Day 7 Aboard SeaDream II: Jost van Dyke is Out; Peter Island is In

Last night SeaDream II was rockin' and rollin'! Personally, I love the lullaby effect—drifting to sleep as the ship rolls back and forth. Last night was a bit more intense than a gentle rocking, but not enough to be problematic.

However when the sun rose the next morning, Captain Johannes Tysse alerted us to the real problem. We were just off Jost van Dyke, BVI, where we were expecting to enjoy SeaDream's famed Caviar & Champagne Splash and beach BBQ. Unfortunately, the beach was getting buffeted by rough waves...making zodiac landings unsafe. : - (

Luckily, the Captain had a Plan B: Oceans Beach Club at Peter Island, BVI. While the beach wasn't nearly as nice as the ones at Jost van Dyke or Prickly Pear on Virgin Gorda (another beach often used for SeaDream's Caviar & Champagne Splash), it was wonderful that the BBQ wasn't cancelled! Return guests had been raving about the BBQ all week and a lot of people would have been disappointed if SeaDream II hadn't pulled it off.

Of course, these beach parties are a colossal amount of work for the crew! We watched as they loaded Zodiac after Zodiac with beach chairs and umbrellas, snorkel gear, liquor, copious amounts of caviar, and enough food to feed an army! Kudos to the entire team for making this happen week after week!

The small beach area was a haven for tiny fish and many cruisers spent time snorkeling before and after lunch. There were also two "floating islands" for guests who wanted to swim a bit further from shore. Both were terrific vantage points to watch the pelicans diving for their lunch!

Beach chairs rimmed the half moon beach (brought to shore by SeaDream II's crew). What was nice were the facilities: a lanai-style buffet area, bar, and dining room and there were restrooms on site. And, because Oceans Beach Club has a dock, we were able to tender over and avoid a wet landing via the Zodiacs.

Festivities began with the traditional Caviar & Champagne Splash. Chef de Cuisine Josselin Jeanblanc, Executive Hotel Manager Christophe Cornu, and waiter Silvio presided over the caviar while barman Mario poured champagne.

Chef de Cuisine Josselin Jeanblanc (left), Executive Hotel Manager Christophe Cornu, and waiter Silvio.

Soon after, the buffet opened and the SeaDream chefs served up a variety of tasty dishes, including:

Grilled shrimp and swordfish skewers
Pork ribs with a tangy BBQ sauce
Roast chicken on the bone
Roasted prime rib (boneless)
Hamburgers and hotdogs
Corn on the cob
Baked potatoes
Two types of pasta salad
Green salad
Several types of sandwiches
Artisan rolls and herbed butter
Brownies and cookies

Believe me... no one went hungry!

The weather wasn't on our side and we endured several downpours but it was still a lot of fun! I think every single guest made it to the beach and it capped off the cruise in the best possible way.

You'd think that no one would bother showing up at dinner later that night but we all did! We just couldn't stay away from Chef Josselin's inventive cuisine! It was the last evening of the itinerary and the Dining Salon didn't disappoint!

That evening, guests lingered over drinks and exchanged contact information with their new friends. It was hard to believe that most of us would disembark in St. Thomas in the morning!

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos courtesy of Andrea M. Rotondo and Leonard Hospidor.

Day 6 Aboard SeaDream II: St. Barths, French West Indies

We started the day at St. Barths with a rain shower that left behind a rainbow.

Several ships are in port with us today, including the brand new Silversea Silver Spirit and one of the smaller Windstar ships (either the Wind Star or Wind Spirit, I can't which tell since the ship is anchored quite far from where SeaDream II is). Last night, Windstar Wind Surf was here too as was our sister ship, SeaDream I.

We woke early and went ashore with Amy Boothman, SeaDream II's Club and Activities Director, and another couple. I guess 7:30 was just a bit too early for the other guests to handle!

We tendered to shore and made a quick stop at the local fish market. We then walked to Shell Beach (about 10-15 minutes).

There was no one in the water so we all took an invigorating morning swim. The beach is strewn with millions of tiny seashells so you may want to wear reef slippers in the water here.



After swimming, we headed back through Gustavia (the shops still hadn't opened yet) and tendered back to SeaDream II for breakfast. The weather took a turn for the worse and we encountered brief and light showers during the early afternoon.

The Marina platform was open for business and many guests swam or took out a PWC (personal water craft). (We'll talk more about the Marina later.)

Now it's on to Josselin Jeanblanc's Menu Degustation Dinner. Life's tough in the Caribbean.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos courtesy of Andrea M. Rotondo and Leonard Hospidor

Fine Dining Aboard SeaDream II

There are a handful of questions I'm often asked about cruising. One of them is, "How's the food on cruise ships in general?" and another is "Which cruise ship prepares the tastiest cuisine?"

These days, the food aboard many luxury vessels is certainly on par with similarly rated land-based restaurants. Rating food is totally subjective and what I really appreciate may be a turnoff to you and vice versa.

I have to admit though, I haven't had one meal on SeaDream II that I wouldn't order a second time. We've enjoyed gourmet food and this definitely ranks among the very, very best at sea. Josselin Jeanblanc is the Chef de Cuisine and, at just 30 years old, he's definitely one to watch.

Internet is slow here so I'm just going to post some photos of the meals we've enjoyed this week. Once we get back on land (with a faster Internet connection), I'll come back and add more details, along with descriptions of each dish.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

DINNER

Photos courtesy of Leonard Hospidor and Andrea Rotondo