Hi, just wondering if anyone has ever been in room D208 on the diamond princess. I haven't been on a cruise since 1982 so this is a very exciting venture. I believe that the balconies on dolphin deck are not covered at all. is this correct and is it a problem?

Hello dpage, and welcome to Cruise-Chat;

I have not been in cabin D208 but I have been in several other balcony cabins on Dolphin Deck. It is true that the balconies on Dolphin Deck are completely uncovered but we have never found this to be a problem. Other passengers have always been very respectful of our privacy.

But if privacy is an issure for you, you might consider the mini-suites aft on Emerald Deck. We just tried one and loved it. It is completely covered. You have complete privacy; but the trade-off is you get very little direct sun, which, on a cruise in a warm climate is not such a bad idea; there are plenty of places on deck to get sun.

If this is your first cruise since 1982 you are in for some wonderful surprises; cruising has changed greatly since then.

Have a great trip; and we are here if you have any other questions about cruising in general or Diamond Princess in particular.

Rick

I think those Dolphin Deck minis are simply a good and bad thing. The good is the cabins which have a nice sitting area and offer a nice size cabin for the price. The downside is the balconies, which, yes, are totally uncovered and in can be fully viewed by those in the higher balconies on A and C decks (B deck balconies would have their view partially blocked by C deck balconies). Probably the biggest complaint about the D deck balconies is that you get no shelter from the sun or rain. Since we love using the balconies we tend to book the cheaper Caribe deck cabins (these are normal size cabins...not minis) which actually have a larger balcony than those on D deck and offer half covered/half uncovered advantages. So, if you want the larger cabin than Dolphin Deck is great. If you want a larger balcony than you can take the smaller cabin on Caribe. Of course the best of both worlds would be the few minis on the Emerald Deck (mentioned in the previous post) which are usually quickly booked by those in the know.

Hank

Hank

You can say that again, Hank; I just tried to get one at the very back of Emerald Deck with the extended balcony for a Hawaii cruise in April, 2010--they're already gone on the date I wanted.

I'm taking your advise and getting one on Caribe Deck. Privacy has never been an issure with us, but that direct sun can be brutal.

Rick