SDII: 9 days Dec 14-23

I do not wish to do a day-by-day review log, so now I will give some quick highlights, and thoughts. I began the post on board, but never finished.

- I took the horse ride on Nevis. I loved it, even though we only walked the horses. This fulfilled a life long fantasy of mine to go riding on the beach. It was a quick ride to the stables, and an easy excusion.

- On Tortola, the guests who went on the Dolphin Encounter raved about it. I have visited there prior and I highly recommend it.

- On St Maarten the guests who did the Americas cup had great fun and their team won. The attendees said the excursion was great.

Our room: Cabin 210 . I never once heard the anchor, but I sleep with earplugs. I like the ship noises; it is part of the experience of being on the seas. Otherwise, I would stay home or go to a hotel instead. The new bedding seemed thicker and plusher than on prior trips. The ship did creak when we went through the 10 foot seas, but , that is totally expected. I like the 2nd floor. Even though we ate outside a lot, the 2nd floor stateroom is very convenient to the dining room!

The ports: We don’t take this journey for the ports. We go for the weather, the beauty of the islands, and the indulgence of the SeaDream. What I really liked, however, was how we never saw any mega-ships and the Captain's flexibility of changing ports when 10,000 other humans arrive that day. I honestly don’t care where we go. I look forward to meeting people, and being treated like a queen for a week, or in this case, 9 days. I really liked the 9 days, because I had no weather worries. Even with the tropical storm Olga, I knew that it would clear eventually.

The Marina: I think it was down nearly every day.

The special parties: Both Peter Island at night and the Champagne and Caviar bash were just great.

Our fellow guests / passengers: What a great group of people! There were folks aboard we had met on prior cruises, and also wonderful new friends to be found. Sometimes I think this is partly what the intimacy of the SeaDream is about….the opportunity to spend time with people in an intimate and glamourous setting, who share our interests in food and drink, and luxury travel. I will not name other guests, but here goes a sampling in no special order:

- Thank you Seattle couple, for hosting the party in the Owners Suite. How very special to be invited and how great to get to know you. I look forward to sharing recipes in the future.

- My new friends from Orlando. I had withdrawals from the quiet after leaving you. I hope we do stay in touch and meet for a dinner or lunch.

- Atlanta buddies. Can’t wait for you to visit. Make sure to schedule a business trip soon.

- Charleston cruise mates. We may have to stop bumping into each other like this. It was a pleasure to see you again.

- The vibrant travel agent and her DH. It was a bunch of fun, wasn’t it?

- The lovely family from Norway, who had an anniversary and proved that families can really have a great time together. I sure enjoyed your company, and watching that horse roll in the sand. You young ones know how to dance!

- Caroline – I know where your son gets his bubbly personality. What a wonderful woman you are!

- The couple who had a vow renewal on board. What a loving man to surprise his wife like that!

- The folks from Fort Meyers who shared our cab, and we found our 6 degrees of separation.

I could almost try to mention everyone, from a British Lord to a Boston fireman , but I will stop here. I think it is the memories of sharing time that makes me really love the smallness of the Seadream. Please, if anyone recognizes who I am from this posting, and has photos I would like, please forward them to me! I am looking for photos of me horseback riding, and at the champagne bash, and our dinner tables.

The Seadream Staff: Again, and in please no particular order I would like to give Kudos for professionalism to the staff. I have been on both the I and II , and it is interesting to see employees who move around, and meet staff whom I have only read about. There were staff changes mid cruise, as some lucky employees went home for the holidays, and some new faces came aboard. The changeover was pretty seamless, but if I miss mentioning anyone, I am sorry. Here goes.

-Christophe, the Hotel Manager legend. Your reputation is well deserved. Thank you .

-Andre, the Maitre’d. I loved all of your ties, and your smile. Great Service. Thank you.

- George, the Sommelier. We kept you on your toes. Thank you.

- Jes, the Chef. I don’t know which food I liked best. Thank you.

- Nina, the concierge. You are so professional and patient. Thank you.

- James, the activities director. It is your brother I really miss. Next time I plan to beat him at Liars Game. Thank you.

-Dr Lovelle. We sure were an injury prone and ill bunch of ragamuffins at times. Thank you.

- Gina, our cabin attendant. I miss you already. Thank you.

- Silvio, Zoltan, Werner, etc. All of you and others I can’t remember every name were so integral to the success of our vacation experience. Thank you.

-Jane and Ya in the spa. AHHHHHHHH. The greatest ever. Thank you.

- Every other Seadream staff member. Thank you.

-Captain Kirk. Oh, I mean Captain Johannes Tysse. Simply put, Thank you.

That is it. It was a wonderful vacation and now I have returned to real life. Over and out.

Thanks for your review LBLB!

Sounds like you had a wonderful 9 days in spite of Olga's visit. I too sleep with ear plugs ... and a sound machine:p

Glad that you joined some of our favorite SD staff and officers! You are so right ... they all make us feel like royalty!

So do you have another cruise booked yet:D

that would be #4....how many times have you gone? How many times can I repeat a gloroious experience?

that would be #4....how many times have you gone? How many times can I repeat a gloroious experience?

Our March 16 cruise will be our 3rd on SD ... last year we tried Seabourn since SD wasn't available when we were:eek:

What is that classic line ... once is never enough:p I tell DH that means once a year on SD in not enough but since when does he listen;):p;)

How many times can I repeat a gloroious experience?

That's a question that we have yet to find the answer to so it must be somewhere North of 20! After spending 11 days on SeaDream 2 crossing the Atlantic in November, I disembarked wondering how I was going to find a way to get back on board either SD 1 or SD 2 sooner than our next scheduled cruise in November '08. Haven't found the answer to that one either, unfortunately.

LBLB:

Thanks for your review. It helps us junkies out here when others share. We also booked another. 2 a year is not enough. Work surely gets in the way. Happy New Year.

Jim.

- James, the activities director. It is your brother I really miss. Next time I plan to beat him at Liars Game. Thank you.

:confused: LBLB Happy New Year, what a wonderful review! I am confused, who is James brother? I sailed with him this summer, and his brother wasn't onboard, nor did we have a Liars Game, is that reserved for the crossing? I wish I could go again soon, I miss the royal treatment too. Once a month would be nice. :)

Mack came on board the Seadream II for just one evening, and then the lucky guy got to go home for the holidays.

You just would not believe it...he is nothing at all like James...I liked Mack, even though Mack had no manners, and was not sharp and intelligent , as James is. Mack was a bit "rough", to tell you the truth.

You know, now that I think about it....James and Mack are kind of like .....hmmmm....

Jekyl and Hyde. Perhaps Mack is only given free visitation on the SeaDream when the cruises are longer than 7 days? Hard for me to say.....Any input anyone?

Mack and I had a good long talk. He took my resume and is personally giving it to Larry Pimental with a top notch recommendation.

Mack has a lot of charisma, and good contacts in the home office. I guess he and James must know the same people.

LBLB,

I LOVED your review! You touched on all the emotions we felt on SD1. The crew, the fellow SeaDreamers...it's all so incredible! We met some fabulous people on our voyage, and I can see that you did, too. Thank you for sharing your experience through highlights and thoughts.

Happy New Year!

LBLB,

I have photos of you and husband G. I think I gave him my card so send an e-mail as I don't have yours. Or it looks like I can attach them here but I'm guessing everybody gets a copy. Not sleepless in Silicon Valley.

Thanks for finding us. The last I heard , was that you were trying to catch an earlier flight out of St Thomas. Any Luck?

We have scoured our things, and have no business card or address for you (or just about anyone)!

However, I have set up a brand new email address just for the seadream photos you took. I think it would be a bad thing to give out my regular email on a public board, but if you identify yourself in the comment line, then I will open the photos. I thank you, and then will forward my true email so we can exchange addresses.

So, here is where you can send the photos:

sd2photos1207@aol.com

Good to hear from you! I hope you are having better weather than we are!

regards from both of us.