vandrefalk
June 25th, 2011, 02:43 PM
Thought I would start a new thread so this didn't get buried in the old one.
For those of you who are interested in UK and pomp and circumstance, here is the link for the time we spent in England:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=8165215500103%3 A1258834542&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/5sagcwq (http://*******.com/5sagcwq) (replace the * with tiny url - without the spaces -- thanks for the tip ZQVOL!)
Although it may not appear to be the case, I really, really did delete a LOT of pictures! But this trip was one where every few minutes, you were faced with unforgettable views, so . . . . Since Kodak limits an album to 500 pictures, I had to do 2. This is the link to Chapter 1:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=6165215500103%3 A2051608420&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/6b5l9rz
Chapter 2 is at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=7165215500103%3 A763026139&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/6ftcaxp
Hope you enjoy them!
Now for some final comments:
This was a totally unique cruise -- not in terms of service, cuisine, etc. -- but in terms of attitude. Everyone, especially crew, was excited and enthusiastic about the itinerary. I've never seen 11 days go by so quickly. While SD is known for personal service and attention, they seemed to go out of their way to make this one special -- from the warm blankets available to the coffee (with Baileys and Godiva ready to pour for a little kick) to bouillon to (finally!) gluwein; the special excursions (complimentary, no less!) in Oslo, Lillesand, Rosendal and parts of the fjords; Michael's commentaries as we cruised through the fjords, etc. There was a clear sense that Sea Dream had come "home" and there was great pride in finally being able to fly the Norwegian flag. I especially enjoyed seeing the crew so excited -- they are so bored with the Caribbean and, while they like the Med better, I guess it, too, can get old. This was new for nearly all of them and I got a huge kick out of seeing as many of them as guests out taking pictures! In addition, several of them got to go on the land adventures with us and it was just so nice to see how much they enjoyed it. I think their enthusiasm rubbed off on the rest of us! While our weather was about 50/50, I don't recall anyone really complaining about it -- everyone just seemed to take it in their stride and even find some humor in getting wet!
Sea Dream won't be doing Northern Europe again, which is a shame. But apparently, the expenses are enough greater (more pilots needed, etc) and it seems to be a bit harder to sell (why, I certainly can't figure out, since I thought the ship did beautifully!) that it's not economically worth it. That makes me even happier that we were able to experience this particular cruise. Those on the Baltic cruises (that's you, WhatNot!) also have a treat in store.
There are still a number of Med cruises we'd like to do, so our future on SD is assured for awhile longer. We'll be trying Regent next summer in Alaska (and are now forewarned by FT and ZQVOL! on what/what not to expect) and probably some others as SD doesn't go to everyplace on our bucket list. But of my nearly 100 nights on SeaDream, I have to say these 11 were the absolute tops -- it truly was unforgettable.
Vandrefalk
For those of you who are interested in UK and pomp and circumstance, here is the link for the time we spent in England:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=8165215500103%3 A1258834542&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/5sagcwq (http://*******.com/5sagcwq) (replace the * with tiny url - without the spaces -- thanks for the tip ZQVOL!)
Although it may not appear to be the case, I really, really did delete a LOT of pictures! But this trip was one where every few minutes, you were faced with unforgettable views, so . . . . Since Kodak limits an album to 500 pictures, I had to do 2. This is the link to Chapter 1:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=6165215500103%3 A2051608420&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/6b5l9rz
Chapter 2 is at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=7165215500103%3 A763026139&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top
or
http://*******.com/6ftcaxp
Hope you enjoy them!
Now for some final comments:
This was a totally unique cruise -- not in terms of service, cuisine, etc. -- but in terms of attitude. Everyone, especially crew, was excited and enthusiastic about the itinerary. I've never seen 11 days go by so quickly. While SD is known for personal service and attention, they seemed to go out of their way to make this one special -- from the warm blankets available to the coffee (with Baileys and Godiva ready to pour for a little kick) to bouillon to (finally!) gluwein; the special excursions (complimentary, no less!) in Oslo, Lillesand, Rosendal and parts of the fjords; Michael's commentaries as we cruised through the fjords, etc. There was a clear sense that Sea Dream had come "home" and there was great pride in finally being able to fly the Norwegian flag. I especially enjoyed seeing the crew so excited -- they are so bored with the Caribbean and, while they like the Med better, I guess it, too, can get old. This was new for nearly all of them and I got a huge kick out of seeing as many of them as guests out taking pictures! In addition, several of them got to go on the land adventures with us and it was just so nice to see how much they enjoyed it. I think their enthusiasm rubbed off on the rest of us! While our weather was about 50/50, I don't recall anyone really complaining about it -- everyone just seemed to take it in their stride and even find some humor in getting wet!
Sea Dream won't be doing Northern Europe again, which is a shame. But apparently, the expenses are enough greater (more pilots needed, etc) and it seems to be a bit harder to sell (why, I certainly can't figure out, since I thought the ship did beautifully!) that it's not economically worth it. That makes me even happier that we were able to experience this particular cruise. Those on the Baltic cruises (that's you, WhatNot!) also have a treat in store.
There are still a number of Med cruises we'd like to do, so our future on SD is assured for awhile longer. We'll be trying Regent next summer in Alaska (and are now forewarned by FT and ZQVOL! on what/what not to expect) and probably some others as SD doesn't go to everyplace on our bucket list. But of my nearly 100 nights on SeaDream, I have to say these 11 were the absolute tops -- it truly was unforgettable.
Vandrefalk