Diamond Princess, Tips and Advice?

[jarand]

We are cruising on the Diamond in a week. We'd love to hear tips and advice from anyone who has experience!

 

Thanks.

[Kamloops50]

We are cruising on the Diamond in a week. We'd love to hear tips and advice from anyone who has experience!

 

Thanks.

 

1 - Buy a coffee card for fresh brewed coffee

 

2 - Spend time in Skywalker's to watch the scenery

 

3 - Enjoy all that goes on

 

Just completed a 14 day Alaskan cruise on the Diamond.

[pengu1n]

1 - Buy a coffee card for fresh brewed coffee

 

2 - Spend time in Skywalker's to watch the scenery

 

3 - Enjoy all that goes on

 

Just completed a 14 day Alaskan cruise on the Diamond.

 

We, too, will be on a 14 day in 2 wks. What did you take that you didn't need? What did you wish you had taken?

[redtop101]

The shows on the Diamond were very good - I got the music, Do you wanna' dance and one with rock n' roll in the title. They were all excellent considering the singers & dancers had just boarded the ship in Vancouver June 8th

 

 

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[jarand]

Thank you. How does a coffee card work? Is it all-you-want or just prepaid coffees. How much is it?

 

Penguin, when will you be on the Diamond? We sail June 13-20.

 

Glad to hear the shows are good. Thats something we always take advantage of on cruises.

 

What about the 4 main dining rooms? Are they all about the same? Is there an International Cafe?

 

Also, any especially good places to watch scenery? We don't have a balcony.

 

Thanks.

[paul929207]

Every evening, your steward will leave the Princess Patter for the next day. It will have the schedule of all events. Look it over to see what good activities are planned.

[pengu1n]

Penguin, when will you be on the Diamond? We sail June 13-20.

 

 

We'll be boarding as you exit - we leave on July 20th.

[sept10dsm]

Thank you. How does a coffee card work? Is it all-you-want or just prepaid coffees. How much is it?

 

Thanks.

The coffee card costs $31. It allows for 15 speciality coffees and unlimited fresh brewed coffee. If all the punches for the 15 speciality are not used it can be kept and used up on a future cruise. The unlimited brewed coffee, no punches for current cruise, ends when the cruise does. However, on future cruise brewed coffee can be obtained with an old card, but the card will be punched.

[jarand]

Neither of us really cares about specialty coffee, but decent brewed coffee is important. $62 for us to have brewed coffee for a week is a little steep! Do you know how much a large brewed coffee would cost? Thanks again.

[sept10dsm]

Neither of us really cares about specialty coffee, but decent brewed coffee is important. $62 for us to have brewed coffee for a week is a little steep! Do you know how much a large brewed coffee would cost? Thanks again.

I think about $1.50 to $2.00 per cup. I don't recall if that included the 15% or not. Yes, $62 is steep for what you are going to do with the card. Try the included coffee, it is not quite a bad as described by many.

[Woobstr112G]

We sailed the Diamond in 2009 and had a great cruise. Here's what I would advise:

1. Definitely buy a coffee card as soon as you board.

2. Enjoy Skywalkers. Very nice place during the day to relax and read. Views are also fantastic

3. Wander down to the Wake View Bar. Secluded place not many people know about/frequent. Only way to access it is via a set of stairs in Club Fusion.

4. Since the Diamond/Sapphire were built in Japan, they are wider and thus have huge Promenade decks. Make good use of the Promenade deck as a walking area or using the full size loungers

5. The Terrace Pool area is a great place to relax while enjoy fantastic wake views.

I'm sure you'll have a fantastic cruise.....:):):)

Bob

[beg3yrs]

The promenade deck on the Diamond and the Sapphire is noticeably wider than the promenade deck on the other Grand Class ships.

[jarand]

Thank you everyone. This is very helpful.

 

Is brewed coffee available only in the dining rooms, or are there places on the Lido and other decks where brewed coffee is available?

[beg3yrs]

Thank you everyone. This is very helpful.

 

Is brewed coffee available only in the dining rooms, or are there places on the Lido and other decks where brewed coffee is available?

 

The lobby bar on Fiesta Deck has brewed coffee. That was my first-thing-in-the-morning journey every day to fetch coffee for DW and myself.

[Kamloops50]

Thank you everyone. This is very helpful.

 

Is brewed coffee available only in the dining rooms, or are there places on the Lido and other decks where brewed coffee is available?

 

Brewed coffee isn't available in the Dining room. The only two place they had brewed coffee was on Deck 5 at the Patessier and by one of the bars on Lido deck.

[redtop101]

 

What about the 4 main dining rooms? Are they all about the same? Is there an International Cafe?

 

Thanks.

 

The anytime Vivaldi restaurant is reserved for traditional early seating, so can't be used before 7.30 pm, I think. The other 3 are available 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm. The menu is the same as in all the dining rooms, with the exception that each of the anytime dining rooms has, in addition, one dish with a specific theme to that particular dining room. This one dish stays the same every night of the cruise.

There is no International Cafe (Boo) but the Lobby Bar, where you can get the fresh brewed coffee, teas and speciality coffees and a limited selection of pastries in the morning and mini-rolls in the afternoon.

 

 

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[BuzzBuzzen]

great tips and advice everyone , well done and thank you for taking the time to answer the same question i was going to ask soon :)

[Kamloops50]

I'm sorry that the Sapphire and Diamond are going to Asia for the next 3 years.

[JC13]

Just off the Diamond 7/6 on a B2B.

1. Deck 7 provides great viewing

, it is protected from rain and is not crowded when viewing the glaciers.

2. Buy a coffee card and visit Chris in the coffee bar

3. Try anytime dining. The Savoy dining room was our favorite and the service was spot on as was the food. We loved having Ransom as our waiter.

4. Formal wear like a tux is not needed. I took one but found formal nights to be so casual I thought it was casual night.

5. watch the movies under the stars. make certain to pad your chaise with extra towels cause they pickup lots of moisture.

6. visit the wake view bar under the dance floor of club fusion. you will see a staircase at the back of the dance floor, great place to enjoy private time

7. do room service. they have some great lunches. even a better burger than from the deck. also good for breakfast.

8. if you like wine buy it in Vancouver 1 block from the cruise port at BC Liquor

then next door is Dollar Rama in case you forgot anything. It's all in the Harbour Center

9. Take an extension cord.

10. laundry on board so don't need to take 14 days or 7 days of clothing

11. in Juneau consider buying to Walmart to buy your Alaska stuff

12. Eat at the Flight Deck in Juneau - outstanding food.

13. at the airport have princess transport your bags to the ship for free then you can take the Skytrain to the cruise port. you buy the tickets before boarding, they take credit cards, it's non stop to the Waterfront station. you come up in front of the ship. All for 7.25 per person.

There is more but that gives you an idea

[jarand]

Thank you so much. We really appreciate the great tips!

[Gunner22aa]

DW loved it but I have never been. It was a perk for us staying in a suite and it does cost extra money for those who are not. Some kind of heated loungers in the spa area. Our next trip is on the Golden which unfortunatly doesn't have one. She has reminded me of this several times since I booked the trip.