Diamond Final Crossing

[JoAnne B]

The Diamond sailed out of San Juan right on schedule with many old friends and former staff aboard to make this a very special sailing. Guiseppi (sp?) who is officially "on vacation" sang and played guitar at the pool as the 150 passengers and the ships staff toasted with tearful eyes (and a few sobs). Thankfully, Capt. Neil is at the helm, and Fabrizio is with us. Sammy and Mimi are heading the CD functions. With a few exceptions it seemed like most of the family was here. Greetings with staff were no longer just "hello" and "how have you been", but "where will you go?" There were some happy stories of staff moving to other ships, but also sad stories of those who will be leaving the line. After we all got past the sadness, everybody got busy making sure this is a special cruise all the way to Europe.

 

There have been many special events. Today during a crew drill, the crew inflated an old life raft, passing out rations and the like...sending off flares and demonstrating other emergency supplies. Tony, the Diamond's first cruise director, will present a retrospect as we near Funchal. What a fitting way to honor the lady!

 

Those who had concerns about the ability to maintain quality, have been reassured by the continued professionalism of the staff and quality of services. On a more concerning note, there are some foreboding signals. European cabin staff does not expect to be offered other positions, as the company has a new policy of hiring only oriental staff for cabin service. No longer will there be teams of cabin steward/esses, but each individual will work alone and be responsible for a set number of cabins. The boutique is being run by a new contractor, in my opinion of the "mass market" ilk. While there is a wider variety of merchandise being offered, it is of a much lesser quality. With the exception of a t-shirt or two, I'm not sure I'll find any way to use my cabin credit. Perhaps the other ships will have a nicer offering, but what is aboard now is tacky.

 

So far, weather has been beautiful and the sea perfectly smooth. All bodes well for a magnificant crossing!

[dougburns]

JoAnne; Please pass our best wishes to Capt. Niel, Fabrizzio, Guiseppe, Gerry and Danilo. Talking to Capt Dag aboard Voyager during our cruise from Singapore-Rome, he didn't think Capt Broomhall would have a position with RSSC, because he's a junior Capt. Also heard that Fabrizzio is headed for Navigator. That would make a big improvement on that ship! Have a great cruise!

[Jim B]

We were on the Diamond 02/15/05 cruise and had dinner one night with Capt. Neil. He said he did not think he would be with RSSC.

He did say that powers to be were talking to the V corp (who Capt Neil works for) about taking the ship to Hong Kong

[Marylis]

Thanks for the report, JoAnne.

 

Lis

[JoAnne B]

We dined with Capt. Neil last night, and he is leaving RSSC to go with Saga cruises. It's a real loss for RSSC! Many of the staff will move to the Navigator, including Guiessepe and Fabrizio.

 

The Diamond will become the Omar Star. Many of her public rooms like the Window's Lounge will be gutted to accommodate a larger casino and she'll do overnight gambling outings. What a terrible way to be put out to pasture.

[billusbill]

We are sailing on the Diamond from Barcelona to Rome, 8-15 May. Like many people we were shocked to hear the news,and became very nervous about our cruise.We hope that the staff who usually work on the Diamond will still be with us at Barcelona, as it is obvious from reading other comments the staff generally are excellent on this ship.We sailed on the Vogayer last year Rouen to Monte Carlo,and vowed only to sail RSSC for any future cruises. We hope we will have a great week,and that all will be well.

[Jana]

I will be joining you onboard in Funchal. I hope they do another retrospective! What other fun send-offs have occured, anything?

 

Jana

[JoAnne B]

Don Vito's has been staffed by many of the original staff, and to say the least it's an enthusiastic evening of singing and reminiscing.

 

Don't be concerned about quality of either service or food, etc. Because so many of the staff are transfering to other ships, they remain highly motivated. It's bittersweet, but it's important for the staff to take her out in style!

[dougburns]

JoAnne; Does Capt Broomhall know which Saga ship he's going to? They have 2; the Rose and the Ruby.

[Host Dan]

 

How sad. I loved how "spit and polished" the Diamond was. So much attention to detail, and such a lovely ship. (awesome to look at for the first time!) She will be surely missed!

 

Host Dan

[Jana]

I remember the first time I saw her. I had an aft cabin on Carnival Victory. I was on deck as we sailed into port at San Juan, but then I went back to my cabin, and we were just backing up behind her. Our aft was facing her aft, and it was amazing. The ship, from that angle, looked just like a blown-up version of my neighbor's kid's Transformer toys!

 

How fun it will be for me to be on her. How sad that it will be the last time.

 

Jana

[JoAnne B]

Capt Neil will be on the Saga Rose.

 

En route, we're making such good time that he is anticipating a breakfast arrival in Funchal rather than lunchtime....While it's been wonderful having a smooth sailing, it only means we'll have to say good bye sooner! I believe Mark Conroy is boarding in Funchal, but we'll be off before he boards I'm sure.

 

In the meantime, the final shuffleboard tournament has been enthusiastic! Finals are tomorrow, so hopefully the weather will hold up!

[canadagal]

Glad to hear you had a smooth crossing JoAnne.........a friend of mine is on your cruise and I was hoping it would be smooth for her. The Saga Rose is with a UK company and although the ship is not as pretty and fancy as the Rad ships she does do some interesting itineraries. I just noticed they are doing a British Isles cruise for the first time this year. Hope the weather holds out for you and the rest of the cruise will provide memories of a lifetime. That's what's so nice about travelling, not just the present and immediate experience but the memories that you can carry with you forever.

Have fun!

Pat

[dougburns]

JoAnne; Tell Fabrizzio that I wish we were there so I could beat him again in the shuffleboard tournament. Bob Wecht and I won the tournament on the crossing last Nov. Sure is great to be doing the final cruise; wish we were there.

[JoAnne B]

Fittingly, Giuseppe and Mimi took the shuffleboard honors after a very enthusiastic competition. Today Tony told the Diamond story, dating back to his being hired during the early planning phases. So many wonderful memories could be told by almost everybody onboard.

 

Tomorrow it is time to start packing for an early arrival in Funchal. For those boarding there, have a great cruise.