Diamond Princess Disappointment

[Colo Cruiser]

The only thing that I remember vividly is the lounge where we danced to live music prior to dinner. The first time we sailed her, they had bright red patent leather :eek: material covering the barstools in that room. And last summer, the same lounge had been re-decorated in a very classy and subdued fashion. What a wonderful improvement. DH looked at me like I was from another planet when I remarked on the change. After all the years, and all the ships, he was amazed that I remembered that. I guess it is strange. Do you happen to remember those barstools???:)

 

 

Yes I do, and didn't they have the Bengal bar too with the tiger outside? :)

[miss honey]

We sailed the Diamond to Alaska in 2006, we did notice some unfriendliness in the dining room. Finally by the end of the week our waiter warmed up to us. It wasn't my favorite ship nor our worst. Colo Cruiser, when you are sadly walking off the Ruby, we will be boarding.. Give em lots of practice, so everything is sailing smoothly for our 11/15/08 cruise on the Ruby. Carolyn

[ginagirl]

Yes I do, and didn't they have the Bengal bar too with the tiger outside? :)

I can't wait to show DH your response!!!! He will not believe there is someone else who notices and remembers like I do.:rolleyes: As for the Bengal Bar and tiger, ColoCruiser, I have to admit you have definitely struck a chord. I am definitely having a familiar recollection of such a name and animal, but it eludes me as to where and when. I guess I was just too dazzled by those red patent leather stools.:D

[ReadyToCruise2]

Yes, it is funny how different things can be.

 

We were on the Diamond on the northbound May 24th sailing. We did the anytime dining (we love the flexibility), never had a wait for a table for 2 (we tend to eat early, but ate late on the College Fjord night - it doesn't finish until ~8:30pm on the northbound - and still didn't have a wait), thought the food was great (had one of the best pieces of Prime Rib I've had in a long time on the first night) and the waiters were always pleasant. Cabin stewart introduced himself right away and always asked if everthing was ok everytime we saw him.

 

The only thing I ever notice about the carpet on a ship is the color strip difference in the carpet on the port side vs the starboard side on the cabin decks, it was red vs. blue on the Caribe deck (I'm alway turned around, it instantaneously gets you pointed in the right direction when you come up the stairs or get off the elevators!) - ok folks, how many others have figured that one out, it sure isn't written down anywhere!

 

We've also been on the Island Princess, CB and Grand and we actually like the bigger Grand class ships a little more. We thought the Diamond was in great shape.

 

So . . . we had a great time on the Diamond and would go on her again without hesitation.

[Miss Jolly]

We are a family of 4 with two teens. We are tossing up between long itineraries on Dawn, Sun and Diamond Princess. Previously I had been advised on these boards that Diamond Princess would be most suitable for my family "hands down" but now after reading this thread I am a little unsure. We have cruised as a family previously on Coral Princess and HAL Rotterdam. What do you all think?

[karatemom2]

We are a family of 4 with two teens. We are tossing up between long itineraries on Dawn, Sun and Diamond Princess. Previously I had been advised on these boards that Diamond Princess would be most suitable for my family "hands down" but now after reading this thread I am a little unsure. We have cruised as a family previously on Coral Princess and HAL Rotterdam. What do you all think?

 

I wouldn't let some of the comments here discourage you from the Diamond. We are also a family of four with an 8 year old and a teen and the Diamond is my favorite of the three Princess ships we have been on so far. It is a beautiful ship and the fact that is a bit larger and has a bit more in the way of amenities kids will enjoy is a big plus for a family. The Diamond has the grill and pizzeria by the outdoor pool and a second indoor (retractable roof) pool wheras on the Dawn the pizza is served inside in a more formal restaurant setting and there is only one outdoor pool. The Diamond has a larger teen center and arcade as well. Another big plus for families is that the staterooms on the Diamond are considerably larger than the Dawn. We really liked the Dawn and would happily cruise on her again, but honestly the Diamond does have a bit more to offer for families.

[rowsey]

My wife and I were also on the 5/31 southbound Diamond. We had a PS suite B753 and our experience could not have been much better. From the cabin steward to the dining room waiters..... all were exceptional. I really don't care about the carpet....don't remember ever looking at it. We had anytime dining and found a great waiter / assistant waiter combination in the Pacific Moon dining room and stayed with them most of the cruise. We found that all of the crew that we encountered were friendly. We didn't care too much for the cruise director (Australian)... I don't think we were tuned in to his wit....found him irritating....BUT, he had little impact on us so no big deal. I was very impressed with the entertainment. The naturalist and wildlife officers onboard added great insight while we were in College and Glacier Bays.

 

We liked the ship, it is BIG but doesn't really feel it (except on those occasions that we had to go from our room on the stern to the front of the ship.....quite a hike. We quickly learned though that deck 11 (baja) is open from bow to stern so you can walk to the elevator closest to your destination and you are there pretty easily.

 

Sorry for those that had a different experience but this cruise and this ship get excellent ratings from us..... this was out 12th cruise, 3 with Princess, 4 with RCL, 3 with NCL, and 2 with Celebrity.

[Buddy604]

We are a family of 4 with two teens. We are tossing up between long itineraries on Dawn, Sun and Diamond Princess. Previously I had been advised on these boards that Diamond Princess would be most suitable for my family "hands down" but now after reading this thread I am a little unsure. We have cruised as a family previously on Coral Princess and HAL Rotterdam. What do you all think?

I would still say Diamond is hands down the favorite. The Dawn and Sun are much smaller and have far fewer facilities in my opinion.

[peggy1]

Unless you have been on the Diamond lately, I would definitely choose another ship. They have some major supervision problems or the staff would not behave in such a poor manner. I have read comments that infer that maybe passenger's were rude or that the crowd going southbound were noisy and more boisterous (not exact wording). We didn't notice anything of the sort. We did notice rudeness, uncaring staff, and food that was nothing special. When we were on the Constellation in April, the Head Waiter visited every night and was the most professional that I ever encountered. He made sure everything was superb and there was no room for unprofessionalism. I thought perhaps it was because we were seated by the Captain's table, but we noticed a similar routine by the other Head Waiter's too. Do not look to place blame on the passenger's, believe me when I tell you that unless they have a major overhaul in staff attitude you will see the same thing that is happening to NCL. People talk and word spreads quickly that the line is going downhill, at least on the ship, it is. There were many other instances I could relate but I once you say the service is poor what more do you need to hear? Also, the showroom is much too small for the amount of people who attend nightly. Every night there were people standing because there is not enough seating. I found the entertainment to be mediocre at best. There was a dancer who appeared to be quite pregnant and I worried for her as we were wobbling a bit at night. I have to say that this was a first, but I have to believe she would have to be leaving soon, if for no other reason that her costumes were fitting her well. Celebrity entertainment is great, especially in comparison. I would think long and hard before going on the ship. If you do decide to go, hopefully you will notice improvements and not have ANY of the poor customer situations we found. I have written to Princess about these matters and others and hopefully they will find away to address these issues and maintain their good name. Cruising can be subjective, and I only offer our experiences but we were by no means the only people to have these sentiments.

[Putterdude]

It is always a shame when a ship or a cruise does not live up to ones expectations. In your mind I am sure that the issues that you have brought to CC's are very real. However it remains a fact that the Diamond is one of Princess's newest and largest assets and they nor the ship or its crew are in the buisness of disapointing customers. It would seem that the vast majority of the CC's have not had the experiences that you have had aboard Diamond and would be quite happy to sail aboard her again.

[2 to cruise]

Loved the Diamond, were on her for 15 days, lovely ship in beautiful shape. You will have a wonderful time!

[Colo Cruiser]

GET OUT!!!!!!! :D What a hoot!!!!!!

 

 

I felt like Jerry Seinfeld for a minute being pushed down by Elaine!! :D

[Buddy604]

Unless you have been on the Diamond lately, I would definitely choose another ship. They have some major supervision problems or the staff would not behave in such a poor manner. I have read comments that infer that maybe passenger's were rude or that the crowd going southbound were noisy and more boisterous (not exact wording). We didn't notice anything of the sort. We did notice rudeness, uncaring staff, and food that was nothing special. When we were on the Constellation in April, the Head Waiter visited every night and was the most professional that I ever encountered. He made sure everything was superb and there was no room for unprofessionalism. I thought perhaps it was because we were seated by the Captain's table, but we noticed a similar routine by the other Head Waiter's too. Do not look to place blame on the passenger's, believe me when I tell you that unless they have a major overhaul in staff attitude you will see the same thing that is happening to NCL. People talk and word spreads quickly that the line is going downhill, at least on the ship, it is. There were many other instances I could relate but I once you say the service is poor what more do you need to hear? Also, the showroom is much too small for the amount of people who attend nightly. Every night there were people standing because there is not enough seating. I found the entertainment to be mediocre at best. There was a dancer who appeared to be quite pregnant and I worried for her as we were wobbling a bit at night. I have to say that this was a first, but I have to believe she would have to be leaving soon, if for no other reason that her costumes were fitting her well. Celebrity entertainment is great, especially in comparison. I would think long and hard before going on the ship. If you do decide to go, hopefully you will notice improvements and not have ANY of the poor customer situations we found. I have written to Princess about these matters and others and hopefully they will find away to address these issues and maintain their good name. Cruising can be subjective, and I only offer our experiences but we were by no means the only people to have these sentiments.

I'm sorry you didn't have a stellar time - I was on the exact same cruise as you and my experience was quite the opposite. I guess big ship, many people, all experiencing their own perceptions.

 

By the way, I'm not a Princess cheerleader. Much as I appreciate the line, I recently discovered how much I love Holland America Line. :D

[CruisinMommas]

WE took our first Princess cruise the past April to HI. We were very pleased with our experience.We would sail on the Princess again, however she will be sailing to Sydney after Alaska. That is a little to far for me. So we will choose another Princess ship after we sail our other booked cruises.

We had a red alert on our Princess cruise and the staff could not have been more pleasant seeing as they had to work extra shifts in HC.

It was said that many of the staff was leaving in May for vacation so that may have been the case.

[ginagirl]

I felt like Jerry Seinfeld for a minute being pushed down by Elaine!! :D

Since I am a New York gal, would you expect any less???:D

[ginagirl]

I definitely think there must be "alternate realities." I LOVED everything about the Diamond 2 week cruise this past February. And then hated the food, service, activities staff, and the beds (hard as boards) on the 19 day Island cruise this April. :cool:

[FritzG]

Again, I love Princess, and I've already got a TA booked on Ruby for next April. However, I did notice things that had declined since January. I don't think that's bashing Princess or being negative. If the line is to maintain its reputation, it needs to be on top of these things. Maybe if I hadn't sailed twice within 6 months on the same ship I wouldn't have noticed the differences from sailing to sailing. I still say a day on Princess even with minor problems is better than a day anywhere else!

[Daniel1313]

We were on the Diamond in March to Hawaii. We were on the ship for 15 days and not one time did we encounter anyone that worked on the ship that was rude in any way. It by far was the best cruise we have ever been on.....

[fathercop]

PEGGY1 - I am sad to hear you had a horrendous experience on the Diamond. Yes, every cruise line and every ship is different. Sometimes one experience can prejuidicially color all of our other experiences. I hope you give Princess another try - IF you are so inclined. If not, well, the wonderful thing about cruising is that there are so many cruise lines to travel with and you know you can choose others that have their own personal appeal for you, as well as meet your expectations.

 

Good luck to you and enjoy your cruise.

[peggy1]

Thanks. You are so right about cruise lines. I had stated that we found the Tahitian Princess to be great. I just think that if the cruise line hears similar reports that it is up to them to look into these ongoing issues. We certainly didn't let the misgivings of this ship ruin our vacation, but the vacation wasn't enhanced by them either. We will just think twice about Princess again. We know it is a crap shoot sometimes and maybe we got a transitional crew. I understand that the Diamond had a problem several weeks before with a propeller in Victoria?? However, rudness and abruptness can never be explained away. We are confirmed cruisers and I'm sure we will be back on the seas in a few months. Happy Sailing!

[AlaskaBound0507]

We just returned from the Alaska southbound on the Diamond on May 24th. We loved it! We found all the employees (for the most part) to be friendly & courteous. Some of them did seem surprised however when we thanked them for routine things like clearing the dishes from our table or bringing us juice in the morning. Common courtesy goes a long way. I know I wouldn't want any of their jobs! We have usually found wherever we go that if you treat people the way that you would expect to be treated - it usually works out great for everyone involved. We are not experienced cruisers as some are on these boards, but I just wanted to say that we had a great time & had no complaints about anything during our cruise.

[ReadyToCruise2]

The virtually opposite experiences reflected in this thread do make you realize that a relatively small number of employees on these ships can have either a positive or negative effect on those they server (certainly something for the cruise lines to be focused on).

 

I posted earlier with my positive experience. But then, this situation is a little like having gone many times to a restraunt that you like and then one night you get a really poor waiter (or poor or cold food, etc) and it can sour you a little on that place (you might not return for awhile, if ever).

 

It shows how fragile a service industry can be. Obviously the major cruise lines do a great job in the big picture (that's why most of us have chosen this mode of vacationing over and over, having just finished our 10th cruise). But, thanks Peggy for sharing your problems - hopefully Princess takes note; sometimes small adjustments can make a big difference and continue to make future cruises better for everyone.

 

There's probably a lesson buried in here for how we should look at our relationship with our own customers!

[marie24]

Just a couple questions: You did fill out the end-of-cruise-questionnaire, right? And what is DirectUSA? I haven't heard of it before you mentioned it. I hope all your future cruises are good ones!

 

Marie

[spingal]

I have a different perspective. Was on the Diamond in April to Hawaii and had a GREAT cruise!! Love the ship, service, captain, CD, passenger services desk -- I am so sorry to hear that your experience was different.

[Buddy604]

We just returned from the Alaska southbound on the Diamond on May 24th. We loved it! We found all the employees (for the most part) to be friendly & courteous. Some of them did seem surprised however when we thanked them for routine things like clearing the dishes from our table or bringing us juice in the morning. Common courtesy goes a long way. I know I wouldn't want any of their jobs! We have usually found wherever we go that if you treat people the way that you would expect to be treated - it usually works out great for everyone involved. We are not experienced cruisers as some are on these boards, but I just wanted to say that we had a great time & had no complaints about anything during our cruise.

We did the back to back, northbound on the 24th and southbound on the 31st and during the secong leg people on the crew kept recognizing us and welcoming us back. We asked how the heck they remembered us out of all these people and they told us that so many of the cruisers are rude and abrupt, that they always remember the nice folks who are pleasant and say "Thank You."