Visitors to Skywalkers-the line's trademark disco/lounge- enjoy this ship's stepped-up version of the club with a wide balcony that affords views over the aft end of the vessel. Additional entertainment venues include a large theater for evening productions and a high-tech Club Fusion show lounge, which boasts forty two video screens and a spiral staircase, leading to the bar below. In the atrium, passengers find shops, two bars, an art gallery and a library. The other amenities contain a twenty nine station Internet cafe, a wedding chapel and Asian-themed Lotus Spa.
No matter where the ship sails, you can "play" courses from all over the world on the ship's two golf simulators or putt on Diamond Princess's own nine holes. Children and teens have their own recreation area that has a splash pool. Multiple dining rooms, Fabio's Trattoria, a hamburger grill, a poolside pizzeria, an ice cream bar, plus a 24-hour buffet/bistro and a room service provide 'round the clock meals and snacks. When the Diamond Princess Ship was launched in winter 2004, everybody was impressed.
On a return visit, you may be even more impressed. The Diamond debuted as the Princess fleet biggest and the first cruise ship, built in Japan more than a decade ago. This is one of the favorite ships in the Princess fleet and here are some of the reasons why:
Personal Choice Dining. There is one main dining room, featuring set seating at 5:45 and 8 p.m. for those, who like a traditional service; in response to demand, the Princess has recently expanded to include the Vivaldi restaurant (for the first seating only). For those, who want more flexibility, there are four intimate, themed venues, where you can dine for free any time between 5:30 and 10 p.m. Club Fusion is all about high tech with big high definition TV screens, a state-of-the-art sound system and a decent dance floor, and it really redefines the concept of secondary show lounge. It is also a perfect venue for games, shows and a redefined talent show, called Princess Idol.
There are a large number of cabins with balconies, seven hundred and forty eight. Even though some of the balconies are not exactly private (mini-suites on Dolphin Deck are totally exposed; cabins on Caribe Deck are partially exposed), they provide a wonderful space for stargazing, smooching, intimate outdoor meals and smoking. A number of quite well-known decorators, builders and artists were involved into the creation process of the luxurious Diamond Princess design and they really did their part best. We are even fond of the atrium on this vessel, a proud focal point, including Art Nouveau glass-and-brass designs on the atrium elevators. The ship's shops are located on two decks and the atrium also boasts bars, consisting of the ship's martini bar, as well as the purser's desk. At only three decks the space feels like an upscale Parisian shopping arcade.
The dining rooms and a variety of lounges disperse the crowds and make you feel like you are on a much smaller ship. There are times the Diamond Princess Ship feels big, particularly at night, when you find yourself at the wrong end of the hallway from your cabin.
The Diamond Princess Ship, with its four pools, plus a kiddie splash pool, an extensive children's center and cutting edge entertainment and programs, is particularly well suited to families and that is probably the reason why you can see a good number of multigenerational groups onboard: grandparents, traveling with their kids and the grandkids. Nevertheless, couples will find much to like on this vessel as well, comprising the fact that the restaurants have a decent number of tables for two.
Onboard this ship it is all about the choice, including an option to have no choice. When you book your cruise, you pick either Personal Choice Dining or traditional dining (and you can even change your mind, when you get there). With the traditional dining setup, you eat in the International Dining Room at the same table and the same time nightly with the same assigned tablemates.
Once you get onboard the Diamond Princess Ship, you can utterly relax and be absolutely sure that it is going to be the best holiday you have ever had.