Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Diamond Princess
May 2008
Mexico

I had the opportunity to sail on the Diamond Princess to the Mexican Riviera. What a beautiful ship. When you first board the ship, you enter the grand lobby and are greeted by a warm and friendly staff. We made our way to the elevator and up to our cabin on the Caribe deck. We had a balcony located midship. Balconies are the only way to go. I often hear people say “why get a balcony, I am not in my room much.” That’s true, if you don’t have a balcony.

When I have an inside or even an oceanview cabin, I don’t spend much time there. It is just a place to sleep and change. With a balcony cabin, I would order breakfast service and sit out on the balcony. I would take in the fresh sea air and enjoy my hot tea. No lines to stand in at the buffet, no looking for a seat next to the window. I had my own private table and the best view. Ordering room service is a much different experience if you have a balcony to eat it on. If you ever go on the Diamond Princess, I recommend that you get a balcony on the Caribe deck. They are larger and partially covered. Many of the balconies on this ship, and their sister ships, are smaller and do not have any covering over the top. The decks are staggered so the person above you can look down into your balcony. They can see everything you are doing. My mother, who was traveling with me, got an eyeful when the guy below us decided he did not want any tan lines. Off came the towel. That was the last time she looked down. The cabin was spacious and was well appointed. There was plenty of closet space and storage for all the bags.

We had the Anytime dining which worked out great for us. Neither one of us are big eaters and we really liked the afternoon tea. Often the goodies we got there would fill us up and we did not want to eat dinner until much later. We never had to wait more then 10 minutes for a table. The waitstaff was great. The food was good and it was hot. I was not too fond of the lunch buffet. It was very small and crowded. I prefer sandwiches and salads for lunch but they served hot foods. However the waitstaff in the buffet area were great. I have a hard time getting around and I use a cane. There was always someone right there ready to assist me. They would carry my tray and get my drinks. They were friendly and chatty. The sweet buffet they had was wonderful. By the night of the sweet buffet, all the waitstaff were very familiar with me, especially my love for chocolate. At the front of the line, there was a staffer handing out plates and making sure everyone used the hand cleansers. He saw me, walked around the table and carried my tray thru the line. The people serving the food said “ah, the chocolate lady, your little, you need more chocolate.” By the time I got thru the end of the line, my plate was piled so high, I could not see the guy who was carrying it.

Since I have been to Mexico before, I decided to stay on board while in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo. We did get off in Mazatlan and saw a show and did some shopping. The days we spent on the ship, there was plenty to do. We watched movies in their theater, played trivia games, played lots of Bingo, went to enrichment seminars, etc. It was a great time. The shows were fantastic. Especially the hypnotist. He was so funny. We would get into the theater early and sit in the little balcony on the right hand side of the stage. It was easy access and we saw everything from there. We did not experience any of the bars or after hour shows so I cannot comment on those items.

Overall, the experience was wonderful. I really like Princess. The only negative thing about it was the lunch buffet but that is due to personal eating taste. I look forward to my next Princess cruise.

Patricia Liefeld