Reports from first timers?

Looking at the past threads, now that .....idle jottings has been laid to rest, I noticed that we have not gotten post-cruise reports from some of the recent first timers. (northwoods2, Mrselljay, scspartan76) Would like to know what you thought, and whether we might be seeing you on board in the future.

Looking at the past threads, now that .....idle jottings has been laid to rest, I noticed that we have not gotten post-cruise reports from some of the recent first timers. (northwoods2, Mrselljay, scspartan76) Would like to know what you thought, and whether we might be seeing you on board in the future.

We've been aboard twice, SD1 2014 and SD2 2015 and will be back on SD2 in November over thanksgiving with some friends. Spending Thanksgiving day eating lobster at Cow Wreck beach in Anegada instead of cooking a turkey at home was beyond wonderful. We were Regent loyal for years, but love the people, service and vibe/culture on SD. Hope SD is an annual tradition, and then multiple trips per year once our daughter is off to college.

Weird to change ships but we ARE! Booked Xmas week in Caribbean and hoping we like it. We have been Windstar people in the past but thought we'd try something different. If anyone has tips, remarks, inside track, what to expect during the holidays, let her rip. Thanks in advance!

Weird to change ships but we ARE! Booked Xmas week in Caribbean and hoping we like it. We have been Windstar people in the past but thought we'd try something different. If anyone has tips, remarks, inside track, what to expect during the holidays, let her rip. Thanks in advance!

You need a Ragnar.... Ragnar is a SeaDream guy recently returned from Windstar so can probably speak Windstar.:eek: I think you will enjoy SeaDream. Welcome to this little corner of the cruise world.:D

Welcome to SeaDream, laurelguy. I am sure you will find, as we did, that absolutely nobody does the Caribbean as well as SeaDream. While we tend to avoid cruising during the holidays because it attracts families with children (for whom there really is nothing to do onboard), you will enjoy a level of service that is unmatched. If you have specific questions, don't be shy about asking them. We've got a good group on the board that will help ease your transition from Windstar.

Well thanks guys! We get worried about kids, etc during the holidays but the only week we can get away in winter. I hope huge family groups don't monopolize. I've heard some people think it's their OWN yacht without regard to others. But I'm going into it with a positive attitude. Great itinerary. Love Les Saintes. Used to stay there when it was REALLY remote. Like NO cars. And of course St. Barth's where you can have a ball. And soak up Saline. IMHO one of the best beaches in the world. If you have any tips, please let me know. And thanks!

Another Windstar alumni looking for a change. Thinking about the May 2017 SeaDream II cruise from Cannes to Rome. Any thoughts?

Welcome aboard, lovecruisingtoo. We will be doing some of your ports next month on SD1. Our trip from Barcelona to Nice includes Cannes, St. Tropez and Monte Carlo. I am sure Zimmy will be posting her report.

We will be taking our first Sea Dream Cruise (Amalfi Coast) in about a month. I will report back after. I have to call our travel agent this week to see if she has received our cruise documents yet.

Wanted to report back since we were new to SD on our Amalfi Coast cruise on SD II. Warning: this may be a little lengthy for the regulars but I wanted to give some details for other first timers or those going on our itinerary.

We got to the port a little early, I didn't factor in how fast the driver would be going! (took a little over an hour from the Sofitel in Rome) SD Staff were there to take our bags and offer refreshments, then we found some seats in the tent and watched the other passengers arrive. When it was time to board it took a few minutes to have our carry-ons scanned, then we were onboard. So nice to be greeted by captain and crew and handed a glass of bubbly, then we were shown to the main salon. Thanks to tips I received on this board, we headed right to the reception area to check-in and book our sleeping under the stars with the concierge. We also signed up for a couple of shore excursions. We were then escorted to our cabin where we unpacked and changed for cocktails/dinner. Welcome cocktails and canapes were served in the main salon where Gareth, the Club Director introduced the crew and gave an overview of tomorrows port. Dinner followed in the dining salon.

Our first port was Bonifacio, where the ship docked. We woke up early, grabbed some coffee at the Top of the Yacht bar, and watched the ship sail into port. We took the ship tour, White City by Train & Boat, and had lunch overlooking the marina after. Walked around a bit then went back to the ship. We had dinner with our new friends from Oz, then we all went to the empty main salon for further conversation. It must have been close to midnight and suddenly a member of the crew pops in and asks if we wanted something to drink. He must have seen us in there - we said no, we're fine, go to bed! Just one example of the phenomenal crew we met. At dinner, Nikola (Maitre d') approached me and asked what day I'd like to celebrate our 30th anniversary - I can't remember if I notified SeaDream or not but Nikola said he had gotten word from the office. Now Hum had mentioned something about a cake, and so if word came from Hum I don't want to be remiss in thanking him.

Our next port was Ponza. We had signed up for a tour - Ponza by boat - but it was canceled due to lack of participation. We had spa appointments after breakfast then found a nice Balinese dream bed to read and relax. A crew member set up an umbrella for us, and Severin made us the best BBC's with fresh banana! Someone came around later and offered to clean our sunglasses, and later in the afternoon came around with warm cookies. That's the kind of service we received from the crew - but it wasn't just the service - we felt like we got to know the crew much better (and they are all so hardworking and wonderful!) than on any cruise we have ever taken, bar none. We talked to some other passengers who went ashore and pretty much everyone said they walked around for about 20 minutes then came back to the yacht. They didn't see any boats for hire while ashore.

The next day we were in Amalfi. At breakfast, Nikola showed us to a lovely table for two with a view of the coast. He handed me a printout of all the upcoming ports - hotels and restaurants with the best views based on some past conversations we had (really such a thoughtful thing to do and take the time to do it!). We were on the ground in Amalfi by 9:15 a.m. and had planned to take the City Sightseeing bus to Ravello, but the first one didn't depart until 9:45, so we took a taxi up to Ravello. First thing, we walked up to Villa Cimbrone. We had the Terrace of Infinity all to ourselves so got some wonderful photos up there. We walked around the gardens and grounds, then walked back to the Duomo and to Villa Rufulo for more panoramic views. We had lunch at Palazzo Avino on the outdoor terrace overlooking the sea. After lunch we took the City Sightseeing open-top bus back to Amalfi where we went to the Duomo Piazza before returning to the ship. This evening Nikola made arrangements for our anniversary celebration. We had a beautiful table with candles, red rose petals, champagne and a view of the coast. After dinner we had a beautiful cake and card from the crew. Later, when we went back to our cabin, we found the ceiling covered in red balloons, and the bed had two swan towel animals in the shape of a heart with rose petals scattered around and another card from our room stewardess. All I can say is WOW!

Our next port was Positano. We walked around the shops (bought some perfume from Carthusia), had some lemon ice from a granita cart, and had lunch at a restaurant on the beach. Afterwards, we walked to Le Sirenuse for an afternoon cocktail on the pool deck with beautiful views, then took a taxi to Il San Pietro for cocktails on their terrace with gorgeous views. We returned to the ship and later had cocktail hour by the pool, then dinner, then got ready for our sleeping under the stars. We had the front bed, and had requested an eggcrate mattress per advice from this forum. We went to check it out beforehand, and ran into Gareth who gave us a few tips: bring robes and a bottle of water and try to stick it out until morning because the sunrise is beautiful. So we collected robes, slippers, water, I brought an extra pillow, extra coverlet and we were ready. The eggcrate mattress provided needed cushioning and I also put the coverlet over that for even more. The one thing we weren't anticipating was how bright it would be from lighting, so one of the crew adjusted the lights to make it a little darker, so we could sleep. We woke up a few hours later when we got to the next port - we hadn't anticipated the maritime light coming on (and staying on per maritime law) when we anchored. I sent hubby back to the cabin for eye shades and one of the crew suddenly appeared and asked us if everything was alright. I found out the next day she was making night rounds. We stayed the course and awoke to see the sunrise. So glad we did this, it was really a special experience. Just remember to bring eyeshades if you are a light sleeper.

Our next port was Sorrento and we signed up to do the Chef's Walk. The chef, and Gareth led us through the streets and we first stopped at a produce stand where we were given samples of many of the fruits. We then went into a candy shop where we were given samples and were serenaded by the shop owner. Next stop was a limoncello/meloncello tasting, then a butcher shop where we sat at tables across from the shop and had samples of bread, olives, artichokes, meats, cheeses, and wine. The chef bought food to serve at the poolside cocktail hour. Next we stopped at a coffee shop and sat in the alleyway and ordered drinks. We heard after that some passengers visited a wine cellar while we were there but somehow we missed that. Our last stop was at a gelateria for gelato. The tour went from 10 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. We had planned to have lunch at a restaurant with views of Mt. Vesuvius, but the Chef's walk samples were more than enough lunch for us. Afterwards, we walked to Piazza Tasso and the gorge, old mill ruins, and Villa Communale for views of Mt. Vesuvius, then continued walking to Marina Grande and back to the bus to the tender. After dinner, there was a movie and popcorn under the stars. We had champagne, popcorn, and because it was chilly, the crew passed around warmed blankets! It was so comfy, I started nodding off so we didn't last the whole movie.

Our last port was Capri. We weren't sure when we would be able to get off the boat because the tender schedule had not been "approved" by breakfast.

Apparently SeaDream is not able to use it's own tenders in Capri, and the schedule has to be approved by a certain entity in Capri. It also is the port with the shortest amount of time, and we had a lot we wanted to see, so we got off on the earliest tender. The Blue Grotto was closed due to storms earlier that morning. Once ashore we took a convertible taxi up to Anacapri and walked to Villa Michele. After spending time there, we did a little shopping, and took the chairlift up to Mt. Solaro. Unfortunately there was cloud cover up there so we couldn't see much, but on the way down after we got through the cloud cover, the views were spectacular. We took a taxi down to Capri, had lunch, and walked to the gardens of Augustus for views of the Fraglioni Rocks. We walked back to the main square and got a taxi down to the port and tender back to the yacht.

Disembarkation: Being first timers we weren't sure how things worked, but Toni, the activities director ran over and gave us a hug and walked us off the yacht (after we said goodbye to the captain, hotel manager, club director and others seeing passengers off), helped us retrieve our luggage and walked us out to our driver.

We have so many great memories of this cruise. The ports were spectacular, and we loved the yacht and especially the crew. The atmosphere is such that you can really get to know your fellow passengers and the crew. We definitely plan to sail SeaDream again, and would like to try a Caribbean itinerary next time. A few days after we got home we received our SeaDream mugs from the SeaDream Club, so I guess we're officially in now!

Dear Yvie,

Thanks for taking the time to post this fantastic review. I was riveted from start to finish and did not want it to end. Absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to meet the crew in four weeks time on my first Seadream voyage.

Cheers, Millie

Thanks so much for posting. It makes me eager to go on my first SeaDream cruise. I have tried--booked twice; once I cancelled (death in the family); once SeaDream cancelled (presumably a charter). But I haven't given up yet; I'll make it some day.

Great report, I think every trip is like that. We had a great while on are cruise's.

Yvie,

Thanks so much for your review! It brought back many lovely memories of the SD cruises we have done in that area.

Was a bit surprised about the lights in the bow for your night under the stars -- it's usually quite dark up there. We always request the egg crate and it makes a big difference. Much prefer being underway than at anchor!

So glad you had a good time!

Vandrefalk

Yvie.... Thank you for your review! You answered so many questions and brought tips I would never have even thought to ask about. I have yet to sail SD, but your review just moved it to the top of our list!!

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Great review and sure is tempting to us as well. We love luxury and being able to be elegantly casual in the evening with no tie or jacket. Sounds better then the Crystal Espirt according to a couple of reviews I have read. I saw the TA cruise...love sea days.

Belated congratulations for a wonderful report Yvie

Yes a word was passed on after Hum thought maybe she does'nt like cake !

Anyway thanks again for sharing.

HH

Sorry I haven't checked back here in awhile. I'm glad the review was enjoyable and helpful to others. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed our SeaDream cruise. We definitely plan to sail again on SeaDream II, would like to try the Caribbean next time, and would love to someday meet some of the regulars on this board (Hum and cohorts!). Thanks Hum for remembering!