Captain Berg

[njhh]

We were recently on the Sea Dream I transatlantic cruise and were very impressed by the professionalism and camaraderie among the crew. Needless to say, it was a wonderful experience. However, we were sad to learn that Captain Berg will not be sailing with Sea Dream after the end of the month (I believe May 24th is his last day). If you have met this man, you know that he is a class act all the way, and it must have been difficult for him to know how to announce his sudden retirement to people. He had shared his plans for eventual retirement with many of us as we each had a chance to speak with him during social gatherings before or during dinner. He talked about returning to his childhood home in Norway. So the announcement, which apparently resulted from a communication he received via email informing him that the company was requesting that his retirement occur forthwith, came near the end of the cruise. When he announced his news, with a bit of dry wit but mostly calm warmth, that he would no longer be with the company, although he did not expect it so soon, everyone was a bit in shock. A toast was raised and everyone stood and we cheered him. He did not belabor the moment, and Jeff, the CD, fought back his own emotions and "went on with the show" but the feeling was palpable among everyone on board, down to the last. If you missed it before, you saw it then, the loyalty and dedication of the whole crew and staff to this Captain, and his popularity with passengers.

 

We hope to sail with Captain Berg again, as something tells us that Sea Dream's loss will be another's great gain.

 

Nancy and Paul

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for the information Nancy and Paul. Quite a surprise to hear about Capt. Berg's sudden retirement.

 

We had the pleasure of sailing with Capt. Berg on SD1 in March '08. We had horrible seas and swells in the Caribbean that year but Capt. Berg made sure we were always safe and comfortable. We too found him to be very approachable and professional.

 

We were lucky enough, with the jbcjtc'ers, to dine with Capt. Berg on our last evening on board. He was a delightful host ... sharing his stories of the sea and answering all our questions!

 

We wish him well on this new chapter of his life.

[knotheadusc]

How sad... Captain Berg was at the helm when my husband and I sailed on the SD1 last month. He was very impressive and indeed, very much a class act. I'm sorry to hear that he's going to be retiring so suddenly.

 

:(

[Jim Avery]

I, too, am sorry to see Capt. Berg leave. We have sailed with Capt. Berg 3 times, including our first SeaDream cruise in Mexico. Always a professional. We wish him all the best.

Jim & Lois.

[knotheadusc]

By the way, here's a blog article about Captain Berg that says he had plans to retire in May. Apparently, in all his years sailing ships, he never learned how to swim. :p

 

http://travellingwriter.blogspot.com/2009/11/sailing-through-life-is-all-in-family.html

[DisneyJen]

By the way, here's an blog article about Captain Berg that says he had plans to retire in May. Apparently, in all his years sailing ships, he never learned how to swim. :p

 

http://travellingwriter.blogspot.com/2009/11/sailing-through-life-is-all-in-family.html

 

Thanks for the link! Very interesting read!

[frequent traveler]

Thanks for the link! Very interesting read!

 

Notice the date of publication - November, 2009.

 

FT.

[knotheadusc]

Yeah... in the article it says...

 

"But now after over two decades of SeaDreaming, Valter Berg has decided that in May of next year he'll roll up his charts on the bridge of SeaDream I for the last time."

 

Since it was posted November 28, 2009, I would assume "May of next year" means 2010. Maybe he was expecting to stay onboard until the very end of the month?

 

I found Captain Berg very charming and I hope retirement and whatever else comes next is good to him. When I first got on the SD1, he told me I didn't need to look so scared! Believe me, after the first couple of glasses of champagne and getting a load of the woman with the portable fan clipped on her shirt and aimed at her boobs, nerves were no longer an issue!

[Jim Avery]

Yeah... in the article it says...

 

"But now after over two decades of SeaDreaming, Valter Berg has decided that in May of next year he'll roll up his charts on the bridge of SeaDream I for the last time."

 

Since it was posted November 28, 2009, I would assume "May of next year" means 2010. Maybe he was expecting to stay onboard until the very end of the month?

 

I found Captain Berg very charming and I hope retirement and whatever else comes next is good to him. When I first got on the SD1, he told me I didn't need to look so scared! Believe me, after the first couple of glasses of champagne and getting a load of the woman with the portable fan clipped on her shirt and aimed at her boobs, nerves were no longer an issue!

 

A bit off topic but Knothead, did you ever post the promised picture of said fan and environs?????:eek:

[whatnot]

Sorry to hear Capt Berg is leaving. We sailed with him on two cruises in 2009. On the one in Oct of 2009 he said that he was going to retire sometime in the next year or so and return to Norway. We really had hoped to do our Baltic cruise with him as maybe his swan song!

[njhh]

I can only relate what happened while onboard with respect to the announcement and will not speculate on the understanding between Captain and Company. He did say, "I expect some of us will see one another again on the seas..."

 

The important point is that he is well loved, respected and will be missed by all. I enjoyed reading the blog piece very much. That he never learned to swim, as he says in the blog piece, was topic of conversation the night we had dinner with him. He tolerated our jokes, "so I guess this means you really will go down with the ship" and "this is good incentive to keep us afloat!"

 

One of the passengers onboard, Carrie Ann, referred to him as "Captain Sunshine" as he would regularly deliver dire news of the encroaching ash cloud and closed airports in Spain and Portugal and we would all groan. He seemed to enjoy the routine.

 

Nancy

[knotheadusc]

He did say, "I expect some of us will see one another again on the seas..."

 

That's good to know. Like you said in your initial post, maybe SeaDream's loss will be another cruise line's gain.

[njhh]

I can only repeat what the captain said during his address to the assembled passengers (all 59 of us), namely that the email from the company informing him that he was to be retired forthwith caught him by surprise.

 

Paul

[njhh]

p.s. the last post by NJHH was from my other half. It seems maybe plans were in place but no formal agreement and he had anticipated a several month notice so perhaps was under the impression that he would be staying on a little longer. No doubt a sensitive matter. I hope his many friends from Sea Dream will have an opportunity to send him off with good wishes.

 

Nancy