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Place the cursor over the photos to read the
descriptions; if you click on any of the thumbnail pictures,
the full-sized photo will open in a pop up screen. Please note
full sized photos may take a moment to load. |
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Page 2 of 8 |
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Page 2 of 8 |
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On this
cruise, I am accompanied by my friend Teun Wim (two first
names, one person) - or TW as most non-Dutch speaking
individuals call him. Our pre-cruise excitement rises as
a courier delivers the cruise documents - a handsome leather
binder with all the necessary information that makes us
looking forward to our SeaDream experience even more. |
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Tickets
please! |
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On Saturday,
October 20 we hop on an Alitalia Airbus for the two-hour
flight to Rome. From there, we take the train to Civitavecchia
where we find SeaDream I all dressed up and ready to go. But
where is the crew? |
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Busy shipping
scene at Civitavecchia |
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Then out of thin
air a staff member shows up, asking us to drop off our luggage
in a container, stop by security and then head for the
gangway. |
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We are
welcomed aboard by a shivering officer out on the Pool Deck.
With a freezing northerly gale blowing, we are quickly ushered
inside to the Main Salon. Here, we hand in our passports and
tickets. And we are done!
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Ship's
Security system |
Beautiful main stairwell |
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Without any
official boarding card or even a cabin key, we position
ourselves in the Main Salon, where we are served champagne and
hors d'oevres and check out our fellow yachters.
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Reception
Salon |
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When we feel the
bubbles making our way to our heads, we leave the Main Salon
and find a small army of giggling Philippine stateroom
stewardesses positioned in the Reception Salon. Charming Zarah introduces herself as our stateroom
stewardess and accompanies
us to stateroom 404, our home away from home for the next
week.
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Reception
Salon |
Boutique |
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The trek to
our stateroom is a short one. We go up one
deck, turn left and there we are.... |
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"How would
you like to have your name embroidered on your pajamas?" seems
like a rather odd first question.
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Deck 4
corridor |
Champagne please! |
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But then SeaDream is
the only line that gives all their yachters a
custom-made pajama on their first night on board. The next
night, there might be a rose on your pillow. Or chocolate
covered strawberries on the table. |
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Our Yacht Club
Stateroom - # 404 |
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Even
without the gifts, our Yacht Club stateroom immediately feels
like home away from home. Smaller than the suites on more
contemporary
deluxe ships, they miss some of the creature comforts we have
come to enjoy. For one, none of the staterooms on SeaDream I
have private balconies. The bathroom is very cramped. And the
beds are short and narrow. |
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Excellent
sound system
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Bulgari bath amenities |
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But what the
stateroom lacks in hardware, it more than makes up in
software. Cabin service is unobtrusive and efficient. Fragrant Bulgari bathroom amenities line the marble-lined power shower
and the flat screen TV comes equipped with a separate DVD
player and CD player with surround sound. Wardrobe space is
more than sufficient for a seven-day voyage. |
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Cramped
bathroom |
Power
shower |
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If I'm
honest I will not miss a private balcony as the
open deck is just 25 steps away, as are most other
shipboard facilities. |
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First night
gift: personalized pajamas! |
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In keeping
with the ultra-deluxe image, one would of course expect
Belgian linens, plush towels and 24-hour room service. And as
an integral part of the line's all-inclusive concept, each
stateroom has its own bar with 'refreshments', i.e. beer,
water and soft drinks that are replenished daily. And see, our Zarah quickly picks up on our 'refreshment' habits and after day 2,
Coke Light and mineral water are ever-present in our stateroom bar. |
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