2 trips in 2012!

Well, as of this morning we have two voyages booked this year - I don't think we've ever had more than one booked at a time, and am I excited! We will be on SDI for the Barcelona to Lisbon cruise right before the crossing, and the St Thomas to St Thomas voyage the week before Christmas.

We've decided to stay on in St John after the December voyage - it is only six days and that is definitely not enough! So far we've only spent the day in St John, either on a port day or on a snorkeling trip from St Thomas. I know that there are not a lot of hotels on the island, and I certainly can read the reviews on tripadvisor.com, but I would rather hear what Seadream people think about the choices.

Has anyone stayed on St John and had any experiences, good or bad, with any of the St John hotels?

We enjoyed St. John for a week for spring break with our daughter several years ago. We went the rental route, Honeymoon Cottage near Francis Bay (north shore), so didn't stay at a hotel. However, two of our group got their diving certification out of the Westin so we visited there for 4 days, and the part we saw was busy with a fair number of kids. Going Christmas week, keep that in mind. Caneel Bay is a place I would love to stay at someday, if I can ever get past the high prices.

Enjoy the trips!

We did Barcelona to Lisbon on Sea Dream a couple of years ago. It was a great trip. Make sure you spend atleast 3 days in Barcelona and book a hotel somewhere near Las Ramblas. It's a really fun city with great restaurants, lots of art, and a fabulous market. My favorite ports on our cruise were Seville, Malaga (where we went inland to The Alhambra), and Gibralter. That time of year you need to be prepared for some cool weather. We never had dinner served topside, always in the dining room. Will answer any questions if I can.

We enjoyed St. John for a week for spring break with our daughter several years ago. We went the rental route, Honeymoon Cottage near Francis Bay (north shore), so didn't stay at a hotel. However, two of our group got their diving certification out of the Westin so we visited there for 4 days, and the part we saw was busy with a fair number of kids. Going Christmas week, keep that in mind. Caneel Bay is a place I would love to stay at someday, if I can ever get past the high prices.

 

Enjoy the trips!

Your warning about Christmas week is well taken. Our travel agent tried to book us into both Caneel Bay and the Westin, but they are requiring a 7 to 10 day minimum stay. That's too long for us at that point after the cruise - we were looking for 3 or 4 days. So it is looking like we are going to stay on St Thomas both pre and post cruise. And there we also do not have a wide range of choices because of the minimum stays. So St John will have to be for another Seadream trip, one not so close to the holidays. I'm glad that you enjoyed your time on the island, and hope to experience it also one day.

We did Barcelona to Lisbon on Sea Dream a couple of years ago. It was a great trip. Make sure you spend atleast 3 days in Barcelona and book a hotel somewhere near Las Ramblas. It's a really fun city with great restaurants, lots of art, and a fabulous market. My favorite ports on our cruise were Seville, Malaga (where we went inland to The Alhambra), and Gibralter. That time of year you need to be prepared for some cool weather. We never had dinner served topside, always in the dining room. Will answer any questions if I can.

We are really looking forward to this itinerary. I'm glad that you had such an enjoyable trip. We have been to both Barcelona and Lisbon, but the other ports are all new to us. The Alhambra sounds like it will be a highlight. Did you join the Seadream excursion, or did you go on your own? Gibralter is not on the itinerary this year, which I find somewhat disappointing. I'm surprised that the weather was so cool - I think of Spain as a warm country - but thanks for the warning. Was breakfast served topside, or was it even too cold for that?

Hi Zimmy.

We did the same thing a few years back. Late October Med on SDI then SDI again 6 weeks later in the Caribbean. Talk about coming home!:D That was such fun. You Lucky Dog.:eek::D

We did the ship tour to the Alhambra. The yacht stopped in Motril and let those of us who were going to the Alhambra off, then the ship went on to Malaga with the rest of the passengers. We came back to Malaga late in the afternoon. I thought it made more sense to do the ship tour under those circumstances. It is a 2 hr bus ride to get there too. Our guide was excellent and we went to a lovely place for a wonderful lunch.

It was cool and windy from Barcelona to Malaga because there was a front coming through. We had some very rough seas between Alicante and Motril/Malaga. After that the weather warnmed up and we had very nice days. The first half of the cruise we had breakfast in the Dining Room, but we did have lunch topside. You just have to go prepared for both types of weather in October.

Hi Zimmy.

We did the same thing a few years back. Late October Med on SDI then SDI again 6 weeks later in the Caribbean. Talk about coming home!:D That was such fun. You Lucky Dog.:eek::D

It will certainly alleviate the sadness of leaving the ship in October.

. You just have to go prepared for both types of weather in October.

So true. But the last time we were in Barcelona it was 100 degrees (or at least it felt like it) and I think I'd rather have this. Like any trip, in any month, you just have to hope you're lucky with the weather. We've been in Hawaii in the rainy season and never seen rain. Last December we went to French Polynesia and the rains were torrential. When we went to the Baltic armed with clothing for damp and cold, we came home with tans. Luck - sometimes its good and sometimes not so much.