Our Vacation March 27-April14, 2013

[Ms. Mowgli]

I just wrote my final exam last Thursday for French and have only another 8 days of work before a very well deserved vacation--I can't wait! :)

 

Some friends have asked that I email them details about our holiday when I can and so I have decided to combine a bit of a travel diary of our trip and review of our SeaDream sailing into one. I have benefitted greatly from reading all of the posts from other members and hope to contribute to this forum, if not by providing additional information that majority of you may already know, but at least by providing a bit of an escape from your day to day life for a few minutes!

 

I may just ramble at times so I will apologize in advance but I do promise to write as often as I can.

 

Our vacation starts as we fly to San Juan from Canada on March 27th and we will spend a few days taking in the sights of Puerto Rico. I’m making a list of the attractions and activities that we want to do with all of the input already received from the forum last month. So a big thank you to those that provided suggestions!

 

We will board SeaDream I on March 31 for 7 glorious days and disembark in St. Martin on April 7th.

 

We have rented a condo in an area called Oyster Pond at what they call “The Lighthouse” for 3 days. I searched on vrbo endlessly and found this beautiful condo located in the most beautiful area. Bob, the owner, was very helpful and the communication and arrangements to rent the condo was easy and well executed. The condo can be seen here: http://www.vrbo.com/270897#photos.

 

From St. Martin, we will fly to Tampa on April 10 to have a bit of down time—a bit of a post vacation vacation so we can both visit some close friends. Initially, I had planned only to go on the cruise and do two days before and two days after;however, as we started to plan, we realized that we didn’t want to go home before we really had to. Although the entire trip will be over 2.5 weeks, I have a feeling I won’t be ready to return home!

 

8 Days Out: March 19th, 2013

 

Upon coming home yesterday, I was soo excited to see the slip from FedEx for the documents. Waiting the extra night to pick them up today was well worth the anticipation. After a week of regular seasonal weather, we were struck with a winter storm this morning—the forecast was for 10-20 cm of snow after it stops. There went our plans to pick up our documents at lunchtime. I had to patiently wait until after work! Although I have been working overtime everynight, I left on time today as this task was much more important! LOL.

 

My BF -until today- still didn't know what cruiseline we would be taking as this cruise is my gift to him for his 50th birthday. As I let him tear open the FedEx envelope, he said, "Oh, this must be more than just tickets"---I just smiled innocently as I knew that the documents would be in a beautiful leather folio.

 

As he pulled leather folio containing the documents out I could already smell the rich leather aroma and the excitement was building within me. Finally he saw that it was SeaDream but still didn’t know anything about the cruiseline. I explained that it was not a mass market cruise but one that caters to only 52 couples at once with a staff passenger ratio of almost 1:1. As we started to go through the folio, he was soo surprised to find the buttery soft leather luggage tags--as was I! :D

 

He knew just from the way the documents were provided that this was a sign that our cruise would be something he would enjoy immensely.

 

Then, out of the blue, I heard him say some of the most magical words ever : "I think I could get used to this type of cruise—where else do they sail?”

 

;)

[Jim Avery]

Now that could be financially dangerous!:eek::eek: They sail to some pretty nice places.:D

[gcmv]

What a lovely (and for your boyfriend surprising) begin of your vacation, Ms. Mowgli.

 

I hope you'll keep us informed about details of the cruise itself when you're on board SD.

[CDreamer]

Now that could be financially dangerous!:eek::eek: They sail to some pretty nice places.:D

 

Agree with Jim... This could be the start of a long addiction!! :D

 

Will look forward to reading your reports and welcome to the forum!

[Ms. Mowgli]

8 Days Out:

 

I just have some initial comments about the service with SeaDream customer service department. The 3 phone calls that I have had have been efficient and courteous, and helpful.

 

I have had just a small issue with receiving some information from SeaDream Service thus far.

 

I had problems completing my online reservation due to a computer problem on their end and so Leo sent me the form to complete.

 

In the email that the form was sent with on March 12, I explained some dietary needs as I have IBS etc and have to becareful of what I eat. I also asked for the raw food menu and inquired how to reserve a bali bed to sleep in under the stars.

 

I have yet to receive a response from SeaDream. Not sure if this is normal for SeaDream or not. Has anyone else had similar problems?

 

The real test will be if my dietary needs were noted and if they will be met on the cruise. :)

 

 

@ Jim--I want to do the Costa Rica trip in December so hoping that this trip will cinch the deal! Is the online booking discount still 15%? On their website, it now says 5-15%. How do they determine the discount? And how does it work? I understand that the deposit can be applied to any future trip but does that mean I have to book directly with Seadream or can I book it with my own travel agent so that I can take advantage of any available onboard credits etc. ?

[knotheadusc]

People don't usually reserve the Bali beds until they board. You do it at the concierge desk. Hopefully, you will have nice weather the night you decide to do it.

 

I think the menus tend to change and that might be why they haven't sent you a set menu. A lot depends on what is available locally. They should be able to send you examples of what you might see, though.

 

Unless things have changed since 2011, you can book a specific trip onboard and pay 25% to make a deposit or do an open booking by giving them $2500. We have always booked directly and they have always given us the 15% off; though maybe the policy has changed.

[CDreamer]

The real test will be if my dietary needs were noted and if they will be met on the cruise. :)

 

(Unlike when you are on the ship...) Sometimes response from Miami can be a little slow - so if you're concerned about your diet I'd email them again.

 

I'm now gluten free (GF) - and even though I had been on many SD cruises before my last cruise this past October, I had never had this dietary concern before. So I was a little worried it might be difficult to find decent options for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.

 

Well, not only were there plenty of GF options, but Chef Tomasz (SD2) BENT OVER BACKWARDS to make sure the meals I received were just as creative and delicious as all the other non GF meals I had enjoyed on previous SD cruises! Chef Sudesh (SD1) will accommodate your dietary needs as well, I'm sure, as he too is an excellent chef and the food on Sea Dream is prepared a la minute.

 

But to ease your concern I would suggest you try contacting Miami again, and just remind your server of your dietary needs when you do order once you are on board (always a good idea anyway, wherever you dine).

[Zimmy]

Last year Sudesh received a well-deserved promotion to Executive Chef so you will see his influence on both ships. He may even be on board. It is my understanding that the owner has a son who is on a GF diet, so every menu will have several GF options. Our experience lately is that every menu has a raw menu section, as well. I think you will find the cuisine both healthy and delicious. And one of the many nice things is that you are not always limited to the menu. With a day or two advance notice they might be able to whip up something special for you. Just ask.

 

As for the bali beds, the time to book them for overnight is right after you complete the photo id process. Just turn to the left and ask at the concierge desk. The best one is the big bed in the Crow's Nest (forward). Bear in mind that many of us have found the concept better than the real thing. Only the really good sleepers make it through the night. There is no shame in returning to your cabin at 1:00 am. At least that is what I have told myself.

 

If you haven't already done so, have SeaDream put your pet name for your BF on his pajamas. That will be an awesome surprise.

 

Zimmy's DH

[Jim Avery]

Hope you have a great cruise and we look forward to seeing you in Costa Rica.:D Looking forward to your review/reports.

[CDreamer]

If you haven't already done so, have SeaDream put your pet name for your BF on his pajamas. That will be an awesome surprise.

Zimmy's DH

 

HA!! I read this quickly and thought it said:

 

"If you haven't already done so, have SeaDream put your pet's name on your BF's pajamas." That would suggest he was perhaps in the dog house?! :eek::D

 

Looks like it's time to get new glasses!

[vandrefalk]

Nice going, CDreamer!:)

 

Ms. Mowgli, you can book on board and have them transfer the booking to your TA. I used to book directly with SD, but now have a TA to handle everything after that. Last fall, the on board savings were still 15%. The only credits you get are a 15% savings on spa treatments and 15% off the wine list, should you choose to purchase the optional priced wines. That's the perks for being a SD Club member. My TA also gives me a spa credit (which I almost never use :rolleyes:).

 

The raw food menu isn't extensive -- mainly juices, salads, etc. I do remember some sort of lasgna (made of veggies), but keeping in mind that none of the food is heated above something like 114 degrees, you may not want to rely on it! Otherwise, the kitchen will do their very best to accommodate your food needs. As CDreamer noted, she is GF and they were able to feed her quite well! They shared our anniversary with us and the kitchen made us a GF anniversary cake! My DH had a heart attack in January, so we will be asking for a heart healthy menu when we are on board in June.

 

Vandrefalk

[Jim Avery]

The SeaDream itinerary hits lots of the regular favorite spots. All good. One of my faves is the Sunset Bar at Maho Beach St. Maarten. You have to be a bit crazy to let a heavy jet land right over your head. :eek: So far I have not been crazy to hang on the fence when a 747 spools up to full takeoff mode. Still, it is fun to sit in the shade at a quintessential Caribbean beach bar drinking cold beer and watching other idiots do it.:eek: The cheeseburger aint bad either. :D

[Ms. Mowgli]

Thank you to everyone for their advice on the Bali beds and the reassurance that the SeaDream kitchen will be very accommodating to dietary requests.

 

And I will email to ask for a special monogram on the p.j's! Such a great idea--just hope it isn't too late! How do they determine what size pj's to give everyone? I am only 5 ft so hoping mine will fit!

 

We are spending 3 days in St. Martin and one of the boat tours that i hope to do will take us to Maho Beach to see a jet land over our heads. Any one have favourite excursions/tours/restaurants that they recommend for St. Martin/St. Maarten? I know that SeaDream offers the America's Cup Sailing excursion usually but since we disembark there, I don't know if it is still offered to guests? Has anyone participated in this excursion? If so, how was it?

 

Today my family and I drove down to Toronto for an upcoming funeral as we had a member of our family pass away last weekend. In times like these, it reminds me how precious our time is and thankful for all of the loved ones and blessings in our lives. My wish is that you all hug your loved ones a little tighter and for a little longer today.

[rickandpat]

I'm 4 foot 10 inches, and the pjs are on the long side - but they are very comfortable and am always happy to wear them.

[Jim Avery]

I'm 4 foot 10 inches, and the pjs are on the long side - but they are very comfortable and am always happy to wear them.

 

LOL. I am 6' 4" and they don't quite stretch that far but I also enjoy wearing them.:D:D On our very first SD, there was a spontaneous pajama party at the TOY bar and we all autographed each others pajama tops with felt markers. It is one of my treasured souvenirs. Some of the "art work" is quite good.:D

[knotheadusc]

That must have been back when the PJs had white tops instead of navy blue!

[Ms. Mowgli]

Sorryfor the late posts--there were internet problems the first 2 days and then we have been soo busy.

 

Pier 1 east

>

> Security was easy.

> Got here 45 min early but I stuck around so I could be the first one on the ship do I could ask for a night in a Bali bed on the forward of the ship!

>

> Lol..the things I do! (BTW--I got it for the overnight in St. Bart's!)

> I was all worried about leaving late as BF was taking soo long to pack..thank goodness they let us wait in the lobby.

>

> Seadream is beautiful! Very small and private, not like the carnival valour that is docked next to it.

>

> We have had such an amazing time in San Juan these past 4 days.

>

> We stayed at Ciqala Suites for 4 nights prior to our cruise.

>

> It is a boutique hotel that has about 19 units. I believe all but 2 units are suites and of those 6 are "presidential suites" with 3 bedrooms but you can rent them as a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom and they will lock the other doors.

>

> We rented a 1 bedroom presidential suite --room 202.

>

> The suite was extremely large, well made with limestone floors, granite counters, etc. the Decor was slick and modern, kitchen furnished with Stainless steel fridge and a large fully equipped laundry room.

>

> However, it wasn't the luxurious suite or the delicious made to order breakfast every morning, or the awesome common room in the SP ( sub penthouse ) floor that guests can use to watch TV, relax etc

>

> It was the excellent service we received with genuine care and concern for our happiness . We immediately became friends with the staff

I highly recommend staying there!

 

Thursday March 28th: We went with a friend we made from the hotel, Christina, to Old San Juan to do some photography of the forts and the streets of Old San Juan. It was such a quaint area with kids flying their kites by the forts and the streets were filled with families attending masses all over the city as it was Holy Week. (Will post all pics upon our return). Christina picked the restaurant that night for Dinner... Vaca Brava--a local-ish restaurant that specializes in meat! OH my goodness--we shared shirmp monfongo, and a dish that had ribs, steak and chicken--the steak was topped with cheese and mushroom sauce and was to die for! Night photography was great around old San Juan--especially El Morro.

 

>

[Ms. Mowgli]

March 29th: We went with Alex and his friend Kaylee to El Yunque National Park --we made it only to the first waterfall for a few pictures but then rain started to come down really hard and they closed the park. It was beautiful;however, we will have to return one day to see the rest.

 

At first it was a disappointment but then we went to a local beach--Luguillo and boy was that a fun afternoon! In front of the beach is about 1/2km of little run down concrete restaurants--it was like stumbling upon 50 little holes in the walls filled with local cuisine. We spent 3 hrs sampling soo many different foods and Everything was delicious! They have grilled meat kababs called Pinchos and it was soo cheap and soo good! $5 for 2 huge skewers! Don't forget to get the fruit smoothies there!

Because it was holy week--many families were at the beach and music and dancing was abundant. What a day! Oh yes, there is a man that sells oysters and shucks it for you--$8 for 6 LARGE oysters--they were actually from Texas but they were the BEST oysters I had ever had--including from fine dining restaurants! I ate about 2 dozen on my own!:D

 

We didn't even go out for dinner that night as we were still full from grazing all day!

[Ms. Mowgli]

Saturday March 30 and Sunday March 31

 

Friday night we met a lovely couple from Alberta Canada and they invited us to go to the Barcardi Distillery with them. So after our made to order breakfast we started Saturday off with a visit to the Barcardi Distillery--I couldn't believe it was free as it was such a fun morning. Upon getting there, we were each given 2 tickets for drinks and then led on a very informative tour of the rum making process. The tour last about 45 minutes and includes an opportunity to smell all the different types of rum. there is such a nice seating area to enjoy the drinks that we just sat and talked and laughed all morning enjoying the drinks.

 

After that we all went to Las Americas Mall--the largest mall in the Caribbean. We didn't spend much time there as it was pretty crowded. The reason we wanted to go was that we had never seen a Microsoft Store before and as we both work in IT we were interested in seeing it. (Both of us are MAC lovers though..)

 

Or evening was spectacular--we had a late dinner at the restaurant located in a boutique hotel in Old San Juan called the Gallery Inn. I knew how unique and beautiful it would be but didn't let the BF know as I wanted to surprise him. The kitchen stayed open late for us as we didn't arrive until almost 9pm and had the entire dining room to ourself. Jan, the owner even welcomed us and was expecting us as I had called to reserve ahead of time.

You should look up the Gallery Inn online and then see how unique it is!

We had a candellit dinner while having the best classical guitar player play for us and explain the history of the music to us all evening. Very romantic and as BF is also a musician, he enjoyed the music and conversation tremendously.

 

After dinner, we were given a tour of all of the garden, the music room and the wine deck up top where we had 360 degree views of old San Juan, the Bay, and the ocean.

 

Another late night out and we were already sad to know that we didn't have more time to enjoy Puerto Rico. Knowing that we had an awesome week ahead of us on Seadream made it easier though.:D

 

On Seadream--March 31.

Staff are all very friendly and you feel an instant comfort with them. We had a GTY room and were happy that we were able to get a room midship as the waters were very rough that night.

 

Check in was easy--the room was spacious and had enough storage areas for us to unpack and store our huge suitcases. Cocktails and dinner was great and we met some wonderful people.

 

For those who are waiting to hear about the childeren situation--there are about 7 onboard and they are ALL VERY well behaved...we have met them all have nothing bad to report. :)

 

We went to the Piano Bar after dinner to listen to Sami on the piano and have a few drinks. We met some lovely women there from California and all enjoyed a few songs. As it was pretty rough waters, many had retreated to their cabins though.

 

Silvo the Maire D came to speak to me about my dietary needs right away and Andre the chef spoke with me personally. They have accommodated me where possible but there is soo much good food offered that it is easily modified if I want to replace something.

 

The bed was very comfortable but we didn't like the individual sized comforters--will have go see if they have anything else for us.

[Ms. Mowgli]

April 1, 2013

 

I have posted pics on Facebook that I took on my iphone to share with family and friends and have made some pics from this trip public so that you can view them if you wish. It's just easier to upload to FB for now from my phone.

 

(To find me on FB, My name is Van-Anh Nguyen from Ottawa, Canada should you wish to see the photos. My profile pic is of myself sitting on the right hand side and my daughter beside me)

 

I can't believe it has only been one day on Seadream. We had a full day of snorkelling, swimming and hiking on both of these islands.

 

The highlight of Culebrita was the hike to the top of the island to see the lighthouse. The climb is only 15 minutes but the view is spectacular. (Will post pics upon return) Upon our descent we were lucky to have 3 wild goats stop right in front of us to pose for pictures! On the beach we also saw the only wild flower from a cactus on that whole island. It was a beautiful yellow one and its beauty enhanced by the juxaposition of the sharp thorns beside it.

 

I will continue writing later tonight as we are in St. Cruz right now and the BF is waiting for me to finish so we can start our day! Not sure what we will do yet but I think we will go to the archeological site and then some snorkelling.

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

BTW--BF loves it on board and said its the best b-day gift ever. He joked that he wouldn't know what to give me for my b-day...lol...but we all know here what I would want already. :D

[Jim Avery]

We are enjoying your posts and looking forward to the next installment. Thanks for taking us along.:D

[knotheadusc]

Looks like we have a new SeaDream convert in our midst!:D

[Jim Avery]

Any more updates on your trip ending today??:D