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You’re going to love SeaDream!! When we were precruise on St Thomas we had a great time night kayaking. The kayaks light the dark waters and you see the big tarpon and other fish. I think the kayaks have clear bottoms if I remember correctly. They offer it thru Frenchman’s Reef but I’m pretty sure you don’t have to stay there to buy the event.  

Me too! Have fun. 

yes, in March we travelled with a couple new to Sea Dream and we each got $100 on board credit. I did not know about it when I booked so I called SeaDream office directly and asked for them to consider it. And they did. Not sure if that is common though.

Zimmy's! Thanks for all your feedback back in March when I went on SD1. All was great. And it was fun to meet the crew there as well. Chef Tomasz (sp? 😞 ) bent over backwards to lavish us with gluten free options. There was though, a weird sewer-like smell in the stairwell near deck 2 that no one on the crew truly wanted to admit to! I hope it's fixed for you. 

But I chimed in here b/c I'm finalizing our reservations to do a very similar itinerary to yours next May-June. Only 8 days though so actually adding on a puddle jumper to a greek island for a few nights so we don't miss out on that. Your itinerary seems ideal without the hassle we are trying to figure out. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

well i just called seadream office. We are 96% full.  Has anyone travelled with it at that capacity? Harder to get Balinese beds in afternoon and outdoor tables etc?

one more thing. so interesting to hear about the safety light up front for the balinese overnight. I didn't know it was related to being anchored vs sailing. We tried that and we were anchored overnight at Jost and it was way too bright. We enjoyed the fun concept and then transitioned to our room! I'm encouraging our friends to do it, so I'll suggest the nights we aren't anchored for sign up if possible. Thank you for the help.

great stuff! Thank you so much. Those smiles say it all!

Ok. so, our itinerary definitely says Leverick bay and the excursion says, after the Baths, you'll take a scenic tour to the northern part of the island ( Leverick). We've done the baths 4 times, but it's so beautiful! And we are bringing a new couple on SD who's never sailed or been to BVI's and would like to experience it with them. I guess we'll just decide on board how to approach that. I was trying to avoid the truck/bus tour and feel a little more free. As a side note, my husband and I with a few other couples did a power catamaran vacation through the BVI's last June and we moored off Leverick bay and did their big dinner BBQ buffet. That area is in good shape and shops around there also.

Thanks for all the other updates also. Interesting you're reporting 52 on what sounds like my week, 3/16...The rooms all look booked except a few. 15 countries! That's so cool. 

YAY! So glad you had awesome time on SD1! Thanks for taking the time to share all that. So, relating to the baths...You had a difficult time getting taxi from Spanish town? Or from the baths back to the ship location? I know next week when we are on, the ship will relocate to Leverick bay after dropping off at Spanish town so thinking that might be a LONG taxi ride?? Did the ship relocate there on your itinerary or stay at that small pier in Spanish Town?

That's weird about San Juan customs b/c the other two times we disembarked were also in San Juan and that didn't happen. 

I think our itinerary is close to or is maxed out with occupancy.

Thanks again

is it later this week yet?? I'm excited to hear about your trip b/c I board in 9 days!!

Thanks!

I think SD relocates to Leverick Bay after dropping the people who want to do the Baths excursion. So I guess we can just ask concierge about our options. Not sure how far the taxi ride from Baths to Leverick Bay if we have to meet the ship back over there. Oh my just looked at the map. They are on opposite sides of the island from each other. I guess that's why the excursion has that long open air truck ride around the island following the Baths. I'll just have to ask on board probably.

Thanks cbtjr: So for the USB ports, are they near the bed or across room by the mirrors? 

Thank you for feedback so far!

TZ-I will do that! And thanks for always being so willing to help everyone on this forum! Fun to stay in the loop between much anticipated SD trips. 

Hi All- Heading on Seadream 1 in March. I've been on SD2 twice but this is a first on SD1. I'm going to miss seeing the crew from SD2 but looking forward to meeting another great team. Anyone know what enhancements were made in dry dock before the TA? Also, I'm gluten free and so is the couple we are bringing with us this time. Last time we sailed there were few adjustments for GF. Has anyone sailed recently and have any feedback or advice for getting some yummy GF options? I did make comments on the online reservation form about it. Also, does anyone know if you can do the Baths at VG without doing the excursion from SD. We don't want to have to do the tour around the island afterward? Thank you!

Did you have any time changes on the ship and/or was there different times in the ports than the ship???

Ship time stays on Port time zone which is Eastern time zone.

That's great thanks! From my understanding Havana is only private until 5:00, I believe after that anyone can go there. So we wouldn't pay for that, but we are thinking of the family harbor rooms.

 

 

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after 7pm I believe.

No priority or faster to fun. I believe it was 8am. Tour scheduled for 8am Cayman time which is 9am ship time. We were 20-30 minutes early until our tour guide showed up exactly on time. There were many tenders running. One waiting to fill more passengers as soon as we pulled away from ship.

Thanks for the review !

How quick could you catch the tender at Grand Cayman? Did you have Faster to the Fun?

In the morning, we were on the first tender but b/c of the time difference we could have waited a little bit. But we avoided a long line. We went down to the first floor and waited. On the way back, we were supposed to be back at 3:15. The line for tenders was really long. We got in line at 2:45 or 3pm. I don't think we got back until 4pm. And there were lots of people behind us. I'm guessing the ship assumes this and plans for it.

You keep mentioning "crazy pool deck". Do you mean obnoxious drunks everywhere? Or just loud like other typical cruise lines pool area? I'm trying to discern if we should try this cruise or not. You also mention another pool area too, what is that like? Thanks.

sorry...No, there was no inappropriate behavior that I saw at either of the pools. What I mean by crazy I guess is the congestion. How every chair is right next to another and there are people everywhere, and towels saving lounge chairs. And the main pool on the center of deck 10 is also a thoroughfare to get to and from buffet and bars and some restaurants. Long lines of people at those at times. I like the energy of the music and the games sometimes, but sometimes it's nice to just chill out.

The rear of the deck 10 is the Tides Pool. It's a slightly smaller pool and 2 hot tubs. It was very full most of the time. But there were plenty of chairs either on the pool deck or the decks right above the pool deck overlooking it. There were no organized cruise "games" at this pool, just some music playing from speakers. No DJ. That is the area where the pizza place and seafood shack are and one bar. I think that area attracted less crowds.

If you want a really quiet pool area, you can pay extra for the Havanna area which has a pool and 2 hot tubs that are only for Havanna area guests.

I hope this helps. Our cruise experience was very family friendly. It is summer break still though.

enjoyed the review.how was grand cayman?

we loved Grand Cayman. Wished more time there. We honeymooned there 17 years ago and were excited to show our kids. We booked Dexter's Fantasea as an outside tour. He is on vacation now until the end of September I believe. Check out their reviews on Trip Advisor. Catamaran with less than 25 people. Went to stingray sandbar and a snorkel spot. 2 older gentlemen run it. Very family friendly. Tour went from 9-12 ship time. They pick you up and drop you off wherever you want. We went to Marriott afterward (where we honeymooned) for lunch at their outdoor restaurant and snorkeling at their beach. They have artificial reef balls right there and there were lots of fish.

Great review! Thanks!....Did you see any live shows? If so, what did you think of them?

We didn't see any shows. The times were inconvenient for us and since the reviews were mixed... we saw the theater and thought it was a little better than the reviews but since we didn't actually see one we can't be much help.

Yes there is a Starbucks and I saw lots of yummy concoctions being carried around. It is for extra $$. The free coffee is at both pool decks and it's brewed dark and pretty good.

meant to say western itinerary! Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel.

There are plenty of threads about eating GF in the MDR. Just a recap, the afternoon you embark, go to Deck 5 near the coffee where you check in for dinner. Tell them you are GF. They will show you the menu and take your whole order for dinner. Then you will be labeled "Special Order" for the rest of the cruise. Each night, they will take your oder for the next night. I did order Veal Parm one night just to see what would happen and I got pan fried, GF bread crumbed veal parm! The meat was a little tough, but to eat fried bread crumbs was a treat!! I also ordered one of the desserts one time GF and what came was really pretty good. Also GF chocolate melting cake every day available, but after 2 times, I needed a break.

Just off the 6 day southern itinerary. I really want to thank everyone for all the helpful tips we knew about and used successfully because of your generous input. Here are some of our experiences and thoughts:

-arrive within your check in time. If you arrive either early or late, you are put in a different line to wait. Waited about 15 minutes in security and then another 20 minutes for our boarding number. We were on ship about 45 minutes after being dropped at terminal.

-For lunch, employees mostly told people about the Lido buffet. Some lower key promotion for the BBQ. Nobody mentioned Italian Pasta at Cocina Capitan, Mongolian Wok (JiJis), or Blue Iquana Mexican. Our family voted for Pasta. We were the only ones there for about 30 minutes. Then another 2 families came.

-Room was ready around 1pm but not all luggage arrived at same time.

-Cabin tips I read about were great. Over the door shoe organizer on the bathroom door held all my travel needs. Face it out toward the closets and then can be used while primping while other person showering. Full length mirror right there in closet door. Clothespin hanging mesh bag (from Amazon) held all shower stuff great. Duct tape used to tape down extension cords. Also, we had connecting rooms and the doors close automatically and can't be opened from other room. We duct taped the latch mechanism into the door so couldn't latch. We also brought the magnetic clips and used them for extra hooks and to keep blackout curtain closed on window. And used the little spiral bracelets for carrying the sail n sign card. Cards come hole punched already now.

-Last day noticed the Taste Bar at the Ocean Plaza also served a mini lunch buffet. Not sure if all week.

-Thanks also for the live music tips: lots of fun in the evening at the Havana Club, Atrium and Ocean Plaza.

We thought the ship had a lot of positives. Some of our favorites were:

- all the outdoor seating. You did not have to fight for a chair around a crazy pool if you wanted to sit outside. There were so many chairs on decks 5, 10, 11, 12. Shady side of boat or sunny; lounge chairs or comfy cushioned chairs and ottomans and end tables and umbrellas.

-We liked using deck 5 to get from forward to aft and back. Inside or outside, it's the bridge. Don't have to go near casino that way either. All the live music was on 5 also, along with Red Frog Pub, Ocean Plaza (just a hang out area to sit and also where either cruise games or live music takes place), Starbucks, Pixels, and some of the specialty restaurants.

-If you're having trouble getting a drink at a crowded bar, there were plenty of bars throughout the day that had nobody there. Try the Atrium, the Serenity, the Ocean Plaza, Red Frog. Tons of available service there.

-We loved seeing the IMAX movies on sea days. They were virtually empty. We were ok missing some sun for that. Our movies were Spiderman and Dunkirk. We didn't get to see Dunkirk b/c something about a file being corrupted. They were downloading a new one.

-The Deck 12 Sports Square and Clubhouse were really fun family spots. Miniature golf, billiards, four person ping pong, bowling, soccer style billiards. Fun at night time too.

-We did the Sky ride cycles immediately upon opening on a port day. They don't open until 2:30. The line was consistently 30-45 minute wait. It was worth it and a fun experience. Not life changing but a nice opportunity. The ropes course line was much less.

-JiJi's restaurant for dinner was amazing. Best meal of the week and great service.

-Had read lots of complaints about the ship being dirty. We didn't find that. We saw people working constantly mopping etc to keep it up. On the outdoor seating areas, there was always someone there to pick up used glasses and plates.

-First time having an aft cabin and on this ship we LOVED it! We were right by the aft elevators. Hardly any foot traffic. Only had to go up a floor to get coffee, or a bar drink or to sit outside, or grab a pizza, etc. The Tides pool was a great hangout area without all the craziness of the main Lido pool. We were on Deck 9 and did have some overhead noise from the Pizza place hallway, but not terrible. Deck 8 aft would be perfect. You can also just walk down some stairs or take elevator to Deck 5 and get anywhere you wanted. Lots of activities and food, and music right there on Deck 5 Aft.

-Did the Dr. Seuss breakfast last sea day. It was a really well-done event. Think Disney character breakfast...

-We found most of the crew very helpful and friendly. We also found most of the guests out of Miami were great too. We loved the diversity and everyone we came in contact with wanted to be friendly.

Now for a few disappointments:

-We did not like the Lido buffet area. The traffic flow was really tight. Lots of seating but the pathways felt so congested even when not crowded. And the dirty sponge smell and very humid all the time in there. We avoided except for the daily ice cream at the sweet spot, and for breakfast on port days.

-We unfortunately did not like the MDR either. We like trendy, but there was just something missing. Too much like a cafeteria in our opinion. The tableclothes really helped on elegant nights. First dinner was extremely slow. They said it was the first night crowds. Server tried, but took a very long time. Then the first sea day brunch it happened again, and there were tons of empty tables. Our server just disappeared for like 30 minutes. We asked for the maitreD. He told us he agreed that was not up to expectations and to see him before each meal and he will make sure it's better. So from that point on we went directly to Deck 3 hostess stand and they checked us in. The service got much better and the table choice too. But as previously stated, the servers are overworked and seem stressed. Still takes a long time if you order wine. And the menu just seemed really limited. The food that we chose was good. Not great, but good. Sometimes you just didn't want anything on the menu. The desserts did seem better than in the past. They didn't all seem to be made with tons of gelatin like they used to.

-We agree about the atrium missing the glass elevators and the extra height. I could do without the elevators but the height would have been nice. But it wasn't a big deal.

-Kids liked the arcade but I lasted 4 minutes in there. There was no space for people. Very congested with games.

-And lastly, we didn't like the announcements so early in the morning. We can understand it on port days, but there were also announcements on sea days before 9am. And some were piped directly into your cabin.

Overall, we had a great family vacation. Large cruise and appropriate expectations of crowds. I will say, the ship accomodates the crowd very well. There were times, we were practically alone. There are tons of places to choose.

I'm very thankful for all I read on here before our trip. My fam started quoting me, "I read about that..." So if you have any questions, I will try to answer them.

Just back from the Vista. Answering my own question for whoever else needs the answer...Jiji is definitely worth a dinner reservation. It was the best meal we ate all week. The service was also excellent. They were very accommodating to gluten free. They do not have GF soy sauce but omit it in the dish if possible. They have various hot sauces you can add to the dish to customize it. If you are ambitious, I would suggest bringing your own GF soy sauce and requesting they use in your preparation.

Heading onto Vista this Sunday! Feeling pretty good about gluten free options in MDR. I've read such good reviews for JiJi's at dinner, I would like to make a reservation. But most Asian restaurants use soy sauce in most dishes. Does anyone know if JiJi's has any GF options for dinner ? Would they use GF soy sauce upon request? Thanks in advance for the feedback!