Le Diamant is a small cruise ship - previously operated by Radisson Seven Seas Cruises as the "Song of Flower", back then she was an expedition ship cruising to the far flung corners of the planet. Purchased by the Compagne des Isles du Ponant some 2 years ago, she underwent a very major refit including re-engining and the conversion / addition of some guest cabins.

We, being Carol my wife and myself, had the opportunity to sail on the ship in June 2006. The purpose of the trip was to acquaint ourselves with the ship, the level of service, on-board amenities and the standard of cuisine so we could knowledgably speak of the ship to our clients.

The cruise we joined was "The Operetta Cruise", a cruise that was specifically marketed to French operetta fans and designed around the French theatrical group that was the main attraction. Accordingly most the entertainment on board was of a similar nature. For us it was a pleasant change to be immersed in the French culture for a few days and to be able to speak our now rusty French to the other passengers.

The itinerary was quiet unusual and as one would have hoped and expected it hit a lot of the smaller ports on the ships route from Nice (France) north around Spain to Rouen in north western France.  This is definitely one of the big advantages of being on a smaller ship, you are not traveling with 2 or 3000 "new friends", so the on-board service is much more personal plus, you're able to visit some pretty unusual and often unspoiled places as well as not vying with all those folks for space in restaurants and shops not to mention the crushes at popular sightseeing venues.

On boarding we where pleased to find out that our stateroom was on the upper deck which did afford us a very spacious balcony which we used often. The stateroom itself was a very generous size with a double bed, a real dressing table and a desk which also held the TV, other electronic equipment and a mini-bar, there was also a large and spacious wardrobe as well as draw space in the dresser and desk.

The Ship; Le Diamant was constructed in 1974 and refitted in 2003. There are basically 4 stateroom sizes which range from 17sq. mts to 37 sq. mts. categorized according to deck.

To briefly give the reader a snap shot of the ships, starting on the upper deck and working down.. bear in mind this is not a big ship being only 407ft overall..

The very top deck is the Sun Deck which is a very good sized area normally decked out with quality teak chaise's and covered with a blue outdoor carpet. The next deck down is the Diamant Deck - entered from the rear where the stairway exits from the sun deck, here you find yourself on an open deck which wraps around the open deck area below, the deck itself is covered by a generous overhang which runs aft to the funnel casings on either side. Side decks are accessible by another exterior staircase on either side forward, extending down to a narrow walkway deck which runs forward and around either side of the ship. Entering the ship from the deck on this level one arrives on a landing area which houses the 2 elevator exits, stairwell and doors to some storage areas. The central passageway leads forwards to the Observation Lounge, passing as one does the doors to the 10 balcony suites.

The Observation lounge is modest and probably holds 75 passengers at a pinch, there is a bar (which opens during departures and for evening cocktails and after dinner drinks). It is located immediately over the bridge so visibility is excellent. The staterooms on this deck correspond to the one we utilized, (see earlier comments).

Returning to the landing area.. this landing is repeated on each of the 5 decks down to the Jade Deck which is one level below the waterline, so traveling up and down the ship one is always utilizing either the twin staircases or the elevator.

The next deck down is the Rubis Deck - Exiting aft through the doors onto the main exterior deck one has the Fitness Center on the right and the Buffet / BBQ on the left, a large deck flanked and protected on either side by the funnel casings and forward by the upper deck, makes for a mostly sheltered and pleasant area. A decent sized pool is in the center of the aft deck area and both areas are usually set with quality teak deck furnishings. As with the upper deck a central passageway extends forward from the landing area with staterooms on either side (Cat A, D & 1 x Cat C). I should mention here that we used the Fitness Center on several occasions and were disappointed to find that most of the equipment is pretty old, in particular the multi-purpose work out machine is in dire need of replacement.

Descending one deck down we are now on the Emeraud Deck - as with the decks above a central passageway leads forward between the staterooms (Cat B, C & 1 Cat D as well as 2 double/single staterooms) ending at the Bridge. Going aft one enters the Grand Salon - why its is named this is a mystery to me as it is not a salon at all but a conference/theatre room. Here the ships troupe of entertainers do their thing and here when the ships itinerary warrants it, lectures are given on the local flora and fauna. Regrettably this room which take up such a large part of the public areas is not utilized as much as it should be with the result - in my opinion - that there is insufficient public space for the guest count on days when the ships is at sea all day. The room also suffers from poor sight lines and with the stage being set so low, it is very hard to see a lot of what the performers are in fact performing. The is a good sized bar in the rear of the Grand Salon which is active at show time.

Going down one deck more takes us to the main deck - the Turquiose Deck, one is now in a lobby area with a round center piece decked with a beautiful flower display with seating around it. A small lounge is also here as well as the Pursers Office and the Shore Excursion desk, moving aft one has the boutique to the right and the restaurant l'Escapade on the left, continuing on one enters the main Lounge and Bar area - Le Club. Fully aft there is a small area for the musicians (2 groups rotate at various times of the day - one being a Columbian trio playing traditional South American tunes - the other being a French trio playing international lounge music) a small dance floor lies forward surrounded by built in settees and some chairs and tables. The main bar is located in the forward section of the left side of the lounge and a small circular staircase is located opposite (more on this later).

One can exit the aft end of the Le Club onto a narrow deck area which houses the storage for 12 Zodiac expedition shore boats and their equipment, an exterior staircase allows you to go back up to where the Library and Email computers are located.

Going forward from the Lobby one has the passageway between the staterooms as on all the decks, These staterooms are Cat B, Grande Suites & the 1 Owners suite).

The Library & Email Center can also be accessed by descending fully to the rear of the Grand Salon and skirting the stage to the right into a small lobby/lounge area where the library is located. There is also a small circular staircase to access this area from Le Club. (A word about the on-board computers - there are two, they are solely set up for email reception and transmission - No Internet Access is available - a password has to be purchased from the purser and cost is calculated by minutes purchased - not cheap).
Back at the main staircase we descend one last deck to the Jade Deck - Aft takes you into the main dining room - the Restaurant Isle de France (with the galley located full aft of the dining room). Forward extends a passageway flanked by stateroom doors. (Category's D,E and 2 cat C's) as well as the Hairdressing Salon and the Massage Parlor.

I should also mention that in the forward end of every accommodation passageway there is an emergency exit stairs except for the Balcony Suites where emergency exit is via a door in the Observatory Lounge which opens onto the deck.

And that ends the tour of the ship...

Basic Specification:

Maximum number of passengers: 247

Number of crew members: 120

Number of staterooms: 113

The ship is non-smoking in the staterooms and public areas.

Stateroom sizes:

Category A, B & C - 18.6 sq mt.

Category D & E - 17 sq mt.

Balcony Suites - 30 sq. mt

Grand Suite - 37 sq. mt.

Public Rooms max occupancy:

Restaurant 'Isle de France" - 190

Restaurant "L'Escapade" - 40

Restaurant - Le Grill (Deck buffet & bbq) - 120

Grand Salon - 230

Le Club - 150

Observatory Lounge - 75

Amenities:

4 Bars

1 Library

1 Boutique

Sun Deck 2

Pool 1

Fitness center

Massage Salon

Hair salon

Hospital / Infirmary

2 Elevators

Satellite telephone & fax

Email center

Laundry (not self service - additional cost)

All major credit cards taken.

Comments of the vessel - we found her to be a very stable ship, we had one afternoon when it blew hard - force 6 on the forward beam, and the ship just took up a slight list and rode comfortably. We thought the large tender which resembles a small landing craft to be a very useful item, but it appeared to have plenty of mechanical "moments". Getting on and off the ship at anchor even in some bumpy conditions was never a problem as the door in the hull and the tender appear to be well aligned (no long snaky ladders to negotiate) There was always plenty of hot water, the staterooms where kept immaculately clean and constantly seemed to have been checked and arranged. The decor around the ship was well maintained and obviously had been replaced in recent memory.

All in all, a well found ship with an excellent and willing crew.

My discussions with senior staff was very encouraging, they understood the difference in expectation between European and American clients and had experience in chartering to American Clients. Certain issues such as the way mixed drinks are charged, the amount of ice in a glass and other such mundane things appear to have been addressed and a satisfactory concluding reached.

I would have not hesitation in recommending the "Le Diamant" to our clients looking for a small ship to charter.