Diamond Princess
“Purpose-built for Asia — the only cruise ship with a genuine Japanese bathhouse at sea.”
Diamond Princess entered service in 2004 as a Gem-class variant of the Grand-class design, built wider than her sisters specifically to serve the Japanese market — and she remains one of the very few ships purpose-designed for a specific region rather than adapted to it. She's homeported in Yokohama for most of the year, sailing round-trip Japan, South Korea and wider Asia itineraries, with a winter season from Singapore covering Southeast Asia. At 115,875 gross tons and under 2,700 guests, she's smaller and more intimate than most modern Princess ships, with a loyal following among cruisers who value her destination focus and distinctive onboard culture over mega-ship scale.
Izumi Japanese Bath — the largest bathhouse at sea, an 818-square-metre traditional onsen with indoor and outdoor stone-and-timber bathing areas, steam rooms and ocean-view hot tubs, found on no other cruise ship in the world.
What’s Onboard
Dining
- ✓International Dining Room & Vivaldi Dining Room (complimentary)
- ✓Crown Grill steakhouse
- ✓Sabatini's Italian Trattoria
- ✓Makoto Ocean (Edomae-style sushi)
- ✓Santa Fe & Pacific Moon Dining Rooms
- ✓Horizon Court buffet
Pools & Recreation
- ✓Izumi Japanese Bath (onsen-style bathhouse)
- ✓Lotus Spa & Salon
- ✓Outdoor pool and hot tubs
- ✓Sports deck
- ✓Fitness centre
- ✓Walking track
Entertainment
- ✓Princess Theater production shows
- ✓Explorers Lounge
- ✓Movies Under the Stars
- ✓Casino
- ✓Enrichment lectures on Japanese culture and history
- ✓Karaoke and social dance classes
Cabins
- ✓Interior, Oceanview, Balcony & Suite categories
- ✓1,351 staterooms total
- ✓Mini-suites with extended balconies
- ✓Penthouse suites
- ✓Connecting staterooms for families
- ✓Wider Gem-class beam allows larger standard cabins
Family & Kids
- ✓Princess Pelicans youth programme (ages 3–7)
- ✓Shockwaves youth programme (ages 8–12)
- ✓Remix teen programme (ages 13–17)
- ✓Youth Centre with games, toys and crafts
- ✓Family staterooms
- ✓Movies Under the Stars family screenings
Video Tour
Diamond Princess Full Ship Tour 2023
- ✦Japan and Asia itinerary seekers
- ✦Cruisers wanting a genuine onsen bathhouse experience
- ✦Fans of smaller, more intimate ships
- ✦English-speaking travellers comfortable with a strong Japanese guest mix
Guests wanting the newest MedallionClass tech or mega-ship entertainment scale. Diamond Princess is an older, purpose-built ship whose onboard culture and signage reflect her large Japanese-speaking guest base, which not everyone finds equally comfortable.
7-night Japan & Asia from ~$700/pp (inside) to $2,200+/pp (suite)