Diamond Princess review Dec 2014

[Austcruiser84]

This is a brief report of my recent 5 day cruise on board the Diamond Princess, which sailed Sydney to Sydney with an overnight and day port call at Melbourne. The cruise spanned Sunday 14th December to Friday 19th December.

 

Embarkation

 

I received explicit instructions on embarkation through the cruise personaliser service and by SMS in the days leading up to this cruise. Due to the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal undergoing renovations a staggered boarding system was put in place. Arriving around 2.30pm I expected some congestion, but was pleasantly surprised to breeze through check-in (timed at 2.5 minutes from entrance to security). Before entering the terminal, passengers had to proceed through a marquee area which didn't seem to serve much purpose other than provide a space for people to fill out those ridiculous health/Ebola forms. I say ridiculous because they rely mostly on passengers' honesty - something not exhibited by one lady next to me who proclaimed to her friend across a table to not state 'yes' to her allegedly being ill in the days before the cruise as they 'might not let [her] on'. There was a short queue at security, but staff were quite efficient and reminded passengers well before the scanning section to remove coins, keys, and other metal objects from their pockets. By the time I entered a lift on my way to Deck 11 I had only spent around 13 minutes embarking - that's a new record, breaking my Venice time of 15.5 minutes in June.

 

Impressions of the refit

 

Given that the ship supposedly underwent an expansive refit earlier in the year (a point also mentioned to me by the check in desk lady), I was rather surprised by how little has actually changed. With the exception of the new staterooms installed adjacent to the casino, passenger accommodation has not been upgraded. My Baja Deck stateroom was clean and very presentable, but it was definitely not the beneficiary of the refit.

 

The Horizon Court has been made over and I quite approve of the decor. It's a huge step up from the sea green and wicker furniture that passed for a Clayton's Palm Court. Oddly though, not the entire area has been refitted. The aft sections of the seating area is still in the old style, making for an interesting juxtaposition. It actually reminds me of the stark contrast between Etihad Airways' old business class and new business class cabins. Suffice to say I prefer the new Horizon Court!

 

The photo gallery area and the old internet cafe space had been refitted and 'glammed up' - the internet cafe space now housing Kai Sushi. The old teen space on Deck 15 aft now boasted the Japanese spa, a facility I used during the cruise and will report on further down. There were also small changes to the shops on board, with more upmarket items on sale than when I sailed in December 2013. However, most of the items on sale were aimed at women, so I didn't end up buying anything. The Calypso Cove shop has been moved from its old central location near the panoramic lifts to where the wedding chapel was previously located. The chapel has now been moved next to the casino and the passenger service desk on Deck 6.

 

Despite only parts of the ship receiving an actual refit, the Diamond was in great shape and I couldn't find any decor or structural faults.

 

Lifeboat drill

 

Normally I wouldn't mention the lifeboat drill. However, the fact that nobody blew the whistle on their life jacket during the drill seemed worthy of mentioning. On every cruise I have taken to date, it's as though half the passengers begin blowing into the very unhygienic bits of orange plastic despite being advised not to do so. Everyone was well behaved during the half hour process, something I very much doubt would happen should the ship actually be sinking in the middle of the night! Still, the illusion of safety at sea is somewhat reassuring.

 

Dining

 

This was the first cruise where I didn't select traditional dining. I was somewhat put off it following unfortunate experiences on my last two Princess cruises. Having previously enjoyed an evening at the Chef's Table dinner in the Savoy dining room a year ago, I opted to dine here twice during the cruise. While the food and ambiance were excellent, I felt the service lacked efficiency and friendliness. On arriving to dine solo, the Maitre de appeared to have difficulties absorbing the notion that someone might actually wish to eat alone. He asked me twice whether I was a 'party of one', something reiterated by one of the waiters on my first visit who eventually removed the unused dining set up on the opposite side of my table. On the first visit to the Savoy, I was practically rushed through my meal. I'd only just finished my appetiser when the next course was thrust upon me! I had a similar experience on the Dawn Princess back in October. However, on the second visit to the Savoy the dining experience moved glacially, but not as slow as the 50 minute wait for pizza that I experienced at the Italian eatery on the Dawn.

 

Surprisingly, the service in the Horizon Court was efficient and friendly. Though the food was rather bland (to be expected from a buffet) there was never trouble getting a space to eat as wait staff quickly cleared used tables and reset them for new eaters (of which there were many - I even began to suspect some I saw regularly even as I passed through just stayed camped out for the duration of the cruise). It was also pleasing not to be treated as a child, with hand sanitisers present but not foisted upon passers-by as has been my previous experience sailing with Cunard and Princess.

 

The Trident Grill and Pizzeria on Deck 14 by the pool continue to make excellent fast food. The pizza was some of the best I have ever had on a cruise ship, although it was sometimes a little oily. It was also worth the $3 charge for room service - for which they deliver a 12 inch pizza in a proper delivery style box. Unfortunately, room service orders didn't always come as requested. On one occasion my ketchup and mayonnaise arrived as chill powder and oregano. Suffice to say I wasn't about to put either on a hotdog and asked for the correct condiments. That said, the room service food was generally good and the promise of a 20-30 minute wait was consistent.

 

Entertainment

 

I was so impressed by the entertainment on board the Dawn Princess in October. I also enjoyed the offerings on the Diamond last December. Unfortunately, I found the entertainment a little disappointing on this cruise. I largely put this down to the heavy American focus of the comedians, shows, and deck festivities. Given that nearly everyone on board the ship were Australians it was surprising that Princess didn't select a comedian or ventriloquist (the two guest entertainers) with an Aussie vibe or more international flavour to humour. It was obvious that both entertainers struggled a little to maintain their acts, with strained laughter at jokes designed for a mid west American audience and a rather empty Explorers Lounge on the second performance of the ventriloquist.

 

The opening night show in the Princess Theatre was good, but the second production 'Born to be Wild' again missed the mark with its US focus. The disappointing applause at the end suggested I wasn't the only one underwhelmed by the show. Not wishing to generalise too much, but Princess might want to adopt its very successful entertainment strategy from its Australian based ships and incorporate it into the Diamond's programmes when she spends the summer based around our shores.

 

Likewise, the Hawaiian themed 'Ultimate Deck Party' was very much a disappointment and completely missed the mark. The cold and the wind that whipped up following sailaway from Melbourne meant that most passengers steered clear of the area around Neptune's Reef and Pool on the Lido. However, there were plenty of crew about and in the end it seemed as though the Ultimate Deck Party (which didn't quite live up to its name) was for them rather than us. While at least 30 crew members danced on deck with an embarrassingly handful of passengers, maybe a dozen other passengers watched on for a little while before decided better entertainment could be found elsewhere.

 

Not everything is a negative. Bingo was well-attended during sea days and it was so refreshing to be back playing the North American version after the rather boring Australian version I previously experienced on the Dawn. Yes, I realise I just spent the last three paragraphs somewhat criticising the ship's Americanised nature. But in this instance, Americanisation is a good thing. Better still, I managed to win one of the bingo rounds and recouped some of my expenditure. Unfortunately, with a mere three numbers remaining, the grand $2,550 final prize was taken from me by someone luckier!

 

There were plenty of trivia competitions and I quite enjoyed 'The Liars' Club' gameshow where passengers had to decide which of the four crew members' definitions for very unusual words was telling the truth. I must say that a lot of thought has clearly gone into staging that activity and it was certainly a big hit with the audience given the laughter throughout and the huge applause at the end. However, this only occurred on one evening. It would be worth Princess management's time looking into incorporating more interactive experiences during the daytime - a point made by several passengers of varying age groups during brief conversations about the ship.

 

Marvellous Melbourne

 

I love visiting Melbourne. While it has, in my opinion, lost the crown as Australia's fashion capital, it still offers shoppers many opportunities to swipe their cards and empty wallets. We sat off the coast of Port Phillip Bay for five hours longer than anticipated due to high winds preventing a ship leaving (and thus us from entering the bay). So, our 6pm overnight docking turned into a midnight appearance alongside Port Melbourne. While I had not planned a night out in the city, I imagine some passengers were disappointed by the late arrival (not that I heard any complaints - the Captain kept everyone abreast of the matter and was very apologetic). I did wonder whether anyone had booked dinner on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant - if so, they would have been most unhappy. If in Melbourne, I highly recommend the experience. For $121 (inclusive of a 5 course dinner, unlimited alcohol and soft drinks, and a three hour journey around the city) per person, it is excellent value for money. I noticed that it was on the list of daytime shore excursions - the restaurant operates a shorter lunch service as well.

 

For those arriving in Melbourne on a Princess ship, there are three main transport options: there was an express shuttle (fee applied) from the terminal into the city, a tram which stopped at the entrance to the terminal, and taxis. Taxis at Port Melbourne are hard to come by, so I would advise using the shuttle or the tram. I much prefer the tram (109 service) which takes you from the terminal entrance into the CBD - right past Crown Casino and onto Collins Street (one of the main CBD thoroughfares). You will need a Myki ticket (similar to a London Oyster Card) which can be purchased just inside the terminal or (with a far smaller queue) from a news agency shop immediately to the side of the tram station. When entering a tram you swipe on, but you do not need to swipe off when exiting.

 

Ultimately, Melbourne proved quite productive. I succeeded in buying a couple of Christmas gifts for people and I finally found a pair of shoes I liked. I'd initially planned to take the Princess excursion to the goldfields at Ballarat, but I ended up cancelling it prior to sailing as on my previous trips that shore excursion seemed to get cancelled on me. Plus, I needed to do some shopping anyway (as did quite a few passengers judging by the sea of blue 'come back new' totes bobbing up and down amidst the throng of shoppers in the CBD).

 

The Lotus Spa, Gym and Japanese baths

 

I made good use of both the spa and the gym on this cruise. While the spa isn't cheap, it also wasn't that much different in pricing compared to spa experiences in Sydney. I opted for the 10/20/30 deal where if you purchase three experiences from a select list of treatments you get 10 per cent off the first, 20 per cent off the second and 30 per cent off the third. In the end I added an additional two services and continued to receive a generous discount. Ultimately, I paid roughly the same for five treatments as I would have for the initial three had no discount been applied. A little splurge perhaps, but I felt so refreshed and revived following five days of pampering that I see it as an investment in my wellbeing.

 

Interestingly, there were not male masseuses on board. To date, I have never seen a male spa attendant on any of my four Princess cruises. Usually I avoid female masseuses as I find their arms and hands to be too boney compared to male therapists. However, on this cruise both attendants were very very good and managed to get the knots out of my back - there is nothing more satisfying than feeling the knot being worked out from under the skin. It's marvellous! My only criticism of the Lotus spa is the seeming obligatory sales pitch at the end of each treatment. I really wish they wouldn't try to sell a million and one products - after a massage the last thing I want to hear is a five minute spiel about Elemis!

 

The gym has new equipment from the same time last year. I also noticed the addition of treadmills and cross trainers throughout the aerobics room - basically doubling the number of cardio machines available. This fortunately meant that even during reasonably busy times there was never a wait for equipment. Better still was the installation of a squat rack! I remember a trainer telling me last December that the crew had one, but that for some reason it was rare to see them in the passenger gyms on cruise ships. I made the suggestion of installing one in my feedback to Princess last time I was on board - so, it would seem they listened! I am sure I wasn't the only person to suggest it for them to make this very good addition to the gym.

 

However, not everyone appreciated the new equipment. One rather large lady expressed her dissatisfaction quite publicly about the new cycle machines. Each bike now has a large TV screen set up with a video game-like cycling experience where riders can race in simulated environments. Unfortunately for this lady, she found it impossible on how to operate the equipment. Her husband didn't fare too well when he suggested that she start peddling to get it to power up. She there a small tantrum, declared the bike "ridiculous" and nearly fell off to one side as she dismounted and stormed out of the gym. I would have to rate that one of the quickest gym visits I have ever witnessed, only being beaten out slightly than two young women I once witnessed at a gym in Sydney who decided that it was too much effort to exercise as they would have to walk up escalators that had ceased working! I believe this is called irony.

 

Princess is certainly improving its health and fitness experiences for passengers. The inclusion of the Japanese baths is definitely a successful move. At $10 for 2 hours, it was certainly a worthwhile experience. There are two sides to the baths - one for women and the other for men. The sides are swapped each day on account of there being some small differences such as one side having a small steam room and the other having a beautiful water wall that massages your back when sat under. I particularly liked the sandalwood scented outdoor jacuzzi baths. I always feel overwhelmed when sitting in an indoors spa - the breeze from outside was refreshing and the sea views from the tub added greatly to the relaxing atmosphere. However, there was one catch: some times are set aside for nude bathing. On this cruise, 6-10am and 6-10pm were reserved for nude bathing, while 10am-midday and 1-6pm were reserved for people in bathers. From midday until 1pm it is possible to be given a tour of the facilities by the Japanese staff - possibly the most polite people I have ever met!

 

Interesting encounters and incidents

 

Unfortunately, some passengers lacked the graces of the Japanese staff on board. I suspect that one gentleman who fondled himself in the gym steam room adjacent to the Lotus spa one afternoon had forgotten his place. It certainly seemed to disturb several of us sitting in the room as we all left within seconds of each other, leaving the man to do his thing.

 

It would seem that cruises really do take all sorts. When receiving a print out of my stateroom account one morning, I overheard an Elite card holder asking the desk clerk for a special card on which he desired to place $400. When asked why he wanted to do this, he replied that he required it for "a little gambling and booze". While eavesdropping isn't polite, the fact he spoke so clearly and at a reasonably loud volume next to me meant that I simply had to listen to what sounded like a potentially juicy story. The clerk seemed a little confused and suggested that the man could easily pay for alcohol and the casino with his current card. The man then clarified by explaining that his wife checked their account daily and that she wouldn't stand for such expenditure. He begged the clerk for a secret card that his wife wouldn't know about!

 

I find that I hear the most interesting things at the Passenger Services Desk. While seeking a refund on a double charge to my account on disembarkation day, a female passenger was very loudly proclaiming how the past five days had been the "worst in living memory" and how Princess had allegedly "ruined her time". When prompted by the clerk as to what exactly had been so bad about the cruise, the woman retorted "everything, just everything". Having worked in retail for a few years during my university days, I always enjoy the experience of having people complain so strongly about everything but nothing in particular. The icing on the cake was surely when she declared that she didn't know why she went on cruises and that it had been the "worst cruise ever". Methinks this was a little hyperbolic - I mean, surely the worst cruise award has to go to the Titanic maiden voyage, or more recently, to the Costa Concordia. At least the Diamond Princess made it back to shore! To me it seems so irrational, but there she was ranting and carrying on as though Princess had kidnapped her from her home and forced her to go on a five day cruise. Heaven forbid!

 

Fortunately (or is that unfortunately?), I didn't get mistaken for a crew member on this cruise - alas, no identity crisis stories in this report.

 

Keeping the children in check

 

Princess handles children really well. While I never want children of my own, I appreciate that parents need a break from their little dears once in a while. Despite there being over 300 children on board it was as though they didn't exist! Quite a few people commented on this in conversation and all were agreed that the crew did an excellent job at occupying the young ones. This was especially obvious to me when I stumbled across the teen disco happening on Deck 16 aft on the same night as the fizzle that was the Ultimate Deck Party for adults. It was certainly a stark contrast to the complete lack of attention to the 400 children on my QM2 Christmas cruise a couple of years ago - resulting in gangs of teenagers roaming the corridors and maliciously changing breakfast room service order forms (can you say hello to 10 servings of eggs and an ocean of coffee?).

 

Debarkation

 

When travelling light (one suitcase and a carry-on roller bag) I like to make use of the express self-disembarkation offered. Arrival in Sydney was just after 6am and I had opted for an 8am walk-off. I admit I was a little concerned about congestion of the lifts as I had experienced on the Dawn in October. However, there was no trouble gaining access to a lift when it came time to leave. Within moments I was off the ship, through the terminal, and into a taxi waiting outside. I didn't even have to queue for a taxi - a big difference to the debacle awaiting passengers exiting the Dawn in Melbourne (where there were maybe 2 taxis and over 100 people queued). Both the embarkation and debarkation experiences were 5 star - credit to Princess and the Sydney Port Authorities.

 

Overall

 

I enjoyed my five days of relaxation on the Diamond Princess. While I would have liked a slightly longer cruise, it was still a good length of time to be on board. The ship is nice and the itinerary was a good fit for what I wanted out of the trip. However, I would like to see more sea day activities in future. In particular, I would love Princess to bring back sea day lectures as I experienced during my 2006 New Zealand cruise. This is one of several major areas that makes me prefer sailing with Cunard for longer voyages, even though it costs more to do so.

 

That said, I finally achieved Platinum level with Princess after only four cruises. This is one area that trumps the competition as Princess awards two credits to solos travelling in balconies or mini-suites (and 3 credits if sailing in a suite). Given that solos virtually pay the equivalent of two people to cruise, I feel that this is a very fair and smart policy to have. So, I look forward to booking another cruise with Princess in 2015 where I will get a few new perks, most importantly free internet time!

 

Thanks for reading (if you made it this far) - I hope you found the review somewhat useful.

[caribill]

Thanks for an honest, fun-to-read review.

[pppatpc2]

Thanks for the Diamond review. We are on the January 10th sailing and glad to hear some of the horrendous reviews have been a little exagerrated. We sailed on her on the Grand Asia trip in 2013 and had a great time.

[Kinkacruiser]

A very enjoyable and thorough review. Thanks for sharing. I'm keen to try the new Japanese fittings.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[onefine89]

This is a brief report of my recent 5 day cruise on board the Diamond Princess, which sailed Sydney to Sydney with an overnight and day port call at Melbourne. The cruise spanned Sunday 14th December to Friday 19th December.........................

 

Thanks for reading (if you made it this far) - I hope you found the review somewhat useful.

 

Thank you for your review of your recent cruise on the Diamond Princess.........enjoyed your insights and positive comments:)

 

Would you be able to post the Princess Patters from your cruise? Would like to include the Patters in a listing that has been created and do not have anything for the Diamond Princess........and for the Dawn Princess also, if you have those.

 

Thanks again.

[Bimmer09]

A crisp and well-written review- and good humor doesn't hurt either!

 

Nice job,

 

Norris

[Austcruiser84]

Thanks for the Diamond review. We are on the January 10th sailing and glad to hear some of the horrendous reviews have been a little exagerrated. We sailed on her on the Grand Asia trip in 2013 and had a great time.

 

Firstly, thanks for the positive feedback from those who have posted.

 

I'm always wary of horrendous reviews. I think it is very hard to not find at least one positive in most things. I'm sure you will enjoy your upcoming trip on the Diamond. It is a lovely ship on the whole.

 

I find part of the impact a place has depends on one's attitude. Go in with an open mind - it works for me :)

[Austcruiser84]

Thank you for your review of your recent cruise on the Diamond Princess.........enjoyed your insights and positive comments:)

 

Would you be able to post the Princess Patters from your cruise? Would like to include the Patters in a listing that has been created and do not have anything for the Diamond Princess........and for the Dawn Princess also, if you have those.

 

Thanks again.

 

I think I kept the Dawn patters and I certainly kept the ones from last week. I'll look into scanning and uploading in the near future.

[PrincessC15]

Hi there

 

We were on the same cruise, and on two occasions we were seated with a solo and who knows it could have been you.

 

Your article is very well written.

 

We too enjoyed ourselves as a family. I do agree with entertainment and activities, they could cater towards the Aussies. We did like the Beatle Boys, and Mosaic, the lead singer likes to engage with the audience to dance and sing.

 

We are now Ruby status and can't wait for Platinum status too.

[Austcruiser84]

Hi there

 

We were on the same cruise, and on two occasions we were seated with a solo and who knows it could have been you.

 

Your article is very well written.

 

We too enjoyed ourselves as a family. I do agree with entertainment and activities, they could cater towards the Aussies. We did like the Beatle Boys, and Mosaic, the lead singer likes to engage with the audience to dance and sing.

 

We are now Ruby status and can't wait for Platinum status too.

 

Thanks for the compliment. However, I don't think we met.

 

You don't get much for Ruby membership. Platinum gives a little better - I'm looking forward to taking advantage of that now I have attained the status.

 

Thankfully, the Diamond is going to have on board spending in AUD this year. That will make things a little less complicated and avoid the obligatory US tipping system that means having to sign for anything and everything.

[p0240]

Great review, thanks

Pat :)

[NeptuneSeas]

Thank you for your review.

Appreciate knowing if Maitre D' on board Diamond is still Beppe Castino, or a change please? Also if Jacques Ghennai is still Maitre D' on board Dawn or a change please? We try to update the Maitres D' list.

 

Interesting to read your comments re dining alone - when I was single, I often used to ask for solo dining as I tired of repeating my life story to many pax! I understand - fortunately I never experienced a problem with the Maitre D' assigning me a table for 2. It was my holiday & how I dined was nobody's business but my own. Now I have a table for 2 & am so appreciative to share it with my husband Mario.

 

Hope you can post the Patters for Diamond & Dawn on the Patter 2015 thread please.

Happy New Year & Welcome home! Rose & Mario

Edited January 3, 2015 by NeptuneSeas

[By The Bay]

Jacques Ghenna was on Dawn Princess when we last cruised in October.:)

[NeptuneSeas]

Jacques Ghenna was on Dawn Princess when we last cruised in October.:)

 

Thank you. Happy New Year!