Princess Cruises announced its 2019 program which features Japanese-built Diamond Princess. The ship is returning for her 6th season, sailing roundtrips from homeports Yokohama-Tokyo and Kobe-Osaka.
2019 March-November cruise season features 60 departures on a total of 40 unique itineraries, calling at 41 destinations in 7 countries, more cruise ports than ever before. New offerings include access to eleven UNESCO World Heritage sites and 9 late-night port calls.
Deployment highlights include maiden visits of Diamond Princess to Himeji, Gamagori, Niigata, Matsuyama, Miyako and Takamatsu; 9 departures during the Spring Flowers season, visiting top spring flowers and cherry blossom sites throughout Japan; 7 departures offering access to some of the well known summer festivals in Japan, such as Aomori Nebuta Festival, Akita Kanto Festival and Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival.
3 of the voyages include viewing of Kumano Grand Fireworks Festival visible from the decks of Diamond Princess, a display of more than 10,000 fireworks.