Diamond Princess

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ncara

Guest
What is the closest hotel to where the Diamond leaves from in Long Beach? We are planning on going a day or two ahead of time but would like to be close to the ship departure. Are the balcony cabins on the caribe deck larger than the mini suites on the dolphin deck? I don't mind if it is totally open. Also, what time do the late shows start? I like to eat dinner later but don't want to miss all the nightly activities. Also, what are some of the nicer beaches to go to at each port? I like to do that instead of an organized excursion.Thanks, Nancy
 
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GayleErmer

Guest
Nancy,

I believe the Queen Mary Hotel is within walking distance of the Long Beach pier (http://www.queenmary.com/). I haven't stayed there myself, but have seen it mentioned by others on the boards. The Caribe deck balconies are large (I think as large as those with the minisuites) and are half covered, half open. From what I remember of our March 20 cruise, the shows were mostly scheduled at 8:15/8:30 and 10:15/10:30, although there were often comedians in the lounges at 9:30 as well. In Cabo San Lucas we went to Playa Medano - the beach stetched for quite aways around the bay, lined with bars/restaurants and resort hotels. The sand was beautiful, some places were busy, and others were almost empty - also beautiful views of the cruise ships in the harbor. In Puerto Vallarta we did the Las Caletas excursion - nice small, out-of-the-way private beach. In Mazatlan we did a horseback riding excursion to Stone Island. The beach there was long, with several small restaurants/bars - very uncrowded, great water/waves. Hope this helps!

Gayle
 
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Sharkin

Guest
We left from San Pedro (LA Harbor) on the Diamond in April. You might want to make sure where she will be embarking when you sail.
 
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shamrock2

Guest
I live in the Long Beach area and can tell you that there are several hotels within walking distance or a two minute cab ride of the port. One is the Queen Mary (might be expensive)?? Another is the Reef Hotel and any of the downtown hotels are right across the water (very close). One in particular is the Hyatt Regency.
 
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GayleErmer

Guest
Nancy,

Our cruise in March also left from the port at San Pedro, but to the best of my knowledge future Diamond cruises are scheduled to leave from Long Beach. When we originally booked our cruise, it was supposed to leave from San Pedro, then they changed it to Long Beach, then they ended up changing back to San Pedro (made it difficult to make hotel reservations!). Anyway, the two ports are only about 5 miles apart. We stayed at the Sheraton San Pedro the night before our cruise - nice hotel with a view of the port (San Pedro, that is!). I also saw on another thread that you were curious about disembarkation times. We had scheduled a flight out of LAX at 11:15 am - we were one of the first groups off the ship at 8:00 am and made it to the airport in plenty of time. If you are flying out of the Long Beach airport it is a much shorter drive than to LAX so you would probably be okay with an early flight. But, the Diamond has been late into port at least a couple times already. I think if I had to do it again I would get a later flight just to avoid the anxiety.

Gayle
 
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Sharkin

Guest
It's a nice one!! The Aquarium of the Pacific is very close to it and it was really enjoyable when we went a few years ago. If you have the time I recommend it.
 
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