Island Windjammers: the ship, Diamant
On the Road — By Chris on January 19, 2010 at 12:54 pm
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Today I’m posting some photos of the Diamant, so people considering an Island Windjammers cruise can see what the boat looks like.
The ship is 101 feet long and has six staterooms for passengers. There are quarters for six crew members as well.
There are three public areas where people can hang out during the day.
The first is the what the line calls the saloon, a beautiful interior room of gleaming wood. This is where we had breakfast and most lunches, and played our nightly card games.
A small bar was nearby (unlike other cruise lines, Island Windjammers encourages passengers to bring their own alcohol). There was also a small reading lending library (which could have been improved) and a television/DVD player that didn’t work. Cards were available, although it would have been nice to have games such as Scrabble or Uno aboard.
This is also where the iPod was located (big on Buffet, Abba and Kenny G) as well as the bell that summoned us to meals and Storytime.
The upper deck was a popular place to congregate, both when the waters were rough (so we could stare at the horizon) and when we were anchored. Sun mats were available and we used them here as well as on top of the deckhouse. I tried to sleep out here one night – the stars from Union Island’s Chatham Bay were incredible – but it was too windy and I was a bit afraid of falling off!
You can also hang out in the rear of the ship, where there’s an outdoor dining area and a back bench covered with cushions.
We ate most of our dinners out here, as well as our snacks and swizzles. Occasionally people used the space to take naps. A cooler filled with soda and beer was kept out here (beer, wine and soda are included in the cruise price). Sometimes it was covered, sometimes it was sunny.
All six of the staterooms are en suite and have air conditioning. although several people had issues with their cooling systems.
I was in the fore of the ship in one of the smallest staterooms, which had a single upper berth and a bed below that it called a double berth (though the amount of headroom on the lower bunk was so tight that I couldn’t sleep on that side of the bed). For just me, the space was fine, as there were plenty of drawers and hooks for my belongings.
My 6′5 husband, however, would have been very unhappy. Two single women shared the other small stateroom and they didn’t report any problems.
The other staterooms are larger and had more storage areas. I was impressed with number 6 – what Ron and Cerise, married 51 years, called “the honeymoon suite.” That room had a true double bed, as well as an upper berth and hooks for clothes. The line’s website does a pretty good job of showing what the rooms look like.
Windjammer veterans praised the en suite bathrooms, which all came with showers that were separate from the toilet (apparently the old Windjammer ships had showers over the toilet, which I have trouble imagining). There were issues with hot water for some and backed up toilets for others (I had problems with both). Small hairdryers were included, but you need to bring your own shampoo and conditioner.
More specifics on the ship will be available in my upcoming Cruise Critic review.
I’m interested in hearing from people who sailed on the original Windjammer boats. Do you like the small size of a ship such as the Diamant? Or are you leaning toward other tall ships such as the Star Clipper? Tell me below in the comments section.
Read my other Island Windjammer posts!
Seasickness - and how to fight it
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18 Comments
I only sailed on one Windjammer cruise, on the legacy, and had one planned on the YC but that never happened.
I am REALLY excited about the size of Diamant. I would much rather be on Diamant with the intimate and casual feel than Star Clippers. I like the idea of sailing with a small group, getting to really know people over the course of the week, and having a very casual atmosphere. It’s vacation, I want casual. Also, being on a ship that really sails is going to be amazing!
The other thing is that it could be really easy to put together a group of good friends and book the whole ship. That would be a blast!
I spent 12 weeks on Windjammer ships over a 7 year period (mostly on Mandalay). I sailed on Diamant last November and truely enjoyed the size of the ship. While the cabins are a bit smaller than Mandalay one must remember that the ship is much smaller. The bathrooms (not a nautical term) are bigger on Diamant and the individual climate control is wonderful (not perfect, but better than one central system). I’m sailing again in April with a group of friends from my Windjammer days!! I wouldn’t consider sailing on Windstar or one of the other “big” ships…too many people and too formal.
We sailed on the Flying Cloud for our honey moon 25 years ago and fell in love with the Windjammer style. We sailed once more on The Flying Cloud and twice on the Legacy. The first few were great the most relaxing casual vacation that we have been on. The last one you could feel the tension from the crew and it didn’t feel the same. We will be sailing on the Diamant in Feb. (for our 25 Anv.) and can’t wait, this looks like the way we liked the sailing. I for one think that the smaller boat will be great. As far as the heads are concerned on the Flying Cloud you could s**t, shower and shave at the same time. As long as you timed your return from the beach in time to get warm water before “Sizzel Time”,everything was cool. They were small but who spend time in their cabin any way. If you want fu-fu go to the FU-FU ships. I will take the Windjammer style any time! Our most fond memeries were of being woke up to the Ringing of the Bell and “Breakfast Time Fokes! We knew it would be the start of a great day.
Happy Sailing
Bill Gray
Like Bob, I spend 12 weeks on the old Windjammer (mostly Mandalay). As a mater of fact Bob was there for at least 6 of them. I had the chance to sail on the Diamant back in July, when it was operated by Windjammer Adventures…and let me tell you it was an adventure. LOL. There were 4 passengers on board, so we had plenty of room. OK, we had to pay extra for food and gas, but that is why that company did not last. I stayed in cabin 6, which was amazing. I found myself right back in the swing of things when I was on the ship. The only difference was I was always the first one up so I made the coffee for the rest of the ship. It truly felt like home for the week that I was on it. I look forward to going back, hopefully this July and again next February. I am so thankful Island Windjammer was able to get this ship.
Cheers,
Tom Size
I sailed with WJ 11 times 8 on the Polynesia(120 + crew) and the Yankee Clipper(64 + crew). My choice would be the smaller vessel and the WJ casual style as well as the experience of what I call the “true unspoiled Caribbean”. I consider the Star Clippers and Royal Caribbeans of the world to be nothing more than herding cattle. While the amenities may be great the formality and large numbers are a turn off for me. Windjammers were small enough to be cozy yet large enough to avoid those who could be annoying. Let’s be honest it happens. This is probably for me the greatest deterrent to sailing the Diamont. My ideal numbers would be not more than 64 or less than 20. Sailing with a group of intimate friends or family the Diamont would be fine, single or another friend I’m not so sure. Diamont is on the right track but not so sure it’s for everybody at present.
With regards to your question about the “head”, on the WJs yes, it was completely self contained. A commode, sink and shower(with a spring handle to control your usage) in a space smaller than most person’s closets. In fact there are walk in closets much larger than the entire cabin. Storage space was minimal at best. Bunks were small but comfortable. Climate control what’s that?. 2 temps hot and freezing. It’s amazing a person’s ingenuity when it came to managing the cabin temps. I found if you turned the vents a certain way and diverted the air flow with a towel or something I was usually quite comfortable. No WJ wasn’t the Ritz, but, on a scale of 1-10 for most fun and interesting vacations I’d rate a 10+. I truly NEVER had a bad or even mediocre time and given the chance would do it all again in a heartbeat.
I spent 22 weeks on six of the old Windjammer company’s ships (mostly the Mandalay), and I know there are lots of people who spent many more weeks sailing on them. That says volumes about the experience, which like others have said, is just about the best mixture of ingredients for a fantastic and memorable vacation. And, because of the passenger capacity, I met numerous people who have become great friends of mine. I don’t like ships larger than around 100 passengers (for that reason, and because I didn’t feel I was close enough to the water, I didn’t care for the old WJ’s S/V Legacy; and I won’t bother with ships like the Star Clipper – too big and too formal). Because the Diamant only has room for twelve passengers, I’m trying to rally my friends for a charter trip either this summer or next fall, and I simply cannot wait to experience it!
We sailed with WJ about 16 times, Flying Cloud, Poly, Mandalay & Legacy. It was an amazing fraternity. On every cruise there was always at least one couple that we had sailed with before. We had the pleasure of sailing with Bob and Tom (who posted above) on one Mandalay 2 week sail. Our first was in ‘87 and we went from push button showers where you had water (once in a while it was warm) to separate taps for hot and cold, although hot seemed to usually be in short supply. We learned to come back from the beach on the last launch, go right to Snacks & Swizzles, waiting to shower while half the ship was eating at first dinner. The heads were similar to what you might find in a small RV. All the essentials were there and in easy reach. They still were big enough for two, very helpful for scrubbing the sun screen off each others back. They were small but functional. The cabins were tight, some the berths were pretty cramped but you made do. The AC in some cabins would freeze you like an Arctic blast. Others seemed like they got no air at all. We learned which cabins we liked and would request a particular one when booking. To control the AC, passengers would bring duct tape to damper the register and control the temperature. The casual life on board kept bringing us back. The crews were always the most friendly and gracious hosts. We seemed to make it back to the Mandalay about every 2 or 3 years. We would step on board and crew members would greet you with the warm smile followed by a hug as they welcomed us back on board. Stepping aboard the Mandalay was like coming home. These vacations were very special times and are among our most treasured memories. We’ve booked a trip on the Diamant in April. We enjoy the trip reports posted by passengers as well as these articles. They provide a fix until we are able to get back to the Grenadines.
Fair winds,
Ron & Gail
I just got back from a wonderful week on the Diamant. The crew was gracious, the food fantastic (and local), and the accomadations were better than WJ. I especially liked the separate shouwer in the bathroom. It had great hot water and the air conditioning worked well. It would be wonderful to get 12 people together and charter the whole boat. I can’t wait to go again!
Janet
A fabulous week of sailing with the nicest group of people I’ve met in a long time. The cabins were much more roomy than I had been expecting and the bunks were VERY comfortable. The food was delicious and plentiful (one of the group was trying to persuade the chef to take a busman’s holiday and cook for her family for a month – luckily for everbody who sails on the Diamant she didn’t succeed). I particularly enjoyed the sailing, the snorkelling and port visits although Troy and King had their hands full ‘guiding’ me into the dinghy without all three of us going in the water. I thought the couple of mishaps we had all contributed to the feeling of being part of the whole sailing experience. Capt. Matt’s storytimes were enjoyable and informative. Let’s do it again!!
So glad to hear from all of you. I love the stories about the old boats. It really sounds like I missed out by never going on a Windjammer cruise. I think I would like the activites and traditions.
And I’m happy to hear from my cruisemates Janet and Pat! We did have a great time. I agree, it would be really fun to get a group together and take over the boat
I first sailed on a Barefoot Cruises Windjammer in 1988 on the Mandalay from Antigua to Grenada. On that cruise I absolutely fell in love with the ship and the casual atmosphere..Since then over the past 22 years I have sailed many times in the islands from Puerto Rico to Trinidad on 5 of the 6 ships in the fleet, The Mandalay, The Yankee Clipper, The Fantome, The Legacy and the Polynesia.
We also always tended to do two week back to back cruises as one week is just not long enough..All the ships, although unique in their own right, were designed with a similar design plan and daily routine so you felt very comfortable and at home on all of them. In general, while we truly enjoyed them all, our favorite was the Mandalay and we preferred the smaller ships that held around 75 people versus the larger ones with around 115..We could even tell the difference from week to week if there were 10% more folks on the ship from one week to another as the increase would tend to impact the food and launch service.
The one statement from a passenger that I remember quite well that tends to describe Windjamming Experience in a Nut Shell was the following..
“…My wife is a travel agent and has booked this cruise with a group of her friends. We have done a lot of vacations on Cruise Ships but this is our first Windjammer Cruise..I have only been on board for little over an hour but have met more friendly people in this short time than on all of our other cruises..and I also know that I will see them again tomorrow..”
“It’s a SHIP, Dammit!” No old Windjammer ‘boats’. Other than that, a great trip report.
Thanks, Dawn. I consider myself schooled
I’m actually going on another SHIP next week
The folks who run the Arabella, a 160 foot ship, have invited me on their Spanish Virgin Island/B.V.I. itinerary. So if you like tall ships, stay tuned for more reports and photos….
Good day Chris, Like many of the previous posters, I too spent some 8 weeks aboard the now defunct WJBFC ships! I loved the camraderie and friends I made on those cruises. I especially like the ability of the smaller vessels being able to get me away from the Foo-Foo crowded ports of call. I will be looking for future vacations aboard the smaller ships that are available now and hopefully additional ones in the near future. The Diamant and Arabella are on the list at this time. LFive of my fellow WJ vets and I sailed the BVI on a vintage wooden hull called the Ragamuffin, that was so much fun we are heading for Belize this summer aboard the Catamaran Aubisque!
My webshots account haz hundreds of photos from my meager adventures.
Tomatoes – I’m with you, I think small ships are the way to go. I love that you can get to the smaller islands that are a little off the beaten track. Belize sounds great – report back on the ship!
My husband and I sailed on all of the old Windjammer ships many times, from the BVI’s to Venezuela and all over, and loved them all. Our favorite was Mandalay. On one of our trips NO ONE had hot water the entire trip, and when Capt. Matt was overheard discussing his own lack of hot water with the cheif engineer, he learned that nobody else had hot water either. He was amazed that no one had complained to him about it! The trips on that old ship were so much fun that no one really cared. I never went on a trip during which all was perfect. It wouldn’t have been Windjammer! As for the small bath facility, it really could work to one’s advantage. Where else could one take a bath, brush his teeth, and do whatever else he needed to do–all at the same time? (First timers did have a problem with the toilet paper being high up on the wall, however, which was a necessary location in order for it not to get wet from the shower.) Those were the best vacations and some of the most interesting characters to ever cross my path. I am so looking forward to sailing on the Diamante. Whatever else Windjammer became, there was such a joy of living that I experienced on each trip, and some of the crew were like extended family members. The Diamante is probably much the same.
Sandi – Windjammers are a special breed. In my posts, I tried to describe the experience as accurately as possible so people would know what they are getting. If it works for them, great. If not, they can find something that better suits their needs. To each their own!