Amazonian cruise, lunch in Munich and Paris tour in na Citroen 2CV

In the first edition of our Travelradio Australia podcast for 2013, longtime stalwart John Crook presents an Australian wine review. Host Ren Zwiers follows with details of a five-star seven night cruise in the upper-Amazon reaches aboard Seadream II departing early March 2013. European-based contributor Frances Beasley reviews a business lunch at a popular five star hotel in Munich (Germany). Our man in Ireland, David Gordon visits Paris (France) and enjoys a city tour in a classic Citroen 2CV car.

LISTEN TO PODCAST

Podcast Powered By Podbean

A 'seadream' survives its first decade

It's a tough life onboard Seadream II during

a Mediterranean cruise several years ago.

My favourite luxury cruise company, Seadream Yacht Club is celebrating its first decade of cruising its two small luxury liners (holding less than 100 passengers each) to some of the world's favourite destinations. Our Australian contributor on Travel Radio Australia John Crook tells the success story of Seadream Yacht Club which is celebrating its 10th birthday, despite a major setback weeks after it launched trading.

In other segments on this edition, yours truly (Ren Zwiers) lists some of the world's most haunted hotels.

Frances Beasley provides an update on Olympics 2012 in London.

Arthur von Wiesenberger visits Spain.

Listen to the show on the player below.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Discovering Porto Ercole where Romans enjoy a coastal break

Just a couple of hours north of Rome, on the Italian west coast lies the charming town of Porto Ercole which is popular with Romans and tourists alike thanks to its easy-going lifestyle and beautiful surroundings. I enjoyed a stopover in this town whilst on a Seadream II Mediterranean cruise several years ago. Host of 'Around the World' travel radio, Arthur von Wiesenberger recently visited the town as well and his report features on this week's 'Travel Radio Australia' podcast. Also on the show John Crook reviews Mitolo Wines, Frances Beasley finds a 'little bit of Africa' near her home in the Dordogne, France and Laura Powell talks about her recent experiences in Jordan. Enjoy the podcast by clicking the play button below.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

How a sea dream survived September 11

The big and the small of cruising: SeaDream I dwarfed by Oasis of the Seas in the Caribbean.

I AM a self confessed cruise 'junkie' and my all-time favourite cruise was a seven night trip from Nice to Rome (via Capri and Sorrento) on Seadream II, several years ago. However, earlier this year I undertook a week-long Caribbean cruise at the other end of the scale - on the almighty Oasis of the Seas, which was also a memorable journey and a great ship. Seadream Yacht Club celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and below is the official story on its first decade history. It makes interesting reading...

NORWEGIAN entrepreneur and cruise industry heavyweight, Atle Brynestad was certain he was on a winner when he bought two small luxury cruise ships that Carnival Corporation no longer needed, and announced that he was going to refurbish and launch them as super-luxury in a “Yachting, Not Cruising” concept.

The critics had a field day. This was the 21^st century and shipping lines were looking to mega-liners that counted their passengers by the thousands, not trifling little things that carried a mere 110 with an expensive almost one crew member for every guest.

And which was why, they pointed out, the little Sea Goddess 1 and Sea Goddess 2 had been sold by Carnival – a company which had forgotten more about the cruise passenger business than most other companies combined had ever learned.

And when Mr Brynestad launched his company, it was brought almost to its knees after just one week sailing the Mediterranean. Not because he’d gone smaller rather than larger, but because he’d chosen as his launch date September 1 2001 – just ten days before the catastrophies of September 11.

The travel industry world-wide came crashing to a halt overnight. Holidaymakers cancelled flights and cruises by their hundreds of thousands; hotels and resorts took on the look of ghost towns.

But Atle Brynestad had both faith in his concept, and past experience to back him up. Because it was he who had founded the highly successful Seabourn Cruise Line which in fact had once owned the Sea Goddesses 1 and 2 and which had been merged into the Cunard company (later acquired by Carnival Corp) in the 1990s.

This had left Atle itching for new cruise opportunities. So when he learned Carnival were selling the 55-stateroom, 95-crew Sea Goddesses he snapped them up, re-naming the mega motor-cruisers SeaDream I and SeaDream II.

Millions of dollars were spent on refurbishments, adding an outdoor “Topside Restaurant” under shade cloths for al fresco breakfasts and lunches, a new Top of the Yacht open-air bar, a new spa and fitness area, a 30-course golf simulator, and “Balinese Dream Beds” on which guests could relax by day – or have made up into beds to sleep on under the stars at night.

Stateroom bathrooms were re-built in marble with shower massage units, new artworks installed throughout the yachts, furnishings replaced.

But after just one sailing came the horrors of September 11.

Undaunted, Brynestad continued to sail their advertised itineraries, no matter how few guests were aboard.

Remarkably within a year guests were clamouring for repeat sailings, and travel agents found well-heeled clients wanting to be pampered aboard a SeaDream yacht as a means of escaping the continuing political and economic turmoils at home.

He continued to push his mantra of only-the-best: with 95 crew (for a now maximum 112-guests after a new over-sized Admiral Suite was added,) 5-star dining, wines with meals, no-charge bars to which to sidle up for anything from Champagne to Coke at virtually any hour, nightly cocktail gatherings, a host of power and sail watersports facilities, movies on deck on select nights – it all added up to super-sea-dreaming.

And hand-picked crew pampered without being fawning, remembered every guest’s name within a day of sailing – and to this day still offer guest’s a spray of mineral water on the back and arms when delivering drinks around the pool, and to clean your sun-glasses at the same time.

The company picked up the highest industry awards hand over fist.

Today Atle Brynestad still runs SeaDream Yacht Club, together with another ex-Cunard man, Bob Lepisto whom he appointed as Senior Vice-President at the company’s inception in 2001 and who is now President.

And remarkably one of its great success stories is the Australian market. Since opening representation here in 2003 Australian guest numbers have risen from under one-percent, to almost ten percent of onboard guests in 2011.

For information about sailing SeaDream I and SeaDream II in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Turkey’s Turquoise Coast from April to October, and on the Amazon and in the Caribbean during the remainder of the year, see travel agents or visit www.seadream.com

-Article courtesy of Seadream Yacht Club

The long and the short of cruising!

New South Wales-based travel writer (and good mate) David Ellis has copped the 'short straw' (purely physically speaking) when each of us takes off reviewing different cruise ships in the first quarter of next year. David will be travelling on the five star SeaDream 1 from Athens through the Greek Isles to Malaga in Spain. This five star 'mega-yacht' (along with its identical sister-ship SeaDream 2) offers five star all-inclusive cruising in different parts of the world. Several years ago I enjoyed a week-long Mediterranean cruise on SeaDream 2 which was truly the most wonderful holiday experience I've ever had. Meanwhile I'll be trying out the world's renowned mega-cruise ship Oasis of the Seas on a western Caribbean jaunt from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to Cozumel (Mexico) and return next March. Just for size comparison, take a look at the above photo showing both SeaDream 1 and Oasis of the Seas, berthed side-by-side at St Thomas and you'll be amazed by the difference in ship-sizes.

-Photo courtesy of Seadream Yacht Club

Quite a 'feet' - walking on 'water'!

Energetic guests aboard the mega motor-cruisers SeaDream I and SeaDream II who have just crossed the Atlantic from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean for the northern summer holiday season, are boasting something of a 'feat' with their feet – they collectively 'walked' 1500 of the 5600 kilometre journey.

Activities Directors of each of the 110-passenger motor yachts, James Cabello and Richard Jones came up with the idea to offer guests looking for it, some extra exercise – and at the same time to raise funds for the Miami-based Children’s Bereavement Centre that supports children who have lost a parent.

Those guests on each yacht who took part in the 'Steps for Charity' and some crew as well, got sponsors for each kilometre they briskly walked each day around upper-most Deck 6, and made contributions themselves.

In all they collectively walked over 1500 kilometres, and for those who individually covered 26-nautical miles during each yacht’s Crossing, SeaDream Yacht Club added another $26 to their kitty (as CEO, Larry Pimentel and Chairman, Atle Brynestad both have children who have lost a parent, and Pimentel serves on the Board of the not-for-profit charity.)

A total US$10,000 was raised aboard the two motor-yachts for the Children’s Bereavement Centre.

'French roasting' for Aussie passengers

An American travel company magazine has quoted the experience of an Australian couple aboard the 'boutique' cruise ship SeaDream II when it visited the small south-western French fishing town of Port Vendres, citing the reaction of locals to small ships like SeaDream compared with the arrival of mega-liners.
SeaDream II was the only ship in port on the day, and as her 100 passengers went ashore, several who stopped to watch a fisherman roasting fresh-caught sardines for his lunch were surprised when he offered to share his lunch with them.
The magazine, Costco Connection quoted the Australian couple as saying: “You’re lucky to have an experience like that once in a lifetime… to have it on the first day of our cruise was something spectacular.”
Costco Connection is the magazine of the Costco Travel corporation that has chartered SeaDream II for a 7-night sailing in the Mediterranean for 100 of its regular clients in May of this year.