Diamant Cabins

For a ship so small, the quality of the staterooms is a pleasant surprise. All six of the staterooms are suites and have air-conditioning, although several people on a recent cruise had problems adjusting their cooling systems. Rooms have portholes (albeit too cloudy to see out of), reading lamps above every bed and 110-volt outlets.

The smallest staterooms, 1 and 2 at the fore of the ship, each have a single upper berth and a bed below that, called a double berth (though the amount of headroom on the lower bunk was so tight that only the most petite will be able to sleep on that size bed). Tall or large passengers may want to skip these rooms. These staterooms have several drawers and hooks for belongings. The other staterooms are larger and have more storage areas. Number 6 -- what a couple (married 51 years) on our cruise called "the honeymoon suite" -- has a true double bed, as well as an upper berth and hooks for clothes. The line's Web site does a pretty good job of showing what the cabins look like.

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises veterans praised the en suite bathrooms, which all have showers that are separate from the toilets. (Apparently, the old Windjammer ships had showers over the toilets.) There were issues with hot water for some, as the hot and cold faucets were opposite from the standard shower. Backed-up toilets were an inconvenience for others. Small hair dryers are included, but you need to bring your own shampoo and conditioner.