employees.

 

It is my hope that Princess works on your concerns and this ship is better prepared for future voyages.