Diamond Princess 9/11/ sailing to Alaska

[sueceecat]

Started this review yesterday-but was unable to post..:confused:

 

Diamond Princess 9/11/04

 

Flew into Seattle the night before, with tour group from Hawaii- our home. Really nice group.

 

Embarkation was very smooth- lots of helpful Princess people. Long line at gangway as photos were being taken.

 

Aloha deck mid ship balcony cabin- much nicer than I expected. Especially liked the mirrored cabinet next to closet- and the desk next to balcony- where you could do hair and makeup while checking out view. Lots of wooden hangers. Request robe and egg crate for bed.

 

The Ship- very pretty with the bluish tinted balconies. It really did not feel like a huge ship holding 2600 people. Sparkling clean everywhere-and you never really heard a lot of noise. Felt like an elegant rather intimate resort. The only confusion Dh and I had with getting around the ship was in getting to the PC restaurants. We finally figured out that from where we were- you could not simply take an elevator- you had to go to the shopping arcade area, then walk past the shops to get to the stairs. Kind of like in Vegas- where you have to walk past the casino to go to your room, or anywhere!:cool:

 

The Food- was much better than I expected! I don't eat a lot of carbs, but my selections certainly were not limited in any way! Highlights: escargot, pate, crispy duck, new york steak,lobster, crab, caesar salad, carpaccio, clams casino, etc.....We had Pc dining, liked Sterling the best for the mahogany, library style atomosphere- but they were all good, with something for everyone.. Reservations were pretty easy-did not always get the exact time we wanted but we liked the flexibility. The buffet was also better than expected- fresh, lots of selections,

usually not too much of line; even helpful servers to bring your soda-card sodas. Pretty good wine selection.

 

Service- with one exception area- (which I will discuss at end of review-) the service was great! our room steward Leo was cheerful, friendly and very efficient! What a great attitude! The ship seemed to run seamlessly....You did not see the effort-everyone was polite and cheerful, no matter what your request.

 

Entertainment- we liked to eat with others and tended to have leisurely dinners- so we went the late seating for shows- enjoyed Piano Man, the funny

magican/comedian, Bert Stratton, and broadway type revue. Were always able to get seating at last minute.

 

Very happy to see that with one exception, (noted at end) we did not encounter pushy selling! Except in port jewelry stores.:rolleyes:

 

Itinerary- fabulous and smooth.

 

Juneau- we went on the Princess Whale Watch- was very skeptical - being from Hawaii- I was surprised! We not only saw lots of humpbacks, sea lions, some seals and eagles- we also saw quite a few orcas! That was exciting for us- one group of three young orcas jumped and breached so precisely it almost looked choreographed! Bundle up for this one, esp. if you are from a warm area. We really enjoyed this tour.

 

Skagway- Went on the White Rail Train- it was beautiful- and great anecdotes about gold rush days and sites along the way. Note: If you tend to get motion sick, (you know who you are) you might want to take your usual precautions. I was doing so well using bonine and armbands (the first night at sea was a little choppy)but I left them on ship- and got so queasy on train that I had stand on outside platform for half of trip. However, I seemed to be the only one affected -and it was still gorgeous.:p

 

Tracey Arm Fjord- this was spectacular! Etheral and otherworldly, with the waterfalls, blue icebergs, turquoise ocean,mountains and mist. We watched it from our balcony, with the fancy room service breakfast and the naturalist narration on the TV. The ship goes down the fjord and turns around, so you see both sides from your balcony, We were not able to get close to Sawyer Glacier because of all the icebergs in the water, but it was still glorious. Also very cold. That was ok- because we would shut the balcony door and just look outside til we warmed up again.

 

Ketchikan- went on Coastal Rainforest Walk. Saw salmn- they were everywhere; but the highlight was the bear! He was a rather young bear- in a tree, and we watched him for 15-20 minutes. He climbed down, hung out- and spent a lot of time calling - probaly for his mom. That was poignant.

 

Did some souvenir shopping- but the stores in these towns seemed pretty much the same. Would like to spend more time exploring the last two.

 

Victoria-was dark when we headed into town- (pretty easy walk from the ship) so we just browsed around for a few hours- very quaint and charming with beautiful buildings. Would love to see Butchart

Gardens in daylight sometime.

 

Seattle- spent afternoon/evening after disembarking- ( delayed because of a fish net- but no big deal) took a city bus tour- allowed us to see a lot in a short time: lochs, a glass blowers studio, neighborhoods, etc. Then went to Pikes Market and the four of us had a lovely dinner there.

 

Gym and Spa- first the good part- both were clean, well appointed and well stocked. Enjoyed working out every day on ellipse/treadmills- beautiful view- seemed empty after second day. However, Could never find ANYONE to help me with head phones, machines, etc. That said since they don't seem to have any attendants - why not make it 24 hours? Many of us love to work out before 7am and after 10pm! Or do the best thing- and keep it open 24 hours WITH an attendant! That would be safest!:o

Spa/ salon- very beautiful clean and empty! think I know why! First, no one available to answer questions, assist. Secondly, receptionist was surly, so don't ask her questions! Had a botched hair color job( good hair cut though.) Stylist was young and apologetic but manager was rude and condenscending. Wanted me to come in "3 or $ more times " to MAYBE fix it! I was on vacation! Called purser- bravo Princess -Princess refunded $ immediately and I had hair fixed at home.

 

Such a great trip-- and we met so many lovely people- am definetly a Princess addict now!

[CruizerMom]

Thanks for the informaiton on your trip, happy to hear how well you liked it!

 

What was you cabin #? We are on the Diamond in November and have a balcony room on the Aloha deck also. How was the balcony? Was it completely covered?

 

Thanks again!

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks for posting your review. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the fitness area and that it was as well maintained and complete as you would expect on a new ship. And I agree with you...I also wish the fitness center was open 24 hours. Do you think it has more to do with no staff to oversee at night, or possible noise levels to cabins below it?

[sueceecat]

We were in A619 covered, &private and just the right size for one or two people.

[sueceecat]

Re: the fitness area- not sure why its not open 24 hours- could be the noise factor- but I'm not actually sure if it is over any cabins- it might be over the buffet!

[sueceecat]

Couple of things I forgot to mention in my report

 

Casino- was actuallly a lot of fun, esp. later in the evening when there was more of a crowd. Slower pace than Vegas- delers were more friendly.Was pleasantly surprised that there was less of a cigarette smoke haze than I had anticipated.

 

Forgot to mention my only "hard sell" experience on the Diamond. It was in spa. Had the oxygen facial- it was technically very good but the relaxation and serenity was marred by the pushy sales pitch. Before the facial began I was told that I really, really needed to purchase $650, yes, $650 worh of facial products. Said I'd talk to my husband- was told to "tell my husband its really important" (you can bet i told him something entirely different-) and then given the sales pitch immediately AGAIN after the facial, when I had to snap out of my long awaited serenity to give a very firm "no" to stop the pushing. This was not a helpful education and invitation to buy- it was unpleasant and pushy.And I usually love to buy products! I was disappointed by this performance- but I think Princess does not run this spa. Perhaps they should- it left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.:(

 

 

But don't get me wrong - this trip and ship was a 10 out of 10!

We just need to figure out which cruise to take next,after we get over our post cuise depression.

[mtneedle]

Thanks, Sue, for the recap. I, too, was on the Diamond during this same cruise and I agree with all that you had to say. We were in Aloha 604! :)

 

I want to go back!

--Mary

[bardgal]

Forgot to mention my only "hard sell" experience on the Diamond. It was in spa. Had the oxygen facial- it was technically very good but the relaxation and serenity was marred by the pushy sales pitch. Before the facial began I was told that I really, really needed to purchase $650, yes, $650 worh of facial products. Said I'd talk to my husband- was told to "tell my husband its really important" (you can bet i told him something entirely different-) and then given the sales pitch immediately AGAIN after the facial, when I had to snap out of my long awaited serenity to give a very firm "no" to stop the pushing. This was not a helpful education and invitation to buy- it was unpleasant and pushy.And I usually love to buy products! I was disappointed by this performance- but I think Princess does not run this spa. Perhaps they should- it left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.:(

I agree! This is the reason I have given up on the Lotus Spa.

[sueceecat]

hi Mary- think we met you!

[sueceecat]

Re spa-

Unfortunately, although I LOOOOVE spas- I'll probaly have to avoid it too- or maybe just mention that I don't want a sales pitch when booking?:eek:

 

Makes you wonder how the spa employees are compensated- hope they don't work on commission only for product sales-would not be appropriate for these type of services, ( facials, masage, etc.) Of course -I did tip well.