Diamond or Discovery Princess for Mexico cruise

[kj_connections]

Hi,

 

I am new to Princess and debating these 2 ships with the following itineraries:

 

Diamond - San Diego, La Paz, Loreto and Cabo

Discovery - LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta

 

From my research so far the Diamond is old but is supposed to be medallion class...not sure if that means it will have all the cool technology that Discovery has.  The ports on the Diamond seem more unique but one is a tender port.

 

Discovery - well it's brand new!  Not sure how great the port are though

 

I will be traveling with my parents (60+) and 2 kids (<10yo)

 

What would be your choice and why?  Thanks

[Jeter02]

For me personally speaking, I always prefer a newer ship over an older one any day. Guaranteed for no operational issues with the ship. Plus everything is just new and shiny 😁

[lx200gps]

1 hour ago, kj_connections said:

Hi,

 

I am new to Princess and debating these 2 ships with the following itineraries:

 

Diamond - San Diego, La Paz, Loreto and Cabo

Discovery - LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta

 

From my research so far the Diamond is old but is supposed to be medallion class...not sure if that means it will have all the cool technology that Discovery has.  The ports on the Diamond seem more unique but one is a tender port.

 

Discovery - well it's brand new!  Not sure how great the port are though

 

I will be traveling with my parents (60+) and 2 kids (<10yo)

 

What would be your choice and why?  Thanks

For us, hands down the Discovery. Newer ship, and we greatly prefer the big ships. Puerto Vallarta is one of our favorite ports to visit, Mazatlan not so much. BTW, Cabo is also a tender port. Gorgeous "desert meets ocean" scenery

[Sea Hag]

I like the new ships just fine, and, in fact, our favorite cabin is only on the new ships. But we chose the Diamond for a cruise this November. We've done the Mexican Riviera many times, and the last few we didn't even get off the ship. I've always wanted to do a Sea of Cortez sailing, and the 7 day on the Diamond fit the bill for that. There are some advantages to the older, smaller ships. The main one of those for me is the full wrap-around Promenade deck. I love walking laps on that. The best walking option on the new ships is the track up top. Not a bad option, but it is completely exposed to whatever weather is happening. 

[wcflats]

We’ve done both..we like the diamond class for the same reasons that sea hag mentioned.  It’ll have all the medallion things that discovery princess has .  Discovery is new and also has some pluses and some not as favorable to us.

You won’t go wrong with either ship 🚢.  Have also done Mexico several times in fact one of our daughters got married in puerto Vallarta.

[jasbo49]

I would look at itinerary before worrying about the ship. La Paz and Loreto are smaller and less developed than Maz and PV. Your choice.

 

Now, for the ships, there is one important distinction if you are planning on having your kids share your cabin. A mini-suite is almost required for four in a cabin, and the mini-suite balconies are roughly twice as big on Diamond.

 

Most mini-suite balconies on the new ships are only 4 feet deep. The Diamond has 8-foot-deep (or is it 9?) balconies on minis.

 

Jim

Edited July 11, 2022 by jasbo49

[HaveDogWillTravel]

The Diamond has the Izumi Japanese baths and a sushi restaurant.  Discovery does not. 
 

Discovery has Alfredo’s, International Cafe, Salty Dog Gastro Pub restaurant and a beautiful Gelato shop. Diamond does not ( the gelato shop and Salty Dog have an extra charge but it is quite reasonable) 
 

The kiddos would probably prefer the Discovery.  
 

 

[cr8tiv1]

Disclaimer:  I am not a fan of the Royal Class ships.  If given the choice, I would take the Diamond Princess.  Her itinerary is one of my favorite.  Loreto and Cabo are tender ports.  La Paz is a 30 minute (free) bus ride into town.  La Paz and Loreto have a feel of old town Mexico (not Tijuana).  Not much to do for the kids.  No fancy excursions/activities.  But safe and freedom to walk the two towns.  

 

The Diamond is missing some important features like the International Cafe.  But the balconies and promenade are great additions.  Get two side by side balcony rooms.  Put one kid in each.  Share the wealth.   

[Bwana Tom]

It appears I am in the minority here. I much prefer the smaller ships and when people talk about "older ships" the Diamond isn't really very old (built in 2004). The Diamond's itinerary is more unique than that of the Discovery. We are actually booked on a B2B on the Diamond in January, first to Hawaii then the same itinerary as you are talking about on the Diamond to Mexico. Having not done that particular cruise before I'm looking forward to the "old world Mexico" over the more commercialized Cabo, PV, etc. On the other hand if you go on the Discovery I would strongly recommend walking the "blue line". This is a unique feature in the port that takes you to a nice little community area all inclusive of benches to sit in, shops and restaurants as well as some art features. It is simply a blue line embedded in the street or sidewalk that you follow. While it is almost impossible to get lost most of the time there are part-time residents (usually American or Canadians) that will keep from straying off the line. They are fun to chat with along the way. I suppose it is about a mile into that area and well worth the time. If you have trouble finding the blue line, simply ask anyone on shore.

Many folks here on Cruise Critic bad mouth Mazatlan, but it is a favorite of me. I am betting most of those folks haven't walked the blue line before. And while the Diamond does not have the International Cafe onboard I never could  understand the attraction there either. But maybe I'm just different about some things. 

Nevertheless, which ever cruise you decide on I'm sure you will have a great time.

[kj_connections]

Thanks everyone.  I am leaning towards the Diamond because the port San Diego is probably easier to get to than LA and the itinerary does have unique ports.  Would I expect the same quality of food on both diamond and discovery? While I love new and shiny ships, if Diamond has Medallion class then I would have the same type of "new technology" experience right?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Medallion technology is the same on all ships. 

Food is subjective but yes both main dining rooms would be expected to be similar. I do not use the buffet but some on CC have reported the Royal Class ships like Discovery are better. 
 

‘Look at the deck plans and read about the specialty dining venues as they are somewhat different. The up-charge steak house on both ships should be similar though. 
 

The casual dining choices outside of Main dining room and buffet will be fewer on the Diamond. No Alfredo’s (called Gigi’s on Discovery)  and no International Cafe (IC) and no gelato shop. 
 

The pizza, calzones, pasta and salads at Gigi’s on Discovery are excellent. I don’t have any good pictures though from my April sailing. 
 

Here are some pictures of Discovery’s gelato shop and the IC from the Ruby taken April thru May of this year. The IC on Discovery should be very similar. 

 

 

 

IC

IC breakfast 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[scooter6139]

3 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

The Diamond has the Izumi Japanese baths and a sushi restaurant.  Discovery does not. 
 

Discovery has Alfredo’s, International Cafe, Salty Dog Gastro Pub restaurant and a beautiful Gelato shop. Diamond does not ( the gelato shop and Salty Dog have an extra charge but it is quite reasonable) 
 

The kiddos would probably prefer the Discovery.  
 

 

 

Just a quick correction, Discovery does have Sushi, it's in the main Atrium, bow side Fiesta deck 6.  Called Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar.

[kj_connections]

38 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Medallion technology is the same on all ships. 

Food is subjective but yes both main dining rooms would be expected to be similar. I do not use the buffet but some on CC have reported the Royal Class ships like Discovery are better. 
 

‘Look at the deck plans and read about the specialty dining venues as they are somewhat different. The up-charge steak house on both ships should be similar though. 
 

The casual dining choices outside of Main dining room and buffet will be fewer on the Diamond. No Alfredo’s (called Gigi’s on Discovery)  and no International Cafe (IC) and no gelato shop. 
 

The pizza, calzones, pasta and salads at Gigi’s on Discovery are excellent. I don’t have any good pictures though from my April sailing. 
 

Here are some pictures of Discovery’s gelato shop and the IC from the Ruby taken April thru May of this year. The IC on Discovery should be very similar. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the photos!

Is there a pizzeria that is free on the Diamond?  What is in place of the International Cafe on Diamond?  Is the Izumi Japanese bath free?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

7 hours ago, kj_connections said:

 

 

Thank you for the photos!

Is there a pizzeria that is free on the Diamond?  What is in place of the International Cafe on Diamond?  Is the Izumi Japanese bath free?

thanks @scooter6139for the correction on Discovery’s sushi bar. I completely missed it on my sailing!  So much to do and so little time. Lol. 
 

The Diamond will have the Lido deck pizza by the pools. I have found the sit down indoor pizzerias to be better but food is subjective.  

There is nothing on Diamond that takes the place the IC. 

The Izumi baths do require an up charge.  I’ll be using them myself for the first time in January 2023. The Diamond is just coming back into service September 1.  Hopefully there will be a live from that can inform us about how things are now.  

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjmp9DLnvL4AhU-JEQIHXUfBT0QtwJ6BAgMEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Du4tWzBRzLks&usg=AOvVaw1P3hS1TaRfn2OQUIKQrs1Z

 

hopefully this link to a pre Covid video of the baths work. 

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[CruizinSusan70]

OP....what is more important to you the ship or the ports?   And what type of ships have you sailed on the past, newer larger ones or older smaller ones?  The Diamond is an 18 year old ship that has the medallion technology, but it's still an 18 year old ship.  It's not like there's going to be USB plugs in your cabin.  The only thing it has going for it is that the ports are unique and that would be the ONLY reason to choose it over the Discovery.  Spent 14 days on the Discovery in April on the third and fourth sailings and had a blast.

 

There's a line in the sand with many Princess cruisers, those that prefer the older rust buckets that hate the Royal Class ships and those that like the more modern ships.  Those that hate the Royal Class will have major conniptions when the Sphere Class comes out at 175 K tons.

[caribill]

To me, the Diamond is the better choice.

 

o It has significantly less passengers than Discovery.

o The itinerary, to me, is better. Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta are much more "touristy" than La Paz and Loreto. There will also be less ships in port at La Paz and Loreto which means less crowded on shore.

o As others mentioned, if you have a balcony, the balcony is larger on the Diamond. Also the promenade deck is a traditional one.

o Unless someone in your group has a physical limitation that would affect using a tender,  there is nothing wrong with tendering. (Even Cabo (on both itineraries) requires a tender.)

o Although I also like having an IC, there will still be plenty of eating opportunities on the Diamond. You will not go hungry on the Diamond.

 

Also, Princess staff will be very attentive on both ships.

 

Both ships do have "Medallion class" technology (all Princess ships do). The quarter-sized Medallion functions as a cruise card which is used to unlock your cabin door, allow you to make charges to your on board account, identify you when getting on or off the ship, etc.

 

The other promises of Medallion technology (ordering food/drink from your cell phone or cabin TV and having it delivered to you wherever you are on the ship, for example) may or may not work well and that can happen on either ship.

[kj_connections]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.  I am going to go with Discovery.  I like new ships and I have never done either itinerary so I guess the ship was the deciding factor in this case.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, kj_connections said:

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.  I am going to go with Discovery.  I like new ships and I have never done either itinerary so I guess the ship was the deciding factor in this case.

 

Have a fantastic cruise with many good memories made.