Cruised the Diamond Last Month: My Review!

[Sailfish]

Ship: Diamond Princess

Sail Date: 17 February 2007

Part One

Introduction:

My husband and I booked a Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Diamond Princess close to a year before our sail date. Pricing was a big factor, as we had several ships sailing from Southern California to choose from as was the fact we wanted to sail with Princess again. Suffice it to say, we made a great choice.

We are both experienced cruisers, having sailed with Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival and Celebrity many times. This was our sixth cruise with Princess and it won’t be our last. I had a lot of questions about the Diamond Princess and some concerns about our stateroom that I could never find answers to on the web. So one reason for this review is to provide much needed input to those who, like me, were looking for answers as well as to say thanks to all those kind individuals who took the time to reply to my postings!

Getting to the Port of Los Angeles & Parking:

We made the decision to drive down to Southern California early in the morning the day of the cruise. We have done this sort of thing before, and although we prefer to fly or drive down the day before any cruise, we didn’t have that option this time around thanks to our work schedules and a Saturday cruise sailing. We did, however, make it up and over the Grapevine on Hwy 5 in no time at all; we left around 3:30am and got to the pier around 10:30am – no traffic at all!

Parking at the pier was $12 per day - $84 for the week. If you intend to park your car at the port, I recommend you get there before 11am, as the good parking spots fill up fast! We found a spot a few yards from the terminal – it made for a quick and painless exit. You get a parking ticket when you go into the lot, and pay with cash or credit card as you exit. We were off the ship by 10:30am, so we didn’t encounter any problems departing the port, but we did encounter a lot of traffic on the 110 and 405 Freeways.

Embarkation:

After parking the car, we dropped off our luggage and tipped the very helpful porter. Unlike porters in other ports, the porters in LA were less aggressive; after tipping the recommended $1 per bag (I read this somewhere) we went upstairs to the terminal building and checked in. There was virtually no line, so we checked in and waited about 90 minutes to board the ship. The ship commenced boarding at 12:30pm.

Once on the ship, we made a quick stop by our stateroom and proceeded to the buffet for lunch.

Stateroom Accommodations:

We purchased the least expensive inside guarantee at the time we booked the cruise and learned about 8 months later that we had been assigned an obstructed view cabin C106 – port side forward – way, way forward. At the time, I had the option of requesting another category FF cabin (obstructed view outside) but was discouraged from doing so as this room was considered to be “special”.

After several telephone conversations with my travel agent and Princess Cruise Lines, I came to the conclusion no one had any idea what was up with this room – except that it was special! I was told that it was originally a balcony stateroom, and I was lead to believe that there was a sliding glass door and limited balcony access. I posted questions at cruise message boards and tried my best to research this on the web, but to no avail. So here is the much needed information about this stateroom specific to the Diamond Princess.

First off, the stateroom does have a balcony – sort of, but no door – only a window. There is a huge pole that takes up half the balcony, and although one can find this info on the web, there is no door to the outside on the Diamond Princess as some will lead you to believe. Having an outside room was a phenomenal upgrade, but the agents at Princess are very much misinformed, as each told me and my travel agent that this room had a balcony door and limited outside access. Meaning, the door would only be open on days in port.

Well, there wasn’t any sliding glass door – only a nice large window. But take away the fact that there was no balcony - you are left with a nice cabin in a really crummy location! Although the seas were relatively calm all week, heading north from Cabo was decidedly rough, and every wave was felt up at the bow of the ship! Long, long walks down the hall to get to dining venues and to the many public areas mid-ship. It was easy to get to the Princess Theater and to the spa, as both were in the front of the ship, but we really didn’t frequent either.

The stateroom was understated with new, comfortable bedding. The pillows were old and flat, and the replacements we got weren’t much better, but the pillow-top mattress was new and comfortable. There was a good sized closet and storage area near the bathroom and the bedroom had only a large desk with a few drawers and one chair – no couch. Surprisingly, there was enough space for all our stuff, and to be honest, we brought a lot of stuff!

Our stateroom attendant did a great job – above and beyond our expectations. The cabin itself was comfortable and nice, but in such a crummy location, I would never recommend anyone get this particular stateroom. With that said, we didn’t spend much time in there – there was no reason to this time. We have had rooms in many different categories; I still prefer those with balconies. But we didn’t spend much on this room, and we got exactly what we paid for!

[Sailfish]

Ship: Diamond Princess

Sail Date: 17 February 2007

Part Two

Public Areas of the Ship

The Diamond Princess is a beautiful ship, very similar to the Star Princess we had cruised a few years earlier. Although a few areas of the ship are showing some wear and tear (including our stateroom) for the most part, the ship was in good repair, clean and tidy and very comfortable. Even the much used public spaces were in good shape. I really liked the attention to detail they put into designing the alternative dining rooms and lounges. The traditional dining room was uninspired and not nearly as nice as the others. But those dining there all seemed to enjoy the space. The ship had many cozy areas where one could get away from the crowds and relax. The pool areas were clean and well maintained, though the lounge chair hogs were out in force all week (so what else is new).

Dining

We selected anytime dining, and for us, it worked out very well. But others we encountered were not as happy. We made a point of consulting with the person in charge in one of the anytime dining rooms for recommendations as to how to go about insuring we don’t have to wait. The gentleman we spoke with recommended we make a reservation at the same table – either for “early” (6-6:30) or “late” (8-8:30) dining. I found this to be a little strange, as this defeats the anytime dining concept, but quickly learned the consequences of not doing so while observing many unhappy people with wait times in excess of 30 minutes!

Here is the way dining worked for us. We booked up the same table for late seating on nights we ate in the dining room. As soon as the early seating people were done, we could go. Some evenings the first group was done around 7:30 – some nights it was closer to 8pm. Since we usually went somewhere to enjoy pre-dinner cocktails, we made it a point to see how things were progressing at dinner. When we were ready, we simply walked past the throngs of people waiting in line and sat down. We ate most nights in the Savoy at the same table (a table for two along the back wall next to other tables for two). We were the only ones with a regular table reservation. All the other folks around us made reservations also, but since there were different people at the tables, they obviously didn’t request the same table every night.

Most evenings we were seated around 7:45. The menu was varied and the food delivered hot. Our servers were awesome, and we enjoyed chatting with different people every night, who sat by our table (also at tables for two). The food wasn’t 5 star cuisine by any stretch, but it was very good. We went to Sabatini’s one night, and although we enjoyed ourselves, the food wasn’t all that special to us. We are not huge fans of Italian food, so that might account for our opinion. Suffice it to say, it was a lovely evening, and we were both glad to go, but probably won’t do so when we cruise with Princess again. The Horizon Court Buffet was fine – we had a few breakfasts there on days we were in port, but didn’t much care for the selections at lunch. When ever possible, we ate in the formal dining room.

We enjoyed tea a couple of times in the formal dining room – the scones were fresh out of the oven and quite yummy. The little finger sandwiches were so-so, therefore, if you are used to go to tea, this may not do it for you. But it was a nice change of pace for us – after all, you go on vacation to do things you wouldn’t normally do at home, right?

Entertainment

We both thought the entertainment was somewhat lacking. The production shows were fine, but some of the “featured” artists were not the most talented. As with most things like this, this is all subjective – I heard nothing but good things about the entertainment while on the ship, so others didn’t share my opinion!

With that said, most evenings on the ship were spent at dinner, a little time in the casino, then to the show. Afterwards, it was back to the stateroom. We never got around to playing miniature golf (it was closed by 6pm) and never went up to the gym.

Ports of Call

We booked a whale watching tour independently in the morning and did a little shopping in the afternoon while in Puerto Vallarta. We took a water taxi to Stone Island on our own and spent much of the day on the beach in Mazatlan. In Cabo, we took a water taxi to Lovers Beach; we were very thankful we went early as we were the only ones on the beach for a while.

Lotus Spa

I booked two spa treatments and had my hair cut while on the ship – an early birthday present! Both my spa treatments (a massage (about $100 plus tip and something called “spa heaven” – a port day special for $79 plus tip that included a facial) were done professionally and I left very satisfied. I got no hard-sell (though I know the things to say without threats at the beginning to keep the end of treatment sales pitch to a minimum).

My hair cut ($57 plus tip), although looked nice coming out of the salon, was not done very well. I actually got a trim – requesting the same style as I had. The lady who did my hair, cut too much off and did so unevenly. It will grow back, and people around me are unable to notice the unevenness. But I did so immediately. I didn’t say anything, because it’s not all that noticeable. And like I said, it will grown back!

There has been a lot said about the Lotus Spa products you get in your stateroom – the soap, lotion shampoo and conditioner. Although I found these items to be okay, they are NOT used anywhere in the spa or hair salon. And the quality of the shampoo and conditioner are not salon quality. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good; in fact, a lot of people love the stuff, which has a cool eucalyptus smell to it. If you use salon quality products on your hair like Biolage, Paul Mitchell or Abba to name a few, you will be disappointed in the shampoo and conditioner. On the other hand, the shampoo makes for a great body wash, and the body lotion isn’t too bad. The soap is well, soap!

[Sailfish]

Ship: Diamond Princess

Sail Date: 17 February 2007

 

Part Three

Platinum Benefits

This was our first cruise with Princess as Platinum past guests. At embarkation, we waited in a special lounge – the same one Royal Caribbean uses for it’s high end past guests. They had cookies, juice and coffee as well as chocolate covered strawberries; a very nice touch! As Diamond members of Royal Caribbean, we have been here before – didn’t realize that Princess did the same thing!

There was a nice past guest party and of course unlimited internet access, which will disappear in April 2007. The debarkation lounge was also a nice quiet place to wait for our turn to debark.

Debarkation

As we drove from Northern California, we were very anxious to get an early start. Even requesting that we be among the first to get off the ship, we didn’t get off until 10:30am. Debarking went slowly, but on schedule from what I understand. They were very strict and requested that you show them your color stub – people trying to sneak through earlier were asked to go back!

Final Thoughts

We had a very enjoyable, stress free cruise. No vacation is perfect, but this came pretty close. We didn’t experience any serious issues, no problems with our shipboard credit or our final statement. We won the free-booze raffle (though we didn’t purchase very much). And found that not having things like lemonade or juice readily available free of charge during the day didn’t make or break the cruise.

We though that prices for alcohol were a little high – even in the liquor store – compared to cruises in the Caribbean. I thought the prices in the spa were more reasonable, especially those port day specials. I found the buffet to be so-so, but there are alternatives to eating there. The problems with anytime dining are REAL! If you don’t do something about it early in the cruise, I kid you not, you will wait!

Helpful Hints:

• Take a plastic container for juices – it’s nice to use as a mixer or for your kids. I was able to get tomato, cranberry and orange juice every morning in the buffet or in the formal dining room. It stores easily in your in-room fridge.
  
• If you have anytime dining, find a dining room and a table you like the first night and reserve it. You’ll be happy to not have to wait in long lines if you do!
  
• Feel free to pack some wine or alcohol in your checked luggage. You can get glasses from room service or any bar on the ship. Use juice for mixers. We were able to get all the fixings for Bloody Mary’s from the buffet – kept it in the refrigerator. Same goes for Cosmos!
  
• Save some $$ and plan your time ashore independent of the cruise line. The shore excursions offered by Princess are excellent, but the same can be had for less money if you do a little research.
  
• Wait for port day specials if you plan to utilize the spa. The spa on the Diamond as well as other ships are sub-contracted and there is pressure to sell products to guests. Lots of people complain about this and I’ll be the first to say, it’s a quick way to ruin your visit. My strategy has always been to leave blank certain parts of the two page questionnaire they have you fill out prior to the treatment; the parts dealing with skin care. When I am asked why, I tell them I already have my routine and products and do not require any other information. But I ask that they list the products used on my face and body on a piece of paper (this saves face and fulfills the person’s marketing requirement). I am very up front about not wanting to purchase any products and this seems to work just fine. I know of people who say they will not tip if they get a sales pitch. That’s a little to harsh for me. With that said, I really like Elemis and Steiner products, which can be purchased on line at eBay (from their distributor) and at timetospa.com for much less than what you would have to pay on the ship.
  
• Lastly, remember to have fun! You are on Vacation!!!

[Lynda90]

Thanks for taking the time to post a wonderful review. I found it very enjoyable to read as well as fair. I was on the same cruise in January and have to agree with everything you said. Also appreciate the cabin information. What you said about "anytime" dining is so true. We had a group of 4 and made reservations for the same time, same table, same dining room for the entire cruise. It was great--just walked right in and our table was always ready. :p

[Sailfish]

Thanks for taking the time to post a wonderful review. :p

 

You are very welcome! We had a nice cruise - it's nice to read that others did as well!

 

We also have a cruise planned aboard the Dawn Princess to Alaska this July 10th! I noticed you do too next year! Enjoy!

[LUCY55]

Thanks for the review--leave Saturday. I have never booked a guarantee because I want some choice in location. We too are fairly far forward in the 230's closer to the stairs. I have seen warnings of getting rooms at the bow of the ship--to much noise of the waves hitting the front of the ship and too much motion. That being said I liked the idea of being two floors down from the health club. Just run up a couple of flights of stairs for the health club and the long walk to the food also gives a little needed exercise. Obviously someone fills those front rooms!!! We tend to book late and have to take what is left!!!

[Sailfish]

Thanks for the review--leave Saturday. I have never booked a guarantee because I want some choice in location. We too are fairly far forward in the 230's closer to the stairs. I have seen warnings of getting rooms at the bow of the ship--to much noise of the waves hitting the front of the ship and too much motion. That being said I liked the idea of being two floors down from the health club. Just run up a couple of flights of stairs for the health club and the long walk to the food also gives a little needed exercise. Obviously someone fills those front rooms!!! We tend to book late and have to take what is left!!!

 

I have found that when booking a guarantee with Princess or any other cruise line, YOU actually do have some choice in the location of your stateroom given there are cabins in the same category still available. Most people simply assume once you get a stateroom assigned that's it. Not so. Once you get a room assignment, you can check the deck plans for other available rooms in that exact category and ask to be moved.

 

When I got my C106 room assignment, I contacted my TA and Princess - there were several other category FF cabins available more mid-ship, but I was discouraged from changing as it was assumed that my room had a balcony door with limited outside access. I had a choice, but made the decision to remain.

 

I for one always use the stairs, and have never felt walking was a problem. But our stateroom's location was very inconvenient - so far forward that it became a hassle.

 

As far as motion was concerned, the week we sailed, it was relatively calm - even the return north was more or less calm - as commented by the Captain. But up front, you really could feel even the slightest up and down motion - with loud booms every time the ship came down. Midship, you felt nothing! Honestly, I never thought location mattered so much until you end up in a crummy one!!

 

Have a great trip - March/April is the perfect time to visit Mexico! Watch out for those spring breakers!!

 

Suzi

[LUCY55]

There is a site that lists when all the colleges have springbreak. The middle two weeks of March have 2-2.5 million kids on break per week. The last week is considerably lower. I think 500-700 thousand. A couple of years ago in the Caribbean there was a poorly behaved group two weeks before us and our week was mostly families with younger kids and we didn't notice any issues. That being said I did notice that University of California does have springbreak the last week in March so we will see!!

[lhall85917]

Thanks for the great review and tips! We are looking forward to our April cruise. We booked an FF guarantee and our assignment isn't showing up yet - we'll see how it goes!!:eek:

[DrivesLikeMario]

As far as motion was concerned, the week we sailed, it was relatively calm - even the return north was more or less calm - as commented by the Captain. But up front, you really could feel even the slightest up and down motion - with loud booms every time the ship came down. Midship, you felt nothing! Honestly, I never thought location mattered so much until you end up in a crummy one!!

Suzi

 

I think that's more true for Princess ships than any other ships I've been on - location is everything!

 

Your comments on Anytime Dining only confirmed my fears. Thankfully, we booked early traditional dining. So glad we did. Thanks for the great review!

[DMorris]

Hi eveyone, out group is doing this same itinerary on the Golden in November. Hoping you can help answer a question...

 

The times they say we are in ports per the itinerary... are these the same as the island time? Meaning if we are in Puerto Vallarta at 8am... is that time the same on ship as it is in the island? We are getting conflicting information on whether the ships time is the same as island time for each port.

 

We are trying to book excursions and want to make sure we pick the right times. Thanks

[Sailfish]

Hi eveyone, out group is doing this same itinerary on the Golden in November. Hoping you can help answer a question...

 

The times they say we are in ports per the itinerary... are these the same as the island time? Meaning if we are in Puerto Vallarta at 8am... is that time the same on ship as it is in the island? We are getting conflicting information on whether the ships time is the same as island time for each port.

 

We are trying to book excursions and want to make sure we pick the right times. Thanks

 

Mazatlan is on the same time zone as the ship. Puerto Vallarta was NOT - they were one hour ahead. We booked a whale watching tour and I too was stressing over this prior to our cruise - the Diamond got into port very early, so it was not a problem. Since we had such a short visit to Cabo, we didn't have anything reserved, so the time difference didn't matter to us. I really don't recall if they were the same or one hour behind the ship.

 

With that said, if you are booking a tour on your own in PV, make sure you remeber the time difference, as we met some people who missed their boat tour on account of this. Luckily, they didn't have to pre-pay! That's one place I would NOT want to pre-pay for a tour - it's the first port of call (if you have any emergencies or delays, the ship could be late coming into port or skip it altogether).

 

It's important to remember, you are paying for a cruise, not the ports of call. Although ports are a big reason to cruise, the cruise contract is not married to the ports - in other words, they will substitute a day at sea or another port when there is a valid reason to (like an emergency or weather issues). It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

 

Good Luck!

 

Suzi