SeaDream Yacht Club, a small entrepreneurial company, set up shop in August 2001 and a month later took possession of two luxury ships originally known as the Sea Goddess I and II. The line offers “ultra-luxury cruises on mega-yachts,” and potential cruisers need only look to see who’s in charge here to get an idea of what’s in store for them. The owner of SeaDream is Norwegian industrialist Atle Brynestad, at one time the largest shareholder of the old Royal Viking Line and the founder, in 1987, of Seabourn Cruise Line. Chairman, CEO and co-owner is Larry Pimentel, who worked for Brynestad as the president of Seabourn. That luxury line is now owned by Carnival Corp., which sold the two 116-passenger ships to Brynestad and Pimentel.
Now named SeaDream I and II, the vessels were gorgeously transformed.
SeaDream promotes its style of cruising as “yacht-like” with a “resort-casual” dress code (read: no formalwear required) and upscale cuisine and amenities. “We are not a cruise line” is the mantra repeated by top executives who also tout the hallmarks of the vessels: “unstructured and free-form.” That means itineraries are somewhat flexible, allowing the captain to linger in a port if passengers wish or to depart early if rain spoils plans. Beverages, shore excursions and tips are included in the cruise fare. Seating is open for meals, and caviar and champagne are always available — even in the surf during beach visits.
The Fleet
Two identical vessels, the 110-passenger, 4,260-ton SeaDream I and II, were built in 1984 and 1985 but underwent renovations - SeaDream II in January 2002 and SeaDream I in April 2002. Since then, ships have undergone regular refreshenings to ensure quality maintenance though no new major features have been introduced since the first massive refurbishments.
Capacity was reduced a bit, to 110 passengers max, because a few large suites were added. The ships have no private balconies because the vessels were built before they became standard features and frankly, they’re not really missed. There’s so much deck space that there’s plenty of room for passengers to find a nook or cranny outdoors. And cabins, which mostly feature portholes, have been so beautifully decorated (with high tech toys, luxurious bedding, and a bathroom with a shower-for-two), are genuinely cozy and welcoming.
SeaDream is aggressively pursuing the lucrative corporate and incentive charter markets, but will designate one ship primarily for those groups and the other for individual passengers. If nearly every aspect of SeaDream is a plus this is potentially one minus: more than occasionally, the line will cancel a regular sailing if a charter gets booked — and it can throw off vacation plans of individual cruise travelers. On the other hand, if you have 100 or so close friends who can all chip in for a group cruise — what a blast!
Onboard
Casual, sophisticated and unpretentious, the SeaDream experience is highlighted by outstanding service, delicious cuisine and little of that “you must be here now” traditional cruise sensibility. If, rather oddly, there’s a reluctance to serve room service in cabins, passengers can order items from a comprehensive menu to be delivered anywhere else on board — and caviar, with all the trimmings, enjoyed poolside is a treat.
There’s no dress code — though plan on elegant casual by day and, well, casually elegant by night. All meals are open seating and there are many tables for two — which makes SeaDream a terrific choice for the romantically inclined. On the other hand, the ship’s intimate size fosters a lovely community it’s very easy to meet others.
SeaDream is one of the more all-inclusive lines in cruising so beverages, including cocktails, gratuities, activities such as equipment offered at the water sports platform and DVDs for in-cabin viewing, are part of the fare. You will shell out for treatments at the small but well appointed spa, super premium liquors and wines, shore excursions and…well, that’s all we can think of!
Fellow Passengers
What passengers tend to have in common is the fact that they’re well-heeled, well-traveled, sophisticated — and laid back. Age spans the gamut between 30s and infinity.Most of the cruises are seven nights in length which is good for those for whom vacation time is at a premium. For those who want longer voyages, SeaDream’s varying port of call schedules make SeaDream an attractive option for a back-to-back cruise,
Itineraries
The two ships spend warm weather months in Europe (offering varying voyages to the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Mediterranean and a combination of both). Both are in the Caribbean during the winter season.
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