Just off Diamond today 11/27 review

[vivalv66]

We are 40 year old married couple. Booked own airfare from Seattle to Long Beach Not LA. Took Taxi to pier. Embarkation very slow. 3 hour wait. Ship was late. People looked a little confused. Hardly any porters to take luggage. No big deal really just a bit confusing.

Had a balcony stateroom on Lido deck. Nice room, good location. Some noise above balcony when people walked by. My only real complaint is the showers are soooo small!( Good water pressure though!) Next cruise room with tub for sure. Ship very nice. Had PC dining.They would take reservations 2 days in advance. We usually ate at 8:30. Food was good everywhere. Like the Santa Fe the best.(Table 333 is pretty private) No waiting. Friendliest staff. Didn't really wait long at any restaurants. They all have there own menu and it is the same every night. We ordered from there menu and traditional menu. You can mix and match.Tables for 2 are almost all not private. Didn't bother us to much. We talked if people wanted to talk. Ate at Sabitini's the first night. 2 1/2 hours. It's like 16 courses! Hardly anyone there. Good if you like seafood, cavier. etc. Good waiters. Thought the maitre'ds seemed slow and confused in all the restaurants. Like they didn't understand the computer. Made it seem like a big ordeal to assign you a table. I don't think you need any reservations, they seat you anyway. We went early sometimes and never waited. Horizon Court food was always good. Ate there everyday for breakfast and lunch. Did have breakfast 1 time in dining room. It was fine. Liked Horizon better. Same food, more relaxed.Ice cream bar very good $3-4 for a sundae but worth it. Pizza, hamburgers and fries good also.

First and last day at sea---yes it was cold. Yes bring a jacket. Pools all nice. Hot tubs too! Always deck chairs available. Lots of kids as it was Thanksgiving. No problems with them in pool or anywhere really.

Went to some shows. They were good. Liked the comedian. Had all types of dancing music in different places. Something for everyone. DH liked the cigar bar.Never got asked to buy anything. Have movies in lounge but they also show them on TV in stateroom. Room steward friendly. Slow getting us champagne glasses got them myself after 2 tries. Then he left us six of them.

No cute lil towel animals on Princess :(.

Ports of call...

PV-went on Los Veranos Canopy tour. AWESOME!! Highly recomend it to anyone any age. Very safe. Warning... spray really good with off! They spray you there but get it good as I got bit 16 times on legs by Mexican Sand Fly. Didn't think much of it til next day. Very itchy. Ended up at ship doctor. He knew exactly what I had without looking. Have to take antibiotics and a cortizone pill. Not real serious but could lead to a staff infection of some sort if you itch them to much. They are like little flies and they inject you with something when they bite. Looks like mosquito bite. Stopped itching the next day. Still have them today they look like brown moles. Getting better though. Didn't ruin my trip just added $110 doctor bill. Ship doc very very nice.

Mazatlan- went on Randi's Happy Horses. She was sold out but we did get to ride anyway. Nice horses. Went through coconut groves and on beach. Ended at Victors bar on beach. We had chips. salsa, coconut, onion rings and 4 beers. Only cost $8! Randi a real neat lady. First time riding for me. Was nervous at first but the staff was awesome. Was a lil sore the next day! :)

Water not that great in Mazatlan. No snorkeling.

Cabo- Our favorite stop. Took glass bottom boat to Lovers Beach. Got a short tour around the arch. Seen the seals and pelicans and lots of fish. Got dropped off at the beach. Great snorkeling on the Sea of cortez side. Nice big waves on pacific side. Boat picked us up 3 hours later. Cost us only $10pp.

Only had 1 hour left to shop. We are definitely going back to Cabo. The water was the best there and we want to see more of it.

Last day at sea some sun and windy. Was not that hot at any port. I have my ship log and it says... 1st sea day 64, 2nd sea day 71, PV 82, Mazt 75, Cabo 75 and last sea day was 68. Hope that helps.

Disembarkation..we had a 11:00am flight out of Long Beach. Was off ship in first group at 8:10. In taxi at 8:30. $32 to airport. No problems there.

Well it is getting late and that is all I can think off at this time. Overall a great cruise and I would do it again but probably the carribean side as I like hot sun and blue water! Any questions I will be glad to answer. Bon Voyage to you future Diamond cruisers! Sherry

[randyat1001]

Thanks Sherry for the review, very helpful!! We are on the February 12 sailing and have already booked with Randi.

We are flying to Seattle Wednesday for DM's 90th birthday (I am from Bellingham) and hope for decent weather!

Randy

[cynbar]

Thanks for your review -- we're booked on the Diamond in January and are really looking forward to it. I do have a couple of questions you may be able to help with. We're a little confused about the anytime dining on this ship. We did the Grand last year and it worked out very well, we just presented ourselves whenever we were ready and were always seated without too long a wait. Do you think that reservations are essential ? It sort of seems to defeat the purpose!! Secondly, who was the cruise director, and how was he/she and their staff? Do they do a morning show on TV? And finally, now that we're on daylight savings time, is the ship on the same time as the ports or an hour later (we are meeting a private tour so this is crucial!) ??? Thanks for your help! PS --- One more question --- did you see any whales or dolphins from the ship??

[jeff f]

Sherry,

I'm glad that you had a good time on The Diamond. I'll be cruising on her in less than 2 weeks, 12/11/04 and I appreciate the feedback.

[vivalv66]

Thanks Sherry for the review, very helpful!! We are on the February 12 sailing and have already booked with Randi.

We are flying to Seattle Wednesday for DM's 90th birthday (I am from Bellingham) and hope for decent weather!

Randy

Cold here but sunny. I brought Randi some rye bread and she loved it.There are some things she misses from the states. Have fun!

[vivalv66]

Thanks for your review -- we're booked on the Diamond in January and are really looking forward to it. I do have a couple of questions you may be able to help with. We're a little confused about the anytime dining on this ship. We did the Grand last year and it worked out very well, we just presented ourselves whenever we were ready and were always seated without too long a wait. Do you think that reservations are essential ? It sort of seems to defeat the purpose!! Secondly, who was the cruise director, and how was he/she and their staff? Do they do a morning show on TV? And finally, now that we're on daylight savings time, is the ship on the same time as the ports or an hour later (we are meeting a private tour so this is crucial!) ??? Thanks for your help! PS --- One more question --- did you see any whales or dolphins from the ship??

Reservations are not essential. We had a full ship and no problems getting in. Cruise director was Chris Nichol. He sings. Don't know that much about him and staff sorry. I did not notice any morning show just port talks and such. Ship changes time ahead 1 hour on 1st day at sea.? PV is 1 hour ahead of that. Mazt and Cabo are same as ship. Time went back to PST on Friday. So you really only need to worry about shore excursions in PV. I set my watch at ships time and hubby set his at PV time. Yes seen dolphins real good. The whales are harder to spot. Did see the spouts of water and part of a tail but not the whole whale. Captain announces when he sees a whale and tells you what side of ship to look at. You will have many more sightings on your cruise in Jan. as you sail right by the island they are known for being around.

[Lisa63]

Thank you for the review, as we will be onboard in just under three months. Were taxis plentiful after you disembarked? We have an early flight as well, only from LAX.

[vivalv66]

Thank you for the review, as we will be onboard in just under three months. Were taxis plentiful after you disembarked? We have an early flight as well, only from LAX.

Yes, we didn't see anyone else taking them.

[cynbar]

Thanks for your prompt response!

[Pam in CA]

We had Chris Nichol on the Regal Princess last April/May. He's great. His office was right near my cabin and I can attest that he works very hard -- from early morning to late at night. He has been on several different ships since May, training other Cruise Directors or filling in. He makes an effort to greet people and make sure they're having a good time, more like the host at a party than the headline comedian.

[jaxgirl]

We also just returned from the Mexican Riviera cruise week of Thanksgiving so I thought I'd add a few notes based on our experience. We drove up from San Diego, also experienced considerable wait on embarkation. Cabin A609 on Aloha deck in great location with nice balcony. Only a short walk and one stair level up to the Horizon Court buffet so easy to get morning cofee and afternoon snacks when you want to bring back to the room. Most mornings we had a continental breakfast and coffee/tea delivered through room service.

 

First day signed up for week-long pass to spa/salon ($109. per couple for the week). Gym was adequate though very busy on sea days, especially mornings and you have to sign up for a time on the treadmill and for the weight machines. Salon/spa area had some nice features like the heated mosaic tile relaxation beds and the steam rooms. Big problem though is the noise from the basketball court and joggers on the level above. Really detracts from a soothing, relaxing experience. Had a massage and thought a herd of elephants was going to come crashing through the ceiling. Staff obviously well aware of this and claim Princess may try to do something about better soundproofing. Also, Rasul room was out of order so we had to ask for a credit since we had paid in advance for that ($66. with pass). Spa staff could have been a bit more customer service oriented. They seemed harried and not very happy.

 

We did PC dining and liked that option very much. Most dining room staff were very friendly and interactive. Sterling restaurant was our favorite, we ate there three nights. Also tried Pacific Moon which was very good, loved the sushi. Santa Fe was okay but nothing special to us. Loved Vivaldi and wish we would have eaten there again instead of the specialty restaurant, Sabatini's. What a disappointing disaster to us, especially for the extra $40.00 for the two of us. Some of the food was cold, our lobster was under-cooked, room was noisy, lights were bright, tables too close together and not a very intimate feel like we experienced in some of the other dining rooms. Also, we were there on formal night and it kind of bugged us that they allowed men in the dining room with no jackets and ties. One man was even wearing a hawaiian shirt!! We talked to several of the staff about our experience including the head chef and maitre 'd. Only response was that they were very surprised and had never had those kinds of complaints before (really, never??). No offer of price adjustment or other accomodation.

 

Puerta Vallarta shore excursion to Las Caletas through Vallarta Adventures was one of the highlights. We tried to book on-line at home a couple of weeks before the cruise for $63. each but must have waited too long since the reply was that the excursion was only sold through Princess so we booked through them on ship for $79. each. Still a fair value as we enjoyed the boat ride, entertainment, snorkeling, lunch, drinks, kiss from the sea lion, etc. Their crew was wonderful and it was a great day all around. Mazatlan we took a taxi into town and shopped the market and saw the old church. Then taxied to the beach area for lunch and mango daquiris at Mango's restaurant - yum! In Cabo we made our way over to Playa Medano beach area and went swimming and had lunch at Tabasco's next to the Pueblo Bonito Rose. Another great day but of course, could have used a full day vs. half day.

 

Fun activities we did on-board included the tango lessons, culinary demonstration and galley tour and art auction. Art auction can be fun and educational even if you don't intend to buy. Russell, the "auctioneer" was very good at explaining things about the artists, the type of work, etc. in layman's terms. Staff pours each attendee a couple of glasses of free champagne. By the way, it's not really a typical auction as they tell you a minimum starting price and often they have more than one of an item so people typically get what they want. Comedian was hysterical but the Secret Agent show wasn't very good. Enjoyed the casino and found the dealers to be very helpful.

 

We liked the automatic tips with drink purchases and the $10. per person per day gratuity for cabin stewards/dining room staff. Only optional tipping is for spa and casino staff. We did some extra tipping when we got extra service from dining staff, etc.

 

Disembarkation was pretty typical. Out of cabin by 8:00 AM, time for one last breakfast (before the diet!) and then to the lounge area at 8:30 AM. Finally off the ship and through customs by 10:30 AM. Having our passports let us go to a more express customs line and saved considerable time.

 

Overall we had a great vacation but think we prefer the atmosphere and service on our last two Celebrity cruises. I'd be happy to answer any questions if anyone wants so just ask away.