SeaDream2 Barcelona to Seville

[ctbjr1309]

now, CTBJR, which sailing are you on?

 

We are on SD2 Voyage 2644 from Tenerife to San Juan, departing Nov. 10. Hope to meet up, albeit briefly, with alita on Nov. 9 in Tenerife.

[DisneyJen]

...WE would have loved to have been there.

 

I too am glad that alita met Allen and Maggie and hope that she is careful when the beach party CD surfaces tomorrow.

 

 

I agree 100 percent ctbjr! It would have been incredible for us all to be there ...

 

I still am waiting for my copy of the CD. Alita, if you get a chance would you please let Allen know that I am still waiting for my copy:p I plan on taking it with me next month when we are on Brand X (Seabourn's Pride). I figure that should liven up the ship:p

[alita]

I've been out on Jen's bali bed since 10 this morning, the sail up the Rio Guadalquivir, through the lock and under the drawbridge into Sevilla was extraordinary, a not-to-be-missed experience. It was cool all day and we had cloud cover with a bit of drizzle but that made it even better for me. I was snuggled under a couple of SeaDream blankets with the Captain's binoculars while Maggie and Allen worked away in the office...

 

I'm going to run into town for a few minutes, we're docked within sight of Seville's main attractions and also my hotel for the next few nights. I had the opportunity to reserve transportation from the ship to my hotel tomorrow but at 45 euro it was a no brainer. As I said to James a few minutes ago when I pointed out my hotel, all that I had to do was walk up to the corner and flag down a taxi... I think they need to fine-tune their shore excursion suppliers...

 

More tonight after we close down the piano bar and possibly the TOTY!

[alita]

Forgot to mention that Martijn ~will~ be on the crossing, following that he'll take up his new position as Coordinator of Charters. Maybe a bunch of us could get together and work out a deal with him!!

 

Jen... will give Allen the message when I see him tonight.

[ctbjr1309]

Forgot to mention that Martijn ~will~ be on the crossing, following that he'll take up his new position as Coordinator of Charters.

 

That's good to hear, alita. Thanks for the clarification.

[DisneyJen]

Sounds like a wonderful day alita! Glad that you found what I consider the perfect perch for watching the world go by:D

 

Thanks for passing the message along to Allen ... don't worry if you can't though as I do have his email.

 

DH and I closed TOTY down on our first cruise after visiting Jost Van Dyke ... Ctbjr, Mrs. Ctbjr, Allen and Maggie weren't on that cruise with us ... but I am sure that if they were they would have helped. Don't tell anyones ... I ended up behind the bar at one point since the bartender was leading the champagne popping contest ...

 

When do you board SD 1 alita?

[alita]

James has decreed that all luggage must be out in the corridor by 1AM so I've got to get cracking. But it was worth putting it off till the last minute as we've been having so much fun with Liars Club followed by the final lemoncello at the piano bar with Noli.

 

The ship is fairly empty as most went to the Flamenco show but there was a hard-core group cheering and jeering as Mack the mechanic (aka James), a Moorish prince (aka our celebrity chef), Pancho (aka the purser) and Johannes (aka the boss) outdid each other with definitions of the most outrageous words you've ever heard. I laughed until I cried, I've never seen one of these shows before but the boss caught me at the reception desk and dragged me in and i'm so glad he did. Can't imagine this sort of thing happening on another cruise ship (except perhaps SD1), it was so spontaneous, so hilarious.... really a treat!

 

Must mention dinner and our wonderful chef.... he produced a 9 course degustacion dinner that was a tremendous success! Very good wine too and service above and beyond with the dining staff describing in detail each course as it was served. Special mention must be made of Martijn's splendid tie... he looked a treat in his dark suit with the most outstanding 'shades of orange' silk tie..

 

By the time I got up to the piano bar everyone but Noli and Eric had disappeared but we did a rousing rendition La Bamba that brought the Captain in just as we were singing the line "...soy capitan, soy capitan..." But alas, suitcases beckoned and we called it a night amid promises of keeping in touch and me getting on SD2 again before too long.

 

Tomorrow I'll move over to Alfonso XIII for 5 nights, then fly to Tenerife and hope to get a glimpse of ctb & mrs ctb when I board SD1 a week from today. I'll start up a new thread for the Rio cruise and hope that ctb will do the same for his crossing.

 

What a marvellous week this has been, I confess that I'm really feeling sad about moving on... so many wonderful people here and such a great spirit throughout the ship, as close to family as anything I can think of. No question about it, this has been my all-time favorite cruise experience!

[ctbjr1309]

alita,

 

You're great. Thanks a bunch for the wonderful postings. I almost feel as if we were with you this week, except of course that we did have air conditioning in our bedroom all week! I'm so glad that you enjoyed your week on SD2. If you think about the way that the week started, it's pretty incredible that you would be describing it as your all-time favorite cruise experience. That says an awful lot about SD, its crew, staff and officers if you ask me!

 

We, too, are hoping to have a chance to say hello in Tenerife on Thursday. For the most part, it's up to British Airways. We have a 1:15 layover at Gatwick Thursday morning and if we make the connection we should have no problem meeting up with you later that afternoon on SD1.

 

I'm certainly planning to do a SD2 crossing thread so it appears that we'll have 2 crossing threads working simultaneously. That'll be something to look forward to.

 

Thanks again and we look forward to hearing from you back on this board in another new thread in a few days. Meanwhile, enjoy Sevilla.

[CADDad]

After the sail-by checked in at the piano bar where both Noli and Rey were playing and James was singing... Chaz, Jen and CADDad had all said how good James was but I wasn't prepared for for his incredible tenor voice!! They ought to have him headlined at least twice on each one week sailing..

 

Alita,

 

I am so glad you were able to catch James singing, his voice is definately one of a kind. I agree, he should sing more often, however I'm sure his other duties often don't leave much time for singing.

Thank you for your up to the minute review of this week. Glad to hear that the week ended far better than it began, with wonderful lifetime memories. Enjoy your motionless days on land, and we'll be waiting for "part 2", of your cruise review to begin.

 

CADDad

[DisneyJen]

Just wanted to add my thanks Alita for sharing this part of our adventure with us!

 

I am looking forward to the dueling crossing posts (sort of like duel pianos that we enjoy when visiting the Mouse in Orlando:p:D:p).

[alita]

Greetings friends....

 

I´ve had these last few days to recuperate from the SD2 spanish main voyage, miss all the excitement and friends but it´s been fun to wander around and revisit some of my old haunts in el barrio santa cruz.. more than 20 years since I first came here and fell in love with andalucia...

 

ctb... been thinking about you and mrs ctb, hope your plane change in Gatwick is speedy and painless (mine through LHR was a nightmare!) and that you will be at the SD1 pier in Tenerife well before we sail! I shall follow your thread and you´ll be able to bring me up to date on all the excitement on your crossing!

 

Jen... sorry you won´t be on board one or the other of the Dreams but perhaps next year we can all sail together!

 

¡recuerdos de sevilla!

 

alita

[Jim Avery]

Alita:

Let me add my thanks for a superb job of taking us along with you on the very eventful week. We were out West for a week and I came home to news of the fire, etc. Your accounting really reinforces the impression that SeaDream staff is the best and that they are somehow more than just employees. Your accounts after the fire surely make me recall great memories. The only downside is that it makes it seem like a very long time since we were aboard even though it was this past April. Are trying hard to determine when the next one will be. I like the idea of a charter for CC members. Keep up the good work and have one for us.

Jim & Lois.

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for checking in alita! I was wondering how you were enjoying your rest before the crossing:D

 

I too wish that we were doing one of the crossings this year.

 

DH has agreed to a SD cruise next year ... the question is when:D

[vandrefalk]

Alita,

Many thanks for your detailed postings on your SD2 cruise!! It certainly made me feel as though I were there. Looking forward to your posts on the crossing as well as CTBJR's -- dueling posts, indeed!

Perhaps we'll all meet one of these days on an SD cruise -- I think our January cruise may be it for awhile. We've about tapped out the Caribbean, and our appetite is whetted for the Med (particularly after reading many of the posts from Med cruisers) -- but that means I either have to gear up the printing press in the basement or slow down on the cruises for a bit :(

Anyway, enjoy and we'll look forward to your reports! Capt T also said he would send the address for the SD2 blog when it's up.

Vandrefalk