Here we go again! I read on CC a couple weeks ago the our Istanbul Oct 1st Voyager had been taken off their web site. I contacted our TA and was told there is no official word yet. This will be the 3rd time Radisson has canceled us. They did compensate us very well and I would expect nothing less if they do this again. We already paid the required deposits in addition to the $3000 for busines upgrade. The Diamond has the same type of itinerery including Istanbul; but it is not the Voyager. I have read reports that the Diamond is only so-so and can't compare to the Voyager. I hope we find out soon about the cancelations (we have a back-to-back) and what they are offering so we can decide. I have looked into Oceania and they offer a very compariable itinerery and very reasonable. Have any of you sailed Oceania before? <img border="0" alt="[Hammer]" title="" src="graemlins/hammer.gif" />

Claudia loves Oceania. I think she's going on a S. America cruise early next year.

Judy, I don't think I would call the Diamond so-so. I might say the size of the cabins and the age of the ship are so-so but the rest of the experience is fantastic. If I could choose the PG or the Diamond for the same itinerary, I would take the Diamond in a heartbeat.

The dining room, in my opinion is the best of the fleet. I like the lounges better as they seem more intimate to me and the staff is just wonderful.

I do feel bad for you being cancelled 3 times in a row!! Please let us know what you decide to do. You can always sail on 007 with us :)

Oh no. I am so sorry to hear this. Didn't this just happen to another LCT member for a different cruise a few days ago?

We haven't sailed Voyager yet - booked for BRAVO, actually. (Assuming they don't cancel that one as well.)

I will say that we enjoyed Diamond very much but both of us felt that we could not have stayed on Diamond, in the stateroom category we had, for more than the one week. If I were to do the back-to-back on Diamond, I think I'd consider upgrading beyond the standard balcony suite. We felt cramped after Navigator. That's just us, though. Everyone feels differently. On the other hand, it's a really wonderful feel on that ship. More like a private yacht than a cruise ship.

Todd and I have also been looking into Oceania. I've read a number of Claudia's posts and she absolutely raves about it. Maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to give them a try. I've read really good reviews about the penthouses on their ships. (I think you'll end up going to at least that level to get the amount of space you would have had on Voyager.) I've also read about some real problem rooms on their ships, so you'll definitely want to get in touch with Claudia and ask for opinions. In addition to their cruise-critic site, they have another group over on yahoo where they share info.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Kathy

Judy, While we liked the Voyager better than the Diamond, we felt that the Radisson experience was the same on the Diamond as on the Voyager.

The rooms were, of course, not as nice as the Voyager, but few are. They were nice though. I was unhappy with the 7th floor front rooms and would not take a room here. I also think that there were maintenance problems with rooms on that floor.

I would choose a balcony suite on the 9th floor in the center or rear of the ship and not in the front near the anchor. I agree that the dining room is superb (food and ambience) and the service levels are VERY high: maybe the best that I have experienced on any of the ships.

The showroom was also lovely, but small, so shows were more scaled down. Since it is smaller, everything is scaled down. However, the ship is very elegant.

Is the Diamond cheaper than the Voyager? If so, perhaps you can take your compensation and apply it to the Diamond. Captain Neil is delightful and you should have a nice time. We did.

If it screws up your back to back, I understand your frustration. However, remember my main complaint was TIME OF YEAR. I was told that October is the rainy season and we found much begins to close on the Greek Isles at this time of year and the weather is iffy. Perhaps you can take a September cruise?

Not to be hypocritical...we booked a cruise next November and chose the Voyager (we could have chosen the Diamond). The costs were $1000 less for a non-balcony on the Diamond for the week, but we would have had to travel San Juan to San Juan and we prefer going in and out of Florida. By the time you upgraded to a balcony and figured the additional airfare for San Juan vs Fla and San Juan hotel costs, it was cheaper to do the Voyager.

I think I had better so in and look at the Oct 15th on the Diamond. Istanbul is one of my major resaons for picking this itinary - plus the added bonus of Priscilla & John.
I spent 20 days on the Diamond doing a crossing and loved every minute. Maybe it helps that I have a room all to myself but didn't heard any of the couples complaining about being on too long in a small space. Probably because we were all having such a good time. That many days it becomes like a family.
Just looked. The Diamond cruise on the 15th still lists Istanbul as the port of embarkation.

I didn't think the room was too small. As a Voyager lover, you miss the walk in closet and the enormous bathroom. That is the key difference. In fact, we rarely used the balcony because of the weather. If you have a non-balcony room, the rooms are almost the same size as the Mariner.

I liked the feel of the Diamond better than the Paul Gauguin and the basic rooms were much nicer on the Diamond.

You have to remember that the Diamond is a 12 year old ship and it is like an older and mini-Voyager. It was incredibly stable though and this is a real plus.

A few years ago we toured the Diamond when it was parked (do you say 'parked' for ships?) next to the Voyager. We were able to see one of the bigger suites, and frankly I was very disappointed. Did I miss something? It was rather unluxurious and was not really a step up from the standard suites. Too bad, cause as everyone has stated, the Diamond is exceptional except for the small size of the suites.

I personally love the Diamond but as others have said, the suites are definitely downsized compared to the Voyager and there aren't the dining options like on the other larger RSSC ships. Joanna and Tony were on a 2 week B2B on the Diamond, absolutely loved it and were not ready to get off. It does have the best dining room IMO, and wonderful service & staff.

Judy,

I really feel for your situation. This is not the first time your much anticipated cruise has been canceled.

I'd like to offer some of our findings on the Diamond, if I may.

We loved the crew, for the most part, and with a few exceptions. The service was outstanding. Capt. Neil is a charming man and always accessible. He makes you feel like a valued guest in his home, rather than just a passenger on a cruise ship. We really appreciated that. The Grand Dining Room was excellent. I agree that this dining room surpassed both the Voyager and Navigator. We did not find our suite, which was the lowest sitting category, deck 7, to be cramped. There is no question that the suite is smaller and offers some storage "challenges," but nothing we couldn't deal with. We would not have had a problem staying on the Diamond for a B2B. The small, intimate atmosphere of the Diamond can go either way. If you want privacy, you have it, as the ship does not carry the amount of guests both the Voyager and Navigator carry. If you want to mingle, there is more ease in doing so on this vessel, due to her size.

We did have some issues with the Diamond. We experienced a tremendous amount of vibration throughout the ship and in our suite; unlike the Voyager and Navigator, where the vibrations are in more confined areas. There was a drainage problem in our suite (as well as others suites). Several public areas had very dank and musty smells. The Diamond does show signs of wear. The receptions were more down-scaled (not as lavish as what we experienced on Voyager/Navigator). No laundry facilities (which we knew about prior to booking. Just want to point this out in weighing pros and cons). Laundry services became costly for us. Very limited dining choices (we also knew this going in - However, Grand Dining Room and Don Vito's were wonderful, serving excellent cuisine! We would do Don Vito's once, though. Been there, done that).

In regard to both statements made about the vibration and plumbing issues - I did discuss this with a Sr. crew member. I was told that our particular cruise was particularly challenging for the Diamond. To not compromise this individual, I will leave her/his statement at just that.

The Diamond did withstand very, very rough waters on our journey to Mykonos. Capt. Neil was unsure of whether we would dock at this port or bypass it completely (which the Voyager had to do). Despite "rocking and rolling" all night, the Diamond made it! A real positive for the Diamond!


Would we book the Diamond again? Yes, if there was a great itinerary and deal. We found our cruise to be enjoyable and we still experienced Radisson staff (for the most part) to be impeccible. But, to be totally fair and honest, the Diamond does not have the polish that Voyager and Navigator have (I can only speak for those two ships, as they were the only ones we've sailed on). I do suggest trying Diamond for yourself, if you've not done so, and formulate your own opinion.

It's like comparing apples and oranges. Depends on my mood to determine which one I'd choose at the time. Both taste great!

I fully agree with all the additional comments that Denise nicely summed up.

Just one comment about the odors that I smelled...never in the suites. It was a gassy smell as you entered the ship and through areas on the 7th floor. I don't remember odors on other floors. I attributed this to the plumbing issues in the lower areas of the ship.

As far as the vibrations...similar to what we experienced on the Voyager but never on the Mariner. The Mariner is the smoothest sailing ship, but I don't like the bathrooms or the configuration of the room as well as the Voyager.

I agree. Never an odor in the suites. However, not only did we smell gassy odors, we did smell sewage/musty odors, which were attributed to the plumbing/drainage issues we experienced.

Maybe we smelled that too? I remember floors 4-7 were awful in sections, but don't remember it anywhere else. Denise, did you smell it on floors 8 and 9?

We were on the 8th floor for two weeks, end of Aug, first of Sept and never noticed odors anywhere on the ship! We were in a sitting room and it felt very roomy to us; we had previously sailed on the PG. I'm sure the newer, larger ships are more luxurious but we enjoy the more intimate environment of the small ones and can overlook a few scrapes and scratches that occur over time.

We were on a back to back on the Diamond in September for 2 weeks and loved it! We didn't feel cramped and had plenty of room for all of our 2 weeks worth of clothing and souvenirs. Never once did I notice any smells on any floors except when we first boarded and attributed that to anticeptics used to wash down handrails, door knobs, etc. I'm not really that sensitive to smells like others, but I sure didn't notice anything annoying. We were in cabin 707 (front) and yes you can very distinctly and loudly hear the anchor. It really didn't bother us though, just thought it was part of sailing and the ship is small and does have to anchor in most med. ports. We laughed about it with people also near the front. But if you are not early risers, you may want to consider this in selecting the locations of your cabin. Personally we very much enjoyed being upfront, didn't consider the anchor that big of deal, and would do it again in a heartbeat. We loved our 2 weeks on the Diamond and would be happy to do it all over again!
By the way, the weather during our Sept. cruise was absolutely perfect.

The issues I cited, above - i.e. odors, plumbing and vibrations, may have very well have been isolated to our sailing. As I stated, a Sr. crew member had told me that our sailing was troublesome for the Diamond.

As far as overall physical condition, we were not bothered by some wear and tear.

Our overall experience was satisfactory, despite the problems we had.

For what it's worth, our sailing also had plumbing and odor issues, but it was the sailing just before the one Andi and Denise were on. It seemed to be mainly the seventh floor area on the even side (we were 724.) We did have a slight odor in the room on occasion, but opening the balcony door for a few minutes got rid of it.

During our sea day just before disembarking, a pipe burst on the seventh floor (just next to the elevator). That may have been why Andi and Denise experienced more problems.

One thing to keep in mind on Diamond is that the balcony space reduces the space in the room. Coming off of Navigator, I missed the extra space. (But remember, we had the magical 601 on Navigator and had more space than usual.)

Have to agree with the other posters. Try Diamond for yourself. Everyone falls in love with a particular RSSC ship. For many, Diamond is THE ship.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Kathy

Kathy,

Just a correction, please. We were on the sailing prior to yours - Oct. 4-11. The plumbing problems took place on the 7th deck, even side, while we were on-board. We were in 751, so we did not experience any odors, just drainage problems under the sink. The drainage problems began from the 1st day of our cruise and, despite my notifying the appropriate crew members that it was in need of repair, the drainage problem persisted.

Thanks!

Your comments stirred my memory re:
Aug/Sept Baltic trip on Voyager. When
we exited the elevator, we smelled in
in the hallways. It was an odor...reminiscent
of bathroom sewage. But we didn't smell
it in our cabin. In fairness, we have had
'whiffs' of a similar smell on a Crystal
cruise but were told that they were having
a specific problem on that cruise.

Well, looking at the Radisson web site; the Diamond won't be an issue either since those dates too, are missing. What is going on here? Can they take 2 ships out of service for 3 weeks at the same time? Wonder who is charting these?
Yes, Sept would be a good month to go. I know the weather is wonderful then. Oceania (penthouse) may be our choice for next year if Radisson doesn't come through. Maybe we will hear one way or the other this coming week. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and comments.

Judy,

I can't even come close to imagining how disappointed you must be. I would think that the third cancellation would be worthy of a letter to RSSC. I think a few extra credits should be in order, if not a free cruise. I think that if there are people booked that they should not charter out the ship. Dry-Dock I understand.

Judy and John, It may be a blessing in disguise. September is a wonderful month for the trip.

Yikes, sorry Denise. I don't know what I was thinking when I posted. (I did know you were BEFORE not after us.) Not enough sleep lately, I guess.

Judy and John, if you end up on Oceania, I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think. As I mentioned before, I'd like to try them as well. (Hope to try all the interesting lines, actually.)

Kathy

Judy and John,
Yes, we love Oceania. Actually, love the ships ( we used to take Renaissance all the time -because the small ships- so have been on them alot ). They have been made even more gorgeous since Oceania bought them. As far as the line have been on them twice since they started last year and going to South America in Feb. They do have excellent itineraries and wonderful food. What more do you need? lol. They have 3 speciality restaurants( no additional charge)- like Radisson , and a main dining room. An eat when and with whom you choose dining policy.. so again the same.
None of that pre arranged by ship dinner friends
( unless you choose them . They have a more relaxed dress code .. no formal nights but that doesn't mean that people don't dress up- they do.. just no ball gowns and tuxes, men can choose to wear sports coat & ties to dinner or not. They call it country club casual - I would say that means what you'd wear to dinner any other night ( other than a formal night on Radisson).. so no difference there.
On Oceania, the prices have been really great too with many cruises getting two for one ( like Radisson ) and free air thrown in or if you want to get your own air you can take their air credit on some itinys so that is good. It is not all inclusive as Radisson , wine and gratuities thrown in, but I think if you compare the penthouse suite on O with R for 14 day itinerary you will be paying so much more on R so suppose it all works out.
I haven't been on the Diamond so can't help you with that comparison, but have been on Mariner and loved it. I think this ship would be a great comparison to that or Navigator and one for you to try if they have the itiny that you want to do. We loved Istanbul so I know how you feel about missing that port. By the way,
you do get butler service with all cabins penthouse and above and the penthouse rooms are really spacious. They just announced some really interesting ports for next summer ( only other ship going to places like that Tunisa, Libya) is Silversea. Interesting.
Well if you have q's about the ship just ask.

Thanks Claudia and Everyone. By the way, Happy Halloween! I went back on Radisson web site and now the Diamond is back on for those dates but the Voyager is marked "charter" for 4 weeks in a row. If Radisson's offering is good enough then we will try the Diamond; otherwise, it will be Oceania PH. The photos of Oceania look realy beautiful. Working in an ER; I am used to smells but wouldn't really appreciate it on my cruise! Our first Istanbul cruise was booked through Renaissance and they went out of business a month after we booked. Then we booked on Orient a year or two later; they sold the Crown Odyssey to NCL and that cruise to Istanbul was canceled. Then we booked Radisson for last year to Istanbul and they canceled beause of a state dept. warning which I think still is in place. We rebooked starting in Athens and then the Voyager went into dry dock. So we tried agin for 2005 and now this. Maybe we aren't supposed to see Istanbul? <img border="0" alt="[Hammer]" title="" src="graemlins/hammer.gif" /> Anyway, we did the Baltics this year on Radisson and it ws truely wonderful. If anyone can; book the Moscow 4 night pre-cruise. It is someplace that you will never forget and we would like to go back and see more one day. Fabulous!!!

Judy,

I hope we can do the Baltics again and take your advice about Moscow, and would love to be with you and Denise next year, but we're saving for ROAR.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. If you have any questions about the Diamond, give a shout!