Diamond Princess Mini Bar

[cruzsnooze]

I will be sailing on the Diamond next month in Japan. I'm curious if the mini bar (as elite tier) is any different in Japan? If anyone is on the Diamond would you share with me what little liquor bottles are in the mini bar please. 

[cruzsnooze]

Is there nobody on the Diamond Princess currently that could tell me what's in the mini bar? I wonder if they do anything different for the Japanese market.

[cr8tiv1]

I was on the Diamond last Spring. Same minibar options. I am guessing you might be able to trade out for some Japanese beer?

[cruzsnooze]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I was on the Diamond last Spring. Same minibar options. I am guessing you might be able to trade out for some Japanese beer?

I was hoping to try some Saki or something authentic to Japan. 

Did you try any of the specialty restaurants?

Edited April 6 by cruzsnooze

[cr8tiv1]

No, I did not.  Much better sashimi and sushi off the ship.  So much good food can be found in and around the ports,  

[OzKiwiJJ]

We were on Diamond last November. The minibar was standard Princess minibar items. 

 

We loved the MDR menus. There were a numbef of Japanese always available items plus one or two Japanese/Asian dishes that changed daily. The buffet also had a good selection of Japanese and other Asian dishes.

 

I can't recall if there was any Sake available though.

[cruzsnooze]

I'm glad to hear there is Japanese food to try. I enjoy trying foods from other cultures as long as it's not raw fish. I found it interesting that there is a Brazilian Ridizzo on the Diamond.

[cr8tiv1]

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

I'm glad to hear there is Japanese food to try. I enjoy trying foods from other cultures as long as it's not raw fish. I found it interesting that there is a Brazilian Ridizzo on the Diamond.

 

I am no foodie, but have had my share of good Japanese food.  The Tempura does not resemble Japanese Tempura.  The sushi in the buffet/MDR is not of great quality.  To begin with...they use the wrong kind of rice.  The teriyaki sauce is not a good blend between sweet and salty.

 

As I have mentioned....get off the ship and eat locally.  Lots and lots of markets to wander through and point and buy.  Japanese are known for Bento Lunches.  Buy a couple different ones and share.  Only down side is that it is not hot.  It is really easy to dine at restaurants.  They have pictures next to the Japanese characters.  Japanese pastries are really good too.

 

By the way, you can get good sushi at each port.  Not all are topped with raw fish (sashimi).  They will have other toppings too:  cooked shrimp, egg.... Do your homework and look up menu items onlime.

 

 

 

Edited April 7 by cr8tiv1

[OzKiwiJJ]

Of course you will rarely get really good Japanese food on a cruise ship. Just the mere fact that they are catering for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of passengers at every meal means that they don't come anywhere near matching the quality at (usually quite small) local Japanese restaurants. But I thought they did reasonably well considering. At least it was a tasty change from the standard Princess fare.

 

This is the menu from one of the dinners on Diamond last year.

 

 

 

Of the Japanese favourites the octopus was a delightful appetiser, the miso soup was good, and the tofu was amazing (but our lovely waiter made sure it came out piping hot and crispy). The other dishes were also very nice. 

 

That night they had Nasu Dengako, which has been a favourite of mine for many years ... when it's done well. Sadly the Princess version wasn't great.

 

I forget what other things I tried but food-wise that cruise stands out as one of the best I've ever been on. I live in an area of Sydney, Australia, where we are close to many excellent Asian restaurants, including a few Japanese ones, so the standards I'm comparing against are authentic cuisines, not westernized. 

 

 

[EDVM96]

 

Diamond Princess mini bar setup.

(without the wine, of course)