Claudia:

We are booked on the Diamond for May '05 Venice to Athens. At this point, we can't be sure the cruise is a "go" as the Diamond ownership situation is up in the air. We booked this cruise a year ago, because it did NOT go as far into Asia as Istanbul. There seems to be a taboo on this board aganst discussing world affairs. But may I say that there is a possibility of a "big mess" in Southwest Asia in the near future, in which we cruisers do not want to be involved? I hope so. Without going into "the forbodden territory", I think that we shall all know a bit more in the next six weeks or so, as to how far east it is desirable to go. We'll all just have to wait and see.

Thanks,
Richard