Seadream vs little Seaborne ships in Caribbean

Ok, as an attempt to get this board back on topic (cruising, vs the Order of Oddfellows mutual admiration sub-chapter...) before the moderator's head explodes, I'd like to ask Jim (and others) what they think of the little Seaborne ships in the caribbean? Seaborne has some nice specials that hit islands we haven't been to, even Aruba. I am aware of the pool issue (but Jim could recap). And the pool area is one of Seadream's strongest points.

The itineraries we are looking at get to every island early and leave in the evening, so much of the daytime could be spent ashore. However, there is one sea day.

In looking at the cabins, and comparing only the non-balcony cabins to be fair, the Seaborne cabins appear more spacious, with nice appointments. Being three sigma on the large size, cabin space is much appreciated.

Having been on both SD and SB Odyssey, we would take SD over the Odyssey class ships. We felt the SB experience a bit sterile and bland. But perhaps the smaller Spirit in the Caribbean might be nice?

Seabourn Spirit is a very nice ship. We very much enjoyed our time onboard. I would choose SD every time for the Caribbean though. SB Spirit has an (imho) an unuseable pool area. Nothing like SD. In the Med, I would pick SB Spirit every time. Much more useable indoor space. Food and service (again imho) was a wash when we were on board. Have not sailed on the larger SB ships yet. Cabins on SB are larger but not perfect. The baths (naturally) are larger and there is a mini walk in closet. There is seating and a table next to the window with the bed inboard. This is the reverse of the SD layout. No problem. Unless.....Mrs. R is doing something to her hair or makeup. How often does this happen? Mrs. A seems to do it quite often. So, the makeup area is at the foot of the bed. Much like on SD. But, if you are in the seating area and need to go to the bath, you walk over the bed to avoid disturbing Madam. If you come in and want to go to the seating area, again to not disturb Madam, you walk over the bed. Just my observation.

Did the Spirit have Waverunners, etc.? How about sundown and post-dinner activities/entertainment? Do they put on a beach bbq?

Mrs D spontaneously bursts into flame when exposed to the caribbean noonday sun (not sure if it is her very fair skin or all the oils, lotions, and goos she is always putting on...), so we rarely "lay out" by the pool. Mostly just a quick dip in the pool to cool off (showering first, of course), then a drink in the shade. Generally off the boat after breakfast, until last tender. There's shopping to be done :eek:

Did the Spirit have Waverunners, etc.? How about sundown and post-dinner activities/entertainment? Do they put on a beach bbq?

 

Mrs D spontaneously bursts into flame when exposed to the caribbean noonday sun (not sure if it is her very fair skin or all the oils, lotions, and goos she is always putting on...), so we rarely "lay out" by the pool. Mostly just a quick dip in the pool to cool off (showering first, of course), then a drink in the shade. Generally off the boat after breakfast, until last tender. There's shopping to be done :eek:

The Sky Bar is much like the TOY Bar on SD. The Spirit drop down marina aft is considerably larger than SD and has a "pool". A stainless steel cage you can use like a small pool. As far as waverunners, not sure but they have lots of toys. Sundowners are usually at the Sky Bar. The Club is a bar/lounge/casino area with what we considered good entertainment and music. No big shows but good trios, etc. The Beach BBQ is very much the same and is on Prickly Pear for many of the Caribbean itineraries. We really liked the extra venues on Spirit. The friendliness and service of the crew was, imho, very much the same. The only area SD clearly wins is the pool deck area. We would happily be on either.

Sounds good. We'll let timing and itinerary decide then. SB picks up some islands that SD doesn't get to. On our first trip to the Caribbean we bought a hand-painted mug that had a map of the caribbean on it, and we set a goal to set foot on every island on the mug :)

Sounds good. We'll let timing and itinerary decide then. SB picks up some islands that SD doesn't get to. On our first trip to the Caribbean we bought a hand-painted mug that had a map of the caribbean on it, and we set a goal to set foot on every island on the mug :)

I have had worse goals.:eek::D Sounds like a noble cause.

We did a back to back on Seabourn and SeaDream a few years ago. Since then we've been back on SeaDream many times with a new cruise booked for February. If the price was right, I would be tempted to give Seabourn another shot on one of their newer ships -- but not as a replacement for SeaDream. I feel they are 2 totally different products.

Some of my observations: Seabourn only has the swimming and water toys available 1 day per cruise. It's also quite a bit more formal than SeaDream and the passengers seem to have that formal air about them. Pool area is horrid. The cabins and room service on Seabourn are superior to SeaDream. The evening entertainment is more in line with what you would find on a traditional cruise, if that's what you're looking for.

Keep us posted, I'd love to hear your comparison if you decide to give them a try.

FYI Seabourn has recently changed its dress code and is much less forma than it used to be. Even on what the call formal optional nights a jacket with no tie is acceptable. And on other nights you can dress the same as on Sea Dream.

Jim, tried to interest Mrs. D. in stalking you on your Mex cruise:D. But three sea days in seven is too much for her, and she is afraid of her head ending up in a burlap sack on the steps of a Mexican police station :(

Jim, tried to interest Mrs. D. in stalking you on your Mex cruise:D. But three sea days in seven is too much for her, and she is afraid of her head ending up in a burlap sack on the steps of a Mexican police station :(

Hey, San Diego is a drive to for Yall. Who cares? Stay on the ship aint bad. The ports on this one are (so far) pretty benign. We are just walking about the old town anyway. See you there!!