Day 1 Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise - Oceanview Double with Balcony at Caribe Deck

Alaska Cruise . 2012 . Sep 15

After the turmoil and confusion of the past few hours, it was a great relief to step foot on the luxurious Diamond Princess cruise ship.

We booked our cabin in March 2012 and even with a 6 month lead time, there were not many balcony class cabins left to choose from. We liked Deck 10 (Caribe) and Deck 11 (Baja) for its privacy and distance from public amenities, but the mid-ship cabins that we were after were already taken up and it was with a little reluctance that we had to chose Cabin 223 on the Caribe Deck as it was the best choice amongst others.  Counting from the front of the ship, this was the eleventh cabin and at this location, the ship will be less stable, more rocky and does not sound well for a person like myself who is prone to seasickness.

Tip: Many seasoned cruisers book their cruises early, some even one year in advance. So passengers who are particular about the location of their cabins must book early to secure the cabin of their choice.  

We were pleasantly surprised to find our checked-in luggage waiting outside our cabin for us when we arrived – this was the very first instance of fantastic logistics management by Princess Cruises.  Our cabin was surprisingly spacious for a cruise ship. We had previously travelled on Royal Caribbean and Star Cruises and didn’t have a good impression on the size of the cabins, though to be honest, those were smaller ships to begin with.

Balcony Room Layout (Source: Princess Cruises website)

Balcony Room Photo (Source: Princess Cruises website)

Bathroom and Closet

The walk in closet was huge and could accommodate all 4 large pieces of luggage we had.  There were also sufficient hangers to hang the whole weeks’ worth of clothes.

Very spacious bathroom and shower facility.  This is in stark contrast to the some other balcony class cabin we had with a different cruise line, where we literally could scrub our backs on the walls in the shower.  

The Bed and others

Queen sized bed in the cabin was actually made up of two single-sized beds.  The only negative thing we could pick on was that the pillow was too soft for our liking, but of course, this was down to preferences. There is space beneath the bed for more luggages.

The Balcony

Voila! And here’s our balcony!

Despite our initial reservations about the cabin, it was not difficult to fall in love with the room once we were out on the balcony.

The balconies on our deck (Caribe Deck) has the advantage of being partially covered, meaning that the area from the cabin to about 4 ft out has a ceiling cover, and from that point onwards to the railing overlooking the sea is fully exposed with no cover.  This means that we have the luxury of sitting out under the sun, or if it rains (which happens very frequently in Alaska), to hide under the privacy of the ceiling cover.

In comparison, the balconies on the deck below us (Dolphin Deck) are fully exposed, meaning that everyone else above can see what these guys are doing on their balcony.

 All the other balconies on other decks above is are fully covered, so it means that those guys don’t get the option to sun-tan at all.

We have the best of both worlds with our partially covered balcony.  Best of all, balconies on the Caribe deck have double the space that similar rooms in other decks have.   In fact, our balcony size is comparable to those on the Dolphin Deck which are all mini suites, but we only pay the price of an Oceanview double with balcony. This is the reason why the exterior cabins on the Caribe Deck on the Diamond Princess are so popular and sought after.

Facts:
-    Caribe Deck (Deck 10), Cabin 223
-    Size: 237 – 307 square feet, including balcony
-    Facilities:  Queen sized bed, bathroom with shower, spacious walk in closet, safe, refrigerator,  television, desk, deck chairs and table at balcony

Coming up next:

Day 1 of Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise – First Lunch and Sail away from Vancouver

Follow @Discoverbooktra
Like us on Facebook!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To receive notifications on updates, subscribe to our blog via RSS feed and email.

Like us on Facebook @ Discover. Book . Travel and follow us on Twitter @Discoverbooktra!

Do check out our Flickr photos & Youtube videos too!