A Flawed Diamond
Written: Jun 19 '03 (Updated Jun 21 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent service
Cons: Ship in need of overhaul, food only fair, questionable casino ethics
The Bottom Line: If you drink...are not as particular as we, take this ship. For the real fussy this may not be your cup of tea (or Scotch as the case may be)
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| jwb429's Full Review: Radisson Diamond |
They pulled the Diamond out of European Service and brought it to The Caribbean where we booked a 2-for-1 special June 7-18, 2003. The prices were good but the ship was less than 2/3 full. I could not believe I was reading about the same ship when I read other Epinion reviews. we have taken well over 100 cruises and this one was no where near the top despite the fact that it appears many people like it.
They allowed us to board a little early, but the cabins were not made up. It took a while until the luggage was delivered.
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises uses a logo which is a harp,looking very similar to Crystal Cruises 2 seahorses, but there the resemblance ends. The food, although good, is not superior. I saw baloney cold cuts for breakfast, baloney sandwiches for lunch and more baloney for tea. The food is plentiful and the desserts were excellent, but overall not first rate.The first night I had linguini with CANNED clam sauce. The beef was not prime, the hot food luke warm and the cold food often tepid, but the presentations were good and the dining room quite attractive.
Sometimes the service was haphazard, especially at the buffet breakfast. Coffee in the urns was often cold.
Since they did not have a full complement of passengers, I believe they cut their staff. Our waiter had 30 people, far too many to give white glove service, and a far cry, as I said, from the kind of service we are used to on Crystal or Silversea. Perhaps a boat this small is not for everybody.
Our cabin had a distinct diesel smell most of the cruise and the water was a muddy brown. Rust showed on the metal sills and you could see the ship was resting on its 1995 laurels when it was voted (by somebody) the best small ship around. Silverseas has better small ships.
On the plus side, even though our cabin stewardess and her assistant had about 35 or more cabins to service, they were prompt and efficient. The no tipping policy and one seating dining was a refreshing advantage over Crystal.
I also liked the fact that this cruise was "resort casual," meaning no tux or even a jacket if you didn't want it
The furniture was the most uncomfortable I have ever sat in. There was hardly a place to sit around the ship. No cozy spot around the ship and almost no covered deck space when it rained. We actually had rain while at St. Turk Island for the first time in 3 months! Even the deck chairs were awkward. They ought to force the furniture designer to sit in his chairs for a month! It was impossible to get in and out of the deck spa or the half size cabin bath tub. The swimming pool was just a small hole less than 4' deep and 10 foot wide to dunk in.
The ship was not originally built for passengers, but for corporate lease. The twin hull swath design LOOKS like it is very stable, but it is no more so than any other ship with stabilizers.
Lots of noises and creaking as befits a ship of this age. Leaks in the air-conditioning in one of the lounges which dripped water in you and many other "old age" problems.
I recall The Sea Goddess of 25 years ago with a similar suite arrangement. They had a small 13" TV, (same as the Sea Goddess) and a good selection of tapes and movies.
Booze was free and not being heavy drinkers, we watched many passengers slopping up the sauce from early morning to night. The stocked your in-cabin fridge with soft drinks and water, and all the bars on the ship served you free alcohol whenever you wanted it. The ports weren't much, but most people could care less. We have seen every one in The Caribbean many times.
I will say they were quite responsive. We had a couple of problems with the TV and the smells in our cabin, and while they didn't always fix everything, they were quite rapid in trying to help. Room service was exceptionally fast.
The casino personnel were less than professional, and I believe they actually removed some 10's and picture cards from the blackjack decks, which is a distinct disadvantage to the player (not to mention illegal.) They would neither show me the decks or let me count them when I asked. On a land based casino, a local casino commission would pull their license, but on the High Seas, no one regulates them. The slot machines were as very "tight," a is the case on all ships. Casinos Austria is a European outfit that runs casinos on a number of boats. I have never run into this kind of card manipulation before, and of course I cannot prove it, but I would love to hear what other players on this ship think.
There were a 2 computers for passenger use as well as a number of others for paid e-mail sending, but no internet access, which was a problem for me and several others who like to keep in touch with their stocks and other internet
information.
This was our first, and definitely our last trip on this ship.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
jwb429
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Member: Joseph Berlinger
Location: Lake Worth, Florida
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 3 members
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