Just back from Diamond Princess Northbound- 7/7-7/14

[nicstress]

Just wanted to post a quick message before I get to a review. To sum it up- Alaska was great (despite the rain and cold weather) but the Diamond Princess was a lot to be desired :( I will get into details later, but as far as food and service and just the ship itself, this was the bottom of the barrel for me. Very disappointed. There were a few bright spots, and I will highlight those as well.

 

If you have any specific questions, we did: Eagle Island Kayaking in Ketchikan (thru Princess); Mendenhall Glacier Explorer (thru Princess) and a private whale watch with Alaskan Marine Adventures (CanCan) in Juneau; and a private van tour of Skagway thru Discover Skagway tours (to the White Pass Summit, Days of '98 Show, Jewell Gardens, Gold Rush Cemetary and Overlook Point). Others in our group also did the Rainforest Gardens in Juneau, the White Pass Railroad, and Horseback riding in Skagway. We had a port side balcony, B508.

[caneable]

Hi Nicstress!

 

Looking forward to your review as we're northbound with Sapphire Princess end Aug. Currently checking out tours. Looks like you did the van tour in Skagway that we're thinking of joining. It seems to cover just about everything but does it give you much time at different places eg White Horse Summit? No doubt you'll cover in review, but will welcome any advice.

[llt]

love the diamond princess:) !! why did`t you??

[Happyladi]

What were the problems? :confused:

[janer51]

We are taking the Diamond Princess in Aug. This is our first cruise. What was the problem? Thank you for your input.

[nicstress]

Hi Nicstress!

Looks like you did the van tour in Skagway that we're thinking of joining. It seems to cover just about everything but does it give you much time at different places eg White Horse Summit? No doubt you'll cover in review, but will welcome any advice.

 

 

Hi Caneable,

 

We left the dock at 8 am and drove through Skagway and then got on the road to the Summit. At the Summit, we got out of the van, took pictures, had a little time to hike around, but then started the drive back. Gwen was our guide and she does leave it up to you on how long you want to stay. Along the way, she pulled over many times and let us get out to take pictures. Nice waterfalls, mountain views, the train on the cliff. We had a few peeks of blue sky that day, which was nice. Then we went quickly to the Overlook, then to the Days of '98 Show theater for the 10:30 am show. We ended at the Gold Rush Cemetary and Jewell Gardens. For $60 it was a nice tour. Much better than being on a large tour bus. http://www.discoverskagway.com/aboutcontact.html We did the Super Tour (d).

[nicstress]

What were the problems? :confused:

 

Hi Everyone,

 

The problems were many. The ship had no "wow" factor. It was dull IMO. The furnishings looked 10 years old, not 2-3. It had a very "dated" look. The glass elevators in the atrium did not have "view" all the way up. At about deck 8 or so, you had to look at a black plywood wall that was dirty and dusty in the corners. Very unappealing. Not like the glass elevators on RCI or Celebrity that have views all the way up or on the outside of the ship even. The staff was for the most part grumpy and unhappy. Maybe the sunless Alaskan days were getting to them, but I didn't meet many happy crew. I talked to several crew members/contract staff who told me some of the reasons why they were not happy, but I will get to those in my review. Anytime dining was not for us either. We missed having a waiter who knew us and was happy to see us everyday. The waiters in the Anytime dining rooms (except 1!) treated you like you were an inconvenience to them and they did not care if they ever saw you again. We had downright rude service several nights. We were not given the option of traditional dining when we booked the cruise a year in advance.

 

And the food was not up to par. Even my Dad, who isn't that picky, commented he couldn't remember ever being on a cruise where he received so many entrees that were just plain not good or there were not any choices that appealed to him and he ended up ordering the steak. He has been on 3 RCI cruises so that was his basis of comparison. My husband and I felt the same way, although Carnival was pretty close as far as bad food. I sent back several entrees on Carnival, but I never sent anything back on Princess. The Welcome Aboard buffet was the worst one of the week. The Horizon Court was mediocre at best. Room Service was a joke IMO. There was no published option of ordering hot food for breakfast (other than Glacier Bay Breakfast) and you couldn't order from the menu at dinner.

 

Our cabin steward was also poor. After about 2 days, she really didn't seem to care. We couldn't figure it out. And the last thing you want to do is tick off the person who has a key to your room! I could have complained, but chose not to, even though she didn't bother to clean our room one evening and didn't give us a bath mat for 2 days in a row.

 

I can see how this ship would be more appealing in a tropical environment, but in Alaska, where you have to stay inside a lot of the time, the inside was boring and drab and depressing. Unfortunately, everyone in our group of 8 gave the Diamond Princess a thumbs down, but Alaska a big thumbs up.

Despite rainy cold weather, we had a great time at port and at Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

[sayaguru]

WOW! Interesting to hear your view on nthe Diamond Princess.

The Alaska trip on Diamond Princess was my second cruise (in May 2007) after Superstar Leo. I must admit I missed the WOW factor after Leo. But we liked the ship and found the staff lovely. You can get fixed dining. Maybe your travl agent didn't mention it. The International dining room is fixed sittings. We only had one waiter who was indifferent. All the others were lovely, friendly and helpful.

We had PERFECT weather. Lucky.

I just returned from 10 days on Pacific Sun (3 star). Now that was a step down. The food was pretty bad, and that's compared to Diamond. I would travel on Diamond Princess again.

Pity they don't take advantage of the views like on Star fleets. I was VERY disapointed when I went to the WAKE VIEW bar to see 3 little port holes. They call that a view???

[caneable]

Thanks Nicstress that was exactly what we hoped we would hear! It's always better to be with a small party as there's so much more flexibility. Needless to say, I've booked!

[Diggerdon]

It is amazing how bad things can get in a year. We were on the Diamond in Alaska last year and were treated very well. The ship was beautiful and the staff was great and the food was good. I would love to be on her again. The best vacation we ever had.

[Great Sky Girl]

I am surprised you felt like that. We were on the Diamond in May. It was sparkling clean, our steward was great and most of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Granted the food was so-so, but there were a few outstanding entrees. We did, however, have GREAT weather and sometimes that will have an effect on how you feel about the whole experience.

[Cruising Carol]

We were on Diamond Princess from June 23 to July 7. We thought the ship was beautiful with comfortable lounges. We did not have a balcony and spent much time on Deck 8 promenade. Great viewing for glaciers and inside passage. The Horizon Court set up was far too cramped for the number of passengers on the ship. The food was quite varied and tasty. I had to be patient and go the entire line (why a line for such a large ship?) to find out about some of the goodies. What I missed from Celebrity and RCCL was ice cream without an additional charge. "Free" ice cream was available at dinner and from 3:30-4:30 each afternoon in the Horizon Court. Vanilla or chocolate with varied toppings. I preferred going to tea which was delightful. Oatmeal with additions is a favorite of mine on Celebrity. They have seeds, nuts, and dried fruits available immediately following the oatmeal vat. The oatmeal in Horizon Court kept switching positions making finding it a puzzle. Room service for breakfast started at 7:30 which was ridiculous considering the early port time in Ketchikan. The lines at Horizon Court were out the door and to the pool on that port day. Most of the time, especially the second week, we were better at predicting busy times and avoided them! We had anytime dining and loved it for the 4 of us. We wanted to eat early at 5:30 and had nice tables each night. We did prefer the Savoy waiters for their professional attitude and friendliness.

[SoFloDeb]

Hi Everyone,

 

 

And the food was not up to par. Even my Dad, who isn't that picky, commented he couldn't remember ever being on a cruise where he received so many entrees that were just plain not good or there were not any choices that appealed to him and he ended up ordering the steak. He has been on 3 RCI cruises so that was his basis of comparison. My husband and I felt the same way, although Carnival was pretty close as far as bad food. I sent back several entrees on Carnival, but I never sent anything back on Princess. The Welcome Aboard buffet was the worst one of the week. The Horizon Court was mediocre at best. Room Service was a joke IMO. There was no published option of ordering hot food for breakfast (other than Glacier Bay Breakfast) and you couldn't order from the menu at dinner.

 

Our cabin steward was also poor. After about 2 days, she really didn't seem to care. We couldn't figure it out. And the last thing you want to do is tick off the person who has a key to your room! I could have complained, but chose not to, even though she didn't bother to clean our room one evening and didn't give us a bath mat for 2 days in a row.

 

Just to show how subjective cruising is, all the things that the OP didn't like about the Diamond is how we feel about RCI - except for the ship. We like understated elegance, but RCI does have Wow factor. We could never find anything we liked on their menus, and the steak was a joke. Our cabin steward was so out of it, she kept forgetting to leave towels! We stopped cruising RCI and will sail only Princess. Maybe in the future will try again, but not for a while.

[swifty]

How did you like the Eagle Island Kayaking in Ketchikan, was it worth the money, did you see any wildlife, would you do it again.