Diamond Alaska 7/20/13 the Good, the Bad and the Stinky

Having gleaned some valuable information from fellow CC’rs I just wanted to post a few observations while their still fresh. My DH, 18 y/o son and I were in suite D739 for the Vancouver to Whittier July 20 cruise. We tacked on the Denali Explorer 4 night land tour departing by train from Whittier. We flew into Vancouver the morning of July 20 without any delays. Took a taxi into town rather than a transfer. We took the Misty Fjord Flight with Island Wings in Ketchikan, the helicopter Mendenhall Glacier excursion in Juneau and we rented from Avis in Skagway and drove to Carcross…all highly recommended excursions. Don’t bother shopping in any port, nothing notable to buy. The highlight of this trip is the natural, awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska. The Denali Explorer land segment was excellent and well-organized.

First the Good: Embarkation in Vancouver was a breeze and the cruise terminal is very nice and well organized in Vancouver. The ship was spotless and well maintained with most of the crew being friendly and accommodating. The aft-facing suite was a little small for 3 people but very functional with a sofa bed and king bed separated by a moveable curtain. The bathroom was two compartments with sink and toilet in one section and the shower and jetted tub in the other. Our cabin attendant provided extra boards and cushioning to make the sofa bed more comfortable for my son. A food and beverage attendant took care of trading our mini bar set-up for 2 coffee cards. Entertainment was surprisingly good with the Hawley illusionist and Sarge the comedian being the highlights. The ship felt crowded only on the first formal night and at lunch time, especially after the AM Glacier Bay tour. The Ultimate Ship’s Tour was fantastic and highly recommended to book right away upon embarkation. The outside Promenade Deck that was covered and actually went all the way around the ship was excellent for glacier viewing and running or walking laps. And finally, food and beverage in Sabatini’s was by far the best on the ship and their breakfast was very good.

The Good to Slightly Bad: Back to food. As mentioned Sabatini’s was the best on board but was still just okay with a slightly better presentation and service. Kudos to our waiter Jovannie. He was super nice. The Lobster 3 Ways was actually surprisingly good considering it was frozen lobster but fortunately it was not over-cooked as is a frequent problem on cruise ships. The included hors d’oeuvres in the suite were a nice touch but we could have done without. The appetizers in the Elite/Suite lounge in Skywalkers were just okay but the views are fabulous from that venue. Horizon Court at lunch-time usually felt crowded and quite a few people made it past the attendant without “sanitizing” their hands. I really didn’t think it was all that hygienic but luckily no one in our cabin got sick. The food was truly just cafeteria level and while there was a good variety nothing was stellar at lunch-time. We never had breakfast or dinner there so cannot comment. The other Anytime Dining venues were nice rooms, food was again basic to mediocre and the waiters were mostly friendly but it was curious that quite a few of them walked around singing to themselves…it was annoying, actually.

The Bad: Food, again…the Steakhouse had zero ambiance and was just okay. The sides reminded me of a barbeque, they were so basic and the non-steak entrée (salmon) was over-cooked and very plain. Elsewhere in the ship there seemed to be an intense focus on selling stuff, coffee cards, soda cards, art, all kinds of touristy stuff in the main lobby, wine-tasting, and of course, photos and cd’s. It was never-ending. I had a spa treatment and the attendant tried her best to make me think I needed to lug home a bunch of skin-care. I finally had to explain that I just couldn’t because I never check my luggage and am limited with the liquids I can carry. All of this promotion left a bad impression and cheapens the experience. The gym seemed very small and overheated with an emphasis on fitness classes for which there was a charge. The equipment seemed outdated and though there were quite a few decent spin bikes in the fitness class area, they were tied up and apparently only available if you took a class.

The Stinky: There was a horrible garbage smell emanating from the huge vents on the aft of the ship near our cabin rendering our balcony useless. After our complaint an engineer was summoned to investigate and he left a note saying he fixed it….NOT! I had the impression that management was in denial but after further complaint we were finally issued an OBC because there were apparently no other cabins to move to. This was the biggest disappointment and now I see this has been an ongoing issue on this ship. It really should be disclosed or the aft-units should be heavily discounted. We generally prefer aft units and we booked this cruise line and this suite (at a premium over other lines) specifically for the location thinking it would be great for viewing the incredible scenery.

In conclusion, we had a great time despite a few disappointments and we would definitely consider cruising Alaska again but we would rather try another cruise line.

Thanks for your honest evaluation.

@ Seabreezer

Hi. we were on your cruise as well.. we actually were the famly of 13 on your deck that had the 5 rooms at the end of your hall before you got to your room D729 - D737. :) Sorry to hear about your suite..thats brutal with the smell problem.

I agree that Vancouver was smooth check-in. We also thought only 2 times that it seemed "crowded" was the first formal night with everyone taking pictures and Glacier Bay lunchtime...everyone showed up to lunch at the same time.

We did eat all our breakfasts in the Horizon Court buffet and enjoyed the choices including Lox, crisp bacon, Bacon (McMuffin) style breakfast sandwiches and the variety of fruit. We could always find an open table. At breakfast - the attendant at HC stopped everyone to get hands sanitized! Lol - didn't even notice at lunch that they didn't. I guess I was just so militant about doing it from breakfast. :) but scary that they didn't do it at lunch.

Also we ate dinner in the MDR (second seating). We actually really enjoyed our dining choices each night. We did not ever try Sabatinis or the Steak House...doesn't sound like we missed anything there. :) Would have loved to have tried anytime dining though since sometimes we were very hungry by late seating.

We were so lucky with weather and seeing wildlife - it really made for a fantastic cruise!

@ Seabreezer

Hi. we were on your cruise as well.. we actually were the famly of 13 on your deck that had the 5 rooms at the end of your hall before you got to your room D729 - D737. :) Sorry to hear about your suite..thats brutal with the smell problem.

I agree that Vancouver was smooth check-in. We also thought only 2 times that it seemed "crowded" was the first formal night with everyone taking pictures and Glacier Bay lunchtime...everyone showed up to lunch at the same time.

We did eat all our breakfasts in the Horizon Court buffet and enjoyed the choices including Lox, crisp bacon, Bacon (McMuffin) style breakfast sandwiches and the variety of fruit. We could always find an open table. At breakfast - the attendant at HC stopped everyone to get hands sanitized! Lol - didn't even notice at lunch that they didn't. I guess I was just so militant about doing it from breakfast. :) but scary that they didn't do it at lunch.

Also we ate dinner in the MDR (second seating). We actually really enjoyed our dining choices each night. We did not ever try Sabatinis or the Steak House...doesn't sound like we missed anything there. :) Would have loved to have tried anytime dining though since sometimes we were very hungry by late seating.

We were so lucky with weather and seeing wildlife - it really made for a fantastic cruise!

we get to go one her in just 10 days or so

Thanks for the review. Sorry to hear about the smell. That must have been awful.

As for the Sterling Steakhouse, we went during our cruise last May and I thought the food was generally excellent. The clam chowder wasn't that good (subjective) but my filet mignon and baked potato were terrific. I rarely eat dessert but I practically licked the plate of my walnut pie. I also had breakfast and lunch in the buffet and thought the food was good to excellent. We went to Skywalkers every night and enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres. Loved the cheeses. Dinner every night was late Traditional and our waitstaff was good. If we didn't see anything on the menu that appealed, we asked for something else. On a 16-day cruise, I tend to get tired of the rich food so I either asked for entrees without sauces (they were surprisingly good) or an entree-sized salad.

For me, the Diamond had minor issues but overall, was a great cruise. I never had the selling that you describe nor do I ever seem to have them on Princess ships.

@echotumi...I am so jealous. We really loved the cruise. Is it northbound or Southbound?

Chery, I remember passing some of your group in the hallway....you were very well behaved for such a large group because I never heard a peep! Glad you enjoyed the cruise and the food. Food is so subjective, I almost didn't comment but couldn't help myself! Perhaps because I do not eat red meat and very little cheese I may have fewer satisfying choices than most people, especially when fish and chicken tend to be over-cooked in many venues even in my local area.

We had pretty great weather, don't you think? On our land tour it was in the mid to upper 80's every day!

:D

@echotumi...I am so jealous. We really loved the cruise. Is it northbound or Southbound?

thought we would have 2 chances for nice weather and we did south bound last time with a land tour before seemed busy for me so this time will be relaxing and with vegas weather will be nice to get out of the heat

I see on your signature that this was your first Princess cruise. You might give them another chance on a smaller ship like the Island or the Coral. Sometimes the "little girls", Ocean and Pacific, will also do Alaska cruises. I find that the food is much better on the smaller ships.

You can ask your waiter to make sure that the fish isn't overcooked. Most people here complain that Princess offers too many fish entrees, so I was a little surprised regarding your beef comment. The always available salmon is also excellent.

I rarely eat in the buffet, mainly for the sanitary reasons that you mentioned, but the International Cafe, the pizza, or pub lunches, are nice alternatives.

Princess is one of four cruise lines that I have tried, and for the last 15 years we have sailed exclusively with Princess. Don't let one bad cabin and poor food choices put you off from trying them again. Just saying,...:)