SeaDream II Entertainment
Entertainment is informal and, essentially, is what you make of it. Apart from movies shown in the Main Salon, karaoke night and a disco in the Top of the Yacht Bar one night, people were content to enjoy after-dinner drinks, chat and listen to the piano.
One thing I'd experienced before on SeaDream (and to which I was looking forward) was the Champagne Splash, a late-morning festivity in which everybody sits round the pool, the Champagne flows and the waiters leap into the water, fully dressed, and serve caviar from a silver vat that floats in a lifebelt (life preserver). But, on this particular cruise, although the Champagne was there and a caviar bar was set up in a corner of the Pool Deck, the waiters stayed out of the water, and the party was more subdued than I'd hoped it would be. The hotel manager, Peter, told me that they don't always get wet nowadays, and it's up to the individual waiters how the party pans out.
SeaDream II Public Rooms
A SeaDream cruise is really aimed at people who want to be out on deck as much as possible, and we spent very little time indoors. Champagne was served in the comfortable Main Salon as we boarded, and people would gather there for cocktail hour and hot canapes. However, I preferred the Pool Bar on the aft deck, where the die-hard sunbathers would still be catching the last rays. Sometimes movies would be shown, appropriate to the destination. On our Greek Isles cruise, we had "Mamma Mia" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," for example. One night, we also sang (bad) karaoke.
There's a tiny casino, with just two tables and a few slot machines, grouped together with a small piano bar and comprehensive library on Deck Four. The library has two internet terminals, too; fees are $5 for ten minutes, $3 for additional blocks of ten minutes thereafter or $35 for a whole day. Most people used Blackberries, which was cheaper.
A small shop, the Yacht Boutique, sells logo wear, glass and porcelain items. It's quite expensive, although the logo gear was popular; a plain T-shirt with a SeaDream logo cost $88.
On deck, there are various sitting and sunbathing areas, from small booths with padded seats along the side of Decks Five and Six to the much-hyped Balinese Beds -- eight squashy, double sun loungers that face outward on the port and starboard sides of Deck Six. Understandably, these were in demand on sea days, but on port days, we were usually able to get one; they are exceptionally comfortable. The beds farthest from the smokestack are quietest.
SeaDream II Spa & Fitness
Forward on Deck Four, there's a small spa and gym with a couple of treadmills and stationary bikes. The spa has an Asian theme, and treatments are reasonably priced in cruising terms: $95 for a 50-minute aromatherapy massage, $115 for a Thai massage. Daily yoga and tai chi classes are free.
The ship, like its twin sister, has a retractable marina that offers banana boat rides, jet skis, dinghies and windsurf boards. We had quite rough seas on our cruise, so it was only lowered once, and we missed it, as we were ashore.
SeaDream II also carries a fleet of mountain bikes, which are free to use on a first-come, first-served basis. Our captain, Terje Willassen, was a keen cyclist, and I noticed one flashy-looking bike tied up by the bridge, labelled "Captain's bike." He would sometimes accompany guests on cycle trips. There's a golf simulator, too, which is free to use.
The Segway Human Transporters, which were a gimmicky feature of the line when it launched, have gone. Apparently, there weren't enough places in ports to use them.
