SeaDream II Review

First, a think you to everyone who contributes to these boards. The information is invaluable. We have recently returned from our first Sea Dream cruise, this aboard the II leaving and returning from Cancun, traveling down the coast to Belize. The only other cruise line I have used in the past is Windstar (I have been on 6), and I wanted a change of scenery without formal nights and large numbers of passengers found on other lines. Sea Dream seemed to fit the bill.

After our driver found the correct entrance in Puerto Morales, the embarkation procedure was incredibly smooth: no forms to complete, no long lines, no chaos. To be greeted on the ship with champagne and finger foods was a real treat. The boat is incredibly well cared for from the impeccable paint job to the highly polished brass. We were also impressed with the friendliness and the hospitality of the crew. A quick tour of the ship revealed a small, well configured lounge with a grand piano, a nice pool deck with a small pool and hot tub along with a bar, a very nice gym in the bow of the boat with 4 or 5 treadmills facing the ocean view, but also equipped with individual flat screen TV’s (but no headphones which made me wonder what would happen if everyone was watching something different), a spa, a lovely “outdoor” restaurant for breakfast and lunch, and a bar at the very top of the ship. There was also a small casino and a beautiful library with a very nice collection of books. To compare to Windstar, the boat was obviously more recently refitted and therefore in better shape, and had a better gym than I remember on the smaller ships, but not as extensive as the one on the Windsurf.

The cuisine on the Sea Dream was quite good, comparable to a very good restaurant on land. One of the big advantages over Windstar is the lack of need to sign multiple slips of paper when ordering drinks or wine with dinner, as all are included. The service, of course, was every bit as wonderful as everyone has said. I was very impressed that the matre’d Christophe knew our names immediately, and he revealed he studies the passports when the guests arrive. Just for the fun of it, I had requested diet Dr. Pepper to be obtained if possible as I am seriously addicted, and not only did I find my in cabin refrigerator stocked, but every bar on board had some waiting for me. What a nice touch! Our cabin was quite spacious (we took the least expensive option), and we enjoyed the table and sitting area we had not had on Windstar. However, although the shower was larger, the bathrooms on the Windstar were better configured as it took a bit of maneuvering to get in the bathroom and close the door on the Sea Dream II.

As far as the cruise itself was concerned, we had major problems with the weather (much wind with few places to hide) and basically the entire itinerary we had signed up for last October was scrapped. We spent 2 days in Cozumel (1 day too many) which was not scheduled, 2 days in Belize City (one day was scheduled and that was too much), one day off the coast of Belize near Lighthouse Cay, and were back in Puerto Morales 2 days before the end of the cruise. Since I was seasick 2 nights, I preferred the changes to “soldiering through” and being sick every day, and we really needed to just rest this vacation, so it was only a small disappointment, as far as we were concerned, to miss so much. We very much enjoyed hanging out at the pool area, which had a good amount of shade, and using the wave runners from the back of the boat.

The only shore excursion we took (we substituted massages for excursions, a wise choice!) was horseback riding, and this was unfortunately a disappointment for me. Seven or eight of us went from the boat, and I was under the impression that we would be the entire group as this excursion had initially been sold out. No one from the boat went with us and the van driver just dropped us off at a huge ranch with literally hundreds of people milling about. We ended up in a group of 70 people with little individual attention or instruction. We had been told on the boat that the horses only walked and suddenly the guide was discussing galloping and swimming in the ocean with the horses and the propensity of the horses to suddenly roll in the sand with you on them. With such a large group and dealing with the accents it was very confusing and a bit concerning as I have great moral courage but no physical courage what so ever! In the end, I was one of the lucky ones not to be thrown off despite a good attempt on the part of my horse, but it was really not as much fun as it could have been.

One major problem we had with the Sea Dream staff occurred after the end of the cruise. When we were handed back our passports they contained a slip of paper much like the one we had been given in customs upon entering Mexico. I assumed that this was needed to exit the country and gave it to the ticket agent as we checked our luggage at the airport after being in line literally 2 hours. Unfortunately I assumed wrong as this was a tax that needed to be paid before we could be given our boarding passes because we had left the country during our stay by going to Belize. This entailed another long line and proved to be the beginning of a long day of travel filled with similar difficulties, but unlike missed connections, etc that we experienced later that day, this problem should have been taken care of by the crew or at least we should have been advised that this would need to be paid at the airport. Not up to their usual service standards, and by happening at the end of the vacation, the memory kind of stays with you.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our Sea Dream cruise, most especially because of the wonderful crew and the many interesting fellow passengers we had the pleasure to meet. We were, however, disappointed to learn that Sea Dream does not offer alumni discounts for future cruises as do many of the other lines, including Windstar. Therefore, primarily because we missed the sails and the cost was nearly double for the same basic itinerary (we could never drink enough to make up the difference), we will probable book with Windstar the next time we consider cruising. Hope this is helpful information. PS. Only 3 "youong people" on board, and they were terrific!

Dear JoanneCam

We were on SeaDream I on March 20-27 and at the end of our cruise the crew let us know that they were pulling the Sea Dream II from the Mexican routes due to constant weather problems and placing the ship back in the Caribbean.

Also, Sea Dream does have an alumni program -- not as good as other lines perhaps, but you should explore directly with the line receiving additional credit for your problems.

We noticed and commented both last year (on a chartered Sea Dream I) and this year about the reception desk's unfamiliarity with the shore options. We've found that depending on who your activities director is -- you will be able to obtain either extremely sketchy or extremely detailed information.

Thanks for sharing your report JoanneCam. Sounds like a wise choice on the massages instead of the excursions:p

FT ... where does on find out about the alumni program?

Hi Disney Jen from Jamestown (we live in Greensboro)

We noticed the announcement of the "Sea Dreamers Club" last year on the Sea Dream web site. The press release is still there under News.

We now receive the quarterly mailings - unless its changed - the 5% discount is only available when you book another voyage while you are on the ship. The 15% discount coupons for the ship's spa and gift shop was very useful. Hopefully, Sea Dream will make this program more robust.

Small world Frequent Traveler:)

We did receive one mailing (a gloss newsletter) but I must have missed the discounts.

Thanks!