Mrs_Tiki

Delta got us to STT ahead of schedule, so we are sitting in the shade at Crown Bay waiting for 2:00 embarkation.

As he rode by on his bike to return to the ship and put on his whites, Silvio (maitre’ d) waved and said hello to us, calling us by name,

As Tiki_Man said to me, that is what makes the difference! We are looking forward to a great week meeting Piaa and BCinMA!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

For me, I would only consider paying for an upgrade to one of the larger suites with larger bathrooms. The tiny bath area is really our only point of discomfort with a regular cabin, and I just can’t see paying extra to get two of the annoying things!

We find living space to be adequate, albeit a bit cozy!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for the weather update Piaa. We were wondering if the storms hitting the northern US coast were causing the strange stuff in the Caribbean.

And yes, I do usually bring a light wrap in case it’s windy. But no 4” heels for me either!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

How fun that we will now have two birthdays to celebrate on Tuesday! Jealous that you all only have a ferry ride to get to the ship. We will be up early Saturday morning to fly from Atlanta, with fingers crossed that we don’t encounter any delays. (Our pesky jobs won’t let us get away earlier to allow some breathing room!)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

See you at the bar Tiki_Man - lets pray this swell dies down it's been crazy - never seen anything like this in the 13 years I have lived here

I am a little worried about how much SD1 might move in that kind of water! Do local weather forecasters have any insight about what next week might bring?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

So sorry for your delay! But I promise it will be worth the wait!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi Piaa,

I see from your posts on another thread that we are on the same sailing. Only 20 more days!

This will be our 4th SD cruise. We were hooked from the minute we stepped aboard and hope that you enjoy SD as much as we have.

We are Mary and Mark from Atlanta, Georgia and can often be found at the TOY bar after dinner!

And I have just starting doing a little yoga, so I may see you in class!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sending good wishes your way!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We did that flight 5 years ago. I would suggest noise-cancelling headphones (these especially important if you are on overnight PPT-LAX return flight!).

Also food and snacks. I am not one to usually do this and thought reports of bad inflight meals were exaggerated, but it really was atrocious!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We were on one of the first departures from Antigua in November, and it was a mess! (Due to Antigua authorities, not SD!). My DH (Tiki_Man) included a detailed account in his review found in the thread "SD1 Nov 20 Review".

Key points include:

1. Be sure your transportation drops you at the correct pier. That's where our problems began.

2. Have cash on hand for $30 pp departure tax if you have been on island for more than 24 hours prior to departure.

3. Be prepared to give up your passport. (On our sailing, Antiguan authorities collected passports, processed them en masse, and delivered to the ship, reversing the process upon disembarkation.)

Also, traffic was very thick along the narrow downtown streets, allow plenty of time and patience to get there.

My hope for you is that they have all of this figured out by now. But on a more positive note, my stress began to melt away as soon as I stepped onboard and was handed a glass of bubbly!

Bon voyage!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Did one of the other captains retire? Or did they just add another?

I understand that Captain Remi left SD to captain a private yacht.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Fear not, Jim! I saw Jack onboard.

I think that after putting a child through college in KY and grad school on TN, TikiMan got caught up in the purist semantics of a KY bourbon vs. TN whiskey!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Good evening all. Tiki here stealing Mrs Tiki account

Anguilla was a GO and it was outstanding. A lot of Irma damage but recovering. Shoal Bay is an amazing beach. 20 min cab for $22 Per couple. Dont miss it

St Kitts is at South Friars Bay also known as Carombola Beach Club. So so but very easy.

Splash will be at Nevis with a new location so stay tuned

SD2 came along side this morning to swap a crew member for wine and other provisions. Obviously our little group needs the wine to tolerate the ankle biters. Got a really wonderful pic of SD2 alongside with a rainbow positioned over the funnel. It was perfect

The crew onSD 1 are fantastic. We are having dinner with Capt Lund tonight. Can’t say enough about their hard work

Kids - Just not enough bandwidth at the moment to comment. Not SD fault and really not the kids fault. As far as the parents, well that is another story. Oh well. Wine cures most ails and ills

Last. Can not confirm or deny however a certain SD2 passenger with shockingly unruly white hair in white linen shirt seemed to be “humming” along while waving to all on SD1

That is all for now. Cocktails calling. Will check in tomorrow from Nevis

Tiki

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Disclaimer: my phone has the international plan, so DH will be posting soon under my screen name with details, but just to foreshadow his comments, a few teasers:

Adults on SD1 stage mutiny against ankle biters;

Possible Ho Hum sighting; and

Mrs. Tiki consumption requires wine transfer from SD2.

Stay tuned...,

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It is my understanding that Captain Remi is leaving SeaDream. Lois is devastated.[emoji43][emoji33][emoji102]

As is Mrs. Tiki! Does anyone know which Captain is on SDI for the Caribbean season?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our itinerary from SD for November 20 shows St. John, Antigua as the port.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Good news. I am not seeing a round trip from Antigua, nor St Martin, on 11/19 on their web site. And I am sure that this would be SDI because SD II isn't scheduled into San Juan until after that date. Perhaps I am missing something, but nevertheless, good news.

 

 

 

I guess that after the conference call of yesterday, they are finalizing their plans for an announcement on Monday.

Sorry, I had the date wrong. Sailing date is November 20 on SeaDream 1. (Our travel was to have commenced on Nov 19 with an overnight on St. Martin.). Mea culpa!

SD website is still showing sailing in and out of Marigot.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

SD just called to let us know that Nov 19 cruise will be round-trip from Antigua rather than St. Martin. Same ports of call. We feel fortunate that we should be able to easily change our tickets to fly there direct 2 days prior to the cruise. Now if we can just find a place to stay, we'll be set!

Hope others have the same luck!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our TA told us on Monday that SeaDream was to have a big conference call yesterday that would lead to decisions regarding upcoming itineraries. When he checked in with them today, they told him they would have information this coming Monday. Stay tuned....

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just discovered an advisory posted on SeaDream.com on Thursday 9/21 that indicates they are planning to operate upcoming Caribbean cruises "as designed." That is hard for me to imagine, given that our November 20 cruise is scheduled to depart from Marigot, visiting the islands most affected (St. Barth and Anguilla).

 

This reminds me of our experience last year when the ship we were to sail on Thanksgiving week had to be dry-docked after a fire. Rather than canceling several cruises right away, SeaDream waited until the last minute to cancel the next cruise each time, and we were left wondering if we would actually cruise until just a few weeks before.

 

La Samanna sustained heavy damage and cancelled our reservation for the night before, and Delta is giving us until October 31 to reschedule our flights.

 

All that said, I realize that our troubles are inconsequential compared to those living on the islands!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I just discovered an advisory posted on SeaDream.com on Thursday 9/21 that indicates they are planning to operate upcoming Caribbean cruises "as designed." That is hard for me to imagine, given that our November 20 cruise is scheduled to depart from Marigot, visiting the islands most affected (St. Barth and Anguilla).

This reminds me of our experience last year when the ship we were to sail on Thanksgiving week had to be dry-docked after a fire. Rather than canceling several cruises right away, SeaDream waited until the last minute to cancel the next cruise each time, and we were left wondering if we would actually cruise until just a few weeks before.

La Samanna sustained heavy damage and cancelled our reservation for the night before, and Delta is giving us until October 31 to reschedule our flights.

All that said, I realize that our troubles are inconsequential compared to those living on the islands!

Thank you for sharing that news, carpediemde. As of yesterday, SeaDream was telling our TA here in US that they were still assessing the situation for or November 20 departure.

I can't say that I am surprised, and my disappointment at a cancelled cruise is so, so insignificant in comparison with what the residents of St. Maarten and the others islands are enduring!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just received 3 new swimsuits ordered online for our upcoming SeaDream II cruise (13 days, but who is counting!?) and can't wait to see what the bartenders come up with to match "Antilles Blue", "Electric Fuchsia" and "Powerful Blue"! Should be fun, and I will report back! Cheers!

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

We were in 1602 and had no issues with noise from above. Great cabin with large balcony!

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Hello, my name is Mary, and I am addicted to SeaDream! TrapperZ is correct, the 4-day was indeed a gateway drug. (And if we are hooked after sharing a cabin with our 23-year-old daughter, I can only imagine how much we will like it double occupancy!)

I was spoiled at an early age by sailing on the QE2 with my parents in First Class and Grill Class. SeaDream reminds me of that wonderful service, but on a lovely small ship with a much more casual vibe.

As dear daughter told her boyfriend when he asked how our cruise was, "it's yachting, not cruising". Sign me up!