I'll return to the original question of the merits of the Diamond vs. the Mariner. Having sailed them both (as well as all of Radisson's current fleet), Here's our opinion of a comparisson of these two ships. The main advantages of the Mariner are that the suites are larger and all include a balcony. On the Diamond, at least in the lower category suites, the upgrade to a balcony means the size of the enclosed area shrinks. Some Diamond suites are a bit tight on closet space, whereas all Mariner suites have nice walk-in closets. And the Mariner suites are just newer and fancier. On the other hand, We actually prefer some of the public areas on the Diamond, and prefer her smaller size. For us, as 700 max. guest ship is "pushing the envelope" on being too big. The Diamond is slower, but rides very smoothly on thost twin submersible hulls. Because the Diamond is slow, it is a perfect match for the itinerary describes, as the ports aren't very far apart.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)