RADISSON DIAMOND: Cruise Critic's Virtual "Farewell"

[LauraS]

As Radisson Seven Seas Cruises prepares to say goodbye to Radisson Diamond, easily the world’s most unusual cruise ship, Cruise Critic is on hand to take part in the festivities surrounding this most momentous departure. The ship, a twin-hull design perhaps more familiar as a catamaran to most folks, is on the second leg of its last-ever transatlantic crossing – and we join Radisson Diamond, midway through, in Funchal, Madeira. Stay tuned for daily dispatches through Monday, May 9, as we offer insights into festivities and memories from officers, crew and passengers along with stops at ports of call such as Gibraltar and Casablanca. And, feel free to share your memories here!

 

 

Read: Cruise Critic’s Farewell to A Grande Old Dame

[dixie61]

We were on the Radisson Diamond about 11 yrs ago...we went from Puerto Rico to the eastern caribbean...it was the most elegant ship that we have ever been on...so sorry to hear that it will be gone...

 

We were treated like "royalty"...at all times on the ship. The crew couldn't have been better, from the wine at the meals to the chocolates on our pillow...

 

Good bye to a great ship...Radisson Diamond

 

Tom and Pat

[petlover]

Laura, for some reason I can't open your link?? Anyone else having trouble?

 

We too will always have wonderful memories of the Diamond! In many ways it was our favorite of all the RSSC ships. I loved the intimacy, fewer passengers and closeness you so easily developed with the great crew! Furthermore, it's the only ship I've ever been on where I felt I knew my way around the ship on the first day!

 

She sure will be missed!!!

[thulewx]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/virtual/virtual.cfm?ID=12

 

(hers had httphttp:....);)

[dwelsh]

Looking forward to the next day's reports.

[dileep]

We took our first ever cruise in Oct 2000 on the Diamond from Instanbul to Rome.

 

It was quite a thrill to have the tender take us under the ship!

 

Don Vito's Trattoria was a lot of fun!

[andromeda]

A truly great ship. What most people are not aware of is that the Diamond was not just a catamaran but a SWATH, (Small waterplane Area Twin Hull) design. where the displacement of the hull is carried by two, submerged bodies below the wave action. This accounts for its amazing stability, equal to a ship of many times its displacement. It is a shame to see such a fine design leave cruise service. It will be missed. Let's hope that another appears on the scene soon.

[AustinBond]

We have great memories of our first RSSC cruise which was on the Diamond for a Rome to Nice itinerary in August 2001. Our memories of our wonderful experience on the Diamond are punctuated by the fact that we returned home to California only a few days prior to 9/11.

 

My wife and I had actually almost sworn off of cruising. We weren't sure we could endure another parade of umbrella drinks to the blair of "HOT HOT HOT". We were lured to this one because we heard that KFI's Melinda Lee was sponsoring a cruise on the Diamond and it sounded like a good value. We found that the cruise she was sponsoring was sold out but the cruise packager offered us the reverse itinerary a week earlier for the same price with a cabin upgrade.

 

Once booked we began to investigate what we had impulsively gotten ourselves into. We started checking the boards and sure enough there was enough carping and negativity to scare us to death. There were alot of positives also and we were pretty much committed any way.

 

Our experience was supurb. The service was great and the food was exceptional. The size of the ship was just right and felt comfortable almost immediately. The passenger load made you feel you knew everyone right away.

 

We dined at Don Vito's the first night. There we met several of our new cruise friends including two (too much fun!) aides to the former British Prime Minister Lady "T". They were insisting that my wife teach them her excellent wolf whistle. We haven't experienced this festive atmosphere on any of our other Radisson cruise specialty restaurants and we really miss it. We also immensely enjoyed Franco the CR Matre'de. We were lucky enough to see him again on his regular assignment two years later on the PG.

 

Another highlight was the water sports platform. One of our best memories was taking the jet skis and circling our friends who were returning on the tender from Cannes. Golly gee we're just like them there jet setters!

 

The Diamond was a great ship and a great way to introduce us to RSSC. We just finished our third RSSC cruise on the Voyager (Funchal-Rome 5/1) and have booked our fourth for 06 on the Navigator though we may not be able to wait that long. The Diamond will be missed not only because of the great memories but also because it represents a net reduction in availability of RSSC itineraries.

 

We also look back with some poignance at our good fortune to have been shifted to an itinerary a week earlier than planned. Many of the passengers on the itinerary the next week, including Melinda Lee, were turned around mid air to Paris on 9/11/01 where they were stranded, some without baggage, for several days.