Diamond Princess Mexican Riviera 4-28-07 REVIEW

[icunjl]

Suzanne and I have just returned from Mexico on the Diamond Princess. Forgive my writing ability and lack of order of which I write! :) First of all, this was our very first cruise and have nothing to compare to other than what we experienced so hopefully it will be refreshing and not filled with moans and groans that many seem to do after comparing food and ships! :D Princess took care of us from the moment we arrived in Los Angeles and transported us to San Pedro. The embarking was smooth as can be expected for such a large boarding. DO NOT skimp with the self embarking! You will be standing on the docks as the Princess package participants will march to the front of the line VIP style! The ship was spectacular! Our aft cabin E-735 was everything and more than we expected. Our bags arrived before we did! Our room steward Leo was attentive and very polite. Showers a bit small but the heads were AWESOME with tons of pressure, great controls and all the hot water you could stand. :) Once on board, we headed for the buffet for lunch before the safety/life jacket class. The buffet always had wonderful food, the tastiest breads and fresh fruits galore. Our second seating dining experience was first class! But to be honest with you all, we found ourselves absent a number of times because we had so many things we wanted to see and do on the ship. So we utilized the buffet with a spectacular window view. The service on this ship was no less than a A+. The drinks were always of the highest quality and portions. Our favorite meal ending drink was a cappuchino. Our favorite "happy" drink was a Bahama Mama. :p The shows were incredible! We felt we were in Vegas! Piano Man is a must see! We laughed until our sides split with the comedian Tim Walkoe. There were live bands and entertainment nearly 24 hrs a day! Do not miss Bingo and the wooden horse racing for a good time. The shops were adequate, the jewelery, watches, gold by the inch tables were always busy with good buys. The ship was easy to learn. By the 2nd day, we were running all over the place easily. The pizza was fairly tasty, the burgers/fries quite yummy and the wieners/brats always hit the spot with a cold beer. We went to Sterlings and I will say the $30 charge for dinner was a no brainer! DO IT ! Suzanne ordered a 10oz fillet mignon and I had the 22oz Porterhouse with all the fixins'. The raspberry creme brulle was sooo good! The casino was HOT! I won apx. $750 on various machines. They also do a slot tournament of which I nearly won $500. Now the best thing when getting ready to pack for the last day...QUICK CHECK BAGGAGE. This is the slickest thing $15 ever was spent on the cruise. DO IT! Your bags and your flight tickets home are 100% taken cared of. You dis-embark, head to the airport and straight to the terminal to your plane. No bag checkers chastising you of your heavy bags. In closing...The Diamond was spectacular. The overall service, near perfect. The fun factor, a 10! Still talking up the trip to friends. I miss the vacation and experience so much and can't wait to board Princess again! Dan

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[CruisJack]

Ahoy Dan :-)

Thanks for your excellent review of your cruise

to Mexico on the Diamond Princess. It was so

enjoyable to read a report with so many positives!

We sailed on the Diamond down the Mexican Riviera a few years ago and had a similar

experience. We've never had a bad cruise.

Anticipating your next cruise is the next best

thing to actually cruising! :o

Thanks again for your great review!

[Lynda90]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Princess cruising. I think we have a new member of the cheerleading squad. Thanks for the wonderful review. So good to hear so many positive things.

 

I don't think I am familiar the $15 ticket/baggage check. Could op or someone else elaborate?

[kymburley]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Princess cruising. I think we have a new member of the cheerleading squad. Thanks for the wonderful review. So good to hear so many positive things.

 

I don't think I am familiar the $15 ticket/baggage check. Could op or someone else elaborate?

 

You pay $15 per passenger and Princess checks you in, prints your boarding passes (you receive them the last full day of cruise), and checks your luggage to your final destination. I did this a week ago and it just so happens that I arrived LAX at 10am to 2 lines at Alaska Airlines that were exceedingly long. One was actually outside and into the street. Would have taken an hour or two to get through that.

 

It's not setup on every airline. It was on Delta, Alaska, and I'm not sure what the others where - probably American, United, but I'm not positive on that.

 

All you have to do is go through the security checkpoint and off to your gate. NICE!!!

[kymburley]

The fun factor, a 10! Still talking up the trip to friends. I miss the vacation and experience so much and can't wait to board Princess again! Dan

 

Me too! My daughter and I were on that cruise. It ROCKED!!! Especially Friday :D .

 

Oh my gosh! Had the best time ever, so had to go and book on the Caribbean Princess in September!!! Can't wait!

[MercedMike]

Great report, Dan.

 

I think I see a future Elite cruiser in the making! You will love the black card!

 

;)