1st timer's thoughts

My apologies for not until now posting my review as a 1st timer on Seadream. I am not going to go into the ramifications of my tardiness but my husband was admitted to hospital the day we returned where he remained for 10 weeks (nothing to do with the cruise by the way) but the future is not good so I guess this cruise will always hold very special memories for me.

We spent a week in a Condo on St Thomas at Cowpet Bay before embarking we had a superb week, lazing around and winding down, swimming in the clear Caribbean sea and seeing some of the island.

We arrived at the terminal early as we had to leave off our hire car – it was a glorious day but at the Cruise terminal nothing was open - I presume a small Sea Dream ship wasn’t going to excite the locals.

At 2pm we were allowed to board and it was a very painless process, being greeted by very friendly staff some excellent canapies and plenty of free flowing bubbles – though I didn’t partake of that I was able to get the drink of my choice.

We have only sailed on Silverseas and Seabourn (both the little sisters and Soujorn ) up until now so we found that Seadream was charming – our suite was ready quickly and we unpacked, we found storage good as we didn’t have to transport tuxedo and all the other paraphernalia associated with more formal evenings

We loved it every moment of this cruise– nothing was too much for the staff, the service great , the choice of food – in my opinion varied and well presented and cooked. In the evening we ate out every night as back home in the uk – this isn’t an option very often!! The Maitre D held us a table for the 4 of us among another 5 tables on the rear deck. In the evening people

One of my favourite people was Zoltan – he quickly learnt that I am creature of habit and have a beer at lunchtime, a Campari or two before dinner, only drink red wine and then finish off with a Baileys after dinner before retiring whenever he was around I was never asked – my drink was just set down in front of me.

I loved the Zodiacs for alternative travel to the shore, the destinations were just what we wanted, quiet ports with lovely beaches combined with a mix of islands such as St Barts for designer shopping.

The highlight for me was the beach bar b que on Jost Van Dyke , I have been to this beach area before and the sea was quite rough, the crew told us that for the past 6 cruises to ours they couldn’t have the usual BBQ as the weather had been too rough, the day we were there it was flat calm and the bbq food was super - along with the pain killers at the Soggy dollar bar.

I met lovely fellow passengers a great mix of nationalities , I would be back on Seadream at the drop of a hat both for the Caribbean and the Med. I loved the size of the ship and the fact that you don’t have to dress up at night, in saying that everyone had changed and were still smart if casual and that suited us.

We were speaking to people on the morning of disembarkation who wouldn’t come back again as for the last two nights of the cruise the waters were rough and you definitely heard the slap of water on the sides of the ship as she sailed but this was all after dark when the Captain was steaming ahead to get us to the next port of call. I woke up a couple of times but it didn’t bother me – and I must add I am not a very good sailor, so these people would probably be more suited to a larger ship where you don’t get the roll but you sacrifice the lovely intimate feeling from a ship like Seadream.

For me Seadream wins over Seabourn for the atmosphere, the friendliness and attention of the staff. I will go back to Seabourn for the variety of ports with longer sailing distances between them, but for the Med and Caribbean I will be back one day in the not too distant future – I hope.

So glad you enjoyed your cruise! And hope your husband is better!

Vandrefalk

We echo Lady V's sentiments too and thanks for taking the time to review your voyage.

Sounds like you had a marvelous time! Sorry about your husband's health.

Thank you Mrselljay for your lovely review. Hopefully your fond memories of your time onboard will sustain you. All good wishes to you and your husband.

We're thinking of a SD cruise later this year. It would be a big change for us in terms of cruising style but it sounds great.

I have a question on the condition of the cabins. I've read some reviews complaining about the cabins being worn and needing updating. What were your observations?

I also offer best wishes girl your husband's health and recovery.

I have a question on the condition of the cabins. I've read some reviews complaining about the cabins being worn and needing updating. What were your observations?

"worn and needing updating" does not mean shabby. The cabins are clean and very well maintained. They just haven't changed any in all the years, except maybe a change to flat screen televisions. My biggest complaint is that there are only two electrical outlets, one US and one European. And they are both over the vanity. With so many things needing to be charged, this is really insufficient. And if you use a CPAP machine, you have to run an extension cord from the bedside to the other side of the room, using duct tape to keep it off the floor. There is, on the other hand, plenty of room to store everything.

Keep in mind that the attitude of nearly every passenger is that the cabin is for sleeping and you spend very little time in it.