Live from the Diamond, July 10-27, 17-day B2B around Japan and Korea

[cr8tiv1]

@Ken the cruiser

 

These numbers seem to be the running score.  I had expected more Japanese Nationals onboard.  I was shocked to see that there were more passengers from Hawaii than from Japan on my cruise.

 

USA - 1,154

Japan - 483

Australia - 253

Canada - 163

UK - 150

[Ken the cruiser]

6 hours ago, Moustique said:

We will be on the Diamond from August 14th to the 31st.  How full is the ship right now?  We are holding on betting for an upgrade (guaranteed not assigned yet), as there seem to be a lot of vacant cabins for our departure date.

I just asked Great Services and there are 2,700 passengers on this leg.

[Ken the cruiser]

5 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

@Ken the cruiser  Thank you for posting the patters.  As I mentioned before, we will be on the Diamond this Sept. for a 7-day and 9-day cruises, your Patters will give us information on what to expect.

 

I know on the Royal class ships, the buffet area is called "World Fresh Market" (can enter and exit at many points and food/salad in different sections); and the Grand class ships, it is the "Horizon Court" (one entrance and one exit and food all line up).  From reading your Patter, it shows "World Fresh Market and Horizon Court".  So the buffet area is one entrance and one exit or can enter and exit at several points?  Thank you.

 

We were just up there getting coffee this morning and it pretty much looked and felt like the typical Grand Class Horizon court where you enter the buffet area where the food is on one side or the other and pick your plate up as you enter. 
 

[Ken the cruiser]

Good morning from somewhere in the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan!

 

 

 
This morning after breakfast we’re heading to a port talk in the theater, then sticking around to listen to what Princess is telling new guests onboard. Then after lunch, we’re going to a shore excursions presentation.
 

What we found interesting was that there was not a professional lecture offered, even though we have 3 sea days on this leg, as was usually the case on all of the past Princess cruises we’ve been on. But, then again, there are plenty of cultural activities to go to if one so chooses.
 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[sunviking90]

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

After a tasty dinner in the Santa Fe RCDR, we watched the early with a fun-loving juggler and comedian, Tiber Szabo.

 

  

 

We also have two Cruise Directors on this cruise, one that speaks Japanese and one that speaks English.

 

 

They also provided the passenger counts on the top 5 countries on the cruise. Hopefully I’ll find out their names later on.

 
USA - 1,154

Japan - 483

Australia - 253

Canada - 163

UK - 150

 

Afterwards we went to watch a fun music trivia game show called Strikeout! 

 

 
Then when we got back to the cabin at 9:15 pm, I did another speed test as it seemed a little slower, but acceptable.

 

Is Natalie one of the cruise directors? If so we had her on the Majestic Princess in January 2022. She also happened to be on the Diamond’s  infamous last cruise of 2020 and like so many crew was stuck on the ship for a long time.

We’re following along as we’ll be in the Royals transpacific from Japan in 2024.

Edited July 10, 2023 by sunviking90

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

@Ken the cruiser

When you have the time, I would appreciate it if you can please get me some pricing information of the Izumi ( Japanese bath on the Sun deck).  I asked questions in the past, and have received answers,  but I would like to have the most updated information and pricing so I have some ideas of  how much gift cards I should bring with me.  There will be 9 of us and at least 5 of us are interested.

 

Would like to know pricing for : One session pass?  Several sessions pass?  All day pass?  Entire cruise pass?

If they do offer "Entire cruise" pass, is it unlimited on how many times you can go each day?  And unlimited time on how long you want to stay each time?

 

Thank you for your time!! 

Here’s what we found out this morning about the Japanese Bath up on the Sun Deck Forward which should answer your initial questions.
 

  
Interesting note, they only mention the Cruise Pass option on their actual Sign In sheet (above picture) and not their advertisement posted on the desk at the entrance.

 

  
The two hot tubs in the Men’s area. There are four in the Women’s area.

 

 

The waterfall showers

 

 

 
and there is also a steam room.

[Ken the cruiser]

 

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

Is Natalie one of the cruise directors? If so we had her on the Majestic Princess in January 2022. She also happened to be on the Diamond’s  infamous last cruise of 2020 and like so many crew was stuck on the ship for a long time.

We’re following along as we’ll be in the Royals transpacific from Japan in 2024.

 
Here are our 2 cruise directors, one who speaks Japanese and one who speaks English. 
 

[cr8tiv1]

Thanks @Ken the cruiser for such prompt responses from your loyal followers.  Enjoying your shares.

[chubbypiggy]

22 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s what we found out this morning about the Japanese Bath up on the Sun Deck Forward which should answer your initial questions.
 

  
Interesting note, they only mention the Cruise Pass option on their actual Sign In sheet (above picture) and not their advertisement posted on the desk at the entrance.

 

  
The two hot tubs in the Men’s area. There are four in the Women’s area.

 

 

The waterfall showers

 

 

 
and there is also a steam room.

Thank you for the information and the pictures.  

 

Your 1st cruise is 9 days, correct?  So only $99 for 9 days is really good price.  

 

From the Princess brochure, it shows the Japanese Bath is AFT of Sun deck; now has been moved to the Forward of Sun deck?

 

The sign says "last reservation at ...".  If you happen to pass by there again during your cruise, can you please ask if the guests must make advance reservation in order to use the hot tub and outdoor pool?  We are thinking of buying the "cruise pass" and will go every day.  But really prefer to go whenever we want (during their opening hours) and not have to make reservations every day. 

 

Again, thank you for your time!

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

 

Izumi outdoor bath is definitely aft.  It's that round wooden structure above Deck 14.

[Californian]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s what we found out this morning about the Japanese Bath up on the Sun Deck Forward which should answer your initial questions.
 

  
Interesting note, they only mention the Cruise Pass option on their actual Sign In sheet (above picture) and not their advertisement posted on the desk at the entrance.

 

  
The two hot tubs in the Men’s area. There are four in the Women’s area.

 

 

The waterfall showers

 

 

 
and there is also a steam room.

What are the hours when bathing suits are required and what hours when it’s nude?

[Ken the cruiser]

43 minutes ago, Californian said:

What are the hours when bathing suits are required and what hours when it’s nude?

When we went to the Japanese Bath on Deck 15 Forward, we were told clothing is optional in the separate “private” areas for the men and women. There was no mention of hours when the optional dress was in effect.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Izumi outdoor bath is definitely aft.  It's that round wooden structure above Deck 14.

Oops! My bad. The Japanese Bath is in the aft on deck 15. I got turned around as we first went to the Spa to find out where the Japanese Bath was, which we were then directed to the other end of the ship. 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

Thank you for the information and the pictures.  

 

Your 1st cruise is 9 days, correct?  So only $99 for 9 days is really good price.  

 

From the Princess brochure, it shows the Japanese Bath is AFT of Sun deck; now has been moved to the Forward of Sun deck?

 

The sign says "last reservation at ...".  If you happen to pass by there again during your cruise, can you please ask if the guests must make advance reservation in order to use the hot tub and outdoor pool?  We are thinking of buying the "cruise pass" and will go every day.  But really prefer to go whenever we want (during their opening hours) and not have to make reservations every day. 

 

Again, thank you for your time!

Oops! My bad. The Japanese Bath is in the aft on deck 15 rather than forward. 😁

 

Yes, this first leg is 9 days. The next leg will be 8 days. With regards to making reservations, it would be better if you ask them yourself once you’re onboard, as the rules may change between now and then.

Edited July 11, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s the details of the various Immigration processes we get to encounter on this leg. Thank goodness we have Princess excursions booked on the applicable days. 😁

  

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested, here are the senior officers on the ship.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Just did a speed test on our balcony. Not bad considering it’s 1:15 pm on a sea day.

 

[have2vacation]

Thank you so much for all the information. My daughter and I booked the 10 day Spring Flowers April 7,2024 and this will be our first Japan cruise. Your information is invaluable. 

[have2vacation]

I just saw White and Gold dress on the agenda. Can you let us know if people participate and anything else that’s scheduled that we need to prepare ahead to bring appropriate clothing. Thank you. 

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight after a tasty dinner in the Santa Fe Dining Room, we went to see the production show Born to Be Wild! Definitely one you don’t want to miss if you enjoy rock n’ roll music!

 

 

 
Afterwards we headed over to the Explorers Lounge to watch the Yes/No Game Show followed by the Word Flip Game Show. 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, have2vacation said:

I just saw White and Gold dress on the agenda. Can you let us know if people participate and anything else that’s scheduled that we need to prepare ahead to bring appropriate clothing. Thank you. 

We’re planning to go with our family to the White and Gold event, so I’m sure I’ll be posting pictures of it that night.

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 3 - July 12 - Akita, Japan

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s the description of the Princess excursion we’ll be going on in Akita. The onboard price was $129.95 pp.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to be raining there tomorrow, so we’ll be bringing along our rain ponchos just in case.
 

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[BigRedFan]

20 hours ago, Mah Jongg said:

Here is a picture from the dress up day. There were several Japanese ladies who helped us dress. They were so much fun. They also gave us some origami earrings and bookmarks, so nice. We really enjoyed our cruise on the Diamond. Thank you for bringing back the great memories. 

I love this!  what a great experience.

[chubbypiggy]

12 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Oops! My bad. The Japanese Bath is in the aft on deck 15 rather than forward. 😁

 

Yes, this first leg is 9 days. The next leg will be 8 days. With regards to making reservations, it would be better if you ask them yourself once you’re onboard, as the rules may change between now and then.

Thank you.