Hi Everyone,
Leonard and I spent seven nights aboard SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream II in January 2010. We sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
We really enjoyed the experience! Our full review is here:
http://bit.ly/9Sl7U4 But here's an overview...
The ship is very intimate (112 guest capacity) but there were only about 85 passengers aboard the week we sailed. Many cruisers were doing back-to-backs and booked Commodore Suites, which are two Yacht Club Staterooms combined.
We were in a Yacht Club Stateroom. We travel fairly light and it's a good thing since there's not a lot of storage in these rooms. I would definitely consider booking the larger Commodore Suite next time. Still, if you only have two suitcases and carry-ons, you'll be fine in the Yacht Club cabin.
There were more Europeans onboard than Americans and that led to lots of interesting conversations. Ages ranged from 40s to 70s. Lots of professionals and some retirees.
The itinerary was fantastic. I loved Culebrita and Vieques. Saba was interesting but there's no need to go back. The overnight at St. Barths was also nice. Shore excursions surprised me; the selection was interesting and the guides themselves were knowledgeable and fun.
The food on SeaDream II was fantastic. I think it was probably the best we've had on any cruise ship. The wine (according to Len) was also very good but not as good as the brands available on Seabourn Odyssey in the Med this past summer.
At breakfast you could get a quick bite on deck (coffee, tea, juice, pastries, or fruit). Full-service breakfast (buffet and a la carte) is served on deck at the Topside Restaurant. You can also order room service any time of the day or night.
Topside was also the location for lunch (buffet and a la carte).
Dinner was sometimes served at Topside and sometimes in the Dining Salon on Deck 2.
Several vegetarian and low-fat items are always available and the chef was very responsive to special diets and requests.
Room service consisted of a "small bites" menu. This was nice but I'm sort of used to having a wider selection and we generally eat at least one dinner in our cabin. We didn't on this cruise (although we did order some desserts and a cheese platter.)
The crew is excellent and everyone seems genuinely happy to be working for SeaDream. (The owner's daughter was onboard and she was very sweet. She must be in college since she and her friend could be found on Deck 6 studying every afternoon!)
The retractable Marina was nice, but doesn't have the "swimming basket" that Seabourn Odyssey does. I liked Seabourn's Marina better and Leonard liked SeaDream's. (He's a better swimmer than I am; I prefer the confidence that the swimming basket gives me on Odyssey.)
As for exercising onboard, there is a small fitness center but there's no place to jog. Some guests would go running in port and others would borrow one of the bikes and get some exercise in that way when we were in port.
Entertainment options are really subdued: movies (in the Main Salon and on deck under the stars), one tiny gaming table in the "casino" and no slots, a piano bar (with nightly sing-alongs, which I thought would be silly but were actually great fun), and the Top of the Yacht bar.
There were two musicians onboard: a guitarist and a pianist (they also worked at the Marina).
The ship handles very well and while we had two nights of rolling seas, neither of us ever felt the slightest bit sick.
All in all, we had a fantastic time and would book SeaDream again in the Caribbean. I'm not so sure I would book SD for the Med. In the Med I'd want to spend more time in port and would feel as if I were missing out by being away from the ship so much. In the Caribbean, we struck the right balance of ship time and beach/port time.
If you have any questions about SeaDream, let me know and I'll try to answer as best I can.
Andrea & Leonard
