This was my second time on the Diamond Princess. The first time was 3 years ago on the same Pacific Coastal run with my children after a trip to Disneyland. I was very excited to have our yearly "girls trip" on this boat, and to show my friends the ship. We flew down to LAX from Vancouver early in the morning and caught a cab to San Pedro. We met up with a couple of other cruisers so the cab for 5 cost us $15 each, including tip. Awesome cab driver as well. He even stopped for a wine run turning the meter off as he needed a newspaper. I think he was just terribly amused by the 5 of us. We were on the boat, settled in our Mini-Suite with balcony, by about 1pm. Here are my impressions of the Diamond Princess. The Room The room was not as clean as it could have been. The floor could have used a better vacuuming which was a little bit surprising since the boat had been sitting for maintenance for about 6 days before our trip. The rest of the boat was spotless though. Our room was clean for the most part, it was just the floor..... As far as size, it was a really good size. The Mini-Suite comfortably accommodated 3 women with all their stuff. The Spa I was so excited to get back into the Thermal Suite. Unfortunately, it wasn't the experience I had hoped for. Only 2 or 3 (depending on the day) thermal loungers worked. The noise from the basketball court drowned out the spa music, but then again, so did the yelps of laughter from other people in the Suite. I may be being picky, but I thought the whole idea of the Thermal Suite was escape and relaxation. (I do realize that different people look for other experiences and that fun and laughter are good things.) The Various Lounges and Bars Great selection of spots to sit and relax and this is one of the really good things about this ship. Even with loads of people aboard, you can go to a lounge and feel like you have breathing room. The Casino This was the first cruise that we actually spent any time in the Casino and we had nothing but fun. It wasn't too smoky and it was big enough that you didn't feel crowded in there even though it was arguably one of the busiest areas of the ship. The Food Now we get to the food. I had prepared the girls that I wasn't too jazzed about breakfast the last time I had been on the Diamond Princess, but told them that the rest of the meals were really good. I raved about the different themed dining rooms with the different menus. They are gone now. The rooms are still there, but they all have the same menu now, with one special dish with each restaurants theme. The first night I ordered the New York striploin. Yuk! It was grey and tasteless. I made a note to self.......don't order steak again. Unfortunately the food never really got much better. Not in the Lido, which sorely lacked the salad bars of Holland America and Celebrity, and definitely not in the dining rooms. That was the biggest gripe that we had on the cruise....the food. Disembarkation We were sitting in the Wheelhouse Bar since we didn't want to get into the giant line-up for disembarkation when we heard that the sterile gangplank for American citizens returning directly to the States was going to be opened to the public. We were off the boat and onto our next boat, the BC Ferry out of Horseshoe Bay for the 8:30 am sailing. We were so lucky there! All in all it was a really good trip. My personal favorite spots onboard were Skywalkers during the day (and evening as well) and also the Wheelhouse Bar. We had a really good holiday, but the food was a huge issue for us. We are all mothers and responsible for our families at home and part of the draw really is to not have to cook and clean and do all the drudgery. When we have the opportunity to be cooked for and pampered, the food matters. It was the one factor that may keep us from sailing with Princess again. That and the cold Thermal Loungers.......