Just off the Diamond Princess inaugural... any questions?

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Sandy G

Guest
Just off the Diamond Princess and it was a wonderful week! The ship is beautiful, the staff very friendly and helpful. Since we're "elite", we did have some special perks which added to our enjoyment. Free internet was great. Since we were in the "top # of days sailed", we had lunch with the Captain, along with about 40 other passengers. Very nice. Those of us that were invited to lunch, were also invited later in the week, to tour the bridge. Awesome!! So many electronic devices! The 4 PC restaurants were great... like eating in a restaurant, not a dining room. And, we thought the food was a cut above Princess' normal faire. Abit of advice, until they iron out the wrinkles, if you're sailing on the Diamond soon, make PC dinner reservations as soon as you board, for every night of the cruise. We did and enjoyed the total experience, others waited to book and found that they had to eat too early or too late or missed one of the themed restaurants because it was fully booked for the cruise. Each themed restaurant has its' own menu and also offers the traditional menu for the day. You can order from either or both of the menus. The seas were somewhat calm during our cruise but even still, the ship rode the ocean well. We had never sailed on an inaugural before and were a bit hesitant but nothing appeared amiss, everything seemed to run smoothly... it was a great experience!
Any questions? I'll try my best to answer...

Sandy
 
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gaa

Guest
How was the gym? How was the spa? If you have been on other Princess cruises, how did the cabin size compare? What was your cabin category and location? What other Princess cruises have you taken?

Thanks!
 
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Sandy G

Guest
We thought the food was a cut above past Princess cruises we've taken. Our favorite restaurant was Sterling... the prime rib was thick, made to order, rare, and melt in your mouth. 2nd favorite was Vivaldi, Italian. Our waiter, Francisco, made it lots of fun. I didn't use the gym but my husband said there were lots of machines. He also had 2 massages and thought they were great. We had a Dolphin mini-suite which was comparable to our mini-suite on the Star but I believe our balcony was larger on the Diamond. We had a dining height table and 3 chairs. It could have easily accommodated a chaise but we didn't ask for one... other mini-suite passengers did. We've been on 26 Princess cruises... sailed on most of Princess ships, old and new... prefer the larger ships. We think the Star is great, but with the 4 theme restaurants, the Diamond is terrific.
 
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gaa

Guest
Thanks for the info! Would love to hear your thoughts on the ports. We did that itinerary the last two years on the Star, but it is great to hear new ideas.
 
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dana

Guest
hi
i am sialing on the Carribean Princess in May and i had a few genera; questions i thought maybe you could answer please.

what kind of room service men do they offer?

do you know if they serve herbal tea such as celstial or bigelow brand?

do they have hign tea everyday?

what kind of enrichment programs are offered?

are the pools open 24 hours per day?

did they have a different dinner theme each night?

were you able to order an entree that was not on the menu, if you requested it

ahead of time?

thanks for all of your help

dana
 
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sneekpeek

Guest
Hi Sandy:

Do they have a hawaii shirt night? Do you tip the waiters in the PC dining rooms?
I'll be on Diamond Saturday!!!!!!!
 
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Sandy G

Guest
Gaa... ports were fine. We've been so many time to the Mexican Riviera because we live in L.A. and it's so easy to just drive 40 minutes to San Pedro. Mazatlan is our least favorite. A few years ago we did the Colonial Villages (Concordia & another town, the name which escapes me) and we saw the Papantla Flyers. It you haven't seen them, it's worth a one-time visit. Puerto Vallarta is probably our favorite... lots to do & see. This time we rented a taxi and driver and went to Mismaloya Beach, Chico's Paradise for lunch (definitely the best, their garlic lobster is fantastic). In Cabo we also rented a taxi & driver and went to San Jose del Cabo, about 30 minutes from Cabo San Lucas... a great town with lots of nice shops. On the way, we passed all the high end resorts.

Okay dana... lots of questions, which I'll try my best to answer. Can't tell you about room service, we were too busy to stay in our cabin long enough to order room service. Afternoon tea was everyday between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Didn't do afternoon tea either... sorry. On most days, they offered photographic seminars @ $10 per person, and computer seninars... $25 per person. Don't recall if the pools were open late but we saw passengers in the jacuzzi's at 11 pm and later. The International dining menu had a different theme every night. Those that ate in any of the 4 theme restaurants were offered the theme menu for the particular theme restaurant you were eating in, as well as the International dining menu. You can order off one or both of the menus. There were dishes on the International dining menu, that you could order any night. Steak wasn't one of them. We didn't ask for anything that wasn't on the menu so we don't know if you can.

Sneekpeek... they had a 70's night in Club Fusion, a 70's/80's night in Skywalkers, a Beatlemania show in Explorer's Lounge, a country western party in Club Fusion and a Tropical Deck Party, which I guess you could wear a Hawaiian shirt. And, NO, you don't tip the waiters in any of the 4 themed restaurants.

Sandy
 
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marc334

Guest
hey dana-sailing on he carrbean princess 5/8/04-will let you know how everything is-1st time cruising so willl be eyes wide open

mw
 
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fusco9800

Guest
Sandy,

Thanks for all the great info. We sail on the Diamond to Alaska in May.

Just one question. Is the pizzeria a counter-service operation out on deck? Or is there indoor seating. Just wondering if it will be too cold on deck in May to eat pizza.

Thanks.
 
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gaa

Guest
Thanks again, your info is really helpful. Did you get a look at the aft mini-suite cabins or balconies on the Emerald deck?
 
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Sandy G

Guest
Fusco9800... the pizza is served at the Grill on deck, near one of the pools. I didn't have any but my husband did and said it was great. They serve regular cheese and sauce, pepperoni pizza and a veggie pizza.

Lianajerry... I'm somewhat of an amateur photographer. I keep telling my son who wants to buy me a digital camera, I take photos, not snapshots. So, I still use my SLR camera. It's somewhat of a hassle to scan in my photos in order to post. Sorry. But, "Stepg" on cruisecritic.com has posted some great pics of the Diamond.

Sandy
 
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Jerlyn

Guest
Please advise if you remember on the TV sets, was there a place to plug in your video camera?

Thank you in advance for your answer.
Jerlyn
 
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Sandy G

Guest
Jerlyn... sorry, don't know the answer since I'm using an SLR camera. If you post a new thread on the Princess section of cruisecritic.com, there are other's posting there that were also on the Diamond inaugural, that should be able to answer your question.

Sandy
 
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Einstein

Guest
Just got off the Coral and there were audio / video imputs so I would think the NEWER Diamond would probably have them as well. :thumb

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