Diamond Princess Review
Perfect if you want to see Japan by Sea; disappointing example of Princess ship
Rating by category
Additional details
Really wanted an intimate look at Japan by sea and land and the only way to do this was the Diamond. As a "ferry" to various ports, ship was great, but it was by far the dowdiest Princess ship--and we have been on many. Really boring entertainment, in general. Really miss lectures by experts. Would have been wonderful to have some on Japanese culture, art, history for English speakers and possible more on the history of the ports for both English and Japanese guests. I had a medical problem on board and the clinic staff was fabulous and solved a problem that would usually be treat in hospital. Very reasonable fees too and they were covered by my travel insurance (not Princess).
Whole ship looked dowdy and could use brightening. Entertainment was weak and most had been seen on previous ships. Many frequent cruisers were disappointed.
Food was fine and our servers were the best ever. Japanese menu additions were wonderful and we enjoyed meeting so many Japanese on board. The Japanese bath was delightful, once you got over the issue of no bathing suits allowed!
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
We usually get a mini-suite and this was standard. However, when we boarded, the cabin was actually very, very unacceptably dirty with sticky stuff and coffee on counters, splashed food on walls, drawers, inside drawers, sticky bathroom floor and more. Even the bedspread was torn and faded. Whole bed looked like we were staying at granny's house with antique linens. We complained at once and got great service and after that everything was shipshape. Our room steward must have had a rotten day and our complaint (very justified) didn't help, but after that it was spotless and we tipped accordingly.