Diamond Venice To Rome

[Gleper]

Hi,

 

I will be cruising on the Diamond between Venice and Rome on Oct 18, 2004.

 

Anyone else on that sailing???

 

Has anyone completed this itinerary, and if so, how was it.

[dougburns]

We'll be boarding in Rome for the trip to San Juan, but friends of ours will be boarding in Venice with you. They are Joe and Karen Doucet and Bob and Alice Wecht. They're doing a 3 day pre-cruise in Venice staying at the Bauer.

[jdc]

My wife and I are on the October 18th cruise......we'll be starting off in London and coming into Venice on Saturday.....2nd Diamond and 5th Radisson cruise...can't wait!

[NCCruzQueen]

I enjoyed this same itinerary last October on the Song of Flower. The sailaway in Venice was just beautiful, so breathtaking. We had nice weather: cool in Venice to warm in Sicily. Some rain in Sorrento. I loved the different ports. We were just on the Diamond last month. She is a great ship. Enjoy!!

[JPR]

Scroll to the beginning of page 2, and under "June 28 Diamond: Venice to Rome" you will see my in-depth review of the highlights (and lowlights) of this

itinerary. Overall, we loved it and will do it again next year, the other direction, with our (now) 14-year old daughter this time.

[donaldo]

Hello, we will be cruising with you, flying in from England, Don and Vanessa Miller, 1st timers to Radisson, any tips from you society members????

[Charsie]

I was on a 2 week Diamond cruise September 6-20. We did Monte Carlo to Rome, Rome to Venice. So basically the same itinerary the 2nd week, just in reverse. It was magnificant. You are in for a wonderful, magical time. First of all, the staff/crew on The Diamond are the best I've ever encountered. True gems, working on a jewel. You will adore the Captain (Neill Broomhill), who treats this ship as though it's his own personal yacht, and you are his own personal guests. He has an "open bridge" policy, allowing anybody to come up for a look-see and a chat at any time, and really makes you feel comfortable up there. Plus, he's just so darn adorable and friendly, you'll love him. His staff love him, and I think that says it all.

 

The entertainment is good, in particular the ship's orchestra (The Diamond 5), they sound like an orchestra of 20! And the "2 Diamonds" (Jerry and Danielo) are really fabulous. Guest entertainers and the rest of the entertainment staff are very friendly and enjoyable. Do sign up for ONE night at Don Vito's, it is well worth it. Unless you're a stick-in-the-mud, in which case, don't bother. We had a couple of sour faces in there, and I just wondered what there was not to enjoy!! Be prepared to really whoop it up (and the Italian food is good there!!)

 

I've been on 9 cruises (including the Paul Gauguin), and this was the fastest embarkation, best service, and best dining I've ever had.

 

As for the itinerary, if I could suggest eating lunch out in a couple of places, particularly for the pizza......."Aurora's Pizzeria" in Sorrento is incredible. And "Granducca Restaurant" in Taormina Sicily was fantastic. It's $20 round trip (through Radisson) to get from Naxos to Taormina, and it's well worth it, a beautiful town.

 

Are you spending any time beforehand in Venice? What a city! It was so beautiful....unusual....I loved it. Again, may I suggest if you're having anything to eat or drink, you do so in the small streets near the Rialto Bridge, as opposed to St. Mark's Square. It's less pricey, and more selection. Everything near the Square is overblown, as you would expect. Rialto Bridge is only 10 minutes away.

 

We were lucky enough to spend 3 days in Sorrento over the 2 weeks we were onboard, so we didn't have to "choose" excursions. We had a private guide take us up the Amalfi Coast (gulp!!) one day, and it was well worth overcoming any fears you have of sheer cliffside drops into the sea....... We had lunch in Ravello that day. Visited Amalfi and Positano (sigh) as well. On the other two days there we visited Pompeii, and Capri. The Amalfi Coast was the highlight for all of us. Even Sorrento itself is adorable.

 

Dubrovnik was a very pleasant surprise for us, we weren't sure what to expect, but it was beautiful. When you walk through the main square to the end, you purchase a ticket to walk "the city wall". I suggest you do this first thing in the morning, as soon as you disembark, as shortly thereafter other mega-liners disembark and it gets crowded. We walked the ancient city wall practically alone....by the time we finished (1.5 hours later) there was a line up for tickets, and it was packed. But, unless you've REAL trouble walking stairs, take this walk, it's fantastic. And then, just walk around the main area.

 

You would be hard pressed not to have the time of your lives on this cruise ship, and with this itinerary. Enjoy every minute of it. If anybody has any specific questions, feel free to ask. I'm so ENVIOUS of you, wish I were still on the Diamond!!

 

Charlene

[surfside66]

Hiro and I are just back from Italy (we were in Milan till yesterday), spending this weekend getting over the jetlag. We had a wonderful time partying with you and your friends on the Diamond, and are already planning our next trip on the RSSC Voyager for the August 31st sailing "London (Dover) to Monte Carlo" 10 night cruise.

 

Glad to hear that you're all home safe and sound!

 

Cheers,

 

Eric

[Charsie]

I wish I had another one planned, Eric!! And that trip sounds fantastic. I know I want to go on The Diamond one more time before she leaves Radisson.

 

I'm glad you're home safe and sound, I'll email you! And I can't wait to hear about Milan (how many pairs of shoes????)

 

Charlene

[donaldo]

What have you heard, read or found out regarding Diamond leaving Radisson? Is there another web site I am not checking?

[WesW]

donaldo, pls see a part of this review I found written by Salley from another bulletin board, www.luxurycruisetalk.com; it describes what the Diamond Captain says about the future of the Diamond:

 

The Diamond

The moment we got on, we knew we were in for something very special. We booked a driver from the Hotel to the port and as always, embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at the ship about 2pm and were in our cabin at 3pm. The ship is in outstanding condition, and as Charlene said the staff was absolutely incredible. The Captain, Sam the Cruise Director, the entertainment staff, restaurant staff, Splash Bar staff - just everyone was terrific. I honestly don't know how they do it day in and day out. We spent alot of time on the bridge and Captain Broomhall was always so nice and patient describing where we were, the local sites, etc. He even sent us a copy one of his little poems he recites at his pre-dinner receptions. We asked him if Radisson plans to discontinue the Diamond in 2006. He said Radisson signs a lease, or "charter", every 5 years and their lease comes up for renewel in 2006. Radisson has already started negotiations for the 2006 5 year lease, but it really depends on the business picture and if the Diamond will continue to make a profit for the company in the next year. He definitely did not think it was a given that they will discontinue the ship - but like everything else, it will depend on the business picture.

[Travelwrite]

Hi Charsie-would you be interested in talking about your cruises with Radisson for a travel page I'm writing?

[Charsie]

Travelwrite, I'd love to talk to you about my Radisson cruises - but I think there are people out there with far more Radisson experience. I've had 9 cruises, but only 2 with Radisson itself (not that I'm ever going back to the other lines......they were my last two cruises, and will be all my future cruises!!)

 

Charlene

[Travelwrite]

Ok Charlene- The piece is for advertising for a travel company so the fact that you've been on 9 cruises and now want to stick with RSSC is great! If you get a chance, please e-mail me at rbardgett@royalgazette.bm. Let me know about the 2 RSSC cruises you went on, the iteneraries and especially why you'll never go back on another cruise line! Thanks,

 

Robyn

[Charsie]

Will do, travelwrite.