Radisson Diamond vs. Silver Shadow vs. Wind Surf (11/04)

Our cruises so far have been at the upper end of the mass market lines: Celebrity and Holland America. For our vacation this November we’re considering moving up the scale to one of three cruises: Radisson Diamond 5 days from San Juan 11/17; Wind Surf 7 days Nice to Barcelona 11/7; and Silver Shadow 6 days from Barbados 11/8. Obviously these are three very different itineraries; but they all should produce a more intimate and luxurious experience than on our four prior cruises.

We’re posting this on the boards for Radisson, Silversea and Windstar. CC members, you usually have strong views. Which ship is likely to produce the best experience, and for what reasons? Thanks.

[This message was edited by Joanandjoe on 05-07-04 at 10:56 AM.]

J&J Haven't done Diamond but have the other 2. The food and service on all three should about the same, excellent! No balconys on WS if that's a factor. If cost is a consideration, on WS add in booze and port charges. On Dia 1/2 booze and port charges. SS is all inclusive. Your TA should be able to give per person per day cost W/air since all 3 are of different length. If you dont mind playing "dress up' I'd choose SS. We have had wonderful cruises on both the Shadow & Wind. Reason being, the time of the year. Weather can be a little "iffy" in the Med in Nov and I'd save the WS experience for a warmer climate to take full advantage of the watersports platform. Both SS and Dia. are fairly small and luxurious but they are still "cruise ships". WS a different experience. Not much entertianment but there nothing like the "rush" you feel when they "pipe up" the music and raise the sails. It should not be missed. Hope this helps. Have a great cruise.

We have been on Windstar (but not Windsurf)5 times, most recently last November from Rome to Barcelona and also Silver Shadow. You can't go wrong with either ship. Silver Shadow will be much more formal. A dark suit is a minimum and a tux would be more preferable. On Windsurf you do not even need a sport coat. Food and service are great on both ships. The other question is itinerary. We loved doing the Mediterranean in November because the crowds were at a minimum. It was a little cool and we had rain once or twice, but it was still a lot of fun. If you are looking for water sports, then of course the Caribbean would be your choice.

Multiple Windstar cruises, one Radisson Diamond.

We took the Diamond for a birthday trip when Windstar wasn't available; loved the balcony, didn't care too much for the experience otherwise. Sailing (with SAILS) is really wonderful.

We wouldn't go on any cruise that required dressing up. Windstar is luxury without pretense (who wants to wear sequins on vacation, anyway?)

As you may have noticed, we ended up booking back-to-back cruises on Windstar's Wind Surf: 11/7/04 Nice to Barcelona and 11/14/07 Barcelona to Lisbon.

If you have any Windstar cruises booked, don't forget to log in on the "when are you sailing on Windstar" thread.

Left similar note elsewhere, but group considering the Lisbon to Barcelona cruise in Sept 2005...your detailed thoughts on your decision would be very helpful

Zamost, our logic won't help you, but here it is. We couldn't book anything when we first did our posting because Joe's Dad was very ill, and we couldn't make any commitments. Eventually, we booked a 10 day Caribbean cruise on the HAL Volendam, with the intention of canceling if the situation was still up in the air by the time we had to make our final deposit.

Joe's Dad died in late July, while the Volendam cruise was still cancelable. By that time, we had canceled 10 days worth of vacation, so had to find a way to use vacation time by year end or lose it. The Silver Shadow and Radisson cruises were too short, and were sold out for the lower ends of the cost range. That left it a choice between HAL and Wind Surf; and we couldn't resist the great Wind Surf itinerary on back to back cruises.

For a group, I'd choose based on cost, itinerary, and the type of cruise experience you want.

Thanks joanandjoe. I am leaning toward the WindSurf trip because of the itinerary and the dates. As the organizer of a group of maybe 14, one can never be blamed for too nice a ship, and I just don't have a good sense of the quality level of this ship and the cruise line. There just aren't any recent reviews of the WindSurf that I can find.

Our prior group trip was on the Radisson Mariner and we were spoiled.

Your trip sounds great. 14 days...wonderful

Sounds great, Zamost. From what I've read, the Windstar ships are less luxurious than the Mariner, with rooms less than 2/3 the size of the Radisson Mariner suites. Also, Radisson is closer to being all inclusive. On the other hand, the Windstar experience is supposed to be unique, and we can't wait to try it.

MY wife and I went on the Spirit Barcelona to Lisbon run. This was our third cruse on the Windstar series. Two on Wind Spirit and one on Wind Star. As far as we were concerned, we love the Windstar cruise line. It is the only one we will take. On this cruise, the ports were great. We took a couple of the shore excursions which were also wonderful. As can be seen elsewhere, the shore excursions can be hit or miss. But I am sure that the same can be said for any cruise line.

We love the service on the Spirit type ships. With only 148 passengers, the crew gets to know your name and preferences very rapidly. For example, after the second night, when we went to the lounge for the briefing on the next days port, the waiter would automatically come and ask if I would like a glass of white wine. After the 4th night, the waiter just got me the glass of wine when he saw we were in the lounge.

One great aspect of the Windstar line is the informality of the ship. Getting "dressed up" for dinner was to put on long pants and a polo type shirt. No ties, coats etc. I don't have to wear a tie at work so why would I want to wear one on vacation!

The key is for the traveller to decide what they enjoy. If they like getting dressed up and more formality then the Radisson may the line to go on. But if you want the "casual elegance" then I believe Windstar is the line to be on.

Zamost, you left us hanging last month. What did you choose? Will your group be with us on the Wind Surf 11/7 and 11/14?

Our group of 14 will be meeting in three weeks to make the final decision on our cruise for August or September 2005. Would be interested in any and all comments, and I recognize the options are quite varied by itinerary, cost, ship, and the inability to always please everyone. Here goes:

1) Windsurf Sept 2005, Lisbon to Morocco to Barcelona or reverse cruise. This is the way I am leaning, but I still don't have a sense of the luxury of the WindSurf after its remodel. I like the itinerary, but several have expressed concern about the lack of balcony, portholes only, less options of dining areas, minimal casino, risk of seasickness on smaller ship. I need the most feedback on this cruise and ship as this would be the "riskiest" choice.

2) Radisson Diamond August 2005, Istanbul to Istanbul thru the Black Sea. This would be a new itinerary for all, but some question as to the overall interest of the ports. Great pricing of a two for one, but this may be moot as that date in August may conflict with several couples' plans.

3) Radisson Diamond last week in August thru Labor Day 2005, Athens to Kusadasi to Greek Isles to Venice, also a two for one pricing. Everyone seems to like this one, but one couple just did a Greek Island cruise, so we'll see how the negotiations go.

4) Fallback choice if noone can agree. Radisson Navigator September 2005, New York to Montreal or reverse cruise. Pricing is good, two for one deals, but for me, if I have 1-2 weeks off from work, and spend the money on a cruise, I'd like to go somewhere far. I can always drive thru that area and see the leaves change if I want.

So, there you have it. Curious as to others' thoughts.

We'll be back from our Wind Surf Barcelona to Lisbon cruise on 11/23. There's another cruise on the samre itinerary, but a smaller Windstar ship, on 11/6. We'll be happy to give you our impressions after we get home.

Next scheduled cruise after our b-to-b Nice-Barcelona and Barcelona-Lisbon Wind Surf cruises is the Radisson Navigator, 9/16/05, Montreal to NYC. Zamost, you must have the same tastes we have. If your group of 14 chooses the 9/16 Navigator cruise, link up with us and our TA. With 16 people, you'll get a free cruise on most lines.

Our meeting is 11/21, a few days before you get back. Your input will be most appreciated, but if you could skip the last days of the cruise and get back earlier, that would be more convenient for us.

Have a nice trip. I assume you have heard/read enough positive reviews of the WindSurf to have made the decision to go. I will be trying to convince the group that despite the porthole, and limited restaurants, and no craps table, this would be a great itinerary.

Enjoy.

Our meeting is 11/21, a few days before you get back. Your input will be most appreciated, but if you could skip the last days of the cruise and get back earlier, that would be more convenient for us.

 

Have a nice trip. I assume you have heard/read enough positive reviews of the WindSurf to have made the decision to go. I will be trying to convince the group that despite the porthole, and limited restaurants, and no craps table, this would be a great itinerary.

 

Enjoy.

Having sailed on all three lines, Wind Surf would be my choice, especially if you like the itinerary better and you factor in the cost differential between Silver Seas and Windstar cruise fees.

We've already booked another Wind Surf cruise for June 2005 (our 26th Windstar).

Have fun.

Bill

You've traveled 26 times on the WindStar cruise line! Did they name a part of the ship after you? Are you an owner?

Group met to decide between WindSurf Lisbon to Barcelona and Radisson Diamond Athens to Venice. Many were concerned about the smaller rooms on the WindSurf, concern about ship motion, when compared to the very favorable reviews one finds about the Diamond.

Your thoughts have given me room for reconsideration.

We are now struggling with the Windstar versus RSSC decision too. When I was originally looking at Istanbul-Athens cruises, I was able to book Radisson Diamond for much less than the Windstar sailings were running. So that decided it.

Now Windstar has some specials that drop their price to a bit below our August Diamond sailing. I'm worried that the weather will be too hot in August. The June Istanbul-Athens Diamond cruise only had the most expensive cabins available so that is out. I'm looking at the Wind Spirit May 28 cruise which is one of their signature cruises. The itineraries are pretty close.

Better weather outlook versus larger cabins and a bit more luxury - I'm having a hard time deciding. We like the Windstar resort casual, but the Diamond only has one formal night so that isn't much different.

We're still too jet lagged to write a full review after our back to back Med. cruises on the Wind Surf; but, in short, we loved it. Yes, the rooms were relatively small, but they were laid out. Except for having to pay for wine (or mostly, in our case, a corkage fee), we had a wondefrul feeling of luxury. The itinerary was great, we had no rain, and the Mediterranean sun gave everything a yellow glow.

We hit a bit of mistral winds, up to over 55 knots. No ship is completely stable in such winds, but the Wind Surf was not too bad. All in all, we'd recommend it.

We've signed up for the Radisson Navigator Canada/New England cruise next September on a two for one, so (if all goes as planned) we'll have a good comparison of the two lines. I suspect that they're both grat; but the sensation of being under sail is wondeful beyond words.

Looks like those of you who chose Windstar over Radisson Diamond were smart!!!Just found out from our travel agent that the Diamond fall 2005 cruises are all cancelled so we have changed to Windsurf Rome to Malta. Still-what a nightmare!!!i will stick with Windstar from now on...

From prior posts of a few months ago, we were deciding between WindSurf and Diamond, and picked the Diamond for our group of 14. Now that Diamond has been cancelled, we are back looking at WindStar cruise line again. Given that probably a few thousand people were bumped off Diamond, probably the alternative cruises will fill up pretty quickly or at least the lower price cabins will go fast.

Would love to hear positive reviews of this line again, either the Lisbon to Barcelona itinerary or the Greek Isles.

Thanks

Zamost, you know where we stand: we loved the Wind Surf. Grab it quickly. If you want something exotic, grab either the Paul Gauguin to Tahiti or Radisson's Pacific cruises. As you point out, the unexpected cancellation of the Diamond cruises puts a big strain on other lines with small ships, and spaces will go fast (while prices will go up). We're glad we signed up for the 9/16 Radisson Navigator Montreal to NYC while it was still a 2 for 1.

Have you considered Silversea, Seabourne, or Sea Dream? Pricey, but great itineraries.

Why did the Diamond cruises cancel?

As you'll see in great detail if you look on the Radisson board, the ship was leased to Radisson through 2006, with an escape clause for the owner. Radisson booked cruises through the end of 2005. The owner used the escape clause and sold the ship to Hong Kong investors who will convert the Diamond into a gambling ship. Radisson was unsuccessful in getting the new owner to postpone taking over the ship, which will be transferred after a 5/28 cruise that ends in Athens. All cruises after that were cancelled.

The short version. If you want to know more, you can look at the post on the RSSC board. Diamond was leased by RSSC, not owned. The lease allowed cancellation if the owner sold the ship. The ship was sold in December with the new owner taking delivery in June.

RSSC tried to negotiate to keep the ship through the end of 2005 and told some people who called to ask that that was going to happen. In the end, they were unable to come to an agreement with the new owner. All the Diamond cruises in the second half of 2005 were cancelled.

Many of the Med cruises that were cancelled were pretty close to full so that leaves a lot of passengers looking for a replacement. There is no RSSC ship in the Med except for a few Western Med cruises toward the end of the season.

Some passengers are pretty steamed about the situation. Some feel RSSC tried hard to make it right and it is wasn't in its control. I'm more toward the latter but I had booked Wind Star as a contingency plan.

We've already been on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti, a fantastic trip as others have attested. The other cruise lines mentioned are a bit pricey, especially when you are trying to accomodate many different people.

Your comments on WindSurf have been noted and certainly have enhanced its standing as a choice.

My guess is that our group cruise will disappear and we will all decide as individuals.