Diamond Princess
Princess Cruises
2004
Year of construction
2014
Renovation Year
18
Decks
2706
Number of passengers
22
Speed
290 m
Length
37 m
Width
10
Restaurants
14
Elevators
Special Features
- Pitching stabilizers
Cruise ship review
The 115,906-ton, 2,674-passenger cruise ship Diamond Princess debuted in winter 2004 as the biggest vessel in the fleet of Princess and travelers were very impressed. Diamond Princess is also the first cruise liner built in Japan in more than a decade. The restaurants and diversity of lounges disperse the crowds and make passengers feel like they are on a much smaller cruise ship.
There are times the Princess Diamond ship does feel big, especially at night when passengers find themselves at the wrong end of the hallway from their stateroom. Diamond Princess, with her 4 swimming pools, a children splash pool, extensive kid's center and cutting edge amusement and programs, is especially well suited to families, and that's likely why there were a good number of multigenerational groups onboard. Couples will find much to like on this cruise too, including the fact the dining venues have a decent number of tables for two.
Cruise itinerary program
Diamond Princess itinerary program is based on cruises leaving from Australia, New Zealand and Asia in the summer. During winter months, the ship offers Japan cruises departing from homeport Yokohama (Tokyo). Princess Cruises scheduled the company's ever longest Japan season with Diamond Princess. Itineraries were from homeports Kobe and Tokyo, circumnavigating the country. In season 2018, a total of 63 itineraries (ranging 4-23-days) offered visits to 38 destinations in 7 countries.
Ship's Japan 2020 cruise program was also based on homeports Kobe and Tokyo, with over 50 departures to 50+ destinations in 11 countries. The planned 2020 itineraries (ranging 5-28 days) included special onboard events and shore activities themed on Japan’s traditional cherry blossom celebrations and summer festivals. The program features:
- 8-day "Japan Explorer with Kumano Fireworks" (roundtrip from Tokyo) visits Wakayama, Kumano, Kochi, Kanmon Straits, Busan, Nagasaki, Gunkanjima, Kagoshima. The voyage departs on August 15 (2020), with prices starting from GBP 1450 pp.
- 9-day "Japan Explorer Spring Flowers" (roundtrip from Tokyo) visits Gamagori, Osaka, Kochi, Hiroshima, Busan, Sasebo. The voyage departs on April 2 (2020) with prices starting from GBP 1400 pp.
- 14-day "Borneo and Japan" (from Singapore to Tokyo) visits Bandar Seri Begawan, Kota Kinabalu, Manila, Hong Kong, Taipei, Okinawa, Osaka, Shimizu. The voyage departs on December 30 (2020), with prices starting from GBP 1770 pp.
Cabins
Most Diamond Princess staterooms are 170-sq.foot balcony rooms (522). Almost 75% of ship's outside accommodations have private balcony views. There are a total of 1337 staterooms in 33 categories. 27 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. The largest aboard Diamond Princess are the Grand Suites (615 ft2).
On board
The program of events for everyday, is published in a special mini brochure, which is delivered to the cabin on the evening before the next day. Entertainment programs on the ship are varied depending on the route of the ship and seasonality: karaoke, dance classes with coaches, special lectures on various educational topics, sales of jewelry and goods, and much more.
Food
Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks
Nearly all dining options onboard Diamond Princess are complimentary, including the five main dining rooms: Vivaldi, Pacific Moon, International, Santa Fe and Savoy Dining Room. There is also a free of charge buffet, pizza place, ice cream counter and grill. All main dining rooms offer the same menu items, though each has a small selection of signature items, most of which can be made in appetizer size. Sailings that carry a majority of Japanese cruisers feature purposely small entree sizes. On cruises that are not full, certain main dining rooms will not be open. On some of the sea days, Savoy opens for a special British-Style pub lunch featuring fish and chips, steak and kidney pie. Lunch in the International is especially popular with Japanese passengers, as it offers a variety of Asian dishes.
Follows the complete list of Diamond Princess restaurants and food bars.
- Savoy Restaurant (ship's aft Dining Room; offers traditional dinner at 5:30pm, as well as “Anytime Dining” between 8-10 p.m., and British pub lunch)
- Pacific Moon Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 a.m., Lunch 12-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; features “Anytime Dining” for Dinner between 5:30-8 p.m. or 8-10 p.m.)
- Vivaldi Restaurant (dinner only aft Dining Room; offers traditional dinner at 5:30pm, as well as “Anytime Dining” between 8-10 p.m.)
- Santa Fe Restaurant (forward Dining Room, “Anytime Dining” dinner only)
- International Restaurant (aft Dining Room, with 2 dinner seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m.)
- Sabatini’s Restaurant (Italian specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
- Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self service, complimentary fast food bar)
- Horizon Court (self service buffet restaurant, complimentary)
- Sterling Steakhouse (specialty restaurant for seafood, grills, steaks).
Entertainment
Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport
The 2-deck Princess Theater serves as ship's main entertainment venue. There, guests can catch one of the traditional song-and-dance Princess Cruises' production shows. The theater also offers a variety of other acts, including magicians and juggling comedians, doing shows that combine English and Japanese. Afternoon movies alternate daily between both languages. At night, virtually every bar offers some kind of music and enough room for dancing: from Latin and ballroom music in Club Fusion and DJ dance music in the Skywalkers Nightclub to light piano at Crooners. Theme nights (50s rockabilly, Country & Western and Caribbean deck party) are also common.
Follows the complete list of Diamond Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.
- The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
- Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
- La Patisserie (specialty coffee bar)
- Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour)
- Princess Diamond Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, gameshows)
- Churchill Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
- Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
- Princess Diamond Grand Casino
- Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars)
- Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
- Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
- Club Fusion Lounge (hosts dance classes and quizzes, after 7:30 p.m. becomes Disco & Nightclub)
- Scoops Bar (Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, complimentary)
- Outrigger Bar (poolside bar); Tradewinds Bar; Wake View Bar
- Diamond’s Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
- Hearts & Minds (Wedding Chapel)
- Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
- Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
- The Conservatory (recreation area); The Oasis relaxation area
- The Sanctuary (adult-only open air area)
- Calypso Reef & Pool area; Neptune’s Reef & Pool area
- Jogging Track; Sports Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Deck Chess, Shuffleboard; Princess Links mini golf course, Cybergolf simulator
- Skywalkers Disco & Nightclub.
For kids
Special programs are organized for children and teens in clubs according to the age:
Teen Open Area - a play area for children on the open deck.
Remix - a club for teenagers from 13 to 17 years old - this is a lounge with an original design, perfect for socializing with new friends, entertainment events, film shows.
Shockwaves - a club for children from 8 to 12 years old offers a lot of interesting games and educational activities, as well as video games and movie night area with a large plasma TV.
Pelicans is a club for children from 3 to 7 years old with a lot of games, entertainment, everything necessary for educational activities, a separate area for active games and film shows.
Dress code
The cruise company recommends to have three types of clothing during the trip:
-
for recreation and sports (casual);
-
clothes and shoes for excursions, depending on the season and route features (sport and casual);
-
elegant clothes for evening visits to restaurants and evening events: shows, casinos, clubs, bars (smart casual "more strict" and formal "strict").
During the evening events, the cruise company does not welcome a beach clothes.