Worried about 8/28 sailing to Alaska

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Evon

Guest
Hi, new here and new to cruising with some concerns regarding our cruise onboard the Diamond to Alaska. I thought I picked a cruise time that would allow us decent weather, but avoid a lot of kids, 8/28-9/4. From reading this board, apparently this is not the best time to avoid kids. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against kids, I have five of my own, but part of the reason we are taking this cruise is to get away without the kids. I really don't want to have to deal with other's kids.
I really wish I would have found these boards before I booked our trip because the more I read, the more I feel I have made a mistake booking this trip. I am also worried about the bad reviews the Diamond has been getting. Beginning to think it might be best to cancel this trip and go another time with a different cruise line.
Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
K

kruznut

Guest
:wave Evon, First of all, welcome to the board. My words of wisdom to you is, do not make your cruise decisions based on someone else's experiences. Many of these reviews are based on the personal likes and dislikes of the individuals. If you keep an open mind and reasonable expectations you will find yourself having the best time of your life on your cruise. Personally, I don't think you will go wrong with Princess ! :cheers Happy cruising ! =bigwave =bigwave =bigwave
 
S

Sharkin

Guest
Evon,
I don't claim to have words of wisdom, but I do have opinions. We sailed the Diamond to the Mex Riv during our grandson's spring break. Yes there were children of all ages. There was one incident where all the buttons in an elevator had been pushed before we got in. This was as bad as it got. The hot tubs were a little crowded but not always with kids. We have had many more issues with adults than we have had with children. As far as the Diamond herself, we had no real complaints. Oh sure not everything was like a well oiled machine, but no worse than any other cruise ship. She is a nice new big ship and we enjoyed the whole experience.
 
M

Missmissypie068

Guest
Hi There :)

First of all, if you're worried about kids, Princess limits the number of kids on each sailing. So, it's not like Carnival at all. Plus, from what I know Alaska cruises tend to have less kids, in general. So, I wouldn't stress this for one minute. I've never sailed The Diamond, so I can't help ya out there. Last summer sailed the Dawn Princess to Alaska and hardly saw any kids. We had a great time!
 
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Litholam2

Guest
I have heard much about "Princess limits the number of kids on each sailing"...on the Carribean Princess on June 12th they had 750 children on the ship...

Princess is the best....
 
C

Cruise cutie

Guest
Well.... You do have to do your homework with regards to kids being able to sail on the ships..Most US schools start back the weekend after Labor Day..and you cannot just "miss the first week"..school boards frown on it..I'd say your sailing time is about good..we have 5 kids too..all grown..=welcome to cruise @ddicts..and while you may have some kids it should not be completely awash as they are in the summer,spring break and the holidays..we go the first 2 weeks of February exclusively on Princess.it's a couples week cruise as a rule and especially if a non drivable reached port..such as San Juan as airfare is so high!!..:grin..also a 10 day or longer cruise limits the kids ratio too..:grin..our last 10 day Panama Canal sailing the first 2 weeks of February..17 kids on board!!..:thumb..the Diamond is also getting excellent reviews now..however I agree reviews are subjective and I don't buy them..we have never been disappoited in 10 years of Princess cruises..we=love Princess cruise lines..and enjoy the 24/7 fresh water pools.dancing..the lovely decor and the Italian chef staff..:chef..Yummo food!!.and the Solarium pools are ADULTS only!!..have fun..enjoy it all.post lot's of ?'s here and on the community forum..happy cruising!!..:)..Joanne
 
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CaribbeanSun

Guest
The bad reviews of the Diamond Princess are related to 2 specific sailings. If you read any other week, the reviews have been glowing.
 
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JacquieP

Guest
Go for it and have a wonderful time. Alaska would be spectacular, even if you were in a canoe!
 
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tgasews

Guest
We are scheduled to go on the Diamond on Nov. 6th. I am also concerned about the bad reviews. Could someone be so kind as to tell me where to read the great reviews since in infamous 2 weeks. Sounds like things are in order now but I would feel better if I could read about it! Thanks!!
 
D

DX_Chic72

Guest
Please take other people's reviews with a grain of salt. Your cruise is what you make out of it.. Yes the "infamous" two weeks did give the Diamond negative reviews, but there are also SO many good reasons why she is sold out on all the Alaska cruises. Don't cancel your cruise, because the Diamond is a great ship with great crew. You'll have fun. :)

~L.
 
E

Evon

Guest
Thanks everyone for your kind input. I'll take the good advice that has been given here and just go enjoy myself all the while keeping an open mind. Thanks again.
 
L

Lizaluu

Guest
Hi Avon. In some States kids go back to school and college in August. My grandson in Georgia goes back to school on August 6th and my grandson in California goes back to college on August 30th.
I took my two teen grand-children to Alaska in July last year. There were hardly any kids on the cruise plus the cruise line has lots of activities planned for kids and teens.
My two teens would take off after dinner to hang out at the teen center activities.

You can call your travel agent and ask to be put at a dinner table without kids.

Regarding the Diamond Princess...... I think that the crew has already figuered out how to anchor in Victoria if the ship is stopping there.

Princess cruise line has their own reserved space in each port so that is not a problem.
The inside passage going into Alaska is very safe because you can see land on both sides of the ship. It gave me a comforting feeling to know that if there was an emergency it would be very easy to reach land in a New York minute. LOL.
One more thing... There will always be one ship in front and one ship in back following your ship plus you pass lots of ships leaving Alaska. So, that is another safety factor.

Message to TGASEWS regarding the Diamond Princess for Nov.6h, Mexican-Riv. cruise.
The Ship will be able to dock in port in Puerto Vallarta and Matzeclan sp, BUT in Cabo San Lucas they will have to anchor and use small boat tenders that fit approx. 100 persons to reach land. A major problem there is it depends on the WINDS AND HIGH SEAS whether the Captain will decide to stop at that port. All CRUISE-LINES face that problem. Another problem is that some women passengers like to carry a drink in one hand and wear high heels to get into the tenders boats. Handicapped people in wheel chairs also have to be carried into the boats. Some people are extremely overweight and also need help in getting into the boats. It can be very scary when the boat goes down nine feet and then goes back up to the boarding level where people have to jump into the tenders. I have had crew men literally carry my whole weight to get me back onto the ship. That is a problem with all cruise-lines when they have to anchor out at sea.
I think Nov. 6th will be a great time to cruise because it is not hurricane season. I have already booked the Diamond for November 27th because the price is right and my sister is able to travel at that time with me. I have traveled during hurricane season to Mexico and the Carribean. We didn't stop in Cabo San Lucas because of the weather. We didn't stop in Grand CAYMAN in carribean because of the weather.
I am a SEA BISCUIT and have salty barnicals and have been to Mex-Rive ports many times.
I have no reservations on traveling on the Diamond Princess and I am truly looking foreward to cruising on a new ship.
 
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