Sea Dream 1 Review June 11 to 18 -Part 1

[carlylecat]

Part 2 to follow but so far here goes:

 

Review Sea Dream 1 - 6/11/2005 Voyage

 

 

Citavechia, Capri, Sorrento, Positano, Portovenere, Portofino, Nice

 

 

Arrival –

 

 

Arrived by car after a 45 minute car ride from Rome at around 3:30 PM , one couple checking in as we arrived … all of our baggage was quickly wisked away, we were greeted by Jimmie the dining room manager who we knew from a previous sea goddess cruise. We checked in under a shaded tent and provided our passports, a credit card for on board charges and were quickly sent up the gangplank in less then 10 minutes…once upstairs we meet other crew members and were poured a glass of GERMAIN cremant champagne and was escorted into the main salon where servers were waiting for us to order other cocktails or soft drinks as well as present a small buffet of hot and cold hors d’ouevres.

After enjoying this for ten minutes we moved to the main reception area on the 3rd floor and meet our housekeeper/steward Joie who showed us to our cabin number 209. Upon opening the room the mountains of luggage we arrived with (8 bags in total – please do not ask why) were neatly stacked in the room.. Joie explained that after unpacking she could stow our baggage as well as helped us find secret stowage space under the bed (enough for two computer bags and two large suitcases).

 

 

Cabin –

 

 

We booked late and were distressed that we were in a cabin on the bottom floor with two portholes instead of a picture window. We actually contemplated paying thousands of dollars to upgrade to a cabin on the fourth floor when one became avilable five days before departue. After being in cabin 402 on sea goddess we really saw no difference at all in the cabin we had in this ship on the 2nd floor. The difference in the port holes compared to the picture window was not a major issues either and we would have been wasting money to “upgrade”.

 

 

The layout was quite simple but very logical. The queen size bed was more than adequate for us even though we have a special oversized king bed we sleep in at home. The sheets and pillowcases were Frette and high thread count, very comfortable. The sleeping top was pretty strange though as they covered the bed with two twin comforters. It was not very good. When we asked to make the bed up with a single comforter the only offer was to use a single brown blanket that was not very appealing. The bed was turned down each night and covered with a simple white terry type cover each day.

 

 

Stowage and closets were plentiful and handled the thirty days worth of clothing we brought for this 7 day cruise. Large closet dived into two parts, left side for floor length hanging and right side in two parts – top and bottom for slacks and tops. Desk surrounded by three large drawers on each side and closet buffeted by four shelves for stacking shoes and the like (we had 23 pairs with us!). Hangers were wood, plentiful and had full sized hangers and hooks.

 

 

Electronics included a dvd player and small flat screen monitor, television included cnn worldwide, a live camera from the bridge and I really can not remember much else as we never really turned the tv on in our room.

 

 

1 Power outlet for US and 1 for European connectors were neatly installed over the desks as well as an Ethernet connection for what was fairly slow satellite internet service…but not complaining having internet in the room was awesome!

 

 

Bathroom was especially well planned out, toilet immediately facing you upon entry on the left of the room, single sink in the middle with well planned space shelves to the left for toothbrushes and the like. We used a cubby hole outside for toiletries and cosmetics and it worked out well. Balance of the room is made up of a large marble shower which was huge by ship standards. Water flow was awesome and the shower was hand held but had a neat feature to direct water from additional nozzles that sprayed from hip and knee length, very cool. Toiletries were Bulgari green tea, in bar soap, small sized bath gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Towels had the sea dream logo and were “waffle” type, 4 wash towels, two hand towels and two bath size sheets refreshed twice daily.

 

 

Safe was typical hotel variety, self programmed and very useful. Small refrigerator was well stocked with wine, beer, soda and champagne. Four two-liter sized water bottles were always re-stocked and our ice bucket was never void of ice during the day and before turning in.

 

 

Room was made up each day and night and accommodated our sleeping preferences and night times; we never “caught” the staff cleaning our room. Special little treats were left each evening and upon our anniversary our bed was made up with towels twisted into kissing swans and rose petals strewn on our bed.

 

 

Exercise / Gym –

 

 

Exercise room consisted of 5 tread mills, two bikes, one elliptical trainer, weight machine with typical rectangular stations and a bench of free weights and mats. Plenty of audio/visual devices as each aerobic machine had its own tv and there were two plasma screens on the wall. Room is on fourth floor with floor to ceiling windows looking over ship’s prow. Plenty of bottled water available and rolled up burgundy towels available. Exercise classes were one daily yoga class that I saw on the first day but never again.

 

 

Room was barely used on this voyage with never more than three machines and one weight trainer during peak morning hours. Room was advertised open from specifc hours but was open at 4 am one morning and midnight another evening. Interesting bit was there were no free weights less than 25 pounds so my wife was out of luck but we did not inquire if there were any smaller available. Headsets were available for the tvs but almost everyone was ipodded and in their own world while using this room.

 

 

Breakfast –

Fabulous service each morning by a hustling crew. Anything you could think of was available and daily suggestions were offered; eggs Florentine, banana French toast, etc.

 

 

Large cereal, fruit and bread bar was fresh and remarkable always looking neat and clean. Drinks were poured immediately upon sitting and each knew your preference by the end of the second day’s meal. Cooked to order meals were served on white china and the eggs benedict were outstanding, pancakes were very cake like and eggs were fresh and local. Each morning steak and lamb chops were available for protein seekers and we done perfectly each day.

 

 

Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 10 am each morning and as the weather was great each day was outside in the 5th and 6th deck dining areas. Plenty of tables were available including cute built ins on the side and aft of the ship. Most folks tended to eat in the same spot each day and the routine was very comfortable and relaxed.

 

 

A coffee and bread bar was available as early as 6:30 most mornings and always before 7 am - I had people offer to get me a coffee as early as 5:30 am one morning while they were tending to cleaning and setting up service.

 

 

Beverage Services –

 

 

Champagne service was never ending. The brand served was GERMAIN, and cremant and brut versions were interchanged often without regard. It made for a very interesting selection to say the least. The brut was crisp and dry and tasted oaky with a hint of vanilla, the cremant was overly sweet and almost displeasing on the front end but finished off nicely. If you ordered a glass you had no idea what would arrive and most of the crew had no idea they were serving two different wines. We had some cruisers who had made the previous voyage and they said the champagne offered on the previous week’s voyage was Pommery (blue) and they were pleased with the change to the Germain.

 

 

All cocktail pours used good labeled spirits including myers and bacardi rums, absolute, stolichnaya and kettle one vodkas, johnnie walker red for no charge. There was a charge for “premium liquors” but that would mean you wanted to pay for grey goose over absolute stoli or kettle one. I saw no one buying the premiums and there really was no need.

 

 

A group of British ales were offered as well as the usual Heinekin, Budweiser, Amstel et all at no extra charge.

 

 

Wine was dreadful at the bars as a sickening sweet chardoney and dishwater like pinot grigio were offered standard at the bars. The reds were just as poor. Wine service at dinner was much better and a decent selection of reds and whites from around the world appeared for no charge each night. Mostly these were $10 to $20 retail value wines that were well chosen - some exceptional ones but a few duds as well.

 

 

The wine available on the supplemental wine list was the biggest surprise of the ship. Not only was the selection exceptional but the prices were below retail value in the US. Examples included an exceptional 1999 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages for $80 US, a 2000 Caymus Special Select for $125, and a 1995 Grange for $200. Excellent cabs, chards, bordeaux, burgundies, pinots, tuscans, amarones and champagnes could be found for $30 to $60.

 

 

We also brought along some special wines for the trip and the staff was happy to cork them for no fee at meals or anytime for us. We even purchased wines ashore and brought them along and they were opened without the thought of a “corkage” fee.

 

 

Fun cocktails made there way to the pool and top side each day and Richard the top side bartender greeted us with a vodka infused watermelon he made overnight after we had been out sight seeing on a very warm afternoon. What a great treat it was as twelve of us enjoyed the drunken melon and its sweet juices!

 

 

Recognition –

 

 

Staff knew everyone’s name quickly and you were always greeted with a smile and a hello. This was done very well and made everyone feel like they belonged. A special reception was held for recurring guests and the captain entertained two couples most evenings. For those of you who have suffered through one of these you know it can be painful and while this captain tries hard, the recognition it offers is not quite worth putting this nice man through what is obviously not his strong suit in personal skills. I must say when it comes to Captain’s dinners this captain ranks in the top 10 percent but still this is a ritual that is long past due retiring.

 

 

Tours / Activities Director –

 

 

James our activities was hard working and incredibly effective. He pulled out hard to get reservations at key spots and each service was handled perfectly, private cars at ports were on time, clean and all with English speaking drivers. Private boats were arranged without a flaw. There were not many organized group trips and the ones that were arranged we did not participate in. Some of the port tours did not gain enough interest to be held and James took it upon himself to personally lead shore based walking tours instead. Feedback from other passengers was very positive on both the escorted tours and James’ walking trips.

 

 

Each evening before dinner James reviewed the day’s activities and previewed the next. A man of genuine warmth he worked the crowd well and exhibited almost too much local knowledge of the ports of call. All in all a 9+ out of 10 for a very hard working young man with a dedicated support team.

 

 

Lunch Service -

 

 

We ate off the boat most days but on one afternoon we stayed aboard and were treated to a great repast of tender cooked bar-b-qued ribs and caesar salad made to order with grilled shrimp or warm chopped-up turkey breast. Lunch was a huge hit was only exceed by ice cream and cookies for lunch that were both made on ship, the coconut macaroons especially tasty.

 

 

Pool Side Sunning –

 

 

Sun chairs were narrow metal chairs with support in three parts -back, thigh and foot, all covered by a two inch blue pad that gave good support. Chairs were plentiful and shade areas could be found on deck 4 and 5 for fair skinned folk. The pool was cold and never used. The hot tub was sufficiently warm, but as there was a group of 28 on board and all together the hot tub was dominated by this group and a source of frustration for a few ship mates.

 

 

There were also a few small children and ten or so teens aboard who typically were louder than most adult couples would like to be around. They were easily avoided though and behaved better than most but a few examples of feeding seagulls fruit left over from their drinks and then pretending to shoot them with a make believe rifle were a little disturbing to say the least.

 

 

Top Side Sunning – Sun Beds –

 

 

The Balinese sun beads, two person lounge chairs perched above the ships rail on deck 5 were a big hit. Comfortable and inviting, the crew would add a sun umbrella upon request. And while very popular it seemed easy to obtain a chair and no one played the game of reserving them all day with a book or hat. Food and beverage orders were taken easily by the crew and delivered promptly, more so for drinks than food.

 

 

Caviar –

 

 

These ships, especially in their previous incarnation as the Sea Goddess were known for free caviar, anytime anywhere. Alas, no longer, caviar is a $26 charge whenever ordered but done well every time. The two exceptions were the second night captains cocktail party where caviar was available on the buffet and people did indulge themselves. Also one afternoon a group of staff jumped in the cold pool and served champagne and caviar to all who would like. A fun presentation it will be remembered by all who participated.

 

 

 

Sports Platform / Marina –

 

 

Two jet skis and a banana boat were offered for two hours each afternoon in almost every port. They were especially well received by the children on board but it was easy to gain a turn on each and proper supervision and flotation gear was always provided. After two hours the gas powered toys were put away and swimming was permitted off the rear platform. Lines and buoys were pulled off the back for swimmers to guide themselves by. This service was done very well and the crew should be proud of there work here.

 

 

 

Pre-Dinner Cocktail Reception –

 

 

Each evening at 7 pm a cocktail party was held in the main salon. Piano music was played by the ship’s pianist and he was aided by a drum synthesizer. It served as background music as beverages and a full buffet of cold and hot appetizers were offered. People joined up in groups and shared stories from home and their day's activities. Just at conclusion James the activities director would give his speel on the current and upcoming day’s activities.

 

Part 2 will be posted later in the week and will include the following topics:

Dinner –

 

 

After Dinner – Piano Bar –

 

 

After Dinner – Main Salon –

 

 

After Dinner – Top of the Yacht –

 

Library -

Internet Service -

Spa / Salon Services -

 

 

Sleeping Under the Stars –

 

 

Casino –

 

 

Fellow Passengers –

 

 

Ports of Call –

 

 

Ship Store –

 

 

Medical Services -

 

 

Departure -

 

 

[Sea-hawk]

Very nice and very thoughtful review thus far.

 

We too enjoyed James on our cruise last March. He had a lot to offer. Know he must have been brilliant on your cruise since his wife is from Italy.

 

We missed Jimmie, as he was on vacation, but fondly remembored him from a few years ago when we sailed on Sea Goddess also.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

[DisneyJen]

What a wonderful and thoughtful review Carlylecat! Thank you for putting so many details in your report.

 

I agree with your observation about the wine served at the bars and dinner. It was interesting to us that very good spirits were served ... but the wines were okay and in some instances duds as Carlylecat said.

 

Looking forward to part 2:)

[lildan]

Carlylecat...you put me to shame....I'm still catching up on two weeks backlog at the office...and as I'm the one who produces all the invoices it can't be put off...we need the money for our next holiday...

 

Loved what I've read so far..you must have a photographic memory or made notes as you went...will disagree on some points later...but that's just preference...

 

Will check in everyday for Part 2....especially the bit about fellow guests....careful what you say now...!!!

 

xxH

[DisneyJen]

Looking forward to your comparison and report Helen. It will be interesting to see different points of view:)

[carlylecat]

HH - remember I had ten hours of plane travel home versus your 2, balance of report will come from jfk to sfo trip on wednesday .... I look forward to different POV as good discussion threads....