Diamond Princess 29th Dec 2011 NYE Review

[barnsey1802]

Hi everyone,

 

Well, the worst thing about going on a cruise is the arriving home part.:(

 

Here is my review of our NYE cruise on the Diamond Princess.

 

First, I wanted to say that the Diamond Princess is one beautiful ship. Everything was well laid out, the decor is lovely.

It never felt crowded, except on NYE which was expected. I swear there was a secret section of the ship that we didn't know about and that's where all the people were.

 

Embarkation was quick and easy and we were on board before lunch time.

We were surprised to see our luggage already at our cabin, so we unpacked and set off to explore the ship. We had 2 inside cabins on Deck 10. The cabins were spacious and I didn't feel closed in at all.

 

While we were boarding we found out that the drinking age had been lowered to 18 while the Diamond is in Australian waters. good news for our 18 year old daughter.:)

 

Sail away was rainy, but we didn't mind as we were on our way.

 

The weather was not very kind to us on this cruise, but at least we could enjoy the ship. The Diamond has a beautiful undercover pool area, that is warm and even if the weather is cold we could still swim etc.

 

The food as always was lovely. I am the cook in my house, so I really appreciate this part of cruising. We had anytime dining, so we enjoyed all the dining restaurants. There are 4. Vivaldi, Pacific Moon, Savoy and Santa Fe. The international dining room is for Traditional dining. although we did go there for Breakfast and afternoon tea sometimes. Each restaurant had pretty much the same menu, except each one had it's own signature dish.

 

The buffet was a nice place for breakfast and lunch also. We had dinner there a few times as well. The only thing I didn't really like was the GIANT American style pizza they had at the grill. My 14 Year old like it though.:D

I especially liked the Waffle Station also, located at the ice cream bar in the mornings and at the buffet later on.

 

One of the highlights of our cruise was the Chef's Table. I rang the reservation line when I boarded, but was told to go and see the maitre d' in Sabatinis. Tip: If you are booking for a group, have everyone's name and cabin number written down as each person will get their invitation delivered closer to the dinner. There ended up being a total of three groups that got to do the Chef's table, so book early!!!

 

The Chef's Table was fantastic and well worth the money($95.00 PP)

we were met by the Maitre d' and escorted to the galley. We had canapes and champagne and were treated to a fruit carving demonstration. We were then taken to the restaurant and had a beautiful meal. The chef and Maitre d' served our courses and entertained us the whole time. We were given a beautiful cook book, a rose for the lady's and a photo of each individual couple and a one of the group as well. Needless to say we weren't hungry when we left.

 

Another highlight of course was NYE. The weather wasn't nice, so there was no deck party. :( The atruim was therefore the main party area leading up to midnight. Afterwards all the bars and lounges had entertainers and of course the night club went on till late. It was a great night.

 

Ports.

 

Tauranga was pouring rain, so we decided to stay on the ship. We were booked to do white water rafting and zorbing, but they had to be cancelled.

 

Wellington. We rode the cable car and had a quick look around the shops, but most were closed due to the public holiday.

 

Akaroa was a tender port and Lilly from our cruise critic group kindly arranged a priority tender for us. Thanks Lilly. Unfortunately it was rainy and overcast. We had a quick look around, it is a very pretty town and I wouldn't mind visiting there again.

 

Dunedin. DH and I had a nice walk around town, bought some supply's and went back to the ship.

 

Melbourne and Hobart were great shopping ports.

 

Our cruise critic group had a meet and greet on day 3 and it was nice to meet everyone in person.

 

For us this cruise was about the ship and spending time with good friends and it met all of our expectations.:D

 

Deidre.:)

[Kiwi_cruiser]

It was very nice to meet you barnsey1802 at the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet :)

[barnsey1802]

Very nice to have met you too.

 

Can't wait the see all your photo's

 

Deidre.

[Sandielle]

Enjoyed reading your review of your Diamond Princess cruise, Barnsey. It sounds great - glad you enjoyed your cruise despite the weather. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. :):):)

[barnsey1802]

Your welcome sandy,

 

I am always just glad to be cruising no matter what the weather is.

 

Wow your Sun Princess cruise is getting close now. I hope you have some nice weather on yours. I reckon you a going to love Princess.

 

Deidre.

[Sandielle]

I'm sure I will Deidre. I'm happy as long as I'm cruising! :) It's not hard to take having everything done for you, lol.

[Debsta]

Hi Deirdre :D

 

I knew you would love the ship! But I couldn't help the weather for you.....sowi!

 

Great news about the drinking age for the 18-20's too!

 

Thanks for the review!

 

Sooooooooooooooooo when are we cruising together again? :D

[barnsey1802]

What do you mean when are we cruising together again Deb?????

 

I thought I was coming with you in a couple of weeks.;):D

 

Deidre.:D

[Debsta]

What do you mean when are we cruising together again Deb?????

 

I thought I was coming with you in a couple of weeks.;):D

 

Deidre.:D

 

LOL. The other Deirdre (who hasn't cruised before) is now panicking due to the Costa incident. She is a cruise virgin ;) I'm having to do some fast talking to calm her down!