Cruise Travel
September 1, 2006
Not Only In Your Dreams

A welcome departure from the sea of homogenous mega-ships plying the well-trodden routes of the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, SeaDream Yacht Club offers what few other lines do these days: small ships. The line’s two yacht-like vessels, the SeaDream I and SeaDream II, have just 55 staterooms a piece and rarely carry more than 110 passengers. Nearly as many crew, a total of 92, focus on offering guests fine cuisine and personal service. The open bar and playful amenities ala wave runners, MP3 players, a golf simulator, watersports platform, hammocks and wide Balinese sun beds on deck round out the indulgent amenities and appealingly casual vibe of a SeaDream voyage. As cruise ships in the rest of the universe grow ever larger, louder and gimmicky, the SeaDream yachts are a refreshing reminder of what travel used to be like for many people: intimate, exclusive and a touch adventurous. Fares are all-inclusive and cover wine and spirits as well as gratuities, and typically range anywhere from about $2,400 to $7,500 per person per week, depending on the itinerary and season.

On a SeaDream cruise last fall in the Caribbean, I fell in love with the slow and easy pace. Ordering jumbo shrimp cocktail and having it brought to the hot tub was easy to get used to. So was never having to queue up when getting on and off the ship in port and the sheer luxury of traveling with a small group of passengers and a huge complement of crew. Dining was a high point and in lieu of the standard entertainment shtick the big ships offer, on SeaDream it’s mostly background music and socializing over drinks and under a starry sky at the open-air Top of the Yacht bar. An impressive spa is staffed by a team of eight and both Asian and Western style treatments are offered; bookings can be pre-reserved online via the line’s website or by going directly to www.seadreamspa.com..

SeaDream Yacht Club came into being five years ago when Norwegian entrepreneur Atle Brynestad, who founded Seabourn Cruise Line, bought the pair of Sea Goddess ships from Carnival Corp., who had operated them as part of the Cunard fleet. In no time, company chairman Brynestad embarked on a complete renovation of the ships from stem to stern with the input and guidance of SeaDream’s co-owner, president and CEO, Larry Pimentel. As the former CEO of Cunard and Seabourn, Pimentel is a highly regarded and recognized expert in the luxury end of the cruise biz, and for SeaDream, he’s helped build a successful high-end niche line. SeaDream caters to a predominately 40s- and 50s-something crowd attracted to the cushy, yet casual mostly 7-night jaunts to some of the more off-beat yacht ports in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Dalmatian Coast, Black Sea, and starting in November of this year, South America too.

Unlike the Sea Goddess ships, which offered a more staid experience, their new incarnation as the fun and hip Sea Dream twins is geared to the epicurean traveler who craves the good life without the shackles of formality and stuffiness. The dress code is casual (on a recent cruise, passengers’ interpretation of the informal dress code at dinner ranged from a classic navy blue sport jacket to Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt) and the focus is on being outside on deck, whether it’s sunbathing, swimming, drinking, dining or watching a new port unfold through one of the high-powered binoculars set up on deck. The ships carry aboard wave runners for use when the ships are at anchor, and when they dock (which is mostly in Europe), mountain bikes and even Segway Human Transporters (which can be rented for $49 for 45 minutes).

The ships are aimed at active, hands-on passengers who like to play hard, but also expect to be pampered.
Deck stewards polish guests’ sunglasses, hand out cold scented face clothes, mist passengers with cool water on hot days, and serve tasty treats every afternoon, the likes of a fresh fruit kebab, mini ice cream and strawberry gazpacho, according to Christophe Cornu, executive hotel manager, for SeaDream. In fact, for many passengers, the food is the highlight of a SeaDream cruise.

“Our chefs have worked in some of the best restaurants in Europe and over the years have developed a fantastic array of signature dishes that will be featured in an upcoming SeaDream cuisine book,” says Cornu, adding the team takes pride in fulfilling special requests. “If needed, the chef will go into local food markets to purchase a guest’s favorite fish, cheese or berry. We are proud to offer personalized service when it comes to special requests. Every plate is made a la minute.”

The ships’ two dining choices are the elegant Dining Salon on deck 2 for dinner daily, or outside at the more casual open-air Topside Restaurant on deck 5 for breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner many nights. Both offer a handful of tables for two, but most seat four, six or eight guests, and you can saunter in any time between 7:30 and 9:30pm for dinner. You’ll be seated with other guests unless you want to wait for an available two top.

Tasty snacks offered throughout the day at the pool and Topside buffet area include wraps, mini sandwiches and cookies. Late afternoons, waiters typically circulate by the pool with trays of refreshments, like Bloody Marys and homemade mini pizzas. Complimentary jumbo shrimp can be ordered anytime, anywhere, and for caviar lovers, a one-ounce portion goes for $32. Unless of course it’s the day of the lavish Champagne and Caviar Splash beach party; on Caribbean itineraries it’s thrown on Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda. Guests are tendered ashore by zodiacs to a quiet beach, where chaise lounges are set up on the sand and a rustic pavilion offers a buffet lunch. Just about every soul on the ship eagerly awaits the moment when the hotel manager and his assistants wade into the surf with their uniforms on and serve champagne and caviar from a floating surfboard. It’s goofy --- in a good way --- and the ultra popular party has everyone happily treading through the water to partake of a glass (or two or three) of bubbly and a dollop of caviar, reveling in the wonderful frivolity of it. Lunch is served on long tables (with linens and china) and includes dishes like grilled shrimp and chicken, pork ribs, and plenty of side dishes.

If there is a best of both worlds --- cushy and high class coupled with fun and active --- SeaDream seems to offer it. And doting service is a big part of the SeaDream secret.

“On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being perfect) the average guest rates specifically our staff service standard at 9.88,” Pimentel says.

”The key people are still here after five years and have made the SeaDream product unique in the cruise industry,” says Cornu, adding many guests return because SeaDream feels like family. “They know their stewardess, the bar team and their waiter,” he says, and the staff knows the guests. “We have a system for recording guests’ preferences and they’re acknowledged when they return on board.”

The typical SeaDream guest gets around and knows a classy operation from a wannabe.

”Our clientele is made up of well traveled customers who pay attention to table settings, artwork, flowers arrangements and vitrines,“ says Cornu, adding guests often want to buy the tableware, especially the handmade crystal show plates from Hadeland in Norway. Other top brands on board include the Norwegian company Porsgrund who supplies the ships’ custom designed china patterns.

In the staterooms, bathrooms are stocked with Bulgari bath products, and the sitting areas have entertainment centers with flat screen TVs with CD/DVD players that are wired for Internet access. As ships built in the mid 1980s, there are no balconies; but benefits that do come with age include real wood cabinetry and molding in the staterooms. Combined with blue and white fabrics, the result is an appealing nautical look. At 195 square feet, standard cabins are a bit bigger than Windstar’s, and about 100 square feet smaller than those of Seabourn, Silversea, and Regent Seven Seas. Still, there is plenty of storage space, plus a mini fridge stocked with sodas and beer (though booze from any of the bars and restaurants is included in the rates, oddly enough if you wanted liquor for your mini bar you’ll have to pay for it). Bathrooms are compact, as you might expect on ships of this size, but feature huge marble showers with glass doors. High-quality bed linens are from Belgium, and guests get extra thick bathrobes for use throughout the cruise, plus personalized cotton pajamas with the SeaDream logo to take home. Unlike Silversea and Seabourn, the 24-hour room service menu is limited to salads and sandwiches, you cannot order from the restaurant menus.

Not content to rest on its laurels, the line recently introduced some new twists to its product. In November of this year, SeaDream will introduce 9-night South America itineraries on the SeaDream I between Rio de Janiero and Buenos Aires, and roundtrip out of Buenos Aires.

“We are excited and pleased about offering the most in-depth luxury itineraries in the region,” Pimentel says.

Calls include stops at exotic ports in Uruguay, from the city of Montevideo to the yachting resort of Punta del Este, and in Brazil, the towns of Buzios, Parati, Ilhabela and Porto Belo.

“South America is booking very well and ahead of anticipated numbers,” Pimentel said at press time. “Clearly a strong interest exists from North America and especially from Europe,” adding that European guests will make up nearly 35% of passengers on the South America cruises.

Across all of their itineraries, Pimentel says their largest overall client base is the United States, Canada and Latin America, which represent 73% of guests. He expects to see more Latin Americans and Australians in the mix going forward.

For 2007, a host of new ports is on the agenda. In Greece, the ships will call at Molyvos on Lesvos, Pythagorion on Samos, Naousso on Paros and the island of Paxoi.

“The Greek islands are ideal for our super-yacht style product,” Pimentel says. “We are always looking for small, out-of-the-way interesting ports to visit; ports the big ships simply don’t go to.” Pimentel credits the itinerary planning to Senior Director Claudius Docekal, formerly with Orient Express and INTRAV.

SeaDream will also be visiting Kotor in Montenegro and there will be more cruises out of Venice to smaller ports in Croatia. The line’s first voyages to Libya will be offered in October, 2008. In the Caribbean, Pimentel says the line will offer more visits to Montserrat, St. Barts and the islands of Puerto Rico.

Pimentel stresses that “the SeaDream experience is constantly evolving.” Though no specifics were offered at presstime, a company spokesman said some small-scale refurbishments are planned for the ships’ next dry docks in October 2006 (SeaDream II) and April 2007 (SeaDream I).

Other recent news includes theme cruises, the first one featuring performances by Grammy award-winning acoustic guitar legend Earl Klugh on a Caribbean cruise in April.

“SeaDream has more theme cruises in its future,” Pimentel says. “The Earl Klugh voyage and our ability and success in chartering SeaDream I and II, lays the foundation for a bright theme-cruise future.”

The size of the ships lends itself to intimate gatherings. The vessels are often chartered by corporate meetings and incentive groups as well as individual private families.

“From a business perspective our individual family charter business has grown beyond our expectations,” Pimentel says. “These were frequently guests who traveled with SeaDream as an individual or small family group and now take the entire yacht. This business is emerging in a big way.”

He says a charter client can customize nearly everything, from itineraries to special onboard activities and a complete redo of the ships’ interior. “We have seen it all,” Pimentel says. “One guest had all of our art work removed in favor of family photos for her husbands 40th birthday. Another covered the pool and hired a band to perform.”
Besides a few gripes about slow Internet speed on board, Pimentel said the only other concern they really hear is that guests would like to see more inventory and capacity. “We have limited inventory just like a unique boutique hotel.”

There’s no question that SeaDream truly occupies a special place within an industry overwhelmed by gigantic ships carrying 2,000 to 4,000 passengers, and more.

“Great profits can also be made when you are small, unique, intimate and driven,” Pimentel says. “To some people, small is still beautiful!”

SeaDream Yacht Club, 2601 South Bayshore Drive, Miami, Florida 33133 (tel. 800/707-4911 or www.seadreamyachtclub.com)