The four-year-old Diamond Princess looked as pristine and untarnished as when we sailed during her maiden voyage to Nagasaki. The ship's crew and hotel staff is doing a fantastic job keeping her in showroom quality. The hotel kept the brass and glass sparkle in public areas. The CDC rated the ship with 100 points during two of her previous inspections. The ship came down with Norovirus in China, where the cruise begun but got contained by the time it reached Thailand where we set sail. Sanitizing stations and passenger joint action helped alleviate the problem.

The wait staff has far exceeded themselves in friendliness, courtesy and excellence of service, much to the delight of the passengers. The conflict of theater seating and dinner times was resolved by rescheduling ship activities. The library no longer retained cruise cards from guests reading an atlas there. Internet is still 75 cents a minute. Cell phone service is now available on board.

We opted for an ocean view cabin amidships at the plaza deck that measured about 182 square feet. It had a queensize bed, an old TV, a shower as large as a telephone booth and ample closet space for four suitcases. It proved very stable during rough weather and had easy access to the atrium, the library, and four restaurants. The Vivaldi, Santa Fe, Pacific Moon and the Savoy operated only for dinner and shared a common menu. The other restaurant called the International served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Horizontal Court a 24 hour buffet for informal dining offered hot and cold dishes. Sabatini's specialized in Italian Cuisine and Sterling served steaks. Both required reservations and a cover charge. Read more