Diamond Princess vs Grand Princess

The Princess Cruises Diamond Princess was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2019. It's 6 years newer than the Grand Princess, which was built in 1998 and renovated in 2025. Grand Princess was the largest and most expansive ship ever to be constructed when it debuted in 1998.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Diamond Princess is considered a medium ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 123 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 18-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess, the Diamond Princess is 8% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Princess Cruises Diamond Princess holds about the same number of passengers as the Grand Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Princess Cruises Diamond Princess holds about the same number of passengers as the Grand Princess.

When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Diamond Princess has more space per person compared to the Grand Princess. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Princess Cruises Diamond Princess	Princess Cruises Grand Princess
Class	Gem	Grand
Gross Tonnage	115,875	107,517
Length	952	949
Beam/Width	123	118
Passenger Decks	18	17
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,706	2,600
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	3,247	3,122
Crew	1,100	1,150
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.0	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	36	34

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Diamond Princess has twelve different dining options like World Fresh Marketplace, Crown Grill, and Sterling Steakhouse. Of those options, ten are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.

The Grand Princess has two fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are World Fresh Marketplace, Main Dining Room, and Slice. Eleven of these restaurants are complimentary and the other four have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Diamond Princess might be a better choice. It has 20% more dining options than the Grand Princess.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Princess Cruises Diamond Princess & Grand Princess

Restaurant	Princess Cruises Diamond Princess	Princess Cruises Grand Princess
Included
Burger & Hot Dog Grill	✓	✗
Coffee and Cones	✗	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓
Slice	✗	✓	Learn More
Swirls Ice Cream Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
The Salty Dog Grill	✗	✓	Learn More
World Fresh Marketplace	✓	✓	Learn More
A la carte
International Cafe	✗	✓	Learn More
Makoto Ocean	✓	✗	Learn More
Patisserie	✓	✗
Flat fee
Alfredo's Pizzeria	✗	✓	Learn More
Crown Grill	✓	✓	Learn More
Sabatini's	✓	✓	Learn More
Sterling Steakhouse	✓	✗	Learn More

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-Cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Diamond Princess	Grand Princess
General-access pools	2	4
Adults-only pools	2
Exclusive pools		1
General-access hot tubs	5	6
Adults-only hot tubs	2
Exclusive hot tubs	1	2

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Princess Cruises Diamond Princess has a total of 4 pools and 8 hot tubs. 1 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

Princess Cruises Grand Princess has more pools than the Diamond Princess and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Grand Princess. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? Two of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Diamond Princess.

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 78%

	Princess Cruises Diamond Princess	Princess Cruises Grand Princess
Adults-only area (additional fee)	✗	✓
Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Art Auctions	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✗
Japanese Bath	✓	✗
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Putting green	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✗
Sports Court	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Princess Cruises Diamond Princess will likely be more expensive than on Princess Cruises Grand Princess.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests may also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically, guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Princess Cruises ship.

	Princess Cruises
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	20%
Soda Price	$3.00
Domestic Beer Price	$8.00
Drink Package Price	$77 -$100
Internet Plan	$24.99 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.

Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.