DupontCruiser2

SO very sorry that your anniversary had any bad and ugly but your reporting is incredibly informative and appreciated. I am hoping SeaDream has been informed and makes the proper adjustments, improvements and considerations to your wife and you. To hear this from 10 year loyal SD cruisers is very disconcerting as my husband and I will cruise with them for the first time in February. Wishing you many healthy and happy anniversaries in the future!

All turned out well. We enjoyed 4 wonderful days on Madeira (turned grapes into wine versus lemons into lemonade :p), met some wonderful people on the island and enjoyed our time thoroughly. With regards to your trip in Feb, I'm sure it will be marvelous, we've always enjoyed Caribbean trips, very relaxing, fun stops, and the champagne and caviar on the beach is not to be missed. And you'll have a different clientele on that trip, not as many snobs ;p Enjoy it!!!

I like your style, classy response.

Thanks! Trying to keep things respectable ;p

To the last few comments - we love SD, have traveled on board many times (including another TA). My observations are based on our 10 years sailing with SD and may or may not agree with others on this voyage or others. Neither of us has ever gotten sick on board before nor have we had any other issues that I observed and reported on during this voyage. Purpose was to inform, not discourage others. For ourselves, we realize that a TA is probably not wise in the future due to our own medical experience. I guess that's why it's called Cruise "Critic" - each can provide their own perspective.

 

Happy sailing!

The great, the bad and the ugly

For those who may be wondering where the rest of this tripreport has been, first I must back track on the last update posted as this wasslightly deviated from the truth. Knowing that we had relatives watching CC, we didn't want to alarm them until we had settled things out. Thereality is that starting around 11 AM on Tuesday, I started to not feel sowell. Thinking it was a touch ofseasickness, I took two pills and took a nice nap on the Balinese beds. Waking up around 2, I wasn’t really feelingany better so retired to our cabin. Fromthere, things just kept going downhill. I started experiencing extreme stomach pain, nausea and cramping. Around 5:30, I finally decided I needed tosee the ship’s doctor (more about her later – let’s just say, she falls intothe “great” category). We started somemeds to help address what we thought at the time was the dreaded ship-borneillness. My DW decided she would go todinner (which was fine, someone needed to carry the flag!) but as she completedher shower and was getting dressed, she was overcome with seasickness. Reports from the ship (little that we couldget –more about this later but let’s put this in the bad category) indicatedwave heights were running 8-10 feet but from what I could figure looking outour cabin window, I think there were some good 15 foot rollers out theretoo! Since she was vomiting (andusually, once she starts, she doesn’t ever stop), the doctor started IV’s onher as well as some IV meds to help.

 

 

Tuesday night was miserable, tossed about and feelingsick. Wednesday AM after very little toeat or drink and lots of meds, we tried to venture out of our cabins topside toget some fresh air. At that point, I’dstill say waves were running same and we had a strong wind of 15-20 mph fromthe starboard bow that was giving the yacht a good heal to port. The waves and wind were strong enough to sendan occasional spray up to the TOYBAR, to give you an idea. Unfortunately, this helped very little and wewere back at the doctor’s office at 5 PM with my DW vomiting some more and mystomach in full revolt. At this point, Igot hooked up with IV’s and more meds and we rode out another night in our cabin.

 

 

Thursday around 7 AM SD I docked in Madeira, Funchal and wefinally had a steady, peaceful ship. Butwe were at a decision point. We couldremain on board for the crossing – 9 days with seas expected to stay the same,or get off the ship and figure out what to do from there. We were never able to get any clear picturefrom staff about the expected weather situation (put this under “bad” also) andgiven I could pull up my own Atlantic Ocean Wave Height prediction, I didn’tunderstand why we couldn’t get some specific info. And the info I saw didn't look like things would get any better any time soon.

 

 

At 8 AM we made the call – we were getting off theship. I was miserable but now that theship was still my really wonderful DW felt fine again and took to packingeverything up. The Doctor visited again(she actually stopped in about every 3 hours the whole time we were sick). She became our intermediary for all plans toget off the ship (working with the Purser, Concierge, and port agent). At 12:30, we stepped off of SD I. Only the doctor saw us off (put this under“ugly”). We were met by the port agentand let me tell you – you always see the port agent mentioned about info atpre-boarding but these are the unsung heroes for those who need specialassistance. The agent accompanied usthru customs and immigration, as well as ensuring a taxi was ready to pick us up. He had already arranged and coordinated withanother colleague on shore (medical port agent) for us to be admitted to aprivate clinic and to see a Gastro specialist. We arrived at the clinic, immediately put in a room with two beds so myDW could stay with me, and within an hour had had visits from the Doctor andthe medical port agent (both with first names of Nuno – go figure). I was hooked up with IV’s and meds and itseemed that the food service staff were determined to make us both eat as we wereoffered full lunches, afternoon snacks, and dinner.

 

 

The most concerning situation was that when the doctor firstsaw me, he indicated a desire to do an endoscopy in the AM. We really couldn’t understand why I needed tohave something so drastic for what appeared to be either a regular GI illnessor seasickness. However, after severaldiscussions (the doctor stopped by again at about 6 PM), we realized that somethings had been lost in translation with the ship’s doctor. The doctor on land understood I had a“stomach on fire”, thinking I had some sort of ulcer or other issue. When we started over from scratch, all wasgood.

 

 

An uncomfortable evening on hard hospital beds transitionedto a Thursday where I felt much better. Started to eat and was sure I was passed the worse. With expectations that I’d be discharged, Ireached out to our travel agent (“great”) back home and lucky for me, he likesto get up early (we are 5 hours ahead of home) and was responding by 11 AM ourtime! We decided that we still had thetime so why not enjoy a few days in Madiera. So, our agent was able to pull some strings, get us a great room at anice rate at the venerable Reid’s Palace and travel back home the followingTuesday.

 

 

One other item/activity going on during all of this. We had taken out trip insurance and startingthe night before disembarkation, we reached out to our carrier and started theprocess of getting reimbursed. Aftersome initial confusion, we were very happy that while at the clinic, they hadalready sent a guarantee to pay (and thus we never provided any form ofpayment, didn’t pay a cent) and had sent in our ship bills forreimbursement. Still have to work outthe reimbursement of travel home costs but feeling really great about theprocess (another “great”).

 

 

Will not go into further detail on our visit and time inMadeira on this thread but given the title of this section, wanted to summarizesome highlights and lowlights of the trip:

 

 

The Great:hearteyes:

As noted previously, Doctor Princesss Velasco was our hero. I’m sure she got little sleep in the two daysshe was treating us, visiting our cabin every three hours to check on us,helping with our plans to depart, and generally being the face of SeaDream whenwe were feeling the lowest. In additionto taking care of us, she had other demands put on her by other passengers (atleast one injury requiring on shore follow up at Madeira but this passenger wasable to return before the ship left) including those who had been on for yearsand expected her attention even when they didn’t need it.

 

 

Port agents – When you aren’t feeling well, the last thingyou want to do is deal with immigration and customs delays. The port agent employed by SD walked us thrucustoms and immigration in no time, knew all the important people and ensuredwe were off the ship and on our way quickly and efficiently. In addition, there is an entire add’l layerof agents that help on the medical side. They helped clear the way for our arrival and admission with no delays,no paperwork, and super care.

 

 

Brenda at Concierge desk – Brenda genuinely cared about oursituation, was responsive to our many calls for help and support and was therewith us as we left the ship.

 

 

Lucy – cabin attendant – Lucy is a star. She was available whenever needed and severaltimes acted as the doctor’s assistant in helping with medical support, as wellas cleaning our room around us. She wasvery caring and supportive and really went the extra mile to help keep uscomfortable.

 

 

Brian Beard with Travel Edge – Brian was a life saver,finding us a great hotel with wonderful upgrades plus some terrific last minuteone way travel home.!

 

The Bad:mad:

The officers of SD I (other than the Doctor). Invisible and non-supportive. We fell in love with SD in part due toparticular captains who were visible and engaged with the guests (one has sincedeparted, one is still with SD). Weasked many times for info on sea conditions and future forecasts but couldnever get a concrete answer. The noonupdate report was provided by the “training manager”. No officer or anyone known ever provided anyinfo on status. And when we left theship, no officer (supposedly the Purser and Captain were aware of our situationand our planned departure time) bothered to see us off.

 

 

The food/chef. Granted, we had limited exposure to this area but given we’ve NEVER hada bad meal on any past voyage, we were stunned to encounter several poor mealsin our short time. First dinner my DWhad a chicken that was so tough we figured it had flown from the US to Malagabefore it was killed for our dinner. Itwas tasteless and sad. And when thedinner was picked up barely eaten, no question was asked about why, if anythingelse was desired, etc. Mussels on thefirst lunch were the saddest I have ever had. The plate was hotter than the mussels which were warm at best andcovered in onions. And finally, whenfeeling ill we asked for some chicken soup. What we received was some very sour tasting chicken stock poured oversome sliced carrots Have no idea who thechef was since we never saw him in our short visit.

 

 

The Ugly :mad::mad::mad:

The ship’s water was repulsive. Yellow/brown in color, it literallydiscolored some of the items we put in the shower for rinsing. This was a known issue by the crew who notedit in passing, almost in a humorous way. We’ll never know if this had anything to do with my illness as I’m sureit was used in some of our food prep and/or coffee, etc.

 

 

The seas – Although stated as 8-10 feet, I think this wasconservative. The seas were rough fromthe outset due to the remnants of hurricane Ophelia passing to thenorthwest. But things did not let up aswe travelled further south and west. Atone point, TOYBAR liquor had to be locked up because bottles were falling outof the racks. Rumors from some crewmembers indicated the captain was steering further south to avoid the worst ofit but since we never were told anything, we can only guess. Understandably, SD has no control overweather and the trip must go regardless. But some open and honest sharing of what was to come would have beenappreciated. Who knows, maybe smoothseas were encountered from Funchal onward and I certainly hope this was the casefor our remaining fellow passengers.

 

 

State of the ship – Overall seemed in need of general upkeepand maintenance. There were times whenno blankets or towels were available (and not that many were being used so notsure why the boxes couldn’t be stocked). Brass polishing was sloppy, leaving lots of polish behind onrailings. Deck boards were pulled up forreplacing and not blocked off creating potential trip hazards forpassengers.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion – this was our 30th weddinganniversary trip and our 10th anniversary with SeaDream. We’ve had many wonderful trips on SD in thepast 10 years and also some times where there were slip ups. Realizing that seasickness is no one’s fault,my final assessment of our voyage does not take this into account. But, the overall shape of the ship,performance of the crew and officers, and the general enjoyment of the shortjourney we had feel way short of our expectations. We know now we will never attempt another TAon SD. Whether we take any otherjourney’s on SD at this time is up in the air.

Monday, October 16th

We stayed one night in Malaga at Room Mate Valeria. Although the name is strange (“I’m staying atRoom Mate”??), the hotel is a fun, quirky boutique feeling place. Wonderfully friendly staff, nice room, and aroof top bar and pool with amazing views of the harbor. If you are sailing out of Malaga, this is theplace to be! Also, easy walk to manybars and tapas restaurants. Be warned,the best places are farther from the harbor – don’t stop at the first ones youcome to as they are more aimed at tourists and are not as good. We had an amazing dinner at el Tiempo deCervantes, very small, be sure to make reservations as it fills up quickly anddoubt walk ups will work.

We only had one morning in Malaga so took the hop on, hopoff bus. It was OK in that it gave us agood overview of the city but between the long stops (more like crawl on, crawloff) and the many inoperable headphone connections (two seats in front of usdid not work and at every stop we had to tell people not to sit there (why didthey think two great seats were open for no apparent reason?), not sure it wasworth the money. We did agree that wewished we had more time to explore Malaga as its smaller size and more laidback pace was more appealing to us versus Barcelona.

Right at 1:45 we headed to the ship which was literallysitting across the street from us. Itwas a short walk with our luggage to the terminal where we checked in and wereon board right at 2. No official countyet but the ship does not seem very full at all. Enjoyed a smooth sail away at 6 PM, havealready met several passengers from California, Connecticut, New Jersey andGeorgia as well as some folks from UK. Since we usually have sailed on SD II, not asmany familiar crew faces but have seen Brian whom we remember from our lasttrip on SD I on the Barbados RT and Matt who was chief bartender last year onSD II but is now Club Director!

Dinner was in the dining room, supposedly will be the entirecrossing L? DW had chicken which was overcooked while Ihad a beef filet which was perfect. Can’t remember the last time either of us had a meal that wasn’t perfectso hopefully this is a rarity. Have notmet the chef yet. Had a few drinks atTOYBAR, made sure to keep the office open and represented! Wepassed by Gibraltar around 10:30 and then called it a night. Definitely have a good rolling sea once wegot out into the Atlantic

Tuesday, October 17th

 

Definitely into so rolling seas today. Announced at 6-8 feet and I think we havesome that are higher than that. We wokeup around 7:30 and surprised to see it was still completely dark out. With ustraveling west the whole trip, we’ll be shifting clocks back every few days sowho knows exactly what time zone we’re in. The day started cloudy and cool but we soon ran out of the clouds andinto a nice afternoon – not too cool, not hot either. Had breakfast and then hung out at one of thetables on the pool deck, near the bar, of course. Read and played some cards rest ofmorning. Two guest speakers on board –one discussing oceanography and the other covering technology. Too cool for the pool so far and not manypeople hanging out down there yet. Backup to TOYBAR for lunch, then several hours napping on the Balinese beds. Drank a little too much in the afternoon plusafternoon snacks so decided it was an evening to recharge and not push so earlyinto the voyage so skipped dinner.

Time nears. We've arrived in Malaga after several days in Barcelona. Despite all the news of Independence protests, etc. all was quite nice while we visited. Saw all the main points of interest, enjoyed some really great tapas restaurants, and can't say enough about the staff at the Hotel Indigo. Great location and very helpful. Today we flew via Ryanair which has to be a low point in our travel history. Felt like cattle being herded to slaughter and was thankful that it was a short flight. The reward was a stay at the Room Mate Valeria right on the harbor. Can't beat the rooftop bar and pool!!! Met a few of our fellow cruisers who will be joining us tomorrow. A final dinner in Spain that was wonderful (el Tapeo de Cervantes, check it out!) and we board tomorrow. As my DW said, the final night we pay for our dinner (well, we've already paid for the next 13 dinners in advance!).

 

More to come.

Hi,

 

We'll be on the upcoming TA from Malaga to Barbados. Hoping to provide a trip report on a "regular" basis (regular determined by when I'm awake, not napping, eating, or drinking :cool:). We will be spending a few days before the trip in Barcelona, hoping that they don't leave Spain before we get there :'). Then we'll hop over to Malaga for a day before we sail on the 16th. We have everything set (travel arrangements, that is, still have yet to figure out what we will actually be taking!).

 

The only question we have is what to do when we get to Barbados. Hoping that, unlike US customs, we can relax and depart SD a little later and then kill a few hours before heading to airport (flight leaves at 3:30 so we'll need to be at the lovely airport 3 hours before :mad:). Given we have a long trip with connections in Miami, not really looking to spend time at the beach but hoping to find somewhere nice where we can sit, have a few cocktails and an early lunch and then head to airport. This means we have to find a place that is open around 10 AM (which knocks out quite a few restaurant options I've been checking out since they don't open until closer to noon). So, any ideas or thoughts are welcome!

 

Stay tuned for more!

Erm, yes - Barcelona is fantastic, but I rather think the departure port is Malaga. I hope so, otherwise I'm flying to the wrong place!

 

Yes, you are correct. We are spending a few days in Barcelona before arriving in Malaga to meet up with SD.

We are on the SD 1 TA that ends in BGI and we got the same letter. I wasn't expecting any changes since that area was not impacted but looks like they used the same letter for both TA's?

Thumper69, looking forward to meeting up! Top of Yacht Bar (or TOYBAR as it is affectionately known) is a wonderful place no matter the time of day or night! We sailed on the Seaborne "triplets" (since sold to Windstar) a couple of times to compare with SeaDream. The physical product of the cabins was a little better (walk in closets, tub) but the pool was horrible and the service and food was not a match at all. October 16th can't get here soon enough!!!

We are on the October crossing on SD I and this will be our 2nd. We actually encounter rougher seas in the Caribbean than on the crossing we took. In our case, what we learned is that they build in a lot of flexibility in time and actually altered the route across to avoid storms and rough seas (the Captain even showed us a site that displays sea hight and how he was moving farther south to avoid some of it). That's not to say it will be smooth as glass all the way (although I have seen pics of it looking just like that) but they do try their best to avoid it. So, I'd say I'd be as worried about rough seas on the crossing as with any other cruise on SD. And same rules apply as with the big ships - best to get a cabin amidships if possible to reduce the rocking at night.

 

As Zimmy notes, food is AMAZING, you will never be unhappy with anything you get. And of course all is included so order what you want when you want it in food and drink, in most cases (unless you want to dive into the wine cellar but I've never felt I needed to do that).

 

We had other solo cruisers on our trip although one was part of a larger group. I find the SD guests to be very welcoming and diverse so would think you'll find some folks to join up with. In fact, that's one of the best things about SD, those who sail on them. We always meet some wonderful new people on each voyage and bet you would do the same.

 

Let us know if you decide to join the October crossing, me and my DW would be happy to meet you!

I don't know, a TA on a small ship....I hope you write a review about the cruise.

 

I plan to write one if alcohol, eating, and sleeping allow me the time;p

It's been quite awhile since the last one, really looking forward to it. I'm sure there is room for one or two more ;-)

I echo all the Ho Hum has stated. We are on the TA this fall but on SD I this year. We usually are partial to SD II but due to schedule and itinerary (have been to Lisbon, want to see Barcelona), we opted for SD I this time. You'll have a great time and don't let Hum scare you off, he's actually a pretty nice fella (but don't tell anyone).

If doing the Greek islands, try to find an itinerary that includes Santorini. Alternatively, if the cruise starts in Athens, go a few days early, see a bit of Athens, then fly to Santorini, rent a car, and spend a couple of nights to adjust to the time zone. Santorini is VERY romantic.... And has some interesting things to do and see. On the other islands, try to get off the beaten track.

 

My wife and I did Greek Isles last year and LOVED IT!!! As noted by Ragnar, we started in Athens and spent several days wandering around and glad we did. Due to all the issues in Turkey, our cruise was changed to RT Athens which was fine. It's a great mix of little islands seldom visited by other cruise ships and a few of the "big name" ports including Santorini and Mykonos. We loved Santorini but my advice is to get off the ship early as more cruise ships will arrive and it will get very crowded trying to get up to the town (you have a choice of gondola or donkey). We wandered around with another couple on our own and found a great restaurant with a wonderful view and just took it all in...The tiny islands are just as wonderful (Hydra, Syfnos, Naxos, etc.).

With regards to guest mix, I think you will find a wide variety. We are in our 50's (still consider that very young:')) and had everything from a couple of families with very well behaved older teenagers up to folks who were probably in their 80's but I'd say most were in their 40's and 50's. And regardless of age, we've just always found that SD attracts the best passengers of all ages and you will find people you enjoy hanging out with (or be on your own, up to you!).

I can't say we've ever been bored on SeaDream. The watersports marina will be out parts of each day in many cases so that gives you chances to play with the toys. The pool area is great to hang out as is the Top of the Yacht Bar. But then again, we're doing the Trans Atlantic this fall for second time, 13 days at sea, and we don't get board then either.

With regards to the specific liquor, I can't say. You could call the offices and ask.

And by the way, if you do go, be sure to request the outdoor bed up front for one night, ask to have it set up for dinner too. They will do it all for you, no extra cost! It's a wonderful place to lie out and enjoy the stars.

 

Congrats on the wedding!

While on board last month, Jeff mentioned issues with posting pictures and names (privacy and all that) was limiting SD's ability to most much anymore. Maybe that is why they don't have the blogs??

Oh Hum, how observant. I am very closely related to DC, some would say identical:D. The reality is I never could find my correct log in info so just started with new name, DC V.2!

Great trip reporting, DupontCruiser2!! Have been to Greece, both on our own and on 2 prior SD cruises, so it was fun to read about your time on SD2 & the various excursions you took.

 

Had to laugh about your wild taxi ride in Santorini! One of our funniest memories (now!) was when we took a taxi from the Santorini airport to our hotel. We were hanging on for dear life whenever we'd hit a hairpin turn -- our driver would suddenly speed up then check his phone, look to the (other) side of the road, check himself out in the mirror, order a pizza (not really!), start chattering away, whatever... definitely not a ride for the faint of heart!! :eek: But somehow we still made it to our destination in one piece and enjoyed every minute of our time spent on Santorini! :D

 

Thank you again for taking the time to post about your trip, and agree: Frud IS the best of the best!

 

I forgot to mention that our driver was also chewing on a fresh grilled corn on the cob while all this was going on:eek:

Wednesday

 

We decided that today would be a day off and we never left the ship. We heard wonderful things about the famous monastery and could see it perched on the hill over the harbor. We ended up enjoying some down time at the pool, lunch and more relaxing at TOYBar and then we both had massages at 3 PM which were wonderful (we both fell asleep at one point). Then it was time for afternoon nap and before we knew it, time for dinner! Dinner was outside again and we were invited to eat with Club Director Jeff who is a real hoot, tells wonderful stories and is just genuinely a nice guy to hang out with. We were joined by two couples from the UK and had several fun discussions about our mutual country’s current political “challenges”. Then back to the piano bar for several drinks and sing a longs (some better than others :eek:. A word about the Casino here. On our past cruises we’ve seen it packed and other times light but have NEVER seen it go totally unused an entire cruise but it appears that the poor Casino Mgr (lovely Dragana from Serbia) spent most of her time alone in the Casino but she did come over to the bar chat with guests a lot and had many great chats with her during the jouney

.

Thursday

 

During Wednesday’s dinner, Jeff talked about leading a bike tour the next day on Naxos and I decided I’d give it a try. Jeff felt pretty confident that he would have few people sign up as it had not been a very adventurous group so far. Thus, I went to sleep thinking I’d get up the morning and just show up. However, to my surprise the trip was totally booked up and I was put on standby in case someone was a no show. At time of departure, everyone was accounted for and I headed back to the cabin to sort out other options. But, before I could get down the stairs, I heard Frud’s voice calling out to me to come back to the concierge desk. Regulars will know Frud as the always wonderful, always helpful, head concierge on SD II. Whatever you need to know, she can help. In this case, when she realized I was going to miss a chance at the bike tour, she contacted her husband (who also works on board as Comms Officer) and he had arrived to offer his own personal bike for my use – a beautiful, sleek bike (not the off road heavy bikes that SD offers). As we loaded the bike up, he joined me on the tender as we went over the workings of the bike (20 gears??) so I’d be all set when we arrived. THIS is what makes SeaDream head and shoulders above all other lines – where a crew member goes way above and beyond and offers up their own personal help where nothing is expected or required. :)

The bike ride itself was terrific, not too hilly, roads not crowded at all except when we approached the main town of Naxos. Wonderful views of the sea at various places. In Naxos, we viewed the ruined temple to Apollo as well as enjoying several beers (Mythos) at a nice café while we cooled down and relaxed and did some people watching. A quick 30 minute ride back via a shorter route and we were back on board by 1 PM, just in time for lunch. I then stayed up at TOYBar WAY too long, even took a pain killer with me to the spa! After the spa, back to TOYBar until it was time to get ready for dinner. Dinner and more wine, then back to Piano Bar and then, according to my DW, I traveled back down the stairs via my rear most of the way to the cabin :eek::o

 

Friday

 

My head hurt….I don’t know when I went to sleep but I knew that Friday was going to be a day to pay for it. We had repositioned on Thursday afternoon from Naxos to Mykonos and many guests had gone out partying until late in the evening/morning so luckily, the ship was pretty quiet all around. I had a light breakfast with DW (tummy was also not happy with my behavior the night before) and then we went ashore to wander the small alleyways of town and finally made it over to Little Venice and the 5 Windmills. It was not windy at all which, from our understanding, was quite the exception, at least so far this year. The town was pretty empty, even around noon, and with no real interest in buying anything, we were soon back on the ship and spent the rest of the day relaxing until our 4:15 spa appointment. Dinner was in the Main Dining Room and we had one more nice dinner with a couple from Florida before having the obligatory last drinks at the Piano Bar and then calling it a night.

 

A note about last day on board. In the past, we have always been bad about putting off the packing until the last minute. This time, we had agreed we would do it during Friday afternoon and we stuck to that plan and it made a world of difference to be done and not have to worry about it after a full day, full meal, and several drinks.

 

Saturday

 

Time to bid farewell to SD II and her wonderful crew. We really enjoyed the trip and everyone on board, crew and passengers, were terrific. Given the ship was at full capacity (and that it had about 18 last minute additions due to SD I), things still went as smoothly as ever – food out on time, drinks always refreshed before asking, crew all smiles, and ship looking amazing. We had one last breakfast, said goodbye to passengers and crew and took that long walk down the gangway to claim our luggage. We then met up with our trusty driver from PK Travel and off to the airport – next stop, UK!!!

We just completed a week on SD II, had 18 passengers who had moved from their planned trip on SD I to our trip. They all spoke highly of how well SD shore staff had supported them. Many of these folks were on back to back and thus SD was not only scrambling to get them a week on SD II (this week is a charter) but also find other options for their second week of holiday).

Last night (final evening on ship), Capt Steiner gave an update on SD I and confirmed she would be back in commission for next Saturday's trip starting 17 September!!! Figured that if he would make such a public announcement, it has to be true!

Apologies for delay in updates, it’s hard to pull away from napping, drinking, eating, exploring, etc…

 

After a nice nap on Sunday, we joined the cocktail party by the pool and chatted with many guests. As previously noted, the ship is completely full, with 15 different nationalities from as far away as Australia, Peru, and Brazil. There is a small contingent of Americans (smallest we’ve probably had on any of our trips) from places such as Delaware, Florida, Oregon, and Georgia.

Dinner was outside again and we joined another couple for dinner which was wonderful. We wandered down the piano bar where we were lucky enough to have several passengers who were very good singers and we soon were all singing along to songs from Mama Mia (appropriate given our location). We hung around until midnight and then drifted off to a nice sleep

 

Monday

 

We had signed up for a tour of Sifnos that would take us to several churches and villages. It was a four hour tour that included about 2 ½ hours of walking. It was really a nice mix of exploring little villages, churches and views and was not crowded at all (the tour itself only had about 10 people total and we never ran into many people along the way. At one point, we ventured into a “walled” village with multiple levels, like a small medieval maze. Later we took a break at a wonderful little restaurant where we sampled some local

appetizers and beer. We arrived back on board a little after 1 PM and had a lite lunch and then hung out at the pool and TOYbar most of the afternoon. This is the first time I can ever recall that there were absolutely no chairs available at the pool in the afternoon. We again took the obligatory afternoon nap and then were ready for dinner (we skipped cocktails).

 

Monday evening we decided it would be nice to eat on our own and Silvio was kind enough to seat us in the side tables nestled between the lifeboats so we had a lovely view of Sifnos as we ate. We wimped out on any after dinner activities given the early start we had to the day. In addition, we had the bed up forward for Tuesday night so decided it would be nice to retire there to enjoy the stars as we sailed to Santorini. If you have never done this, we really recommend doing it at least once. You may not stay up there all night but it is a great place to lay under the stars and feel the sea breeze in a relatively quiet and remote part of the ship. The down side of sleeping up front is that although the bed area is roped off, you still have people coming from TOYBar to use the forward restroom and you do hear music from time to time making its way up forward. Although it was a crystal clear night when we started, it did get very wet due to lots of condensation on everything and then finally around 4 AM a shower came along that finally ran us back to the room. But all in all, a nice night outside.

 

We slept several more hours and thus missed our arrival into Santorini (which is the main reason we booked outside that night). We awoke to beautiful views of the various white towns scattered along the top of Santorini. We had decided to tour on our own, hoping to make our way to Oia which is famed for its stunning views and white and blue topped buildings. Santorini is unique in that ships are not allowed to set or use their own tenders and schedules and thus we were reliant on local tenders with set schedules. We pushed to make the 10:45 run (the next would not be for 1 ½ hours) and am glad we did this. There was no line at the gondola ride to the city above which was great. We arrived in Ferra which was a crazy maze of shops, people and donkeys (as another option, you can ride a donkey up to the town if you do not wish to take the gondola). We walked to the taxi stand and connected with another couple from the ship who also wished to go to Oia. Since they could speak the language, we were glad to connect up with them as this would help out several times along the way. We didn’t wait long before a taxi came along and we were off for Oia. What was supposed to be a 15 minute trip was more like 45 minutes because of a backup at a one lane bridge. Finally, some locals walked ahead and stopped oncoming traffic so we could all proceed – too much cheering and horns honking!

Upon arrival at Oia, we walked along the walkways and alleys, popping out to amazing views of white cliff-side buildings and churches with blue domes. We popped into various shops along the way, but mainly just people watched and followed the flow until we reached the tip of the town and then looked back. We had been told that Oia would be 100 times more amazing than Sifnos and I have to say that this is true – it is worth the effort to make it to this breathtaking part of Greece, like no others. After snapping more pics, we started walking back and found a restaurant with a perch over the ocean with a great view and sat down for the most amazing Greek meal with local wines. It was truly the highlight of the trip and not to be missed. By the time we finished our lunch, most of the tourists seemed to have returned to their ships (when we arrived, 3 other ships were present and an additional large Princess ship arrived while we were in town). We had a nice leisurely walk back to where we could pick up a taxi and one quickly arrived – quickly being the operative word. Our driver, Nico, quickly decided it would be most fun and entertaining to play some local music on his radio while attempting to get back to Ferra as fast as possible. We laughed and tried to sing along as we zoomed back along the twisting road. A few glasses of wine were a good idea to get us thru this wild Greek ride.

 

We eventually arrived back at the gondola and made a quick decent to the port to pick up our ferry. We were amazed to find a HUGE que to go up from the bottom, probably over an hour wait, due to the new cruise ship that had arrived – so happy we timed our trip as we did. As usual, upon our return we took the obligatory nap to recharge and relax.

 

Dinner was inside which would be our first and we joined another couple we had met. Most had the Dover sole while I had the Veal Wellington. Reviews around the table were unanimous – fantastic! After dinner, we popped into the main lounge where Karaoke was in full swing but we decided to go for the piano bar again where some great songs were sung. We eventually wandered off to bed, much looking forward to sleeping in and no solid plans for Patmos on Wednesday.

Boarding Day!!!

 

Saturday and time to say goodbye to the Atheneaum InterContinental. Before moving on, a few comments about this hotel. The staff is really great, very friendly and welcoming. The rooms are spacious, modern and updated. As noted previously, we dined at the rooftop restaurant, Premier and it really is an amazing setting with wonderful seafood offerings. And if you are lucky (or have enough points), the Club Lounge is extra special with its own veranda with lots of shade and views of the Acropolis. All in all, a great place to stay when visiting Athens.

 

Since we didn’t need to depart the hotel until around 1:30, we had a nice lazy morning, enjoying a cool breeze at the club lounge and taking one last look at the Parthenon covered with tourists. After some work sorting thru dirty laundry, clean clothes, method of repacking so we could unpack again in a few hours, we were ready to go right at 1:30. Our guide from PK picked us up (no name provided this time) and we took mostly surface streets to the port, avoiding busy Saturday weekend traffic (or so we were told). This was actually nice because it gave us a nice tour of various seaside towns with cafes lining the harbor. The size of the yachts seemed to grow in size as we got closer to SeaDream.

 

Finally, around the next corner and there she was!!! A quick unload and then a welcome by SeaDream staff. My attempt to convince them that we were in stateroom 315 did not work again (why do they never believe me versus the guest manifest?) Then thru security (where they insisted we should have some sort of boarding card like they hand out on those large cruise barges, finally able to get a pass when they realized we were on the SeaDream), up the boarding ramp and the welcome from Capt and Jeff the Club Director! Due to the “issue” with SD I, our cruise was completely full (SD had managed to move some folks who were to join SD I in Rome to our trip. Happy to see some of the other regular faces on board – Slivio, Frud, Arla, etc. Very smooth and quick luggage transfer, totally unpacked very quickly. We have about half and half on board – first timers versus repeat guests. Due to a late flight for some folks from Belgium, the captain was kind enough to hold departure and that also delayed the obligatory lifeboat drill but all was soon good and off we sailed around 6:15 PM. Passed by The World and Queen Victoria on the way out of port and caught up to and passed one of the Seabourn ships. Although we had pretty good winds, seas were very calm and had a great evening with little to know movement. Frud and Silvio had been nice enough to set us up outside for first night’s dinner even though most were inside. We invited a lovely couple from Oregon to join us, their first time on SD. Dinner was, of course, amazing (sorry though, I don’t take down notes for food nor do I take pics, you’d have to be there to know what it was). We retired early after way too much wine.

 

Sunday

 

We had an excursion on donkeys (insert joke of choice about riding your ass, spending too much time on your ass, seeing too much ass, etc.) to the top of Hydra on Sunday AM but with a late start of 10:30 which allowed a late wake up. Unfortunately, my “delicate” stomach (as my DW calls it) was not doing well – not sure if it was the food, too much drink, not enough water, but let’s just say we weren’t at the top of our game) was informing me that spending an hour on a donkey was not the best option for me. So, my DW set off on her own ass while I stayed on board and rested. I’d love to give you a report on the excursion but I really didn’t get much info other than the fact that she rode a donkey, it took her to a couple of churches, and then they walked back down to the harbor. DW seemed to enjoy but have yet to review any photographic evidence.

 

After about 2 ½ hours rest, I awoke a new man (well, the same old man but at least I felt better) and headed up to the TOYBar to work on this trip update. Lunch had already started but I wanted to wait for my DW to return so I hung out at the bar, slowly introducing my digestive system back to the alcoholic options available (alcohol does cure all, right?). Upon her return, we moved to The Office where we invited a couple from Florida to join us and had a lovely chat into the afternoon.

 

DW has now headed to our stateroom for a nap and I’m afraid I may need to join her. Next chapter – Dinner off of Hyrda and Sifnos.

All is well on cruise but for some odd reason, having problems getting my comments into CC. Internet on SD I is fine, think it has to do with site access. Will attempt updates again if this note gets through :mad:

The Acropolis has been calling out to us all week, from our arrival on Friday when we first set eyes on it from the hotel, and every day as we toured around its base. But we were saving the best for last (plus, we had to get up early for this so we needed to work up to the fact of setting an alarm while on vacation!). :D

 

Friday we awoke at 6 AM with the intent of catching the 8 AM shuttle from the hotel. We ran a little behind (time for coffee, time to shower, breakfast, more coffee, etc.) and thus didn’t make it out until 8:30. Which turned out to be good since there is no 8 AM shuttle!!!! DW would not have been happy at all :eek: We were able to get dropped off at Hadrian’s Arch which then made it a very short walk to the entrance to the Acropolis. And as hoped, no line at all! It was a relatively easy climb with stops along the way to view various sites such as the Theater of Dionysus and Herodeon. Before we knew it, we were at the entrance, the amazing Propylaea. It was quite impressive and we stopped for awhile to enjoy the scene, soak in the history and reflect on all those who had come before us. We then gathered up for the final push and there it was – the Parthenon (and lots of scaffolding and cranes). We really couldn’t believe we were here, at this most famous place, built almost 2,500 years ago!! We wandered around, took lots of pictures, enjoyed the view. We also marveled at the Erechtheion which is smaller but just as impressive with its six columns made to look like ladies holding up the roof.

 

After more picture taking, we descended back thru the Propylaea. That’s when we realized we had made the right decision to get up early to beat the crowds. The stairs were covered in people, massive tour groups and it was hard to just make your way down thru the mob. We traveled down thru the Roman Gate and down to the other entrance, then followed the path around to the Acropolis Museum. This building holds a lot of the relics originally found on the Acropolis that have been moved here to keep them protected and well displayed. Here we found the original ladies of the Erechtheion (the ones on the Acropolis are fakes), as well as parts of what circled the top and eaves of the Parthenon. Note, many pieces are “missing”, not because they cannot be found but because others have taken/bought/stolen the originals and they are now housed elsewhere in the world, such as the Natural Museum in London. But, you still get a good idea of what things once looked like.

 

After viewing all the carvings of stone we could, we decided it was time to find a nice place for lunch. On our way, we passed the main entrance to the Acropolis (the one we had entered about 2 ½ hours ago and were amazed to see a line that snaked on forever! Again, getting there early makes all the difference in the world! I can’t imagine standing in such a line in the mid-day heat. We wandered over some of the paths we had taken over the last few days, reviewing menus, looking for a nice shady place with a breeze. We finally wandered over to a place referred to as Restaurant Stairs and located a great place near the top of the stairs and had a wonderful meal. We shared a salad that included fresh watermelons and then both had lamb dishes. The lamb was very tender and wonderful. We had lovely conversations with our waiter and in the end he offered us a free carafe of the house wine (not sure if that was because we had consumed our bottle so fast or if he just had an extra carafe he couldn’t get rid of :D).

 

It was then time to say goodbye to our tour of Athens and head back for a quiet afternoon at the hotel. Our original plan was to lay out at the pool and recharge after all the walking but a nap called and won us over. Later we spent the evening at the club lounge, again enjoying the evening breeze, watching the last of the tourists leave the Acropolis, and seeing the Parthenon light up as the sun went down. We made it an early night, knowing that the next day would be boarding day for SeaDream II!!!.

 

I'll end today's update with a call out and thoughts to the crew and passengers of SD I. We are so very glad to hear all are OK and safe and hope SD I will soon be back on her way. We hear that SD has treated all passengers (on board and booked for future trips) well given the circumstances and know from past experience that they will do all they can to make it right in the end.

Thursday – I think….

 

Today we set out to explore the Ancient Agora. We again took the trusty hotel shuttle to Stygmata Square, was much more careful crossing and had a nice leisurely walk to the Agora. As expected, this is a mix of recreated buildings, ruins, and a few very well preserved structures. We again had reliable Rick Steves at our side to explain what we were looking at and why it was important. It was definitely a warm day but there was enough shade around to find places to sit and ponder the history of this place (and also cool down and drink some water). This really helped set the stage historically and archaeologically for our planned trip to the Acropolis on Friday. After a few hours in the Agora (Rick claimed it would just take an hour – again, if only he’d talk faster, that might be possible!), we completed our tour and wandered about looking for a place to eat, finally settling on a place across from the Agora that had pleasant water misters to help cool things down. Unlike yesterday, I can’t say we really did a great job with restaurant selection. It was pure tourist all the way – large laminated menu with items numbered (I’ll have the #56 please) and bland food. The wine and beer were good but the rest was not memorable. We then found our way back to the metro station and eventually found our way back to the hotel.

 

One of our usual practices to save money is to eat big at lunch and then just snack for dinner. This saves money and usually the lunches are much less expensive than the same meal would be a night. Plus, since we are in the Club Lounge level, we can get nibbles and drinks all evening for nothing! Which is exactly what we did. There was a great breeze on the club terrace as we watched the sun set and the Acropolis come alight and we enjoyed snacks and wine to end the day.

 

Friday – we climb to the Acropolis!