Diamond Princess Cruises To Adelaide Cruise Passenger

The Diamond Princess has cruised back to Australian waters, which is big news for her many local fans. The Japanese-built vessel stopped by Sydney Harbour on September 26th, marking the start of 2024-2025 wave season.

Cruise Passenger joined Diamond Princess on her 2-night coastal cruise from Sydney to Melbourne in time for the AFL Grand Final.

She arrived back in Australia after an impressive 22-day reposition voyage from Yokohama, Japan, to her new homeport in Melbourne, making various stops across Asia and the South Pacific on her way.

Our portion of the voyage was at capacity with around 2,706 guests and 1,100 crew from all around the world and, as the demand for luxe travel continues to grow in the Asia-Pacific region, Diamond Princess is poised to draw even more international guests to Australia and New Zealand.

What makes the Diamond Princess special

Refurbished in February 2023, the ship shines bright.

There’s genuine commitment to offering authentic experiences that reflect its Japanese heritage, thanks to a homeport in Yokohama.

A highlight of the cruise is their Izumi, the largest Japanese bath of its kind at sea. Modelled after traditional onsens, Diamond Princess’s Izumi offers both palatial indoor and outdoor bathing, including steam rooms, traditional saunas, and hot tubs with stunning ocean views.

The gentle lighting, soft robes and calm atmosphere really helps you understand the deep pleasure of this quintessentially Japanese pastime.

Men and women have separate facilities, with one outdoor hot tub available for everyone, which makes for a comfortable environment.

Diamond Princess also has a beautifully tiled, more western steam room facility in the Lotus spa, located on the Sun Deck, which also houses the ship’s fitness centre, aerobics studio, beauty salon, thermal suite and saunas.

Fab food and flights of fancy

Again staying faithful to the ship’s Japanese heritage, you can indulge in freshly prepared sashimi at Kai Sushi, the only bona fide sushi restaurant in the Princess fleet. Here, expert chefs craft fresh and delicate dishes right before you, making each meal a spectacle.

Another highlight is Sabatini’s, the Italian specialty restaurant that has earned its place as one of the “Best Cruise Ship Specialty Restaurants” according to USA Today. Diners can savour standout dishes like lobster ravioli and vitello tonnato, paired perfectly with Italian wines from various regions.

The entertainment options aboard the Diamond Princess are equally impressive, from trivia to fruit carving, lectures to live music.

This season features an exclusive production The Secret Silk, created by the acclaimed composer Stephen Schwartz, known world-wide for his work on Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin. The enchanting show brings mythical beings to life through a blend of puppetry, contemporary song and dance. The Secret Silk is Princess’s third time working with the Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer.

Adapting a Broadway calibre show to a cruise ship stage takes exceptional skill and you can see it at work here in everything from the weightless costumes to the careful choreography.

For a laid back afternoon, the sophisticated Atrium is where performers and musicians entertain guests as they slip into sunset hour. Make sure you get in early for a comfortable spot as the piazza is incredibly popular and people tend to settle in well into the evening.

Stateroom, Baja deck, Diamond Princess — *Our stateroom was on the Baja Deck*

First time cruiser’s seal of approval

The Princess Cruises’ MedallionClass extraordinary tech means you can easily find friends and family throughout the ship and we saw no less than two sets of parents tracking wayward children down this way.

The personal medallions – around the size of a ten cent piece – link up to screens by the elevator or your Princess Cruises app by way of sensors all over the ship and it means that your travel mate, or cheese platter order – can be brought to you wherever you are.

A first time cruiser, I was wildly confused then mighty impressed when my bartender greeted me by name as I went to order my first (delicious) spicy marg for the evening.

But this was just one of a few moments where the line’s meticulous attention to service shined. The entire experience was so seamless that when we saw whales, dolphins and even one curious little seal playing in the wake waves by the hull, I was convinced that they were somehow part of Diamond Princess’s itinerary – but that was probably just that second spicy marg talking.