If anyone has questions i'm fresh off the Diamond

[kerojack]

Just thought I might offer any of the info I might have from our cruise.

 

7 day Cruise - Vancouver to Whittier/Anchorage

Diamond Princess

Caribe Deck

 

Ask away!

[janina]

What was your least favorite thing about the ship? :D

[rkmw]

Just thought I might offer any of the info I might have from our cruise.

 

7 day Cruise - Vancouver to Whittier/Anchorage

Diamond Princess

Caribe Deck

 

Ask away!

 

we are cruising on the Diamond to NZ in Jan and in regards to duty free smokes can you buy them from the ship and take them to your cabin

 

on the Dawn and Sun Princess out of OZ you cant but i wasnt sure about the Diamond......we have cruised on the Rhapsody out of Sydney and you can take your duty free smokes to your cabin

rkmw

[MarinaDCA]

I'd love to hear what you thought of the food :o

 

I hope you had a great time!

[Busy Mum]

What sort of cabin did you have on Caribe deck??

 

Hubbie and I are booked on the Diamond from Sydney to Auckland, NZ in February 2011 - have booked a balcony cabin on Caribe...

 

Anything about the ship at all would be really appreciate from my point of view....

 

Dining - did you go to the "set time restaurants" - shopping on board???

 

Thanks heaps,

 

Vicki.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I would like to know if you knew anyone who had a mini suite on Dolphin Deck. Was the open balcony a problem?

[NotWthOutablcony]

we are cruising on the Diamond to NZ in Jan and in regards to duty free smokes can you buy them from the ship and take them to your cabin

 

on the Dawn and Sun Princess out of OZ you cant but i wasnt sure about the Diamond......we have cruised on the Rhapsody out of Sydney and you can take your duty free smokes to your cabin

rkmw

Lol, no, they take them until the night before, but its still worth it to purchase the single packs from the bars, they're WAY cheaper than on land, unless your going into Mexico or better yet the Caribbean. I bought packs of Marlboros in St. Thomas for around $1.50 a pack!!! Bring just enough with you to last 2-3 days, then purchase the ones form the bars, you may not get your exact brand but with those prices it was well worth it!

[NotWthOutablcony]

To the OP, my only question is, did you like it? :D We LOVE the Sapphire, her sister, so am hoping you had a great time!

[rkmw]

Lol, no, they take them until the night before, but its still worth it to purchase the single packs from the bars, they're WAY cheaper than on land, unless your going into Mexico or better yet the Caribbean. I bought packs of Marlboros in St. Thomas for around $1.50 a pack!!! Bring just enough with you to last 2-3 days, then purchase the ones form the bars, you may not get your exact brand but with those prices it was well worth it!

 

thats not a bad price over the bar, on the Princess ships out of OZ they cost $13 AUD for a pack of 40

 

rkmw

[hawkers]

We now have less than four months to wait before we fly to Auckland for our cruise back home and we are counting the days!! Diamond looks wonderful. What is your favourite memory? Did you dine in the International Dining room or choose Anytime? Any tips ?

[kerojack]

What was your least favorite thing about the ship? :D

 

 

hmm.... least favorite... that's tough...

 

it's a tie between the stores combined with the crew trying to sell you things and the food.

 

It just made it feel very... commercial.

 

the food was just a bit better than mediocre. there were flashes of awesome tastiness. the waffles were great. this pasta dish our waiter brought to our table the first time we ate at Vivaldi's. YUM!

No one ordered it but he said it was just too good for us to miss... he was right.

[kerojack]

we are cruising on the Diamond to NZ in Jan and in regards to duty free smokes can you buy them from the ship and take them to your cabin

 

on the Dawn and Sun Princess out of OZ you cant but i wasnt sure about the Diamond......we have cruised on the Rhapsody out of Sydney and you can take your duty free smokes to your cabin

rkmw

 

I'm pretty sure you can take them to your cabin.

 

I don't smoke but my dad does.

and i believe he purchased packs from the store and smoked them... but i'm not sure

[Babs02]

What was the average age of those on board. I've heard that it tends to be older passengers on Alaskan cruises.

 

We're thinking of going on one next year with our dd's who are in their 20's, were there any passengers of that age on board.

 

Babs

[kerojack]

I'd love to hear what you thought of the food :o

 

I hope you had a great time!

 

We did have a great time!

 

if you would like to read a re-cap i wrote up here's the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1063575

 

The food was alright. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst either.

(though our formal night at Vivaldi's I ordered the beef medallions... aweful. they were rubbery and practically inedible. Luckily, the appetizer and salad were really good)

 

I thought the Salad bar in the Horizon Court buffet was always great. I'm glad that they didn't use iceberg lettuce. Lots of different toppings.

 

The Waffle bar for breakfast was really tasty.

 

Our first night at Vivaldi's was our best night ever. The service was GREAT! the Food was spot on that night. (which is probably why the formal night there felt like a let down.)

[kerojack]

What sort of cabin did you have on Caribe deck??

 

Hubbie and I are booked on the Diamond from Sydney to Auckland, NZ in February 2011 - have booked a balcony cabin on Caribe...

 

Anything about the ship at all would be really appreciate from my point of view....

 

Dining - did you go to the "set time restaurants" - shopping on board???

 

Thanks heaps,

 

Vicki.

 

We had a Balcony cabin. Well worth it! the balcony was huge! From what I understand and saw the balconies on the Caribe deck are larger than all the other balconies with the same type of cabin.

 

and the view was amazing! We slept with the door open all night so when we woke up in the morning the air was crisp and cool and the view was just beautiful! I think that was why i didn't sleep in at all while we were there! It made me not want to waste the day in bed!

 

 

Here's a cabin tour I made our last night... I tried to cover the things I wanted to know before our cruise.

 

We had them put a eggcrate on the bed. And I think it makes a big difference. There are two twin beds in the room that they just push together if you want a King. So the eggcrate covers up the crack inbetween and makes the beds a lot softer.

 

We had Anytime Dining. we ate at the restaurants at night nistead of the buffet (Horizon Court). Alternating every night. Vivaldi was the only one we at at twice. We also had dinner at the Sterling Steak house our last night ($15/person). It was pretty tasty. and the service was Excellent!

 

I asked if they had a particular dinner roll that I loved (and ate at every dinner thus far) and our waiter, Arlam, did not stop until he found it, even though I told him it wasn't a big deal. :o He was really very nice.

 

I'll be honest... I'm not a shopper. And I'm not a jeweler person either. So, didn't really venture into the stores much. Though my sister did see a scarf/shawl that was really nice on the ship.

[kerojack]

I would like to know if you knew anyone who had a mini suite on Dolphin Deck. Was the open balcony a problem?

 

I'm afraid not. I only saw the balconies we were in.

[kerojack]

What was the average age of those on board. I've heard that it tends to be older passengers on Alaskan cruises.

 

We're thinking of going on one next year with our dd's who are in their 20's, were there any passengers of that age on board.

 

Babs

 

 

hmm.. from the people I saw the average age on this cruise was much older than us.

I'm 27 and my DH is 34, Sister&Fiance 30.

 

Even though we were in the minority,there were some younger people around.

 

On our cruise there were also quite a few whole families traveling that looked like 3 generations. kids/parents/grandparents

 

part of that was probably that our cruise continued on to Asia and a lot of the families were also asian.

 

I think it would be fine for your DDs

It's just so nice and beautiful in Alaska and there's plenty to do on the ship even if it's just wandering around!

 

It was a wonderful experience for sure!

[MarinaDCA]

Thanks for the reply and the link! I am taking my first cruise and have NO idea what to expect food wise, so I am reading as many opinions as I can get my hands on. I am so glad you had a nice time overall!

[kerojack]

Thanks for the reply and the link! I am taking my first cruise and have NO idea what to expect food wise, so I am reading as many opinions as I can get my hands on. I am so glad you had a nice time overall!

 

We had are Really great trip!

 

And my issues with it were all incredibly minor.

 

the food wasn't horrible... it was even pretty awesome at times.

 

One of our first nights I ordered some sort of yummy beef dish with potato croquettes. I've never had that kind of potato before nor had i even heard of it! It was Amazing! I'm a big potato fan! and these were mashed potatoes tossed in bread crumbs and fried! how much better can you get. creamy inside and a crunchy outside!

 

My DH also LOVED how many Vegetarian options they served (even though he's not actually vegetarian) :D I always find it funny when the biggest guy at the table orders something like a zucchini bake and his tiny wife orders the steak and potatoes! lol.

[sillysailor 1955]

We were on the Diamond in July (it was a great trip)

I'm kind of surprised to hear you say you thought the food so/so. I thought it was excellent (in fact looking to book a group cruise next May to Mediterrean on Princess). I found the Pizza really great and the MDR was head and shoulders above our past cruises on NCL and HAL. just curious what other ships have you been on. Glad you had a good trip - Isn't Alaska awesome? [

 

quote=kerojack;21361688]hmm.... least favorite... that's tough...

 

it's a tie between the stores combined with the crew trying to sell you things and the food.

 

It just made it feel very... commercial.

 

the food was just a bit better than mediocre. there were flashes of awesome tastiness. the waffles were great. this pasta dish our waiter brought to our table the first time we ate at Vivaldi's. YUM!

No one ordered it but he said it was just too good for us to miss... he was right.

[kerojack]

We were on the Diamond in July (it was a great trip)

I'm kind of surprised to hear you say you thought the food so/so. I thought it was excellent (in fact looking to book a group cruise next May to Mediterrean on Princess). I found the Pizza really great and the MDR was head and shoulders above our past cruises on NCL and HAL. just curious what other ships have you been on. Glad you had a good trip - Isn't Alaska awesome?

 

This was everyone in my group's first cruise. So, I can't really compare this cruise food to others.

 

The food was overall decent and definitely PLENTIFUL!

and there were times when it was Excellent. waffles, the first beef dish I had, The potato croquettes, the veggies, fresh fruit everyday! Fresh Salad with tons of tasty toppings!

but then that excellence is also countered by things like at formal night in Vivaldi's.... I wish I could erase the taste/texture of those beef medallions!! and the mashed potatoes and hash browns also left something to be desired.

 

 

And YES! Alaska is amazing! Every day we would wake up and say how we couldn't believe how gorgeous Alaska is. It was Surreal! I always had this feeling if I wasn't by a window or my balcony or on deck I was missing something!

We definitely would go back to Alaska in a heart beat!

[Busy Mum]

Hi Kerojack,

 

Thanks for your thoughts and comments on the Diamond. Everyones ideas, experiences and expectations are different, but I do appreciate your comments.

 

Can wait to go on the Diamond in January 2011 to New Zealand, it will be awesome.

 

Vicki.

[janina]

Thanks Kerojack! We'll be on the Diamond in 27 days, can't wait. I think we'll definately request the eggcrates for the bed, since I never thought about it fixing the crack. I hate that crack! Great point, and thank you again taking the time to let us in on your experience.:)

[poo bear]

We are on the cruise you just got off and will depart the ship in Bejuinge (sp) and fly out the same day. What is the best way to get from the ship to the airport , which I understand is about 3 hours away ? We can always take the ships bus at $80 a head but have heard about the bullet train. Does the train get the job done and if so, about how much is the cost and how difficult is it to do ?

[Babs02]

hmm.. from the people I saw the average age on this cruise was much older than us.

I'm 27 and my DH is 34, Sister&Fiance 30.

 

Even though we were in the minority,there were some younger people around.

 

On our cruise there were also quite a few whole families traveling that looked like 3 generations. kids/parents/grandparents

 

part of that was probably that our cruise continued on to Asia and a lot of the families were also asian.

 

I think it would be fine for your DDs

It's just so nice and beautiful in Alaska and there's plenty to do on the ship even if it's just wandering around!

 

It was a wonderful experience for sure!

 

Thanks thats what I was thinking. But don't think they'll mind too much.

 

Babs