ctbjr1309

Our experience has been that Piano Bar noise is not an issue in the AS.

We are booked on this voyage.  Living in Orlando, we'll be driving down to Riviera Beach (where Port of Palm Beach is located) the day of departure.  After the cruise, we're staying on board for a while so not spending time in Lisbon.

11 hours ago, laurelguy said:

Anyone know if Jamie is working SD2 right now? Or any other crew/staff? Thanks!

Both Jamies (Hotel Manager and Club Director) are currently on board SD2.

Commodore Suites are created by combining specific adjacent suites on Decks 2 and 3 (for example 204/206, 304/306, 317/319, etc),  They are identified on the Deck Plans on the SD website (https://seadream.com/yachts/deck-plans) by diagonal lines drawn through 2 adjacent staterooms.

In one of each Commodore Suite there is a Murphy bed that can be retracted into the wall when the suite is part of a Commodore and can be used as a bed when the stateroom is not part of a Commodore and is a standalone stateroom.

I'm not sure which of the staterooms have Murphy beds and I'm not sure that there is a practical difference as I haven't heard anybody comment negatively about there experience being in a stateroom featuring a Murphy Bed.  Nevertheless, one would think that SD would have that information and publish it but I guess not....

For a number of years, our go to hotel for a short pre-cruise stay has been the Sheraton Old San Juan.  It is right across the street from the port and depending on where SD docks can be an easy walk to the ship.

We arrived at the hotel yesterday for a one night stay prior to embarking SD1 today.  The hotel is currently undergoing major renovation which frankly is overdue.  However, we were surprised to discover that construction begins promptly at 7 AM as the very loud sound of drilling began.  Calling Guest Services resulted in apologies and a promise to tell the Assistant Manager but nothing more.

I don't know how long the work is scheduled to last nor do I know whether they work on the weekends.  However, I would strongly recommend against staying here until the construction work has been completed.

On 12/21/2023 at 3:31 PM, Zimmy said:

Does anyone know who the officers on that voyage will be?

Hi there.  Looking forward to seeing you both soon.  My understanding is that the following will be on board:  Captain Kristian, Hotel Manager Eric,  Maitre 'd Leo,Club Director Jamie, Activities Manager Frud, Chef Alistair, Sommelier Frank.  If I missed any  positions of interest, please let me know.

22 hours ago, TheFrenchGuy said:

As I mentioned onboard, we did stay at the Ivens for the first time, but this is going to be our go-to hotel in Lisbon from now on. Smallish (87 rooms), great location, and great service!

 

We stayed at The Ivens last year.  We too liked it and will stay there again.

Zimmy, I'll fill you in later this month 🙂.

On 11/30/2023 at 4:40 AM, ctbjr1309 said:

As best I can tell, this was routine maintenance.  Nothing looks different to me other than fresh paint, varnish, etc.

I subsequently learned that there is new carpet and new material on the furniture in the Main Salon.

On 11/26/2023 at 5:04 PM, Mike in AR said:

I haven’t seen any info on the work done to SD2 in Portugal at the shipyard. Was this a routine maintenance or any major work performed?

As best I can tell, this was routine maintenance.  Nothing looks different to me other than fresh paint, varnish, etc.

We stayed at The Ivens previously and are planning to do so again in November.  Particularly good choice for Bonvoy afficionados 😀.

4 minutes ago, Piaa said:

 

Do you know the approx price of the tickets available through SeaDream?

 

 

$999 each net after discount for early booking. 

I hear that SD was able to obtain additional race tickets yesterday.  Friends of ours booked on the voyage but waitlisted for race tickets were able to purchase them yesterday.  Not sure if any remain but worth checking.

We booked this one as well.  Never been to Monaco GP, on SD or otherwise.  Looking forward to it!

For what it's worth, we docked at Grenada which was not embarkation or disembarkation port a couple weeks ago.  So, it's rare but not unheard of.

3 hours ago, cabosal1 said:

We've been to all these Caribbean islands on SD and you should probably  count on being tendered to  most of them (definitely St. Barts, Nevis, St. Kitts, Ils de Sts).  Some may even be Zodiacs    

Agree with this although we've been to all those ports on SD and I don't recall that Zodiacs were required for any of them.

On 12/10/2022 at 2:33 PM, TrapperZimmy said:

The cruise is ending in Lisbon, not London, so it might be chillier at the end, but not as bad as London would be.  Isn't that pretty much where all the TAs begin or end?  We are hoping that we will still be able to get some sunbathing time on deck.

 

To a pair of some of our favorite SD couples, Zimmy and I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy (and healthy) New Year.

Yes, of course you are right on the ending port of that trip.  SD did end a TA in London a number of years ago but at this point it looks as if currently scheduled TA's do conclude either in Lisbon or Malaga.  Sorry for the fake news.

I'm sure you'll have plenty of time sunbathing on deck and equally sure that you'll have a wonderful trip.  There's plenty to do and what could be better than SD 24/7 for days at a time?  Wish we could join you on the voyage and can't wait to hear about it.

Best wishes to you both for a wonderful holiday season.  We wish we could properly celebrate NYE in St. Bart's with you in a few weeks!

I would a couple of other differences between EB and WB.  Usually, heading EB the weather gets chillier as you go.  On the other hand, heading WB the weather warms up over time.

This TA starts in West Palm Beach which is 1,000 miles or so north of where most SD TA's originate (San Juan, Barbados and St. Martin).  Also, with the stop in Bermuda and ultimate destination of London, the ship will likely take a more northerly track than the usual SD TA's with the result being that the air temperatures should start to cool down quicker than they otherwise would on a traditional SD crossing.

Finally for those of us living in the US, it's so nice on the WB trips to disembark with a relatively short trip home and little or no jetlag to deal with.  Of course, the opposite is true going in the other direction.

16 hours ago, TrapperZimmy said:

That was quite an afternoon, eh?

Sure was!  The week that followed was quite something as well 🙂

5 hours ago, TrapperZimmy said:

Sorry you won't be joining us, CTBJR, now that we know who you are.  

Gosh, I thought you remembered me from last December/January.  Wasn't trying to be coy!

On 10/28/2022 at 12:43 PM, TrapperZimmy said:

Have always said I wasn't interested in doing a crossing, but now I'm really looking forward to it.  Being away for that long is now more attractive.  I will probably have several questions for those who have done crossings, so here is my first.  Is stopping to swim in the ocean done on the eastward, or only westward when I assume the water is warmer?

Very glad to hear that you all have decided to do a crossing.  I'm confident that you'll love it!   Sorry that we aren't able to join you though.  We have been on both EB and WB crossings where the ship stopped and passengers were able to swim in the ocean.  Totally dependent though on weather and sea conditions.  I'd say that in 7 crossings we've stopped to swim twice.

As for water temperature, bear in mind that this crossing is commencing about 1,000 miles north of the normal starting location for EB crossings.  Also, stopping in Bermuda will require a much more northerly track than normal so I expect the weather to be cooler sooner than on normal EB crossings.

Have a wonderful voyage.  We'll be thinking of you guys.

Shorts are permitted when dining on deck.

On 5/15/2022 at 6:46 AM, ctbjr1309 said:

Word is that SD I will be in Norway then.

 

Word apparently was premature or inccurate as the SD I 2024 schedule has been updated and shows that the yacht will be in the Med that summer.

5 hours ago, Host Dan said:

I have GOT to get back onboard!  Its been too many years.  Anyone know what the single supplement is?  Caribbean cruise most likely.

Check the website for specific cruises but generally 200% 😒.  Transatlantics though are typically 125%.

Word is that SD I will be in Norway then.