Report from SeaDream I

[emckeeve]

I can't believe I just wrote a report and, like many of you, had it disappear before my eyes! What button are we pushing wrong??

 

I will try to reconstruct. We are at sea today - a glorious sunny day. What a difference the sun makes after having 4 days of relative gloom. The past two days have been great. There are 95 passengers on board. 54 Americans and 41 from 10 other countries. We are a wonderfully congenial group. Youngest is a junior in college and I guess the oldest are in their 80s. Mostly 60-65 range but quite a few younger adults.

 

We stayed at the Caesar Park for 2 nights pre-cruise and we loved it. One day we got bikes and rode the length of the two beaches and definitely prefered Ipanema to Copacabana. Had two great meals - Mio's and Satyircon.

 

FYI, Walter Berg is our captain, Donatas our maitre d and Linda replaced Richard as our activities director 2-3 days ago while he started his vacation. As a veteran of SeaDream II times 2, imagine my surprise when I saw Sean H. standing on deck! Although it has been 4 years since I saw him, I was greeted with a big welcome back hug . . how's that for a good memory?? He is a two month replacement for . . ??? I don't know, but I'm sure the faithful out there do. So Linda and Sean are just learning the ropes of this itinerary.

 

Some of the passengers are disappointed thinking that this itinerary would be much like the Caribbean. The water is defintiely not Caribbean blue and it was ICY in Rio. But we have had some nice swims the further south we go. Odd, eh? Yesterday was our Champagne Splash in Porto Bela. Great fun.

 

I can't remember what else I wrote in my previous post. Oh yes, we've had cocktails in the salon every night and dinner in the dining room. I think that has to do with the weather, but I heard we will have dinner up top tomorrow - in Punta del Este. I do miss the evenings at the Top of the Yacht though.

 

If I think of anything else I missed, I will add more later. In the meantime, keep dreaming about SeaDream. It's just a wonderful as it was back in 2002.

 

Liz

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for the post Liz!

 

I guess I would have been one of those passengers who thought the itinerary would mean weather like the Caribbean:eek:

 

What has been your favorite port so far?

[ctbjr1309]

Thanks so much for the report. Glad to hear that all is well. We're pleased that you're enjoying your trip as that augurs well for those of us who board in less than 2 weeks. Looking forward to seeing Capt. Berg and catching up with Linda, Sean, Donatus, et al very soon. Would greatly appreciate any other tips you care to share before we head down to Rio. Thanks again.

[emckeeve]

We are rocking and rolling today. Last night they set up dinner on deck and about 6 PM a downburst of wind (the captain likened it to a tornado at sea) shattered all the glassware. Needless to say, we had dinner inside. After a perfectly calm day at sea, around midnight, we really started to rock. The waves outside are incredible . . they really look like a disaster movie. We had a note under our door just now that we are 7 hours behind, the ports of Punta del Este and even Montvideo are closed, so I guess we will just ride it out at sea. The poor captain, and the poor passengers with weak stomachs. Right now it's a great adventure, but we haven't ventured outside our cabin yet. I don't even hear the crew out and about yet.

 

As far as our favorite port, Disney Jen, it's hard to say. Inclement weather always flavors your feelings . . but we did enjoy the colonial town of Parati and the small beach where we anchored . . .Ilha Gipioa . . for a morning swim. It was similar to Jost Van Dyke, but smaller and no other establishments. Loved seeing the sights in Rio despite being disappointed at not seeing the magestic views from Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer due to clouds and fog. The weather has been as crazy here as in other parts of the world so we're told. Richard told us that our day in Buzios, which was cloudy, was the only time it wasn't pouring rain so far this season.

 

Wish us luck and we rock and roll today.

[DisneyJen]

Here's to hoping that Mother Nature becomes more cooperative as the day goes on Liz! That is wild about the downburst ... I can't imagine.

 

Ginger tea works wonders if you need something to calm the tummy (I speak from experience:rolleyes:)

 

Excellent point about the weather and its impact on how one feels about a port. Rio is on my list of places to see ... and Ilha Gipioa sounds wonderful.

 

Thanks for posting!

[emckeeve]

It has calmed down, but we are still rolling quite a bit. Everyone seems to be up and about and taking it in stride. We are headed straight for Buenos Aries and will miss Punta del Este today. That's fine with everyone as long as we get to BA in time for our plane to Iguazu Falls tomorrow morning. The captain has been wonderful in keeping us informed and said we should calm down when we round the point into the river heading to BA later this afternoon or evening. He's keeping a slow pace in order to smooth the ride. Breakfast and lunch in the dining room. That's a first for me.

[emckeeve]

It has calmed down, but we are still rolling quite a bit. Everyone seems to be up and about and taking it in stride. We are headed straight for Buenos Aries and will miss Punta del Este today. That's fine with everyone as long as we get to BA in time for our plane to Iguazu Falls tomorrow morning. The captain has been wonderful in keeping us informed and said we should calm down when we round the point into the river heading to BA later this afternoon or evening. He's keeping a slow pace in order to smooth the ride. Breakfast and lunch in the dining room. That's a first for me.