Diamond Princess Review - May 12th

[Embracedbylife]

Diamond Princess – May 12th from Vancouver to Whittier.

Flew into Vancouver the day before. Long line for Customs, but once cleared, got bags and took a cab to Hotel for $35.00. Stayed at Marriott Pinnacle Hotel. Very clean, very nice, and a wonderful place to stay! Located only 2 blocks from Canada Place, we walked to the pier the following morning with our luggage (had wheelies).

Not a whole lot of restaurants up the hill from Canada Place (mostly commercial), but there are many in Gasstown which is just a five minute walk over on Water Street. This was only 10 min’s from our Hotel…and a nice walk. There is a visitor’s information center across the street from Canada Place, they have lots of maps and suggestions.

Embarkation:

We arrived at Canada Place by 10:35 am. It’s not the most organized port, but it went just fine. All passengers line up in the same security line no matter what cruise line they are taking. We got there just in time before the lines formed. We were maybe number 25 in line. By 10:50 there were at least 100 people behind us waiting. They were not accepting luggage outside when we first arrived, but we kept our large bag in line with us and then hubby dropped it off with the guy at the curb around 10:50am while I held our spot in line. Security opened at 11:00am and by 11:25 we had passed thorough security and US customs and were waiting in line for Princess cruise cards. Obtained cruise cards by 11:35 and by 11:45 we boarded the ship! I would say either go early or go late. If you arrive after 11am you’ll be waiting in a big line. The ship was scheduled to depart at 4pm but didn’t leave until after 5pm as it was awaiting a transfer bus for those who purchased Princess transfers from the airport.

Ship:

The Diamond Princess was so nice. We had a balcony room on Port Side, and could see everything from the room. We got an egg crate for the bed so it was very comfortable. Spent a lot of time at aft of ship by pool on Deck 13. Ate at buffet most of the time. Skipped formal nights and ate at Buffet, which was very quiet and nice. Ate at Sterling Steakhouse ($15/person). It was great. Also ate at Sabitini’s ($20/person) and it was also excellent. The food on the ship was excellent. I think for those who prefer fried, casual food it isn’t for them. But for those who are used to nice expensive meats and fruits and things it was excellent! Didn’t understand why there is a separate gratuity for room service, so didn’t use it much at all.

Ports/Shore Excursions:

Ketchikan – Sportsfishing excellent (maybe because I caught a king salmon!)

Juneau – Helicopter/Glacier Dogsledding (not on mendhall but the other one) This was the highlight of our cruise!

Skagway – Best of Skagway tour – wasn’t impressed with bus ride down, but loved train ride up. Wish we just took the train up and down and saved some money.

Disembarkation:

Very smooth. Did the independent option and left at our leisure around 8:00 AM.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your very nice review. Did you spend any time in Alaska after the cruise? How were the glaciers? How was the weather, and did you feel you brought the right clothing?

[RCCLismyfav]

Thank you for the wonderful review, I do have a couple of questions please if you don't mind. Where and who did you book the dogsledding/helicopter ride with?

Can you tell me how you booked your hotel andwhat you pd?

Thank you

[Embracedbylife]

Weather was nice, and brought perfect clothing. Mostly layers, one heavy ski jacket, a rain coat and a jean jacket.

Booked dog sledding through princess.

Booked hotels on our own using points so they were free luckily!

[wookie78]

"Didn’t understand why there is a separate gratuity for room service, so didn’t use it much at all."

 

What separate gratuity are you referring to? I thought room service was free and you only tipped if you wanted to? Has this changed on Princess?

[Embracedbylife]

Hi NancyIL, just to elaborate on the clothing part...here's my list:

 

I Always wore:

t-shirt or long sleeved undershirt

sweater over the t-shirt or undershirt

 

then on top of these I would wear either:

jean jacket with skarf/mitts

OR

vest with skarf/mitts

OR

hooded winter coat (short ski jacket)

 

When we went fishing in ketchikan and when we went on the glacier dog mushing in Juneau I wore the hooded winter coat. When we were on our day trips at port and when we were on the ship I mostly just wore the jean jacket or vest.

 

Also, I always had a rain jacket in my back pack so that I could swap my winter coat with it if it was too hot, or raining or when i was wearing the jean jacket I had the rain jacket to put over my jean jacket if it was raining or got cold.

 

Also always had hat and gloves in my bag.

 

I didn't use the hat/gloves much at all and while dog sledding it was so warm from the sun I had my winter jacket open!

 

Layers is the key! Enjoy!

[Embracedbylife]

Hi Wookie78.

Last cruise we took on Princess was in Dec, 05 and we didn't see anything for Gratuity for the free breakfasts or anything, but this time around when you order the morning breakfast (leave the card on your door the night before) there is a spot on the back of the card to fill in a Gratutity amount. I was taken back b/c I thought it was included in the $10 a day charge, so I kinda felt weird ordering to my room and not filling in an amount. Although we did order free sandwiches and a cookie one night and purchased a glass of soda - and I signed for the soda charge and then she also asked me to sign the other slip for the free food - I just left the Gratuity part blank and signed the card. I dono if this was proper or not, but I didn't think I should pay an additional gratuity for room service. Something I should of asked on here before leaving :p I'm sure others with more experience can clarify???

[judyzoo]

It has always been appropriate to tip for room service; that is not included in the general gratuity amount. It's usually done in cash. I guess the space on the tag for the tip means that it would be charged to your shipboard account instead.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for sharing your clothing list. Did you go on a PWS glacier cruise in Whittier after your cruise ended?

[Embracedbylife]

We did go on the Whittier boat tour. My husband wasn't really up to it after the cruise b/c he had seen so much and it was a 6 hour tour, but it was nice. I had already paid for it, so we had to go. I wish we had of just taken the 4 hour tour though. We spent 4 of the 6 hours just cruising up to the glaciers and back. Only slowed down a couple times to see a fishery and a couple sea otters...otherwise I would have done the 4 hour tour. The weather was incredible, but we were beat after the cruise and should have likely skipped the 6 hour tour. We are a young couple too, so you'd think we'd have the stamina for it, but we just were tired from the sun beating on us...not that i'm complaining about the sun :) It was wonderful. The highlight of the PWS tour out of Whittier was that we saw a huge Mountain Goat on a mountain beside a glacier! But the glaciers in Glacier Bay and those in College Fjord were as beautiful if not more so than those on the PWS tour....our pictures all look the same! Nice day out though b/c of the weather.

[NancyIL]

We did go on the Whittier boat tour. My husband wasn't really up to it after the cruise b/c he had seen so much and it was a 6 hour tour, but it was nice. I had already paid for it, so we had to go. I wish we had of just taken the 4 hour tour though. We spent 4 of the 6 hours just cruising up to the glaciers and back. Only slowed down a couple times to see a fishery and a couple sea otters...otherwise I would have done the 4 hour tour. The weather was incredible, but we were beat after the cruise and should have likely skipped the 6 hour tour. We are a young couple too, so you'd think we'd have the stamina for it, but we just were tired from the sun beating on us...not that i'm complaining about the sun :) It was wonderful. The highlight of the PWS tour out of Whittier was that we saw a huge Mountain Goat on a mountain beside a glacier! But the glaciers in Glacier Bay and those in College Fjord were as beautiful if not more so than those on the PWS tour....our pictures all look the same! Nice day out though b/c of the weather.

 

Thanks for the review of your PWS cruise. Were you on the cruise that goes to Esther Passage? (http://www.princewilliamsound.com/579.cfm) If you had gone on the 4-hour tour, you would've been waiting in Whittier until 1:00 or later. I think the timing of the Whittier boat tours is better suited to those departing on a southbound cruise than for those arriving early in the morning on a NB cruise.

 

How did you get from Whittier to Anchorage after the boat tour? Did you spend any time in Anchorage or elsewhere before flying home?

[Embracedbylife]

Yes, we took the 11am tour, which was a good time of day. We rented a car from Avis in Whittier. Picked up the rental car around 9am then drove around Whittier and went to the Pier for the tour at 10am (they ask you to arrive an hour early to get your boarding card for the tour). I guess I would have preferred to just tour Whittier and then head out of there instead of taking the PWS tour, but that's just me.....i know many people loved the tour, and it was a great tour company. I was just very pleased with what I saw in Glacier bay and College Fjord, so the fact that it took 2 hours crusing to get to the Glaciers on this 6 hour tour made it a long day to see more glaciers....although very pretty, I was tired.

 

After the tour we drove to Seward for the night, visited the marine center and then skipped the glacier in Seward and headed up to Anchorage for one last night.

 

THe weekend market in Anchorage is very cool...lots of neat stuff to buy, and very festive! :)

[NancyIL]

Yes, we took the 11am tour, which was a good time of day. We rented a car from Avis in Whittier. Picked up the rental car around 9am then drove around Whittier and went to the Pier for the tour at 10am (they ask you to arrive an hour early to get your boarding card for the tour). I guess I would have preferred to just tour Whittier and then head out of there instead of taking the PWS tour, but that's just me.....i know many people loved the tour, and it was a great tour company. I was just very pleased with what I saw in Glacier bay and College Fjord, so the fact that it took 2 hours crusing to get to the Glaciers on this 6 hour tour made it a long day to see more glaciers....although very pretty, I was tired.

 

After the tour we drove to Seward for the night, visited the marine center and then skipped the glacier in Seward and headed up to Anchorage for one last night.

 

THe weekend market in Anchorage is very cool...lots of neat stuff to buy, and very festive! :)

 

Thanks again, Lisa. :) I remember that you were trying to figure out a way to do one of the Kenai Fjords cruises, but it was too early in the season for most of them.

 

Sorry to keep asking questions, but I'm sure people would like to know your opinions about your lodging choices in Seward and Anchorage. I think you planned to stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Seward, as we are doing, but I might have you confused with someone else.

[Embracedbylife]

Hi NancyIL!

No problem with the questions! I'm just glad to be of some insight :)

Yes, you are right we stayed at the Holiday Inn at both Seward and Anchorage.

 

The Holiday Inn Seward was adequate...not as supurb and clean as most, but just fine, and i'd stay there again if it's for free :) If I had of paid $250 cash for the room I would have been kinda disappointed with it seeing as we got a georgous room in Vancouver that was also worth $250. That being said though, the Room in Seward was very big! And i'm sure it's one of the nicer places to stay in Seward as there isn't much to chose from. And the view from our room was awsome!! We ate at a place only a couple doors down from the Hotel...i'll find out the name of it for you, but it wasn't very good steak (maybe the seafood is better, i dono) and it was rather pricey for what we had. But I have a feeling most food is expensive in Alaska and isn't as good as what you get on the ship.

 

The Holiday Inn in Anchorage was excellent. Clean and very comfortable. Good location (we had a rental car and it was only 5 minutes to downtown).

 

If I could do it all over again I might of tried one of the Princess Lodges or some place with woods rather than on the water....we kinda had enough of the water by the time we finished the cruise and wish we had of went up to Denali....but i heard it was too early in the season in May, so maybe next time!

[NancyIL]

Thanks, Lisa. Did you notice any "fishy smell" at the hotel in Seward? We're also staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Anchorage, using Priority Club points for both locations. At the time I reserved the rooms last fall, they required only 10,000 points per night for a free night. Since then, both hotels raised the number of points required to 25,000 per night.

 

When planning our post-cruise land itinerary, I debated between doing a PWS cruise + train or taking the Alaskan Leopard 4-hour tour to Anchorage. I wondered if we would be "boated-out" after a week of cruising, and your review confirms what I suspected: it's possible to have too much of a good thing (glaciers/time on the water) if there's not enough "space" between them. I think we'll get more enjoyment from our Kenai Fjords cruise a week after our Princess cruise ends, because we will have had a week on land.

 

Now that you know what you'd do differently, you can plan a cruise + land trip to Denali, or a land-only trip. :)

[Embracedbylife]

Hi Nancy! Yes, it was the same for us...we were lucky enough to get the hotels for only 10,000 points too! I was worried they'd charge us more, but we didn't have to do a thing...completely paid for without problems. We did however get stuck across from the elevator in Seward, and asked for another room, but they were sold out. Luckily it wasn't noisy at all...we kept the A/C on and we were good to go! Also, in Anchorage we had booked a suite for 10,000 points, and when we got there it was beside the vending machines and elevator again, so they moved us to a regular room instead and it was just perfect. The breakfasts at both hotels is also a bonus! I thought it was good and Free, so no complaints!

 

Yes, I feel bad for being "boated out" but we really were. And we were tired of people too by then, and were stuck on the boat with 40 people for 6 hours with no escape :) LOL

 

I think you'll have an excellent time. We didn't find much to do in Anchorage besides the downtown market that's open on Sat's and Sundays, so i'm glad we only spent one day there....

 

So where will you be going after the cruise? Up to Anchorage and then Denali??

[Landry]

Can you please tell me which nights are formal nights on the Diamond? Are all the other nights casual? Thanks!;)

[Embracedbylife]

The second night and the 6th night (second to last night) were the Formal nights on our 7 night cruise. We skipped formal nights and ate at the Buffet. It was so quiet, and nice to just relax. We enjoyed formal nights on our other cruise, but for this one we skipped it to give extra room in my suitecase for other stuff :) We did bring a nice outfit for dinner in the specialty restaurants and enjoyed them very much! You'll enjoy formal nights if you participate, and if you don't you'll still enjoy it!

[NancyIL]

 

 

So where will you be going after the cruise? Up to Anchorage and then Denali??

 

We'll spend the night the cruise ends and the night before we fly home in Anchorage. We're not going to Denali this trip. Instead, we'll spend 2 nights in Kennicott (in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park), 1 night in Valdez, 2 nights in Homer, and 2 nights in Seward. We're taking the ferry from Valdez to Whittier before driving to Homer, so we'll see some of Prince William Sound again.

 

My husband just decided he'd rather pack a sport coat and tie than bring his tux. Now I'll have to go back and read the threads about guys who DON'T wear either a suit or a tux for formal nights! :) When you ate in the Horizon Court on formal nights, did they serve the same food as in the regular dining room? If so - then my husband would be perfectly happy to eat there. If it's the same type of buffet food as at lunchtime -then he'll take his chances in the dining room.

[Embracedbylife]

To be honest we didn't eat one night in the formal dining rooms this time around. The food in the buffet was nice for dinner. So we ate 5 nights in the buffet and 2 nights in specialty places dressed up. They always have a roast of something to cut for you in the buffet area...more food than they have at lunch for sure...it was delicious each nite whether it was pork or roast. They also have really great cheeses and cut meats...expensive foods that are nice. They didn't have the lamb chops on the night they served them in the dining room (someone told us they were serving them), but we enjoyed what we ate. Try out the buffet one night and see how you like it maybe. If you prefer to go to the dining room I think though you'll be fine if hubby wears a shirt, tie and sport jacket with pants. People were not as dressed up for fomal nights than on our other cruise. If all else fails and you are concerned about the dress code, maybe reserve in the specialty restaurants for formal night....we wore nice pants and tops and the food was sooooo good :)

[NancyIL]

Lisa - I hope the Coral's buffet is as good as the Diamond's! Thanks again for your help. :)

[Embracedbylife]

No problem! :) We had such a wonderful time I hope you do also!

[janer51]

Who did you book the sport fishing with in Ketchikan? We are taking the diamond Aug 18th from Vancouver. We are arriving a day early and staying at the Bayshore Hotel. (any suggestions for restaurants in Vancouver?)

My husband loves to fish, I am not really into fishing but if he agrees to go on glacier I may have to fish, unless we split up for half a day. How was the fishing? Thanks for any info. This is our first cruise. I am hoping if this is as enjoyable as I am hearing we will go on more.