Anybody cruise on the Diamond Princess in the last month or two?

[Ken the cruiser]

We’re getting excited about going on our 17-day Japan and Korea B2B in July and were curious how much fun folks are having on the ship if they’ve cruised around Japan in the last few months. Unfortunately, Live From threads from April and May on the Diamond are pretty much nonexistent from what I can tell. I saw one review regarding an April cruise, but it only talked about the excursions they went on. Nothing about their experiences on the ship. 
 

If someone would like to share, we’re all ears! 😁

[cr8tiv1]

I was on the Diamond in March.  Service was top notch.  Missed the IC.  Many days without the casino/smoke...nice.  Casino seemed to have high end machines.  I didn't play very much on this cruise.  I was able to get the same table/time every night.  Super weather and perfect timing for the Cherry Blossoms.  

 

I pre-purchased Princess busses to cities after the first couple of days.  Don't do that.  You can pay before you get on.  Some places were better if you took a taxi.  

 

They have a Japanese breakfast and several additional Japanese menu options at dinner.  Having 2 CD's in the Princess Theatre made the intro/closing longer.  Entertainment was good.  They had a glitch with Silk Road.  I was really looking forward to seeing it for the first time.  Theater is still too loud.

 

If you have specific questions, just ask.

 

 

[SouthAltaCruisingFamily]

We were on the Diamond January 6-22.  That sailing to Hawaii was at or near capacity.

We had reservations almost every night (except specialty dining evenings) in the Sante Fe Restaurant. 

One half was reservations and the other half was Club Class Dining.  2 Maitre D's and 2 Hostess.  Service in the Sante Fe was friendly, quick, and efficient.  There were people that did not have the same experience in the other dining rooms(Savoy, International, Pacific Moon, & Vivaldi).

If your ship is sailing fuller, dining reservations may save you some grief.

[Expat Cruise]

Was on the Diamond Princess in January, Hawaii and March, Japan. Our biggest negative about the Diamond Princess is no International Cafe. The crew in January was very new to the ship and majority it seems it was their first contract. By the time we did the March trip, the crew had be updated, and overall was much better. 

 

Japan is a great place to cruise and do tours, we have done several cruises here, and have always enjoyed them. 

[Ken the cruiser]

9 hours ago, SouthAltaCruisingFamily said:

We were on the Diamond January 6-22.  That sailing to Hawaii was at or near capacity.

We had reservations almost every night (except specialty dining evenings) in the Sante Fe Restaurant. 

One half was reservations and the other half was Club Class Dining.  2 Maitre D's and 2 Hostess.  Service in the Sante Fe was friendly, quick, and efficient.  There were people that did not have the same experience in the other dining rooms(Savoy, International, Pacific Moon, & Vivaldi).

If your ship is sailing fuller, dining reservations may save you some grief.

Thanks! We're booked in a Reserved Collection MS, so we'll be in Club Class dining which we have come to very much appreciate as Princess continues to cruise close to maximum capacity again. 

[chubbypiggy]

12 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

If you have specific questions, just ask.

 

 

Two of us will be doing the 7 days Kyushu & Korea cruise in early Sept.. Then we will  disembark and spend 5 days on land; then 7 friends will be joining us for the 9 days Circle Hokkaido cruise.  We would like to get more details and pricing information of the Izumi Japanese Bath (aft of Sun deck 15) so we can decide how much gift cards we should bring for the cruise.

 

We would like to know the pricing for: 1 time pass? 1 day unlimited pass? Unlimited pass for the entire cruise (for 7 days and 9 days)?  Also, very crowded?  TIA!

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, chubbypiggy said:

Two of us will be doing the 7 days Kyushu & Korea cruise in early Sept.. Then we will  disembark and spend 5 days on land; then 7 friends will be joining us for the 9 days Circle Hokkaido cruise.  We would like to get more details and pricing information of the Izumi Japanese Bath (aft of Sun deck 15) so we can decide how much gift cards we should bring for the cruise.

 

We would like to know the pricing for: 1 time pass? 1 day unlimited pass? Unlimited pass for the entire cruise (for 7 days and 9 days)?  Also, very crowded?  TIA!

 

I didn't visit the Izumi Japanese Bath on the Aft Deck.  Someone did look into and listed the prices somewhere on the board.  Do a google/cruise critic search.

[Bgwest]

35 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I didn't visit the Izumi Japanese Bath on the Aft Deck.  Someone did look into and listed the prices somewhere on the board.  Do a google/cruise critic search.

 

7D412C4E-CA51-4473-8ECB-3B086236E34F_1_201_a.heic

[Ken the cruiser]

52 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I didn't visit the Izumi Japanese Bath on the Aft Deck.  Someone did look into and listed the prices somewhere on the board.  Do a google/cruise critic search.

I just found this RC thread. Check out post #126.

 

 

 

[chubbypiggy]

3 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

 

7D412C4E-CA51-4473-8ECB-3B086236E34F_1_201_a.heic 1.05 MB · 3 downloads

Thank you.  So the minimum purchase is 7 days?  There is no 1 day pass or 1 time pass?

[chubbypiggy]

7 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I just found this RC thread. Check out post #126.

 

 

 

Thank you!

[skipsaur]

On 5/29/2023 at 12:34 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

I was on the Diamond in March.  Service was top notch.  Missed the IC.  Many days without the casino/smoke...nice.  Casino seemed to have high end machines.  I didn't play very much on this cruise.  I was able to get the same table/time every night.  Super weather and perfect timing for the Cherry Blossoms.  

 

I pre-purchased Princess busses to cities after the first couple of days.  Don't do that.  You can pay before you get on.  Some places were better if you took a taxi.  

 

They have a Japanese breakfast and several additional Japanese menu options at dinner.  Having 2 CD's in the Princess Theatre made the intro/closing longer.  Entertainment was good.  They had a glitch with Silk Road.  I was really looking forward to seeing it for the first time.  Theater is still too loud.

 

If you have specific questions, just ask.

 

 

 

How was the passenger ratio? Majority Japanese passengers?

 

How did formal night feel, casual or dressier?

 

Thanks!

[Bgwest]

On 5/29/2023 at 1:15 PM, chubbypiggy said:

Thank you.  So the minimum purchase is 7 days?  There is no 1 day pass or 1 time pass?

Correct. On this cruise anyway. It was 25 days so maybe purchases of fewer days are available on shorter cruises. 

[chubbypiggy]

3 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Correct. On this cruise anyway. It was 25 days so maybe purchases of fewer days are available on shorter cruises. 

Thank you.

[Bgwest]

1 hour ago, skipsaur said:

 

How was the passenger ratio? Majority Japanese passengers?

 

How did formal night feel, casual or dressier?

 

Thanks!

On the trans Pacific in Feb-March I’d estimate 25% Japanese. 
 

lots of shorts every night. Both on “formal” nights and casual nights. Very laid back vibe. 

[cr8tiv1]

I had the exact numbers but they have now been discarded.  From memory:

 

500 Japanese Nationals. (this surprised me)

50% blue (new to Princess)

and surprising...500 from Hawaii.

About 500 Elite (Laundry returned within 2 days)

Full ship (about 2800.  Didn't feel crowded

 

[Hop77]

I am keen on knowing what is the current drinks menu in Diamond especially the premium glass of wines and sake, the non-alcoholic options. I heard that this ship is different from the rest of Princess fleet. 
 

I want to know as well is there gelato ice cream onboard. We are not a fan of the soft serve. How about the juice bar? Is it freshly blended?

 

Thanks!!!

[chubbypiggy]

We really enjoyed the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar on the Discovery.  Fresh sashimi and very reasonable prices.  Just noticed there is a Kai Sushi on Promenade deck on Diamond.  Just curious to know if the quality and pricing similar to Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar on Discovery? 

[cr8tiv1]

4 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

We really enjoyed the Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar on the Discovery.  Fresh sashimi and very reasonable prices.  Just noticed there is a Kai Sushi on Promenade deck on Diamond.  Just curious to know if the quality and pricing similar to Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar on Discovery? 

 

2 pieces of tuna sushi was $5 a plate.  Restaurant opened at night and on sea days.  Much fresher sushi and sashimi at every port.  

[chubbypiggy]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:42 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

2 pieces of tuna sushi was $5 a plate.  Restaurant opened at night and on sea days.  Much fresher sushi and sashimi at every port.  

Thank you.

[Ken the cruiser]

Next question for those hopefully in the know. I registered on the Visit Japan Web website and filled out the various registration and associated application forms to get the QR code needed when we arrive in Japan the day before our cruise. This included providing the hotel information where we will be staying the night before embarkation on the Diamond.

 

https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/

One of the questions asked was how long do we plan to be in Japan? Since we’re flying in the day before boarding the Diamond for our 17-day B2B cruise, I put 2 days as we will be boarding the Diamond the following day. Does that sound correct or should I put 19 days, which would include the 17 days we will be cruising around Japan, other than popping over to Korea twice on the B2B? 
 

Obviously, Princess has been pretty silent so far on this Customs requirement.

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[cr8tiv1]

I put the total number of days from arriving to departing (by plane).  Be aware that you will ALSO need to do this again and again since you will be exiting Japan twice.  I know, You will get papers telling you how to do it again and again.  

[Ken the cruiser]

26 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I put the total number of days from arriving to departing (by plane).  Be aware that you will ALSO need to do this again and again since you will be exiting Japan twice.  I know, You will get papers telling you how to do it again and again.  

So what you’re suggesting, just to cover all the bases, is to put 19 days, from air arrival to final air departure. I’m guessing you also stayed in a hotel just the night before embarking on the cruise and used its address in the form?

[cr8tiv1]

57 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

So what you’re suggesting, just to cover all the bases, is to put 19 days, from air arrival to final air departure. I’m guessing you also stayed in a hotel just the night before embarking on the cruise and used its address in the form?

Yes, hotel address.  You will need to fill out this form (or adjust) because of the "re-entry" after Korea.  

 

[Ken the cruiser]

8 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Yes, hotel address.  You will need to fill out this form (or adjust) because of the "re-entry" after Korea.  

 

The issue we’re having is that if we put 19 days, it appears we will be staying in the hotel for 19 days rather than just one overnight. We’re starting to lean towards keeping only 2 days, as that’s how long it will be once we board the ship the next day. Now once we get on the ship, Princess I’m sure tell us what we will need to do next.

 

When you processed through the airport on arrival, did you just show the QR code from the Travel Japan Web link to a Kiosk, get approved and then move on, or did you actually show it and talk with a Customs representative?