Rio - Buenos Aires; Jan. 25- Feb. 3

[ctbjr1309]

Well, I guess it's time to start a new thread. First of all, I must thank emckeeve for paving the way for us and for the many excellent tips that she provided along the way.

 

We left home Tuesday afternoon and flew to Rio via Atlanta. We were on time all the way and arrived in Rio fortunately just ahead of the Air France 747 from Paris. As a result we retrieved our luggage and were out of the extraordinarily busy Rio airport in no more than an hour.

 

As an aside I had one experience in the airport that brought home to me why we keep returning to SeaDream. We were part of a group of 13 passengers on our Delta flight that had arranged for a bus transfer from the airport to our hotel (the Copacabana Palace). As we were walking toward the bus, I heard an unfamiliar voice calling my name. I looked around and lo and behold it was one of the ladies who works the Concierge desk on SD1. She had also just arrived in Rio and was heading for the ship. She recognized me (I did have on a SD polo shirt but she also remembered my name) from our trip last July on SD1. Can't imagine that I'm that memorable but who knows....

 

After recovering from the shock of being recognized in the airport, we found our bus and got to the hotel about 10:30 AM. We had to wait a couple hours for our rooms to be ready but that allowed us to test the limits of our charge cards by buying lunch. After a while, our rooms were ready and we headed in that direction.

 

After showers and naps, we and another couple took a taxi to Ipanema and a restaurant recommended by our guide and the hotel concierge called Satyricon. A wonderful (and expensive) seafood restaurant that we all enjoyed. Others from our group dined at Cipriani, the Italian restaurant at the hotel, and their reviews were very positive.

 

Thursday morning Mrs. ctbjr felt the need to do some jewelry shopping while I packed and dealt with accumulated email. After the damage had been done, we met up with another couple who had arrived that morning (we met them on Istanbul-Athens cruise last summer and convinced them to join us for this trip) and had lunch out by the pool. Thursday was the first very sunny day that Rio has experienced in quite some time. It was also very hot.

 

After lunch, we made our way to the port and saw SD1 awaiting our arrival so we knew that all was well. Walking through the port building we first saw Linda Mueller, Club and Activities Director and then Sean Heaney, Hotel Manager, so we knew that we were surely back home.

 

We were welcomed aboard by Capt. Berg and all other guests were handed a chilled glass of champagne. For some reason I was handed a bottle of my favorite beer (only on SD) by Sean who seemed to be appalled that I was drinking a glass of water at the time.

 

We had more drinks and hors' douvres in the Lounge and were shown to our stateroom by Jeannette, our stewardess, where we found all to be in order including just the right drinks in the refrigerator and plenty of champagne and beer iced down throughout the room.

 

At that point, I logged onto the CC board to read the post indicating that all future South American cruises had been cancelled. After confirming that we were in fact going to sail to Buenos Aires, rather than San Juan or St. Thomas, we were ready to relax.

 

We successfully concluded the life boat drill and then joined our friends in the lounge to hear Linda's introductory presentation and then made our way to dinner, which was excellent as usual. Sudesh is Chef and Garfield Pastry Chef. I have to say that the Grand Marnier souffle' and glass of Grand Marnier was the perfect way to end a perfect meal.

 

We made a call home (at $.02 per minute thanks to Skype) and then headed to the Top of the Yacht bar for a nightcap. We were pleased to discover Julien bartending up there. He was with us on the SD2 crossing from Tenerife to San Juan in November. Also, the famous "other" Christophe was working up there. I don't think we've met him previously but we'll certainly be good friends after this trip!

 

We had a 7:30 AM wake up call this morning as we had scheduled a tour by van today, leaving at 9 AM (so we'd be back in time for lunch) and after a quick breakfast in the room, we were off. We made the trek to the Christ statue and then had time to do a bit of jewelry shopping (ladies) and beer drinking (guys) in Ipanema prior to heading back to the ship.

 

We did make it back in time for lunch and after that our group dispersed until cocktail and dinner time.

 

So far, we're having a perfectly typical and excellent SeaDream experience. Lots of friendly and familiar crew members, all with the usual smiles and greetings every time we see them.

 

It was hot yesterday and today in Rio. Probably 90 degrees or so. Looking forward to heading south for perhaps slightly cooler weather. Tonight we sail away at 11 PM and tomorrow we arrive in Buzios (sounds like my kind of place!) at 10 AM or so. Looking forward to a nice relaxing trip.

 

That's it for now. I'm open for questions (DJ) and will continue to try to post our thoughts and impressions at least daily.

[DisneyJen]

double post

[DisneyJen]

...As we were walking toward the bus, I heard an unfamiliar voice calling my name. I looked around and lo and behold it was one of the ladies who works the Concierge desk on SD1. She had also just arrived in Rio and was heading for the ship. She recognized me (I did have on a SD polo shirt but she also remembered my name) from our trip last July on SD1. Can't imagine that I'm that memorable but who knows....

 

...Also, the famous "other" Christophe was working up there. I don't think we've met him previously but we'll certainly be good friends after this trip!...

 

That's it for now. I'm open for questions (DJ) and will continue to try to post our thoughts and impressions at least daily.

 

Now ctbjr those of us who know you always say you are unforgettable:p Imagine the comments DH received while wearing his SD hat on Brand X (Seabourn).

 

Tell the Mrs. if she lays in my Bali bed and orders grand mimosas and Pelligrino young Christophe will think it is me:eek: Please pass our regards on to him!

 

And now for the questions ...

 

How full is the ship? How have the seas been so far?

 

You almost made be cry when you mentioned Grand Marnier souffle and chaser!

[DisneyJen]

Triple post

[ctbjr1309]

Now ctbjr those of us who know you always say you are unforgettable:p Imagine the comments DH received while wearing his SD hat on Brand X (Seabourn).

 

Tell the Mrs. if she lays in my Bali bed and orders grand mimosas and Pelligrino young Christophe will think it is me:eek: Please pass our regards on to him!

 

And now for the questions ...

 

How full is the ship? How have the seas been so far?

 

You almost made be cry when you mentioned Grand Marnier souffle and chaser!

 

Ouch. I wrote a long reply, clicked on the wrong button and I'm bach here again.

 

I'm surprised if I'm unforgettable but will not comment further. I"m very impressed with your DH that he'd wear a SD hat on Brand X. He's my hero!!

 

Mrs. CTBjr will not be ordering mimosas and pelligrinos so you won't be confused with her. I'll pass along your regards however to Christophe # 2.

 

The ship is full with 94 passengers and 92 crew. No feeling though of too many passengers. It's now 1 AM and we only started sailing at 11:30 PM so no complaints yet. Check with us in a day or two.

 

Incidentally, there were no souffles tonight. We had Garfield's chocolate fondant which is absolutely incredible. Those of you who have had it know what I mean.

 

We were on Deck 6 at the TOY bar for sailaway from Rio tonight. It was a beautiful sight made all the more poignant by the fact that we won't have the opportunity to do this again on SD. Watching Sugar Loaf Mountain fade away into the distance really brought home to us the fact that we aren't in the Sir Francis Drake Channel this week.

 

I have to say that even though we aren't privy yet to the reasons that SD won't return to South America, we're glad we're here and had a chance to experience it SD style.

 

All for now. More tomorrow.

[ctbjr1309]

Yesterday we were in Buzios a resort town on a peninsula made famous in the 1960's by Bridget Bardot. We took the open air trolley excursion so got to see a lot of the island. Reminded us of Virgin Gorda with cactus all around and beautiful views from on high. Several people commented that the water isn't as pretty as in the Med. or the Caribbean and I guess I'll agree although to me the difference isn't particularly obvious.

 

Last night we were supposed to have dinner Topside but the weather report called for lots of wind so we ate inside. We left Buzios a bit early because of the incoming weather and had a nice smooth ride south with a following wind.

 

Today we're anchored off a very small island, Ihla Gipoia. I don't think that the ship has been there more than once or twice so it will be a bit of an adventure. We're here until 2 PM and then sail down to Parati for the late afternoon and evening.

 

So far, all is great. More later.

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for the report ctbjr!

 

Sorry to hear that it was too windy for dinner al fresco.

 

Appreciate the comparison to VG.

[emckeeve]

I'm starting to get annoyed with this board. My post just disappeared, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong! Are you having to "log in" more and more?

 

At any rate, ctbjr, I'm loving your posts and re-living our trip of January 7 step by step - from our fabulous dinner at Satyricon in Rio to the trolley tour of Buzios to a wonderful swim at that pretty little beach on Ilha Gipoia. I'm looking forward to your report on Parati and Porto Bela. How has your weather been? Aside from some sun in Rio, we had clouds until the beach party. After that it was picture perfect with blue skies and lots of sun - which made the trip to Iguazu Falls even more spectacular. I have to admit, I'm not surprised they canceled the itinerary for next year, but that makes me even more grateful that we took the trip this year. We loved it. Anxious to hear more from you. ENJOY!

[DisneyJen]

The boards have been horrible since the "upgrade":rolleyes: You are not alone emckeeve.

 

Looking forward to reading about Parati.

[ctbjr1309]

Yesterday when we left off, we were heading to the beach at Ilha Gipoa and I must say that so far that has been the highlight of the trip. A beautiful beach, warm clear water awaited us when we arrived. It reminded us of the way that Jost Van Dyke was when we first visited 15 years ago. Very quiet and not at all commercial. No bars or tee shirt shops on the beach. It was very fortunate that we thought to take a cooler with beer, champagne and water. Funny thing is that when we returned we had only water left in the cooler.

 

The beach was wonderful. We hung out in the water, chatting, drinking and enjoying the sun. We had a nice chat with a Brazilian family that was visiting the island for the day from a nearby hotel. There were lots of pleasure boats visiting the island so it's obviously a popular spot for locals.

 

We then traveled down the coast to Parati. Many people took the tour. We didn't. The general reaction from those doing the tour is that it was HOT. We went ashore briefly, did our best to navigate around the boulders constituting the street and rather quickly returned to the ship. It wasn't our favorite port but I'm sure that we didn't give it a real fair opportunity.

 

Last night, dinner was Topside. It was fine for those of us who were under cover but midway through the meal service a squall blew through that sent others down to the dining room to finish. I feel very sorry for the wait staff having to deal with that but they handled it wonderfully.

 

Today we woke up in Ilhabela after sailing since midnight last night. I felt no motion at all during the night. Ilhabela is a charming little town. Sean, the Hotel Manager, led an orientation walk around town that we had planned to join but alas we didn't quite make it. We went ashore, wandered around, contributed to the local economy by buying a couple of beers, sat at an outdoor cafe overlooking the harbor and chilled out. Back to the ship and we sailed at 1 PM for Porto Belo where we arrive tomorrow for the beach party (aka Champagne and Caviar Splash). This afternoon Mrs. ctbjr found it necessary to have two spa treatments to deal with the effects of her sunburn from yesterday. Apparently, it was a reasonable success.

 

All for now. Will report more later as developments warrant.

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for checking in ctbjr!

 

Sounds like is had been an outstanding cruise. Glad to hear that the weather and seas are cooperating.

 

Can't wait to hear how the beach party stacks up to the ones in the Caribbean.

[strawbs1]

We'll be sailing SeaDream from Buenos Aires on 2/3. Very, very interested to hear how your cruise is progressing. Reading between the lines of their press release on pulling out of South America, I detect some problems or at least hitches. Are they visible on board?

 

Strawbs1

[ctbjr1309]

We'll be sailing SeaDream from Buenos Aires on 2/3. Very, very interested to hear how your cruise is progressing. Reading between the lines of their press release on pulling out of South America, I detect some problems or at least hitches. Are they visible on board?

 

Strawbs1

 

Absolutely not. From our perspective this trip is just as good as all our previous SD cruises over the years, just in a different part of the world. My understanding is that the problems are related to behind the scenes issues not impacting the passenger experience.

[scjewels]

Hi there,

 

Love hearing all the posts. We are sailing the SD1 out of Rome june 30th.

 

My husband and I have sailed all different lines from Seabourn to Carnival and basically love all of them (maybe except for NCL Wind), I guess we just love being on the sea.

 

The other two couples that are sailing with us have only sailed on Carnival. So, can you say Bam, take it up a notch. My husband and I love to dress up, but hey we own a home in Baja, so elegant casual, flip flops tommy bahamas we love also. I guess what I'm getting at is should the gentleman bring a sportcoat? Speaking with Seadream, they say no. But, out there on the boards, would the gentleman in the crowd feel better bringing one?

 

I have read all the info and we are using Stephano in Rome. Francesco Marrapese for the Almafi Coast. We want to go up the coast along Pisa/Portofino after the cruise. Does anyone know of a good driver/tour guide?

 

After reading this I should post a new post, so we will see what happens.

 

Take care all

 

Julie

[strawbs1]

That's what I figured. Operational things that wouldn't be visible to the passengers but might wreak havoc behind the scenes in terms of docking, supplies, etc. Can't wait to get there!

 

I'm new here but have sailed practically everything but Seabourn and can only say SeaDream is far and away the best cruise experience I've ever, ever experienced. My first cruise was at 19 and I'll be turning 50 the day we board SeaDream--February 3rd--so it's been a long and enjoyable road.

 

Looking forward to getting into Cruise Critic whenever I have a few moments at work.