This was a great learning experience. We were on the Diamond Princess once before it was converted for the Japanese market. We fell in love with the onboard Japanese baths and encourage everyone to drop their inhibitions and try it. It definitely prepared us for our excursion to one of the hot springs in Japan. A few things we learned is that unfortunately we are not particularly fond of Japanese food and some of our favorite standbys had been removed from the menu.
We also learned that we prefer cruises where the ports are in multiple countries rather than basically one. The excursions were all similar -- Buddha's, shrines, temples, and aerial trams. But the tours were well done, just somewhat repetitious. And for people not particularly fond of Japanese food, the excursion lunches left a lot to be desired. We did appreciate the presentation in wood Bento boxes, just not so much what was in them.
Entertainment was superb! The Princess entertainers put on "Bravo" -- a beautiful and entertaining show we thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. All the shows were excellent, but this was exceptional. Quality of the shows has greatly improved and we appreciated it.
Standard mini-suite. Appreciated the larger balcony than what is on the newer Princess ships. The two flat screen TVs in the room were larger than they used to be. Room was very quiet and bed very comfortable.
Quick and easy embarkation.