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.........is it just me ?


Frank Lee
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I hope you don’t mind Cabosal but I have relocated your post and my reply under a separate post as the issue has gone beyond the main reason of the original post and I didn’t want to “muddy the waters” and besides there are future points I would like to raise and enquire about and here would be more appropriate. Readers and contributors can please comment or offer further clarity or (probably more sensibly) skip it altogether.

I guess I'm being dense so please tell me what the"real reason" for the SJ situation was. What with jets flying people to or from Tortola, etc. it sounded pretty chaotic to me. I agree that SD seems to be having problems recently that can't all be blamed on hurricanes. Our recent 9 day cruise itinerary was changed only days prior to departure, entirely eliminating the BVIs. The only explanation I received was that those islands "weren't ready yet", however previous AND preceding cruises went there.

Also, when checking out 2019 cruises with Gareth some of those we were interested in had new itineraries. We were told to "ucheck the website for accurate info." Apparently if you've booked or already paid for a future trip you'll need to "check the website" to see if your trip has had any changes as SD will not be notifying you. Pretty poor customer service I'd say, especially bad for long time SDreamers.

(I'd like to stress that this criticism applies to management only, as all of the staff and crew on our recent cruise were exemplary, as always).

Note to SD: This problem needs fixing ASAP!

Can’t possibly comment any further (maybe it’s not that obvious after all).

Final clue for possible reason.

Something similar may have happened in St.Thomas about 4 years ago (but the opposite may have been the issue at that time).

Yes, getting information out of Sea Dream offices is infuriatingly slow (even with a TA) and even though there is sympathy for the terrible predicament they found themselves in after the two hurricanes wrecked their itineraries (not overlooking the devastation caused to the people of the islands of course).

Many guests cancelled after the hurricanes, so it may have been convenient to have a very long “slow news day/week/month” revealing changes to itinerary in case more cancelled.

That may not have been honorable but “desperate times......” and all.

One feels for the yacht’s CDs fielding baffled guest’s enquiries but not being supported by the main office with any appropriate real information whom one suspects were simply “playing for more time” whilst reparations were being made to their original intended ports of call.

So whilst there are some sympathies for Sea Dream, the issues with Sea Dream go beyond this and for this reason, the reply has been given on this separate post (not wishing to “muddy the waters” with differing points and viewpoints).

An example of one of these issues with Sea Dream was raised by you in a recent post (2/4/18) when you referred to “SD needing to work on customer communication”.

What customer communication would that be ?

They just don’t.

Never have, never will.

You are 100% correct to differentiate between yacht crew and office.

The crews are incredible.

 

The offices (and particularly the main office) on the other hand......

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I wonder if the San Juan issues might not have been due to the yacht not being in the United Sates for the past couple of years. They were picking up a charter from San Juan. They have to go through US inspections, not sure when all that takes place.

Also cwaj, I hope you don’t mind my reply here (for reasons previously advised).

Nope, probably not the reasons.

As you note, the two inspections entering US waters are US Coastguard and USPH (Health).

US Coastguard is done as soon as practicable when vessels enter US waters. US Coastguard would have been given prior notice by Sea Dream when that was besides the inspection wouldn’t interfere with guest disembarkation though it would be another duty the crew have to perform on a busy change over day.

USPH is undertaken at any time. The last recorded time was 3/21/2015 when they scored a perfect 100.

 

Think again (or not).

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I for one like the fact they seem to change things on the fly as conditions warrant.

Last year they skipped vieques at the last minute and substituted St. Thomas because the full moon and clear skies wouldn’t allow you to see the glowing organisms in the water when you stuck your feet off the boa, so there wouldn’t really be much to do there at night.

They also switched 2 ports days around at the last minute because of Good Friday which wouldn’t allow for the splash party. I think this is clearly a demonstration of putting the customer first.

This year we are going in late March. All I am sure about is we are round trip from Antigua. I am not sure if the places we will visit but don’t really care as I have confidence they will again deliver a fantastic experience adjusting the itinerary as appropriate.

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I for one like the fact they seem to change things on the fly as conditions warrant.

Last year they skipped vieques at the last minute and substituted St. Thomas because the full moon and clear skies wouldn’t allow you to see the glowing organisms in the water when you stuck your feet off the boa, so there wouldn’t really be much to do there at night.

They also switched 2 ports days around at the last minute because of Good Friday which wouldn’t allow for the splash party. I think this is clearly a demonstration of putting the customer first.

This year we are going in late March. All I am sure about is we are round trip from Antigua. I am not sure if the places we will visit but don’t really care as I have confidence they will again deliver a fantastic experience adjusting the itinerary as appropriate.

 

You make a great point which I and most guests would fully accept and applaud.

Indeed it is one of the best attributes of Sea Dream that the Captain does change itinerary to meet sea conditions and guest’s wishes. I don’t know any other company that could even do this, so in that in respect Sea Dream is unique.

However the subject referred to itineraries chosen well in advance which future guests chose and paid for which they presumably chose for good reason and which were then substituted and guests were not informed until after boarding.

 

Some think it would have been reasonable to be given some prior notice, that is all.

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However the subject referred to itineraries chosen well in advance which future guests chose and paid for which they presumably chose for good reason and which were then substituted and guests were not informed until after boarding.

 

Some think it would have been reasonable to be given some prior notice, that is all.

 

It seems I am not alone in the opinion that prior notification would have at least been appreciated (let alone good manners and polite but maybe that is asking too much of the office).

 

As I was perusing the SD website this morning (Jim Avery is AWOL somewhere in the South Pacific so somebody has to do it), I noticed some significant itinerary changes for the 9 day voyage departing Antigua on Jan. 18.

Not surprising I guess as I guess this means that as far as SD is concerned the BVI and Barbuda aren't yet ready for SD visitors. However, I expect that the passengers (especially those who learn of the changes upon boarding) would have preferred a bit more advance notice of the changes.

Anyway, have a great trip in March, Sam Ting

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All cruises reserve the right to change their itinerary at the last minute. No one can predict storms a year or 2 ahead of time. Most people with reservations to stay on land in the BVIs, USVIs, Puerto Rico, and even the Florida Keys had their plans changed after Irma and Maria. I'm sure some of them didn't get to go on vacation at all. I'd rather go back to an island I've been to in the past than not go at all. And yes, I did have a trip to Key Largo in October cancelled by Irma, after having to live through and clean up after Irma at home in September. I will be very happy to go anywhere Sea Dream wants to take me next month.

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All cruises reserve the right to change their itinerary at the last minute. No one can predict storms a year or 2 ahead of time. Most people with reservations to stay on land in the BVIs, USVIs, Puerto Rico, and even the Florida Keys had their plans changed after Irma and Maria. I'm sure some of them didn't get to go on vacation at all. I'd rather go back to an island I've been to in the past than not go at all. And yes, I did have a trip to Key Largo in October cancelled by Irma, after having to live through and clean up after Irma at home in September. I will be very happy to go anywhere Sea Dream wants to take me next month.

Well said.

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All cruises reserve the right to change their itinerary at the last minute. No one can predict storms a year or 2 ahead of time. Most people with reservations to stay on land in the BVIs, USVIs, Puerto Rico, and even the Florida Keys had their plans changed after Irma and Maria. I'm sure some of them didn't get to go on vacation at all. I'd rather go back to an island I've been to in the past than not go at all. And yes, I did have a trip to Key Largo in October cancelled by Irma, after having to live through and clean up after Irma at home in September. I will be very happy to go anywhere Sea Dream wants to take me next month.

 

Have a great voyage.

I travel too next month.

Just happy to be onboard.

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All cruises reserve the right to change their itinerary at the last minute. No one can predict storms a year or 2 ahead of time. Most people with reservations to stay on land in the BVIs, USVIs, Puerto Rico, and even the Florida Keys had their plans changed after Irma and Maria. I'm sure some of them didn't get to go on vacation at all. I'd rather go back to an island I've been to in the past than not go at all. And yes, I did have a trip to Key Largo in October cancelled by Irma, after having to live through and clean up after Irma at home in September. I will be very happy to go anywhere Sea Dream wants to take me next month.

 

Agree 100%.

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