Cruises - Radisson Seven Seas cruises

Has anyone here been on one?

My husband and I are "regular folks" (40ish parents of two, computer industry jobs...) who want to plan a cruise for next winter. Since I work for the parent company of RSSC, I can get *great* fare and sail on this luxury cruise line for only slightly more than the cost of an average Carnival/NCL/etc cruise. (Considering lack of tipping and other incidentals, it probably comes out cheaper!) It's sort of a standby deal where we wouldn't get confirmation of our sailing dates until a few weeks prior, but of course we will have enough FF miles banked to cover purchase of relatively last minute airfares to/from the port.

However, the big concern I have: I'm wondering if we'll be "out of our league", so to speak. What are the demographics of cruisers on RSSC? Are most passengers rich, older folks? One thing I know is that this cruise, relatively cheap as it is, is barely within our reach and I don't plan to buy lots of fancy clothes & jewelry for the trip http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif!

Kristen

Hi Kristen! It seems that we both work for the same company. The IT manager at my location just got back from a 7 day RSSC Mediterannean Cruise from Barcelona to Rome in May, and really loved it. He had the same concerns as you before he left.

CC people I work closely with have been on the Navigator, Diamond, and Paul Gaughan. You can e-mail me at u28rt59@hotmail.com and I'll tell you the details if you'd like.

Hi Kristen! It seems that we both work for the same company. The IT manager at my location just got back from a 7 day RSSC Mediterannean Cruise from Barcelona to Rome in May, and really loved it. He had the same concerns as you before he left.

CC people I work closely with have been on the Navigator, Diamond, and Paul Gaughan. You can e-mail me at u28rt59@hotmail.com and I'll tell you the details if you'd like.

hi kristen, neither rich nor old,(early forties), hubby and i have been to Paul Gaugin (the best) to Tahiti, and Navigator (or Diamond?) to Scandinavia & Russia.. we loved it and would cruise on any RSS ship anytime!

we found the ship small, luxurious, elegant yet NOT stuffy... we did not dress up to the nines, and there is always room service if u dont feel like dining out

have been to many of those thousand passenger ships, but now we prefer the smaller ones, less lines, better food, cozier..

one thing though, they did not have razzle dazzle las vegas style entertainment...which we did not mind at all

(there were not many small children and teenagers in both of our sailings)

I would have thought CW would have given staff a better deal than slightly more than other cruise lines!?!
Bon voyage

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by Pull the red toggle:
I would have thought CW would have given staff a better deal than slightly more than other cruise lines!?!
Bon voyage</font>

RSSC is 2-4 times more expensive than the other cruise lines she mentioned.

Spuddbrother, I sent you email via internal channels this morning. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Belle3388, I am glad to hear that you found the cruises "elegant yet NOT stuffy". We don't plan on taking our kids (this time, at least), and big shows we could take or leave. Also, I'm guessing the Caribbean routes, being less expensive to reach than, say, the South Pacific or Europe, might have slightly different demographics than some of the more exotic itineraries.

Pull, Radisson bills itself as a six-star cruise line, so it's kind of like getting a Lexus at a Saturn price http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. A good deal!

Thanks all!
Kristen


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An infrequent flyer trying to change that by earning my miles via alternate methods!
and webmaster at http://www.RewardsLookup.com

I echo belle's comments. We've been on the Diamond twice (Scandinavia, Western Mediterranean) and are going again this September to Eastern Mediterranan.

peteropny, i am soooooooooo jealous!
must tell you, after Radisson's, we hesitate sailing on BIG boats...
we also like the no tipping policy, and 1:2 crew to pax ratio!

Can someone elaborate further on the Diamond? We are going on the BCN-Rome cruise next month and are very interested in hearing opinions and advice on this trip. We've read positive comments on other boards, with the exceptions of the central staircase and the obstructed view lounge. Someone also described the furnishings as "worn".
Thanks!

we love song of flower. have been on diamond also. song has aura the we think can't be beat. diamond is ok. bothare fantastic when compared to 600 pax ships & out of this world when compared to 1200 & up pax. diamond is stable' went thru panama canal on her & went copenhagen-lisbon also. diamond is 3rd behind song of flower & renniacence 114 pax ships[ which are almost gone] clipper adventurer etc is a different matter.

We took Song of Flower to the Middle East and found that, while we usually prefer smaller ships, this one was full of stuffy old rich people. The youngest passenger was 22 accompanying his grandparents. The next youngest was 38 accompanying her parents. The 3rd youngest was 50 with about 10 more up to age 60. The vast majority were in their 70's. The garb by day for women was a white "camp" shirt with denim skirt and white keds. Very Ivy League. We were in our 50's and found few our age to hang around with. The itinerary was great and tours and tipping were included but it still was the most expensive cruise per day that we have taken. Our favorite smaller ship is no longer available to Americans - Ocean Pearl. Ah well...

Thanks clacko, good to know you liked the Diamond. Were the other pax in the 70+ age group like Karen2 describes?

there is a tendency on the pricier boats toward older pax. [ except for people in the travel business] we are retired & can associate w/ most people we meet, so i guess that karen2 may wan't to pick a different route. i assume that the mideast route was around the ariabian peninsula? not a route that honeymooners would take. have been on raddison trips where the pax were more spread out in ages. ..... edit didn't really pay much attention to ages of pax on trips. so can't make comment on it. unfortunately, in order to get to places we haven't been, we are booked on larger ships. 1400~pax amsterdam cph - new york leaving dfw 8/19 & crystal up west africa coast in oct. didn't like last trip on 1400 pax boat. really liked the rennaisance 114 pax boats. casual & friendly. we don't know about the the ocean pearl . what was it?

[This message has been edited by clacko (edited 08-17-2001).]

Ocean Pearl plied the waters of Southeast Asia particularly and was owned by Costa, before that Paquet. The branch of Costa was called Ocean Cruise Lines. Also had Ocean Princess (it sank before Princess named its ship)for a while. The capacity of the ship, as I recall, was about 500. We took a cruise out of Singpore through Indonesia its last year in Asia and the ship was just a touch over half full. It was an ideal number of people, we thought. By the end of two weeks you knew everyone you wanted to and had plenty to choose from. The larger ships are really impersonal and it is tough to make friends. We have seldom had table mates we were nuts about so you have to find people elsewhere. On Pearl, they had a feature for this itinerary of a special low rate if you brought a graduate/grandchild. As it turned out, they did not care if the kid was yours or your grandkid and so there were about a dozen teens on board who had a ball with each other. My daughter organized the teen table at dinner and most ate together. It was a totally terrific ship and is now sailing between Santo Domingo and Cuba, refusing to carry Americans, and is one of the Costa somethingorothers...

karen2, thanks.don't agree that the song of flower has "stuffy" pax, go on seabourne for that. am currently on holland amer amsterdam, copenhagen-new york. very old pax. we've been on social security for a few yrs & are probably younger than half the pax. 1300 pax is too much , but we wanted the n atlantic route. this trip was sold out when we tried last year. we would go on flower in a heartbeat, if they had a route that gave at least a few places we haven't been.

[This message has been edited by clacko (edited 08-24-2001).]

We have been on the Diamond twice. Once through the Greek Isles and once on a transatlantic crossing from Rome to San Juan. We love the ship and the company. A word of warning though. There is nothing for the kids to do. Younger ones will be bored out of their minds. I have read reports to this effect about the Paul Gaugain also. These are "relaxing" cruises with excellent food and great service. No big time shows. Just mainly very interresting lectures and interresting ports.

Received our travel packets today and need to pick day excursion on the Barcelona - Rome trip (includes Port Vendres, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Nice and Livorno (which we will do the Florence trip). Anyone have experience with these excursions? Also, for the initial 6pm cruise departure, what time do we need to be aboard in Barcelona? Thanks!

My husband and I are thinking about taking a cruise to Tahiti in June (our 10th anniversary). We're in our mid 30s and like to enjoy watersports, some entertainment, and good food. We can dress up or down for the occasion but don't really like the whole "scene" type of atmosphere. Will this be a good choice for some fun and romance or should I set sail with another cruiseline? ;)

However, the big concern I have: I'm wondering if we'll be "out of our league", so to speak. What are the demographics of cruisers on RSSC? Are most passengers rich, older folks? One thing I know is that this cruise, relatively cheap as it is, is barely within our reach and I don't plan to buy lots of fancy clothes & jewelry for the trip http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif!
Kristen

I've been on both Song of Flower (how I loved that boat!) and Seven Seas Mariner, as well as three Carnival ships, Holland America, etc., and I don't think you will find yourself "out of your league" at all. I've found that most passengers on Radisson tend to go more for the understated look - no flashy jewelry, no recycled prom dresses (like you see on Carnival's "formal" nights), or brand new cruise wear with the tags still attached like I noticed on Holland America). In fact, I wore a very plain black silk pants suit to all of Radisson's formal night dinners and fit in just fine. For regular dinners, many men just threw on a sports coat over jeans and open necked shirt, and the women dressed accordingly.

As for the demographics - that probably tends to depend on where the ship is going. A younger crowd will probably be on the Tahiti trips, versus trips to Bermuda where the older folks might predominate.

You're so lucky to have the opportunity to go - so just go, have a blast, and don't worry about fitting in. Trust me, no one will notice.

Can someone elaborate further on the Diamond? We are going on the BCN-Rome cruise next month and are very interested in hearing opinions and advice on this trip. We've read positive comments on other boards, with the exceptions of the central staircase and the obstructed view lounge. Someone also described the furnishings as "worn".
Thanks!

We really liked it - be sure & DAP get a Veranda suite. Only complaint was teeny tiny closets - was totally ridiculous for a European cruise with 2 formal nights... Don't worry about 'stuffiness' - even the totally upscale lines aren't all that stuffy - we sail SilverSea every chance we get & have rarely run into anyone with an attitude - would avoid them if we did! You'll love the smaller ships & I'd do the Med on the Diamond - will never forget pulling into Portofino & Monte Carlo! Check our the Google rec.travel.cruises group for all kinds of info about different ships & shore excursions.

4 of us (31-35 from San Jose, CA) are going to Tahiti on PG this July for 10 days. My husband and I been on Diamond before for our honeymoon. We really love this line (tried RCCL and Cunard). We convince our friends to join us. ;)

PG provide most water sport equipement and country club casual.
I think it is the best way to see Tahiti.

Too bad you're all going in July- we'll miss you by 1 month! We're planning on going for the beginning of June. I will try and bring my wedding dress to renew our vows for our 10th. We're really looking forward to it. Do you know where to get the best pricing? Thanks.

We're going on the PG in May.

Hi Spellbound2,

Sorry for the late response.

I purchased my cruise on-line with a travel agent who specialized in RSSC, if you are interested here is the forum that the agent sponsors (http://www.luxurycruisetalk.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi). You can just post and ask question, you don't need to buy anything to use the forum. It is the best place to get info for PG (excursion, Tahiti info etc).

If all you care is price and don't need a lot of hand holding, and have done cruise before, I booked my in-law two years ago on HAL using cruisequick (http://www.cruisequick.com/) and they did provided me a cheaper price (like 30$) than my TA did for my Tahiti trip (but I stay with her anyway because I am planning to do some pre and post cruise stuff).

As for the renewal vows, PG provide that for free, or you can upgrade to a private even for 200$ I think. Here is some info. (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=60727) .

In any case, please write a review when you come back :)

Have fun!

Cindy

I have sailed on RSSC ship for the past 4 years & love them. The service is 1st rate, the food fantastic, open seating, free wine with dinner, and no tipping. And there are usally several cocktail parties where there is a free open bar. I travel as a single and am not to the geesser stage yet. I have found some of the older group to be very interesting, young at heart and welcoming to all aged passengers. There will be a small minority of stuffy people that you can just ignore or laugh about their snobbish behind their backs. The RSSC experience is not to be missed. It is just too bad that their fleet is growing smaller. Not as many choices.

FYI - Sadly, Radisson Seven Seas has cancelled all cruises on
the Diamond after she disembarks passengers on June 4, 2005. It was
previously announced that she had been sold to a group in the Orient
which intend on turning her into a casino ship in Hong Kong and would
continue to sail until October, 2005. All RSSC clients booked on
cruises after June 4 will receive a full refund and a $700 per person
future cruise credit.

I will check out the forum and cruisequick. We have NEVER cruised before... is this a good first-timer? Should I pick another "warm-up" cruise instead of this one? If you think this would be better for a seasoned cruiser, we are thinking of a Sandals resort in St. Lucia or some other island a friend mentioned- Saba as 2 possible alternatives. I like the private vow renewal on the ship though! We are both hopeless romantics :)

Hi Spellbound2,

All I can say to you is if you decide to go to Tahiti with RSSC, it is the best of the best you can do for Tahiti. So... it will be a good but bad thing for a first timer. You will be hopeless spoiled rotten and anything afterward will not be on par.

As for first time cruising, if you get seasick easily, go see you doctor before the trip and get a patch to use during the cruise. All cruise ships always provide the seasick pill like candy, but you get very sleepy with that. My suggestion is decide soon (like within this week) because PG sold out fast; especially the Diamond is canceling all it cruises from May on. There are a lot of people looking for alternatives cruise to do with RSSC right now. Cindy :)

Also, rumors are that the PG may not be RSSC's past 2005 although seems like they'll share her with another company in 2006.

Also, rumors are that the PG may not be RSSC's past 2005 although seems like they'll share her with another company in 2006.

More than rumors. We were on the Navigator in September, and at the usual sales presentation, they were specific that this is the PG's last year.

That is very disappointing about the Diamond. We loved our trip on that, and we were looking forward to returning. However, we did understand that the catamaran hull reduced the number of cabins to such an extent that the economics weren't great. Last time I looked, there were running some great 2 for 1 deals, so if you're looking for a trip, you might check it out
before it goes away. (I'd do it myself, but we're off on Crystal this Sunday--- also a great deal.)

We're going on the PG in May.

We're going to be on the PG in May also (May 21 sailing). It will be our first ever cruise. I've been reading the reviews on cruisecritic.com and just can't wait.

We're looking forward to some good scuba diving and lot's of just plain relaxing!!

We're going to be on the PG in May also (May 21 sailing). It will be our first ever cruise. I've been reading the reviews on cruisecritic.com and just can't wait.

We're looking forward to some good scuba diving and lot's of just plain relaxing!!

We're on the same sailing!!