Diamond Princess Review
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This trip was a replacement (can you believe this) for a 16 day jaunt from Valparaiso, Chile to San Francisco on Star in March 2011, However Princess for the second time cancelled a cruise from under our feet. It took years to convince my wife that there was more than your standard "warm weather" cruising, so off we went.
We stayed with friends in Vancouver prior to our flight(s) to Anchorage. The two of us flew with Continental on a Vancouver/Seattle/ Anchorage routing for the great price of CAD$736.00. Air Canada wanted CAD$630 plus change per person for the non-stop Vancouver/Anchorage flight. Arrival times were not that far apart. Great service and will fly Continental again in a heartbeat.
Stayed one night pre-cruise at the Holiday Inn Express in Anchorage on Spenard Street close to the airport. For an HI Express, it had all the amenities of the larger Holiday Inns (without a pool). It appears to be a relatively new property for IC hotels...very clean and modern. Beds were extremely comfortable (almost Crowne Plaza standard for an HI Express). Princess can take a lesson here. Cab fare to downtown was USD$13-15.
Cabin Review
Standard inside Princess stateroom including small shelved cabinet, enclosed safe and area to hang clothes. Can't call it a closet as it doesn't have doors. Small and compact. Did have new flat screen television set conveniently angled for viewing from the bed. Speaking of the bed...if you've ever stayed at a 3 star resort on the Mexican Riviera you'll know just how hard (does concrete fit your guess) they are. Even the addition of an eggcrate compliments of our great steward Harish did little to minimize the totally uncomfortable week of trying to get to sleep. Unfortunately Diamond's furniture and carpets in the stateroom are starting to show extensive wear and tear and are in dire need of replacement. Got to love the darkness of an inside stateroom though for sleepng (if the mattress is right).
Bathroom was your standard non mini-suite bathroom with shower, sink, toilet, small counter space and shelves and of course that totally passionate shower curtain that wants to attack your body. Of all four ships (Coral, Golden, Star and Diamond) I have sailed on, she has the poorest of water pressure in the showers and the sink takes forever to drain.