Diamond 6-18 to 6-25 Thoughts, comments, and tips

[vmom]

Just back from the Diamond southbound Whittier to Vancouver

 

Here are some thoughts, comments, and hopefully helpful tips.

 

Feel free to ask any questions and if I don't have the answers, I'm sure someone else on these boards will be able to help.

 

First I'd like to state that we had a wonderful time and we loved the Diamond.

 

Cabin: We had E201 which is listed as an obstructed view, but the view is wide open. Its at the front of the ship so it made for a long walk to the back of the ship for any dining but lets face it, with all the calories we ate the exercise was good for us. The cabin is above the Princess Theater. When a show was going on we could hear some of the music very very slightly. Actually I could hear the music slightly, my husband says he never heard a thing so it may depend on how good your hearing is. The level of music heard was so slight and it was not disturbing in the least.

 

I was afraid with being so far forward we'd have a lot of motion from the ship, especially in the first day out but the seas were calm and we felt minimal movement the entire cruise.

 

Dining:

We had anytime dining. There are 3 main dining rooms available for anytime dining and the Vivaldi was available after 8:00. We never made any reservations. When we arrived for dining between 6:15 and 6:30 we were seated immediately without waiting.

 

I did notice that the dining rooms on deck 6 seemed to get more business than the Savoy on deck 5. Its my theory that most people go to deck 6 first before heading to the dining room on deck 5. We only waited one time and that was the evening we arrived to eat at 7:30. We were given a pager and then found a seat by the window at the lobby bar. While we were waiting we saw two humpbacks so the time seemed to pass quickly.

 

I noticed that they waited till all the tables in a section were clear and ready for seating before bringing in and seating new people. There fore when we were finally escorted to our table after our wait, the dining room was 1/2 empty. All of the seating for 2/4 against the wall was open which accounted for 16 tables for 2 that were completely empty. We were seated in this section and the other tables were quickly filled also.

 

What I observed is that unlike typical restaurants in which tables are filled as tables open up and people are done eating, instead, no one was being seated in open tables until a whole section of tables opened up. Its my theory that this is so that the waiters can have everyone on the same schedule for serving.

 

Dress in dining room: I found that 98% if all people were dressed appropriately. Of course there are those few that you just kind of shake you head at and think...boy they just don't seem to get it. This was the most casually dressed cruise I have ever been on. I think its because most people do a land portion prior to the cruise and don't want to cart along a lot of luggage. On most nights men had casual pants, polo style shirts or a button shirt with a tie. Women had nice slacks and a nice top.

 

I did see some jeans in the dining room. That said...there are jeans and there are jeans. Most jeans were nice dress style jeans that were in the style of dockers and were attractive. There were a very few who had jeans of the style that most people would consider work style, or the cut, style and worn in quality of working around the yard.

 

For formal night, most people were surprisingly more casual than any other cruise i have been on. The head waiter was refusing any man without either a tie or jacket. So for the men if they had a tie and no jacket or a jacket with no tie, it was okay. Most men had a jacket either with or without a tie and a few had a shirt and tie. Most women wore a nice dress or fancy blouse with slacks outift. Very little true formal wear but most people were dressed nicely and attractively.

 

Pizza: The pizza was fantastic. Every day there was a special pizza. The reindeer chili pizza on the day we were in Glacier Bay was fantastic once I picked out all the jalapeno peppers.

 

Room service: As I reported in a previous post, they are now offering a hot egg muffin sandwich with the room service menu. It was very good...egg, cheese, ham on an English muffin.

[vmom]

Entertainment:

 

The cruise director was Sammi Baker. She was extremely friendly and warm. We saw her constantly through out the ship and several times in port. She is a resident of Alaska and had a very nice presentation on the first day of the cruise giving some of the history and highlights of Alaska and ideas of what to do at each port. Very well done.

 

At each port special guests and presentations were brought on board. Rangers were brought on in Glacier Bay and ketchikan. An iditerod winner gave a presentation in Juneau. A special musical and story teller was brought on board in Skagway.

 

The naturalist was new for this sailing. Her name was Racheal and she was very good. She had been a ranger in Alaska for several years and had some good stories and a lot of good pictures and videos.

 

There were 3 production shows. We only went to the Piano Man. If you enjoy popular pop music from the 70's you will enjoy it. If you like elaborate costumes and sets, you will also like it. If you are a male under the age of 35, this might not be your cup of tea. Singing and dancing was well done.

 

The comedian on the first full day, Rodney was a hoot. highly enjoyed his show.

 

All of the shows in the Explorers lounger had 2 presentations on the first night and a 3rd presentation around 8:15 on the next night. All of the shows in the Princess Theater only had two showings on one night. The 8:00 show in the Princess Theater or the 8:15 show in the Explorer's lounge filled up quickly. My theory is because it seemed to be more of an older crowd than the typical Carribean sailings. We had no trouble getting seats on the later seating of either show in the Princess theater or Explorer's lounge. For the 8:00 show, get to the theater early if you want a seat. For the later show, seats were available up to about show time or shortly before show time.

 

There was a juggler/comedian named Dan who was as much comedian as juggler who was extremely witty and entertaining. The "magician" , Darren Romeo, was a combo magician, singer, impersonator and comedian. His show was a lot of fun with audience particpation.

 

There were a lot of trivia, game shows, etc.

 

There was one band, Opus that I particularily enjoyed. Loved the main singer's voice, very smooth.

[srpilo]

Thanks for your report.. Just a quick question, does the Diamond have the IC upgrade yet ??

 

 

Thanks again

Srpilo

[vmom]

Hubbard Glacier:

 

They announce that the best viewing is on deck 8 (accessed through the promenade deck 7) in the front of the ship.

 

We went out to the front at 2:45. It was supposed to be about 50-60 degrees but felt much cooler due to the wind up in the front. The front was crowded when we got there, but as people got cold, they left. By the time we actually got close to the glacier, there were very few people up in the front. If i had to do it again, i'd suggest finding a warmer spot such as the sides on deck 7 to watch from and then when the ship gets close to the glacier, then go up to front of the ship for viewing.

 

I did like being on deck 7 rather than up on deck 14-15 since it was easier to see any wildlife in the water on deck 7. We saw harbor seals on the iceburgs and sea otters.

 

My suggestion would be to dress in a lot of layers. Its colder out on deck when the ship is moving than you would expect based on just the temperature.

 

Also, I would highly recommend a wind proof jacket as an outer layer. Not just a wind breaker. We saw alot of people with a feece jacket with wind breaker over it, and it was obvious that the wind was going through the wind breaker. Look for a tag on the jacket that says wind proof. We got our jackets at the Columbia outlet.

 

Blankets: You can check out blankets on deck 14. They are warmer than they look.

[vmom]

Thanks for your report.. Just a quick question, does the Diamond have the IC upgrade yet ??

 

 

Thanks again

Srpilo

 

No, I got coffee, lattes, etc from the lobby bar. One of the waiters told me I could also get coffee specialty drinks from the bar up on deck 14, but I didn't try it. he said that plans were in the works to have specialty coffees available on the deck 14 bar on all the ships.

 

 

The Lobby bar did have a tray of serve yourself small sandwiches and pastry.

[Murphey]

I'm so happy to hear that Sammi is still around. Haven't heard her name in a few years. Perhaps she is just available for the Alaskan cruises since she is from there.....we've known her for 12 years and she is just great!!! If any of you get a chance to hear her sing, don't miss it. She's quite an accomplished entertainer.

[vmom]

Glacier Bay:

 

Deck 14 and 15 were crowded. Everyone was up there or on their balconies. Deck 7 was practically empty. I enjoyed deck 7 viewing since it was easy to move from side to side using the doors and just quickly walking through the ship to the other side. No one was using the loungers on deck 7. We checked out blankets, dressed warmly and had a wonderful day outside sitting on the loungers. The blankets were helpful in keeping my legs warm.

 

 

There is a server who walks around deck 7 with hot drinks. Don't know what he had since we went to the lobby bar for lattes to bring out.

 

There was a server passing out hot cookies on deck 14.

 

The captain tried to get very close to the Marjorie glacier. The ship sat for about 30-40 minutes with the view on one side and then the captain turned the ship around so anyone on the other side of the ship could easily view the glacier.

 

After viewing the Marjorie glacier, we went down the John Hopkins inlet and had a more distant look at the John Hopkings glacier.

 

 

There were about 4 rangers who were brought on board to give commentary while in Glacier Bay.

[vmom]

I'm so happy to hear that Sammi is still around. Haven't heard her name in a few years. Perhaps she is just available for the Alaskan cruises since she is from there.....we've known her for 12 years and she is just great!!! If any of you get a chance to hear her sing, don't miss it. She's quite an accomplished entertainer.

 

Didn't hear her sing, but i loved her funny stories. She has a lot of fresh material and her stories are a hoot.

[vmom]

Another quick note about the food...

 

The food ranged from okay to excellent. If you get something that you feel is just okay, don't just sit there and think the food isn't what you expected...order something else.

 

One evening my husband ordered a dish that was a combo plate of a little bit of three types of meat, lamb, veal and pork. It wasn't to his taste so instead of thinking the food has gone down hill, he ordered a different entree which he said was excellent.

 

Not all dishes are going to be to everyone's taste. If you are not satisfied with your entree, then get something different.

 

As to the buffet...folks its a buffet. I am always surprised by the number of people who are expecting gourmet quality food in a buffet. Its a buffet...a very good buffet, but its still not coimparable to sit down made to order food plates. I enjoy going to the buffet and getting small tastes of foods I would not have at home.

 

As to the coffee. We have a coffee card but i found the solution to decent buffet area coffee. I would fill the cup 2/3 with coffee and 1/4-1/3 with hot water. By duliting it, the coffee was much better.

[IECalCruiser]

No, I got coffee, lattes, etc from the lobby bar. One of the waiters told me I could also get coffee specialty drinks from the bar up on deck 14, but I didn't try it. he said that plans were in the works to have specialty coffees available on the deck 14 bar on all the ships.

 

 

The Lobby bar did have a tray of serve yourself small sandwiches and pastry.

When we were on the Sapphire in April in addition to the Lobby Bar you could also get specialty coffees in the morning, fresh brewed coffee all day and the small sandwiches and pastries (like those served at Afternoon Tea) at Crooner's Bar. Did you notice that on the Diamond?

 

It will be nice if the specialty coffees and fresh brewed is available on deck 14/15 (Lido deck). If you choose to go to the Buffet (or the Trident Grill for omelettes or Sundaes for waffles in the morning) you don't need to go to deck 5 for good coffee.

 

BTW, thanks for the good review.

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Sounds like you had a great time!

[DougH]

Thanks for the trip report, sounds like you had a good time. I'm doing a B2B the end of August and am counting down the days until vacation :)

[vmom]

When we were on the Sapphire in April in addition to the Lobby Bar you could also get specialty coffees in the morning, fresh brewed coffee all day and the small sandwiches and pastries (like those served at Afternoon Tea) at Crooner's Bar. Did you notice that on the Diamond?

 

It will be nice if the specialty coffees and fresh brewed is available on deck 14/15 (Lido deck). If you choose to go to the Buffet (or the Trident Grill for omelettes or Sundaes for waffles in the morning) you don't need to go to deck 5 for good coffee.

 

BTW, thanks for the good review.

 

I did not try to order specialty coffee or brewed coffee at Crooner's bar. It may have been available however I did not observe any coffee equipment, but it could have been out of sight and I didn't think to ask.

I enjoyed sitting by the windows in the lobby bar so we tended to hang out there more than at Crooner's. I did not observe a tray of sandwiches or pastry as I saw at the lobby bar.

 

The waiter I spoke with did tell me that specialty coffees were available in all dining rooms.

[vmom]

Also I forgot to mention, We saw a pod of Orcas in the morning just before we entered the area of Glacier Bay. The naturalist said there are good whale spotting areas just before entereing Glacier Bay and just after leaving the area.

 

We also saw a bear grazing on the shore line looking for food while we were in Glacier Bay, so have those binoculars ready. He was right by the shore, but in the grassy area.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I'm so happy to hear that Sammi is still around. Haven't heard her name in a few years. Perhaps she is just available for the Alaskan cruises since she is from there.....we've known her for 12 years and she is just great!!! If any of you get a chance to hear her sing, don't miss it. She's quite an accomplished entertainer.

Sammi was on the Star in April. We thought she was great!

[bluemoon2009]

thank you so much for a great review of the diamond! I have been waiting for one of these. thanks for the tips on glacier viewing also! So glad you enjoyed your trip!

[caribill]

I'm so happy to hear that Sammi is still around. Haven't heard her name in a few years. Perhaps she is just available for the Alaskan cruises since she is from there.....we've known her for 12 years and she is just great!!! If any of you get a chance to hear her sing, don't miss it. She's quite an accomplished entertainer.

 

She was on the Star Princess in the Spring, at least from May 3 to June 12.

[caribill]

Dress in dining room: I found that 98% if all people were dressed appropriately. Of course there are those few that you just kind of shake you head at and think...boy they just don't seem to get it. This was the most casually dressed cruise I have ever been on. I think its because most people do a land portion prior to the cruise and don't want to cart along a lot of luggage.

 

Those that go on a land portion prior to the cruise are told to bring suitcases. One is for the land portion. The other is stored and they will find it in their cabin when the cruise starts.

 

Thus, there is no need to bring the fancy clothes on the land portion.

[vmom]

Those that go on a land portion prior to the cruise are told to bring suitcases. One is for the land portion. The other is stored and they will find it in their cabin when the cruise starts.

 

Thus, there is no need to bring the fancy clothes on the land portion.

 

Interesting...never having done a land tour I wasn't sure what the protocol was. I thought maybe they had to cart everything with from place to place.

 

One thing I did notice. This cruise had more first time cruisers on it then I had ever been on before. So many people I met, this was their first cruise and they were enjoying it immensely.

[rayliang]

good news on the "formal" dinner nights then for me, I was worried I had to bring a full suit just for those 2 formal dinner nights.

 

Sounds like a hunting jacket with a dress pant will be plenty?

[vmom]

good news on the "formal" dinner nights then for me, I was worried I had to bring a full suit just for those 2 formal dinner nights.

 

Sounds like a hunting jacket with a dress pant will be plenty?

 

Head waiter said that for men, either a jacket or tie was required to be seated on formal night. No jacket + no tie = buffet

[bracket_mom]

Thanks for this excellent review. I'm on the Diamond July 23-30 (first time w/ Princess and first to Alaska). Getting excited. Picket up final paperwork, etc. from TA today.

[Feenagh]

Thanks for all the Diamond info -- it has been great. We sail on 9/10/11 from Whittier to Vancouver after 4 day land tour. Even though it is still weeks away, am getting excited.

 

Lots of great info for first timers. Thanks:)