Diamond Sept 2005

[Estelle]

Hello -

My husband and I are considering the Diamond for a 20th anniversary cruise in Sept 2005 - Rome to Venice itinerary. Everything I have seen and read about the Diamond and RSSC makes us eager to try but I have a few questions.

We are not concerned that this is a much smaller ship than any we have sailed on - looking for a completely different experience this time (and without our kids) but the Diamond is much older than we are used to having sailed on brand new ships before. Has anyone travelled on her recently to comment on wear, etc.

Also this is a very port heavy cruise (which we want). We have always had a balcony before (and I love them) but notice that the balcony cabins are smaller than standard outside - does that make a difference especially since we will be off the ship in port more than on other cruises. Trying to weigh the extra space against the balcony and make a reasonable decision.

Any other info anyone can provide on the Diamond or RSSC in Europe will be much appreciated - thanks !!

Mariner of the Seas April 2004
Celebrity Infinity September 2001
Disney Wonder June 2000

[RMS Olympic]

I will be very curious to read the reponses to your post. I was planning on sailing the Diamond for my birthday Sept 2005, but am now questioning it because of the cost. As a single, with the surcharge and air it will cost me about $6,000 for the min cabin.
For that price I can got back to the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti and still have enough money left over to do a week cruise on Princess (as a single). Is the Diamond really worth it?

[jhp]

Most of these questions could have many answers, depending on one's likes or dislikes. On my two cruises on the Diamond in January of this year as well as 2003, I have found the upkeep ongoing. I saw painters every day. New carpeting was installed this year in many of the public areas, and more was planned, according to the Staff Captain.

As for a sitting room v. balcony cabin, it just depends on what you want. Balcony is a requirement for me on a cruise, as I love being able to walk outside anytime, and the Diamond balconies are my favorite of all the RSSC ships. However, you do give up space inside. I live on the balcony for reading, for breakfast room service, and cocktails while we are sailing out of port. The Diamond balcony cabins are about the same size as those on the Paul Gauguin.

PG v Diamond in the Med? Just a personal decision between two entirely different itineraries!

My personal preference for the dining room and food on the Diamond may be a totally different one from another who has cruised both ships. I'm sure both of you will be happy whatever your decision!

Capt. Tom: editing to say that those Diamond September cruises are priced at 2 for 1. Were you planning a back-to-back when you gave that price?

[This message was edited by jhp on 04-25-04 at 12:33 PM.]

[dixiechick]

We are doing a back to back (Rome-Venice, Venice-Istanbul) this Sept. on the Diamond. We will let you know when we return.

[jhp]

Estelle: I heard earlier today about free air on some of the Voyager cruises this summer, and this includes all of them in September. For a balcony cabin on the Diamond, if you are purchasing your air through Radisson, it is actually more expensive to sail on the Diamond than the Voyager. The itineraries are in the Med, Greece and Turkey, and Black Sea.

[Estelle]

Thanks for your replies.

jhp - the free air is only announced for this summer so far - we are looking at 2005 and no free air announcements or promos exist yet. I also like the itinerary on the Diamond a little better in late Sept - really want to do Venice and Sorrento and both are on this cruise.

Still in the decision making phase (also considering doing a transatlantic back to US) so any input helps with the process.

Thanks again.

Mariner of the Seas April 2004
Celebrity Infinity September 2001
Disney Wonder June 2000

[jhp]

Estelle, I meant 2005 in my earlier post, but it is not very well publicized. If you go to the rssc website, and go to the individual cruises on the Voyager in September 2005 and click on "fares" you will see at the bottom that air is free.

[Estelle]

jhp -

Thanks - I actually did see that when I checked. Still prefer the Diamond's itinerary though for the week we are thinking of. I appreciate the help though http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Mariner of the Seas April 2004
Celebrity Infinity September 2001
Disney Wonder June 2000

[RMS Olympic]

jhp...free air in 2005? My TA spoke with radisson...the cruise was like $3,800 for the week plus the single surcharge that brought it up to @ $4500, and then the air fare was quoted at @$1600.
If airfare is included that is another story...but 6000 for a week without a balcony is not worth it to me.....we shall look into this further. Thanks for the response.

[jhp]

Capt. Tom, I have looked into these cruises for myself, since I may want to do one of them with my daughter, so will share what I have found. No free air for Diamond in Sept. 2005, they are 2 for 1. On the website, with air, non-balcony would be in the range of $4,200, single supplement included, with balcony $5,100 exclusive of port charges. All of the Voyager September cruises are with free air, and are priced at $5,200 with single supplement, exclusive of port charges, including single supp. of about $1,200. These, of course, are "list" prices for lowest standard and balcony cabins, and individual agents will go down from there. So if you prefer the Voyager, it is not really much more expensive then the Diamond if you want more dining venues, bigger cabin, etc. Look at the itineraries, and see what you prefer! Although it is expensive (for these cruises there is a 30% single supplement), it isn't quite as bad as your TA said, and that is the starting point, as one finds a TA who offers discounts. From my experience, 2 for 1 and free-air cruises usually aren't discounted as much as others, unless you negotiated a price without air and the free air came out later with an alternative of taking $1,000 off the fare. I got lucky for this summer for Europe on an 11 night cruise. Booked with my TA, and then came free air offer or $1K off. That $2K savings is already marked for future cruising!

[JillyDog]

Hi,

I have the perfect Med cruise for you! Fun people to hang out with, share private tours with, chat for 16 months about it with on the roll call board....sounds good, right? Well, it starts Aug 28th for 12 nights! I would be happy to tell you more. Just let me know!

Trish

[RMS Olympic]

Well I have booked the Sept. 10,2005 sailing on the Diamond......looking forward to Don Vitos that everyone speaks so highly of.
Since the ship is small where do most congregate in the evening...the forward lounge or "The Club"?
Does the pool bar stay open in the early evening while in the Med?
With the public rooms short on windows I am hoping I can spend evening topside taking in the warm evening air and having a night cap.

[cruiseluv]

Anybody has answer to Capt. Tom questions? I would like to know myself since I'm planning a Diamond Med cruise in summer 2005. I'm somewhat concerned about the lack of variety/# of public rooms.

[joannapvb]

The Diamond is beyond wonderful...on in sept 2003 for B2B med cruise loved it so much we went on Caribbean jan 20th - maybe we are easy to please but I have to tell you we had zero problems- food, people, ship, conditon of ship, just do it it is fantastic!! Joanna

[NHcruisers]

Everything which follows is highly subjective and represents only our opinions.

Our cruise on Diamond this January was the best cruise (and the most fun) we've ever been on. This was in large measure due to the 28 or so fun loving, interesting, and overall great fellow CC'ers on board for the famous (infamous DDD?) cruise on January 20th.

Having said this, every ship has its pros and cons. IMHO, here are Diamond's.

PROS:
- Ship is extremely well maintained
- Great service ...small size allows for more personalized service (best we've ever had)
- Excellent food (best we've ever had) probably due to ship's smaller pax count
- Beautiful dining room, perhaps the prettiest afloat
-Balconies offer the most privacy
CONS:
- Ship struck me as being "dark". This may be a function of its original concept, i.e., a convention ship, or the time when the ship was designed before the advent of "glass wall" ships.
-Smaller cabins and balcony cabins are relatively darker than you might expect as the balconies' openings are actually "cut into" the hull. This is the price you pay for greater privacy.
- Some public areas, e.g., the show lounge have "quirky" designs. This lounge is two decks high in the middle with one deck high ceilings in the "wings" which are on either side of the center section. The center section "works" very well while the wing sections don't.
- Pool area space is smallish and feels at times a little more crowded than on Mariner even given the greater number of pax on Mariner/Voyager.
- Consistent with carrying half the number of pax as Voyager/Mariner, there are fewer activities on board but more than enough as you can only be in one place at one time. Example: While Mariner may have six activities going on concurentlty, Diamond would have three or four.
- Also consistent with its smaller size, there are significantly fewer lounges for nighttime socializing. This was NOT a problem on our cruise since the CC group always met in (and closed) the Club. But we prefer greater variety in on-board watering holes.
- The casino is a long, narrow rectangle. When I was playing blackjack, I felt cramped and uncomfortable with only three or four feet between the back of my chair and the wall.

In summary, we had a great time on Diamond but are not certain how much we would have enjoyed the PHYSICAL ship on its own merits w/o all the wonderful CC people onboard. The food and service was slightly better on Diamond than on Mariner which was very, very good and above reproach.

It all depends on what's important to you.

Would we cruise Diamond again? Of course! But for 2005 we opted for the Med on Voyager (free air and discounted but not two for one) as opposed to the Diamond two for one.

Hope this helps!

Bill

[cruiseluv]

Bill and Joanna,

Thank You for your comments. You have given me something to think about! Do you remember if the bar by the pool remained open in the evening? Thanks,

Maria

[brownj]

Last year we made Athens/Istanbul with Diamond. We arrived in Athens a day early and were able to wander around the Plaka and have dinner at a scenic taverna that evening, spend the night, go on a city tour of Athens (including the Acropolis/Parthenon) that morning and then board the Windspirit after lunch. We had been told that was all we needed to do in order to see the best of Athens and I believe it. Some people on our cruise had spent more time there but they had used it as a base to travel to neighboring sites.

Some advice about the ports:

Mykonos: The tour to nearby Delos is worth it. Delos was revered by both the Greeks and the Romans as the birthplace of Apollo and served as a major trading port to several ancient civilizations. Wear sunscreen and a hat ---NO SHADE. The tour goes until lunchtime and you can either return to the ship for lunch or eat out. We had already decided to eat "local" whenever possible to get as much of the experience as possible (BTW the food on the ship is excellent). Afterwards, there is time to visit the shops or the beach; the ship doesn't sail until late.

Santorini: Because this route arrives here on Monday, the ruins at Akrotiri are closed. The only tour available takes you to the picturesque town of Ia (or Oia in some books). Visit the town on your own --- don't bother with the tour. This is one of the two big regrets of our cruise (the other was not staying longer in Istanbul). This tour took us to the highest point of the island, the Profitis Illas mountain, where you can see both sides of the island, which was not uninteresting but it was a big time-waster considering that the ship has to set sail at 4:30 pm in order to make Rhodes by the next morning (shortest port time on the cruise) By the time we arrived in Ia, we only had an hour and a half to see it. Another couple invited us to rent a taxi with them to go directly to Ia instead of the tour and we declined. Big mistake on our part; they had time to see the whole town and do some shopping as well.

Rhodes: We took the tour to the Acropolis at Lindos and enjoyed it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and from what I heard later had good advice about places to eat and shop in the town after the tour. Once on our own, we paid the admission so we could walk on the top of the walls around the old fortress (again, no shade, need good sunscreen and a hat) and visited the "Palace of the Grand Master" at the fortress -- probably the worst of the sites we visited because the pamplet and the signs explained little about the displays and the docents (if you could call them that) just said "I don't know" about everything we asked. Perhaps they didn't speak English but if so, they were among the few people we met who didn't.


BTW: We shared Rhodes and Bodrum with the passengers on the sister ship Windstar (the Istanbul-to-Athens route). We didn't have many opportunities to interact with them, but it was neat to see the two ships side-by-side in the ports.

Bodrum: The most relaxing and longest tour of the cruise. We hesitated taking this tour because it takes up the whole time the ship is in port and is the most expensive but it was worth it. We were broken up into groups of only 10 and taken to the port-side Museum of Underwater Archeology. Very few of the artifacts there are reproductions and span several centuries and civilizations. Then, we were escorted on board a small sailboat (called a "gullet") and taken to a quiet cove where we were invited to change into bathing suits and swim (water was a little too cold for me though) and sunbathe while the crew fixed us a wonderful lunch of local dishes. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and sunning on the gullet. We needed that after 3 days of sight-seeing. When we got back to the ship, we were entertained by a troup of local dancers along with a belly dancer in the ship's lounge and then it was time for the pooldeck BBQ. Tons of fun and great food and dancing under the stars. We also got the see the Windstar put up her sails and head to Santorini; good picture taking opportunity since you can't really get a good picture of the Windspirit with sails up. Many of us agreed that this was the best day of our trip.

Kusadasi & Ephesus: Before starting the cruise we booked a tour from a local company called ******* ( http://more.at/******* ) . We can't say enough great things about them and the tours they provided. Guide was waiting for us at the port, ready to begin our day. I requested that we try to avoid the ship's buses, and they did everything possible to make sure this occurred! It was a pleasure to enjoy the same places that the ship offered at our own pace, staying as long or as short as We wanted for a fraction of the cost! The fact that we were "alone" made it much more personalized.
On most of our tours, we had around 30 people and each and every one of them RAVED about the great time they had. It always seems there is usually someone who may have a concern or complaint, however this was not the case with *******. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We will most definitely use them on future cruises and from comments made from our group, I can assure you they will also!

The Sea Day: We needed this time off at this point. We were just about "ruin-ed out" and needed a break. We took the tour of the galley that the Chef offered and had massages in the beauty salon. The dinner that night included beef tenderloin and lamb chops --- both were excellent and we celebrated over a bottle of champagne our last evening on board with two other couples we had become fast friends with.


Istanbul: You will regret it as we did if you do not spend a couple of days here. We used ******* here too. I could not be happier with the service we received from guide, I have never had a more positive experience with any company of any kind -- EVER! I don't know what more I could say. We had to leave very early the next morning after our arrival so we only had time to see the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia and walk through a small part of the Grand Bazaar. That means we missed Topkapi Palace entirely (it takes 4-5 hours to tour properly) and several other places we wanted to see. This is definitely on our list of places we wish to re-visit one day.


I hope this helps. It was the trip of a lifetime for us and we have wonderful memories of the people we met and places we visited.