The day of my departure for my week on SeaDream Yacht Club’s
SeaDream II was a study in contrasts.  I
pride myself on making the trip to a destination (be it a cruise ship or a land
experience) easy and efficient.  But I spent
a good bit of my day with a new client who has never really traveled, but was
hell-bent on insisting that the journey to his vacation would be such an ordeal
it would be unbearable…and, in fact, probably not worth even attempting…and
then that accommodations would be too small based, of course, on what he read
on the internet.

 

 

Meanwhile with a 8 hour flight, then 6 hours of downtime, I
was about to board a “yacht” more so than a cruise ship, but not truly a private
yacht…and would be staying in stateroom rather than a suite.  So while I must not prejudice my thoughts or
create expectations that are unrealistic, but fresh with a prime example of how
many people have misguided “knowledge” based upon questionable sources, my
journey is about to begin.

 

 

After putting in most of a day’s work I arrived at the airport
about 2.5 hours before my flight to Rome.
Being United Premier Gold my check-in took about 8 minutes…3 minutes of
which was trying to explain to the man blocking the aisle that you just walk up
to a computer terminal to check-in as “people” don’t check you in.  Then it was off to security…on a Friday
afternoon in the summer with one hour plus horrifically long lines…I approached.  But I have taken the time to be TSA
pre-screened, so my line consisted of only 3 people.  I was through and into the United Club in
about 5 minutes.  That’s right:  Curbside to cocktail in less than 15 minutes.

 

I boarded my flight to Rome in one of the first boarding
groups and was sitting in my bulkhead aisle premium economy seat with plenty of
space for my Goldring Travel backpack overhead.
My old noise-cancelling headphones had seen their day, so I just
purchased new ones.  There was no way I
was going to plunk down $400 for Bose, but there were some pretty great reviews
for Soul’s at about a quarter of the price, so I thought I would try them
out.    What I slice of heaven!  Great sound and really efficient at cutting
out the drone of the aircraft and people around you.  If the noise on your flight bothers you, it
is worth this small investment. (Note:  My daughter would not let me purchase plain
black ones, so I had a sort of Jamaican theme about my head…but she says it
gives me a chance at having some style!)

 

After reading through a pile of magazines I am always
promising to get through, a couple of scotches, a movie and a bad meal, it was
time for a sleep; only to be awoken hours later by the aircraft cabin lights
coming on for breakfast.  Passport
control was not too bad, my bag was delivered…and my brand new phone wasn’t
working in Europe.  (The idiots at Sprint assumed because it has a SIM card it would work
in Europe, but it isn’t GSM compatible so I am sans mobile phone for a
week.  I am not sure that is a terrible
thing…as I do have wifi, but more on that later.)

 

 

As I arrived at 7:20 a.m. and SeaDream Yacht Club is quite
strict about not boarding anyone until 2:00 p.m., I booked a room at the Best
Western Rome Airport.  This gave me a
nice breakfast (Italian coffee, granola, eggs and croissant), a place for a power
nap and a hot shower for 60 Euros – a bargain and far better than trying to
kill time somewhere in the purgatory of Fumiacino Airport/Civitavecchia.  My car arrived at bit early (I like to see
that!) and I was off to the ship at 12:30 p.m. for the trip that usually takes
1.25 hours.

 

 

I am not sure how, but my driver (who was not driving like a
crazy Italian…and we know about those folks!)…efficient made the trip in a mere
40 minutes.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that I was required to sit
in a tent at the Port of Civitavecchia waiting to board until 2:00 p.m.

 

As I was sitting I see a group of 19 Norwegians arrive with
children and strollers with very young children.  Now rather than having the anticipated “Oh
No!” I see it as a golden opportunity. Why?
Because one of the criticisms of SeaDream Yacht Club that I have read
about is that a group or a family with children can really negatively impact
upon your experience.  Now I get to see
if this is true.  For me this is a
bonus…and an opportunity for SeaDream to show me how they address those
challenges (both for the families and the other guests).

 

Just after 2:00 p.m. we are guided from the tent and we walk
down the quay to the yacht.  We are
greeted by the Captain, officers, Thai spa staff, and smiling staff along with
a cold glass of Prosecco.  We are led
into the Main Salon where a guitarist provides background music and a very
plentiful and well-presented antipasti and finger sandwich buffet is presented
to keep us occupied as they take one person/couple at a time to be checked in.  It was a little awkward, as I am traveling alone,
to sit there for about 20 minutes, but the music and food was good…and June
(pronounced June-ee) made sure my glass was always filled.

 

 

The check-in process took only moments and I was off to my
stateroom (403).  On SeaDream Yacht Club all
of the staterooms are essentially identical (save three larger ones) varying
only by location and those on Deck 2 having portholes rather than picture
windows.  Remembering that this is a
yacht and not a cruise ship, my 195 square foot stateroom is quite well laid
out.  

 

My bed is dressed in crisp white linens next to the window with a vanity area at its foot, while the living room area has a built-in sofa,
its own desk, plenty of drawers and storage space and an adequate hanging
closet.  The room around the bed is a bit
tight, but serviceable and does not feel cramped or closed in at all.  (There is a removable wood cover under the
bed, making stowing your luggage a snap…while keeping the yacht feel.

 

 

The bathroom, while beautifully clad in marble, is
tiny.  Interestingly, the marble shower
is actually quite a good size and is fitted with a multi-jet system.  The vanity is very small, but works.  My challenge is the toilet as you need to
walk in, close the door and then slide into the area.  Most certainly not a deal-breaker, but
important to note. Personally I think a cramped toilet in order to have really
nice shower is a great trade-off in design.  (I will see how well it all functions over the
week, but I can tell you that if my wife was along, finding space for my “stuff”
would probably be a non-starter.) 

 

After unpacking I headed to the Top of the Yacht Bar after a
quick tour of the ship.  Instantly you
can tell the service is excellent.  The bartender
greeted me, the wait staff was scurrying about attending to every new face and comments
like “So good to see you again” and “I am so happy to be back onboard” were
commonplace.  It sets a very nice
tone.  

 

I enjoyed my vodka and tonic and
the side dish of nuts and chatted with a lovely American family (including their
three daughters) taking their first cruise after spending a week on power land trip
around Italy.  It was announced that due
to high winds and some rougher seas the departure would be delayed until 9:00
p.m.  While that should not have been a
reason to have another drink, it was a good enough excuse.

 

As I am traveling alone, when I entered the dining room I
was asked if I wished to be social or to dine alone.  I thought that was an interesting way to ask
if I wanted to dine with someone.  Nice.
I had dinner with an older, and quite interesting, Australian woman.  As I came in later than she, I sort or rushed
through my courses, but enjoyed them all.
A nice antipasti platter (beautifully presented), a delicious corn and
crab chowder and very nicely prepared duck breast.  (I know the dishes don’t pair well, but I was
rushed and just picked what I liked.)

 

Pablo, the sommelier, knew that my dinner companion – a past
SeaDream guest – liked Cote du Rhone so he poured it freely for her.  I drank a Tempranillo…and then after my meal
Pablo, who now had some time, came over for a chat and offered some Cotes du
Rhone to me to try.  Very nice.

 

 

An after dinner whiskey and a cigar brought my long day to a
close.  

 

 

With a comfortable bed and the
ship having little more than a gentle rocking, I slept…soundly.

 

 

A very nice first day.
But tomorrow will start my understanding what SeaDream Yacht Club is
really all about.