SD II: May 23 - June 5, 2010

[CDreamer]

FT, I'm sorry your time on SDII is coming to an end. It's been fun tagging along on your SDII journey and we've been taking notes.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Athens, and thanks again for all your detailed posts.

 

CDreamer

[frequent traveler]

LPlease tell Peter we wish him a wonderful holiday! And if you see Christophe please pass along our regards.

 

I will definitely pass your wishes to Peter this morning. Its unlikely that I will see Christophe as Peter said he will not disembark until about 11 and Christophe is expected to board about then. Peter, Clint and Ferenc have all been packed for about 3 days. ;)We have to be off no later than 10. While we were scheduled to arrive at 8, the Captain announced last night that we would be arriving early - around 7 to make sure we were on time. and sure enough, at 6:30 this morning - we are surrounded by enough other ships outside the harbor, it looks like a holding pattern above Atlanta on Friday evening at 6 p.m.:rolleyes:

 

no statistics were given at last evening's farewell party about the number of bottles of champagne or pounds of caviar consumed, but I think I probably set my own personal best on caviar yesterday afternoon poolside - it was so easy- much easier than at the splash. Its seems like every time my plate was empty, here came Jamie or Jasper with a refill and you just had to walk past the table with an empty plate for Chef Josselin or Peter to snatch it away and replace it with another. I'm so glad I ate lunch early and lightly (I chose the cold sea food buffet - with crab legs, shrimp and mussels (not with white wine garlic sauce unfortunately,- the one glaring omission this trip:() and no dessert. Others didn't and chose not to be the caviar glutton I was! It was also confirmed that in the Med - the event will be the Caviar and Champagne Service (not Splash) and done occassionally where ports allow (i.e. - there is an afternoon sail such as we had yesterday). Aftter the comments I heard from a few of the guests, perhaps, it canbe announced earlier in the day so guests can plan eating around the event.

 

I don't think I've thanked the whole "water sports team" who have been so gracious in my kayaking efforts the past few days. They all who "real jobs" on SD, including Yvonne, the boutique manager who always gets me the perfect fitting life jacket. Their helping hands have made sure that a klutz like me gets in and out of the red kayak without one bit of difficulty - even with the maniac jetskiiers deciding the crash the platform after being waved off.

 

Last night, when the Captain announced the formal end of the voyage one guest piped up that he was not getting off (no, it wasn't me) and Amy quickly responded - we have a couple of cabins left, I'll bring you a booking sheet. I don't know if he signed up, but there have been quite a number of bookings for additional voyages. If I've heard correctly, the first Scandanavian voyage next summer is almost full. We went ahead and put down the $2500 deposit toward an unspecified voyage -- you just have to decide in the next year where you want to go -so you could pick a voyage even a year out. You just can't beat the 15% discount.

 

I don't think we are done with this thread - have a few more comments to post, but want to turn in my formal comment card to SD and ZQ Vol will post pictures. Hope to hear from 3M and Greg and others who chimed in earlier and should be in route back to US from stays in Turkey and elsewhere.

 

Appreciate very much all your positive comments. I don't take pictures (who needs to with ZQ Voll) so when I get home, I'll print this out and yes, to those are interested I'll send the artichoke guacamole recipe (its on the vegetarian menu for the degustation night).

 

See you soon.

 

FT

[frequent traveler]

We have arrived and are docked - rainy day in Athens (fitting isn't it when you have to get off the yacht!)

 

one last note before I sign off -- watched the Captain follow SD 1 and "park us". I can't parallel park a car but that's basically what he had to do. SD 1 is in front of us. a large Costa ship is to our left (it has a water slide on top). And when I say SD is in front of us - it doesn't look like more than 20 ft now that we are tied up. At one point I think we could have stepped off our bow onto their pool deck. Could have been one expensive docking if there had been an error.

 

Just checked the fiinal bill - ooh - with excursions and daily visits to the spa -- could have done anther 7 days somewhere. Oh well, that's a vacation for you.

 

FT.

[keltic]

Abusive passengers to our lovely crew?. I am not amused to hear that :-(

 

Have a safe journey home. I have posted some of my feelings

 

http://www.infocruceros.com/noticias/1/346-seadream?start=1

[zqvol]

Pulled a DisneyJen this morning and shed a few tears as we departed SD. Had my last dark chocolate croissant for a while and who knows when I will get a cappucino and sparkling water delivered to me as soon as I sit down. Certainly not by Sean.

 

Unlike most recent SD II voyages, there was no Captain T with his box of kleenex standing at the top of the gangplank. In fact there was no Captain, just a spa girl and Peter, so we did not have a chance to tell the Captain how much we enjoyed our voyage. Perhaps it was due to the steady light rain, but for the first time ever, we hauled our own carry on luggage down the gangplank - that will teach me to pack lighter next time. Just as we headed across the street, June came dashing back from the terminal giving me an umbrella and snatching away my bag. As we entered the terminal, I got a chance to give Amy one last hug. Since she won't be on the crossing, I don't know when I'll next see her. I do know Elena, Yvonne, and Daniel are scheduled to be on the crossing.

 

Had a bit of an adventure as suddenly all of our bags no longer fit in the trunk of the taxi. :rolleyes: The driver insisted on using netting to hold the bags in - and of course one fell out as we drove away. I heard the other taxi drivers yelling something as we left I but don't understand Greek and our driver didn't pay attention. Luckily, one of the other drivers called our driver before we got very far - when we came back I saw it was my brand new leather bag from Santorini in which I had packed several bottles of wine. I feared a disaster, but nothing broke. This time the driver agreed with me that the bag would be better off in the front seat and we have arrived at the GB with no further incidents.

 

Have an upgraded room this time with a balcony overlooking Syntagmata Square and the Parliament building. Also came with a complimentary bottle of ouzo. Wonder if its too early to start since my never empty glass of champagne is now empty? :confused:

 

leaving shortly - off and on rain so not sure what we will see this afternoon. Hopefully weather will clear so we can walk up Lykavittos Hill this evening.

 

FT

 

this is really unfair -- the GB has scales. ZQ Vol gets on them - -after 13 days on SD - he has gained only 1 lb. I get on the scales - and its not fit to print what came out of my mouth, but needless to say, its not just one lb. I hate to think what would be had I not climbed the stairs at Santorini or kayaked or gone to the gym. Amy stated that the average weight gain is 1 to 2 lbs per day - while I didn't quite make the average - I was too close for comfort.

[ctbjr1309]

Have an upgraded room this time with a balcony overlooking Syntagmata Square and the Parliament building. Also came with a complimentary bottle of ouzo. Wonder if its too early to start since my never empty glass of champagne is now empty? :confused:

 

Nope. Rule # 43675 (4) (aa) (ix):

 

It's never too early when on vacation! Cheers.

[zqvol]

Nope. Rule # 43675 (4) (aa) (ix):

 

It's never too early when on vacation! Cheers.

 

since we are now surrounded by protesters - this may be our only option.

While its very peaceful - the hordes are streaming by - with loudspeakers, etc.

Guards have lined up in front of Parliament and the street in front of the hotel and Parliament are blocked. No one at the hotel had any knowledge of this earlier or if they did - we weren't warned.

 

FT

[ctbjr1309]

since we are now surrounded by protesters - this may be our only option.

 

Actually, little known clause III (iv) of the rule mentioned previously makes ouzo consumption mandatory when in the presence of protesters if in Greece. So.....

[DisneyJen]

Pulled a DisneyJen this morning and shed a few tears as we departed SD.

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one who cries on disembarking our beloved SD! Although when I first read this I thought it was zqvol not FT who wrote it and then I was really worried:p

 

I can only guess that the rain made leaving the ship a thousand times harder.

 

Had my last dark chocolate croissant for a while and who knows when I will get a cappucino and sparkling water delivered to me as soon as I sit down. Certainly not by Sean.

 

Unlike most recent SD II voyages, there was no Captain T with his box of kleenex standing at the top of the gangplank. In fact there was no Captain, just a spa girl and Peter, so we did not have a chance to tell the Captain how much we enjoyed our voyage. Perhaps it was due to the steady light rain, but for the first time ever, we hauled our own carry on luggage down the gangplank - that will teach me to pack lighter next time. Just as we headed across the street, June came dashing back from the terminal giving me an umbrella and snatching away my bag. As we entered the terminal, I got a chance to give Amy one last hug. Since she won't be on the crossing, I don't know when I'll next see her. I do know Elena, Yvonne, and Daniel are scheduled to be on the crossing.

 

Had a bit of an adventure as suddenly all of our bags no longer fit in the trunk of the taxi. :rolleyes: The driver insisted on using netting to hold the bags in - and of course one fell out as we drove away. I heard the other taxi drivers yelling something as we left I but don't understand Greek and our driver didn't pay attention. Luckily, one of the other drivers called our driver before we got very far - when we came back I saw it was my brand new leather bag from Santorini in which I had packed several bottles of wine. I feared a disaster, but nothing broke. This time the driver agreed with me that the bag would be better off in the front seat and we have arrived at the GB with no further incidents.

 

Have an upgraded room this time with a balcony overlooking Syntagmata Square and the Parliament building. Also came with a complimentary bottle of ouzo. Wonder if its too early to start since my never empty glass of champagne is now empty? :confused:

 

leaving shortly - off and on rain so not sure what we will see this afternoon. Hopefully weather will clear so we can walk up Lykavittos Hill this evening.

 

FT

 

this is really unfair -- the GB has scales. ZQ Vol gets on them - -after 13 days on SD - he has gained only 1 lb. I get on the scales - and its not fit to print what came out of my mouth, but needless to say, its not just one lb. I hate to think what would be had I not climbed the stairs at Santorini or kayaked or gone to the gym. Amy stated that the average weight gain is 1 to 2 lbs per day - while I didn't quite make the average - I was too close for comfort.

 

What an adventure getting to the hotel:eek:

 

Wait until you see what happens to your person when you step on your Wii Fit tomorrow:eek:

 

I'm with ctbjr on the ouzo ... when in Greece ...:D

[zqvol]

Wait until you see what happens to your person when you step on your Wii Fit tomorrow:eek:

 

:D

no matter what it says this is FT again . . .

 

Don't think that stepping on the Wii tomorrow is going to happen. We don't get home until around 8:30 pm assuming everything is on time and I'm a bit nervous since we have exceeded our customs allowance and will have a tight connection. Anyone out there with experience on this? This is a first for us. While we won't have to pay a huge amount, I'm wondering if it takes a while?

 

Latest greek experience -- just got back from wandering the Plaka and there was a message from our car service. Seems we have too much luggage -- George the Taxi Driver wanted to send two cabs and charge us 100 Euro for the privilege. Seems he won't put any luggage inside the cab on the front seat (we are talking about one extra piece - a carry on - not anything that blocked a view).

 

So we declined and ZQ Vol went downstairs and arranged for a car with the concierge - 60 euro. Might be cheaper to get a cab off the street, but we chose to go with the hotel referred service.

 

Now the ouzo is getting opened. Had a snack while waiting on the cousin to appear - the protest delayed her arrival. Its over but the news made it out to be much worse than it really was. I had a cucumber and tomato salad and cold octopus that had marinated in olive oil and herbs so long it melted in my mouth (no lunch, so hopefully, it didn't add to the SD lbs and we did have to walk to get it). I've never had octopus that tender before.

 

We have seen some of our fellow passengers here in the GB hotel and on the streets of Athens. By now Bartender Clint should be at the Athens airport, waiting for his flight to Ireland to take him to Boston for a week to start his vacation before he returns home to South Africa. Hope he has safe travels along with the rest of the Sea Dream crew leaving today for well deserved breaks.

 

FT

[ctbjr1309]

I'm with ctbjr on the ouzo ... when in Greece ...:D

 

Just to be clear, these are the RULES and there is NO choice here. I'm glad to see from her subsequent post that FT and ZQ VOL are now in compliance!

[frequent traveler]

Well, back in the Office today – the real world office. Not the one on Deck 6 on SD II. Travel back from Athens was a non-event, of course, until we hit Atlanta. First, by being honest on our customs declaration we were shunted aside into the separate processing room and thought we were going to miss our connecting flight. If you think you might go on a shopping spree and exceed your allowance - leave yourself plenty of time between connections. However, we learned that all goods bought in Turkey are exempt from duty so we didn’t have to pay anything extra. The agent was wonderful - he looked hard to find a way to not have to do the paperwork and collect the small fee - only about $30 (we weren't that much over0. The agent had to put some information in the computer and we were on our merry way (well, not so merry after a 12 hr flight and waiting for our luggage) to connect. Then we were delayed, first due to a late arriving aircraft and then to problems with the air conditioning. Then when we did board – the plane was hot as Hades – we sat and sat and sat. Finally got home about 10:30 last night. All our goods made it home, rugs, wine, ouzo, spices, tea, mosaic tiles, etc. Pleasantly surprised by the relatively tidy condition of our house. Grown children had in better condition than when we are home – guess we need to go on vacation more often.

 

I know ZQ Vol is working on pictures to post and I have a few final comments on SD II voyage – looking back over our days, there are some events I forgot to note . . . can’t believe it but have to dig out from stacks of mail and unread e-mails waiting after two weeks out of the office.

 

more later - but the withdrawal is really starting to kick in . . . had to search out my own caffeine this morning! And we won't talk about the breakfast I grabbed as I was walking out the door . . . oh Sean and Mario -- where are you?

 

FT

[Jim Avery]

I was just going to ask Disney Jen how much rest you needed before we started to clamor for pictures and the final thoughts. Glad you made it home safely. FYI, next time, have the big/expensive stuff sent home UPS. No customs. No worry about packing/carrying. All the decent shops will do it. Yes, I know you pay for it but less hassles in the long run. Go to work and get busy on your final thoughts. Don't forget the recipe. You promised!:D

[zqvol]

I was just going to ask Disney Jen how much rest you needed before we started to clamor for pictures and the final thoughts. Glad you made it home safely. FYI, next time, have the big/expensive stuff sent home UPS. No customs. No worry about packing/carrying. All the decent shops will do it. Yes, I know you pay for it but less hassles in the long run. Go to work and get busy on your final thoughts. Don't forget the recipe. You promised!:D

 

Problem was that there was not any one thing big or expensive, just lots of little things, including an unbelievable amount of spices.

[frequent traveler]

I was just going to ask Don't forget the recipe. You promised!:D

 

 

I will have to e-mail. The instructions on how to prepare the artichoke are quite detailed with pictures so it needs to be scanned. Could not figure out a way to replicate here.

 

FT

[DisneyJen]

I will have to e-mail. The instructions on how to prepare the artichoke are quite detailed with pictures so it needs to be scanned. Could not figure out a way to replicate here.

 

FT

 

Please add me to the email distribution or better yet you can make it for me:p

 

Can't believe that you actually are at work today! Talk about re-entry shock:eek:

 

Zqvol - I won't start nagging about the photos ... yet!!

[Jim Avery]

Please add me to the email distribution or better yet you can make it for me:p

 

Can't believe that you actually are at work today! Talk about re-entry shock:eek:

 

Zqvol - I won't start nagging about the photos ... yet!!

 

DJ, I wouldn't nag them. You know how touchy they can be during the withdrawal phase.:eek:

[ohmiss]

Please add me to the recipe list, FT!! I searched my "Dream Cuisine" cookbook which, by the way, I received as a gift in the mail after my March voyage. No artichoke salsa recipe in the cookbook....Thank you! Hope your withdrawals aren't as bad as mine still are!! Can't wait 'til April crossing to London...I'd love to sneak in a week before then!!! Never know.... :)

[frequent traveler]

Please add me to the recipe list, FT!! I searched my "Dream Cuisine" cookbook which, by the way, I received as a gift in the mail after my March voyage. No artichoke salsa recipe in the cookbook....Thank you! Hope your withdrawals aren't as bad as mine still are!! Can't wait 'til April crossing to London...I'd love to sneak in a week before then!!! Never know.... :)

 

Yes, when I was requesting the recipe, I told Chef Josselin I didn't remember seeing in the cookbook. Its one of the new "tweaks" the Chef is making to the SD II menu.

 

FT

[whatnot]

FT, please add me to the artichoke salsa recipe also! Sounds like you had a great trip. Going back to work the first day after, must have been awful. Since you were posting at 4:05 am, are you still on Greece time?

[frequent traveler]

FT, please add me to the artichoke salsa recipe also! Sounds like you had a great trip. Going back to work the first day after, must have been awful. Since you were posting at 4:05 am, are you still on Greece time?

 

You caught me. Yesterday I woke up at 2:30 a.m. Today it was 3:30 a.m. At this pace, it will be the weekend before I'm back to GSO time. You are added to the distribution list. DJ has received a copy since I had her e-mail at work. The rest I'll send tonight when I get home (assuming I stay awake long enough):rolleyes:

 

FT

[overwurked]

Well I'm back at work today too. Definite withdrawal. FT did such an amazing job in her postings that I really can't add anything to her reporting. It was a fabulous trip and great to see all of my friends on SD2. I miss them already!

[frequent traveler]

Opened up the apple tea yesterday we bought at the spice market in Constantinople. I brought it to the office and it was a very nice way to remember the holiday. Several merchants offered the tea while we browsed in the stores. This variety came loose, but is an "instant" version, so its perfect for work. I also bought lemon tea and an apple tea that needs to be brewed. The lemon was marketed as encouraging weight loss and I certainly need that after the scales at home confirmed I made the 1/2 lb a day gain while on SD II. (sorry if that's too much information but a warning for those who follow us on Chef Josselin's cuisine and Zoltan's, Clint's and Colin's never empty glass of champagne:eek:). Two boxes of Turkish Delight went to the office and were appreciated.

 

I printed out my earlier postings yesterday and am going through them to see what I left out along the way. (do you realize how much paper those signatures use?:rolleyes:) But work hasn't left much time yet. And withdrawal symptoms are at their peak. Thank goodness its only 153 days until my next SD voyage. I did get out the artichoke guacamole recipe to all who have requested - I think - but if I've missed anyone, please let me know. I'm closer to being on EDST, but not quite there yet. :D

 

FT

[frequent traveler]

Abusive passengers to our lovely crew?. I am not amused to hear that :-(

 

 

http://www.infocruceros.com/noticias/1/346-seadream?start=1

 

We were not amused at all to witness, it was all I could do to not jump in . . . however, the crew were very professional in handling. I admire immensely the polish and courtesy extended to all.

 

By the way, your article is very good and would be of interest to the other posters (and the lurkers) - would you mind if I quoted in English a few sentences here in this thread?

 

FT

[gregk-FTL]

We were not amused at all to witness, it was all I could do to not jump in . . . however, the crew were very professional in handling. I admire immensely the polish and courtesy extended to all.

 

By the way, your article is very good and would be of interest to the other posters (and the lurkers) - would you mind if I quoted in English a few sentences here in this thread?

 

FT

OMG!! We are in the pic about half way down this link! Of course, it's us sitting near the pool, Colin in the forefront, us in the rear with Colin's now world famous mojitos in hand...they were definitely the best we've ever had and we live in/near Miami. He and Clint took amazing care of us...when we finished our hike down the donkey trail (Santorini I believe - won't do that again), got back to the boat hot and sweaty, there he was...a vision to behold...Colin with 2 mojitos to wash away the heat. We wish Colin all the best success on his venture when it gets off the ground.