Greek Holiday - Pre-arrival

As requested by several readers on this board and because I appreciate and have found quite useful reports by others, herein is our report of our trip to Greece, which will include 7 wonderful days on SD II after having spent several days in Athens.

I’ll start with some background about this adventure. We originally booked this trip some time ago, way back when it was intended to be an Athens to Istanbul voyage. Awhile back, SD decided to eliminate the Istanbul arrival. Note that this was much before the airport and other tragedies that have befallen Turkey. We were informed of the decision by SD and gracious as usual, they offered some discounts and credits to remain on the adjusted voyage. Soon afterwards, they contacted us again, this time due to a change in sailing dates (leaving a bit earlier, I believe). They again apologized and offered more discounts which we happily accepted since the change now put the voyage over US Labor Day Weekend which meant one less day of vacation day needed. At this rate, we figured if they made many more changes, the voyage would be free! :D

Unfortunately, this was not be true. About 4 weeks before sailing, we joyfully received our travel documents (via email – how I miss getting the package with the SD luggage tags!:() and lo and behold, the itinerary had changed again! This time, the stop at Ephesus had been removed. Again, understanding that the recent increased attacks in Turkey drove this decision, we could not really argue with the decision. But, it was a bummer that no advance notice was provided this time nor were we to receive any additional refunds (drat!). We did reach out to SD to enquire why we had received no advance notice this time and we were told that they only notify passengers if there is a change in dates or change in embarkation or debarkation locations, not changes in itinerary. They did admit that in the case of such a major stop as Ephesus, they maybe should consider advance notice in the future. Oh well, good to be aware of and also a warning for those who book excursions on their own to remember that SD can always change where they stop and the problem is yours to solve.

Regardless, the happy day of departure finally arrived and me and my DW along with several pieces of luggage finally departed for Athens. We arrived Tuesday late afternoon and enjoyed a lovely drive to our hotel with our driver, Demetri from PK Travels. He enthusiastically told us all about Greece, Athens, the islands, his life, etc. We arrived at the Athenaeum InterContinental, had a great check in by Clio, and were soon in our Club room settling in. This is a great hotel, marvelous facilities but its best feature is its view of the Acropolis which is truly amazing. You have unobstructed views of it from the Club Lounge as well as for the rooftop bar and restaurant (more about that later). Having traveled for so long and being pretty worn out, we decided to chill in the club lounge, enjoy the snacks and Greek wine, and turn in early.

Next up, -Wow, it's hot here!

We slept in to catch up on sleep and also because we only planned a “leisurely” city walk thru Athens on our own (following a Rick Steves audio tour). Note to self - Rick Steves' estimates of time of tour must assume you are running or walking fast the whole time and also assume you want to hear a lot of background history as well as some bad jokes.

After breakfast we hopped on the free hotel shuttle which took us right into the middle of the city and Syntagma Square. Getting off the van, we realized….it’s hot! However, humidity is low so you know, it’s a dry heat! :eek: Which I realize translates to – you will feel OK in the shade with a breeze but if you stand out in the sun you’ll know what it feels like to be under one of those warming lights at the fast food joint!. We explored the square including the Parliament building, the soldiers guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier, etc. A note about the soldiers. Unlike in the US and other places where these soldiers stand at attention and are left alone, here in Athens you are welcome to walk up next to them and pose for a picture. Seems odd to take a rather solemn and special occasion and turn it into a tourist post card – look Mom, here I am with the serious looking soldier! :rolleyes:

Speaking of serious, our first adventure after avoiding the frying sun in the square, was crossing our first major road in Greece. We came to an intersection, lots of cars and scooters and motorcycles running every which way, no cross light or anything. So, we jumped in as soon as another person started across. We made it halfway before getting to an island and traffic stopped us. We used the same approach again, stepping off when another person did (thinking “do as the locals do”) and almost got run over by a bus! Lesson – just because the locals (assuming they are local) decide to cross, doesn’t mean you should without still looking all ways! :D

From here we followed the tour, stopping at several churches (sorry, I’m not going to go into all the details, download the tour for free if you want that ;), eventually ending up in a small hillside village tucked up right against the Acropolis with narrow pathways, whitewashed buildings, and beautiful views over the city. We then got temporarily lost before eventually finding our way to the Roman Forum ruins, Hadrian’s Arch, and a few other sites. Along the way, we decided it was time for a snack and refreshing drink (ie: beer and wine). We stopped at a nice place at a five way intersection and watched the world go by for awhile, eventually giving in and sharing some Moussaka which was terrific.

We then walked thru some markets and were able to avoid buying any souvenirs (so far) before eventually catching the metro back to the hotel (the closest station being about ½ mile from the hotel). We got back in time to relax in the hotel lobby bar and then take a well earned nap before our awesome dinner.

We had a reservation at Premier, the rooftop bar and restaurant at the hotel. And, as noted earlier, the view is AMAZING! There was the Parthenon, lit up in all its glory, straight out from our table. If you wanted a closer look, they have high powered binoculars which will get you an even better view. Fish is the specialty and that worried me a bit since my DW is not a big fan of fish. However, we took the waiter’s recommendations on wine and food and it was all perfect, fantastic, and tremendous. I had grouper and DW had turbot. We finished the meal with a wonderful fruit sorbet and a Turkish wine for dessert! To top it all off, the heat of the day had been replaced with a cool evening breeze that made it refreshing and pieceful.

All told, a wonderful mix of views and scenes on our first day in Greece. Next up – Let’s see some ruins!

As requested by several readers on this board and because I appreciate and have found quite useful reports by others, herein is our report of our trip to Greece, which will include 7 wonderful days on SD II after having spent several days in Athens.

 

I’ll start with some background about this adventure. We originally booked this trip some time ago, way back when it was intended to be an Athens to Istanbul voyage. Awhile back, SD decided to eliminate the Istanbul arrival. Note that this was much before the airport and other tragedies that have befallen Turkey. We were informed of the decision by SD and gracious as usual, they offered some discounts and credits to remain on the adjusted voyage. Soon afterwards, they contacted us again, this time due to a change in sailing dates (leaving a bit earlier, I believe). They again apologized and offered more discounts which we happily accepted since the change now put the voyage over US Labor Day Weekend which meant one less day of vacation day needed. At this rate, we figured if they made many more changes, the voyage would be free! :D

 

Unfortunately, this was not be true. About 4 weeks before sailing, we joyfully received our travel documents (via email – how I miss getting the package with the SD luggage tags!:() and lo and behold, the itinerary had changed again! This time, the stop at Ephesus had been removed. Again, understanding that the recent increased attacks in Turkey drove this decision, we could not really argue with the decision. But, it was a bummer that no advance notice was provided this time nor were we to receive any additional refunds (drat!). We did reach out to SD to enquire why we had received no advance notice this time and we were told that they only notify passengers if there is a change in dates or change in embarkation or debarkation locations, not changes in itinerary. They did admit that in the case of such a major stop as Ephesus, they maybe should consider advance notice in the future. Oh well, good to be aware of and also a warning for those who book excursions on their own to remember that SD can always change where they stop and the problem is yours to solve.

 

Regardless, the happy day of departure finally arrived and me and my DW along with several pieces of luggage finally departed for Athens. We arrived Tuesday late afternoon and enjoyed a lovely drive to our hotel with our driver, Demetri from PK Travels. He enthusiastically told us all about Greece, Athens, the islands, his life, etc. We arrived at the Athenaeum InterContinental, had a great check in by Clio, and were soon in our Club room settling in. This is a great hotel, marvelous facilities but its best feature is its view of the Acropolis which is truly amazing. You have unobstructed views of it from the Club Lounge as well as for the rooftop bar and restaurant (more about that later). Having traveled for so long and being pretty worn out, we decided to chill in the club lounge, enjoy the snacks and Greek wine, and turn in early.

 

Next up, -Wow, it's hot here!

How exciting !!!

More please, when you have the time.

Great start! Looking forward to "traveling" with you.:D

How exciting !!!

More please, when you have the time.

Oh Hum, this can't be exiting for you. You've been there, done this. BTW, enquiring minds want to know, will you be on this upcoming voyage?

All told, a wonderful mix of views and scenes on our first day in Greece. Next up – Let’s see some ruins!

"Ruins" ?

Is Jim there ?

Bit unkind .......... on the Greek ruins !

Haha

Oh Hum, this can't be exiting for you. You've been there, done this. BTW, enquiring minds want to know, will you be on this upcoming voyage?

Oh Hum never "did" Athens......can't explain why.

Is Hum on the "upcoming voyage" you enquire ?

Why yes !

If you report it, Hum definitely will follow you every inch of the way (if you report here).

Thanks for sharing DupontCruiser2.

Makes a nice change from the usual drivel that's posted.

Go for it !

And we ALL wish you a great voyage.

"Ruins" ?

Is Jim there ?

Bit unkind .......... on the Greek ruins !

Haha

 

 

 

Is Hum on the "upcoming voyage" you enquire ?

Why yes !

 

 

Be afraid! Be very, very afraid........:eek::D

Thank you, DupontCruiser2, for the first two parts of your wonderfully detailed review. I so enjoyed reading it, and can't wait for more to come.

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

You have a lovely itinerary. We have only done it in the spring and fall, for the reason you mention - hot, hot, hot. But I suspect that when you get out of Athens and into the islands, it will feel better.

Thursday – I think….

Today we set out to explore the Ancient Agora. We again took the trusty hotel shuttle to Stygmata Square, was much more careful crossing and had a nice leisurely walk to the Agora. As expected, this is a mix of recreated buildings, ruins, and a few very well preserved structures. We again had reliable Rick Steves at our side to explain what we were looking at and why it was important. It was definitely a warm day but there was enough shade around to find places to sit and ponder the history of this place (and also cool down and drink some water). This really helped set the stage historically and archaeologically for our planned trip to the Acropolis on Friday. After a few hours in the Agora (Rick claimed it would just take an hour – again, if only he’d talk faster, that might be possible!), we completed our tour and wandered about looking for a place to eat, finally settling on a place across from the Agora that had pleasant water misters to help cool things down. Unlike yesterday, I can’t say we really did a great job with restaurant selection. It was pure tourist all the way – large laminated menu with items numbered (I’ll have the #56 please) and bland food. The wine and beer were good but the rest was not memorable. We then found our way back to the metro station and eventually found our way back to the hotel.

One of our usual practices to save money is to eat big at lunch and then just snack for dinner. This saves money and usually the lunches are much less expensive than the same meal would be a night. Plus, since we are in the Club Lounge level, we can get nibbles and drinks all evening for nothing! Which is exactly what we did. There was a great breeze on the club terrace as we watched the sun set and the Acropolis come alight and we enjoyed snacks and wine to end the day.

Friday – we climb to the Acropolis!

The Acropolis has been calling out to us all week, from our arrival on Friday when we first set eyes on it from the hotel, and every day as we toured around its base. But we were saving the best for last (plus, we had to get up early for this so we needed to work up to the fact of setting an alarm while on vacation!). :D

Friday we awoke at 6 AM with the intent of catching the 8 AM shuttle from the hotel. We ran a little behind (time for coffee, time to shower, breakfast, more coffee, etc.) and thus didn’t make it out until 8:30. Which turned out to be good since there is no 8 AM shuttle!!!! DW would not have been happy at all :eek: We were able to get dropped off at Hadrian’s Arch which then made it a very short walk to the entrance to the Acropolis. And as hoped, no line at all! It was a relatively easy climb with stops along the way to view various sites such as the Theater of Dionysus and Herodeon. Before we knew it, we were at the entrance, the amazing Propylaea. It was quite impressive and we stopped for awhile to enjoy the scene, soak in the history and reflect on all those who had come before us. We then gathered up for the final push and there it was – the Parthenon (and lots of scaffolding and cranes). We really couldn’t believe we were here, at this most famous place, built almost 2,500 years ago!! We wandered around, took lots of pictures, enjoyed the view. We also marveled at the Erechtheion which is smaller but just as impressive with its six columns made to look like ladies holding up the roof.

After more picture taking, we descended back thru the Propylaea. That’s when we realized we had made the right decision to get up early to beat the crowds. The stairs were covered in people, massive tour groups and it was hard to just make your way down thru the mob. We traveled down thru the Roman Gate and down to the other entrance, then followed the path around to the Acropolis Museum. This building holds a lot of the relics originally found on the Acropolis that have been moved here to keep them protected and well displayed. Here we found the original ladies of the Erechtheion (the ones on the Acropolis are fakes), as well as parts of what circled the top and eaves of the Parthenon. Note, many pieces are “missing”, not because they cannot be found but because others have taken/bought/stolen the originals and they are now housed elsewhere in the world, such as the Natural Museum in London. But, you still get a good idea of what things once looked like.

After viewing all the carvings of stone we could, we decided it was time to find a nice place for lunch. On our way, we passed the main entrance to the Acropolis (the one we had entered about 2 ½ hours ago and were amazed to see a line that snaked on forever! Again, getting there early makes all the difference in the world! I can’t imagine standing in such a line in the mid-day heat. We wandered over some of the paths we had taken over the last few days, reviewing menus, looking for a nice shady place with a breeze. We finally wandered over to a place referred to as Restaurant Stairs and located a great place near the top of the stairs and had a wonderful meal. We shared a salad that included fresh watermelons and then both had lamb dishes. The lamb was very tender and wonderful. We had lovely conversations with our waiter and in the end he offered us a free carafe of the house wine (not sure if that was because we had consumed our bottle so fast or if he just had an extra carafe he couldn’t get rid of :D).

It was then time to say goodbye to our tour of Athens and head back for a quiet afternoon at the hotel. Our original plan was to lay out at the pool and recharge after all the walking but a nap called and won us over. Later we spent the evening at the club lounge, again enjoying the evening breeze, watching the last of the tourists leave the Acropolis, and seeing the Parthenon light up as the sun went down. We made it an early night, knowing that the next day would be boarding day for SeaDream II!!!.

I'll end today's update with a call out and thoughts to the crew and passengers of SD I. We are so very glad to hear all are OK and safe and hope SD I will soon be back on her way. We hear that SD has treated all passengers (on board and booked for future trips) well given the circumstances and know from past experience that they will do all they can to make it right in the end.

Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to post your experiences. Sounds like a great start to what hopefully will be a memorable adventure. Enjoy your time on SD. Looking forward to following along with you this week. Best to you and your bride!

Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to post your experiences. Sounds like a great start to what hopefully will be a memorable adventure. Enjoy your time on SD. Looking forward to following along with you this week. Best to you and your bride!

Hum would like to echo Charlie's sentiments and respect your consideration for the events on SDI, DC2.

May we beseech you to share your continuing experience onboard and abouts ?

Oh....and have a great time too.

Charlie has arranged free champagne for you at the TOYB !

He never did it for Hum but Hum has let it go.......Ggrrrrrr.

Oh and feel free to dance on the "Office" table......with "gusto" !

Bon Voyage Dupont. Looking forward to your next installment.:D

Thanks so much DupontCruiser for your very detailed posts. I have really enjoyed reading them.

We were in Athens for the day on another cruise line and unfortunately we were in those lines to get to the Acropolis. It was awful! So glad you got to see it as it should be seen, not with the pushing crowds and in the heat of the day. Smart planning!

Hope you have a great cruise! I look forward to reading your future posts. Keep them coming!

Very much enjoying your reports! Brings back nice memories of our two trips to Athens -- one just last fall! Looking forward to reports of crew on board and your impressions of the islands.

Vandrefalk

All is well on cruise but for some odd reason, having problems getting my comments into CC. Internet on SD I is fine, think it has to do with site access. Will attempt updates again if this note gets through :mad:

Boarding Day!!!

Saturday and time to say goodbye to the Atheneaum InterContinental. Before moving on, a few comments about this hotel. The staff is really great, very friendly and welcoming. The rooms are spacious, modern and updated. As noted previously, we dined at the rooftop restaurant, Premier and it really is an amazing setting with wonderful seafood offerings. And if you are lucky (or have enough points), the Club Lounge is extra special with its own veranda with lots of shade and views of the Acropolis. All in all, a great place to stay when visiting Athens.

Since we didn’t need to depart the hotel until around 1:30, we had a nice lazy morning, enjoying a cool breeze at the club lounge and taking one last look at the Parthenon covered with tourists. After some work sorting thru dirty laundry, clean clothes, method of repacking so we could unpack again in a few hours, we were ready to go right at 1:30. Our guide from PK picked us up (no name provided this time) and we took mostly surface streets to the port, avoiding busy Saturday weekend traffic (or so we were told). This was actually nice because it gave us a nice tour of various seaside towns with cafes lining the harbor. The size of the yachts seemed to grow in size as we got closer to SeaDream.

Finally, around the next corner and there she was!!! A quick unload and then a welcome by SeaDream staff. My attempt to convince them that we were in stateroom 315 did not work again (why do they never believe me versus the guest manifest?) Then thru security (where they insisted we should have some sort of boarding card like they hand out on those large cruise barges, finally able to get a pass when they realized we were on the SeaDream), up the boarding ramp and the welcome from Capt and Jeff the Club Director! Due to the “issue” with SD I, our cruise was completely full (SD had managed to move some folks who were to join SD I in Rome to our trip. Happy to see some of the other regular faces on board – Slivio, Frud, Arla, etc. Very smooth and quick luggage transfer, totally unpacked very quickly. We have about half and half on board – first timers versus repeat guests. Due to a late flight for some folks from Belgium, the captain was kind enough to hold departure and that also delayed the obligatory lifeboat drill but all was soon good and off we sailed around 6:15 PM. Passed by The World and Queen Victoria on the way out of port and caught up to and passed one of the Seabourn ships. Although we had pretty good winds, seas were very calm and had a great evening with little to know movement. Frud and Silvio had been nice enough to set us up outside for first night’s dinner even though most were inside. We invited a lovely couple from Oregon to join us, their first time on SD. Dinner was, of course, amazing (sorry though, I don’t take down notes for food nor do I take pics, you’d have to be there to know what it was). We retired early after way too much wine.

Sunday

We had an excursion on donkeys (insert joke of choice about riding your ass, spending too much time on your ass, seeing too much ass, etc.) to the top of Hydra on Sunday AM but with a late start of 10:30 which allowed a late wake up. Unfortunately, my “delicate” stomach (as my DW calls it) was not doing well – not sure if it was the food, too much drink, not enough water, but let’s just say we weren’t at the top of our game) was informing me that spending an hour on a donkey was not the best option for me. So, my DW set off on her own ass while I stayed on board and rested. I’d love to give you a report on the excursion but I really didn’t get much info other than the fact that she rode a donkey, it took her to a couple of churches, and then they walked back down to the harbor. DW seemed to enjoy but have yet to review any photographic evidence.

After about 2 ½ hours rest, I awoke a new man (well, the same old man but at least I felt better) and headed up to the TOYBar to work on this trip update. Lunch had already started but I wanted to wait for my DW to return so I hung out at the bar, slowly introducing my digestive system back to the alcoholic options available (alcohol does cure all, right?). Upon her return, we moved to The Office where we invited a couple from Florida to join us and had a lovely chat into the afternoon.

DW has now headed to our stateroom for a nap and I’m afraid I may need to join her. Next chapter – Dinner off of Hyrda and Sifnos.

Apologies for delay in updates, it’s hard to pull away from napping, drinking, eating, exploring, etc…

After a nice nap on Sunday, we joined the cocktail party by the pool and chatted with many guests. As previously noted, the ship is completely full, with 15 different nationalities from as far away as Australia, Peru, and Brazil. There is a small contingent of Americans (smallest we’ve probably had on any of our trips) from places such as Delaware, Florida, Oregon, and Georgia.

Dinner was outside again and we joined another couple for dinner which was wonderful. We wandered down the piano bar where we were lucky enough to have several passengers who were very good singers and we soon were all singing along to songs from Mama Mia (appropriate given our location). We hung around until midnight and then drifted off to a nice sleep

Monday

We had signed up for a tour of Sifnos that would take us to several churches and villages. It was a four hour tour that included about 2 ½ hours of walking. It was really a nice mix of exploring little villages, churches and views and was not crowded at all (the tour itself only had about 10 people total and we never ran into many people along the way. At one point, we ventured into a “walled” village with multiple levels, like a small medieval maze. Later we took a break at a wonderful little restaurant where we sampled some local

appetizers and beer. We arrived back on board a little after 1 PM and had a lite lunch and then hung out at the pool and TOYbar most of the afternoon. This is the first time I can ever recall that there were absolutely no chairs available at the pool in the afternoon. We again took the obligatory afternoon nap and then were ready for dinner (we skipped cocktails).

Monday evening we decided it would be nice to eat on our own and Silvio was kind enough to seat us in the side tables nestled between the lifeboats so we had a lovely view of Sifnos as we ate. We wimped out on any after dinner activities given the early start we had to the day. In addition, we had the bed up forward for Tuesday night so decided it would be nice to retire there to enjoy the stars as we sailed to Santorini. If you have never done this, we really recommend doing it at least once. You may not stay up there all night but it is a great place to lay under the stars and feel the sea breeze in a relatively quiet and remote part of the ship. The down side of sleeping up front is that although the bed area is roped off, you still have people coming from TOYBar to use the forward restroom and you do hear music from time to time making its way up forward. Although it was a crystal clear night when we started, it did get very wet due to lots of condensation on everything and then finally around 4 AM a shower came along that finally ran us back to the room. But all in all, a nice night outside.

We slept several more hours and thus missed our arrival into Santorini (which is the main reason we booked outside that night). We awoke to beautiful views of the various white towns scattered along the top of Santorini. We had decided to tour on our own, hoping to make our way to Oia which is famed for its stunning views and white and blue topped buildings. Santorini is unique in that ships are not allowed to set or use their own tenders and schedules and thus we were reliant on local tenders with set schedules. We pushed to make the 10:45 run (the next would not be for 1 ½ hours) and am glad we did this. There was no line at the gondola ride to the city above which was great. We arrived in Ferra which was a crazy maze of shops, people and donkeys (as another option, you can ride a donkey up to the town if you do not wish to take the gondola). We walked to the taxi stand and connected with another couple from the ship who also wished to go to Oia. Since they could speak the language, we were glad to connect up with them as this would help out several times along the way. We didn’t wait long before a taxi came along and we were off for Oia. What was supposed to be a 15 minute trip was more like 45 minutes because of a backup at a one lane bridge. Finally, some locals walked ahead and stopped oncoming traffic so we could all proceed – too much cheering and horns honking!

Upon arrival at Oia, we walked along the walkways and alleys, popping out to amazing views of white cliff-side buildings and churches with blue domes. We popped into various shops along the way, but mainly just people watched and followed the flow until we reached the tip of the town and then looked back. We had been told that Oia would be 100 times more amazing than Sifnos and I have to say that this is true – it is worth the effort to make it to this breathtaking part of Greece, like no others. After snapping more pics, we started walking back and found a restaurant with a perch over the ocean with a great view and sat down for the most amazing Greek meal with local wines. It was truly the highlight of the trip and not to be missed. By the time we finished our lunch, most of the tourists seemed to have returned to their ships (when we arrived, 3 other ships were present and an additional large Princess ship arrived while we were in town). We had a nice leisurely walk back to where we could pick up a taxi and one quickly arrived – quickly being the operative word. Our driver, Nico, quickly decided it would be most fun and entertaining to play some local music on his radio while attempting to get back to Ferra as fast as possible. We laughed and tried to sing along as we zoomed back along the twisting road. A few glasses of wine were a good idea to get us thru this wild Greek ride.

We eventually arrived back at the gondola and made a quick decent to the port to pick up our ferry. We were amazed to find a HUGE que to go up from the bottom, probably over an hour wait, due to the new cruise ship that had arrived – so happy we timed our trip as we did. As usual, upon our return we took the obligatory nap to recharge and relax.

Dinner was inside which would be our first and we joined another couple we had met. Most had the Dover sole while I had the Veal Wellington. Reviews around the table were unanimous – fantastic! After dinner, we popped into the main lounge where Karaoke was in full swing but we decided to go for the piano bar again where some great songs were sung. We eventually wandered off to bed, much looking forward to sleeping in and no solid plans for Patmos on Wednesday.

Wednesday

We decided that today would be a day off and we never left the ship. We heard wonderful things about the famous monastery and could see it perched on the hill over the harbor. We ended up enjoying some down time at the pool, lunch and more relaxing at TOYBar and then we both had massages at 3 PM which were wonderful (we both fell asleep at one point). Then it was time for afternoon nap and before we knew it, time for dinner! Dinner was outside again and we were invited to eat with Club Director Jeff who is a real hoot, tells wonderful stories and is just genuinely a nice guy to hang out with. We were joined by two couples from the UK and had several fun discussions about our mutual country’s current political “challenges”. Then back to the piano bar for several drinks and sing a longs (some better than others :eek:. A word about the Casino here. On our past cruises we’ve seen it packed and other times light but have NEVER seen it go totally unused an entire cruise but it appears that the poor Casino Mgr (lovely Dragana from Serbia) spent most of her time alone in the Casino but she did come over to the bar chat with guests a lot and had many great chats with her during the jouney

.

Thursday

During Wednesday’s dinner, Jeff talked about leading a bike tour the next day on Naxos and I decided I’d give it a try. Jeff felt pretty confident that he would have few people sign up as it had not been a very adventurous group so far. Thus, I went to sleep thinking I’d get up the morning and just show up. However, to my surprise the trip was totally booked up and I was put on standby in case someone was a no show. At time of departure, everyone was accounted for and I headed back to the cabin to sort out other options. But, before I could get down the stairs, I heard Frud’s voice calling out to me to come back to the concierge desk. Regulars will know Frud as the always wonderful, always helpful, head concierge on SD II. Whatever you need to know, she can help. In this case, when she realized I was going to miss a chance at the bike tour, she contacted her husband (who also works on board as Comms Officer) and he had arrived to offer his own personal bike for my use – a beautiful, sleek bike (not the off road heavy bikes that SD offers). As we loaded the bike up, he joined me on the tender as we went over the workings of the bike (20 gears??) so I’d be all set when we arrived. THIS is what makes SeaDream head and shoulders above all other lines – where a crew member goes way above and beyond and offers up their own personal help where nothing is expected or required. :)

The bike ride itself was terrific, not too hilly, roads not crowded at all except when we approached the main town of Naxos. Wonderful views of the sea at various places. In Naxos, we viewed the ruined temple to Apollo as well as enjoying several beers (Mythos) at a nice café while we cooled down and relaxed and did some people watching. A quick 30 minute ride back via a shorter route and we were back on board by 1 PM, just in time for lunch. I then stayed up at TOYBar WAY too long, even took a pain killer with me to the spa! After the spa, back to TOYBar until it was time to get ready for dinner. Dinner and more wine, then back to Piano Bar and then, according to my DW, I traveled back down the stairs via my rear most of the way to the cabin :eek::o

Friday

My head hurt….I don’t know when I went to sleep but I knew that Friday was going to be a day to pay for it. We had repositioned on Thursday afternoon from Naxos to Mykonos and many guests had gone out partying until late in the evening/morning so luckily, the ship was pretty quiet all around. I had a light breakfast with DW (tummy was also not happy with my behavior the night before) and then we went ashore to wander the small alleyways of town and finally made it over to Little Venice and the 5 Windmills. It was not windy at all which, from our understanding, was quite the exception, at least so far this year. The town was pretty empty, even around noon, and with no real interest in buying anything, we were soon back on the ship and spent the rest of the day relaxing until our 4:15 spa appointment. Dinner was in the Main Dining Room and we had one more nice dinner with a couple from Florida before having the obligatory last drinks at the Piano Bar and then calling it a night.

A note about last day on board. In the past, we have always been bad about putting off the packing until the last minute. This time, we had agreed we would do it during Friday afternoon and we stuck to that plan and it made a world of difference to be done and not have to worry about it after a full day, full meal, and several drinks.

Saturday

Time to bid farewell to SD II and her wonderful crew. We really enjoyed the trip and everyone on board, crew and passengers, were terrific. Given the ship was at full capacity (and that it had about 18 last minute additions due to SD I), things still went as smoothly as ever – food out on time, drinks always refreshed before asking, crew all smiles, and ship looking amazing. We had one last breakfast, said goodbye to passengers and crew and took that long walk down the gangway to claim our luggage. We then met up with our trusty driver from PK Travel and off to the airport – next stop, UK!!!

You have been a star DC2 !

Never before (or since) has a passenger taken us along with you in such an inclusive manner.

Wishing you safe travels on your return home.

A big thankyou.

You have been a star DC2 !

Never before (or since) has a passenger taken us along with you in such an inclusive manner.

Wishing you safe travels on your return home.

A big thank you.

I will echo this. Many thanks for the reports which were very well done. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Makes us that much more anxious for our next one!

I read with particular interest the bike story. You're exactly right that that is one example of what sets SD apart from the competition. It's also an example of why Frud was Employee of the Year in 2015!

Wonderful reporting. Sounds as amazing as usual. Thanks again.

Great reporting. You have raised the bar for the rest of us. We have often found the casino to be empty quite often. I can remember maybe only once I have seen all seats taken. Compare to mass market ships where there are people who spend the entire cruise in the casino. Yikes. Just one more reason to love SeaDream.

What a wonderful read DupontCruiser2. You need to be back on board soon to get started on the sequel.

Cheers, Millie

Great trip reporting, DupontCruiser2!! Have been to Greece, both on our own and on 2 prior SD cruises, so it was fun to read about your time on SD2 & the various excursions you took.

Had to laugh about your wild taxi ride in Santorini! One of our funniest memories (now!) was when we took a taxi from the Santorini airport to our hotel. We were hanging on for dear life whenever we'd hit a hairpin turn -- our driver would suddenly speed up then check his phone, look to the (other) side of the road, check himself out in the mirror, order a pizza (not really!), start chattering away, whatever... definitely not a ride for the faint of heart!! :eek: But somehow we still made it to our destination in one piece and enjoyed every minute of our time spent on Santorini! :D

Thank you again for taking the time to post about your trip, and agree: Frud IS the best of the best!