We chose the Diamond Princess because of her repositioning itinerary from Singapore to Tokyo Embarkation was confusing in Singapore. There was another ship boarding at the same time and used the same area. We weren't sure where to leave our luggage and no one from Princess was in the area to help out. Once we got through security and check in, we immediately boarded the ship. The ship is getting a little worn. It had just come off of being in dry dock. It appeared that all they did in that week was change the carpet. One elevator never did work. The ship also has a Japanese Bath, which we never saw anyone using. The Sanctuary, in the front of the ship, takes up a lot of space and never seemed to crowded. We would rather have that area for deck space.

We had a mini-suite D210, and were glad that we chose it. It was much larger than the standard balcony stateroom and for a 14 day cruise it was nice to have the extra room. There was plenty of storage and closet space. The ship had been outfitted for their new itinerary of traveling around Japan. Therefore, the cabin had Japanese toilets. We found them to be smaller and uncomfortable. They have many options, which we chose not to use.

We had anytime dining and never had a problem getting a table for two when we ate in the dining room at an early time. The food in the Horizon Court was actually better than in the dining room, with more choices. It seemed that everyone agreed with us, as the Horizon Court was always crowded. They only had one side open and tables filled up quickly. Coffee was terrible and they never had cream. Read more