Oakman58

I recently completed a cruise on the Diamond Princess. I'm a breakfast person and I love the choices that cruise ships offer in the buffet and dining room. However, sometimes I think the chefs try too hard to be fancy or unique. Case in point, on the Diamond the French Toast was nothing like what I expected. What they offered as French Toast in the buffet was completely different from what was offered in the dining room. First a picture of what I think French Toast should look like. When I ordered French Toast in the dining room this is what I was served. I believe it is called James Beard French Toast with crumbled up corn flake coating. It was OK but not what I was hoping for. What they called French Toast in the buffet was completely different and looked more like a bun and it always had some type of topping on it such as raisins, or coconut, but the morning I had to laugh out loud was the morning it was topped with Fruit Loops.

Believe what you want.

I think the complaints about the DSC are more about “general principle,” at least it is for me. NCL reduced cabin service from twice a day to once a day and then increased the DSC from $16 pp/pd to $20 pp/pd for balcony cabins. This wouldn’t keep me from booking with NCL but reducing service and increasing the DSC price by 25% kinda sticks in my craw. On top of that you now have to ask for an ice bucket, ask for a coffee maker, and ask for towel animals. I take if for granted you can still get a coffee maker on request.

I wouldn't choose any of those because Glacier Bay National Park isn't listed. For a first time to Alaska Glacier Bay is a must do in my opinion. Having said that, I would choose the July 13 or July 27 cruise because it visits Dawes Glacier and the Endicott Arm.

It's like a little GPS the size of a quarter that you wear on a lanyard or a band that looks like a wristwatch. It automatically unlocks your cabin door as you approach. I loved not having to fumble for a room card to insert in the door, especially when I had a coffee in my hand. You can also order drinks or food using the Princess App from anywhere on the ship and they can deliver it to you because the medallion tells them where you are. On our Princess cruise I couldn't find the mini-golf course. On the phone app I called up the deck plan with the golf course and then tapped on "take me there." It gave me step by step instructions on how to get to the course from where I was standing and even followed my progress on the phone like a GPS.

LOL, you cause me to be negative. You think you were disappointed with the balcony on the Explorer, then don't ever book a hull balcony on the NCL Epic. While it was a large balcony, it like having a window without glass. And since BirdTravels says I thrive on looking for negatives, the positive of that balcony is it won't be windy. LOL!

I wouldn’t say I thrive on pointing out negatives, but when something is wrong I believe in pointing it out. I’m not a cruise line cheerleader like you. I don’t recall ever complaining about rust on a ship or even a stain. Although if there is a stain on a chair that I’m about to sit on I will write about that. Since this website is Cruise CRITIC, I think it’s important to point out any problems that arise during a cruise or design flaws. Glossing over the negative and only highlighting the positive doesn’t help prepare a new cruiser for what to expect or what they might experience on a cruise. On my recent Princess cruise I had plenty of issues not the least of which was an inch of standing water sloshing around on our balcony for two days. And I think it’s an incredibly stupid design to have balcony cabin that sleeps two but only has seating for one. I don’t consider that to be expecting star class accommodations. Every other cruise and cruise line I’ve been on had a balcony cabin that offered seating for at least two and in some cases three or four. On our Princess cruise the tendering operation, both to and from Maui was so slow it was laughable. Weeks before our cruise we had booked specialty dining at the steakhouse and Sabatini’s. Both reservations were cancelled by the restaurant manager during our cruise. The steakhouse remained closed for the entire cruise. We had so many small issues I could go on and on but you get my drift. Do I point out the negative? You bet I do. And I think all those cruise line cheerleaders on this site do a disservice to those who join looking for information. I will add this one positive note about our Princess cruise. The Princess Medallion is the best thing since sliced bread. I hope other cruise lines offer something similar in the future.

My wife and I have been on large ships and ships the size of the Explorer. We enjoy both as they both have their pluses and minuses.

Asbestos in cruise ships was banned in 2002 so I doubt that piece of soot or whatever it might be is asbestos. Regardless, I'd be pissed if crap like that was raining down on my balcony. I didn't like the cabin layout of the Epic either. I thought the wave wall made the cabin look small. The only way I would cruise on the Epic again would be for ports of call that I haven't been to before.

We're good with sitting on a couch and desk chair to eat breakfast, it was having to drag a balcony chair in on the Princess that I thought was ridiculous.

Wife and I will be trying Royal Caribbean again. It has been 17 years since our cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas which was our very first cruise. Since then most of our cruises have been with Norwegian although we have cruised with Carnival, Holland, and most recently Princess. NCL turned us off with the cutbacks in service and increase in prices and we’ve been trying other cruise lines. Our recent Hawaiian cruise with Princess is a one and done with that cruise line, the negatives far outweighed the positives. So now we have booked a December cruise on Explorer of the Seas hoping that Royal Caribbean will become our cruise line of choice. We booked cabin 7620 which is on the ship’s bump out. I looked at the cabin layout and it looks like there is a small couch where two people can sit. The standard balcony on the Princess ship only had seating for one, a chair. When we ordered a room service breakfast we had to drag a balcony chair in. I believe Explorer of the Seas in currently in drydock so hopefully she will still look fresh on our December cruise.

OK, as mentioned by a previous poster, the Sterling Steakhouse was closed for the whole cruise we were told we would get a refund. No, we were not given that refund as an OBC. We also had reservations at Sabatini's that were cancelled but we were told we could reschedule which we did. Then two days later, Sabatini's cancelled our second reservation. This was on the 16 day Hawaiian cruise that departed San Diego on Jan 6th. I did not check my credit card for a refund while we were on the ship. There is no way I would access my credit card or any bank information over a ship's network, secured or not.

We had made and paid for dining in specialty restaurants about 45 days before our cruise on the Diamond to Hawaii that returned to San Deigo on Jan 22nd. During the cruise both reservations were cancelled by the man in charge of restaurant operations. I still haven't gotten a refund back to my credit card. I would call Princess but I hate being put on hold forever. From the first day of the cruise to now I have been unimpressed with Princess Cruises.

I’ve seen lifeboats on other ships that had a seating area on the top of the lifeboat, but this is the first time I’ve seen it used. This was on our Diamond Princess Hawaiian cruise and the tendering operation in Maui. I was also surprised there were only two little cables to keep people from falling overboard.

We were on a Carnival cruise this past September and we just returned last week from our first Princess cruise. Even though I'm very old (77), I felt I was on a ship for the dead on our 16 day Hawaiian cruise . Music ranged from easy listening lounge music to ballroom dance music. Over the sixteen days I was on the ship I only heard rock and roll music once, that was on the night they had 50's and 60's music trivia. I never did hear any disco music or Motown. Onboard entertainment was much better on Carnival. Complimentary dining was about the same. One big negative on Princess, at least for me, was our balcony cabin only had seating for one person and that was a chair. Every other ship we've been on had a couch in a balcony cabin with seating for two and in some cases three. When we returned from our Hawaiian Cruise the first thing I did was call Princess and cancel our December Panama Canal cruise. Of the sixteen cruises we've been on with various cruise lines, our Princess cruise ranked dead last. I told my wife many times during that cruise Princess is for the old and stodgy. I'm glad I tried Princess but there won't be anymore cruises for me with that cruise line. Now if you like Bible study, choir practice, attending Spanish lessons, getting together with knitters, and ballroom dancing, then Princess is your cruise line.

Yes, I read that review. Apparently having a Mini-suite and higher status in the Captain's Circle makes a difference. I also didn't mention that the stairs to the upper bow portion of the promenade deck were always closed, at least every time I went walking. Along with the other negatives I didn't mention the half inch of standing water that was sloshing around with the movement of the ship the first three days.

The Diamond Princess arriving in San Diego with the Disney Wonder already in port. What a mess embarkation was for our cruise on the Diamond.

The size of the balcony was OK it was that cabin that was small. Every other standard balcony cabin we've stayed in had a couch that could seat at least two people. Also I didn't say the tenders were small I said the tendering operation was slow. I'm glad we saw Hawaii but it sure cost me a pretty penny to find out Princess cruise lines is not for us and certainly not up to the standards set by other cruise lines.

When we asked at customer service they told us operational issues, whatever that means. The Sterling Steakhouse was closed for the entire cruise. Sabatini's was opened for 4 nights but we saw people eating in there many other nights so I really didn't understand what was going on.

Yes we had paid for the reservations before boarding. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the refund to show up on my credit card.

Princess Cruises is a one and done for us. We just returned from our Hawaiian cruise on the Diamond Princess Jan 6th to Jan 22nd. We’ve cruised with Carnival, NCL, Holland, and RCL. Of the 16 cruises we’ve done this one was the worst. Pre-Cruise, Princess Cancelled our excursion in Maui causing us to book a private excursion. Worst embarkation we’ve ever experienced. Three hours standing in lines, most of which was outside the terminal building, before finally getting on the ship. Smallest standard balcony cabin. Sleeps two but only has seating for one (a chair). Smallest shower area in bathroom. So small it was laughable. Almost missed our privately booked Maui excursion because of the slow tendering. Return tendering we had to stand in a line for 56 minutes in the sun before we were on a tender going back to the ship. Smallest buffet, but excellent omelet station. Smallest Casino, but now that I think of it, the Holland Westerdam might have been just as small. Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sterling Steakhouse. Princess cancelled our dinner reservations in Sabatini’s (twice). Anything broken had a sign “we’re on it” but they weren’t. The Ladies restroom near the Explorers Lounge had two stalls, one was locked with a “we’re on it” sign from day one. It was still like that when we disembarked. There were other negatives but you get the drift of our experience on this cruise. Positives Princess medallion and App. It worked perfect for us and is the best thing in the cruise industry. Best Omelet station of any buffet. Best Naturalist, Mark. I will be canceling the Princess cruise I booked for December. No more money from me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Haven't had a chance to go through all the photos I took on my recent cruise but this shot with my smartphone while standing on top of the bridge is one my favorites. The ship is the Diamond Princess.

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip. We will be on the Diamond Jan 6th for the 16 day Hawaiian Cruise.

It's called a speedway, it's a racetrack, there's a leaderboard, you are supposed to go fast. It sounds like NCL needs to install one of these for you.

$2 bills were the rule of the day at horse racing tracks in the 50's and 60's and into the 70's. I've been tipping crewmen with $2 bill for many years. If a crewman doesn't like having those bills the purser can change them into other denominations. Also in some South American countries the $2 is considered good luck.