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SeaDream 2 Transatlantic


FieldstonEagle
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I'm planning to book the November 8, 2017 SeaDream 2 transatlantic from Lisbon to San Juan, PR. However, I can't find a roll call for this cruise. I've sailed transatlantic on such small ships as Paul Gauguin's Tere Moana (now sold), so am not concerned about the weather. I'd welcome, though, any feedback from those who have in recent years experienced a SeaDream transatlantic, in terms of the variety of fellow guests, lectures, etc. Any advice would be welcome and, if in fact there is a Roll Call for this voyage, please let me know before I start one. Thanks.

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I'm planning to book the November 8, 2017 SeaDream 2 transatlantic from Lisbon to San Juan, PR. However, I can't find a roll call for this cruise. I've sailed transatlantic on such small ships as Paul Gauguin's Tere Moana (now sold), so am not concerned about the weather. I'd welcome, though, any feedback from those who have in recent years experienced a SeaDream transatlantic, in terms of the variety of fellow guests, lectures, etc. Any advice would be welcome and, if in fact there is a Roll Call for this voyage, please let me know before I start one. Thanks.

 

Well, the guests are a nice bunch.

Individuals.

Half will be regulars and there will be 4/5 single passengers travelling.

It's not a "party" voyage but we have a heck of a lot of fun.

It's friendly but you can have a lot of "me" time too.

You could almost do a retreat if you wish.

No kids !

Sanity

There were 80+ on the last one.

It's getting popular (too popular).

Sea Dream is too small for "roll calls", so you will have to do a general one.

Yes there are lectures, as well as quizzes which can get very competitive!

They know who they are and we simply "wind them up" even more !

Check the itinerary etc.......on the website for activities, stop overs etc..

The weather is usually good and there are few bad days.

Hum is hot when it reaches 22C.

Hum notes you are from California, so bring a jumper (no not a person attempting suicide ! Hum drew gasps of outrage when he said he was "getting his jumper". Hum is referring to a pullover, fleece, jacket even, top, something to have over your blouse or shirt).

Bring a book, podcasts, exercise regime, music downloads etc...

Great for star gazing, so sleeping out is fun (they say!)

For Hum, the time "flies by": you gain an hour quite often.

And it is the most "intimate" of experiences with the ALL.

And especially with the crew but only if passenger numbers are low.

If you would like to meet up, go to the "Top of the Yacht Bar" where you will find a tall, handsome, intelligent, intellectual guy sipping a single malt and smoking a Cuban.

Hum will be sitting on the opposite side of the bar from him.

There is one BIG downside which no one refers to.

SD will be entering US jurisdiction, which means they will be cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, 24 hours a day and the crew will be exhausted.

Finally, Hum could check for you but he is lazy.

Check whether the ship is in "dry dock" beforehand.

If it is, expect to be travelling with external contractors making more noise than usual and causing some minor inconveniences.

If there is anything else you would like to know dear chum, just ask.

Kindest regards,

HH

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Thank you for your thoughtful response. I'm looking forward to catching up on my reading, and relaxing. On my last transatlantic on the Tere Moana there were only 17 guests (and 90 crew), so I'm a bit sorry to learn of how popular this voyage has become.

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I loved the Tere Moana, though only holding a maximum of 88 passengers, from a business viewpoint, think Paul Gauguin Cruises was prudent in selling the vessel. With less than 20 guests on my voyage it was truly a yachting experience, though the food, while excellent, was not up to the preparation of that on the Tere Moana in the South Pacific. The officers were more interesting than the guests and the staff was terrific, as caring and professional as one can get.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We completely agree with the above postings.. especially on the one from

Ho Hum. He is certainly an expert on these. I think that we have sailed on 8 SeaDream TA voyages, and they are certainly our preference. Just prepare to relax and enjoy. Also, the Fall ones are the best because you will gain about 6 hours over the voyage with time changes. We will be on the one that you are booking, so see you then.:)

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We completely agree with the above postings.. especially on the one from

Ho Hum. He is certainly an expert on these. I think that we have sailed on 8 SeaDream TA voyages, and they are certainly our preference. Just prepare to relax and enjoy. Also, the Fall ones are the best because you will gain about 6 hours over the voyage with time changes. We will be on the one that you are booking, so see you then.:)

 

Thanks. I've probably travelled ta's pretty equally in both directions, particularly since I worked in Europe (Paris & the Principality of Monaco) for 12+ years. Now that I'm back in the US, west or east doesn't matter that much, though, depending on other obligations, usually opt for a late spring eastbound which gives me a chance to add a week in Paris in late April or May, when the weather tends (but not always) to be better than November.

 

I have always found the sea to be transcendent in and of itself and this is a great way to catch up on my reading. (And this year it will have the added pleasure of taking my mind off of Trump and his mayhem).

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Thanks. I've probably travelled ta's pretty equally in both directions, particularly since I worked in Europe (Paris & the Principality of Monaco) for 12+ years. Now that I'm back in the US, west or east doesn't matter that much, though, depending on other obligations, usually opt for a late spring eastbound which gives me a chance to add a week in Paris in late April or May, when the weather tends (but not always) to be better than November.

 

I have always found the sea to be transcendent in and of itself and this is a great way to catch up on my reading. (And this year it will have the added pleasure of taking my mind off of Trump and his mayhem).

 

No politics allowed !

Hum is offended .......boo-boo, boo-hoo

Edited by ho-hum
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Sorry to offend. I assumed it was allowed after reading the statement issued by the owners of Cruise Critic:

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tripadvisor-condemns-executive-order-refugee-muslim-nations-kaufer?published=t

 

TripAdvisor own Cruise Critic ???

Your sources, your sauces ?

 

Hum has immediately recovered dear chum.

No offence remains.

Hum has made a full recovery.

Hum wishes you well and if you are so inclined, Hum would like to say a friendly hello to you on the crossing.

And if not, again no offence will be taken.

Hum respects people's privacy.

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TripAdvisor own Cruise Critic ???

Your sources, your sauces ?

 

Hum has immediately recovered dear chum.

No offence remains.

Hum has made a full recovery.

Hum wishes you well and if you are so inclined, Hum would like to say a friendly hello to you on the crossing.

And if not, again no offence will be taken.

Hum respects people's privacy.

 

Cruise Critic was started as a early discussion forum on AOL, from which it became independent and in 2007 was acquired by Trip Advisor, which was then owned by Expedia from which it was spun off. Cruise Critic's founder retired several years ago and, within the Trip Advisor companies, is part of the Smarter Traveler subgroup.The management of Cruise Critic reports to David Krauter, President of Smarter Traveler and Independent Traveler (Cruise Critic's legal entity), who, in turn, reports to Steve Kaufer of Trip Advisor who issued this statement on behalf of the entire company.

 

"TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.citymaps.com, http://www.cruisecritic.com, http://www.familyvacationcritic.com, http://www.flipkey.com, http://www.thefork.com (including http://www.lafourchette.com, http://www.eltenedor.com, http://www.iens.nl and http://www.dimmi.com.au), http://www.gateguru.com, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk, http://www.holidaywatchdog.com, http://www.housetrip.com, http://www.independenttraveler.com, http://www.jetsetter.com, http://www.niumba.com, http://www.onetime.com, http://www.oyster.com, http://www.seatguru.com, http://www.smartertravel.com, http://www.tingo.com, http://www.travelpod.com, http://www.tripbod.com, http://www.vacationhomerentals.com and http://www.viator.com.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-c6-About_Us.html

 

https://www.wearesmartertravel.com/company/

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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
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I echo all the Ho Hum has stated. We are on the TA this fall but on SD I this year. We usually are partial to SD II but due to schedule and itinerary (have been to Lisbon, want to see Barcelona), we opted for SD I this time. You'll have a great time and don't let Hum scare you off, he's actually a pretty nice fella (but don't tell anyone).

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I echo all the Ho Hum has stated. We are on the TA this fall but on SD I this year. We usually are partial to SD II but due to schedule and itinerary (have been to Lisbon, want to see Barcelona), we opted for SD I this time. You'll have a great time and don't let Hum scare you off, he's actually a pretty nice fella (but don't tell anyone).

 

Sorry you won't be on this sailing but am sure you will enjoy spending some time in Barcelona before your cruise. I'm sure there will be an interesting group of people on my transatlantic. Have formed no opinion on Hum. On the larger ships, I avoid the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle events as find those attract a lot of incestuous gossips and complainers.

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It's been quite awhile since the last one, really looking forward to it. I'm sure there is room for one or two more ;-)

 

Yes, you guys are certainly due for another. Unfortunately, not in the cards for us this year. Hoping for 2018!

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We will be on this crossing! We were supposed to be on last fall, but Hurricane Matthew messed that one up! We will be doing a Douro cruise just prior and are hoping the weather gods cooperate this year! Look forward to meeting you.

Vandrefalk

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Vandrefalk, we're so happy to hear that you are going on the crossing this year. And we just did a Douro river cruise in June - it was spectacular. Far exceeded our expectations.

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We hope it works! Please tell us about your Douro cruise! We are on AMA.

Vandrefalk

 

We were on Uniworld. It was our first river cruise so I really can't compare it to any other line. Our traveling companions had been on Viking, and they felt that this one was better. It was a 13 day trip with 7 days on the river. I have to tell you that I had never heard of the Douro - when they taught geography in school I must have been sleeping or doing my nails or something. We really only picked this itinerary because it went to places most of us had not yet been to. We started in Madrid for three nights and they offered various excursions in the city. Then they bused us to the boat, which was on the Spain/Portugal border, as the Douro is not navigable in Spain. The trip to the boat was a full day, with stops and tours in various spots, including Salamanca, which was interesting. The boat had about 85 passengers out of a maximum capacity of 115. The routine was to have one excursion a day, either morning or afternoon, and then the rest of the day sailing. The sailing was really the highlight. The vinyards on the hills were absolutely gorgeous; we just couldn't get enough of it. The weather was gorgeous. And the excursions were to vinyards or to wineries. There were generally two excursions offered, one which would be mainly walking and one which was on a bus and had limited walking. In the evenings you could get off the boat and walk through the little towns, although there was not much there. And several evenings the ship brought in local entertainment. After seven days we got off the boat at Porto and they provided tours and then bused us to Lisbon, where we were in a hotel for two nights and they also had excursions. It really was a great trip. Is your itinerary similar?

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We are doing a 3 day pre-cruise in Lisbon with Lisbon/Sintra tour, then TVG to Porto. Board there for 7 night cruise, seeing vineyards (including Mateus gardens) and a trip to Salimanca (sp?). Back to Porto and then back to Lisbon to board SD! AMA is not all inclusive (as is Uniworld), but wine at dinner and lunch. Looked at Uniworld (did them on the Rhine) but dates worked better on AMA! Were in Porto on the Dover-Lisbon SD cruise in 2015 and were intriqued so looking forward to this! Have friends who did AMA and liked it, so we will see! Thanks for the input! What are you doing in 2018? We are doing Silverseas around UK in Aug but haven't figured out how to work in SD yet!

Vandrefalk

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