Diamond Princess is a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. She began operation in March 2004 and primarily cruises in Asia during the summer and Australia in the winter season. She is a subclassed Grand Class ship, which is also known as a Gem Class ship. Diamond Princess and her sister ship, Sapphire Princess, are the widest subclass of Grand-class ships, as they have a 37.5 m (123 ft) beam while all other Grand Class ships have a beam of 36 m (118 ft). Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess were both built in Nagasaki, Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Construction

The ship's hull was originally christened Sapphire Princess. However, construction was delayed when fire swept through the original decks of Diamond Princess (presently sailing as Sapphire Princess) during construction. Because completion would be delayed for some time, her sister ship, which was also under construction, was changed to Diamond. The name swap helped to keep the delivery date of Diamond Princess on time. She was the first Princess Cruises ship to be built in a Japanese shipyard and lacks the "wing" or "spoiler" across the rear which can be seen on Caribbean Princess.

Machinery

The diesel-electric plant of Diamond Princess has four diesel generators and a gas turbine generator. The diesel generators are Wärtsilä 46 series common rail engines, two of the straight 9-cylinder configuration (9L46), and two of the straight 8-cylinder configuration (8L46). The 8- and 9-cylinder engines can produce approximately 8,500 kW (11,400 hp) and 9,500 kW (12,700 hp) of power respectively. These engines are fueled with heavy fuel oil (HFO or bunker c) and marine gas oil (MGO) depending on the local regulations regarding emissions, as MGO produces much lower emissions but is much more expensive. The gas turbine generator is a General Electric LM2500, producing a peak of 25,000 kW (34,000 hp) of power and being fueled by MGO. This generator is much more expensive to run than the diesel generators, and is used mostly in areas, such as Alaska, where the emissions regulations are strict. It is also used when top speed is required to make it to a port in a short time period. There are two propulsion electric motors which drive fixed-pitch propellers and six thrusters used during maneuvering; three bow and three stern. The propulsion electric motors (PEMs), are conventional synchronous motors made by Alstom Motors. The two motors are each rated to 20 MW and have a maximum speed of 154 rpm. (Rated speed of 0-145 rpm.)

Ports of call

Prior to 2014, Diamond Princess alternated sailing north and southbound voyages of the glacier cruises during the northern summer months. In the southern summer, she sails from Australia and New Zealand, and cruises around Asia. Since 2014, she sails Japan cruises from Yokohama for Tokyo or Kobe in the northern summer season.

During the 2016-17 season, she sailed roundtrip sailings in the northern winter months from Singapore replacing the Sapphire Princess. Kota Kinabalu was added as part of its destination along with Vietnamese port of Nha Trang in December 2016. Her Australia & New Zealand voyages from Sydney were replaced by the Emerald Princess, but she resumed these voyages for the 2017-18 season.