Our first trip on Sea Dream 1 was over Christmas 2021 when Covid protocols were still in force. It was, essentially, a glorified beach tour, as many ports were not allowing guests. It was not a big deal for us, as we enjoyed being on the water, relaxing. We had such a good time that we booked back-to-back trips for Christmas 2022.

December 15, 2022, we (husband and I) had a direct flight to San Juan, Uber to the ship, easy embarkation. We found many familiar faces on the ship; waiters and bartenders remembered us from our previous trip, which was nice. Even those we did not know greeted us by name! (That's something we love about this ship.) We chose a 2nd level stateroom, as it is just above the waterline, and quite endurable when seas are rough, as higher floor rooms "feel" the seas much more. (Important tip for those prone to sea sickness!) We were greeted by our room Steward with a chilled bottle of champagne. (Champagne flows freely on this ship.)

Our itinerary for these two trips was the Virgin Islands (mostly British VI, plus St. John), Anguilla, Nevis, and St. Barts. A variety of outings were offered, and the Activities Director offered daily exploration walks each morning. As the islands are volcanic, this involved a LOT of steep hills and required a bit of stamina. There were many beach excursions as well as water activities off the back of the boat; jet ski, sailing, swimming. Christmas Day featured the Champagne and Caviar Splash, an in-the-surf experience where caviar is served from a paddle board in the surf (held in place by members of the wait staff) while staff pass trays of champagne and Santa arrives via Zodiac. A good time was had by all, mostly Americans who were happy to be in the 80 degree temperatures while "back home" was experiencing a brutal freeze and blizzard. Read more