Live from Sea Dream 2 ... Part 3

[wulicny]

First, I added Cruise Critic to Favorites on the SeaDream Internet Explorer.

 

Second, it automatically logs one in (on Cruise Critic) as "Frequent Traveler", which I found amusing. I guess she didn't clear her cookies. :p

 

Third, here's the first of the updates!

 

I am going to keep these posts brief, for reasons pointed out in Parts 1 and 2. A fuller trip report will be completed upon our return home.

 

Saturday: A nice flight from Washington-Dulles to St. Thomas for wulicny and Mrs. wulicny. Ronnie Lockhart picked us up at the airport and whisked us away to his Crystal Palace B&B. We dropped our bags, and walked down the hill to Main Street. I knew exactly what I was looking for (a watch), so I bought it when I saw how right the price was. Mrs. wulicny didn’t find much to her liking, so we walked around for a while. At 5:30, we went to Herve for dinner. Since they don’t seat anyone until 6 pm, we had a drink and a nice talk with the bartender. We had a great dinner, then a nighttime taxi tour of St. Thomas. We turned in around 10 pm.

 

Sunday: Ronnie had breakfast for us ready at 8 am. We dined on the Crystal Palace balcony, where, to my surprise, we could see both Havensight and Crown Bay! Guess what was at Crown Bay … that’s right … SeaDream1 and 2! A perfect breakfast scenery. We walked around Charlotte Amalie for a few hours, then met Mr & Mrs DisneyJen and Mr. and Mrs Kaliks for lunch at Gladys’ Restaurant (excellent, as usual). Mr. and Mrs. DisneyJen gave us the lowdown on the SeaDream 2, and they offered us the services of their taxi driver, Elvis. They accompanied us up to the Crystal Palace to collect our luggage, then down to the Holiday Inn to collect Kaliks’ things. When they dropped us off at the SeaDream, Mr. & Mrs DisneyJen came on board to introduce us to the Captain. Here’s where things get blurry … champagne, tour … champagne, spa appointments … champagne, hours d’ ouvres … champagne, unpack … you get the picture. Dinner with the Kaliks’s was fun (even though somebody spilled the beans about something they weren’t supposed to. After dinner, we retired to the Top of the Yacht for a second course of dessert. My cold (which I have been trying to fight off for a week) caught the better of me. I couldn’t talk anymore, so we retired for the evening. Choppy seas, but the bonine did the trick.

 

Monday: St. Bart’s to come later …

[frequent traveler]

Very tantalizing -- spilling the beans about something they weren't supposed to . . . .can this be further explained in a public posting?

 

Now, I will confess to putting my user name (but not password) on the Internet Explorer -- otherwise it cost me $10.00 just to get to the Cruise Critic site.

 

But if you want to give me grief for not eliminating the cookies . . . I'll just blame it on the champagne.:o thanks for clearing it out.

 

Have fun and hopefully the latest tropical disturbance will be gone by the time you reach St. Lucia. If not, more champagne!!

Ft

[DisneyJen]

Sounds like a GREAT first day for all of you! DH and I were happy to play tourguide:p

 

Hope the weather holds out for you ... keep taking the bonine ... and remember ginger tea:D

 

We are heading back a day early from STT because of the weather and other real life stuff.

 

Looking forward to more updates!

 

Please tell the gang we truly miss them ... especially last night when we had to pay for drinks and dinner:p

[ctbjr1309]

Glad to hear that you all are off to a good start. The current crew and staff on SD2 is a top notch group and I know that you will have an excellent week. Also, glad to hear that Elvis was able to help you all out.

 

Most importantly, however, did you have a Red Stripe for me at Gladys' yesterday afternoon? I had one when I got home, just in case.

[DisneyJen]

I am guessing the the call of the Bali beds, Top of the Yacht Bar and Red Stripes are keeping our latest travelers busy:p

[wulicny]

Monday, St. Bart’s: A slight itinerary modification took us to St. Bart’s on Monday (rather than St. Martin). This worked out well, as the morning sun fought its way through the clouds and lit up the port town named after King Gustav. Mrs. wulicny and I walked up and down the main street with high end shops. A quick stop to pharmacie was necessary to get some throat medicine. My cold, which was on the wane, decided to give one last kick and take out my voice. Luckily there was no pain, and the DW was there to interpret for me. A return to the SD2 for lunch found us at the Top of the Yacht, where Henk dutifully and pleasantly took care of us. That afternoon, the DW had her facial and manicure. She found a lovely shawl that she purchased from the Thai girls in the spa, as well as some delicious tea. Following her spa time was my haircut at the spa. I was extremely well taken care of, given a neck massage, and some tea to help my (lack of) voice. I was also very happy with the haircut. The young lady (whose name I cannot spell or pronounce) said that Captain Johannes comes up to the spa every day for some small treatment. Fortunately for him, he does not need to avail himself of the haircut ;).

 

Tuesday, St. Martin: I found my favorite activity and ship location this morning – the captain’s chairs at the stern/Top of the Yacht. There is a little drawer in the table there that has excellent binoculars, and I watched every bit of the St. Maarten/St. Martrin coastline from 7 am until anchoring at 8 am. I saw two large cruise ships sailing into Great Bay, and one airplane coming in for a landing over the Sunset Beach Bar. When we made the right turn up between St. Maarten and Anguilla, I spotted a lobster fisherman about 500 yards away. When I spied him with my binoculars, he gave me a hearty wave, which I eagerly returned. My wife met me for a quick breakfast, then we were on one of the first tenders ashore. A quick taxi ride brought us to Orient Beach, where the sun again broke through after a cloudy start, and it was a wonderful morning. We made a small mistake by sitting in Beach chairs next to Andy and Cheryl’s Baywatch, rather than their chairs. Service at our side was non-existent, so we just served ourselves at Cheryl and Andy’s. Of course, there were the occasional nude and topless walking past (we chose the other option – clothed). But if they didn’t care, we didn’t either, and it was a fun day. At 1:30, we caught a taxi back to Marigot, where the DW made a quick perfume purchase, and we tendered back to shore. Lobster at dinner was wonderful, and after dinner, I played a little blackjack. Currently, I am up 15% from my initial stake, so I’ll keep you posted on how that works out throughout the rest of the week.

 

Isles des Saintes and Antigua to come …

[wulicny]

Weather has not been much of a problem. It was bouncy from St. Thomas to St. Bart's, and Captain Johannes suggested "popping the pills". St. Bart's to St. Martin was a two-hour joyride from 6 am to 8 am, so no problem. Last night to Isles des Saintes was les bumpy than the first night, and I didn't need the pills, but some others did. It has rained every night (off and on) from 10 pm to 8 am, but daytime has been nice.

 

Captain Johannes says we should be golden re: weather from here on out. Our current schedule calls for a bali bed overnight from Antigua to Virgin Gorda :D .

 

...and Jen, the Captain says that they haven't gone through that much champagne (on your sailing) when they have a full complement of passengers. They are impressed with you and your shipmates bubbly consumption!

 

And Andras, at the Top of the Yacht, just rolled his eyes when we asked him about last week.

 

... and the best waiter on board is a stiff competition, with Joram and Henk running neck and neck.. Of course, everyone else is close behind!

[frequent traveler]

Now I am really offended -- I thought those of us on the TransAtlantic has just about drained the ship dry of Champagne but I guess not . . . .Well, with Jen on board the fall 2006 Atlantic crossing . . . Christophe had better make sure he is well stocked.:D

 

Glad to hear the weather and seas are improving.

 

I'm glad someone is winning at Blackjack. I thought Maria and Jeaneana (sp) probably retired after cleaning everyone out on our cruise a couple of weeks ago.

 

FT

[ctbjr1309]

Captain Johannes comes up to the spa every day for some small treatment. Fortunately for him, he does not need to avail himself of the haircut ;)

 

The record should reflect that the Captain did have a haircut last week (on Tuesday, I believe). He was quick to note that it didn't take long...

[ctbjr1309]

duplicate deleted. Moderator, please clean up my mess. Thanks.

[ctbjr1309]

triplicate deleted. yikes.

[DisneyJen]

As you can see it's Ctbjr who was consuming all that champagne... note the triple post:p Actually, I do believe I put a very small dent in the diet tonic last week and I had lots of help with the champagne ... trust me ... a trip report will becoming in the next couple of days!

 

Christophe and Fabian will be sure that we have plenty of bubbly for the crossing!

 

Glad to hear that you are winning as well. DH and I dropped out allocated gambling money in about an hour of blackjack:rolleyes:

 

You definitely have the A-Team in the dining room ... Tell them all we are missing them! Especially after dinner when it is time to clear the table!

 

No misbehaving out there on the Bali beds!

 

Sounds like a great trip wulicny! We are living vicariously through your most excellent posts!

[frequent traveler]

Jen -

any thoughts of switching the fall crossing from Sea Dream II to Sea Dream I's newly announced itinerary?

 

FT

[DisneyJen]

I guess about now wulicny and the kaliks are getting ready for their caviar and champagne splash .... I want to be there!!! WAAH:p

 

Ctbjr and I talked about the SD 1 crossing FT ... there are some ports that look interesting as well as it being a longer crossing. Problem for both of us is that at that time of the year we can't be out of the office/area for that many days.

 

Of course Ctbjr emailed me an itinerary that looks very interesting for Jan. 2007:D

[ctbjr1309]

At another point in our lives, we'd do that SD1 crossing in a heartbeat, particularly because we are very fond of the SD1 onboard crew and staff.

 

Next year, however, we're just going to have to make do with the shorter SD2 crossing in November and then the 9 day South America cruise in late Jan. '07 with our friends on SD1. Talk about sacrifice and difficult choices!!

 

P.S. Please make note of the fact that this was NOT posted in triplicate.

[frequent traveler]

Glad to hear you will be on board as planned on Sea Dream II's crossing -- getting out of the office for the length of the Sea Dream I crossing (including getting to Tenerife and back from Brazil) is just too long for 4th quarter . . . but like you guys, there is always 2007.

 

My envy of wulichny and the kaliks today is slightly mitigated (only slightly) by finding Red Stripe at my local Lowe's (the grocery store ---not home improvement) today.

 

FT

[ctbjr1309]

Yes, there's nothing like a cold Red Stripe unless, of course, it's a cold Red Stripe onboard SeaDream or in the surf at Prickly Pear or Jost Van Dyke. Luckily for us, we can get Red Stripe here at Publix so I'm never that far away from my next one.

 

I wouldn't be too terribly envious of those guys today. How can they be having any fun without us there? In any event, I predict that no matter how much fun THEY have, the post beach party party aboard SD2 today will be no match for last week's event. Wonder if DJ will include that in her upcoming review?

[wulicny]

Wednesday, Isles Des Saintes: A bit of a rainy start again, but the sun poked its head among the clouds enough for us to enjoy our walk to Plage Pompierre on the other side of the island. We followed Richard, our Club and Activities Director, and he pointed out various items of interest along the way. Swimming at the beach was delightful, and the Captain even joined us for the walk. Back in town, we shopped at some of the quaint stores, and had some gelato that was delicious. Isles Des Saintes (Terre des Haute) was on of the nicest islands I have visited. The people were friendly, not overly fawning (or harassing) tourists, and not ignoring us either. It was very colorful and pleasant. Back on ship, we ate lunch, lounged around, then had cocktails and dinner.

 

 

Thursday, Antigua: Not much to talk about today. Antigua is what it is. We didn’t do any excursions, we just went into town to shop (and get harassed by the taxi drivers and hair braiders). Some of our new friends did the Segway rides on the pier. The one exciting thing that happened this day was the the large cruise ship, Ocean Village, was docked at the next pier over. When it was time for us to leave, Captain Johannes did a sharp 180 degree turn to spin us around before leaving the harbor. Everyone on board the Ocean Village, including their captain was watching and marveled in our captain’s proficiency!

 

Friday, Jost Van Dyke: What can I say? BEACH PARTY! We were the first ashore, opting to participate in Tai Chi on the beach. This allowed us to get first dibs on the shady chairs. We swam and snorkeled for a bit as the crew started bring over the supplies. When the rest of the passengers started coming (and the beach got crowded), we retired to our chairs. Of course, when Christophe, Joram, Henk, et al, started preparing the surfboard, I knoew what was coming. At 12:15, the SeaDream 2 sounded its horn. Waiters appeared from nowhere with champagne and Christope dutifully sculpted our toasts with mounds of caviar. As the captain, who was helping Christophe serve the caviar, handed me a rather large piece of toast, he tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I would join him for lunch. Absolutely! My wife and I, and some new friends had a delightful and delicious lunch with Captain J. Now the rest of the afternoon included some unsuccessful waterskiing, a Thai massage on the beach for my DW, and a stroll down to the Soggy Dollar for a Painkiller. (Someone remind me why we had to pay for the drink.) After dinner under the stars, a quick change into shorts and nighttime tender ride, we were ready for Foxy’s. We had repositioned just before dinner. We danced until well after midnight, and had a great time!

 

Unfortunately, my last update will take a few days to prepare, as we will be disembarking soon.

 

Until then,

[dewla]

That sounds soooooo fun!! Hope we can wake up early enough to do the Tai Chi!

Cannot wait!!

Only one more week and we will be in St. Thomas! To board the next day!

[DisneyJen]

I guess the Kaliks and the wulicnys are through customs and starting the next leg of their travel ... either home or to St. John.

 

Wonderful report wulicny!

 

I really am working on my trip report ... but as FT can share it does take a while to get back into real life. I will include the post party in my review Ctbjr ... maybe I can work on it this afternoon during the Eagles game.

 

RED STRIPE??? At which Lowe's FT? I usually shop the one on Guilford College Road.

[frequent traveler]

Hi Jen

I still haven't adjusted to the real world . . .

We live out by the airport, so it is the Lowe's on Old Oak Ridge Road.

 

FT

[DisneyJen]

At least the Easter Cruise is just around the corner:p

 

I will have to check the Red Stripe situation on the other side of town ... I can always have DH stop at the other Lowe's on his way home from his home-away-from-home ... GSO:rolleyes:

[ctbjr1309]

I still haven't adjusted to the real world . . .

 

Why bother adjusting? We just tolerate the real world until our next SeaDream cruise.

[wulicny]

Saturday, Virgin Gorda: We slept in a bit, but we did look out our window in time to see the SeaDream 1 pass us by at close quarters. Captains were waving their flags. I heard later from the Captain that the SD 1 did one and a half circles around us before continuing on to Jost Van Dyke. I think we stayed in the cabin (in bed) until after we dropped off passengers for excursions in Spanishtown, VIrgin Gorda. I don't know if there were any. I think all excursions prior to Virgin Gorda had been canceled for lack of interest. We ambled out of our cabin and headed to breakfast while the Captain anchored us off of the Bitter end Yacht Club. DW and I went along into the club for a few hours of beach potato-ing. Back on ship, we spent our remaing hours before dinner enjoying our fellow passengers and the beautiful SD II. The farewell cocktail hour was sentimental, and the Thai girls dancing was lovely to watch.

 

Sunday, St. Thomas and Disembarkation: Phooey! Adding insult to injury, we have to wake up at 6:30 am for customs, then we have to leave the ship. Luckily, our cabin on Deck 3 was down the hall from the Main Salon, so we stayed in our cabin until the line was nonexistent. After a quick shower, we went to our last breakfast (Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries for the fourth day in a row :) ). It was the largest crowd at breakfast all week, and you could see the wait staff using all of their skills to keep the passengers happy. At 9 am, we sadly left the ship, saying goodbye to our friends. DW and I are in agreement, however. We will NEVER go back to the "big ships" again. And Captain Tysse better get used to seeing our smiling faces every once in a while! :D

 

Happy travels to those on board and waiting to board. I think there are only two kinds of people in the world: 1) those who have never sailed on a SeaDream, and 2) those who are counting the days until their next sailing!

[Kaliks]

The cruise was GREAT....They had my Red Stripes on there.....The service was excellent...Our favorite waiter was Henk....The night at Foxy's was very good. The crew actually got some time off that night and we Danced and Drank with them till the last tender back at 1:30am...

It was nice to see them get some time to relax...

Wulciny did a good job keeping up with the part III...

We made some good friends onboard both guests and crew and plan on keeping intouch via e-mail...

Wulciny I will e-mail you your Wave Runner pic this weekend....