Diamond Princess Reviews

Summary:  My wife and I went on the Diamond Princess cruise from Singapore, embarking on 23rd October 2016. Iglu arranged flights and two nights pre-cruise stay in Singapore which was an excellent start. We would strongly recommend that you stay in order to see the amazing sights in the city, including Gardens by the Bay, Emerald Hill and, of course, afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel. Our Ports of Call were Bangkok, Vietnam, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Pusan (Korea), Nagasaki and ended with a 7 day tour of China. All destinations were very interesting with a good range of excursions although we only did 3 organised tours. The cruise terminals in some ports are a considerable way from the destinations, Bangkok being the worst with 2 hours journey by bus, so watch out! Hong Kong has a modern terminal building but this obliges you to walk an unnecessarily long way to exit before finding out that there is no public transfer link into the City which obliges you to take shuttles! All fur coat and no k------s springs to mind! But HK is well worth a visit. Pusan was the pleasant surprise as the shore excursion to a Temple and Culture show was great value! Nagasaki terminal in City Centre so easy to visit without need for shore excursion. The Ship had a great mix of Nationalities who created a great party atmosphere on board. Crew were very attentive and friendly. Food was very good and we shared a table with four other Brits who proved great companions. Ship was clean, entertainment was better in second week when we finally got some great song and dance shows, mixed with very good soloists, including Chinese acrobats, and a great selection of films. Afternoon and evening Happy Hours provided good value drinks in a friendly atmosphere. This was our first time with Princess and we really enjoyed it; excellent value for money and will travel with them again (we have cruised with P&O and Cunard previously). The China tour proved to be a delight and an ordeal! Organised by Wendy Wu they made sure you saw the best of China which included an amazing day on the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. Hotels were fine but the food was horrible and several restaurants were actually dirty. Most of the tour group were disgusted by the low standard of food and the fact that no alternatives were offered. If you are thinking of going to China then please be aware of the following- Air pollution and traffic congestion in cities (wear a breathing mask at all times, my wife came home very ill). Likely you will get poor and repetitive quality of food. Streets and sights teeming with people! Very cold in November so take warm clothing! Great Cruise and fantastic holiday overall. Thank-you Diamond Princess. David & Anne (UK)

Summary:  Sailed on the Diamond Princess last year sailing from Osaka in Japan and sailed around much of Japan, and Taiwan, and also Russia, we had a lovely time and the Crew were fantastic and very welcoming. We have booked another Cruise sailing from Tokyo on the Diamond Princess again on the 9th October and visiting Osaka and South Korea, and Shanghai and Hong Kong, then to Vietnam, then to Thailand and ending up in Singapore. We were only two of eight English Passengers on Board, mostly Japanese about 2500 of them and they were so polite and friendly this has prompted us into doing s similar Cruise again this year.

Summary:  Just returned from cruise Diamond Princess 8th to 17th July. Got a whole lot of bogus charges on my card so be careful not to give Princess cruises your credit card details as we are still trying to sort things out! The cruise excursion delays for each port to get off the ship was up to 2 hours and the staff were clueless. Long time cruisers Princess you need to improve! Jan

Summary:  This was our 6th cruise. The cruise was clockwise around Australia and up to Bali. We had a balcony cabin that had a partial cover over the balcony which was great on hot day when the sun was over towards the west. The toilet/bathroom facilities were small and did not give much room to bend when showering. The beds were very hard and quite small. We are both well built people and 1.75 to 1.83m in height. The TV news was abysmal and featured the same news feeds that at times were 4 days old and repeated every few hours in the day. The TV movies were great and had a really good selection. The meals in the restaurants did not vary between one and the other on any given day and the Horizon buffet restaurant was a far better option. The one highlight for us was the Captains Circle and the great staff serving there. They made a real plus of a lot of boring days otherwise. The swimming pools were poorly designed with ladders to get in or out of with only the adults only pool at the back of the boat had steps to get in or out of. Disabled adults could not get into the larger pools. Where were impressed when the new Captain Todd McBain took on to the ship in Bali and the senior crew were much more visible. His messages were clear and concise and was a marked improvement from the previous Captain. Would we travel on the Diamond Princess again I would say most unlikely but not discounting travelling on one of their other ships. Big is not always beautiful. If there was one port I would disregard for any other cruise would be Bali and to be forced to pay US$35 per person for a visa when you don't leave the ship is a con. I don't pay a visa if in a transit lounge travelling through a country so why here.

Summary:  My wife and I undertook a cruise from Auckland to Sydney from 2201 to 0302 2015 on the Diamond Princess. It is a very nice ship. The service onboard was excellent except for a couple of things. Firstly there was almost every day a credit card problem. I knew that my card was valid and I used it in every port for cash withdrawal without problems. In spite of this I experienced almost daily that my passenger card was blocked for any expense, because as they said "my bank would not garant for my card". It showed up that the ships data system was not able to get the necessary data from their provider, but they put the blame on me every time. When at the reception desk I overhearrd several other people encountering the same problem. It is very disturbing on a vacation like this to be indirectly accused of being a fraude, when they block your card as you are ordering wine in the restaurants. It kept on until the last day. They never gave any valid excuse. The other annoying experience was that on the Lido sundeck where they had an outdoor cinema, the sound was so high all day long that it was impossible to lie there and relax I will never go on a princess cruise again.

Summary:  Just returned from a cruise on Diamond Princess. What an amazing ship and crew. The staff onboard could not have been more helpful. Thankyou. The cruise around the Ancient City's of Japan was truly amazing, what a beautiful country so clean and so easy to get around. I would recommend this cruise.

Summary:  Awesome hoilday, happy crew, happy cruisers. Deck 8 room 226 awesome and handy to lifts on outside rooms due to theatre roof, no noise from outside or people walking past.

Summary:  We are still on Cloud 9 after a fabulous South East Asian cruise on the Diamond Princess! Iglu organised everything for us - the flights (KLM _ brilliant) and pre and post hotels, as it seemed cheaper and easier to tie in with the transfers. The Marriott (Beijing) at the start of the cruise was very good, though let down by poor standard of food, and the Four Seasons in Bangkok at the end was excellent all-round. Our balcony cabin was absolutely fine - we thought it may be a bit snug as previous cruises we had booked mini suites - and spotlessly kept by our steward, Catherine. She made sure that we had a mattress topper when my husband complained his back hurt with the mattress being a bit hard. We think we have found our ideal cabin location - B deck, midships, starboard. Personally, I would not have chosen the 2 lower deck balcony cabins. as they are overlooked, and open to the elements, although I appreciate they make ideal sunbathing areas. Food was wonderful - original, fresh and plentiful - the bread selection was amazing -, and the staff very attentive. Entertainment was excellent, though geared towards the American and Australian guests, and the activities were varied and plentiful. Movies Under the Stars was a great experience - watching Mama Mia in a tropical thunderstorm was especially memorable! The only area that was crowded was the central pool area, but there were always plenty of sunbeds in quieter areas of the ship. We did all excursions through Princess, and most were brilliant, and highly recommended: BEJING - The Wall (sadly, very foggy that day), Summer Palace, Tianamin Square, Forbidden Palace, and an amazing Acrobatic Show - all highly recommended. BUSAN, South Korea - lovely city, but we chose the wrong excursion - we were given 5 minutes in each section of a wonderful market, totalling 25 minutes, then taken to a rest stop to queue for 30 mins for a toilet. We drove around the coastline, very pretty, but the guide rambled on and on about cherry trees as if we hadn't got them in the UK!. We then spent only 15 minutes in a very crowded monastery. Our only disappointing trip. NAGASAKI, Japan - again, a beautiful city. Drove through the countryside to a Samurai Castle, typical Japanese homes, and a village still half buried in lava from a volcanic eruption in the 1960s. SHANGHAI we didn't get to, as the weather was too rough to dock (the ship, however stayed very stable, hardly moving) HONG KONG - an extra day here, so we just took one tour around the island - Aberdeen, Stanley and the Point, all very interesting, and we were thrilled that when we sailed that evening, we came into Victoria Harbour just in time to see the Light show at 8pm. VIETNAM - chose the river cruise in Nha Trang which was delightful and we were given fabulous fruits and coconuts at each stop. Next day, we drove up to the ChuChi tunnels - fascinating - wear knee coverings to protect your skin when you crawl through! All our excursions included ethnic meals in genuine restaurants, but the Vietnamese one was especially lovely, in covered bungalows by the river. SINGAPORE - Botanical gardens, then we took ourselves off to Raffles. Not good value really, as we were delayed at immigration in endless queues, then given 2 and a half hours on our own, after a quick zip around the gardens! We should have done this one on our own. BANGKOK - Temples and river cruise, excellent meal, although a bit too Westernised. Men and Women: Wear LONG trousers/dresses and cover shoulders, otherwise you will be given some borrowed, smelly article to wear. In all, the Diamond Princess is a fabulous ship, elegant but not stuffy, comfortable yet classy, and spotlessly clean - no bugs as far as I know. Guests were a mixture - USA, UK, Australia mostly - we met some very nice people and some very rude and whining individuals, who treated the crew dreadfully. TOP TIPS: • Take toilet tissues with you, and expect to use mainly 'squatting' toilets - we saw very few western style on our excursions. They were all very clean though. • Please attempt to learn how to use chopsticks before you go – you’ll be using them on your excursions and it is poor form to ask for a fork, even though you will get one • Take your own washing powder for Laundramat - they sell it via a machine but it's not good stuff. You will need 8 quarters for the wash and dry • Have a few notes in each denomination for each country. Some take US dollars in port, but this does limit you, and the ship's change machine was expensive. • Avoid buying internet on boat hugely expensive - some of the ports had free access • Drink the tap water on board - it is safe and free and top up for excursions, although most offered water on coaches • Try not to get stressed by seat/lounger hoggers in the theatre and pool area - you have the good manners, they haven't. • Have a wonderful time! We will be back on Princess soon! Possibly South America next time

Summary:  Every thing on this ship was of a high standard. The only complaint is the cinema screen at the swimming pool was on most of the day and the volume was far too loud, it spoilt any thought of relaxing by the pool. As we like to sit beside the pool it affected us, and although there was plenty of other places to sunbathe, they were not as nice as being beside the pool.

Summary:  Diamond Princess was the third princess ship we cruised on. It was excellent. The cruise and the service on board could not be faulted. The food and entertainment were beyond reproach. We look forward to the same standard on the Ruby Princess in Sept. 2013. We like to stick with Princess cruises because we know we will get quality. We did a cruise recently on a P&O ship (a sister company) and while the cruise itself was great the booking was horrendous. I complained to P&O but did not receive any satisfaction. All they offered was paltry on board credits if we traveled again with them before the end of 2013. Booking for our Mediterranean cruise with the Ruby Princess has so far gone smoothly. Ruby Princess here we come...our 4th cruise with Princess.