Hi, “diamond Princess”, nice to meet you! The fifth time we were on the ship (before “holland America Lines”-2 times, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruises and now “Princess”.
Each ship has an individual character, not judging by captain’s crew and staff. By “character” I mean “the life style” and manner of cruising, style of decoration inside the ship, the behaviour of the staff and passengers, their interaction.
E.g. “the Carnival” was last year – a party ship, and you feel it by the type of people around who create the atmosphere. “Holland America Lines” ship is geared mostly to middle class, seniors, families with the grown-up children, in other words, more conservative.
The other ships are somewhere in the middle, they appeal to every taste. But all in all, each was a wonderful experience.
On the “Diamond” we made friends with the Lido deck staff. They were going out of the way to please, always courteous and helpful. As you see on the picture< Pedro, the dining room coordinator (boss), he seemed to be everywhere at once, making sure the service was up to par, he never missed a detail. One can see him sometimes at the counter, helping the kitchen people. So, he was well respected by all, including Fomin, a Japanese young lady, who always answered our questions about the Japanese culture. She loved her job and it showed, after the graduation of the Tokyo University in major “teacher”, she planned to continue to work on the ship. There are very many opportunities to be promoted on the ship.
The staircase which led from down to the upper floor was our render-vous for our family photos. The piano bar was always frequented by those who love this type of music.
The first two days we sailed at see, entertained ourselves in spas, saunas, swimming pools, Japanese hot springs etc. Lots of activities were organized for teen-agers and young adults. Gleb was very busy with his life on the ship. We were left to our own devices.
Watch: Evening scene : “DIAMOND PRINCESS” departure from Tokyo