TheFrenchGuy

On 12/10/2023 at 5:29 PM, ctbjr1309 said:

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

And upgrade of the electrical system to allow shore power connectivity: https://seadream.com/press-releases/SeaDream-Yacht-Club-Upgrades-Fleet-Shore-Power-Connectivity

On 11/26/2023 at 7:19 AM, Host Dan said:

Getting ready to check out of the Editory Riverside Hotel. The room was tiny, actually about the same size of a cruise ship cabin.  I can see SD2 in the distance, but too far to walk.  For what I paid for 1 night stay, I would not stay there again.

I will try and post from the ship, but no promises, as star link did not work well last crossing I was on.

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!

SDII was renovated before SDI, and they both look fantastic.

As Zimmy said, regulations seem to change almost every week, and differ for each island.

We were on SDI from St Martin to Barbados last week, and several islands required bubble tours only (Dominica, Bequia), others changed their rules while we were underway (St Lucia), and Seadream did its best to provide a great experience in every stop, regardless.

SD's requirement to have every passenger and crew vaccinated, but also with a PCR test before boarding does help with some local islands' requirement as well.

As fpebbles said, it was a wonderful cruise. It was a back to back for us (crossing + Caribbean's) and maybe one of our best crossing experience as well.

Electrical work: yes - USB and regular plug by the bed, as well as on the desk. The light switches will take a bit to get used to (master switch, master light switch, ..) but overall very nice updates to the cabines. More light, better space utilization with the drawers, and soft-close drawers that don't open in the middle of the night in rough sea.

Food: the menu has evolved and I think even better than ever. Even the vegan menu is no longer an afterthought, has very good and innovative dishes (my wife is now a fan)

Buffets protocol: you can ask a waiter, or self-serve (with disposable gloves). Same protocol for the cocktail snacks.

Note also that the SD2 crew is fully vaccinated, and got their booster shots in Puerto Rico after the crossing. They also keep new crew on quarantine for a few days before releasing them for duty (so we got to enjoy both Chef Tomasz and Chef Alistair last week).

We got the (dreaded) call from Seadream this afternoon confirming the winter 2021 seasons is canceled. Sad it came to that, but I'm not surprised. So we'll be back on board in the fall 2021 seasons (crossing for sure, and Caribbean trips, we're looking at our options as I type).

Our hearts goes to the crew. I don't think Seadream could have done more to make this seasons successful.

1 hour ago, ctbjr1309 said:

I have heard from a source currently on board that 5 passengers have in fact tested positive.  They are part of a group traveling together that overnighted in Miami Friday before flying to Barbados.  They mentioned to other passengers earlier this week that they "had a good time" in Miami.  Apparently those testing positive have been taken by ambulance to a hospital in Bridgetown.

It may be a speculation, but sadly that's how 5 inconsiderate people ruin the vacations of 50 other guests on board, the guests on the next cruise (including us), and possibly even many more down the line, depending on how the Bajan government reacts, and put the safety of both guests and crews at risk.

I do wish them a good recovery, but I only hope that "good time in Miami" was worth it to them.

We will absolutely continue to support Seadream in their effort, and rebook our back to back.

In the future, maybe they should require passengers to certify they kept social distancing practices for at least 72 hours before boarding, as a start to the "safe bubble", before allowing boarding, and use this situation to explain why.

Sad about the circumstances but happy to see Ho-Hum back here!

Quick update before cocktail. We are 18 passengers onboard, and still on track to reach Barbados on Monday around 11am (and then at the mercy of the harbor and pilot’s schedule).

One of the benefits of such a late crossing is the weather. The sea has been pretty much perfect since we left Las Palmas.

Jim, no further information on what the technical issue was, but the captain at least said we did not hit a rock, or had a hull breach, like some rumors were hinting. This still leaves a lot of possibilities.

We are running full speed ahead on two engines without any (visible) glitch.

And because we are on the Canary to Caribbean route, we have been passing a large number of sail bots crossing, from small cats to large squared topsail schooner (the Wylde Swan today during lunch)

Dry dock has been delayed twice by the yard, as the ship occupying Seadream 1’s slot has not been released on time. New estimates are dry dock on Friday, and in Barbados on Monday the 10th.

We are now trying to make a decision, as unfortunately real life (the dreaded work thingy) would be a smudge overdue.

the crew has been absolutely fantastic.

On board Seadream 1 right now.

We will be in Las Palmas until Thursday, and the boat going to dry dock for repair on Tuesday, Wednesday (earliest available slot). Better safe than sorry.

Then we hopefully we shall head straight to Barbados, with arrival planned for December 8th.

so the TA isn’t cancelled, but 1 week behind. Seadream is taking very good care of us in the mean time including generous options if people have to go home. Unfortunately the St Martin to Barbados trip was cancelled.

On a positive note, the weather in Gran Canaria has been lovely for the past couple of days.

Well if Bobby’sGirl is coming out of the shadow, I guess I’ll stop lurking and make my first post as well.

It was a great crossing, despite the usual little “after dry dock” surprises. The crew was (and still is) fantastic, and so were our fellow passengers, both the usual suspects and new faces.

We are now enjoying a few more days on board before going back to reality, and already looking forward to next years’s TA, albeit on November this time. Of course she’ll be coming out of dry dock, so we do like living dangerously!

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