Diamond Review

[sdlindsay]

My general Diamond Princess review is online now.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=25934

 

I am still going through patters and trying to recreate the whole trip for a more detailed report I hope to share with the board.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer while my memory is fresh.

[lhall85917]

Thanks so much for the review, we are very excited to be going on this ship in April!! :D

[H20 Lover]

Wow, thank you so much. I loved how you wrote that! Thanks for your honesty. :) My mom/dad (i.e. grandparents) will be in the PH so it was exciting to see what you said on that. They are spending twice as much as any of us, but deserve 5x more. :)

[sdlindsay]

The suite is plenty large for get togethers, and the six of us had breakfast on the balcony several mornings. One night the adults wanted to go to dinner and drinks without the munchkins, so we ordered dinner delivered to the room and the kids thought they were big stuff. Room service even waited about 30 minutes before bringing dessert, so it would be fresh for them to eat. I think it was souffle' of some sort.

 

My parents were concerned about having passengers from other staterooms utilize the suite perks, but when they asked both our room steward and the concierge, they basically told them it was their suite to use as the pleased.

 

The chocolate strawberries were a big hit too.

[alisonfe]

Hi All

For those who have been on the Diamond - a question:

 

Is there an aft deck with tables, chairs (ash trays) where one can hang out outdoors?

 

It's something I LOVE about the Celebrity ships I've been on (Century, Horizon, Galaxy, Mercury) is that the buffet has a great aft-deck eating area outdoors - the BEST place to have breakfast, hang out late at night watching the wake and drinking tea (drink stations nearby)... smoke a cigar (I don't but others do).

 

Does Diamond have anything equivalent?

thanks

[sdlindsay]

The Diamond has a great area in the aft to hang out. When you walk aft from the buffet it takes you to some outdoor tables and a bar with some additonal bar-style seating looking out over the wake. There are also 2 hot tubs that are awesome to be in while leaving a port. We soaked in one as we sailed out of Puerto Vallarta. It was beautiful. An adults only pool and a seperate kids pool on different levels and a few little cranny deck areas just big enough for 2 loungers for a private nap.

 

First an overview of the aft:

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/sdlindsay/?action=view&current=Diamond1.jpg

 

Now a few of the area:

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/sdlindsay/?action=view&current=006.jpg

 

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/sdlindsay/?action=view&current=008.jpg

[alisonfe]

Thank you SDLindsey!!

Great pix - the ship looks beautiful.

I'm getting so excited about the cruise 4/14!

 

Appreciate your info, review, pix.

Welcome back to land!

alison

[csunshine]

Read your review. We re leaving on March 3rd and am wondering how the weather is the first two days at sea. We will be leaving from LAX. WOuld you know how long the ride would be to the port. Also, would like info on Frank - sounds like a real great day. Embarkation - what if one arrives before noon. I assume then that the wait is just as long. Finally, disembarkation, did the ship dock at 7PM - what time did they start to get off, as we have a car waiting for us at 9:30am. Thanks for your help.:)

[Coolmama_1]

Nice review. Sounds like you had a great time! THanks for sharing.

[Lynda90]

Great review; thanks for sharing. I was on the same cruise last month and loved it. Felt the same way you did.:p

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Thanks for sharing your review with us, we love the Diamond and have enjoyed all our cruises on her.:)

[H20 Lover]

Hi All

For those who have been on the Diamond - a question:

 

Is there an aft deck with tables, chairs (ash trays) where one can hang out outdoors?

 

 

Just be sure to use those ashtrays, my room is back there. ;)

[sdlindsay]

The pictures are the "stock" photos they sell on the ship. We bought the Reflections DVD, and they gave us a CD with about 120 hi-res pix. I'm sure they are property of Princess, but I was told (by a Princess employee probably without proper authority) that I could print and share, just not sell.:rolleyes:

 

We did not fly, but I think LAX is about a half hour drive from the ship.

 

Frank can be reached admin@mazatlan-frank.com , and his website has more info http://www.mazatlan-frank.com/ . I can't say enough good stuff about him.

 

The weather can always change, but I would classify it as quite good. San Pedro is just like the rest of coastal LA. Never too cold, never too hot. The Captain told us that they go full steam right out of the harbor to get to the warmer weather, them slow down to "cruising speed". It was a little breezy and aroung 65f through the first sea day (not cold enough to keep us out of the pools, which are nice and warm) then it was 75f+ on the second full sea day.

 

Arriving early for Embarkation would not have helped when we were getting off, as there were still departing pax on the ship well past noon. Just be prepared to wait for an hour or more whenever you arrive. We used the time to talk about all the fun we were about to have. Others used the time to complain about the lines.;)

 

The ship pulled in right on time, but there were only 4 customs agents there to clear about 3000 people, so things took longer than expected.

If you have a flight or transfer at a specific time in the morning, make sure you go to the pursors desk early in the cruise and let them know. They will give you an earlier disembarkation group. I had nowhere to go, so I was one of the last groups off.

[wanderingjew]

Who was the captain? Did they have self debark?

 

The pictures are the "stock" photos they sell on the ship. We bought the Reflections DVD, and they gave us a CD with about 120 hi-res pix. I'm sure they are property of Princess, but I was told (by a Princess employee probably without proper authority) that I could print and share, just not sell.:rolleyes:

 

We did not fly, but I think LAX is about a half hour drive from the ship.

 

Frank can be reached admin@mazatlan-frank.com , and his website has more info http://www.mazatlan-frank.com/ . I can't say enough good stuff about him.

 

The weather can always change, but I would classify it as quite good. San Pedro is just like the rest of coastal LA. Never too cold, never too hot. The Captain told us that they go full steam right out of the harbor to get to the warmer weather, them slow down to "cruising speed". It was a little breezy and aroung 65f through the first sea day (not cold enough to keep us out of the pools, which are nice and warm) then it was 75f+ on the second full sea day.

 

Arriving early for Embarkation would not have helped when we were getting off, as there were still departing pax on the ship well past noon. Just be prepared to wait for an hour or more whenever you arrive. We used the time to talk about all the fun we were about to have. Others used the time to complain about the lines.;)

 

The ship pulled in right on time, but there were only 4 customs agents there to clear about 3000 people, so things took longer than expected.

If you have a flight or transfer at a specific time in the morning, make sure you go to the pursors desk early in the cruise and let them know. They will give you an earlier disembarkation group. I had nowhere to go, so I was one of the last groups off.

[alisonfe]

MISERABLE Debarkation

 

Just wanted to echo the advice to "be prepared" for ridiculously long waits (considering LA is such a big cruise port - why they don't have more people working is beyond me) - in any case, life is more pleasant if you're not carrying heavy bags with shoulder straps. A good trick might be to take your last-morning stuff in a rolling bag, which makes waiting in the long customs line a bit less annoying. And be prepared for it (bring a book?) so it doesn't bother you as much as if you were expecting something breezy and efficient. This is the big downside to going out of L.A. Oh well. Someone has to do it!

[morriscats]

Thanks for the review - we are on Diamond to Hawaii in November in a mini suite on Emerald deck. I have been reading about the horrible beds on the Grand - how are the ones on Diamond.

[reggae]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We are leaving on the Diamond in 2 weeks, so your review was very helpful.

 

We are also planning to go on the Zodiac Whale watching trip. I was wondering if all of your group went on that trip? We have some in our group that are 60ish in age, and I'm concerned about them going on the zodiac.

 

I was wondering if it's all just fast riding on the zodiac, or do they stop and do some slow whale watching? How long were you on the boat?

 

Thanks for the time answering my questions.

[sdlindsay]

The Captain was Paul Wright from England. It was his last voyage for a while and he was debarking in San Pedro to go home.

 

The self debarking groups were finished being called by about 9:30. There were a few different color/number groups called before the last walk offs, so it does not for sure get you off the ship first.

 

On the Grand we had a Mini, and the bed was quite uncomfortable. It is 2 twins pushed together to make a queenish. You can request an egg-crate type mattress cover that supposedly helps close the gap between the beds, but we never did. I was perfectly fine with our bed on the Diamond. (same configuration) I never remember thinking it was uncomfortable, and the kids did not complain about their bunk-type beds.

 

My parents are in their late 60's, not in perfect shape and went with us. On the Zodiac there is a bench seat at the rear that seats about 4. The rest of the people sit on the inflated sides of the boat. I was hanging on for dear life most of the time. White knuckled and completely tense, with a huge smile on my face. You basically spped out to sea, idle for a bit and search the horizon for signs of whales, then haul buggy over to where you saw them in hopes of a re-surface. It was more intense than I had anticipated. The older set might enjoy a more leisurely expedition, while thrill seekers will find the zodiac lots of fun. It is about 2 hours on the water.

[nikatgram]

We're going on the Diamond August 20 - to Alaska. First time, we're all in our 60's. Thanks so much for the review. Hope I don't get seasick!

[nikatgram]

We're going on the Diamond August 20 - to Alaska. First time, we're all in our 60's. Thanks so much for the review. Hope I don't get seasick!

[Jerm]

I agree about sterling's it is very cheesy the way it is set up as part of the buffet not quite the atmosphere I would expect for a up charge dinning room....

 

I also thought that the food was not quite up to the standard I had expected ship wide.

[AuntMimi]

When did they move the Sterling to the Horizion Court and where is it there? We were on the DP year before last and it was still down on Plaza deck. What kind of food is now in the Savoy?

[macbest]

Can anyone provide info on the differences in the food in the 4 anytime (non specialty) dining rooms? I can't seem to find much about how (and if) the food type is different. What are typical dishes found in each on the same day, for example? Or if it is just an atmosphere thing, how is that different?

 

Sailing this Saturday. Trying to better understand this first time for me anytime dining routine.

[KikiKruiser]

Can anyone provide info on the differences in the food in the 4 anytime (non specialty) dining rooms? I can't seem to find much about how (and if) the food type is different. What are typical dishes found in each on the same day, for example? Or if it is just an atmosphere thing, how is that different?

 

Sailing this Saturday. Trying to better understand this first time for me anytime dining routine.

 

The 4 anytime dining rooms have the same menus, but because they are "themed" they also each have a special entree available only in that particular restaurant. When we sailed last week, Vivaldi (Italian theme) had Osso Bucco as their special. I can't recall the specials in Pacific Moon (Asian), Santa Fe (Southwestern), Savoy (Continental?). Each one is decorated uniquely, so the atmosphere varies. Loved them all! I would suggest making reservations a few days at a time if you have a particular time you like to dine (and depending on the timing with your shore excursions). Very easy to do on the phone from your stateroom. Two of the nights we didn't make advance reservations (just felt like winging it); we got in right away one night and only had a 15 minute wait the other night - and we used that as an opportunity to view our latest photos in the photo gallery. Love any time dining!:)

[sdlindsay]

The Pacific Moon "special" was a chow-fun noodles topped with a stir-fry of vegetables, scallops, shrimp, and a very tasty but light peanutty type asian sauce. Several of us ordered it more than once, It was quite good.

 

The Sante Fe "special" was fajitas. We never tried it. One neat feature of the Sante Fe is tortilla chips and guacomole on the table.

 

The Savoy "special" was described as pork chop or pork loin. Sorry I was not paying much attention as what was on the menu those nights sounded so good my mind was made up before the waitress could descibe it.

 

If doing anytime dining it is really cool to try all the different ones as KikiKruiser suggests, that way you don't feel like you're eating at the "same" place. That being said, on my first cruise I had traditional dining, and found it to be the highlight of the cruise. Totally different but both great experiences:D .

 

I don't know when they moved the Sterling, but it does not seem to be working well where it is currently.