Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Tour & Honest Review 🛳️

Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Tour & Honest Review 🛳️

Hey everyone I’m Rachel. And I’m David. And we are on the Diamond Princess in Japan. And we want to give you a ship tour let’s go. We just spent a 10 day voyage on the Diamond Princess. In Japan and North Korea so we’re going to show. You the different spaces on the ship. And then end with our full review. The Diamond Princess first sailed in 2,004. And primarily cruises in Asia and Australia. For Princess Cruises. Both the Diamond and her sister ship. The Sapphire Princess. Were the first Princess ships to be built in Japan. On our voyage we got to visit the port of Nagasaki. Where the Diamond was built. And they even had a special banner out to welcome us. There. The diamond princess. Underwent an extensive refurbishment in february. Of twenty nineteen. Which is when some of the more asian-inspired elements. Were added to the ship. The Diamond holds 2,670 passengers and has 17 floors. You can watch a full tour and review of a balcony room. Here but this video is focusing on the public spaces. Let’s start at the top of the ship. On the sky level. Center court is a basketball court encased in a net. It gets pretty windy. So you’ll have to keep an eye on the ball. The other draw of the Sky Deck. Is the Skywalker’s nightclub. This club can be accessed all day long. For a quiet place to have a drink or play some cards. But at night it turns into a party with disco. Lights and music until the early morning hours. Down one level the sports deck holds the added cost. Adult only Sanctuary Lounge. Where you can rent a lounger for $40 a day. Or a cabana for $80 for a half day. In the aft of the sports deck is the Oasis. Which is the free adults only area. It has its own bar two hot tubs. Two shuffleboard setups and a giant chess set. Right below the oasis on the sun deck. Are the youth and teen centers. As well as one of the key. Asian inspired features that makes the Diamond special. The Azumi Japanese Bath. Izumi is modeled after a traditional Japanese onsen. With indoor and outdoor hot bath areas saunas. Steam and cold showers. Men and women have separate facilities. That are clothing optional. But can mingle in the outdoor bath. Where bathing suits are required. Additional charges apply. But you can get five 90 minute sessions for around $75. Moving forward on the sun deck. You reach the Trade Winds Bar. And then inside you have the Lotus Spa. The spa has its own sauna. Steam room and pool and also houses the salon. Walking through the spa. Will take you to the fitness center. Which has a good variety of weights. Ellipticals treadmills and even some exercise bikes. The Lido deck is a staple of most Princess ships. And the Diamond Princess is fairly standard. Neptune’s Reef and pool is the largest pool on board. And is outside. Along with its two hot tubs and outdoor showers. Tables line both sides of the deck around the pool. Which is a great thing. Because you can grab a quick bite from either the. Nearby Prego Pizzeria or Trident Grill. Prego Pizzeria has pre made pizzas every day. So you can walk up and grab a slice or two. Trident Grill makes burgers. Chicken hot dogs. And French fries fresh to order. And is our favorite place for an afternoon. Or after dinner snack. Their Mermaid Tail Bar. Sits between the two quick service restaurants. And the entire area is a great place to watch movies. Under the stars when the weather is good. Swirls Ice Cream is right outside the midship elevators. They serve free soft serve ice cream. As well as premium desserts. The ridiculous Sundae’s. Included with the Princess packages. Past that is the Calypso Reef pool. Hot tubs and bar. Which are enclosed and shielded from the elements. The Diamond’s buffet Horizon Court. Takes up the majority of the aft lido deck. There are two sides and in our experience. Both are only open in the busier times. Breakfast and lunch on sea days. The buffet is one of the smaller ones. We’ve seen on Princess ships. With some standbys a salad bar. Bread station cheeses and meats. And other dishes that change out based on the day. For breakfast they also have an omelet station. Cereal and pastries. They offer a variety of juices. And crafts in the morning. And lemonade and iced tea in the afternoon and evening. Water coffee and hot tea are always available as well. Half of the buffet area is closed. Off every evening to become the Tresca Ria Grill. An added cost Brazilian steakhouse and salad bar. At the aft of the Lido Deck. Are the Outriggers Bar and Horizon Terrace. Both overlook the terrace pool below. Which is the only public area on the Aloha Deck. The Promenade Fiesta. And Plaza decks. All have the Grand Plaza at their center. It’s a lobby space where Princess has dance parties. Games officers versus guests. And music from the onboard musicians. The Promenade Deck is aptly named. Because it has an outdoor deck. That circles the entire ship. It’s a great place to watch sunsets. Club Fusion takes up the aft space. On the Promenade Deck. It’s a large venue with its own bar. That’s used for comedy shows. Dance classes live music and bingo. There’s a staircase in Club Fusion. That takes you down to the Wakeview Bar. Which is just a small room. With portholes that look out to the sea. The ocean Front. And photo gallery desks are also on the promenade deck. There you can buy accessories for your medallion. Or purchase photos taken by princess photographers. Two more added cost restaurants are also in this area. Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria and Kai Sushi. Sabatini’s is an Italian restaurant. That is standard across many Princess ships. But Kai Sushi is unique to the Diamond. And serves sushi. Or Japanese set meals during some sea day lunches. The Explorers Lounge is another venue. Popular for trivia and game. Shows it has its own bar. And does get pretty crowded and warm. During the most popular events. The Crooners Bar. Where you can find a piano player singing. Elton John or Billy Joel most nights. And the shops of Princess surround the Grand Plaza. On this deck. There are several shops on the Diamond Princess. Between the promenade and Fiesta decks. They contain a variety of items. From expensive jewelry to resort wear. Princess branded merchandise. And necessities Band Aids and sunscreen. The Wheelhouse Bar is a quiet. Lounge space that serves all kinds of drinks. Every day. We’ve played cards there on more than one occasion. The Princess Theater is at the front of the ship. On both the promenade and Fiesta Deck. The theater is where Princess puts on their production. Shows plays movies on bad weather days. And hosts guest entertainers. The seats are plush albeit close together. And they’re angled in a way that means. Pretty much every seat has a good view. Churchill Cigar Lounge. Is right outside of the lower level of the Princess. Theater on the Fiesta Deck. This is one of the indoor. Smoking areas on the Diamond Princess. The wedding Chapel is nearby. On the way to the Grand Casino. Which is also an indoor smoking area. The Grand Casino has its own bar. And is filled with typical table games. And slot machines it has a good amount of space. Compared to some other Princess casinos we’ve played. In but unfortunately on our sailing. A good portion of slot machines were not functioning. There are both smoking. And non-smoking slot machine sections. But since they’re all in the same room. Keep in mind that you can always smell smoke. When the casino is open. Guest services is a main feature of the Fiesta Deck. Where Princess crew. Work hard to resolve any guest issues that might arise. During your cruise our advice though. Is to use the crew chat on the Princess app. For simple questions. Since you can avoid the line and get an answer. While enjoying some of the festivities on board. There are three main dining rooms on the Fiesta Deck. The Pacific Moon. And Santa Fe dining rooms. Are right off the Grand Plaza. The International dining Room is on the same level. But can only be accessed by the aft elevators. Or stairs and is typically the only dining room. Where there will host seated. Breakfast or lunch the other two dining rooms. The Savoy and the Valdi. Are located a deck below on the Plaza Deck. Right off the lowest level of the Grand Plaza. All main dining rooms on the Fiesta and Plaza decks. Share the same menu but have different aesthetics. Some require advanced reservations. While others have walk up availability. So it’s best to check your Princess app. For up to date information. The Good Spirits at Sea Bar. Is to one side of the Grand Plaza. And is where they host cocktail demonstrations. Periodically throughout each cruise. On the other side are the future cruise planning desks. And the internet cafe both of these spaces. Are much larger than on other Princess ships. We have sailed on the Diamond’s sister ship. The Sapphire Princess. Converted its internet cafe into an international cafe. And we think that this is a better use for the space. The library is also on the Plaza deck. And has a variety of free games. And books to rent throughout your cruise. As well as daily crosswords. The Captain Circle Loyalty Desk. And shore excursions desks round out the Grand Plaza. And lead right into the Fine Arts Gallery. As you walk towards the staterooms on that deck. The Galactix’s only common area is the medical center. Which we hope no one has to visit on their cruise. And that rounds out the overview of the spaces. Around the Diamond Princess. So now we’ll share our honest thoughts. About our time on the ship. Hey everybody thanks for joining us. On our walkthrough of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. I do feel it is a smaller ship. So. It doesn’t really feel super crowded for the most part. So I do that it. Everything’s kind of spread out a little bit. But there are certain times when things do feel crowded. When you’re in the buffet in the morning. I think almost every cruise ship I’ve ever been on. Has that problem yeah. But the buffet is always super crowded. And then every single seat gets taken. In the theater for the early show. No joke people will sit apart from their family. Yeah there were people taking individual seats. They were breaking up to do it. And maybe part of that is that. They know the show’s gonna be good. I do think. The entertainment has been really good and really fun. I felt the audience was really getting into it. Oh yeah. So I think part of it is that and but I agree. We’ve been on smaller ships before. And you have elbow space. And breathing room and stuff that. And you feel that on this ship too. Overall I do feel we’ve gone to get on elevators. And there was literally no one there. And and it feels it goes down sometimes. I don’t feel claustrophobic on this ship. Despite it being so small. I really appreciate that and. I know there are a lot of cruisers out there. That only wanna do smaller ships. Cause that’s kind of a luxury in itself. So I think this is a good ship for that. Especially if you’re okay with some of the. The age showing on the ship. So yeah we talked about the buffet. But I wanna talk a little bit more about food. Other than that. For for me. I thought the main dining room was actually pretty. Interesting. Because they don’t all just have princess favorites. That’s something that every Princess cruise does. Is have the Princess favorite. But they also have the Japanese Princess favorite. So dishes that are favored by the Japanese tourists. That they have on board. And I thought that was actually pretty cool. I actually ended up ordering. A decent number of things off of that menu. Just because it’s something you really don’t get. We’ve really missed the international cafe. This ship is the only ship in Princess’s fleet. That does not have an international cafe. So if you want food after about 11 o’clock at night. You have to order room service. Or you’re not getting anything. Fortunately we’ve been so tired. We’re not up super late on this particular cruise. I don’t know that was really jarring not to see. The International Cafe so I agree. Also the internet has not been super great yeah. That’s affected me a little bit more than it’s affected. You. There was a full day where we had a complete outage. There was no connection at all. For this particular region. I would probably do this with any cruise line. To be honest that’s cruising this area. I would just go ahead and download my stuff. Before we got on board. And so. And the last thing we wanna talk about is the staff. There are a lot of them. I feel there’s a lot of staff around. It really is on this ship. And I feel a lot of them do speak Japanese. And I think that’s a really cool thing. They do for the Japanese guests. Because the ship does mainly stay over in Japan. And in Australia. We’ve had some some good experiences. Our state room steward has been amazing yeah. He’s awesome. He’s really nice and he he’s just so fast. We never we never see him. But we just he’s doing his job really. Really well yeah. We’ve noticed a few other places. Just staff not being as smiling yeah. Yeah as we are on other ships. The security people are not friendly at all. They actually don’t really even acknowledge you. Honestly. Yeah you tap your medallion and you hear the sound. But for them to not say okay. Next or anything that. And I could see that being very confusing. If you’ve never done a Princess cruise. Or never even used the medallions before. Obviously. The. Cruise director and the cruise director. Staff are all very friendly and super nice. And cute yeah. There are some activities both in Japanese and English. Separate ones but then they try their best to. Kind of speak in both languages. If there’s something that’s going on. That they think everybody is involved in. So very very friendly. And overall we’ve enjoyed this ship. Oh of course. Yeah we’ve had a great time. I mean if you’re on a cruise. And you’re not having a great time. That’s partially on you yeah. We say it all the time where if. Cruising is not for everybody. But sometimes you have to be able to pivot. And make adjustments and make your own fun. So have you sailed on the Diamond Princess. Or do you have any other questions. About things we may not have covered. Let us know in the comments. And if you enjoy this video. And want to see more travel content from us. Please this video. And subscribe to our channel on YouTube. But for now I’m Rachel. And I’m David and. We hope this video helps you find the right direction. For your next adventure bye.

Hop aboard the Diamond Princess with us as we tour one of Princess Cruises’ most unique ships! 🛳️✨

In this video, we’re giving you a full walkthrough of the ship’s public spaces, including dining venues, entertainment areas, lounges, pools, and more—plus our honest thoughts after sailing.

Whether you’re planning a cruise around Japan, Southeast Asia, or Australia, or just curious about this beautiful ship, we’re covering everything you need to know:
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🍽️ The dining options & food highlights (including what surprised us!)
😊 Our experience with the crew & service
🛥️ Ship vibes & layout (is it showing its age?)
🎯 Our final thoughts
🎥 Planning a cruise on Diamond Princess? Been onboard before?

Let us know your thoughts or questions in the comments — we love connecting with fellow cruisers! ⬇️

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Chapters:
0:00 Intro – Welcome Aboard the Diamond Princess
0:14 Overview of Our 10-Day Japan Cruise
0:33 Ship History & 2019 Renovation
1:01 Sky Deck – Sports Court & Skywalker’s Nightclub
1:26 Sanctuary & Oasis – Adult Lounges
2:00 Sun Deck – Izumi Japanese Bath Onsen
2:30 Lotus Spa, Salon & Fitness Center
3:00 Lido Deck – Neptune’s Pool, Pizza & Grill
3:40 Calypso Pool & Indoor Relaxation Area
4:00 Horizon Court Buffet – What’s Available
4:35 Tresca Ria Grill – Upscale Steakhouse
5:00 Outriggers Bar & Terrace Pool
5:20 Grand Plaza – Events, Games & Live Music
5:40 Promenade Loop – Views & Club Fusion
6:00 Wakeview Bar, Photo Desk & Gift Shops
6:25 Specialty Dining – Sabatini’s & Kai Sushi
6:45 Explorers Lounge & Crooners Bar
7:05 Princess Shops & Wheelhouse Bar
7:20 Princess Theater – Shows & Movies
7:40 Churchill Cigar Lounge & Grand Casino
8:05 Guest Services & Using the Princess App
8:30 Dining Rooms – Layout & Reservations
8:50 Good Spirits Bar, Internet & Cruise Planning
9:15 Library, Loyalty Desk & Fine Arts Gallery
9:30 Medical Center & Final Ship Spaces
9:45 Our Review – Size, Layout, and Vibe
10:30 Dining Quality – Japanese Menu Options
11:00 Lacking Late-Night Food – No Int’l Cafe
11:30 Internet Performance – Our Experience
12:00 Service & Staff – Friendly, but Mixed
12:40 Cruise Recap – Tips, Positives & Closing Thoughts
13:00 Subscribe & Comment – Let’s Connect!