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Hello all, just got back from a marvellous trip to Japan, ten nights on the Diamond and 6 in Kyoto/Tokyo. I have never written a full review before so please bear with me! There were two of us, myself [64] and my DW [62], our 3rd Princess cruise [my 13th overall] and second in the last two years, the previous one being the Sky in the Carribbean. Overview Overall, we had a fantastic trip, enjoying the ship and the ports [with one glaring exception, more of which anon] and would certainly sail the Diamond again if the itinerary was attractive. Passenger Mix We were told it was 65% Japanese on the boat with a smattering of Brits, Americans and a fairly large contingent of Aussies – the demographic was elderly but we had no issue with that and the few children were kept well entertained/hidden! What great travelling companions the Japanese were – they threw themselves into every activity, were polite, kind and engaging – no drunkenness or rowdiness and very appreciative of their fellow passengers, staff and entertainers. Ship Yes, she’s older and showing her age in places [which of us isn’t?] but we enjoyed being onboard and her more ‘classic’ decoration. I particularly liked the fact that the lounges were all proper rooms, rather than in some more modern boats where they seem to just be narrow pieces off a central corridor. We were told that the sailing wasn’t full and there seemed to be plenty of space to play games, attend activities, have a pre-dinner [or, in the case of an American couple we met, pre-breakfast] cocktail. There was also always a place to sit and read quietly, even if it meant schlepping up to Skywalkers which always seemed to be empty – great place by the way even if I would re-purpose it for the demographic the ship now serves. Cabin We had an ocean-view cabin on Emerald Deck, plenty of space in a twin configuration – yes, it is dated and the air conditioning had a mind of it’s own but we liked it and slept soundly. However – we had requested it as a Queen bed, both online and with our TA. When we boarded and went to the room we asked both the steward and room supervisor to change it and nothing happened – not wanting to stress the first day of our holiday, we left it and it was fine as a twin. Our steward seemed to be labouring under a secret sorrow all cruise, we had more smiles and communication with stewards of neighbouring rooms than from him – in addition, when unpacking we found not only old Patters in the drawers but also belongings that previous guests had left, including clothes [also, there were odd things in the bathroom obviously left by previous inmates and bits of the room obviously hadn’t been dusted in a while]. It seemed that there was to be a change around of staff at the end of this cruise so maybe he was off home but this is basic stuff! Food It’s a smaller ship and so that restricted the buffet somewhat with limited choices but we always found something nice to eat – we both thought their lunchtime curry offerings were excellent and were aware that they had to cater to Japanese tastes as well as everyone else. The real problem with the buffet was space with them having to set up the Brazilian pop-up in the evening and there being a crush on sea days – this was exacerbated by various card schools deciding that they would stay in the buffet all afternoon on sea days [too cold to go out, too far to Skywalkers, too smoky in Churchills, too dark in the Wheelhouse Bar]. Overall, the buffet was good to good +. We ate in the MDR 6 out of 10 nights and found it fine – a wide range of quality but the atmosphere was nice and the staff very attentive. One gripe would be the limited drink selections – we found drinks we liked at certain bars but were told they weren’t available in the MDR [we had the Plus package] and on most nights it was their execrable chardonnay, cab-sav or some kind of rose. They ran out of the dessert wine [we were told] 3 days out of Yokohama. The real blot on the dining report card were the two pop-up restaurants which were just rank – if we had paid extra for them it would have meant piracy on the high seas was alive and well. O’Malley’s – average burgers, worse than average stew and dull desserts. As our dining companion said before he walked out ‘what do you expect from an Irish menu invented by an American, brought together by someone from the Balkans and cooked by someone from the Indian sub-continent’. He had a point – hanging up two Irish flags in a MDR does not mean you get a Hibernian experience. The Brazilian steakhouse – suffice to say, the advertised menu has obviously been on Wegovy and has shrunk considerably. One starter [a very nice lobster bisque], some fatty pork and beef and chicken thighs. We both liked the salad bar better than the meat but that’s a personal thing, I accept. Entertainers The entertainment staff were great, wonderfully chaotic at times [the musical bingo where every player had the same bingo card and all won was hilarious – they changed the cards and the same thing happened]. As a young team trying to cope with a much older crowd, we thought they handled everything well – we learned Japanese dancing, the cha-cha, the waltz and some singing. In addition the enrichment lectures were quite good although having a Mexican cultural attaché tell the Japanese about their own history was entertainment in itself. The music was ok, not great and not bad. The multi instrumentalist from Australia was great as were the Japanese folk group. The reality tv show runner up started well and then declined badly when he changed the words of New York State of Mind to Sydney State of Mind – we exited stage left at that point. One interesting incident was that there had been an earthquake and associated aftershocks in the north of Japan whilst we were heading there and understandably folk were concerned. In the Wheelhouse bar on evening, the Irish guitarist [otherwise very good] took time out to berate his audience for looking at their phones during his set – I know an elderly couple made a complaint about this. Ports All great except Jeju which was OK [it rained heavily so that had an impact. Nagasaki was stunning, we went to the Glover Gardens first and then to the Peace Park and missed most of the crowds, Hokodate allowed us to see the cherry blossom in full bloom and we also saw some in Hirosaki Castle. The port with absolutely nothing going for it was Muroran - a big industrial town with little to see or do [trains to Sapporo took 90 mins each way] and we berthed a fair way outside the town. Free shuttle busses were advertised but these took you 400 meters to where a 2000 yen local bus took you the 30 minutes into the centre. A local told us they didn’t get many cruise ships anymore and it was difficult to take issue with her – a waste of time and money, not just my view, most passengers didn’t even leave the ship! Embarkation/Disembarkation We were on within 45 minutes of arriving at the terminal and walked off at the end of the cruise. Very easy – well done Princess and the Port of Yokohama. Hope you find this useful/interesting, happy to answer any questions about the ship and/or itinerary.
We enjoyed our Diamond Princess Japan cruise in March 2026. The stateroom was compact but well designed, with plenty of hanging space. But the bathroom! The shower is VERY “compact”, with a plastic shower curtain, making showering something of a challenge. Even the taps in the shower were temperamental. I think this was the weakest part of the Princess offering. We were happy with the dining. Our experience on this cruise was that there was always a good range of dishes offered and the quality without fail met our expectations. We opted for “any time” dining each evening, and rarely had to wait more than a few minutes for a table. There seemed to be very few specialty dining time slots available on the app once the cruise departed, but we didn’t follow up to try and get a booking. We also found the Horizon Court buffet and pizza and burger bars satisfactory. The drink service was always attentive, although we had a couple of glitches when drinks we had ordered didn’t turn up (but these were always rectified when we followed up). Princess does live entertainment very well, and while the theatre shows were all good, the three featuring the full band and dancers were especially good (no wonder the theatre was packed for these performances). There are numerous other activities all around the ship, so there’s literally something for everyone. Since this cruise caters for a Japanese clientele, there were some productions that were geared to this audience. The other passengers were from a wide range of countries. There were a lot of North Americans and Australians, but many other countries were represented although fewer Japanese than I had expected. We had little reason to use the Guest services counter but noticed there was always a queue there! Check in and disembarkation at Yokohama: both very efficient. But bear in mind that even if you board early, rooms aren’t available until after 1 pm, and you may well be waiting for your luggage: ours wasn’t delivered until after we had departed port. The “medallion” is a great idea, but on our trip, it wasn’t used to its full potential. It functions as a door key and as ID when leaving and re-boarding at ports, but I was surprised that it wasn’t asked for when ordering drinks or entering restaurants. On these occasions, our details were always manually entered on hand held devices carried by the crew. No doubt these devices will be upgraded in good time to enable medallions to be “tapped”. Ports: Kagoshima – there’s not much to see close to the port and it’s a walk of nearly 2 km to the tram stop which takes you downtown. I didn’t go downtown so can’t comment on what there was to see there. Nagasaki – The tram stop is close to the wharf, and takes you (with one change) to the Peace Park. In theory, you can “tap” your contactless card on the tram, but this only worked once for me. The Glover Gardens are very close to the wharf and are an easy walk (although uphill). They’re well worth seeing. Busan – there was a paid shuttle into the BIFF area, although we were somewhat underwhelmed by this area. In hindsight it would have been better to explore further afield on the metro, which involves a 15-20 minute walk from the wharf to the main Busan station (very modern, with lots of facilities). Hiroshima - there was a free shuttle to the tram terminus, although there’s a slightly closer tram stop closer to the wharf which, in hindsight, is within walking distance. Theres a tram that takes you to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the adjacent vibrant downtown area – both well worth seeing. Hiroshima was the port of re-entering Japan after calling at Busan in South Korea, and all passengers were required to re-complete Japanese immigration formalities, which are a little complex, and were supposed to be completed by mid-morning. Hence, there were significant queues for most if not all the time, which would need to be factored in if booking a private tour. Aburatsu (for Miyzaki). There seemed to be little alternative to the cruise line’s excursions, although the local town is within walking distance or by a paid shuttle. Kochi - The wharf in an industrial zone, with nothing remotely within walking distance. There’s a paid shuttle into the bus terminal in town (nearly 9 kms, it turns out, through 3 tunnels). On arrival, the very helpful and cheerful locals directed me to on the walking route to the castle. This was a little less than a kilometre, but mostly via a covered shopping mall (a closed off street) and so was sheltered fron the rain. The walk was worthwhile, with some interesting shops. Entry to the castle grounds was free, and although there were a lot of steps (and some gravel paths) to negotiate to get to the castle itself, the grounds are picturesque. There’s a charge to enter the castle itself, which contains a museum. Tokushima - Again there’s nothing in the vicinity of the port, but there was a free shuttle, provided by port, not by Princess. The enthusiastic locals were very helpful, but note the shuttle bus does a loop which, for me, got lost in the translation. The first stop is the JR station (Minami-Komatsushima), where you can catch the train to downtown Tokoshima. This was an interesting 20 minute trip in itself, and there are several sights around the town whuch is quite a busy city,. I found my way to the foot of the ropeway. Gondolas aren’t my thing, but others seemed to like the ride, Shimizu - Shimizu is where the tours to Mt Fuji leave from, but we weren't interested in these. There was a free shuttle provided into town, but the queue was quite long and there didn't seem anything of particular note to persuade us to make the trip. On the other hand, close to the wharf was an extensive shopping plaza catering to both locals and tourists - and including several shops selling locally made craft items, which we found interesting.
We really enjoyed our cruise in Japan . The ship is a bit older so it shows in certain areas, cabin washrooms in particular. Overall, it was very positive experience. The staff were wonderful throughout. We only ate at the complimentary dining . Most of our dinners were excellent with more than enough choice, one or two meals were just ok. Entertainment in the main theatre was really quite good except for maybe 2 shows. The house band , Mockingbird played the standard classics people wanted to hear or dance to. Other musical performers were ok , Classical and jazz musicians were quite good , the others not so much. This is a busy agenda , 8 ports of call so lots to see and do with minimal sea days. While most the ports were worth seeing , Tokushima has very limited options for tourists, and is hard to get to from the port despite a free shuttle service by the local community. ( Princess does not offer a shuttle but rather a Tour on your own bus for $130 US , definitely not worth it. )
Offering a broad range of suites and mini-suites, Diamond Princess provides generously sized staterooms and balconies to fit any budget. Ranging from 162-777 square feet in size, each stateroom is the perfect place to unwind. Your steward will take care of everything you need from refreshing your room every day to turning down the bed in the evening. We offer the deluxe amenities you'd expect from a first-class hotel — from 24-hour room service to chocolates on your pillow at night.
Indulge your appetite whenever you wish on board Princess®. Every hour, our chefs are busy baking, grilling and sautéing great-tasting fare from scratch. Princess offers unparalleled inclusive dining options throughout the ship with a wide range of culinary delights to suit any palate, from endless buffet choice to gourmet pizza, frosty treats, decadent desserts and much more.
Speciality Dining
Dining on board a Princess® cruise ship is a joyful celebration and our speciality restaurants always deliver an extraordinary experience. They are among the best at sea – or anywhere. We serve dishes made with the freshest ingredients, and our menus reflect regional flavours from around the world. You'll find our speciailty restaurants are the perfect place to celebrate any occasion.
When is a cruise an opportunity to enrich? When it's a Princess cruise. This ship offers area lectures, art exhibits and classes taught by local experts.
To say the night-life on-board is entertaining is an understatement. Illuminating the stage in captivating productions, Princess Cruises performers are some of the most talented musicians, singers and dancers at sea. Our Princess Signature Shows, lounge performers, movies and casinos are just some of the entertainment our guests enjoy as they escape completely.
The many activities on-board our ships are designed to stimulate, educate, entertain, inspire and sweat - not necessarily in that order. But, guests can be sure crew onboard will do their best to cover all the bases. From art auctions to The Sanctuary Spa, this ship is loaded with fun things to do.
Passengers ages 3 to 17 will enjoy many exciting on-board activities. The Youth Centres and Teen Lounges are staffed by experienced counsellors, who are ready to ensure the youngest cruisers stay happy all day long. There’s everything from art projects, game tables, the latest movies, pizza parties, talent shows, video games, and much more.
Children under the age of 3 are welcome to visit the Youth Centre, if accompanied and supervised by a parent at all times.
