bermudabum

Colleen and I are deeply saddened by this news. Nikola was a tremendous asset of SeaDream, a gentleman and a genuinely nice and talented man. Oft times he would say to us at disembarkation that this might be his final contract but to our good fortune, there he would be at the top of the gangway to greet us again. Our thoughts and prayers go to his wife, baby, brother and his SeaDream family. He will be dearly missed.

Thank you, Mrs. Tiki. Appreciate the key points and advice. I am wondering if things have gotten any better and more organized since Nov and the first few sailings in/out of Antigua. Has anyone been through this more recently? Thanks in advance!

No, it has not gotten any better. We boarded on January 4th and it took 2 hours. Bring bucket loads of patience, a hat and an umbrella for the showers and sun. Pathetic display of incompetence by Antiguan Immigration. :(

Put me down as agreeing with Ho-Hum on this one.

 

We know from our 13 prior voyages over 8 years the high level of personalized service onboard always and shore side almost always. This is a very difficult situation and far from routine so fits and starts are to be expected. Have we had issues onboard and otherwise from time to time, of course. Have those issues almost always been resolved, yes. Is there anything better than the SD experience, all things considered, not that we've experienced or heard from others.

 

Friends who were to have been on one of the first voyages to be cancelled last month were extremely satisfied with how their situation was handled - from generous future bookings at no additional cost, to discounts, to new travel arrangements and reimbursements as their 7-day SD voyage was the anchor for a long-planned five-week trip to various cities in Europe before and after SD.

 

To most of us, SD is much more than a faceless entity. After all, it is essentially a small family business. If you want to go corporate to a conglomerate for your travel, well thank goodness at least for now we still have market economies in the West and competition and choice, so go have it as the floating hotels and smaller ships elsewhere await. For the rest of us, we will take SD, any warts and all, because it isn't faceless to us - we see the faces of our friends and extended families in the faces of the crew and the very genuine smiles on their faces when we board and interact with them with mutual respect, not in any hierarchical way. Same for friends made among fellow passengers. We can't wait to board again and wish all at SD nothing but the best and look forward to SD1 sailing again soon.

Nicely stated JES4845

Sir Hum, Stewards' Inquiry! You might wish to double-check the entered number (25 vs. 20) in the SD running total column for Itineraries and Adventures. The race now looks to be a photo finish.

A term used for a ship as you described is "tender". CE sounds very tender by your account. Really a problem when your martini sloshes out of the glass. I remember one very nasty crossing on QE2 where you literally could not put your drink down or it would slosh out of the glass. Not exactly pleasant.:eek::D

Sir Hum knows that feeling well: Saint-Tropez to Menorca, July 2014

"Very sad news to announce but Enes Strkonjic, the Hotel Manager on SDI has left the company.

Sorry but no further information to share.

We shall all miss him, Hum's sure."

Having disembarked SD1 at the end of the US Thanksgiving holiday week, we had the pleasure of sailing with Hotel Manager Enes Strkonjic. Knowing him from earlier trips, we have watched him hone his trade from waiter to maître d’ to hotel manager. We can say that our most recent SeaDream voyage may have been the best ever in no small part due to Enes’ attention to detail, cordiality and welcoming professionalism. It has been our good fortune to have known him and there is no doubt that he will be successful in whatever path he takes. He will be missed by many SeaDreamers.

"And so the new Club Director replacing Peter John and alternating between SDI and SDII will be..........Jeff Fithian."

Wonderful news. Welcome back, Jeff.

I had heard during a Caribbean voyage earlier this year on which Ho-Hum was not present (i.e. SD 1) that Oslo had been approved for a substantial line of credit. Perhaps....

To abenaki: Right on.

To goRRRdon: Bullying? C'mon on....:(

According to marinetraffic.com, SDI is about 20 kilometers north of the Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge headed toward San Juan (80 nautical miles) at 6-7 knots.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/05/3733522/pamela-conover-resigning-as-seadream.html

What did Vandrefalk say to her ?? :o :o