Tag Archives: SeaDream

anecdotes

Post travel depression…

Believe it or not, I was actually looking forward to coming home from our latest trip.  After a few days away, I start to miss my dogs and the comforts of home.  I am notoriously terrible about traveling with too much stuff, so I get tired of hauling heavy bags.  I miss being able to do laundry when I need to.  I also miss my computer, since I write almost every day and an iPad isn’t so good for that.  I know I could invest in a laptop, but I actually prefer writing on a desktop computer.  I may buy a laptop, though, just so I’ll have it for travel.

Every trip, especially the ones that last longer than a week, has its stresses.  When we went to Scotland, the stress was dealing with our dog, MacGregor, who had a spinal tumor that suddenly got very bad when we were away.  We dealt with lots of frantic emails from the pet resort where he and Zane were being boarded and a call home to our vet.  We otherwise had a wonderful time, but it was tough being away while MacGregor was dealing with that… and even tougher when we got home and realized that we would have to put him down.

During this trip, we didn’t have any issues with our dogs.  They both came through the experience just fine.  Our main stress this time was dealing with being sick, on the rag, and/or injured.  I guess we should have expected the sickness, since it seems like every time we go to Europe, one of us gets sick.  Bill usually gets it before I do, then passes it to me.  This time, I was the one who got it.  I thought maybe I was dealing with allergies at first, since I was sneezing a lot when we were in Rome and it seemed like everyone around us was, too.  It makes sense, I guess.  We pick up the germs we haven’t been exposed to.

Another stressor about traveling is dealing with other people.  I spend most of my time alone because we live in the country and I don’t work outside the home.  Most days, Bill is the only other person I see.  So I worry that my social skills have eroded.  Also, I’m just not used to being around people all the time anymore, so I tend to be hypersensitive about some things.  On the other hand, I am a bit of an extravert, so being around people can also be energizing.  But I do find that by the end of the trip, I’m ready to go back under my rock where there’s peace and quiet and nothing I say or do offends anyone.  And likewise, nothing anyone else says or does offends me…  😉  While most people can’t live the type of hermit existence I do, it is a relatively drama free way to be– unless you count online drama.

The last few days at home have been kind of difficult, mainly because of online drama.  I’ve gotten it from several different sources over several different issues.  It’s about reached a critical mass, to the point at which I’m considering unplugging the Internet for awhile.  Last night, I was actually feeling kind of depressed and wondering if I really wanted to book another cruise.  Don’t get me wrong.  I loved being on SeaDream again and seeing some of the marvelous folks who make that cruise line what it is.  It’s just that there’s all this drama that comes from disrupting life to go on a trip.  There’s drama at home, drama online, and drama involving the people you interact with during your trip…  I sit here and rerun all the things through my mind and wonder if it’s all worth it.  But then, once all the drama inevitably blows over, I find myself wanting to go somewhere else.

Perhaps the reason the post travel depression has been so acute this time is that the last two years have been pretty travel intense.  In November of 2011, we went on a SeaDream cruise in the southern Caribbean.  Then, in May of 2012, we took our very first military hop and ended up in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg.  We had a fantastic time, but it was truly “seat of your pants” travel in that we had to make all our plans at the last minute and be very flexible.  Then in November 2012, we went to Scotland, which was a trip that I had been planning and anticipating for a long time, only to follow up with our most recent trip to Italy and Greece.  Interspersed with all of those trips have been shorter domestic trips.  That’s a lot of transatlantic and international travel… and a lot to absorb if you’re used to being alone and are not a particularly laid back person.

Anyway, things are getting back to normal now… sort of.  We still have the big move looming ahead, which means another trip is in the works before the big road trip from North Carolina to Texas.

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Luxury

Day 6 of our SeaDream cruise… Itea (Delphi) and the Corinth Canal…

Itea

Nat Green had told us that Itea had really beautiful, calm waters.  Sadly, the clouds were out on May 16th, which made it hard to see how beautiful the water really was.  SeaDream stopped in Itea, Greece, to let passengers who wanted to see Delphi take a tour.  Bill and I opted to just walk around the port for awhile.  I heard later that Delphi was a fairly strenuous stop that involved a lot of climbing stairs.

Itea didn’t seem like a very exciting town, though I did see what I would consider “stereotypical” Greek scenes.  There were orange trees and flowering bushes everywhere, and old men sat at cafes holding court, drinking coffee, and smoking.  Bill and I passed a butcher shop and I happened to see a pig’s head hanging in the window.  He didn’t notice until I said, “Oh my God!”

Orange you glad we’re in Greece?

We walked by one coffee shop that smelled absolutely heavenly.  I was tempted to go inside for a cup of coffee, but instead, we went to a gift shop where several SeaDream passengers appeared to be on a shopping spree.  At this point in the trip, I was being pretty restrained about shopping.  I did see some beautiful plates and tiles that I coveted, but somehow I managed to stop myself from buying them… in Itea, at least.

These beautiful bushes were everywhere.

 

Pig head!

The proprietors of the gift shop were pretty funny, though.  As a few of the SeaDream ladies picked out pieces of silver jewelry, one of the store’s owners said, “God bless America.  You can stay here all day!”

The postcards in Itea were very interesting.  I’m not sure what Bill is reacting to…

On the tender back to the yacht…

I left the store with a Greek cookbook, two compact discs, and a little icon to go in my shadow box at home.  My shopping urge temporarily satisfied, we went back to the ship where we lazed around in the hot tub and the TOY Bar until it was time to pass through the Corinth Canal.  Job kept me supplied with mimosas and Manuel kept me in stitches with stories about life as a bartender on SeaDream I.

Getting ready to party through the Corinth Canal!

I must say, SeaDream made going through the canal pretty special.  They put out plenty of hors d’oeuvres and passed around small glasses of ouzo as we made our way through.  There was live music at the front of the yacht.  Some folks were smart enough to go to deck five, which was a lot less crowded than the TOY Bar was.  If your goal is to get great pictures and see a lot, I would recommend not hanging out near the TOY Bar.  As for Bill and me, we had a great time listening to the music, toasting with ouzo, and getting to know some of the people we had met in the piano bar the night before.

Me and Bill and a new friend!

 
 

That evening was the degustation menu dinner.  We did ours with a wine pairing and Pablo the sommelier explained the different wines he paired with each course.  We had the marvelous Jose waiting on us; he is one of my favorite SeaDream personalities because he has a beautiful, genuine smile and seems intent on making his guests happy.  When Jose noticed me not eating the foie gras, he took the liberty of bringing me a salad from the alternate menu which was much more to my liking.

Dinner and wine pairing begin…

A sweet ending…

The piano bar was fun on Thursday night, especially when the whole bar joined me in a rousing rendition of “Thank You For The Music” by ABBA.

 George at the piano

 

Cats!

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anecdotes

You know you’re close to vacation when…

you start dreaming about espadrilles…

I don’t even own a pair of espadrilles and would probably never think to buy them, yet they sure did show up in my dreams this morning.

I’m also within the window of reading weather forecasts in Italy with some accuracy.  Looks like the weather will be better in Venice a week from today than it is in North Carolina this morning.  I can’t believe it’s time for another trip.  I hope I can adapt to less frequent travels in the coming years.  Well, I guess I’ll have to adapt somehow… I just hope it’s not too difficult.  I really love traveling, especially in Europe.  I learn something new with every trip.

I’m also hoping that the cruise is lovely.  Most SeaDream cruises are excellent, of course, but you never know what kinds of people will be onboard.  Hopefully there won’t be a lot of obnoxious folks who take over or little kids who snorkel in the hot tub.  SeaDream is a very adult line, but some people feel it’s still appropriate to bring their kids, even though there’s nothing for their kids to do.  I would think most normal kids would be bored silly on a SeaDream cruise.

I’m glad we’re doing this trip in May.  It’s the shoulder season, so maybe the crowds won’t be too much, the weather won’t be too hot, and the kids will still be in school…

I also hope that the dogs do okay at the kennel and we don’t get any frantic emails about them.  And I hope the flights aren’t too annoying.  I dread the flights the most.

Yesterday, I told Bill that I was going to change my nightgown (I never did get dressed yesterday) and take a shower.  I then lamented about how lazy I am.  Sweet Bill looked at me and said, “Don’t worry.  It’s dark outside.  Besides, you need to rest because we’re about to go on vacation.”  One of my friends said she knew why I love him so much…  The fact that he spoils me rotten is just one of many excellent reasons.

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Getting really close…

In a week, we’ll be within a couple of days of boarding a plane to Venice.  I’ve been hearing a lot of horror stories about flight delays because of the government’s failure to pass the budget.  Hopefully, that won’t be an issue for us.

SeaDream II, which had been on a transatlantic cruise from Barbados, was a couple of days into its journey across the Atlantic when someone got hurt.  So they turned around and went back to Barbados, so the woman could get medical care.  The ship is now behind schedule, so those who were scheduled to be on the first European cruise will have their trips shortened by four nights.  This doesn’t affect me, but it does affect one poster on Cruise Critic, who said he’d just decided to cancel.

If Bill and I were in that fix, we would probably just go anyway and fuck around in Europe.  We can easily entertain ourselves there and SeaDream is no doubt going to refund some of the money for that interrupted cruise.  I had been looking at that cruise when I was considering trips last year.  Glad I didn’t end up choosing it.  On the plus side, those who are on the transatlantic and can spare the time off are getting four extra nights for free!  What a bargain!

I’m hoping this vacation is as much fun as most of our trips are.  At the very least, I’m excited to see Greece at last and color in that country on my map of visited countries!  Once we get back home, I’ll have to add it to my blog.

SeaDream II

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Cruise tickets arrived yesterday…

The FedEx guy showed up while I was on the phone with my mom.  He brought me wine and a very stylish leather portfolio containing cruise documents.  I looked through it yesterday and noticed that the discount SeaDream used to give people who book onboard appears to have been rescinded.  Now, it looks like you have to book a specific cruise, pay a 25% deposit and get 5% off.

In the past, you could get that deal, or you could do an “open booking”, pay $2500, and get 15% off.  We’ve done two open bookings.  Both times, I was under the heavy influence of champagne and a good time.  This time, we might not do it.  There are other cruise lines I want to try, especially since I have a tendency to throw up on SeaDream (small ship + rough waters= seasickness).  I would probably pick another ship that causes me to puke, but SeaDream is also more expensive than other lines…

So we’ll see.  Of course, if I end up having as much fun as I usually do, I might want to book anyway.  The bad thing is that next year, my husband will be leaving his job and adjusting to life as a civilian.  We may not have the money to go on vacation, so I want to make this one count.  And if I can manage one for the fall, I want to make that one count too.

I do like the portfolio.  It smells great.

I posted about the discount issue on Cruise Critic yesterday and people were kind of upset.  This implied new policy may end up backfiring.

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Train tickets…

I’m a little overwhelmed by the prospect of buying train tickets in Italy.  The last time I did significant train travel in Italy, I had a Eurail pass.  Things have gotten more complicated since then.  Italy now has a few private train lines as well as the national line.  And Bill is not wanting to buy tickets now because he doesn’t want to lock us in to a specific time of day.

I like to have things paid for upfront.  But I guess there is something to be said for waiting until we get to Italy before we buy train tickets…

I’m getting pretty excited about our trip and really looking forward to it.  On the other hand, it’s a little bittersweet, because after this trip, we probably won’t get to do as much travel.  Bill will be in transition and whatever his new job is probably won’t be as liberal with annual leave as the Army is.  Or he may not get a job and we might have to live out of a box!

But for now, I look forward to Italy and Greece and wish we could stay longer and travel more…

I also look forward to the piano bar on SeaDream I…

This was taken on our last SeaDream cruise.  The piano bar was sort of my second home that week.  I love a good singalong!  That week, a bunch of Norwegians were onboard.  They were very boisterous and annoyed the Brits on the ship.  However, they were nice to me… until they started taking pictures of me while I was singing.

They did get this shot…. I’m looking very sunburned and bloated… but Bill seems to be enjoying it.

This time, I plan to stay out of the sun… and hide my digital camera!

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Costa Rica…

I’m giving some serious thought to booking another cruise in November or December.  SeaDream Yacht Club is offering some great deals on cruises there at that time.

I had an acquaintance/co-worker who served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica.  Knowing that it’s become quite the tourist destination lately, I can only guess that he was a lucky guy to get to serve there.

I also have a friend who had dental work done there at a fraction of the cost it would have been in the United States.  She had serious problems that required multiple dental implants that would have been prohibitively expensive to have done in the United States.  Knowing that I have two baby teeth with no permanent teeth under them, it’s good to know I could get implants relatively cheaply in a country not too far away.

When we lived in Germany, we visited Poland and the Czech Republic.  Both of those countries are also known for medical tourism.  In Poland, you can get dental work done cheaply.  In the Czech Republic, you can get pregnant via cut rate IVF.  But something tells me that Costa Rica’s beautiful beaches and tropical wildlife might be more enticing… at least to me.

If I do decide to book the trip, I’ll do it when we’re onboard so I can get 15% off the fare.  When you’re paying four figures a person, that discount is very helpful in making the cruise more affordable.

Next year, my husband retires and will be searching for a new job.  We may be poor.  I don’t know if it’s better to take the trips now, or save up the money.  Of course, if he gets a job quickly, he won’t have the generous vacation he gets today.  So maybe it’s best to sneak these trips in while we can…  And if we’re poor, we’re poor.  He will get a retirement, so that’s a good thing.  Unfortunately, his retirement will be cut for the first couple of years because he has to repay money that he got when he temporarily left the Army in the 1990s.

Blame the skank for that decision…

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Booked our hotels…

Over the weekend, I decided it was time to nail down our hotel stays for our upcoming trip to Italy and Greece.  We plan one night in Venice, two nights in Florence, two nights in Rome, a week on SeaDream I, and three nights in Athens.  Though I had been looking at a lot of properties, I finally made my decision by going on Jetsetter.com and finding several hotels.

Our first night will be spent at the Hilton in Venice, which is a five star hotel.  Ordinarily, I’d prefer a family owned hotel, but hotels in Venice are expensive and we had enough Hilton points to book a free night.  So that’s what we’re going to do…  It should suit our purposes fine.

The next hotel is Marignolle Relais & Charme, which is a small hotel about six miles outside of Florence.  I looked for a hotel closer to town, but this one won me over because it’s in a quiet area and has beautiful countryside views.  We will be using taxis a lot, no doubt.  Hotels in Florence are expensive too, though…

In Rome, we will stay in Relais Orso, which was on sale on Jetsetter.com.  We got a junior suite at a reasonable price and it’s close to The Vatican.  Supposedly, the place is in a great location.  Rome is a huge city, though… I almost wish we could stay on the outskirts and come in for the day.

May 11th, we will take either the train or a cab to Civitavechhia and get on SeaDream I, which will take us to Sicily, Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Delphi, Kefalonia, Corinth Canal, and Santorini.  We end in Athens on the 18th, where we’ll unwind at the Hera Hotel until the 21st.

I managed to book all these hotels for just under $1800– about $220 a night.  Not bad, considering we’ll be in tourist hot spots. It helps to get a free night.

I’m really looking forward to this trip.  Hopefully, I’ll make some headway in chipping away at the debt!

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anecdotes

Carnival… a cruiseline you couldn’t pay me to patronize…

In the years since my month on a train in Europe, my tastes in travel have gone decidedly upscale.  Nowadays, I tend to stay in comfortable hotels and book all inclusive cruises.  It’s not that I wouldn’t consider staying in a less expensive hotel, especially if the hotel is in Europe.  It’s just that the older I get, the less charming “roughing it” is to me.  If I can be more comfortable, I’m willing to pay for the privilege… as long as I can afford it, that is.

That being said, I have never had any desire to cruise on a Carnival ship, even before the disasters with its two big ships, Splendor and Triumph.  Both ships were adrift after engine fires and the masses of people stranded aboard were left fucked up, fucked over, and hungry, as my good friend Weird Wilbur sings it…

I like my creature comforts.  That’s why I sail on small ships like SeaDream I and Hebridean Princess… as least as long as we can afford to.

Hebridean Princess

SeaDream I

Maybe I’m a snob for knocking Carnival.  After all, I have never set foot on a Carnival ship.  And they do offer cheap cruises… but for your cruise fare, you get lots of nickel and diming, long lines, hordes of kids, chair hogs, and masses of people.  To me, that’s not very relaxing and defeats the whole purpose of taking a vacation.
Carnival Victory in Puerto Rico

I do always get a kick out of boarding SeaDream I when the biggest ships are in port…
SeaDream I parked next to the massive P&O Ventura…

They can keep their big ships with the fast food restaurants.  Give me a small ship any day, as long as you throw in a box of Bonine…
And hopefully, if there ever is an engine fire on one of the small ships, it won’t involve being stuck adrift for days on end…
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