SDII Nov 14-25, 2007, Review Part I

[JustAud]

After four trips with Regent, we recently gave SeaDream a try. Following is my review and I hope it can be taken for and used as intended -- one additional opinion of our likes/dislikes of a particular line at a particular time. Hope you enjoy and find it useful.

 

SeaDream II, November 14-25, 2007, Miami to St. Thomas

 

We arrived at 2:30P at the port in Miami and found lots of folks still waiting to check in. The helpful women at the desk said they weren’t ready yet (boarding was listed as 2P). Once ready, it was very prompt and easy and we were on board, champagne in hand and exploring the ship. It is a small ship (110), even by Regent standards (350-500), but the outdoor areas are nice and plentiful, so you never feel clastrophobic. However, the ride was rough and loud in our cabin (319) and pretty rough in the dining room whenever we were on the move. This is NOT a ship for the queasy (we aren’t). We left Miami a couple of hours later than scheduled due to this being their first time back in the US (and first time in Miami) and they were going through numerous inspections (which they apparently passed with flying colors and the Captain and Activities Director bragged about it many times, as they should!)

 

November 15, we were scheduled to be in Port Lucaya. We arrived 1-2 hours later than expected and after waiting another hour or so were told that the seas were too rough for tenders and they would reposition us to Freeport. That took another hour or two and we eventually ended up at port in one of the most ugly ports I’ve ever seen. The view on one side was deserted shopping bungalows and on the other, a cargo port and earth moving operation. They provided shuttles to Port Lucaya, but since by this time it was so late, we chose to stay on the ship and explore the pool, sunbeds and daily routine. We figured we had ten more days of snorkeling, beaches, shopping, and exploring so we would enjoy the day on the ship. Had we known we’d be on the ship so much more than expected, we would have done differently. During this stop, several members of the media with cameras came on board for a few hours; we were told this was because this was their first time at port here. I think they should skip it in the future; there was nothing nice, nothing to do, and nothing scheduled. Dinner was held indoors, but we were still okay since this was only Day 2 and we were looking forward to all the great upcoming meals in the Caribbean air. We didn’t discover the tea spread in the buffet area of the outdoor dining area until about three days into the trip; this info never appears anywhere.

 

November 16, Nassau in the morning and Egg Island in the afternoon for watersports was the announced plan the evening prior, although James did say “up to the weather.” Not to be. We arrived in Nassau along with four large ships, really showed you how small SDII is and it was fun to take pictures showing the differences. We were then told that morning that we were going to stay in Nassau and not visit Egg Island because of weather conditions, although the weather was fine in Nassau. Sounded reasonable at the time. There were no excursions planned for Nassau so we went into town and tried to walk to the nearest beach. The shopping areas were crowded and held nothing of real interest to us and the first beach we made it to was dirty and just didn’t feel safe. We gave up and went back to the ship, where we again had plenty of time to enjoy the great service, drinks and food on board. Day 2 was doing pretty much the same thing as the day before. We later learned that the SDII was entertaining the owners of the Atlantis at dinner that night, and that the Atlantis had hosted a free day for the SDII crew. In itself, seems reasonable, right? But as the trip progressed, we wondered if they already had this scheduled (which they would have had to planned somewhat in advance), why did they say we’d stop at Egg Island and not change the published itinerary once these arrangements were made? Had the rest of the trip not gone as it did, we probably wouldn’t have thought twice about this change. I had booked a massage on-line via the SD website, and was surprised I didn’t have a confirmation card that night in my room. So I asked Nina, the Concierge about it and she said that they frequently had problems with the web bookings. She couldn’t confirm that late, but took my info down and said they would confirm in the am.

[DisneyJen]

Nassau is one of my least favorite ports. We usually don't get off the ship either.

 

Sounds like you enjoyed some of our favorite things about SD ... lounging on the Bali beds, the food and the service.

 

Interesting about the port changes ... this seems to happen on all cruise lines. For instance, on HAL the miss their private island often because of the tendering situation.

 

On to read the next installment...

[frequent traveler]

Sorry you had the late embarcation. I'm really surprised you made it that quickly

 

I was on the crossing and enjoyed the the preparation for the various testing anticipated in Miami. We were more than an hour late tying up at the dock. No fault whatosover of Sea Dream, but one of the stabilizers snagged some garbage & rope as we came into Miami. Our lovely DHS refused to board when the ship could not get within 18 inches of the dock in Miami. So the SD folks had to remove the rope and garbage by hand . . . then turn the ship around and tie up at the dock. After that DHS & Food & Services refused to board so long as the crew asked them to log in (frankly, I couldn't believe our governmental arrogance -if someone was entering our office, we require them to sign in). So for the ship to completely restock for a completely sold out ship- a record number of Brits were boarding in Miami (there were only 69 passengers on board for the crossing), pass all the tests (don't get me started on why we can't have eggs benedict in the US ports), and start boarding only half an hour late - that is a true testimony to the wonderfully efficient nature of the SD crew.

[DisneyJen]

I wonder if some of the U.S.'s best legal minds cannot figure out why we can't have Eggs Benedict in U.S. ports?

 

Seriously, we were impressed on our repo cruise on how the crew handled the transition to U.S. maritime rules/laws. Interesting perspective you add to this repo cruise FT.

[Jim Avery]

I have to add my two cents here also. If there is a stupid delay, moronic rule, or arrogant bureaucrats involved, welcome to the USA. In all our travels, we only encounter such stupidity and arrogance in our "homeland". More on this in the upcoming review.

Jim.