Hello all! Boarded yesterday in San Juan - very rainy. High winds and seas are causing switch in itinerary - visiting St. Martin today...and St. Bart's on Tuesday. The ship was rocking and reeling last night! Didn't bother me - just difficult walking (especilaly after that nice Chilean wine at dinner). Mark, my friend Tom and I were the only ones at the blackjack table. I was down to one $5 chip...and ended up with $150!!!!! Saw Kenny Smiles at the dinner table next to ours last night. Stopped to say hello. He's doing 3 shows this week. Dinner was WONDERFUL! Mussels in white wine and garlic sauce...Tuscan navy bean soup...and simple - but marvelous sirloin steak with onion rings and mushroom cup...dessert was warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. YUM!!!! We're just about to dock in St. Martin - still windy - but sun is out. Hooray! Will write more later.

bobbi, great update..have fun..r/wes

Thanks for posting, Bobbi.

Hope you have smoothe sailing ahead. Enjoy.

Ahoy Bobbi!! Woo hoo on the blackjack winnings! I am glad it quit raining and I hope the rest of the trip is smooth sailing. I am looking forward to your next report.

Sounds like fun, have a great cruise.

Glad you are having such a good time. Congratulations on your winnings!

Happy to hear you are having a great time! Hope the winds calm down for you.....

Claudia

Bobbi,

Congrats on winning at blackjack. So glad to hear you are having a good time. Thanks for posting. Wishing you calm seas for the rest of your cruise. Enjoy!!!!

Betty

Bobbi - hope the weather improves. I think the rain's settling in here. Glad to hear you're having a great time (and are a few bucks ahead from the blackjack table) :app: Cheers, Anne

Bobbi,

Have you seen Kenny Smiles before? If not, you are in for a treat! We saw him last year in Alaska on the Mariner and could not stop laughing.

Have fun!

Ginny

We just had Kenny Smiles on the "MINT"
Very enjoyable.

Yes, and Kenny was on the Navigator in New England too. Saw him in Alaska on the Mariner as well.

Agree with the reviews of Kenny Smiles - very funny entertainer. I hope the weather cooperates for the rest of your cruise. Enjoy and check in when you can!

Bobbi -

Thanks for checking in. Your dinner sounds so much more appetizing than mine was. (And you didn't even have to cook it.) You're not missing a thing here at home, believe me. This morning, the wind was so bad in downtown Philly that my umbrella blew inside out 6 times!

Enjoy every minute! Isn't the staff on Diamond amazing? Is Capt Neil still there? We thought he was terrific.

Kathy

Hi Bobbi:

Thanks for the seamail. Hope you have a wonderful day in St. Martin!

Sounds like you are having wonderful time on a wonderful ship - Joanna

Quick check-in as computers are v-e--ry slow. Big computer problems on board. COuldn't use the computers at security checkpoints. And tour desk lost ALL reservations. Everyone has to contact them again! Nice surprise in St. Martin when we docked (got to love that Captain Neil!) we pulled up alongside Navigator! Nice to see her again.
Yes - we've seen Kenny before on Navigator. Looking forward to seeing him again.
Big differences between Diamond and Navigator or Mariner - smaller...older...showing some wear and tear. Service wonderful, as always. (and food). Don't like the bathtubs or the bathrooms. DH can't take a shower without soaking our roll of TP. Miss those walk-in closets. And the bath towels are way, way too thin. I thought they were always thick and plushy. Did I remember that wrong? Will write more later. Ciao!

bobbi, nice to hear you are having a good time! Sitting at those computers on the Diamond in the Caribbean was like watching grass grow, they were so slow.

Please have some eggs benedict for me!

Thanks for posting, Bobbi. $150 bucks ain't bad at all! Ditto on the eggs bennie...

I would be THRILLED to win that much money, as I am a "miserly" gambler, and will never allow myself to go more than $40 a day in the hole! I watched Todd bet just a few coins and he knew when to "walk" away after he won pretty big. I think on Leg #2 on a "sea day" I am going to get a deck of cards and ask Marcie to teach me how to play whatever poker game it is that she has mastered. Nice to have friends with expertise!

Speaking of Kenny Smiles, the morning we were disembarking MINT, he was in the C. Club (cigar bar that is hard to spell) and told me he would not be doing any of the legs on the WC. I was surprised and disappointed, as I think he is so funny. I wonder why they didn't book him, since one would imagine that they need to vary the entertainment with so many full WC'ers aboard. Oops, I have strayed away from the subject of this thread. Sorry. Bobbi, enjoy Kenny once again, and I hope you and Mark enjoy the rest of your Diamond cruise!
I have always tended to overlook the little things on the Diamond that are not up to the physical standards of the bigger ships, the bathrooms,(awful 3/4 tub, shower curtain that swirls around and envelopes you because the water pressure is good, a bit of shop-worn soft coverings, not so many dining venues, etc.) But I am so sorry to see it go because I LOVE the service on this ship, and the dining room is drop dead gorgeous in my view, and a nice change from the CR restaurant

deleted b/c of double post

Bobbi, tell your DH to keep adjusting the shower curtain. You'll eventually find a position which works. :)

By the third or fourth day of our trip, Todd and I had finally gotten to the point where the water from our shower actually stayed in the tub rather than all over the bathroom. It sure is a challenge though.

Have a great rest of the trip!

Kathy

I have always tended to overlook the little things on the Diamond that are not up to the physical standards of the bigger ships, the bathrooms,(awful 3/4 tub, shower curtain that swirls around and envelopes you because the water pressure is good, a bit of shop-worn soft coverings, not so many dining venues, etc.) But I am so sorry to see it go because I LOVE the service on this ship, and the dining room is drop dead gorgeous in my view, and a nice change from the CR restaurant

OLIVIA - COULD NOT AGREE MORE!!! She is not perfect but oh so sweet - Joanna

Ditto to the above!

Olivia, dont worry about straying off the thread. This is all still cruise talk and positive talk about somebody on the ships as well!!!

Perhaps Kenny is not on the World Cruise as most of the passengers have sailed RSSC so many times they have seen him many times before. Just a thought. He is always funny though and each show is different. He really is quite a "shy" person, he jokes about that in his skits but if you do get to know him he has a shy quality about him. This is quite an endearing trait because it is so different from his stage personality.

Big oops from me: our captain is Jeremy Kingston. (who spent quite a bit of time chatting wtih us after we docked in Antigua. Tonite is formal night - we have been invited to dine at the Staff Captain's table. Very much looking forwrd to that as we have also chatted wtih him. Love the crew on this ship - everyone bends over backwards to help. (Example: I lost my license and a credit card in St. Martin. They immediately got in touch with the ship's agent who was going to drive to the restaurant this morning to check. Advised me to cancel the card - which I did with the help of the concierge who was able to track down Visa - and Bank One/Marriot Rewards to cancel for me. (No big deal as I have another, different card wtih me.) Today, we posed a more difficult challenge for the concierge: try to find us somewhere in St. Lucia tomorrow where we can see the Eagles playoff game! Don't know if she'll be successful, but she was more than willing to try.
That's what I love best about RSSC.

Separate note to Sue: we were OVERWHELMED by your thoughtful and certainly unneccessary (BUT VERY WELCOME!!!!) gift. We will be toasting you all day from the pool today.
General FYI - everyone on the crew we have spoken with seems very certain they will be staying on with RSSC. The headwaitress (yes, a woman!) lead us to believe that two new ships have been ordered. Don't know if that's true. But wouldn't that be nice!

Bobbi, You are lucky to be sailing with Captain Jeremy, he is a wonderful Captain. I sure hope that both he and Captain Neil stay with Radisson after the Diamond is gone.

Is the Diamond actually gone? I thought it was still under advisement....

Bobbi, what is the atmosphere or discussion amongst the crew about this?

Sedona - they definitely feel it is sold. No "possibly sold"...just sold.But they are all fairly secure that they will be staying with RSSC. So that's a good thing. The crew and staff are wonderful. Formal night was two nights ago. We dined with Magnus - the staff captain. What a delightful young (only mid 30s) man he is (sorry ladies, he is married with a son back in Sweden!)He insisted we order our wine from the premium list. (Oh how I fought him on that!) Okay...not really. Anyway, he asked me to choose, and I was very reserved. I chose the Brunello di Montalcino...one of my all time favorites. He ordered two bottles, of course. And only 4 of us drank the red! Dinner was wonderful - I had the lobster. My DH had the fois gras and the cavier! Our friends had the beef wellington - which probably looked as great as it tasted. the rest of the meal was a blur (thanks to the Brunello). Last night was Don Vitos. What fun! We couldnt even attempt to eat the main course after all the other courses! Saw Kenny Smiles last night - the audience loved him. Today we are in Domenica. We are making this our "day at sea" because4 we don't have one. I have scheduled the hot stone massage for 10 am. Can't wait. (After several days on this ship, I really need to relax more!!!)
Seven Seas party tonight.(With what I am sure is another wonderful meal to follow.) I cannot get enough of the fresh mango each morning. Big question: who will cut my fruit up for me when I go home?

Bobbi, I'm enjoying your posts. Keep them coming!

bobbi, kudos for the wonderful posts, feel like
I'm there sipping the Montalcino along with u..r/wes

Bobbi - So glad to hear you're having a wonderful time! I'm glad my good wishes made it on to the ship - I had some doubts. Thanks to Karen for her assistance as well. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and check back in if you get a chance!

Wow, Kenny Smiles AND some $$$ to boot....

sounds like a great cruise!!

YOur posts are charming...keep them coming. They brighten up a dreary day at work....I'd rather be cruising. Vicariously isn't quite as much fun,but better than nothing!

Bobbi, Here we are almost as far apart from each other as we could be but I love reading about your trip!! Kenny Smiles is a hoot...we've seen him twice. He really loves to pick on Lawrence and I got part of it on MINT....lesson: don't sit it the first few rows!

Enjoy you Diamond cruise!!

Marcie - yes - we know NOT to sit in the first few rows. But how much fun to watch the people who haven't seen him before. He has a new CD out - my DH bought it because he loves his voice so much!
To everyone: 7 days is too short. I am more convinced of that then ever. I have wonderful memories of my trip...but what most suprirses me is how when I first step onboard an RSSC that is new to me, I tend to make comparisons to the other RSSC ships I've been on. Usually I notice the negatives....but within a few days, the new ship has developed a distinct personality that makes me love it as much as any other ship. Examples of "memory highlights": the open bridge...hearing the captain and staff captain happily discussing what kind of ice cream they were goingo to get from the ice cream bar that afternoon. (FYI: Captain Jeremy loves the "rummy raisin")...the many, many gracious "good mornings" or "good evenings" from any/all staff who passed us in the hall. Cora - the wine steward - who knew that our friend Tom liked his Johnny Walker at dinner each night. And who happily scared up a bottle or two of the Chateauneuf de Pape on a night I wasn't thrilled about the red wine that was offered. The captain - standing at the gangplank door to shake hands with each and every one of us as we disembarked.
Was everything perfect on our cruise? No, of course not.
But the positives so outweighed the negatives. FYI - this was the first cruise EVER for our friends. They are hooked...already asking us to look into cruises for 2006.
This biggest downer about being home? No one to cut up my mango each morning. I miss my mango!!!!

Bobbi, welcome home!

Glad you enjoyed the Diamond. What cruise did you book next? I think there is still room on PiP in May. :D

Hi Bobbi:

We loved your posts from the ship, it was fun cruising (virtually) with you !

Re-entry is hard...but you'll have the Eagles to cheer on this weekend.

From your lips margo......
FYI - everyone in our office (downtown Philly) is wearing green today. There is a big pep rally going on in Love Plaza now. And we have about 1 foot of snow coming tomorrow = perfect conditions for our birdies!