Diamond review 7/31-8/7

[catsix]

We went to Alaska on the Diamond on the above dates and we stayed in Seattle for one night before, one after.

 

Alaskan scenery was beautiful, went on two excursions: Mendenhall Wildlife Quest (about 5 hrs.) and Yukon/White Pass Railroad (8 hrs.). Love Seattle, what a great city, went to Mt. Ranier and had lunch at the Space Needle.

 

As for the Diamond, we had a minisuite with a balcony on Dolphin deck. We had lots of room and I really liked the uncovered balcony. By the way, if you're in a minisuite, you don't need a strip plug for the outlets, there were more than enough to charge phones, curling iron, whatever. The ship is beautiful, though, but there were some glitches. The P.A. system didn't work for a portion of the cruise and the toilet stopped working for about 6 hours one afternoon. Contrary to what I've read on this board, they DO NOT serve full breakfasts from room service. Only continental but they will bring it as early as 5:30 a.m. There were hand sanitizer dispensers outside the dining room and the buffet.

 

The spa was overpriced but nice. There is a 24 hour cancellation policy and if you cancel short of that they will charge you half the fee. I booked everything I wanted on the first day for the week but in retrospect, I would have waited as times were available on short notice.

 

Most folks dressed up for formal night but some showed up in jeans and a polo shirt and they let them in, no problem.

 

I bought a ton of pictures and they were really very good.

 

Food was good, not great. We went to Sabatinis for brunch and paid $20 pp and I very much enjoyed that.

 

All in all a nice vacation. Don't know as I'd go on a cruise again, don't know if it's exactly my style.

 

Things I didn't like:

I felt like I was living inside an informercial. Everywhere I went on the ship, someone was trying to sell you something, from the spa, to the gym, to the dining rooms.

 

The ports were okay, but my goodness, who buys all that jewelry?

 

It might be just me but does anyone come home relaxed? I felt so rushed all the time but I can't figure out why. We usually vacation in Las Vegas 2X a year but decided to try this as something different.

 

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions.

[lynn1]

Thanks, catsix, for the review. Sounds like you had a nice vacation. It's true, though, that you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation after taking a cruise, if you do the shore excursions.

 

We will be sailing on the Diamond on 9/4. We will also be doing the Yukon/White Pass Railroad 8 hr. trip. Do you recall which side of the bus you should sit on for the best view and which side of the train to sit on for the best view? Of course, this would be facing forward.

 

Thanks!

 

Lynn

[edYYZ]

We will be sailing on the Diamond on 9/4. We will also be doing the Yukon/White Pass Railroad 8 hr. trip. Do you recall which side of the bus you should sit on for the best view and which side of the train to sit on for the best view? Of course, this would be facing forward.

If you're going to the Yukon by bus first, then back to downtown Skagway by train second, then you'll get better views on the right side of both the bus and train. The scenery is to the right in both cases (since the train track and road are on the edge of a mountain/hill thing).

[lynn1]

Thanks for the reply, Necrosis. I've been reading lots of posts about this trip but none spelled out which side to sit on.

 

Just hoping we don't run into a lot of fog! :rolleyes:

 

Lynn

[dromMOM]

the cruise was wonderfull. mostly people our age with their parents. the parents were older but there were tons of kids on the cruise. the weather was definitely colder. i wore my sweatshirt all the time and then my windbreaker over it when i left the ship. my kids walked around with their hooded sweatshirt all the time. my son walked around in shorts and beach shoes the whole time he didnt care. it is not fun to go to the pizza and burger place thru the outside when it is cold out. when the ship is going fast it is windy and cold out there and sometimes drizzling. but the indoor pool is nice regardless of the cold and the buffet is inside also. no one sat at the pool much. the indoor one was always full of kids but people would be laying there with their books in full clothes.

 

we were busy. in juneau we went on a whale watching adventure and it was a blast. we saw tons of whales and they jumped out of the water and we saw the entire bodies. excellent excursion. we had to bundle up for this one becuz it was cold and windy on the boat ride. we wore long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, and windbreakers for this one. in skagway we went on a bus tour following the way the gold miners went and heard their stories AND then we went in to the yukon. it was a beautiful trip but it was cold and raining the entire time. we were wearing enough clothes but it was wet. in ketchikan i had planned a float plane ride but we had to cancel becuz our ride was from 11 - 1130 and the ship said we had to be back onboard at 1145am and i thought that was cutting it too close and we would miss the boat. but as it turns out we would have been able to do it as people were still walking onboard until 1230pm. live and learn. oh well. i saved money that way. we just walked around the cute town. it was fun. and warmer. we saw salmon jumping right out of the water. just needed a windbreaker there. in victoria i canceled our shore excursion to the beautiful gardens as the excursion was from 700pm to 1130pm and i didnt see how i could do the excursion and pack all the suitcases. so instead larry and i got off the ship and walked into town. it started to rain as we walked and we got wet. only wearing sweatshirts and windbreakers but it stopped in about 20 minutes when we arrived in town. it was a beautiful town and fun to see. then we took a cab back to the ship. when we arrived in seattle at the end of the cruise it was pouring rain, coming down in buckets. but by the time we were done with breakfast and getting off the ship it had stopped. we were stuck sitting at the airport for hours. we got off the ship at 745am and our plane didnt leave until noon.

 

we had an excellent time. the only bad part is that it isnt as fun to be on a cruise in the cold. no laying in the sun. but the scenery was fantastic. we woke up one morning to see icebergs floating by in the water. we had to put on our earmuffs and gloves to watch the scenery from our balcony. the tracy arm glacier was a sight to see. it was just amazing. and we saw salmon fish jumping out of the water and whales right outside our balcony window. and seals. and porpoises. it was so exciting and beautiful and my kids loved it all too. a balcony is definitely a must for this trip.

 

our ship was brand new and beautiful. couldnt have asked for a better ship. this cruise was a 10 out of 10.

[srphnx]

It might be just me but does anyone come home relaxed?

 

Yes, it might be just you, we never felt rushed but then again don't schedule a bunch of excursion or "must do's" our last Diamond cruise we took two naps a day and came back with the tension of a cat sleeping on a sunny windowsill.

[merela]

the cruise was wonderfull. mostly people our age with their parents. the parents were older but there were tons of kids on the cruise. the weather was definitely colder. i wore my sweatshirt all the time and then my windbreaker over it when i left the ship. my kids walked around with their hooded sweatshirt all the time. my son walked around in shorts and beach shoes the whole time he didnt care. it is not fun to go to the pizza and burger place thru the outside when it is cold out. when the ship is going fast it is windy and cold out there and sometimes drizzling. but the indoor pool is nice regardless of the cold and the buffet is inside also. no one sat at the pool much. the indoor one was always full of kids but people would be laying there with their books in full clothes.

 

 

Just wondering whether your kids enjoyed the kids' club on board?

 

 

Jennifer

[cnmiranda]

Thanks for your comments catsix. The sales pitches are past of cruising, that's how the cruiselines make the extra $$. It is pretty easy to aviod if you don't like it, but you'll be amazed by how many travelers go those shopping talks.

 

I'm jealous you got to see so many whales DromMom:p Will definitely try cruising next summer to maximize our chances to view the wildlife:) I sailed the same voyage as Necrosis and our weather was very mild.

 

Thanks again for your reviews..... want to go back!

[edYYZ]

Yes, it might be just you, we never felt rushed

I agree. We went out to each port and had long excursions, but it was part of the experience. I guess I don't mind running around for sightseeing, but I was very relaxed the entire time and never felt rushed. The only thing that was quite brutal was the early mornings. Morning after morning of waking up bright and early for ports and such.. gah! Can you tell I'm a student yet? :D

 

Good to hear you saw so much wildlife. Like cnmiranda, I'd love to go back to Alaska as well. And probably later in the summer to try to see some whales.

[catsix]

I think we didn't want to miss seeing Alaska and scheduled long excursions. The whale watching was great but it went on and on and after a while, I just wanted to get back to the ship. The bus and train combination was also wonderful but it lasted 8 hours. I would have liked more time on the ship. We live in S. FL so I have no desire to go to the Carribean but my brother has been on cruises before and said that the Carribean was more relaxing, maybe because you make time for sitting in the sun.

We were thinking about the Panama Canal or the Mediteranean maybe next year. Anyone been and have recommendations?

[WillB]

It might be just me but does anyone come home relaxed? I felt so rushed all the time but I can't figure out why. We usually vacation in Las Vegas 2X a year but decided to try this as something different.

 

Your cruise is what you make it. If you came home tired, you probably packed more into your vacation than some people do. I usually come home very relaxed, but I learned to avoid long shore excursions and packing every waking minute with some activity. I also work in an afternoon nap every day if possible.

[dromMOM]

The Teens with us were pretty bored.. not too many kids.. no video arcade.. they were pretty unhappy.. don't know anything about the younger ones..