shazz56 Posted February 13, 2013 #1 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I have read so many threads here but most are about all the others from Ruby, Coral, CB.... too many to name.. Does any one have any recent info about the Diamond Princess? We are off in May...sailing from Vancouver to Whittier then the 7 day land component. I have been reading a great travel blog that i found here...and that has been a great help...but... Everyone seems to forget the Diamond or does no one like her? Cheers from 'Down Under' sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted February 13, 2013 #2 Share Posted February 13, 2013 G'day. When we were on the Diamond a couple of year's ago (great trip on a great ship), there were a number of Aussies who were repeat passengers on that ship. You can look forward to a very good experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cheznandy Posted February 13, 2013 #3 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hi Shazz, You may not have heard much here on the Princess board as the Diamond has been spending the summer in OZ, (our summer) so most post on the Aust/NZ board. We cruised on the Diamond last January and loved it, we are back on again in a couple of months doing Beijing to Vancouver.......actually we may get off and you get on:) I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy Alaska:) Chez xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazz56 Posted February 13, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hi Shazz, You may not have heard much here on the Princess board as the Diamond has been spending the summer in OZ, (our summer) so most post on the Aust/NZ board. We cruised on the Diamond last January and loved it, we are back on again in a couple of months doing Beijing to Vancouver.......actually we may get off and you get on:) I hope you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy Alaska:) Chez xx Hi Chez, Looks like we will be 'like ships that pass in the night' LOL I have been looking at the webcam and thought what a shame i cant hop on board and sail all the way instead of flying! Even if i could stowaway, i dont have enough annual leave up my sleeve! shazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cheznandy Posted February 13, 2013 #5 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Haha, we are away for 5 weeks, will have to work a year to save that again. We will be updating our travel blog while away http://www.cheznandy.travellerspoint.com so you can read all about Alaska before your trip. Its a long way for us Aussies, we have to make the most of it. Chez Xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazz56 Posted February 13, 2013 Author #6 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Haha, we are away for 5 weeks, will have to work a year to save that again.We will be updating our travel blog while away www.cheznandy.travellerspoint.com so you can read all about Alaska before your trip. Its a long way for us Aussies, we have to make the most of it. Chez Xx Lucky for us Aussies that the exchange rate is good at the moment! Last cruise we did, the $US was so bad, it cost us around $15au for the cheapest drink! As we were on board for 28 days, we limited ourselves to one drink a night. That was a very dry cruise!! I have already exchanged some US$ ...ready to spend!! shazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrterryl Posted February 13, 2013 #7 Share Posted February 13, 2013 We were on the Diamond for 16 days last October. As elite passengers we found the trip to be great just like all of the other Princess cruises we have been on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare azbirdmom Posted February 13, 2013 #8 Share Posted February 13, 2013 We just disembarked the Diamond last Friday - in your lovely city. Many of our recent trips have been on the Star and the Diamond is different in a couple of ways. There are 4 anytime dining rooms, all with the same menu with one exception. Each has a special dish that is available every day. For our cruise, Vivaldi had Osso Bucco, Pacific Moon had stir fry seafood noodles, Santa Fe had fajitas, and Savoy had a pork chop. There is no International Cafe, but the coffee bar on deck 5 did have many of the same sandwiches on trays that you could help yourself to. Also no Vines but the Wake Bar near the traditional dining room did have wine and tapas. Club Fusion has many seats that do not face the stage, so they have lots of flat TVs. And the aft elevators face the sides instead of towards the bow, so a little different getting used to that. She was a fine ship and we really enjoyed sailing her in New Zealand and Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdslkmj Posted February 13, 2013 #9 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Our first cruise (to Alaska) was 5 years ago on the Diamond...we've done a few since then with Princess (including on the Ruby) and we are heading back to do an Alaska Cruisetour in September on the Diamond again! We selected the cruise to be sure we got the Diamond...It is our absolutely most favorite ship...You will love it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 13, 2013 #10 Share Posted February 13, 2013 It's my favorite ship to date. I wrote a 9,000 word review on CC (the Princess Board not the Member's review section). It will give you a sketch of life onboard the Diamond in Alaska. Norris in Chicago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted February 13, 2013 #11 Share Posted February 13, 2013 The Diamond, and her sister the Sapphire, are wonderful ships. They are considered to be Grand class like the Star (I've heard some call them the Jewel class) but were built in a different shipyard and are different in very minor ways. It's fun to hear the captains announce they are sailing the largest vessels in the Princess fleet (not after the Royal deploys though). Of course they have to explain that is by tonnage, not by passenger count. The outside on Promenade deck is a little wider as the ship's beam is wider than the others in the same class. This extra width is what gives the extra tonnage, even over ships like the Emerald which have the extra Riveria deck. They are laid out pretty much the same as the other Grand class ships except for the dining rooms which another poster explained. Personally we enjoyed the choice of various themes in the different restaurants. BTW, the specialty theme dishes can be obtained in any restaurant. Sailing on board is just like being on all the others. It all depends on the crew, the passenger mix and the cruise staff. We've been on both for long cruises and had wonderful times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgomfe Posted February 13, 2013 #12 Share Posted February 13, 2013 We sailed on the Diamond on our very first cruise. Last year we took our second cruise, and specifically scheduled it so we could be on the Diamond again.... very nice ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnerodb83 Posted February 13, 2013 #13 Share Posted February 13, 2013 The Diamond, and her sister the Sapphire, are wonderful ships. They are considered to be Grand class like the Star (I've heard some call them the Jewel class) but were built in a different shipyard and are different in very minor ways. It's fun to hear the captains announce they are sailing the largest vessels in the Princess fleet (not after the Royal deploys though). Of course they have to explain that is by tonnage, not by passenger count. The outside on Promenade deck is a little wider as the ship's beam is wider than the others in the same class. This extra width is what gives the extra tonnage, even over ships like the Emerald which have the extra Riveria deck. They are laid out pretty much the same as the other Grand class ships except for the dining rooms which another poster explained. Personally we enjoyed the choice of various themes in the different restaurants. BTW, the specialty theme dishes can be obtained in any restaurant. Sailing on board is just like being on all the others. It all depends on the crew, the passenger mix and the cruise staff. We've been on both for long cruises and had wonderful times. Tonnage is also based on a minor technicality of the Diamond/Sapphire. The enclosed Calypso pool counts on these ships whereas its excluded on the Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby because its not enclosed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare azbirdmom Posted February 13, 2013 #14 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I had forgotten about the wider Promenade deck! There are teak lounge chairs with padding along the Promenade deck on the Diamond which is a very nice addition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Kinkacruiser Posted February 13, 2013 #15 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I was delighted to see a walk-in robe (lots of drawers, shelves and hanging space) in our larger than normal inside cabin last cruise. The Star has a larger outdoor eating area/bar adjoining the HC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy and Charlie's Mum Posted February 13, 2013 #16 Share Posted February 13, 2013 We did your cruise in 2011.... you will love it and the Diamond. We are embarking on the Diamond once again next week for 38 nights....she is a wonderful ship.... enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobart Hurricane Posted February 13, 2013 #17 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I saw the Diamond in Hobart on Tuesday. Im thinking i might have to go on it soon as well. Just out of interest does it cost to use the pool in the Lotus spa area. The pool looks rather big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted February 13, 2013 #18 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I saw the Diamond in Hobart on Tuesday. Im thinking i might have to go on it soon as well. Just out of interest does it cost to use the pool in the Lotus spa area. The pool looks rather big No, the pool adjacent to the Lotus spa is a public pool. Many people think there is a charge because of its proximity to the Sanctuary and the Spa. Enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobart Hurricane Posted February 13, 2013 #19 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Awesome thanks for that the pools on the ship look amazing. And nice and big :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaggesAZ Posted February 14, 2013 #20 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I have read so many threads here but most are about all the others from Ruby, Coral, CB.... too many to name.. Does any one have any recent info about the Diamond Princess? We are off in May...sailing from Vancouver to Whittier then the 7 day land component. I have been reading a great travel blog that i found here...and that has been a great help...but... Everyone seems to forget the Diamond or does no one like her? Cheers from 'Down Under' sharon Hello Sharon, My family and I took the same cruise (left the 26th of May) last year and we truly loved the ship & cruise ports! The ship is beautiful, I enjoyed exploring her. We never found a reason to utilize the sanctuary as the weather was too cold when the ship was sailing, so I could not find the value. The weather was beautiful, we flew into YVR early the day prior. We stayed at the Pan Pacific and it was a great stay! We toured the Gastown area the evening prior, and prior to embarkation we toured Stanley Park via horse drawn carriage, which I wish we could have spent more time there. The walk along the sea wall was quite enjoyable. We had ATD, as with the long days (in port & at sea) and 2 aft cabins, we didn't want to be locked into a dinner time and it worked well. We very much liked the Vivaldi dining room, as ATD allows you to choose between 4 dining rooms. The oso bucco was delish & our wait staff was exceptional. The boys and my dad had the UKP & our youngest son could have gained 5 pounds drinking milkshakes! :D My parents had never cruised before, and they bought a future certificate to book another cruise, as they enjoyed themselves so much. They loved the staff & their friendliness. Our steward was fantastic, and truly most of the staff were a delight. We had an issue at security with our son, but lesson learned for us. There are not good cameras where bags are scanned upon re-entry & someone took my son's collective coin upon having it scanned. We let him go ahead of us (he was 17) because it was slightly drizzling, but we will enter together going forward. It's did not affect our view of our cruise. My immediate family of 4 did not book any tours through the cruise line, but my parents & aunt did book the railroad in Skagway, and enjoyed themselves. My aunt also did the duck boat in Ketchikan. After we left Ketchikan, we actually enjoyed the hot tubs & the beauty of the coastline of Alaska. It was crazy to be in the hot tubs, when we could see snow all around us, but the sun was shining & it was so beautiful! The open water along through the Gulf of Alaska was a little rough, and it was the 2nd formal evening. We did not see many people at dinner that evening, as the waves were pretty rough. The captain did tell everyone after 3pm, we would be leaving the bay & to expect a rocky crossing. We took meclazine which seemed to work well, and enjoyed a lovely evening. If there is a specific question or concern, I will try to answer it. It was truly an amazing experience, and I could spend months in the beauty of Alaska. Although I have many places to go before I can make that happen! :D Your country & New Zealand are on that list! Safe travels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobart Hurricane Posted February 14, 2013 #21 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Awesome review. We just did New Zealand and it was fantastic. The place really knows how to do tourism. Very helpful iStations everywhere and the weather was great. We did average 9 metre swell after leaving the Fjordlands for Melbourne so the trip home was a little bumpy and a few people ended up in the Medical centre. Coming from a family that is fisherman and around boats a lot it didnt worry me, but did take a few travel sickness tablets just to be careful and i was fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargoK Posted February 14, 2013 #22 Share Posted February 14, 2013 We cruised on the Diamond for Christmas New Year 2010 and loved the ship. Would travel on her again given the opportunity.:D I wrote an extensive blog that you may find useful. See the blog address in my signature below. But have to say I am liking Celebrity too...:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobart Hurricane Posted February 14, 2013 #23 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Celebrity looks awesome as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted February 14, 2013 #24 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Tonnage is also based on a minor technicality of the Diamond/Sapphire. The enclosed Calypso pool counts on these ships whereas its excluded on the Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby because its not enclosed. That comment made me look up the formal definition of GRT and you are spot-on. I never expected adding a roof would increase GRT by the volume enclosed. I "assumed" GRT was more a measure of displacement. I now stand corrected and now more knowledgeable. Maybe it will help someday in a trivia contest ... but then again, the cruise staff will probably have the wrong answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaitlyn2 Posted February 14, 2013 #25 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Does anyone kinow if the Terrace Pool is a smoking area on the Diamond? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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