Background:We're 60 year old Australians with only 7 previous cruises with which to compare (none on this line). This cruise was sold as part of a package put together by an Australian TA. The cruise was followed by 4 nights in Beijing which included 2 full day tours. Transfers and return flight to Australia were also part of the package. Normally we organise our own travel details but this seemed good value & suited our preferences.A highlight in China that wasn't included in the package was the Terracotta Warriors. Luckily we were staying in Sydney before the cruise with friends from a previous cruise. The day before the cruise we saw the next best thing - a fascinating exhibition from China on the warriors. Embarkation:Embarkation went smoothly with lines moving quickly. It appears that most people who had trouble with embarkation & later disembarkation were relying on Princess transfers - maybe there's a lesson to be learnt! Once on board, we were directed to our cabin where we left our hand luggage and went for lunch.The Ship:Diamond Princess is truly a beautiful; and, at 113 000 tons with approx 2600 passengers, a very large ship. This modern ship has just had a refurbishment.Cabin:Our cabin with partially obstructed window was situated near the centre of the ship. Unfortunately the bed head was under the window so the view was wasted when lying down. When we booked, the only cabins available in this category could accommodate 4 persons. With our queen bed arrangement we were expecting to have to avoid hitting the extra beds on the walls. To our surprise the extra bunks are recessed in the ceiling - a great idea! The overall size of the cabin is not large, but sufficient for two people and our luggage. We liked the open style walk-in type robe which had generous hanging space. The shower was fairly small but the curtain was weighted down. One of the things changed during the refurbishment were new flat-screen TVs. The large number of Australians on this cruise was acknowledged by including a channel with Aussie programs & news. The small fridge was handy for keeping our supply of Coke & snacks cold. When the weather got very cold, the a/c struggled to keep the cabin warm even on the highest setting. As often complained on this site, the beds were hard. We had ordered egg-crate foam which helped a bit. We had also ordered a top sheet which is not normally supplied. Our cabin steward seemed efficient at his job.Food & drinks:Overall we found the standard of food and the service in the main dining room to be fine. Fixed-time dining enabled us to get to know a couple from California and a couple from Vancouver over the 23 days. Also our wonderful dining room staff got to know our preferences. The lobster on the formal nights was very enjoyable. We were surprised there were no hand sanitizers at the main dining room whereas they were situated at the entrance to the food in Horizon Court where we had most of our other meals. The buffet setup with separate stations was easy to use. The special kitchens outposts (especially self select Chinese soup) often set up on the deck for lunch was appreciated. You could never go hungry as buffet is available 24/7.The freshly made waffles for breakfast were great but their location at the other end of the ship on the open deck was inconvenient especially when the weather got very cold - also it was located next to the smoking area!There were several drink packages offered. We chose the soft drink package at $4.25 plus 15% per day (although it had been reliably claimed here on CC that it would be less for this length cruise!). Wine choices and price were similar to other cruise lines. Staff and service on board:Princess obviously trains their staff well as they were always friendly and polite even at reception. In Horizon Court they were very attentive and offered to help carry your plate & find you somewhere to sit. Having several coin operated (only USD1 - 4 quarters) laundrettes on board was a bonus. Entertainment:We enjoyed the shows in the main theatre as we have done on other cruises. These are the highlight of our evening. The lighting and costumes in the production shows were spectacular and the performers on the stage worked hard to entertain. During the early part of the cruise they changed the singers & dancers. We enjoyed the new performers so much, on 2 occasions we even saw their repeated show the next night.With the shows being 50 minutes long, we didn't mind having to be there 10 to 15 minutes early to secure a seat. Since the theatre did not accommodate all the passengers with 2 shows a night, the show was repeated the next night. Although some passengers complained about this, it was not a problem for us as there was always suitable alternative entertainment in the Explorers Lounge. Some of the comedians who appeared there had jokes that were very old but most of the audience didn't seem to mind. We were told the average age on this cruise was 64 years old (maybe because this was a 23 night cruise on a Princess ship). Because the evening entertainment was popular, the Explorers Lounge had inadequate seating. As a result it was necessary to arrive over 30 minutes early to obtain any seat. We felt the number of seats could be increased by changing the layout. Cruise director, Dan Styne from Australia did an excellent job & we loved his humour. Compared with past cruises we found this one had the best program of activities from which to choose. These always started promptly, were well organised and generally were well attended. Some of our highlights were the free culinary demonstration in the theatre & tour of galley (which disappointedly exited via a restaurant full of sale merchandise); Zumba classes; trivia; very informative enrichment lectures; ice carving demonstration; and even a passenger choir (included my DW) whose performance in the Atrium had a packed & appreciative audience.The very popular port lectures by Elizabeth Moran were unbiased and very informative. She didn't promote Princess Shore excursions or certain shops ashore as we have seen with other cruise lines. The daily report at midday by Captain Dino Sagani was informative & entertaining.Shore Excursions & Destinations:We normally try to avoid shore excursions organised by ships as we feel that they were too expensive. CC organised private tours work well or we were happy to do our own thing. Armed with maps & information collected before the cruise (supplemented with detailed free local maps picked up on land), we easily explore ourselves. Being on a large ship has many advantages when on board such as more diverse facilities and entertainment but has a disadvantage of not being able to dock at some normal ports requiring long shuttle rides. Also when the ship tendered the deal for passengers was almost as bad, with long tendering delays. Even Princess acknowledges over 3 hours clearing the ship, and long tender rides as the ship has to anchor far from the dock. Due to the large number of passengers, we wondered if the process could be speeded up by using more tenders.At Port Douglas, a tender port with the dock in town, we explored on foot as we had been there before. At both tender ports the crew handed out free water & cool face washers as it was very hot & humid.Again at Darwin as we have been there a couple of times we decided to do the same - the ship docks within walking distance of the city. A visit to the museum is well worth doing.Benoa in Bali was our other tender port. Here we shared a taxi to Kuta, the most popular town for tourists (bargaining is required for the taxis - we paid USD5 per couple). After shopping for several hours (try to avoid paying more than 25% of their first price), we returned by metered taxi (less than USD5 for the trip). At the dock we were pleased to find we were given a number for the tender back to the ship thus allowing us to rest while waiting.At Hong Kong the ship docked at a container port requiring a long shuttle ride. Here we used the Hop on Hop off bus but 2 days is needed to justify the cost. Hong Kong was a delight and warranted an overnight stay. Keelung in Taiwan is the port for the capital, Taipei. Here we did a CC organised tour of the city highlights for about half the cost of the ship's tour. This great day was only partially spoilt by a few participants panicking about missing the ship and wanting to omit a temple to get back early. At Nagasaki the ship docks right in town. The ship was built here and launched on this exact day in 2004. The Atomic Bomb areas were a must see (it's a pity Japan is trying to rewrite history regarding WW2!). It's easy to do on your own with the local tram & good signage. A local school band played on the quayside for the sail away - it was excellent.Again due to the size of the ship we berthed in a container port some 90 minutes or so from Shanghai. Here the Hop on Hop off bus is not recommended due to the smog and also its route was created for World Expo transfers from hotels. As a result this was the only port where we chose a ship's tour. Surprisingly it was well organised and value for money (also we saved $10 pre-booking it on the internet).Dalian in China was only a short visit. This small city was interesting because of its Russian history. Here we experienced our coldest weather with a maximum of -2 degrees Celsius (28 deg F). We did a small CC organised tour with a guide who told us a fascinating & moving story of his life in China! All the private tour guides impressed us with their command of the English language, their knowledge, their organisational skills & their humour. Make sure you get a visa before you go to China as some people had to leave the ship in Hong Kong because did not have one.It was disappointing the Diamond crew did not have hand sanitizers and when we returned to the ship.Disembarkation:As our transfer to Beijing was at 10 am, we were one of the last to leave the ship. Everything went smoothly including a fast transfer to Beijing by private car. The only problem we stuck with our post cruise package was the agent in Australia omitted to include breakfasts at the Novotel Hotel as advertised. Shortly after we pointed out this problem to our local tour guide, we were told that breakfast was included - maybe she earned her nick name Mighty Ming.Conclusion:This cruise took us from the steaming midsummer heat of northern Australia & Bali to the freezing cold of late winter in northern China. But with all that change, we experienced beautiful calm seas.We greatly enjoyed this cruise to China. Interestedly the highlight of the holiday was after the cruise when we climbed the Great Wall of China - but cruising on a slow boat to China was the ideal way to get there. The sea days were beautifully relaxing, the days in port were fascinating and most of all we had the pleasure to meet some very interesting and delightful people from all walks of life and from various countries and cultures. In our opinion the ship itself and the service are excellent whereas the food and entertainment are generally satisfactory. Princess proves that you get what you pay for. The company seems to build loyalty by rewarding past passengers. While onboard we took advantage of their Future Cruise Credits scheme. Straight after returning home we received a special deal on a cruise around New Zealand which we've booked for November. We would highly recommend Princess Cruises.