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Seadream Yacht Club Seadream I Cruising Review
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Embarkation Day Sunday, April 02, 2006
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Embarkation Day
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Bluebeards Castle
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The morning of the second day of April was sunny and warm. All hints of poor weather were gone.
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Check-out at Bluebeards
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Castle Wall
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Since there's a heavy penalty for late check-out, we checked out early, before the 10:00 a.m. deadline. We stored our luggage at the front desk (they have a holding room for luggage) and ventured out to see some of the port before our embarkation time in the afternoon.
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Breakfast
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Taco Fiesta
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We tried walking down the hill to the port, but there were literally no sidewalks for a good portion of the dangerous road. St. Thomas is known for it's lake of walking friendly roads - and alot of walking tourists (from the cruise ships) get injured every year from vehicles in this crowed city. We finally gave up walking and took a open air cab (truck with bench seats) to Taco Fiesta for brunch. Taxi was $4.00 each. Taco Fiesta had very good Latin food.
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Dockside
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Megayacht
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St. Thomas has a wide array of really nice yachts anchored and at the quay in Charlotte Amalie.
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Walking Along the Docks
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Dockside
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The concrete pier has a nice wide walkway all along most of the port, where you'll see large yachts like this one.
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Paradise Point
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Cablecar
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After brunch at Taco Fiesta and a walk to see the megayachts, we took a taxis ($4.00 each) to the base of Paradise Point.
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Cablecar
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Cablecar Ticket
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The base of Paradise Point is just a few blocks from the cruise ship pier. It's $18.00 per person for a round-trip ride to the top and back. There is also a steep road you can drive up (or jog up if you have lots of energy).
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West Indian Company Cruise Ship Dock
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Havensight
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The tramway ride is about 10 minutes and gives you a spectacular view of the West Indian Company Cruise Ship Dock and Havensight Mall. The mall is for the thousands of cruise ship patrons as well as the crews of the ships. You'll find all types of shops here, as well as internet cafes. Seadream I is docked all the way to the right in this photo.
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Views
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Cruise Ships
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Another view of Havensight and the port with the huge cruise ships. There is a bar/restaurant at the top of Paradise Point with live music usually in the afternoon and evening. Sunsets from here are great. We had a few drinks then ventured back to Bluebeards via taxi to get our luggage and go to the dock.
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Seadream I
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Embarkation
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After a slight wait, we boarded the ship, Seadream I at 2:10 p.m. in the afternoon. No point in getting there before their stated boarding time - there are no early boardings. You'll end up waiting outside the dock until your published boarding time.
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Boarding
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Boarding Pass
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After you give them your passports for safekeeping, and your major credit card for onboard expenses, you are issued boarding passes which you need to keep with you when you exit the ship.
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Welcome Aboard
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Champagne Welcome
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As soon as you step foot aboard the ship, you're greeted by the Captain and heads of staff, along with a cool moist towel and a glass of champagne to start the voyage off right. There's nothing more exciting that embarkation - you're about to start a voyage after a great deal of anticipation. It's even better if you're coming from the colder climates in the winter or spring break. It's the smells of the salt air, the musty humid tropics and the glistening clean ship that keep you coming back for more every year.
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We had stateroom 415 and our Stewardess was Tesse - whom we had the year before. It was like meeting an old friend. She greeted us with a warm smile, and a welcome back.
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More champagne awaits you in your compact, but comfortable sitting area.
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Ship cabins are small but functional. I find the chairs useless, and they take up valuable room.
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The desk area has data ports for your computer (internet access is a extra fee), phone ($15 a minute), flat screen Sharp Aquos, and a mini-fridge.
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Exploring the Ship
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Ships Pool - Aft
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After we unpacked, we explored the ship. Since we were on her the previous year, we knew our way around, and headed up to the bar for some drinks.
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Bar
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Top of the Yacht Bar
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At 4:00 p.m. there was a port talk and 5:00 p.m. mandatory lifeboat drill. By 6:30 p.m. we were in the Jacuzzi sipping on some chilled Corona's.
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Top of the Yacht Bar
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Top Deck
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The Top of the Yacht Bar is generally were people gather for mid-afternoon cocktails, sunset drinks and after dinner gatherings.
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Evening Dining
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Dinner
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Dinner was a wonderful beef tenderloin. The food aboard the Seadream is the best I've had on any cruise. If you don't want to try new menu fares, order the tenderloin or beef filet every night - that is what I did. Of course you can mix and match entree's and menu items are a-la carte so you still get great sampling of what the fantastic chef has to offer on a nightly basis.
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Daily program for the ship. In .pdf format.
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Laundry prices. In .pdf format.
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Ships route for this voyage. In .pdf format.
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Land and sea tours off the ship. In .pdf format.
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Ships onboard TV guide. In .pdf format.
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Welcome aboard letter from the staff. In .pdf format.
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Welcome aboard port letter. In .pdf format.
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You notices are located on the desk when you arrive to your stateroom.
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Cruising
and Booking Information Resources
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Travel Agent:
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Global Energy Travel Services
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PO BOX 5617, Madison, WI 53705
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Contact
Info:
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Greg Giese
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TEL: (608) 238-6001
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FAX: (240) 525-2445
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EMAIL:
greg@cruisingreview.com
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Website:
www.CruisingReview.com
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For Megayacht Charter, please visit our website at JetSetCruise.com
Cruising Review also offers luxury cruising on Bora Bora Cruises.
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For Avalon European River Cruises, please visit our website at Avalon River Cruises
Cruising Review also offers luxury cruising on European River Cruises offered by Avalon.
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Cruise Line
Info:
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SeaDream Yacht Club
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2601 South Bayshore Drive, Penthouse1B, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133
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Contact
Info:
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Tel: 800-707-4911
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305-631-6100
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Fax: 305-631-6110
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EMAIL:
info@seadreamyachtclub.com
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Website:
http://seadreamyachtclub.com
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Please support CruisingReview.com by sending Seadream Yacht Club an email, telling them your thoughts of our website. It takes only a minute, and lets the cruise line know that we're out there.
Please email:
info@seadreamyachtclub.com.com
Attn: Headquarters - Seadream Yacht Club
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For Megayacht Charter, please visit our website at http://www.jetsetcruise.com - Cruising Review also offers luxury cruising on Bora Bora Cruises.
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