SDI ~ Tenerife to Rio de Janeiro

~bom dia companheiros~

The last 24 hours have been packed with excitement and surprises... first there was the thrill of boarding SDI and finding in my cabin 1) a vase of gorgeous white lilies from mr & mrs ctbjr; 2) an invitation to dine with the Captain; and 3) the great news that we would not be sailing till 10PM and that SD2 would be arriving at 7:30PM instead of today as scheduled!

My cabin was on deck two, one of the connecting rooms and as I could hear voices on the other side I asked if it would be possible to upgrade to a non-connecting room; fortunately there was one available on deck 4 so here I am... it's a bit bumpier ride but I love that, didn't really get the feeling of the sea on the SD2 segment.. And also important is the nearness of the spa... I was able to get in and quickly have both hair and nails attended to in anticipation of the big evening. By this time I was pretty sure that mr & mrs ctbjr would be paying more than a quick, last minute visit to the ship so was not surprised to find them in the salon about seven with the captain. There's always something a little disconcerting about meeting cyberspace friends face-to-face but it was as though we'd known each other for ages. not only the ctbjrs (who are delightful... hope I have a chance to cruise with them one day) but also the Captain, a real charmer..

The Captain took the three of us up to the bridge to see SD2 arrive, she was already docked and had the gangplank down by the time we got up there. C & K (aka mr & mrs ctbjr) did a lot of reminiscing with the Captain about past voyages and adventures, it was so much fun to hear their stories. Met Tomaz briefly, he flew this morning to Rio to do some preliminary paperwork and will join the ship in Natál.

Then it was off to dinner, we had a table for four and convivial times... shortly after we sat down in walked Captain Johannes and there were greetings and hugs all around. He didn't have time to join us for dinner but made the rounds of the tables and it seemed that everyone in the room knew him. This is one of the most striking things about Sea Dream, it truly is like an extended family... from the moment C & K boarded the ship they were welcomed by officers and crew, everyone wanted to greet them and many were disappointed to learn that they were sailing with "the other one" not on SDI. Same thing happened when Martijn and James came over.. I was sad to see that Martijn wasn't wearing his "many shades of orange" silk tie as I had planned to snatch it from him.

I left before the end of dinner as I wanted to see my old friends on SD2: Maxine & Dave whom I met years ago on the Paul Gauguin, and Noli and Rey, my musical accompanists on the Barcelona-Seville cruise. The Captain warned me that the gangway would be pulled up in 35 minutes so I ran down the pier, had lots of fun surprising everyone and then made it back with 2 minutes to spare. Somehow I wasn't all that surprised to find my dinner companions still sitting at the table... more goodbyes to C & K amid promises to keep the SD board humming with our posts from the Altantic.

I went to the TOTY for a lemoncello and ran in to 'mariners' also of this board, we had met yesterday at the hotel and I can see that they'll be great companions on this crossing. Ms mariner didn't think much of the lemoncello but that's okay, more for me now. We sang La Bamba with the guitarist and others joined in too... promises to be my kind of cruise!

My new resolution is to make it to breakfast each day, so far I'm batting 1000. It's warm and sunny out today, I doubt that I'll find a bali bed but there are always plenty of recliners. And the pool and spa both look very inviting so that's another option...

~life is good~

alita

SURPRISE Alita!! I told ctbjr that I could keep a secret:p So glad that ctbjr and mrs. ctbjr (C&K) made all of their connections and could surprise you.

So glad that you had the opportunity to dine with C&K. They are wonderful friends and travel companions for sure. I too hope that someday all of us who frequent this board will have the opportunity to meet and sail together on SD.

Sounds like a stellar start to your cruise.

Looking forward to more "live" reports. You'll have to see if you can spot the major difference between SD1 and SD2. Here's a hint ... you can find it from my Bali bed ... which is the same location on SD1 and SD2:D

Wonderful first report, Alita! How cool that M/M CTBJR surprised you! Sounds like it was a wonderful evening. My favorite breakfast is the crepes with ligonberries -- yummy! Guess CTBJRs sailed today. . .wonder who the captain will be on my January 7 SD2 cruise?:confused:

Tee hee, Jen -- I bet I know what you're talking about:) Now, Alita will have to find out the name for one of the differences!

Happy sailing, all!

Vandrefalk

Wow. Where do I start??? First of all, I should note that it is currently 2:45 AM here on SD2. As a result, please excuse all typos, etc.

Yesterday, Mrs. CTBjr and I arrived in Tenerife compliments of BA at about 1:30 PM. We almost lost our luggage at ATL but Mrs. CTBjr (that's "K" to you guys) found our 2 missing bags very far from where they should have been.

We made out 1:15 connection (barely) at LGW and walked on the flight to Tenerife just as they were boarding. 4 hours later we were there. The hotel recommended by Capt. T. sent a car for us and an hour later we were sacked out in our bed very comfortably.

At about 6 PM, we found a taxi and headed for the port. SD1 was there and our good friends on board (Capt. Smorawskyk, Tomasz, et al.) were very happy to welcome us on board. We had a drink by the bar in the Main Salon on Deck 3 and who should appear but the World Famous ALITA!!!!! We had a very nice chat with her, headed up to Deck 5 by the bridge to observe SD2 and then went down to dinner in the Restaurant.

As an aside, I must tell all of you that Alita is an absolutely charming lady. We loved meeting her and were very disappointed that we would be crossing the Atlantic on different ships. We had a nice dinner with Capt. S., greeted Capt. T., James and Martijn from SD2 as they stopped but and then moved on.

I must say that when the circumstances permitted Alita shot out of her chair and headed right over to SD2 to say hello to her friends over there. I was afraid that it was something that I said but I guess not.

After dinner, K and I headed back to our hotel knowing that after a good night's sleep we'd be boarding SD2 for our 9 day crossing to San Juan. If you want to read about that, you'll need to check the new thread that I'm about to start. Ciao.

Ahoy Ctbjr and Alita!

Isn't it wonderful when CC and cyber friends get to meet ... especially in such incredible surroundings as found on SD1 and 2?

Off to check your thread Ctbjr ... and looking for an update Alita:D

Ahoy Ctbjr and Alita!

 

looking for an update Alita:D

Watch out, alita. DJ can be relentless.....

Since I asked the question on the other thread (and I am not relentless ctbjr ... just demonstrating those leadership qualities or at least that is what I call them:p) ...

What champagne are they pouring on this voyage? And is the lemoncello better on one SD or the other? (although anything on any SD ship translates to an excellent day!)

What fun to read all the new threads and posts... SD is going to be one busy board for the next couple of weeks!

C & K... happy to hear you're onboard and all set up for business... do they have a card on your office table with a sliding button to indicate "ctbjr is in" or "ctbjr is out"? I once knew someone who had a favorite cabin on a ship and whenever she came aboard they put one of those signs up on her door...

Jen... went out to your bali bed after reading your message, lay down on it, looked all around and couldn't figure out what you meant. After a few minutes I just stared straight ahead at the ocean and suddenly saw a bar at the foot of the bed and thought 'aha, that must be it!' Am I correct? And if so, why do only a few of the beds have these? Is it so that one can hang a privacy curtain?

Yuba, the housekeeper from SD2 has moved over here, it's always wonderful to run into her on the ship and see her great big smile. If I decide on a Croatian cruise next year it will be because of her (well, make that her and dear Captain J)... imagine a whole country with smiles like that! She left a wonderful gift for me in my new stateroom... a gorgeous orchid plant with lots of blossoms on it. Now I have 4 plant/flower displays in my cabin; C & K the lilies are doing wonderfully well as I always stick them in the bathroom after my shower so that they'll think they're in the tropics.

Last night about 6PM I just hit the wall, too much high living and excitement in the last couple of days I guess... settled for supper (and a glass of bubbly) in the room and got a very good night's sleep, even more than usual as we set the clocks back an hour at midnight. Felt much refreshed this morning and was up and out before 9AM; I ran into 'mariners' and she asked what I was doing up so early. By now it feels like 3PM but actually it's only noon. I went to a fine lecture on the 'rise, height and decline of the Portuguese empire from the 1400s to the present'... this is the first of 5 lectures that Judith Ewell will be giving and it promises to be a very interesting series.

There was one disappointment this morning... our port call at Fernando de Noronha, a much anticipated stop by many of the passengers has been cancelled. I spoke to Richard about it and he said that although it had been worked out far in advance with the government the permission had been revoked... no details why. But he said that the ship was planning to sail past it slowly so that we could at least get a close-up view.

Vandrefalk... I didn't know about the crepes but that will be a very good reason to get up in time tomorrow!

We are having calm seas, a few very small swells which serve to remind us that we're not on tierra firma. K, I hope you're experiencing the same conditions... if not you'll have to hit the bubbly, that almost always works.

Several have asked about differences between SD1 & SD2 and aside from rails at the foot of some of the beds the only thing that occurs to me at the moment is that there does seem to be quite a bit of saving bali beds and chaises around the pool, most of them had stuff on them when I went to breakfast this morning. Even one of the offices (not yours ctb) had signs of occupancy but there was no one in sight. Of course on SD2 there wasn't all the sunning that we will be having on this crossing but I hope we won't be seeing this every day...

Off to lunch.... abrazos de alita

Aloha Alita! (Okay it's not the tropics but it is all I could think of)

Sounds like you are settling into a nice schedule ... DH made mimosas this morning since I have been pouting that we are not on either of the crossings.

The difference that I am looking for Alita will entail your looking skyward. I wasn't aware of the bar at the foot of the bed ... will have to have Ctbjr check this out on SD2 as I don't remember that difference.

Sorry to hear about missing the port. I bet there were some disappointed campers who were looking forward to setting foot on solid ground.

Interesting observation on the saving of beds and such. We joke about "my" Bali bed since even the passengers on both of our SD cruises would tease me if I was in a different bed as sometimes it would be taken before I made it on deck. Both of our SD cruises were in the Caribbean but many times DH and I, along with crbjr and the mrs., would be the only ones on the ship. Last year the only time the four of us set foot on land was on Prickly Pear in Virgin Gorda for the champagne and caviar splash.

How full is the ship?

Hey... I see we're all online now! Greetings!

Never thought of looking up but I'll try that next chance I get... I believe there are 80 on board, actually it seems more crowded than SD2 but that's probably because everyone's outside... Lemoncello bottle is identical but they did not produce the special yellow copas that we had on SD2.

ctbjr.... please nudge jt about forwarding the schedule!

¡cheers everyone!

Just back from aft deck 3 (is that right?) where I had a good soak in the hot tub followed by a leisurely drink with C & J (aka mariners). Lovely late afternoon with a calm sea and sun close to setting.. it was a bit hectic around us however as the crew was moving furniture all around for some evening event (nothing listed in the daily program so it must be a surprise).

The big scene tonight will be at the TOTY where the music will be "Simply Latin"... that one's definitely got my name all over it! You'll probably have to wait until tomorrow for all the juicy details as I expect to be up very late singing and dancing.

¡¡¡Eat your heart out ctb!!!

I am eating my heart out Alita:p

Don't you just love the hottubs on Deck 3 ... and proximity of the bar too:eek: Sounds like you are in for some dancing under the stars or perhaps movie under the stars.

Have checked the crossing website ... looks like good weather and smooth sailing.

Thanks for the reports !!!Love crossings and Love Rio !!!:)

I had an incredible morning, didn't take the tour but set off alone about nine thirty (after crepes with ligonberries), walked down a long pier to the gate and surveyed all the taxi drivers on the other side of the wire fence. One young man had a bright smile and an open face and I pointed to him and said "You!". The other drivers growled, there were no other passengers leaving the ship at that moment, and in a short time I discovered that I had made a brilliant choice for myself. The young man's name was José, he did speak some English but we communicated easily in a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. He gave me a great tour, we drove up to the top of the hill where the fort was and found it deserted... soon a couple of other SD passengers showed up with their driver, but they had come on foot from the bottom of the hill. As we left I asked José why their guide hadn't driven them up and it turned out that only government licenced guides were able to take their cars up. When we saw the others walking along in the hot sun I realised how fortunate I had been in my choice. The licenced guides have special shirts that they wear to identify them... this is info I shall pass on to the CD as passengers going ashore should know this.

We talked a lot about the island, the culture, the importance of tourism; he told me about his family (13 siblings and we ran into at least 5 of them during our outing), and his wife and baby daughter. I was so impressed by him and by everything I saw---a sparkling clean city, no garbage or junk anywhere--that I wondered what I could do to help him. We talked about various possibilities and I suggested that he allow me to post his name and phone number (he had no email account) where people who were interested in visiting the islands could get in touch with him. I explained that most tourists prefer to use email and at some point he'd have to get an email address... then as I still had some time before the ship sailed I suggested that we go to an internet cafe and I'd set one up for him. We did that, he now has a hotmail address and the young lady at the cafe promised to help him get started using it. It was nearly sailing time when we returned to the ship and I felt very happy indeed, it had been one of those serendipitous experiences which come all too seldom in life~

We ate and drank out on the deck last night, weather was so good that it was decided to take advantage of the evening. I sat with some interesting people and we had much animated conversation. Then Rod Stewart took over and I went up to the top for the latin music but alas, it was not to begin for another half hour or so and wasn't even going to be live so I made my way down to my room. Woke up about 3AM and realised that we weren't moving, looked out the window but saw nothing.... finally got up and went up on deck to find out what was going on. Not a sign of anyone anywhere, almost like a ghost ship... I lay down on one of the bali beds fot a bit, then saw one of the crew hosing down the deck and asked him what was happening... turned out that we had arrived very early at Mindelo and were anchored off shore until morning.

Had lunch with Cristian from Brazil and Judy who is the lecturer on Portuguese-Brazilian history, her lectures will resume tomorrow. Now I'm listening to a little bossa-nova and getting ready to have my siesta...

¡ciao!

alita

Wow thanks for your great reports! It's sincerely appreciated and even though it hasn't been that long since we've been on board, makes me want to go again already. Which brings me to my question. Could you please ask Richard if they are still keeping Fernando on the itinerary for next year or will try and come up with something different. Just curious as that's our next trip and #1 husband doesn't like surprises.:mad: Also would love to have the email address of your guide. Thanks again! Save some Lemoncello for me!!:)

magoo.... happy to hear these reports are helpful, I shall ask Richard though it may be too early for them to know. IF there's a good chance it will be included I think I'll sign up for the crossing next year... I'm presently on the other one (TEN-SJU) but it would be worth doing this one again if I could see those dolphins.

Yes, I'd be happy to pass José's email address to you but I want to do a few trial runs with him in the next few days to be sure he's got the hang of it so please watch this space!

alita

Thanks for another informative report Alita!

I am living vicariously through your and ctbjr's postings. Of course I am sharing them, along with the ships' blogs with DH to move him to a crossing:p

I've been dozing up on Jen's bali bed but every few moments the ship would give a lurch, a few things would crash to the floor and I'd be shaken awake. It's great, just enough action to let us know we are directly over the deepest part of the atlantic ocean but not enough to make one feel queasy. The one thing I notice lying down on the bed is that there's an ugly black cable overhead.... could that be what you mean Jen?

After two desserts last night I resolved to make time in my 'busy' schedule to work out at the fitness center every day, started this morning and it felt good... they've got a good selection of free weights in addition to the machines so I felt satisfied with my efforts. Then had breakfast but was restrained: one boiled egg, one piece of toast. We'll see how long I can keep this up....

Tonight is club members cocktail party and as it is being given at the piano bar I assume that there won't be a large crowd. Afterward I have been invited to dine with CD Richard which is good as I have a lot of questions to ask him. Following this will be "Samba Music" ... no indication of whether or not it is live. And to finish off the evening we have The Liars Club "Balderdash"! Can they possibly be funnier than the SD2 'dream team'?

The first day or so the service on SDI didn't seem up to the standard of SD2, but in the last couple of days it has been seamless, every bit as good as that of its sister. The food has been great from the beginning, and I find the lecture series on Brazilian history outstanding. So I would say at this moment it's a 'dead heat'...

A word of caution to all of you out there planning to travel to Brazil... a couple who boarded the ship in Malaga had to terminate their voyage in Mindelo yesterday as they did not have their visas and were not permitted to sail to the first Brazilian port.

The computer is beginning to slide across the desk so I think I'll close down shop here and go up on the top deck to see the action!

A little bit of "motion in the ocean" as another SD captain is know to say:rolleyes: Sounds to me like you have your sea legs Alita.

The cable isn't the difference ... but you are heading in the right direction. Look up and to your right ... beyond the TOY bar.

Interesting your observations on the "twins." I wonder if there was some crew turnover before setting off for the winter season.

Will look forward to your reports on the Member's Party and the Liars' Club.

Will dinner be served al fresco while at sea or will you be in the dining room?

What a great time we've had, starting at a very special table in the dining room with our Captain and ending at the piano bar singing 'Guantanamera'.... but let me begin at the beginning of the day.

I was up early and had my coffee at the topside restaurant until sheets of rain drove all of us inside. We were still rocking a bit but nothing like yesterday which was bad enough to keep a number of people from dinner. I did my workout in the fitness center, the treadmill was a challenge considering that I was looking straight ahead at a horizon that kept going way up and then way down. But got through it and worked out with free weights, there were only 2 of us in there, most of the regulars were awaiting better conditions. The day was blustery with sudden squalls, it seemed to be clearing up in the afternoon so I went for a soak in the hot tub but was shortly driven out by showers. Dinner had been planned out on the deck but that was impossible, however we had a great time in the dining room, so much so that we asked the Captain if he could possibly gather the same group together one more time before Rio. I sat next to him, on his right, and on his left was the only other woman at the table... all the others were men, and very charming too. We had lots of fun and lots of laughs, and if you'd like to see us the photo has been posted on the SD1 blog....

Surprisingly the clouds were gone by 10:30 and I went to the bridge for the stargazing. Eric--who along with his son dined with us (see photo)--was there also and Joonee (hope I have that spelled right) showed us all the constellations, it was fascinating and he invited me to come back another night which I will do. I'm particularly excited about the first sighting of the southern cross; he said it will appear in a few days but first there will be two fake southern crosses... first one of those should appear tomorrow night and I'll be up there to check it out.

After my stargazing I stopped at the piano bar where the very talented Jimmy was playing... there was a good crowd and some very good voices. I had my lemoncello and sang a great rendition of La Bamba with a young man who knew all the latin songs... tremendous fun all around and I'll be back tomorrow night to see if we can do it again!

alita

alita,

I just wrote a long responce to your activities and did the same as you, lost it all. You sound like you're having a great time and keeping us all up to date with your activities. The weather hasn't sounded very good with the rocking and the rain. Mrs. CAD doesn't do well with that at all, one cruise she was in bed almost the whole week. The star gazing brings back memories, there's no better place to see the stars. You're enjoying the sing along every night and the lemoncello makes me want to open one of my bottles and join you. How did the "Liars Club" go last night? Are you one of the "smile for a mile". folks? Keep up the posts, we are enjoying every minute of your adventure.

CADDad :)

Thanks for another wonderful report alita!

Looks like you all had lots of fun today with the crossing of the Equator:D Hope the weather has smoothed out for you.

I received a present in the mail today from Allen ... thanks for reminding him alita:p

alita, I didn't see you in any of the photos from the Equator crossing party yesterday. Should I look again more carefully?

No ctbjr, you did NOT see me in the Equatorial celebrations... I was watching from the deck above, and quite a pageant it was too... George was a stand-out in his drag gear, almost as beautiful as a female as he is as a male!

You will find my photo in the preceding day's bunch, last image on the page.

CADDad... sorry you lost the post, I now write all of mine as email and then cut and paste them on this board. I didn't make it to the Liar's Club so can't comment on that but last night I went back with some friends to the bridge to see the stars and they were phenomenal... Joonee the 1st officer and official stargazing expert turned all the lights off on the bridge, then because the swells were still swelling and spray was reaching us he slowed down the ship so that we could see w/o getting wet. Please tell me if you know another cruise line anywhere that would do that for its guests!!!

Jen... I had dinner at the back of the ship overlooking the pool last night, it was great because we were out of the wind. The last two dinners scheduled for the top deck restaurant have been cancelled due to weather.. it's sunny now but terribly windy.. I had lunch at a sheltered table today but the wind was so strong it blew the ice cream right out of my spoon!

Natal has just come into view so I'm heading upstairs for my first sighting!

ciao!

alita

It's windy here too ... but that's just a cold front moving through:p

Sounds like you had dinner at one of my favorite tables (where is that sigh smilie when you need it??)

I can't imagine how incredible it must have been to see the stars like that. Have you spotted the southern cross yet?

Now that you're crossing is done ... how would you rate the weather and ride?