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Sea Goddess, for Charlie


Jim Avery
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Ok Charlie, you mentioned sailing on Sea Goddess. When built they were considered one of the most expensive forms of transportation on the planet. Plenty of exterior photos available but not much on interiors. As the only person I have come across who has sailed Sea Goddess and SeaDream, (I have met several travelers who sailed Sea Goddess. Oddly, they don't seem to have ever heard of SeaDream) how was it then. I know SD added the TOY Bar/Bali Bed area and made minor changes aft but what are the discernible differences. I know there are more passengers now, not sure about crew numbers. Anyway, how was it?:cool:

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Ok Charlie, you mentioned sailing on Sea Goddess. When built they were considered one of the most expensive forms of transportation on the planet. Plenty of exterior photos available but not much on interiors. As the only person I have come across who has sailed Sea Goddess and SeaDream, (I have met several travelers who sailed Sea Goddess. Oddly, they don't seem to have ever heard of SeaDream) how was it then. I know SD added the TOY Bar/Bali Bed area and made minor changes aft but what are the discernible differences. I know there are more passengers now, not sure about crew numbers. Anyway, how was it?:cool:

 

Gee whiz, Jim. You're really intending to put me to work, put a dent in today's billable hours and test the old memory aren't you? There are others around here who remember the SG days so I'll share what I remember and invite others to add their recollections and correct mine as needed.

For context, our first cruise was in January, 1995. We embarked in St. Thomas and disembarked in Barbados. The cruises after ours were Amazon voyages from Barbados to Manaus and return. I recall that the per person fare for our week was $5200 but we were able to take advantage of a 50% off the second passenger deal. The cruise fare included air fare and excursions. I don't recall that anything on board cost extra. Dom Perignon was the Champagne of choice and unlimited supplies of caviar were on offer on a 24/7 basis. At the time, Cunard operated the two Sea Goddess ships.

Later the Sea Goddess ships were folded into Seabourn after it was acquired by Carnival. The ships were then known as Seabourn Goddess I and II. During the relatively shortlived Seabourn period, the Carnival influence resulted in many changes in the on board offerings such as ditching the Dom Perignon, free flowing caviar, etc. Also during that period, the all-inclusive nature of the experience ended. The most noticeable change was that we had to (gasp!) sign for drinks. That was a relatively short-lived experiment but equally reviled by crew and passengers. In fact, long time Bartender Otto was so incensed by the situation that he quit and retired to Mexico, never to be seen again.

The original Sea Goddess ships were painted primarily white. At one point they were registered in Douglas on the Isle of Man.

By the way, I recognize that none of the above is responsive to your question but since you got me going I figured I'd throw it in. In the SG days, there was no Admiral's Suite. There were a couple of Owner's Suites (215 and 315) but they were nowhere near as swanky as the current Owner's Suite is. I'm not sure why you say there are more passengers now. I believe that the only difference in passenger count is due to the addition of the Admiral's Suite so I guess the maximum capacity has increased by 2. I don't believe that the number of crew has changed materially.

Those who have sailed with me on SD know that I continue to lament the renovation of the public men's room near the Boutique on Deck 3 that resulted in the removal of the urinal. That was in my view a very unwise decision but of course nobody asked me.

As for significant structural changes, I think Deck 2 is pretty much the same. Deck 3 was changed by upgrading the Owner's Suite and either creating or expanding the boutique. Deck 4 now has the Admiral's Suite in place of a small office for the Club Director, a couple of slot machines and a second Blackjack table. The library has been spiffed up. We used to be able to exit the library and go outside on Deck 4 through the doors near the rear of the room. Those are now blocked off to passengers for some reason. The Spa and Gym were added on Deck 4. The Captain's quarters used to be at the front of Deck 4 but were moved to Deck 5 to make room for the Spa and Gym. The Gym (such as it was) was on Deck 5 where the waterfall now is. I believe that it was adjacent to the smokestack. Deck 6 is of course where the most important (to passengers) changes were made. Previously there was a small sitting area with a couple of tables at the rear of Deck 6. The deck area was extended significantly when the TOY Bar was built. There was no golf simulator but instead there was an Astroturf putting green at the front of Deck 6. I have 2 memories of that putting green - (i) it was impossible to read and it seemed as if every time you struck the ball it would take off in a different direction than anticipated or than previously regardless of any movements or positioning of the ship and (ii) on the Alaska trip in 1996 we had a putting contest and somehow I came in second place. Somewhere I even have the certificate to prove it. And no, I have no idea who won or whether there were more than 2 participants :).

So, those are my initial recollections. It was fun revisiting the old days so thanks for the suggestion, Jim. As I mentioned, I welcome additions, corrections, etc. so those who experienced Sea Goddess please feel free to chime in.

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Thanks Charlie. I always thought they would have been nice ships back then too. I was only doing transatlantic on QE2 back in those days. And I certainly agree with you......You never have enough urinals. To remove one is just silly...:cool:

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You mean there was a urinal in that restroom? Damn, I always thought there was something missing that would make SeaDream more desirable. And a waterfall on Deck 5? How have I missed that?

 

Now that I think of it, I guess that waterfall was Sea Goddess rather than SeaDream. At least that's my story for now.....

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Now that I think of it, I guess that waterfall was Sea Goddess rather than SeaDream. At least that's my story for now.....

Not possible that you were staring into that mystery urinal is it........:eek:

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Really miss the all you want Dom and Caviar at the pool during the Sea Goddess days! Also loved the old board where you moved the peg when you were off the yacht. Wonder what they did with it?

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Really miss the all you want Dom and Caviar at the pool during the Sea Goddess days! Also loved the old board where you moved the peg when you were off the yacht. Wonder what they did with it?

They still had that in 2004 on SeaDream. Went away with the increased security and photo IDs.

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Ok Charlie, you mentioned sailing on Sea Goddess. When built they were considered one of the most expensive forms of transportation on the planet. Plenty of exterior photos available but not much on interiors. As the only person I have come across who has sailed Sea Goddess and SeaDream, (I have met several travelers who sailed Sea Goddess. Oddly, they don't seem to have ever heard of SeaDream) how was it then. I know SD added the TOY Bar/Bali Bed area and made minor changes aft but what are the discernible differences. I know there are more passengers now, not sure about crew numbers. Anyway, how was it?:cool:

 

Hello, Jim, and thank you for bringing back memories of the early Sea Goddess's.

My late wife and I, after having crossed the Atlantic on our honeymoon in 1985 on the QE2 (and , as Grill passengers, receiving complimentary return air - on the Concord !), repeated the trip in 1986. Cunard was in the process of leasing SG 1 & 2 from it's original owners and was seeking reservations for SG 1 1987 sailings. We received an offer we couldn't refuse. After SG 1 finished it's charter to the America's Cup in Australia it sailed to Singapore and from there it began it's cruises as the Cunard Sea Goddess 1. SG 2 was not yet in service. Introductory prices were discounted by about 20% and, if one purchased two consecutive cruises, the least expensive of these was half price. We booked a Singapore to Hong Kong and then from there to Kobe, Japan, a total of 26 days.

 

I can't properly describe how wonderful it all was. The ship was virtually brand new, less than two years old, the itinerary opened new worlds to us - Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah in Borneo, Cebu and Manila in the Philippines, four ports in China including Shanghai and a Chinese Naval Air Station where Cunard had got permission for a chartered plane to fly us to Beijing for two nights at the Shangri La Hotel. After that we sailed to Nagasaki then to Kagoshima and disembarking in Kobe on May 8th, 1987. A clipping from the Mainichi Daily News, a local English language newspaper, referred to there being 72 passengers on board. It also mentioned that the " ocean liner is famous for it's superb service ".

 

The ship, service, food and fellow passengers all made it enjoyable and memorable. The top deck did not have a bar or Bali beds, though there was a wet bar with a large selection of wine, spirits and mixers, as well as ice and glasses, for those times in port when service was not always available. There was a waterfall with tables near for breakfast or lunch. The piano bar well patronized by wife and I after dinner, where Primo would have out Delamaine cognacs waiting for us until one night when Primo was distraught because he had run out of that rather expensive brand. However, the following night he was waiting with a Delamaine and told us that he had searched the ship and finally found it. I asked him where, and he told us that it had been in the kitchen.. This, I think, conveys the idea of the quality of everything used on board.

 

Sorry to have gone on so long, but was all very memorable. In 1988 we took the SG2 from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Singapore. The two ships were just like two peas in a pod. We took one transatlantic on the Sea Dream 1 a few years after it was reintroduced and thought that the top deck changes were a great improvement and the cuisine and service a close match for what we had experienced all those years ago. I have a booking for a solo transatlantic passage on SD2 next April. Maybe I shall meet up with some of you posters then, We shall see.

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That's a great memory. We were serial QE2 Transatlantic passengers and my one big regret is we never used the Concorde option. We said "next year" then the crash happened. QE2 is still my favorite ship. I love SeaDream and we had a great time on Viking Sun World Cruise but still wish for QE2. I have always been curious about Sea Goddess and you and CTBJR have had great posts. Thanks for taking the time. :cool:

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