Just back from Diamond Princess 3/24-3/31

[CrusinAgain]

Just got back last night from a week of heaven on the Diamond Princess to the Mexican Riviera. The ship is beautiful and the entertainment was the best.

 

We were never bored and always busy.

 

I'll try to write a detailed review later after laundry. Any questions, please ask away.

[lhall85917]

I'm waiting for your review, so glad you had a great trip!! We are on the same ship leaving Saturday - can't wait!! :D

[CrusinAgain]

You will love this ship! Never a dull moment! Between all the shows, game shows and movies we still didn't do it all. I wished the trip was longer. I'll definitely get that review written up in between laundry. The embarkation and debarkation was fast especially if you take the Princess transfers. I'll explain that later but we bypassed everyone to get on the ship simply because we took the Princess bus from the airport.

[Walrusnancy]

Great to hear you that you had such a good time. Will keep checking for your complete review. We are waiting not so patiently for our trip. Thanks

[CrusinAgain]

This cruise was a mother and daughter cruise celebrating my daughter’s 21st birthday during her Spring break from college.

 

This was my 6th cruise total with 4 being on Princess and my daughter’s 4th cruise.

 

We booked the Princess Air with Princess transfers since it was cheaper from our departure city. It turned out to be the perfect arrangement.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at LAX at 10 a.m., claimed our baggage and found the Princess representative upon asking around. The Princess bus was waiting outside and we left within a few minutes. The bus passengers were told the ship was not quite ready for us but arrangements had been made at a local hotel with refreshments and we would be checking in for the ship at the hotel. We arrived at the hotel and our luggage was offloaded from the bus to a truck. No one even mentioned a tip. Inside the hotel there was a large area with tables and chairs. Coffee, water, and pastries were served. The new arrivals were soon called up to one of the 5-6 Princess check-in representatives to check in for the ship. It was a breeze. We left the hotel at noon and upon arrival at the pier, we went in a door where we received our cruise cards and left together as a group bypassing the crowds of people who arrived by other means than a Princess transfer. We went directly onto the ship after an embarkation picture and a squirt of sanitizer that you will later learn is used every time you enter the ship or go into the buffet.

 

We arrived to our room on the Emerald deck by 12:45. After having lunch on the Lido deck we went back to our room and was surprised to see 2 of our 3 bags of luggage had already arrived. The room steward had already put our requested egg crate toppers on our beds. We noticed that Princess had not changed to the new mattresses yet but did change to the duvets where you did not have a top sheet but the duvet.

 

Our window overlooked the ship terminal and there was a constant line of cruisers waiting anxiously to get on the ship. We were so thankful to have chosen the Princess transfer even if it did cost $6 dollars more than Super Shuttle since we would much rather be on the ship than waiting in the lines.

 

After the muster drill our 3rd and final luggage had arrived and we unpacked it and went on the Lido deck for sail away. There was nothing exciting about sailing away from LA and it was a short ride before we were out to sea.

 

Evening: This ship has 3 anytime dining rooms with a 4th one being available after 8:15. Each one is a themed dining room where each dining room has a themed specialty dish. We ate at the Santa Fe and loved the chips and guacamole that was served while waiting for your various courses.

 

After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard Show starring the comedian Kevin Jordan. It was a hilarious show and a definite do not miss. Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early to get a seat, as the theater is already halfway filled. 10 minutes before showtime is standing room only.

 

Sunday at Sea: Birthday balloons were hung outside our door along with a birthday sign and I thought we would get a card (as others had mentioned and the reps at Princess told me) to take to the dining room for my daughter’s birthday cake but we never did. We went to the Port and Shopping Show, ate lunch, and then watched the afternoon movie, “The Queen”. After the movie, we watched the Passenger Feud Game show which was a blast. Tonight was the 1st formal night and we ate dinner at the Savoy. This dining room was a darker brown tone wood. This was the only night we ate at the Savoy. Piano Man was playing at the Princess Theater but Kevin Jordan was at the Explorer’s Lounge so we opted to see him again. Seats filled fast once again and he was a riot! After his show, we went to Club Fusion and watched Majority Rules Game show which was great fun and then we became judges for round one of Princess Pop Star. The person we chose this night ended up being the winner for the week. We used the Internet and it was slower than dial-up and was .75 a minute. That cost us 4 minutes to arrive at our e-mail.

 

Monday at Sea: After breakfast we saw the movie in the theater called “The Prestige”. There were generally 2 afternoon movies and 1 midnight movie in the Princess Theater daily. Went to the fitness center and worked out. Wow, that was crowded and remained so throughout the cruise. We participated in the Jeopardized Game show and everyone was having a blast trying to win the most Jeopardy money. Tonight we ate in the Pacific Moon where it had an Asian atmosphere. After dinner we watched Steve Bayner, the Hypnosis Show. This is another must see. This show was so good we went to both showings of it. Unfortunately, the Internet was just as slow this evening and it took 4 minutes again to get to our e-mail. Others were complaining also on how slow it was and how expensive it was.

 

Tuesday: Puerto Vallarta – We arrived at 7 a.m. We had massages scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Krystal Resort. They were wonderful! We then shopped, took pictures and went back to the ship to await sail away at 6:00 p.m. Tonight we ate back at the Santa Fe where we continued to eat the remainder of the week. After dinner, we went to the show “Magical Showtime” with Alexander and Pamela, illusionist. This is another do not miss! There was a tropical deck party on the Lido deck but we were too tired to go.

 

Hint: Try to find Internet places to use their Internet services. People were finding 55 minutes for a dollar in all the ports we stopped at. Also this is a good port to go to Senor Frogs as a lot came back with the hat balloons, however a taxi wanted 8.00 to take the two of us so we skipped it since that would be 16.00 dollars round trip.

 

Wednesday: Matzalan: We went horseback riding on the beach with King David’s Miquel’s Gentle Horses. It was wonderful! Got back to the pier and shopped before going back on the ship. Tonight we were too late to get a seat for the show so we tried standing to see the comedian Steven Scott. However, there was another comedian at the Explorer’s Lounge so we ran down to see him but left after discovering he was not funny and ended back at the Princess theater to stand and see Steven Scott. Princess claims to be only able to get him several times a year. If he is on your cruise, he is a don’t miss!

 

Hint for Matzalan: This is the place to shop as it has the best price items and a better selection than Puerto Vallarta.

 

Thursday: Cabo San Lucas: We had a Whale Watching tour booked through Princess where it claimed it was 2-2 ½ hours long. What we didn’t know was that time included the time spent waiting at the Wheelhouse Lounge and then the Princess theater and then the tender and then at the pier. The actual time spent whale watching was about an hour as we had to be at the lounge at 7:30 and we were back to the pier from whale watching at 10:00 a.m. I do not recommend this tour as we saw whales from the ship and we didn’t get close to the 3 batches of whales that we saw on the excursion to be worth the money spent.

 

Cabo is very expensive and the vendors tell you that the cost of living is high which is why everything is so much more expensive than the other two ports. Do your shopping at Matzalan. Cabo is quaint looking and the pier area is definitely new looking. Lots of yachts and condos. Time was too short there since the last tender was at 1:30 for the ship to return to LA at 2 p.m.

 

We had wanted to do Cabo Wabo or the Giggling Marlin but no music or fun was happening so we walked around instead.

 

Lesson learned here what we would do differently is to go to Senor Frogs in Puerto Vallarta and shop more in Matzalan and skip the whale watching in Cabo. The Parasailing sure looked fun along with the jet skis.

 

Tonight was the final formal night already with lobster on the menu along with the Captains Past Passenger Party. After dinner and the show of “Undercover”, we were extremely tired and ended up asleep by 9. Guess it all caught up with us because we had plans to see some game shows and the champagne waterfall.

 

Friday, Final Day at Sea: We went to the Culinary Demonstration Show with the Kitchen Galley tour. This was hilarious and another do not miss. We shopped the sales on the ship, gambled some, which the casino has a jungle theme, and had to do the dreaded task of packing and we took pictures of the ship. Everyone must have been packing as the pools were empty along with the lounges. After dinner, we went to our final show of Alexander, the illusionist and Jim McDonald, comedian. This is another do not miss. We also saw the final Princess pop star and gambled some. Luggage had to be out by 10 p.m.

 

Saturday: Arrived LA before 7 a.m. and we were off the ship at 8:30 and on the Princess bus headed to the airport by 9 a.m.

 

This is a beautiful ship and a wonderful week that went by entirely too fast. The service was great and the sanitation procedures in place were comforting to know that all precautions were being taken to prevent any unwanted diseases. The only cons would be seeing noone being recognized at dinner for their special occasion including my daughter, the whale watching tour and the slow expensive Internet. The beds of course are another con that I hope Princess will correct shipwide.

 

Even though this was during Spring break, all the young adults were great and actually made the cruise more fun. No complaints about them and I would not hesitate to book again during the college Spring break in March. My understanding is during April is the best time for those with the young ones as the ship was preparing for over 900 under the age of 15 for the cruise leaving after ours.

 

If anyone has any questions, please ask as I do have all the Patters.

[junglejane]

Hi CruisinAgain. We looked for you at Outriggers after the muster drill but couldn't find you. We did find BobbyG and his wife, as well as Lady Palmtree and Midnight Apple and their daughters. We loved this cruise and think the Diamond Princess is a great ship.

--Junglejane

[flobee]

Enjoyed the trip report. DH and I are taking the Diamond in October RT from LA to Hawaii. This is the first time we will have a mini-suite and I am wondering if it's bedding is the same as the balcony cabins. i.e. do we need to request and egg crate and feather pillows. Also can feather pillows be requested as a preference somewhere prior to the cruise. Thanks.

[CrusinAgain]

Enjoyed the trip report. DH and I are taking the Diamond in October RT from LA to Hawaii. This is the first time we will have a mini-suite and I am wondering if it's bedding is the same as the balcony cabins. i.e. do we need to request and egg crate and feather pillows. Also can feather pillows be requested as a preference somewhere prior to the cruise. Thanks.

 

My understanding is only the suites have changed mattresses and minisuites, balcony cabins, outside cabins, and inside cabins still have the old mattresses. You will need to fax your request into Princess as there is no place in the Personalizer to put this information. You can also try requesting feather pillows on the same fax as this information is not offered on the cruise. Have a wonderful trip!

[CrusinAgain]

Hi CruisinAgain. We looked for you at Outriggers after the muster drill but couldn't find you. We did find BobbyG and his wife, as well as Lady Palmtree and Midnight Apple and their daughters. We loved this cruise and think the Diamond Princess is a great ship.

--Junglejane

 

We didn't make it back there in time, probably should have set up a 2nd meeting for those who missed the first one. Normally they have a cruise critic meeting listed in the Patters but I didn't see any this time. I do wish the time wasn't so short in Cabo. I would love to do this trip again but want longer in Cabo.

[RickSue]

I enjoyed your post. We enjoyed meeting you and your daughter while horseback riding in Mazatlan. I am glad the rest of your cruise and your travels home went well.

[CrusinAgain]

Rick and Sue, it was a pleasure horseback riding with the both of you. The pics turned out wonderful. Hopefully the both of you can make plans soon to cruise again. That was such a different trip than the Caribbean. The week ended too fast and real life is setting in again.

[ladypalmtree]

It was a great cruise indeed..we all had a wonderful time. My dd decided to spend her time with my friends daughter. She met some teens on the first and second day..but ...she spent a lot of time by the pool with our friends daughter..and they ordered room service and watched movies..the adults had lots of time to ourselves. We did the first two ports with the kids. Dinner was always a fun time for all of us...The cruise went so fast...My husband already wants to book next year at the same time..Spring Break..the weather was great! Will It be the Sapphire next year? Laurie:rolleyes:

[dakodacruiser]

I loved this itenery also. I also agree it would have been nice to have stayed in Cabo San Lucas awhile longer.

[robntawn]

Thank you for an informative review! If you have a few moments, I have a few questions. We leave on this same cruise on April 7th...

 

1. Which night was Italian night in the dining room?

 

2. Which night would you recommend for Sabatinis?

 

3. What time (local) did you dock in Puerto Vallarta, and what time could you debark?

 

Thanks again!

[junglejane]

It was a great cruise indeed..we all had a wonderful time. My dd decided to spend her time with my friends daughter. She met some teens on the first and second day..but ...she spent a lot of time by the pool with our friends daughter..and they ordered room service and watched movies..the adults had lots of time to ourselves. We did the first two ports with the kids. Dinner was always a fun time for all of us...The cruise went so fast...My husband already wants to book next year at the same time..Spring Break..the weather was great! Will It be the Sapphire next year? Laurie:rolleyes:

 

We're looking at this same cruise next year also. The Golden Princess will be doing this cruise next spring from LA, and the Dawn Princess will be doing the Mexican Riviera from San Diego.

--Junglejane

[CrusinAgain]

Thank you for an informative review! If you have a few moments, I have a few questions. We leave on this same cruise on April 7th...

 

1. Which night was Italian night in the dining room?

 

2. Which night would you recommend for Sabatinis?

 

3. What time (local) did you dock in Puerto Vallarta, and what time could you debark?

 

Thanks again!

 

The Diamond Princess does not have "themed" nights like the Caribbean ships do. The servers dress the same every night unlike the Caribbean for the theme nights. I do remember one night they had more of the Italian food than usual and I'm thinking Wednesday. I know it wasn't Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, or Friday.

 

We docked in PV before 7 a.m. and received clearanced to get off shortly thereafter. It is docking and not tendering so you should be off if you need to by 7:30. PV is an hour ahead of ship time so that would make it 8:30 PV time.

 

I have no idea what night to go to Sabatinis but I do remember people going on Thursday since they were told wrong information which night lobster night was on. Thursday is lobster night and formal night.

 

You will have a wonderful cruise. Enjoy!

[Lynda90]

Thanks so much for the great review. Really appreciate your sharing your cruise with us and it sounds like you had a wonderful time. I have been on this ship several times and done the same itinerary. Next year trying it on the Dawn out of San Diego.:p :p

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks so much for the great review. Really appreciate your sharing your cruise with us and it sounds like you had a wonderful time. I have been on this ship several times and done the same itinerary. Next year trying it on the Dawn out of San Diego.:p :p

 

Thanks Lynda, I know you took this cruise shortly before us. We saw the Dawn at Cabo. I haven't checked yet to see if it stays longer than 2 p.m. but I know it stayed until 4 or 4:30 when we were there.

[junglejane]

Thank you for an informative review! If you have a few moments, I have a few questions. We leave on this same cruise on April 7th...

 

1. Which night was Italian night in the dining room?

 

2. Which night would you recommend for Sabatinis?

 

3. What time (local) did you dock in Puerto Vallarta, and what time could you debark?

 

Thanks again!

 

I agree with CruisinAgain that the night that featured the most Italian food was Wednesday ( the day the ship docks in Mazatlan). We went to Sterling Steakhouse on Monday and Sabatini's on Wed. In picking the nights, our main concern was to avoid going on the formal nights (Sun & Thurs) because we prefer to enjoy formal nights in the dining rooms. After that, we just work around any planned shore outings.

 

--Junglejane

[CrusinAgain]

I agree with CruisinAgain that the night that featured the most Italian food was Wednesday ( the day the ship docks in Mazatlan). We went to Sterling Steakhouse on Monday and Sabatini's on Wed. In picking the nights, our main concern was to avoid going on the formal nights (Sun & Thurs) because we prefer to enjoy formal nights in the dining rooms. After that, we just work around any planned shore outings.

 

--Junglejane

 

Thanks Junglejane for confirmation of Italian night. It feels like a blur now since it went by way too fast!

[ladypalmtree]

I was just looking at the Princess website...thanks JungleJane...yes it is the Golden..and it is about three years older than the Diamond..but she should still be in good shape...We were thinking about a full suite..but ow...they are pretty pricey...I think we can manage with the mini suite...Laurie:)

[rberne1]

Just a couple more questions from another soon-to-be-Diamond-cruiser ...

 

1. Do you happen to remember which deck you entered the ship on at embarkation in LA? (maybe the Plaza, or Fiesta ??)

 

2. Most importantly, where the heck is the Wine & Caviar bar? Can't seem to find it on the deck plans. ;)

 

Thanx!

[CrusinAgain]

Just a couple more questions from another soon-to-be-Diamond-cruiser ...

 

1. Do you happen to remember which deck you entered the ship on at embarkation in LA? (maybe the Plaza, or Fiesta ??)

 

2. Most importantly, where the heck is the Wine & Caviar bar? Can't seem to find it on the deck plans. ;)

 

Thanx!

 

Actually we don't remember what deck we entered. We know we did not see the atrium upon entering. I guess we were too excited to just get on the ship and grab an elevator to realize what deck we were on.

 

As far as the Wine and Caviar bar? I never saw one especially for that. I just looked over the deck plans again and I see it is suppose to have one on deck 7, however I never saw it and it does not show on the deck plans. Hopefully someone else saw where it was.

[Kelan]

Hi CruisinAgain!.. Thank you for your review!!... I have a question:

I'm also sailing from LA and would like to book the Princess transfer to the Pier. How do you book that? Did you called directly to Princess or did it online? How much the Princess trasfer is?

[CrusinAgain]

Hi CruisinAgain!.. Thank you for your review!!... I have a question:

I'm also sailing from LA and would like to book the Princess transfer to the Pier. How do you book that? Did you called directly to Princess or did it online? How much the Princess trasfer is?

 

I told my travel agent that I wanted the transfers and it showed up in the Personalizer immediately. They are $50 per person round trip. The bus driver narrated from the hotel to the ship which made the time go by fast.