Diamond Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
922 reviews

First experience with Diamond Princess – May 20 to June 5, 2017 – Kobe

Review for Asia Cruise on Diamond Princess
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hpnguyen
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: May 2017
Cabin: Balcony

We are three couples from Canada, we have chosen this 16 days itinerary because of its diversity – Busan/Korea, Taiwan and Japanese Islands. Our cabin was a standard balcony which we've been in few times with Celebrity and is adequate for our needs. Only one floor of stairs up to the Horizon Court buffet, one more floor to the gym and a very short walk to the atrium elevators for other trips. Everything was functional.

Arriving Kobe port terminal we had a long wait at for embarkation as there was a lot of procedures to get through but this was no fault of the cruise line and it was all handled by Port authority. The same procedure everytime we change the country from/to Busan Korea and Taiwan, the Japanese and Taiwanese authority demanded a lot of procedure making embarkation/disembarkation longer.

The food was just above average, too much seafood and Japanese foods in the main eateries for my liking but what we did have there was good. The ship had four restaurants all serving the same menu every night which seems a bit strange. Restaurant and bar staff were extremely good customer service staff and very helpful. Breakfast in restaurant started late at 7am and finished too early (9am) so we went only a few times. Lunch buffet was generally the same every day and did not offer a lot of choices. We ate most of breakfast and lunch in the Horizon Court restaurant. There was always lots to choose from and the menu changed daily. It was always crowded and some peoples opted to share table with us, and it was great meeting new people. We dined once in The Steak House, steak was amazing. Before boarding the ship we have chosen the 2nd setting with table for 4 for the first week and a table for 6 in the 2nd week. After the first night diner sitting in The Pacific Moon we asked to change to International Dining room with 2 waiters – James Bond and assistant waiter (I don’t remember the name). The meal portion was generally small and we could ask for a second dish if we feel more appetite. What's good on Diamond Princess is dining at Horizon Court buffet where there was a lot of fruit and vegetable. As it is a 'Japanese ship' so they have sushi, ramen, rice, miso soup and udon noodle everyday. One particular weakness on Diamond during our trip was coffee because it's too diluted/light.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BF

The balcony gave excellent view of the ocean. However the shower is tiny for Western passengers

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