SD 1 March 2 to 9 overview

[Tiki_Man]

Good morning all.  We are back from a week on SD 1 and wanted to provide a brief overview and thoughts on the voyage.  It is late in the season and my not be much help to those prior to the April crossing but might be helpful for those that are already making plans for late 2019.

Itinerary - we came onboard in Crown Bay St Thomas, then stops in St. John, Anguilla, St Barths, Virgin Gorda (Spanish Town), Norman Island, Tortola (Cane Garden Bay), Jost Van Dyke (White Bay) and then disembarked in San Juan.

Crew (and forgive my spelling):  Capt. Lund, Taylor Davies, Christophe, Chef Allistair, Concierge Brenda, Activities Andrea, Matr'd Robin, Sommelier Christian and the best Food and Beverage staff at Sea including Mikee, Leo, Leslie, Jonathan, Tristen, Vlad, Aureal and so many others. 

 

We love embarkation in St Thomas.  Direct flight from Atlanta so same day travel, short cab to Crown Bay ($24).  We arrived at 2:30 and never really sat down.  Welcomed aboard, champagne offered and then immediately to check in, shown to our room (307) and the bags were already there.  Just amazing, never finished my drink.  TOY and the fun begins.  5:30 Safety Drill for the 84 passengers and then mix and mingle for the departure at sun down.

St. John for us is a quick scurry to Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on Sunday morning.  The Governor of the island is in attendance the Mass is wonderful.  Then back to the ship and relax by the pool with some water platform activities included.

Anguilla day is in Sandy Bay.  We choose to share a taxi to Shoal Bay ($22 for 2 and then $5 for each additional person - 20 minutes).  $10 for 2 beach chairs and umbrella next to hotel Mohana.  Beach is beautiful but departure is at 2:30 so we scamper back at 1:30.  A group from the ship did decide to try the private island in Sandy Bay (water taxi from the beach) and they had an amazing (and rather pricey) day but some of their group said it was the most fun they had all trip. 

We sailed around to St. Barths for the evening and were lucky to anchor very close (next to the big rocks in the harbor and way closer that normal).  The next day is Fat Tuesday and Carnival.  Gustavia roads shut down at 1 and the parade starts at 3.  WOW, it was quite the show (and the yachts that came for Carnival were amazing).  We just stayed in the background but some folks participated.  {(unknown highlight - and still not confirmed), we were catching shade at the bar across from Le Select where the parade turned towards the waterfront and later were informed by the waitress that we had been standing next to Bono for part of the afternoon}

Next day we sailed to Virgin Gorda.  Ship sent the first tender with the Ship Excursion to Spanish Town main pier, then the rest of the tender operation was at a small pier at the far end of Spanish Town.  We did not do the Ship Excursion and went to the Baths on our own (Mrs Tiki was not happy with me for this).  It worked out fine but taxi service was limited and we had to walk to the nearest gas station to ask for someone to call up a taxi.  We did our own exploration of the Baths (had been there before) and then came back to the ship for lunch and water sports again.

Norman Island day started with rain but the weather cleared.  Mary had a workout and massage while I did a hike up and over Norman.  Nothing to do there other than The Bight (even Willy T's has moved to Peter Island).

The Captain changed plans and sailed early over to Tortola and Cane Garden Bay for the first time.  Tender service was "different" - from a Tender to a Zodiac to a tiny pier and going back in the dark was a challenge, however beautiful sunset from a FUN bar (Quitos) right at the dock.  This might be a new spot for SD in the future but still up for discussion.

Last day is the Splash Day in Jost at White Bay.  FANTASTIC DAY.  White Bay has recovered nicely.  A BEAUTIFUL new facility for this type of event at the far left of the beach.  Think Sydney Opera house with open White Sails for roof and nice bathroom facility with plenty of beach chairs.  Crowded day on Jost but a lot of fun.

Departure was in San Juan with a bit of twist.  Customs in San Juan requires that ALL passengers be OFF THE SHIP within one hour of finishing clearing Port Customs.  This required all passengers off the ship at 8:10 am. (instead of the usual casual breakfast and off at 10 am).  Nothing SD can do about this and they were not happy to inform passengers.  No big issue and disembarkation was simple.  Taxi to the airport was $24 dollars and about 15 minutes.  (hint, as you exit to the street just walk to the left and avoid all the big shuttle buses, the taxi are waiting over there.)

 

Again the service was spectacular, the food amazing (I had the fish selection each night and never disappointed), piano bar and TOY always so much fun.  We ate outside 4 of the nights.  There is lots of talk of the March 20th announcement and we will just have to wait for the official announcement.

 

We are headed back on SD 2 in November and already looking forward to the next voyage.

 

Happy to try to answer any questions.  I will try to post a couple of pics if I can get them downloaded correctly.

Cheers

Tiki (Mark)

 

[JSADesigns]

YAY! So glad you had awesome time on SD1! Thanks for taking the time to share all that. So, relating to the baths...You had a difficult time getting taxi from Spanish town? Or from the baths back to the ship location? I know next week when we are on, the ship will relocate to Leverick bay after dropping off at Spanish town so thinking that might be a LONG taxi ride?? Did the ship relocate there on your itinerary or stay at that small pier in Spanish Town?

 

That's weird about San Juan customs b/c the other two times we disembarked were also in San Juan and that didn't happen. 

 

I think our itinerary is close to or is maxed out with occupancy.

 

Thanks again

Edited March 10, 2019 by JSADesigns

[Tiki_Man]

JSA - for Virgin Gorda it is HIGHLY unlikely that the ship will reposition in Levericks.  The North Sound is basically still shut down and ships are not going there (I guess it could change in 2 weeks but doubtful).  That will be much better for you and The Baths scenario. The ship will anchor and stay in Spanish Town.  If you take the ship excursion (and Mrs. Tiki is strongly encouraging this) then you will be on a 8:30 or 9 am tender that goes to the main pier in Spanish Town and ride an open air (with roof) pickup truck style taxi (seats about 25) over to The Baths (maybe 5 minutes).  If you choose to do your own, then the next tenders drop you at a small (very small) pier between Fishers and Coco Maya Resort (Coco Maya looked VERY nice but it is the only thing at this pier).  Hopefully a taxi will be at the pier but none when we arrived so we walked a few hundred yards to the main road and I was actually thinking of just walking to The Baths.  It is probably 1.5 miles or so but uphill and a crowded non pedestrian road.  We stopped at the local gas station and the lady that owned the station called up a cab and he was there in 2 minutes.  We then arranged with him (James) to pick us up 2 hours later and he was exactly on time.  $4 bucks per person each way.  Single person ticket into The Baths is also $4.00 without a guide.  If your first time, then a guide or the ship excursion is a much better scenario, I just happened to know our way around (and went some places a bit more out of the way).  We started at the Devil's Bay end (actually over at Stoney Bay first and worked our way to Devil's) then ended up at the main beach area where we swam for a while.  Local boats with tours were ahead of us but we just took our time in the Caverns area and waited for breaks in the action on the ladders and walkways.  The bar/restaurant at the top of the Baths is very nice, however we just went back to the ship when gentlemen in crisp blue shirts already knew which wine I wanted with lunch :)

I think the San Juan thing is new.  SD is not a fan but nothing they could do.  2 other small ships at the Old San Juan pier - Windstar and Viking Sea.  It was also a bit different that around 8 am Taylor made an announcement that the first persons could disembark (no one wanted to) and then at 8:10 he came back on and stated that Customs was requiring ALL passengers to disembark.  We went down the gangway and into the terminal where they gave us back our passports (not on the ship as usual).  Baggage right there and a simple stop at Customs with no forms, just show our passport.

At the airport we asked a couple from Viking if they had the same issue and they stated yes, but that they started disembarking folks at 6 am (YIKES) with all ashore by 8 am (900 passengers).  No other ships at the Pan American Pier and no Mega Ships.  No idea "why".

 

As to your voyage, I do know that ours was 85, this current week is 86 and the following week is on 52 according to a little bird on board.  That was all I could get as to upcoming sailings.  I would expect mainly the same crew as we had.  Several are not making the crossing but working right up until.

 

Side note as to our sailing.  15 countries represented.  The winner for most days with SD was a couple from Boston with 128 (but if they could count when they have also brought their grown children it would be over 200 days "paid for" haha).  About half the ship were repeats but not a single person that has done a crossing which surprised the Captain.  We did also have a very special and lovely small family on board.  They were a delight and it was nice that they would share their ship with us.

 

One other thing about Robin the Matri'd.  We have sailed with him prior and happy for his promotion (although we did miss Silvio). Robin knows we like to enjoy dinner as date night and just the 2 of us.  A couple of the times he approached me during the day and asked if we would enjoy a table for 2 outside and we gladly accepted.  Deck 4, far back port corner under the stars. These are the things that make SeaDream so special.

 

Water Platform and toys out in St John, Anguilla, St Barths, Virgin Gorda and Norman.

 

Tried the upfront Bali Bed on first St Barths night again.  We were at anchor so the front white safety light stayed on and it was too bright for me (I forgot my SD eyeshade so I gave up at 1 am).  Mrs. Tiki was sound asleep and could have spent the entire night.  Oh well, I am just a Grumpy Old Man sometimes. 

Cheers

[Tiki_Man]

Trying to add some photos. Splash day, then Quitos, Rose all day, Carnival and last at the Baths.  Hope this works.

.

[JSADesigns]

great stuff! Thank you so much. Those smiles say it all!

 

Ok. so, our itinerary definitely says Leverick bay and the excursion says, after the Baths, you'll take a scenic tour to the northern part of the island ( Leverick). We've done the baths 4 times, but it's so beautiful! And we are bringing a new couple on SD who's never sailed or been to BVI's and would like to experience it with them. I guess we'll just decide on board how to approach that. I was trying to avoid the truck/bus tour and feel a little more free. As a side note, my husband and I with a few other couples did a power catamaran vacation through the BVI's last June and we moored off Leverick bay and did their big dinner BBQ buffet. That area is in good shape and shops around there also.

 

Thanks for all the other updates also. Interesting you're reporting 52 on what sounds like my week, 3/16...The rooms all look booked except a few. 15 countries! That's so cool. 

 

 

[JSADesigns]

one more thing. so interesting to hear about the safety light up front for the balinese overnight. I didn't know it was related to being anchored vs sailing. We tried that and we were anchored overnight at Jost and it was way too bright. We enjoyed the fun concept and then transitioned to our room! I'm encouraging our friends to do it, so I'll suggest the nights we aren't anchored for sign up if possible. Thank you for the help.

[JSADesigns]

well i just called seadream office. We are 96% full.  Has anyone travelled with it at that capacity? Harder to get Balinese beds in afternoon and outdoor tables etc?

[Zoso7]

Mark,

 

Thanks for the timely update. We'll be coming aboard SD1 this Saturday in SJU. Only our 4th time (1 crossing, 3 Caribe). I normally never do same day travel, but constraints have us doing the same day finger cross (from FL).

 

I do think we're near full, which will be quite a change from our Dec. 17' trip, where only 46 showed up in STT. That one was an amazing experience.

 

Should be fun with some Irish on the 17th, the announcement on the 20th, and celebrating our 20th anniversary on the 21st!

 

I hope your customs deal in SJU was a one off. We have a late afternoon departure from SJU and will wander Old Town, but wanted to enjoy a less rushed breakfast. Do you recall the name of the hotel that will hold luggage in Old Town?

 

Thx again for the posts,

Tim 

[piratelooksat45]

22 hours ago, JSADesigns said:

great stuff! Thank you so much. Those smiles say it all!

 

Ok. so, our itinerary definitely says Leverick bay and the excursion says, after the Baths, you'll take a scenic tour to the northern part of the island ( Leverick). We've done the baths 4 times, but it's so beautiful! And we are bringing a new couple on SD who's never sailed or been to BVI's and would like to experience it with them. I guess we'll just decide on board how to approach that. I was trying to avoid the truck/bus tour and feel a little more free. As a side note, my husband and I with a few other couples did a power catamaran vacation through the BVI's last June and we moored off Leverick bay and did their big dinner BBQ buffet. That area is in good shape and shops around there also.

 

Thanks for all the other updates also. Interesting you're reporting 52 on what sounds like my week, 3/16...The rooms all look booked except a few. 15 countries! That's so cool. 

 

 

We sailed the week before Tiki_Man. Sorry to tell you, but we also also had the morning Leverick stop cancelled. Hopefully, knowing in advance will help with your planning. 

[piratelooksat45]

50 minutes ago, Zoso7 said:

Mark,

 

Thanks for the timely update. We'll be coming aboard SD1 this Saturday in SJU. Only our 4th time (1 crossing, 3 Caribe). I normally never do same day travel, but constraints have us doing the same day finger cross (from FL).

 

I do think we're near full, which will be quite a change from our Dec. 17' trip, where only 46 showed up in STT. That one was an amazing experience.

 

Should be fun with some Irish on the 17th, the announcement on the 20th, and celebrating our 20th anniversary on the 21st!

 

I hope your customs deal in SJU was a one off. We have a late afternoon departure from SJU and will wander Old Town, but wanted to enjoy a less rushed breakfast. Do you recall the name of the hotel that will hold luggage in Old Town?

 

Thx again for the posts,

Tim 

We departed from St. Thomas the week before. We were told we were lucky that we could stay onboard until 10 a.m. and that if we had disembarked from San Juan customs requires everyone off by 8 a.m. Sounds like this is totally out of SeaDream's hands.

[ctbjr1309]

For what it's worth, we have disembarked in SJU a number of times over the years.  My recollection is that the process has for quite some time been as described by Tiki_Man.  I don't believe his experience to have been a one off situation.

[vandrefalk]

Agree with ctbjr -- that's been the case in San Juan for many years.  In fact, I think only our first couple of cruises ending there allowed us to hang around.  STT varies -- have had to get off as soon as we were cleared and been allowed to stay a bit other times.  

Vandrefalk

[TrapperZimmy]

On 3/11/2019 at 4:02 PM, Zoso7 said:

Do you recall the name of the hotel that will hold luggage in Old Town?

The Sheraton is the hotel closest to the pier.  Could that be it?

[Zoso7]

Nope, I just remembered, it's the Barrachina Restaurant. They held our luggage last time and were very good about it.

[ronrick1943]

Sounds like a great trip, thanks for taking the tie. SD is one of the lines we enjoy.