Diamond Princess - what is its condition

[seb530]

Hi all, we have previously travelled on Grand princess, P&O Azura and Ventura so are reasonably well aquanted with this style of ship but we are considering the Asia cruise on 6th Jan 2026 and just wanted to ask peoples thoughts about the general condition of the ship and if there is any refurb/refit planned?

[walkingsoon]

If Grand was adequate for you on a recent cruise, Diamond will be as well.

 

I've sailed all the older Princess ships, prefer them in fact, and find them all to be fine. Others sail on the same ships and are horrified. Maybe I need to get new glasses.

 

Walkingsoon

[SpyderV]

On 7/29/2024 at 4:13 PM, walkingsoon said:

If Grand was adequate for you on a recent cruise, Diamond will be as well.

 

I've sailed all the older Princess ships, prefer them in fact, and find them all to be fine. Others sail on the same ships and are horrified. Maybe I need to get new glasses.

 

Walkingsoon

I prefer the Grand class as well.

[Teechur]

We were on the Emerald in June/July and thought it was wonderful! A couple of minor niggles (Ex. no lettuce for salads one day.) but overall, a great cruise.

[Scirocco Breeze]

I was on Diamond last year and I loved her. I would say showing her age, but still wonderful, and any minor maintenance issues we had were fixed promptly. I wish I was on Diamond right now.

[cr8tiv1]

I was also on the Diamond.  Her deck plans are slightly different than her counterparts.  Midship MDRs are split into 2 rooms making it a quieter dining experience.  Deck 7 has some newly added ocean view rooms that are rather nice.  A few other minor adjustments.  She has a lovely large library.  There is a large Onsen on her aft.  
 

I would not hesitate to do another cruise….except for the fact it is a        l o n g      way to go to get there.
 

 

Edited August 30 by cr8tiv1

[seb530]

Thanks all, great to hear.  Its been a while since we tried princess (no reason really other than we prefer usually to sail from UK) but sounds like a strong candidate as we didnt really like the look of celebrity and asia has few options

[icat2000]

I'm cruising Diamond in October so I soon see. 

[mahasamatman]

We were on the Diamond this year in June/July. The biggest problem with the ship is that the air conditioning system simply could not handle the heat and humidity of a Japanese summer. Our cabin was unreasonably warm for the entire cruise even though they sent maintenance three or four times. The areas around the mid-ship stairs felt like a steam room because the doors to the deck do not close automatically. Hopefully it will be better in other seasons.

[cruzsnooze]

I sailed Japan on the Diamond last June. The ship was just fine, no issues. I didn't care for the shore excursions, Japan is all about shrines and Budda and beautiful gardens and nothing much more based on the shore excursions. I loved Thailand, Viet Nam. Singapore, Cambodia and Hong Kong which were vibrant exciting cities with lots to see and do.

[thehowlingroad]

We were on the Diamond in March, in an interior room. She's showing her age; we had a faulty uinversal outlet in our room where the American plug just kept falling out (I ended up using our UK/Hong Kong adapter, problem solved) and it took us a while to get used to her layout, since our previous cruises the last few years have been on the newer ships. We grew to love the smaller MDRs and the covered pool area, but I missed the International Cafe. The pastry station in the buffet just wasn't the same...

 

It was still pretty chilly in Japan while we were there, so can't say anything about the heating/cooling system for a humid Japanese summer. We kept our room on the cooler side and the HVAC seemed to work fine.

[rwmiller]

We are on Diamond now in a suite. Everything is going well. The common areas are all upgraded with nice furnishings and the crew is outstanding. Air conditioning is handling the very hot Japanese summer. Very fast internet access. Let me know if you have any specific questions. 
 

Bob

[Tranquility Base]

3 hours ago, rwmiller said:

 Let me know if you have any specific questions. 

Thanks.

Who is the Reserve Collection Restaurant manager ?

Was breakfast in Sabatini’s, and who was the manager ?
Did you try Kai Sushi ?

[rwmiller]

The Reserve Collection head waiter is Sergio. I did not see any other managers. 
Tudor is the Sabatini’s manager and the suite breakfast was there everyday (7-10 on port days, 7:30-10:30 on sea days). I tried Kai Sushi and liked it very much although I am not a sushi connoisseur. 
 

Bob

[Cruise Raider]

I may be the spoiler here .. I didn’t like her at all.  We’ve been many different ships with many different cruise lines and she is officially my least favorite ship on which we’ve cruised.  Of note, I love the Royal class ships. So, that may help you knowing what you value vs what someone else values.  As for the things I didn’t care for … I didn’t like the dining rooms .. they felt so cramped.  The flooring in the aft MDR shifted underneath with every step by the waiters.  The ship felt dirty and that started in our cabin, which was filthy and in disrepair.  No IC, no Alfredo’s and a tiny little piazza are things I didn’t like.  The electric power was down twice and for no short period of time.  Our cabin didn’t have a bidet but we saw them in the public bathrooms.  I guess some like them, but they are not for me.  The whole layout in general was not good, IMO. 
The food was great and the entertainment was absolutely fabulous so, I didn’t have an awful cruise.  I just didn’t like the ship, except for the Wheelhouse Bar, which was beautiful and spacious.  Maybe that’s where they should have had some musical entertainment.  Instead, it was mostly used for meetings for various groups.  




 

[sammyjoanne]

We are planning to go Aug 26th 2026 to Japan. The itinerary is good and has the stops I need for my 50th. Having been on the Ruby and Emerald, I'm fine overlooking the age of the ship if the cruise is the right one.

I do have some reservations, such as no international cafe which is our go to place, but, I hear the good spirits at sea provides a good coffee, and will nip the the buffet for a quick snack if needed. No alfredos as well, but slice has never done me wrong, so I dont mind, and will try the kai sushi, and sabatinis im happy thats there. Will also try the Churrescuria (i know ive spelt that wrong) grill.

Looking at the map its got a full promenade, something the Royal didnt have and we did miss our walks (the track at the top on Royal really doesnt cut it) so I am looking forward to that. Emerald and Ruby was big on Explorers lounge and Club fusion with enertainment there, so I hope thats the same.

[Mycruiseobsession]

On 9/3/2024 at 8:13 AM, sammyjoanne said:

.

I do have some reservations, such as no international cafe which is our go to place,

 

Do they have an alternative cafe?

 

I have only even been on the Coral Princess so I have no idea what to expect. Coral didn't have a permanent Alfredos, they did a pop up type of rotation... I guess  I should go look at the deck plans! 🤣