Luxury Cruise Report: Update & Trends

Wednesday, March, 5, 2008

by Ralph Grizzle

Across the luxury cruise segment, suppliers are ordering new ships, marshaling additional capacity for world cruises and gearing up their ships in ways that appeal to those who previously never had the time for extended luxury cruises. A sampling of what's coming: The world cruise market appears to have [...]

Just Dreamy

Monday, June, 18, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

This is Ralph Grizzle, editor of The Avid Cruiser magazine. In preceding posts and podcasts, I've talked about cruising back-to-back on four ships during the month of May. It was an incredible experience. After disembarking Emerald Princess in Venice, I flew to Barcelona to board one of the cruise industry's smallest [...]

Simply The Best?

Tuesday, May, 29, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

After sailing on SeaDream II, I'm better qualified to answer the question I posed at the outset of my cruise, and that was: How do SeaDream's twin yachts, both more than 20 years old, outperform all others --at least to readers of Conde Nast [...]

Fun At The Marina

Monday, May, 28, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

Whether you're up for a bumpy Banana Boat ride or skimming the seas on waterskis, the watersports activities are a big part of the SeaDream experience. You can spend an afternoon of play on a Waverunner or speed away on a Zodiac. All of these activities and more are [...]

Captain’s Hike

Saturday, May, 26, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

One of the unique programs that SeaDream Yacht Club offers is the Captain's Hike. SeaDream II Captain Terje Willassen is an outdoor enthusiast. He walks, he hikes, he cycles. And you'll certainly get the heart pumping when accompanying Captain Willassen. He tries to lead two or more activities [...]

SeaDream II’s Staterooms

Friday, May, 25, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

  Step into stateroom 403 before I clutter it. There are 55 staterooms, and all have been updated on this 20-plus-year-old ship. Staterooms feature flat-panel televsions, DVD player, Sony entertainment system with CD. A selection of DVDs and CDs are available for use free of charge from the concierge [...]

SeaDream’s Smaller Ports

Thursday, May, 24, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

One of the advantages of small passenger ships - not only SeaDream I & II, but all small passenger ships - is the ability to call on small ports. For passengers, small ports often lead to more authentic travel experiences ashore - not to mention less-crowded [...]

St. Tropez: Shopping With The Chefs

Wednesday, May, 23, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

It's not the only program of its kind (Seabourn and some other small cruise lines have similar offerings), but SeaDream's "Crew Shoreside Casual" in St. Tropez certainly was one of the most entertaining crew-led tours I've experienced.

Nearly the entire ship turned out to join [...]

SeaDream Yacht Club: World’s Best Travel Experience?

Tuesday, May, 22, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

In 2006, readers of Conde Nast Traveler ranked SeaDream Yacht Club as one of the top 100 travel experiences worldwide. In fact, SeaDream was the only cruise company to be included in the listing. The other 99 winners were all hotels and resorts. Additionally, readers [...]

SeaDream Yacht Club: Interview With Larry Pimentel

Wednesday, May, 2, 2007

by Ralph Grizzle

You may not have heard of SeaDream Yacht Club. Operating two small ships, the company only got its start in September of 2001, an inauspicious time for any company to be making its debut - especially a travel company. But here we are six years later, and the small Miami-based cruise [...]