SD II November 29, ST. Maarten/San Juan, preview/review

[Jim Avery]

PC010033.JPG

Sunset, St. Barts for all the CCers feeling withdrawl.

Oops, that didnt work. DJ, how do you insert pictures?

J.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Jim Avery

[Jim Avery]

PC010033.JPGhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=140157&stc=1&d=1260281017

Trying again.

[ganttc]

Thanks for sharing Mr. Jim.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Dreaming.....

Dreary, Cold and just plain nasty here in Atlanta.

BTW....Thanks for the.....um.....compliment? Dolly Levi? Shaved Head? Speedo?

Really sweet man you are.

GC

[DisneyJen]

Yeah Jim!! You figured it out before I could post the instructions:p

 

Just cold and gray here ... rain to come.

 

So Ganttc when will we see your review:p

Edited December 8, 2009 by DisneyJen
Typo

[ganttc]

Mean ole Mr. Jim nailed the trip.

I can't think of a thing to add.

Homesick to be back on board....all I can think about!

You people have sucked me into your demonic fold.

GC

[Jim Avery]

Mean ole Mr. Jim nailed the trip.

I can't think of a thing to add.

Homesick to be back on board....all I can think about!

You people have sucked me into your demonic fold.

GC

 

Since Lois and I were, to quote someone: "stone statues by the pool" and went: "beddie bye right after dinner", we obviously need review items from the denizen of the dark--Ganttc.:eek: No review and we WILL make you pay.:D On another note, with the cold and rain, my tan is flaking off!:mad: Must book something soon for solace.

J & L.

[Jim Avery]

Where have you gone Ganttc? We are nearing the SECOND set of interlopers in our cabins and you have not told us anything about the night life set on our cruise. A daytime deck slug wants to know. Are you still having withdrawal problems? Will you let Dimitri weigh in before you?

J & L.

[Jim Avery]

Have been having severe SD withdrawal since returning from our recent trip, especially with the crummy weather ever since we returned home. So, today, in the mail, a great pick me up. SeaDream sent us a nice letter thanking us for our loyalty and included the SeaDream cookbook! Now if I can just learn how to get a souffle right.

Jim & Lois.

[ganttc]

Hey Jim, Amen to the crummy weather - what's friggin' up with this dreary cold? I'm still looking at the SD website daily to see if any of those JAN departures drop a couple more bucks. Might just hop on one and get outta here again if they do! You must be very special to warrent that nice gift! Oh, and BTW...in case you were wondering, I don't think you are that special...Lois, yes.

GC

[Jim Avery]

Hey Jim, Amen to the crummy weather - what's friggin' up with this dreary cold? I'm still looking at the SD website daily to see if any of those JAN departures drop a couple more bucks. Might just hop on one and get outta here again if they do! You must be very special to warrent that nice gift! Oh, and BTW...in case you were wondering, I don't think you are that special...Lois, yes.

GC

 

You are very rude for someone who did not even grace us with a review. We are still waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Jim Avery

[ganttc]

I gave you glowing reviews on your review...not much to add!

[Jim Avery]

I gave you glowing reviews on your review...not much to add!

 

Not bad for a "stone statue" huh? Hey, let us know if you see a good deal. We are about cabin fevered out over this endless rain/fog/rain. Sunday we had the heat on in the morning and by afternoon had to turn on the air conditioner. Can't wait to see this month's power bill. It might be cheaper to move on board SD.

[ganttc]

Ref Stone Statue - Hey...if the proverbial shoe fits..........

Ref $$ - will do....would love an impromptu hook up..........

[Sunsets Forever]

Hello Cool Cruiser,

 

I have been reading all your posts! Fantastic! We met you on the pool deck on our Nov 29 cruise, Doug & Jackie! It was great meeting you and Lois, and I must say SeaDream has been our best vacation ever!

[Jim Avery]

Hello Cool Cruiser,

 

I have been reading all your posts! Fantastic! We met you on the pool deck on our Nov 29 cruise, Doug & Jackie! It was great meeting you and Lois, and I must say SeaDream has been our best vacation ever!

 

Hi Jackie:

We enjoyed our time around the pool with you as well. Almost seems like we never went as it has been nothing but cold and rainy since leaving our ship. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and maybe a SeaDream New Year.

Jim & Lois.

[Sunsets Forever]

Yes, no kidding! We came home to a really bad snow storm and temperatures of -33 degrees Celius......way to freaking cold! We just starting warming up a bit yesterday, temperatures of 2 degrees Celius!

 

We hope to have a "SeaDream Year" next year, and hope you do as well. Merry Christmas to the both of you and stay warm :)

 

Doug & Jackie

[Jim Avery]

With all our CCers sailing back to back to back on the recent voyages, this is the most activity I recall seeing on the SD boards. Keep it up. It's been fun.

[rolltide1]

PC010033.JPGhttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=140157&stc=1&d=1260281017

Trying again.

Hi Jim/DisneyJen or anyone....RollTide1 here. Could you tell me how to post pictures from my computer's "My Pictures" and also how to post the review that I have on Word? Many thanks, and hopefully this will be forthcoming.

[DisneyJen]

Welcome home rolltide!

 

The easiest way to post the Word doc is to open it, highlight it, copy it and then paste it in the reply section here on CC.

 

Did you upload your photos to the internet or are they on your computer? Once you let us know that we can tell you the best way to post!

 

Can't wait!

[rolltide1]

Thank you, DisneyJen. I can always count on you. I am hoping to upload photos from My Pictures directly on my computer.

[rolltide1]

SeaDream II Notes/ review Caribbean Voyage 11/29/09 through 12/04/09 (St. Maarten to San Juan)

I will try to cover a little new ground while recognizing that the earlier, excellent reviews have said everything extremely well. Bottom line: we would not hesitate to book again. Following is both a general, and a day-by-day, review, with a few photographs of some of the gorgeous vistas to follow later.

 

 

I used one standard carry-on size rolling piece of luggage plus a really useful laptop-friendly backpack piece which I ordered from Amazon (“Upscale UGIO Metro laptop backpack” in brown quilted nylon, $56). We carried everything onboard.

 

CC Ladies, here are my planning tips:

 

 

1) Keep your shoe and sandal heel height low- to mid-heel. You are on a yacht, and especially once the yacht gets underway later in the evenings, you will be glad you are not trying to negotiate your way back from the TOY bar in high heels going down those steps.

 

 

2)The weather for us was what could be called "perfectly pleasant." Warm in the daytime, and slightly less warm at night. At no time was there any chill in the air. Think keeping everything lightweight and breathable. Spring /summer/tropical colors/ and white. Black is fine and looks elegant for nighttime. We were fortunate to have perfect weather the entire trip (with a one barely noticeable 10-minute exception).

 

 

3) three swimsuits is a good number, along with several pretty cover-ups that you can slip over your suit to wear while having lunch. Nice flip-flops for days by the pool. Bring a sunhat.

 

4) the provided in-room hairdryer works fine.

 

5) Neutrogena 55 SPF (Ultra-sheer Dryblock) kept us from sun-burning, is completely non-greasy, and is sold in an airline-approved 3 oz. size (we carried on two tubes, and for seven days three would probably be right). Amazon (!) sells it all year-round, it can be hard to find in stores off-season.

 

 

6) Break down and get yourself a digital camera if you don’t have one. I wish I had done this several years ago. Even if you don’t usually take pictures, you are going to want to on this trip. I plan to attach some photos to this review later if possible. We also thoroughly enjoyed taking our nice binoculars.

 

 

FYI, flying home from San Juan, we did not go through customs again in Atlanta. We just walked off the plane and went to our car park. I assume this would not be the case for islands which are not Territories?

 

 

Customs was very relaxed (coming into St. Maarten and leaving San Juan) and did not take very long. Of course, we were near the front of the line in St. Maarten since we did not have to wait for baggage being off-loaded. Taxi service seemed to be plentiful and orderly for transport to the pier, and was easily located. We had tried to make advance arrangements with the company listed when you click on “Day 1 Philipsburg, St. Maarten” on the SD trip webpage with the itinerary, but the company advised us to just take a taxi, instead, which worked out fine.

 

On board:

 

In the bath: fabulous thick towels and wonderful robes. Great water pressure. All expected complimentary Bvlgari “White” amenities, as well as “Hampton Sun” luxury sun block products for purchase ($38 range).

 

 

In-suite amenities: We enjoyed the occasional Diet Coke from our in-suite refrigerator, but never much took advantage of anything else stocked inside. Other than a fruit and cheese tray brought in one afternoon, we did not order room service, either.

 

Due to the beautiful weather, we were seriously considering whether to have dinner on deck outside the first evening. This was lucky since there were no tables for two available in the main dining salon by the time we arrived. We were quickly and courteously escorted to an available outside table. Service was efficient, pleasant and thorough, even though the main dinner service was occurring inside.

 

 

We enjoyed: Scallop starter, cream of celery soup, Caesar salad, filet mignon and a beautifully presented cheese board for dessert. House-poured wines were very nice. Service was excellent.

 

Monday, November 30 (First full day)

Grabbed some fresh-squeezed orange juice and hot coffee from the early-risers coffee service at 7:45a.m. to bring back to the stateroom. We actually arrived for breakfast around 9:00. Our waiter greeted us by name. There are some buffet items (particularly the lovely cut-up and sliced fruit) if you care to get up from your table, but the waiter will also happily bring everything to you. We liked having so many a la carte items on the menu. This is a truly relaxing breakfast service, and the breakfast items were all excellent. Cooked items were served piping hot. It is fun to watch the ship start to come alive each morning. There are several delightful little nook areas which have banquette seating, slightly removed from the main dining area, but they are not necessarily shielded from the sun.

 

 

I took the advice of one of the regulars on this board, and booked an early massage right after breakfast. It was a nice touch to the start of the trip. Afterward, we changed into swimsuits and went out to the pool area, which on our particular voyage was the happening place to be most days. Maybe it is this way on every voyage. We had inquired of three couples the night before whether their names were ‘Jim and Lois’, but Jim actually figured us out at poolside, and the four of us enjoyed a very nice Cheeseburger lunch together.

 

Upon anchoring at St. Barth’s, my husband decided to enjoy the water toys and a swim off the platform. This is not-to-be-missed. We had an incredible Caribbean sunset off the stern, and to starboard, a gorgeous view of SDI anchored about a football field away from us.

 

 

We had dinner on Deck again the second night, which is where dinner was scheduled. My dinner: Cream of Lobster Bisque to start; Caesar salad; Tiger prawns, shrimp and polenta for the main; and Zabaglione/limoncello for dessert. Even though I know it is not correctly requested in the evening, I was dying for a decaf cappuccino, and it was a wonderful finish to the Italian dessert flavors.

 

 

CC’ers take note: there seemed to be a lot of CC’ers dining with the Captain at his table tonight, which happened to be right next to ours.

 

 

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 St. Barth’s

As we were becoming accustomed to, we arrived at 9 o’clock for our breakfast. We loved the breakfast time on SD II. My husband tried many different breakfast offerings, and to his dismay, he discovered the tiny, perfect lamb chops ( lollypop-type lamb chops) only on the day before disembarkation. I believe he would have had them every morning if he had discovered them earlier. I never ventured much from the Eggs Benedict, which the kitchen served to me with the addition of a layer of thinly sliced sautéed Portobello mushrooms. Delicious. I had faxed a recipe for this to Miami a week or so before we sailed, and the chef even came out one night to discuss the recipe with me. We just loved that type of extra touch.

 

 

We had booked the St. Barth’s Fast ‘N Fun trip immediately upon embarkation, and indeed we were happy to have done so early since it was a full trip. The SD tender took us right to the Fast ‘N Fun boat (sort of a glorified Zodiac). It was a blast. You actually stand up, and your back is "sort of" supported by a curved backrest attached to a pole. You hold on to the seat in front of you while you zoom around the island. The color of the water is remarkably different on the Caribbean side (clear brilliant turquoise) of St. Barth’s than it is on the Atlantic side (darker and less clear). The water is rather choppy on the Atlantic side, but this did not seem to slow down our local captain! You sort of hang on for your life for part of the trip (but it is not terrible). We circled the entire island very close to the shoreline and were able to see the famous Eden Roc hotel as well as several clothing-optional beaches (viewed from a very discreet distance of course). I have never seen such gorgeous water. We also saw a number of Baby Sea Turtles which the local captain pointed out to us, and he brought the boat to a halt for viewing. He even offered to let us take a swim in a beautiful calm area close to Eden Roc, but there were no takers. We also were able to see several planes take off from the tiny airport strip, but missed seeing a landing. I was secretly thankful to be able to see St. Barth’s without having to make the supposedly heart-stopping flight from St. Maarten.

 

 

Back onboard, after lunching on Grilled Fish on a bed of Lettuce with Avocado, we found a nice place to lounge by the pool. Deck chairs are nicely padded, and there is always a fresh fluffy towel rolled up at the base on the footrest area.

 

 

Something we thoroughly enjoyed was the ease of conversation amongst our fellow voyagers. By this time, we had met most of the CC’ers, and it was fun to put “stage names” with real faces. We found fellow passengers to be friendly, interesting, and engaging. We found that once people were in the pool, general conversation flowed easily. When people repaired back to their lounge chairs, conversation ebbed more than flowed as napping, reading, nibbling, and drinking took precedence.

 

 

The Bali bed areas, especially if you can snag one on the shady side, make for terrific reading and napping if you want a touch of quiet solitude.

 

 

We later took an amazing group swim off the stern swim platform (where there is a nice aluminum swim ladder to help you go in and out of the water). The water was the most amazing color of clear purple, and was very silky to the touch. The staff gave us Noodles to float with. Again, do not miss this when in St. Barth’s! I appreciated a SD crew member in a small boat just a short distance away keeping watch while we swam (I am a complete scaredy-cat about sharks, but I felt very safe). There was a tow rope which you could hold onto while swimming, as well as the floaty-noodles offered by the crew as you slid into the water. In true SD style, someone was waiting to help you back up onto the platform and to hand you a dry towel afterward.

 

 

When we returned to the suite, a message was delivered to us that we were invited to join the Captain’s Table for dinner. We had already accepted an invitation to join the SeaDream Club cocktail party for repeat passengers (even though we were first-timers, another very warm touch). We replied that we would be delighted to accept the Captain’s invitation.

 

 

My dinner was Crab cake Starter, Tomato soup, Caesar salad, Lamb chops, and Mango Crème Brulee. Everything again was wonderful. The poured wines were particularly delicious at the Captain’s Table. BTW, the captain did not partake in case anyone is wondering. He was charming, and told us he lives in Charleston, SC. I got the impression that he and DisneyJen conferred at least once during this voyage!

 

 

He also told us that the seven (or 8?) transatlantic crossings that he has made would all be considered smoother than our current voyage. I was one of the very few passengers wearing a Scop patch, and I never heard anyone complaining about the seas. I am not particularly seaworthy, so I think I am a good test case for someone who wonders what it is really like onboard. I would even consider a transatlantic crossing now.

 

 

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is spectacular. We anchored in a protected harbor, interesting because you could see only a ring of hilly islands surrounding a gorgeous body of water, without knowing exactly the way out. The famous Bitter End Yacht Club was straight ahead off the bow of SDII. We tendered over to the resort to have a look around, since we have several friends who have stayed there on honeymoons or special anniversaries. The very nice desk personnel arranged for someone to pick us up in a golf cart so that we could see several of the rooms. The resort is rather spread out, and the rooms we saw were all “walk-ups.” The rooms are spacious but extremely simple. The views over the beautiful water, though, are incredible, and they have Pawley’s Island-type hammocks on the little decks outside the rooms. There is a nice little beach and an al fresco restaurant where we noticed several CC’ers enjoying drinks or a late lunch.

 

 

We finished our tour and were so glad when we were back on SeaDream looking out at the BEYC, not at Bitter End looking out at the SeaDream. We had the only rain of the trip – a brief and gentle 10- or 12-minute shower—this day. It was hardly a blip on the radar of our SD trip.

 

 

Sailed late in the afternoon to Jost Van Dyke.

 

 

Wednesday evening, we enjoyed the multi-course (I believe it was 9) Chef’s Menu Degustation. I did not keep complete notes about this, but it was an entirely delightful night, with red and white wines being poured to accompany each course. The evening menu was in the form of Menu Degustation “the portions being elegantly sized, enabIing you to enjoy each course.” ( Quoted from the Daily Program) I caught a glimpse of and was able to record being poured “Heitz Cellar Napa Valley 2003 Cabernet” (which was immediately brought to me when I politely said I found the original pour to be a touch too tannin-y for my taste) as well as a “Columbia Crest Two Vines Chardonnay 2007.” I have not particularly cared for Columbia Crest in the past, but I enjoyed this one. There have been many questions and comments about the on-board wine pours. Out of curiosity, I looked up the Heitz Cellar retail price for this bottle and it is $49.99 a bottle. The Two Vines Chardonnay, $20.99.

 

 

Thursday, I did not keep very good notes. This was the famous Champagne and Caviar Splash. Once again, spectacular weather. Calm clear seas. Champagne. Caviar. What more needs to be said?

 

 

Dinner this evening was served formally in the dining Salon. I told myself that it was so wonderful, that I would remember every detail. Sadly, I do not.

 

 

Passengers seemed to find their way to the piano bar this last night, more so than on previous nights. It was a wonderful way to end our last evening.

 

I have only a few thoughts for improvement: As much as I like Champagne, and as delicious as the Champagne served in proper crystal flutes was the entire voyage, I did not think it was cold enough when served in the pool-side acrylic-type flutes. The acrylic just does not conduct the cold as well as crystal. I am not sure what could be done to improve this issue, other than making sure that the Champagne being poured poolside is very, very cold. There is no way to make an attractive Tervis-tumbler Champagne flute, too bad!

 

 

And, twice our main course at the evening meal was not brought out at what I consider proper serving temperature (served lukewarm rather than hot). Since everything else had been so perfect, we did not even mention this to our server. Really, there is very little to find fault with on SDII, and the food, even lukewarm, is tasty.

 

 

As a first-timer, I would like to have known several things. For example, to know that the Concierge is very well-trained and can help you with almost anything. To know that you should probably try to arrive at the very beginning of dinner service if you want a table for two. To know that it is preferable to let the Hotel Manager know in advance if you wish to dine outside when dinner service is inside the Salon that evening. To know that the Concierge desk will allow you to use their free internet pass card for up to 10 minutes’ time on the day before disembarkation if you need to check in/print your airline boarding pass. Most importantly, to know that you won’t be able to order Eggs Benedict on disembarkation day! (I was disappointed, but not until I returned to my little CC board after the trip did I learn of FDA regulations against this).

 

 

I know that many of these little things have been addressed in this wonderful forum, but it can be hard get all the information handily without reviewing hundreds of older posts. However, I have to agree with other posters that tipping should not be mentioned publicly at the disembarkation information meeting. I asked the concierge how to contribute to the Crew Fund. And here is how she told me to do so: take one of the envelopes you have in your stateroom desk, mark it CREW FUND, and then return it to the concierge desk.

 

 

That being said, SeaDream is a wonderful experience, fabulous in fact,—a trip of a lifetime. We left the ship only twice (not counting the Champagne and Caviar Splash): the St. Barth’s circle tour, and the look around Bitter End YC. No regrets there. It was a wonderfully pampering, relaxing and enjoyable five days. The staff and crew make the trip what it is. All outstanding.

 

 

We are looking for the right trip to take for our return to SeaDream II, probably one of the Med voyages during warm weather. Then, we would like to try SDI for the French wine trip in 2011. And, that, my CC Friends, is the very best way to know that we are addicted to SeaDream!

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for a comprehensive review Rolltide!

 

Love all of your tips ... especially about the sunblock.

[Jim Avery]

Great review Ellen. Took us back to a great trip. RTR!

J & L.

[DisneyJen]

Thank you, DisneyJen. I can always count on you. I am hoping to upload photos from My Pictures directly on my computer.

 

You're welcome!

 

I post pictures from my photo bucket account ... I upload the photos I want to post to photo bucket and then get the IMG code and paste it into a CC post. The other option is if you use Facebook to right click on the photo you loaded to FB, click on properties, copy the html line and then click on the image icon in CC and paste.

 

Someone else may know how to post directly from the computer desktop but I don't...

 

If all else fails you can send them to me and I can post them for you.

[zqvol]

You're welcome!

 

I post pictures from my photo bucket account ... I upload the photos I want to post to photo bucket and then get the IMG code and paste it into a CC post. The other option is if you use Facebook to right click on the photo you loaded to FB, click on properties, copy the html line and then click on the image icon in CC and paste.

 

Someone else may know how to post directly from the computer desktop but I don't...

 

If all else fails you can send them to me and I can post them for you.

 

To post the pictures they have to be somewhere on the Internet. If you do not have a place flickr is free and you can control access to your information. I have quiet a few pictures on flickr, and it works well. I also have a web site and the pictures in my reviews are stored there. If you need help e-mail me at my screen name @yahoo.com and I'll try to give you a hand.