diamond princess cruise

john.xs

family are considering a cruise on diamond princess for 24 nts around china /bangkok region.
is there a best time to go?
what are peoples experiences of diamond princess?
any tips of who to book with
have seen a deal with cumbria cruises - any opinions on this alternative tour operators?
we are generally only land based for 3 nts at begining /end of cruise at china/bangkok visiting touristy places so willl we not require any jabs/vaccinations
any advice much appreciated!

hansi

We haven't yet been on Diamond Princess (we are boooked to sail on her in January to Hawaii) but we are booked on Sapphire Princess (which is identical) next week on the Far East cruise that you are considering. I think that Sept/Oct is the best time to go. We are seasoned cruisers with Princess and obviously like them a lot. We are also doing a 5 day land tour at the start of the holiday, but we keep our jabs up to date anyway. Bear in mind that your passport must have at least 6 months left on it and some blank pages for your Chinese visa whch costs around £60 each. When you come to get these, visit www.chinesevisadirect.co.uk. We found them excellent and very efficent. As far as booking is concerned, I research prices very carefully, as there are often hidden charges such as charges for paying by CC. Some charge premiums for deposits and balances, some only for balances. I always book through Cruise Saver Travel in Dorset (0500 295384 and ask for Sue). They will always try and get the best price, and they charge 1.5% CC on balances only, not on deposits. Let me know if you want any further info. Glad to assist.

john.xs

thanks for the reply hansi.we are still debating whether to go or not.we would need to take kids out of school and these days its getting harder due to ever increasing restrictions placed on us by supposedly democratic leadership.
forgot about the visa thing so we can factor that in.would be v interesting if you could give update on your return have a fun time!

getmore4less

Make sure you check the price of the cruise part of this packege via US the current pricings in the UK seem high but could be because the itieries have become popular. There are more ships this year so should help keep prices down. I saw one 2008 date the cruise only 16n was around £1100pp.

Flight to the far east can be cheaper than you think £300ish is possible some dates and accomodation/transfers are cheap so allthough it may look good valued DIY can save a shed load sometimes.