Another Diamond 6/4 review

[michmstr]

Just got back from the Diamond's latest trip - it was our second time on this ship, we took it to Mexico on the 3rd sailing last year. I'm 35 (for 6 more days :( ) , dh is 43, and we have a 4 year old daughter. All and all, it was a very nice trip, with a few complaints. Biggest complaint was the late arrivals at Juneau and Victoria, blamed on "rough seas". But the ship's log on the TV never said that the waves were more than "moderate" - isn't that to be expected in Alaska? And shouldn't this be built into the schedule? Plus, we left Seattle at the same time as the Oosterdam and they arrived in Juneau several hours before we did. They left Ketchikan later than we did, blew past us at sea and arrived in Victoria an hour and a half before we did. The cab driver in Victoria speculated 2 things: one, that our capitain is purposely late to Victoria so that people will stay on the ship and spend money, and two, that he is a big chicken who is scared to go fast after the last captain crashed the ship last year. Anyone have any more info on this?

 

Other than that:

 

Embarkation: It sucked for us, though others seem to have had an easier time. We got there right around 12, which was probably the worst time. We weren't on the shop until 2:00. I think the key is to get there early or late.

 

Food: Horizon is what it is - a buffet and not that great. Good for our daughter because she could pick at a variety of things and it was fast. We had PC dining. The first night's food was dissappointing, but it got better after that. Lobster and crab was great. Stick with the fruit desserts, they are better than the others, though ice cream is good. I'd give the food a B overall. I did miss the different specialty items in the pc dining rooms, because I like ethnic food, not just traditional stuff every night, but I understand why Princess did away with it. We never made a reservation and didn't have a problem getting seated, but we ate early - 6-6:15. After the first night, we ate in Pacific Moon every night and requested the same waiter (Valentin). He was great and treated us well - remembering our drink preferences and bringing us extra things. He got an extra tip for that. We did Sabbatini's one night while our daughter ate with the kids. I highly recommend it - the food seems to be of a better quality, and it is a fun experience.

 

Ports: We powered through Juneau due to the late arrival, could have used more time there. It was 80 and beautiful. Went to the Mendenhall glacier and did some hiking - you could hike right up to the glacier and a huge waterfall. Busses run every 15 minutes for $5 a person. Had dinner at the "Twisted Fish" at the bottom of the tram. Great seafood! Our plan had been to hike to the top of Mt. Roberts and take the tram down, but we only had time to take the tram up and hike a bit at the top. It was beautiful and well worth it.

 

Skagway: If you have kids, they will LOVE the dogsled trip. (Not in the snow, you are pulled in wheeled carts.) Our daughter couldn't stop smiling. The ride was a little short, but it was still a fun experience. We also heard a very interesting talk by a man who had done the Iditerod. We also did the White Pass train. The views were stunningly beautiful, but the ride was a bit long, particularly for our daughter.

 

Tracy Arm: Gorgeous day, we saw Sawyer glacier (supposedly the first time this season) but there was too much ice to get closer.

 

Ketchikan: My least favorite port. Looks cute and authentic but seemed to be filled with stores selling frivioulous knicknacks (we are not shoppers, can you tell?) We hiked the Deer Mountain trail just outside of town, but didn't have time to do the whole thing. We also went to the salmon hatchery/eagle sanctuary. Our daughter was happy to finally see bald eagles up close.

 

Victoria: Unfortunately due to the late arrival, our bike tour was cancelled, so all we did was walk around downtown and have a beer at one of the pubs. It looks like a beautiful, vibrant city and all the people we met were very friendly. Would have liked more time there.

 

Lotus Spa: A bit expensive, but nice. Had a hot stone massage and a facial. DH had a massage, but regreted doing it on our first sea day. Laying face down with all the rocking really got him seasick!

 

Kid's Club: Awesome! Daughter couldn't get enough of it. They did art, singing and dancing, games, movies, ice cream parties, they even did a bridge tour and met the captain. They did a very cute talent show for the parents on the last day. All the kids who participated got medals and my daughter hasn't taken hers off! My only complaint was that the age groups were 3-7, 8-12 and teens. Last time it was 3-5, 6-9, 10-12 and teens, which seems a little more appropriate. I think the 7 year olds were bored in my daughter's group and she was a little intimidated by the "big kids."

 

Entertainment: We went to the comedy shows and the comedy/magic show. All were decent. We did the wine tasting (the "exclusive" one only), which was nice and we got a deal on a bottle of Opus One. I was pleasantly surprised at the wine prices in general, there was not a huge markup. Dh did the art auctions - we bought some nice art on board last time, but not this time. Because we had the little one with us, we were usually back in our cabin by 10:00 so we couldn't do any of the late night activities. I would have loved to see the Princess Idol competition and the newlywed game.

 

Debarkation: Great, no problems at all. We were able to stay in our cabin until the last minute (around 9:30), and got off very quickly.

 

Let's see, what am I forgetting? Any questions, please let me know. A very nice cruise, though we may try a different cruise line next time. (Princess may have lost us due to the late arrivals.)

 

Michelle

[spongerob]

Thanks for the comments. As to the late arrivals, I was not there, so I don't know the reasons and anything I might say would be pure speculation. You should place the cab driver's comments in the same category. Changes to the schedule and missed ports are a fact of life about cruising, and affect all cruise lines.

[emmysmom]

Thanks for your informative review - I really enjoy reading other cruisers impressions of Alaska and the Diamond! I am glad to hear that my son, who will be 13 when we cruise, will be able to attend the Teen Center. He was really looking forward to it. Can't wait for our turn to cruise again - only sad thing is it goes by way too fast! :D

[NE14CRUZN]

The reason the ship was late to each port and all other ships were passing was due to the propeller on the port side beiing damaged. The may 26th? ship incurred a shanked propeller and the ship was not able to maintain the speed. It will be fixed in 3 weeks. I noticed a strange vibration in the back of the ship I was in room E728 and asked some EE's. They disclosed the repair that was needed and why the delay.:rolleyes:

[gg3]

An earlier poster (who seemed to know what he was talking about) said he believed Diamond was late to Juneau and Victoria because when it hit the dock earlier in the season it bent the prop and can't go quite as fast. He said instead of canceling cruises for repair, it will go in December for work. Take this explanation as intended - as just passing on someone's observation or perhabs "facts". gg

[m steve]

After 7 cruises, I feel embarkation in Seattle was the slowest!:mad:

[Host Caroline]

I didn't see earlier post re propellor problem but that wasn't disclosed to anyone in our group! Every single announcement said it was weather related.. And at Captain's Lunch the question was asked at two tables including ours and "weather" was given as the answer.. IMHO only if it is a prop problem, fess up and let people know upfront there is a problem.

[spongerob]

It's true that Diamond Princess suffered some damage in a collision with the pier in Victoria last year. I think any damage has long since been repaired.

[Coral]

I just read notes about this from last August. The propeller will be replaced when the ship goes into dry dock in December of this year. Princess was able to grind any scratches out of the propeller last May and was going to continue to inspect the propellers periodically. Since they were not having any problems with them - they decided to not cancel any sailings and decided to fix the propeller when the ship goes into a regularly scheduled dry dock which is Dec 05.

 

I doubt arriving late is due to the "last captain" hitting the dock last year. One, there have been several Captains on this ship since last May (so it wasn't the last Captain) and two, it doesn't matter if the Captain arrives early or late to Victoria, he still needs to dock the ship.

[judyjudy56]

We were told by a bar waiter that there was a problem with the propulsion. He said they had only 3 and not 6. Not sure what that meant but he did say we would be late to Victoria and have been every cruise this season. I am guessing that Princess likes to blame the weather and not mention engine problems especially on such a new ship. It did seem odd that all the other ships seemed to arrive on time in Juneau and Victoria.

[bdjam]

Regarding Diamond Princess’ late arrivals – what everyone has to remember is that Diamond and Sapphire are two of the biggest ships in Alaska and I would imagine that maneuvering in that area isn’t the easiest. Compared to smaller ships (Oosterdam has been mentioned) it might just take a bit longer to get Diamond around some of the curves and at a slower speed.

[gg3]

I think the propeller damage was done during bad weather, trying to do emergency evac of passenger in Victoria maybe last August/Sept. or so. Seems like a long time to go without proper repair ----------so if someone really knows join in on this discussion. gg

[Coral]

I think the propeller damage was done during bad weather, trying to do emergency evac of passenger in Victoria maybe last August/Sept. or so. Seems like a long time to go without proper repair ----------so if someone really knows join in on this discussion. gg

 

I believe it was May (May 22nd or close to that date).

 

There were strong winds when the ship tried to dock. Once they docked, they did need to evacuate a passeneger for medical purposes. The medical issue was not tied to the ship hitting the dock.

 

They sent divers down to grind the cuts out of the propellers and eventually determined (months later), that their wasn't a need to cancel a sailing and dry dock the ship immediately. Princess thought the issue could wait until the ship was scheduled for a dry dock. In the mean time, they were routinely sending divers down to check the propellers to make sure it was functioning properly.

[Desert Nurse]

I think the propeller damage was done during bad weather, trying to do emergency evac of passenger in Victoria maybe last August/Sept. or so. Seems like a long time to go without proper repair ----------so if someone really knows join in on this discussion. gg

 

I was on the Diamond when she hit the dock in Victoria, on May 21, 2004. The ship had to dock to let off three passengers who were ill. The Captain refered to them as "the poorly." It was windy and even with several tug boats holding the ship in place, the wind still picked it up and pushed it against the dock. It was actually a gentle nudge, and we didn't even realize we had hit the dock. The incident has been overblown on message boards everywhere.

 

Does anyone remember when the "old" Star Princess took out an entire pier in Skayway in the early 90's? She was tied up when the winds moved her sideways and took an entire wooden pier out. I was there a couple of weeks later and got some great pictures. If I ever find those pictures I'll scan one and post it. Even though these ships are huge, the winds can catch them just right and move them rapidly.

[lbcrosby]

Michelle, thank you for the review. You, your husband and daughter are about the same age as our family so I really appreciated hearing the review from your perspective. Do you perhaps have a copy of any of the Patter's from the kid's program? We are leaving on June 25th and my six year old son is getting really excited (not to mention his parents). Thanks

[GoBucks04]

Michelle-my son was 4 on the cruise as well and he didn't want to leave the kid's club(he literally cried when we picked him up. The talent show was great and they had a great time!!lbcrosby-your kid's will love it!

 

I agree about the excuses on the "weather". They should just tell us that they are have "technical difficulties" as we watched HAL sail past us several times!!

 

I like the cruise and the ship very well. The first two days, however, I was very annoyed at finding my way through levels 6-7 and figuring which part of the ship I needed to get to and where I was at the moment. I kept running outside to get to the other side!!

[judyjudy56]

We also got lost a time or two or three. I never seemed to know which way was forward. Oh well, we walked off some of the desserts we had!!

[michmstr]

lbcrosby, sorry I didn't keep the kid's Patters. They do keep the kids busy though, I'm sure your son will love it. Have a great time!

 

Michelle

[argosy]

the OP wrote: "I did miss the different specialty items in the pc dining rooms, because I like ethnic food, not just traditional stuff every night, but I understand why Princess did away with it."

 

I guess I have never gotten a clear explanation as to "why" they did away with it. What are the reasons you suspect?

[judyjudy56]

My guess would be that it was not cost effective to have 4 different menus and the traditional menu. Or possibly there was too much confusion as to whether traditional diners could go to the PC dining rooms. It's too bad they eliminated it. We were really looking forward to having those options.