Sea Dream website

[vandrefalk]

Not to stir the pot or anything :D but the website is back to advertising "56 couples"?????

And they have a new captain -- does that mean that someone is leaving :eek:

Vandrefalk

[Jim Avery]

I saw the new Captain too but missed the "56 Couples". I hope Capt. Smorawski is not leaving. He is probably the closest to retirement though. 56 Couples. I like the sound of that unless they are referring to twins.:eek::D

[richb21]

I'm just disappointed that nothing has been posted on the kids on seadream thread in over 24 hours. It's almost like losing a reliable friend. Lol!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[andreas_seadream]

Not to stir the pot or anything :D but the website is back to advertising "56 couples"?????

And they have a new captain -- does that mean that someone is leaving :eek:

Vandrefalk

 

Dear vanderfalk,

 

We as a company have not done a great job responding and interacting on these forums. I hope that will change in the future, but for the time being I would just like for you and others reading this post to know that we as a company read most messages on these forums and that we do take what is written here seriously. Trust me, the Kids on SeaDream thread has not gone by unnoticed (I will hopefully come back to that topic in a later post). The change you noted on our website, albeit a small one, is a direct result of a post made by CDreamer on August 19th.

 

Remi is replacing Johan Dyrnes, who has decided to take another path in his career.

 

Best Regards,

Andreas Brynestad

SeaDream Yacht Club

[frequent traveler]

I'm just disappointed that nothing has been posted on the kids on seadream thread in over 24 hours. It's almost like losing a reliable friend. Lol!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hopefully for everyone headed to Costa Rica and the Far East it will stay quiet until the Christmas/New years week. Last years Christmas cruise was the spoiled teenagers.

 

FT

 

Just saw the post from SD management. WOW, I believe it's a first. The captain leaving has left before. . .

Edited October 18, 2013 by frequent traveler

[richb21]

This might be the start of something big

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[vandrefalk]

Andreas, I am so appreciative of your post! With 130+ nights on SD in the last 9 years, you know I am a huge fan -- and I've been fortunate to have contact with your team in both Oslo and Miami. In fact, I am attending (along with CDreamer and Whatnot) an evening with Pam Conover next week. I am glad to see you responding to the very legitimate concerns expressed by some long-time SD guests. As others say, when SD is "on its game", no one does it better! I also know many of the crew and shoreside staff do monitor this board, and it would be great to get responses to some of the concerns expressed.

 

I also thank you for the information of Capt. Dyrnes. I have not sailed with him -- primarily with Terje and Bjarne (whom I love dearly!) -- so I wish him well, but terribly happy that my two favorite captains still appear to be on board! And I'm hoping that Bjarne will be leading us through the Panama Canal :)

 

Many thanks!

Vandrefalk

[CDreamer]

 

<< We as a company have not done a great job responding and interacting on these forums. I hope that will change in the future.... Trust me, the Kids on SeaDream thread has not gone by unnoticed (I will hopefully come back to that topic in a later post). >>

 

Welcome to the board, Andreas. I think THIS is what many posters here have been waiting to hear - that their concerns are, at the very least, being listened to and (hopefully, at some point in the near future) also addressed.

 

SD has always had such a loyal following over the years, and one of the things that has made it stand out from the rest is the warm, personalized, on board experience where each passenger is made to feel special in a very relaxed but pampered way. And that experience is what many here fear is potentially at risk in light of these recent "unruly kid" reports.

 

<< The change you noted on our website, albeit a small one, is a direct result of a post made by CDreamer on August 19th.>>

 

While I appreciate the credit, Andreas, I certainly was not the only one on this board to notice the deletion of "56 Couples" on SD's website! Ironically though, in 2006 the "56 Couples" IS what initially attracted my DH and me to SD in the first place.

 

After our first SD cruise we became loyal passengers and always looked forward to taking that NEXT SD cruise. We have seen a few kids on board over the years but have never experienced the level of disruption that several here have recently reported on this forum. And these posters have also been loyal SD passengers over the years. So that, coupled with the recent change in marketing (deleting the "couples" inference), has actually made us think twice about booking another SD cruise.

 

It is very good to hear that SD's website advertising is once again targeting 'couples' and I for one will be interested to hear more from you about SD's stance on this as time goes on.

 

<<Remi is replacing Johan Dyrnes, who has decided to take another path in his career.>>

 

We have not sailed with Capt. Dyrnes but wish him well in his new venture.

Edited October 19, 2013 by CDreamer

[frequent traveler]

Well said CDreamer. I would love to make SD my only choice for holiday again.

21 days a yr on board SD was our target.

FT

[knotheadusc]

Well written, CDreamer.

 

This forum is what prompted my husband and me to make our first booking. It seemed like a line that was intended for childless couples who enjoy luxury. I like kids, but SeaDream is really not an appropriate venue for them.

 

Andreas, welcome, and I hope you will continue to post. It's encouraging to see someone from SeaDream take the time to address us! :)

[js2x]

We are also on the Nov 9 voyage....We have our fingers crossed for Captain Willassen. He was like a kid in a candy store taking us through the Corinth Canal a few years ago. In any event, we cant wait!

[piratelooksat45]

So glad to see a response from SeaDream and to know that they are actually monitoring the board. It was appearing that the company was ignoring their loyal customer base and going after a new demographic. Hopefully they realize that there is no better advertising than word-of-mouth from happy past passengers! I know I've spread the word to many. Recently I was getting nervous about my February cruise, but now am excited again!

[andreas_seadream]

Andreas, I am so appreciative of your post! With 130+ nights on SD in the last 9 years, you know I am a huge fan -- and I've been fortunate to have contact with your team in both Oslo and Miami. In fact, I am attending (along with CDreamer and Whatnot) an evening with Pam Conover next week. I am glad to see you responding to the very legitimate concerns expressed by some long-time SD guests. As others say, when SD is "on its game", no one does it better! I also know many of the crew and shoreside staff do monitor this board, and it would be great to get responses to some of the concerns expressed.

 

Dear Vandrefalk (I am sorry for typing your forum name incorrectly in my previous post),

 

130+ nights is amazing! I have been onboard the ships many times since 2001, but I am nowhere close to that number – but since I do not have a girlfriend right now I am not in the “couple” target audience anyway :)

 

I am very happy that you have close contact with our shoreside team and I appreciate that you will attend the evening with Pam and others from the office. It will be a nice way to give feedback and interact with us.

 

I do not want to set any false expectations and have you and other think that we will be engaging frequently on these forums, but I will do my best in the next few weeks and months to reply every once in a while and we will see how that goes.

 

Best regards,

Andreas

Edited October 19, 2013 by andreas_seadream
Smiley did not work

[commodoredave]

I am very impressed that Andreas has posted in this forum and acknowledged the concerns of many old and new SD cruisers who have expressed legitimate concerns with children adversely impacting their cruise experience.

 

Our decision to try SD for my 60th birthday cruise in December was largely influenced by people on the SD forum. In my opinion, these loyal SD supporters are vital to the long-term health of SD and their opinions matter.

 

I am grateful to Andreas for letting us know that SD is aware of this forum and our concerns. We are looking forward to our first SD cruise in CR, and hope it will be the first of many to come.

[vandrefalk]

We are also on the Nov 9 voyage....We have our fingers crossed for Captain Willassen. He was like a kid in a candy store taking us through the Corinth Canal a few years ago. In any event, we cant wait!

 

Captain Willassen is on SD II and, I believe, currently taking that ship on the first legs of the Asia cruises. I am hoping for Capt. Bjarne!!

 

Vandrefalk

[whatnot]

This sounds like we may be making progress in getting our concerns heard! Thanks Andreas for your responses!

[JES4845]

Please allow me to join the chorus in thanking Andreas for his posts. We are among the many who were first drawn to SeaDream by the marketing to adults as in 56 couples. We then returned eight more times due to the excellent service from an outstanding crew. We were also among those who recently cancelled future bookings after bad experiences we and others had onboard sharing SD with families with kids, including little ones.

 

We certainly welcome the return to marketing to 56 couples. That does, however, beg the question whether those who ignore that express marketing and want to bring kids onboard will be allowed to do so or not. The web site claim of couples won't hold up for very long if the change turns out to be cosmetic and not consistent with actual practice. We are hopeful that SeaDream would not have made the web site change and Andreas would not have kindly engaged on this forum on this topic unless there is a commitment to altering family bookings accordingly. In short, the proof is always in the pudding.

 

As to Captain Dyrnes, we are sad to see him leave but wish him the best. We sailed with him several times including having dinner with him several times, most recently this past August. While not eager to talk about it, on one occasion another passenger got him to tell the harrowing story of when he was captain on another ship that was attacked by pirates off Somalia. We seem to recall from our August conversation that he and relatives own one or more restaurants so perhaps that is his future career path. He no doubt wants to spend more time with his family.

[Jim Avery]

Hi Andreas.

I also want to welcome you to the Cruise Critic forums and thank you for taking the time to interact with those of us here. For some time now I, along with a number of others, have had the feeling that SeaDream was just not concerned with our issues with children on board. That SeaDream did not want to hear of it. It is nice to have some contact with you and hearing your willingness to listen and possibly work to some solution. Like many others, our first SeaDream voyage (Mexico in 2004) was a dream come true in the cruise industry and we fell in love with the experience. A luxury voyage for adults with unequaled service. If you prowl this board in all topics, what is repeated over and over is the affection for and appreciation of the great crews onboard both yachts. They are what makes SeaDream so good and so unique. Lets face it, the ships, while beautiful and impeccably maintained, are nothing special in the industry. A few bars, a nice small pool deck area, some pleasant outdoor lounging areas, a main salon, a dining room and a library/piano bar. Pretty much standard stuff on all passenger ships. The cabins are comfortable and nicely appointed but to be blunt, the veranda on our last cruise was almost the same area as a SeaDream cabin. You just don't hear people say that they repeatedly sail SeaDream for the Pool Bar or the Dining Room ambiance. It is always about the crew, the food, and yes, the fellow passengers. Passenger mix is very important on a small ship with limited venues. Having been in the shipping industry (cargo, not passenger) I have great admiration for the tireless job the shore staff does keeping the ships profitably operating. I believe we all want SeaDream to prosper. I am aware that the trips I have taken are but a small drop in the ocean of revenues needed to maintain the business. Changing to something I don't like will result in me going elsewhere but will not impact SeaDream a bit. If hundreds of people like me go elsewhere, then you might have an issue. So, I am going to just be blunt and tell you what I wish SeaDream would consider as new policy to replace the almost non policy listed in Terms and Conditions on the website.

1. No passengers under the age of 18. Ever.

2. Dedicate SeaDream I as adults only and SeaDream II as family friendly. It will not take long to see which ship books faster.

3. Have designated cruises as adult only. All others would be assumed to be for any age group. Again, see how fast (or not) the adults only cruises book).

4. As a last option, offer information to passengers that inquire about the passenger makeup and allow a full refund or full cruise credit up to the last week before the cruise if SeaDream books children or groups at the last minute. SeaDream currently has one of the most expensive deposit and trip cancellation policies out there. This is becoming a block on booking for us due to the uncertain nature of children showing up late in the booking process.

That's it. Maybe some others will offer more ideas. Competition is growing in this segment and even the major lines are moving upscale with offerings of much much larger accommodations and upgraded services and amenities for less cost. Is it SeaDream? No. But then, we have been on board SeaDream when it was not SeaDream as advertised. That is all I want, some feeling of confidence that I can expect the SeaDream experience as marketed consistently on our voyages. I look forward to reading more of your posts and again, thank you for taking the time to work on this issue.

J.

[commodoredave]

Hi Andreas.

I also want to welcome you to the Cruise Critic forums and thank you for taking the time to interact with those of us here. For some time now I, along with a number of others, have had the feeling that SeaDream was just not concerned with our issues with children on board. That SeaDream did not want to hear of it. It is nice to have some contact with you and hearing your willingness to listen and possibly work to some solution. Like many others, our first SeaDream voyage (Mexico in 2004) was a dream come true in the cruise industry and we fell in love with the experience. A luxury voyage for adults with unequaled service. If you prowl this board in all topics, what is repeated over and over is the affection for and appreciation of the great crews onboard both yachts. They are what makes SeaDream so good and so unique. Lets face it, the ships, while beautiful and impeccably maintained, are nothing special in the industry. A few bars, a nice small pool deck area, some pleasant outdoor lounging areas, a main salon, a dining room and a library/piano bar. Pretty much standard stuff on all passenger ships. The cabins are comfortable and nicely appointed but to be blunt, the veranda on our last cruise was almost the same area as a SeaDream cabin. You just don't hear people say that they repeatedly sail SeaDream for the Pool Bar or the Dining Room ambiance. It is always about the crew, the food, and yes, the fellow passengers. Passenger mix is very important on a small ship with limited venues. Having been in the shipping industry (cargo, not passenger) I have great admiration for the tireless job the shore staff does keeping the ships profitably operating. I believe we all want SeaDream to prosper. I am aware that the trips I have taken are but a small drop in the ocean of revenues needed to maintain the business. Changing to something I don't like will result in me going elsewhere but will not impact SeaDream a bit. If hundreds of people like me go elsewhere, then you might have an issue. So, I am going to just be blunt and tell you what I wish SeaDream would consider as new policy to replace the almost non policy listed in Terms and Conditions on the website.

1. No passengers under the age of 18. Ever.

2. Dedicate SeaDream I as adults only and SeaDream II as family friendly. It will not take long to see which ship books faster.

3. Have designated cruises as adult only. All others would be assumed to be for any age group. Again, see how fast (or not) the adults only cruises book).

4. As a last option, offer information to passengers that inquire about the passenger makeup and allow a full refund or full cruise credit up to the last week before the cruise if SeaDream books children or groups at the last minute. SeaDream currently has one of the most expensive deposit and trip cancellation policies out there. This is becoming a block on booking for us due to the uncertain nature of children showing up late in the booking process.

That's it. Maybe some others will offer more ideas. Competition is growing in this segment and even the major lines are moving upscale with offerings of much much larger accommodations and upgraded services and amenities for less cost. Is it SeaDream? No. But then, we have been on board SeaDream when it was not SeaDream as advertised. That is all I want, some feeling of confidence that I can expect the SeaDream experience as marketed consistently on our voyages. I look forward to reading more of your posts and again, thank you for taking the time to work on this issue.

J.

 

Jim is bang on and I fully support the points he made. I simply don't want to share a small luxury vessel with children and I am prepared to spend my travel budget somewhere else to have an enjoyable vacation.

[JES4845]

Amen. Jim has my vote. Well said and captures our views perfectly.

[Jim Avery]

No action here in a week. I suppose we are all just watching here and hoping for some good news.:D

[commodoredave]

I can say from experience that multi-national companies move at a snail's pace, which is one of the reasons that few survive more than 40 years. Having said that, I have a good feeling about Andreas, his understanding of the issue, and his desire to find a fair solution.

[vandrefalk]

Wasn't sure which thread to post this on, but guess this one will do!

 

The SD event last week was quite delightful! There was a good turnout and several potential new guests. Food and drink were quite well done!

 

Several of us did have the opportunity to have a frank discussion with Ms. Conover, who was very willing to listen to our concerns. Maimi and Oslo are very aware of the issues (some besides kids, actually) and are trying to find an equitable solution. Whatever they decide probably won't satisfy everyone, but hopefully, it will mitigate a lot of concerns. I certainly felt she was very open with us and know that they do listen. While we may not see much "official" response on these boards -- after all, CC is for cruisers, not a venue for corporate responses -- I think we can rest assured that we are not "voices crying in the wind." At any rate, the event was well worth our attendance.

 

Vandrefalk

[Jim Avery]

Thanks for the update. We remain hopeful. I wonder if they are planning one of these events out here in the Wild West?:eek::D Sure would like an invite. I promise to behave.:D:D

[commodoredave]

Yes, thanks for the update. Like you, I do believe that we will see some sort of policy change, but I expect it will be subtle and communicated first via the SD website.