| Re .-1
Most of what you read, IMHO, couldn't be further from the truth. My wife and I
have cruised with Holland America Lines (when HAL was unquestionably very
special), Royal Caribean (Soveriegn & Song of Norway), Carnival (purged this
nightmare from my mind), and Dolphin (Seabreeze and Oceanbreeze).
Dolphin is a budget cruise line. It uses older ships which are smaller (900
passengers) than the mega ships (2000 passengers). You will not find 7 story
Atriums with glass enclosed elevators on Dolphin ships. You won't find a
champagne bar or pizza parlor. You won't find retractable roofs over the pool
decks. You won't find large crowds anywhere on the ship. You won't find
televisions in the rooms. You won't be able to get a cabin with its own private
veranda. You won't find entertainers like Jerry Lewis or the 5th Dimension (saw
them both on the Soverign).
You will find very friendly cruise staff that actually has a chance to get to
know and recognize the passengers. You will find plenty of deck space and
chairs, both on the sun decks and the shaded promenade decks. No need to wake
up at 6:00 AM and go out and try to reserve a chair. You will find food/buffets
that are as good as the other lines (better than Carnival). They use the same
caterer as RCCL & others. You will find an international crew (like all other
lines) that does speak english. Sure, there will be some who stuggle with the
language, but that is the exception not the rule and its the same on all the
lines. You will find a clean comfortable cabin with hot & cold water. Yes it
will be small, but no smaller than the other lines. You will find entertainers
who do entertain you. You may not remember thier names, but you will likely
enjoy the shows. You will be able to find a lounge that suits your taste.
There will be dancing to the orchestra in one lounge, entertainment by the duo
in another lounge, the piano player will be in another lounge, Karoke (sp?) in
another lounge and of course the disco is open till 3:00 AM. There will be all
the typical activities: Passenger talent show, masquerade party, 50's night
(return to Seabreeze high!), tropical buffet and party under the stars, pool
games, bridge tours, bingo, horse racing, skeet shooting, movies in the theatre,
jacuzzis, fitness rooms, that photographer who seems to be every where, and on &
on. I can't think of one thing that we experienced on the the other ships that
we didn't have on the Seabreeze or Oceanbreeze. If there is something special
that is real important to you, ask and I'll tell you if they have it.
I found the land people (reservationists, customer service, meet & greet, etc)
to also be very good. We made reservations about a year ahead for our most
recent cruise, and 3 months later got a call telling us that they decided take
the ship out of service for a few weeks when we were sheduled to be on it.
Bummer! But they handled it very well, rescheduled us, picked up the extra
charge I incurred for changing my airline tickets, put us up overnight in Ft
Lauderdale (necessary because of limited flights available for me to rebook),
etc. Absolutly no problems with what could have been very unpleasent.
My wife and I came to the conclusion on our first Dolphin cruise (Seabreeze/East
Carib), while sitting on deck watching the sunset that if you were able to
magically tranfer us to any ship in the Caribbean and place us on the deck
watching the sunset, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. You would
still be sitting in a chair on a ship with a bar waiter serving you frozen
drinks. The air temp would be a comfortable 78-84 degrees, and the sun would
still be setting in the west. The same could be said for sitting in the dining
room at dinner. Or sitting in the lounge listening to the duo and doing a
little dancing. As a matter of fact, the only time you might notice it is when
you are in port and there is a mega ship docked next to you. Oh, yes, you will
also notice it in rough weather. The mega ships rock and roll much more than
the older, smaller ships. If seasickness is a concern, you'd be better on one
of the classic older ships.
As for the actual question (Any recent experience) yes, I was on the Oceanbreeze
this November. Problem is, I belive that most of the remaining Oceanbreeze
cruises are sold out. It is leaving its Aruba home in April, relocating to the
Bahamas to replace the SS Dolphin. If you can get onto one of the Canal cruises
between now and April, I would highly recommend it. The itinery is fanatastic.
Don't count on any deep discounts, but even the published rate is very good for
what is truly a special itinery.
As for the Seabreeze, I would also recommend that ship. I was on it in April of
1994 and again in Nov. If you have any more specific questions, please ask. If
you are looking to do the Oceanbreeze before it leaves Aruba, I still have the
daily activity sheets and I'd be happy to let you see them.
Happy cruising,
Brad
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| Debbie,
Here are 2 reviews from 2 more "everday people".
File: Dolphin_Seabreeze_Jul95
From: [email protected] (rparnow)
Dolphin Cruise Line's Seabreeze Review
Sailing Dates: 16 July thru 23 July 1995
Eastern Caribbean
Our first cruise. Myself (age 48), my grown daughter, and two
grandkids, girl age 11, and boy age 5.
The Seabreeze is a wonderful old ship that seemed to be very comfortable
and friendly. We felt right at home immediately. All of the staff was
very helpful and friendly from the first day to the last. It was the
best week we ever had while on vacation.
The food was good, the cabin was of adequate size, and (almost) everything
met or exceeded our expectations.
My grandson is extremely shy and our waiter and busboy lavished so much
attention on him all week that, on the last night, my grandson hugged
them both and wouldn't let them go. He cried because he couldn't take them
home with him. All of or family felt welcome wherever we went onboard and
never had one second of tension with the staff or fellow passengers.
We felt that we received a very good value for the money on the Seabreeze.
The only thing that was a disappointment was the swimming pool onboard.
It's basically a 12x12 foot hole about 8 feet deep with no shallow section.
There were only two hand rails on the steep sides to support yourself while
in the water. I didn't let my granddaughter use the pool, but we made up
for it by going swimming whenever we went ashore. There were a ton of
other things to do on the ship and it did not make us feel cheated.
We shot skeet, went to the casino, ate, drank, watched the entertaiment,
ate, drank, went ashore, did parasailing, ate, went swimming with dolphin's
in Nassau, ate, shopped in St. Thomas, ate, danced, ate. snorkeled, ate
went to the midnight buffet, ate, drank :-) (We ate a lot but really
didn't drink that much) Just had a great time.
Would we do it again? Yes! Would we choose Dolphin? You bet!
My grandson said it all. When I put him to bed one night before the
cruise was over, he looked up at me, smiled, and said "Grandpa, when I
grow up and get to be ten years old, I'm going to take YOU on a cruise!"
If the trip had cost me a million dollars I would have been paid back
in full right then and there.
Smooth sailing to all of you.
If you have any specific questions please email me.
PS: I was in a quandry about formal night as I had nothing to wear
and didn't want to buy a tux I would hardly ever use. Call the cruise line
and they will give you an 800 number to rent a tux. I did and the tux
was delivered to my cabin. It fit perfectly and many people commented on
how nice I looked in it. Cost was $60 bucks for the week. It came with
two shirts. No fuss, no muss, I didn't have to drag it down there as
baggage. It's THE way to go for formal attire. The dress code was not
rigidly enforced anyway, but it was nice to dress up. I wouldn't make
too big a deal about what to wear. They're friendly and want you to come
back. However, if you decided to wear your favorite torn Grateful Dead T-shirt
with vomit on the front, I would suspect they would tactfully suggest you
wear something more appropriate on formal nights :-)
Regards,
Roger Parnow
[email protected]
===============================================================================
Darlene Long-Thompson
Dolphin Seabreeze Review
9 Jan 1996 18:55:37 GMT Sentex Communications Corporation
Newsgroups:
rec.travel.cruises
OUr family of 5, including 2 adults and 3 children ages 12, 9,
and 4, sailed the Seabreeze on Dec. 17/95 on her 7 day Eastern
Cararib. route. We selected this ship and line after much
deliberation because we were looking for a smaller more casual
environment for our first cruise. We also like the kids
features outlined in the Dolphin brochure. They advertise
themselves as "The official line of Hanna Barbarra" and photos
show costumed characters interacting with children. The kids
menus and the availability of 24hr room service were also
factors. We thought about BRB, but didn't want just a four day
experience. Also this ship has Cat. 1 cabins that sleep 5
people so that meant we could be together. This was a big
factor.
We thought this would be a great introduction to cruising and
we were right. Overall, the ship was just the right size for
us, and the kids had a blast. This was partly due to the time
of year - there were many other kids on board. I think this is
an important factor to consider when taking kids on a cruise -
how many ohters will be there? THe best kids program in the
world can not make up for a lack of peers, and likewise having
a group to "hang" with can make up for a shaky program.
We did however run into a few things that, being ignorant first
timers, we were unprepared to handle. THankfully the folks at
rec.travel.cruise set us straight, and if we should encounter
similar problems in future we at least will know what to do.
1st things 1st!
Let me say right away that no one in our party became sea sick.
In spite of all dire predictions and warnings, it was not a
problem. Did not need the medications I brought. We ran into
only 2 people who were and both were fixed up in no time by the
doc. Two members of our party have health conditions that would
make them prone to things like sea sickness, but in spite of
some rough water on the 3rd day we were fine.
Embarkation: Welcome to the cmputer age Dolphin - NOT. This
was an over 2 hour ordeal as passengers often had to line up 3
different times to get what they needed done. In spite of
filling out credit forms etc. in advance, and sending it in it
ALL had to be done again. My tour representatives said they had
never seen such a mixup and long wait - they even spoke to the
pursers staff - to no avail. Much complaining amongst fellow
passengers, but I had heard horror stories like this before so
was prepared for the wait. On to the ship where we were met by
a smiling row of people in a little lobby. One took our bags
and escorted us to our grand category 1 stateroom that slept 5.
Or make that the little brown closet. Yes it was small, but it
DID sleep 5. We were a little short of storage space, with only
1 shallow 4 drawer chest and 4 closets - one of which had the
life jackets! Bathroom was what you would expect - small but
there was room for 2. One porthole with partial view of deck.
Room was decorated in shades of brown/orange (circa 1976) but
other decks have been recently redecorated. Room was clean, and
most of the required info was on the desk/dresser with the
exception of a room service menu and laundry bags. There was a
form for shore excursions which we filled out immediately, as
we knew in advance what we wanted to do.
The Ship:
This is a mid sized "classic" cruise ship. At 600 ft., she is
no tugboat, but no Majesty or Monarch either! The 1st time you
see her at port in Miami, she is berthed between the Majesty of
the Seas (RCCL) and the Costa Romantica (Costa) so be prepared!
But this is cruising of a different sort. Less than 900
passengers, close to 500 crew. You have no doubt that you are
on a REAL ship! Raised hatchways can be found throughout, and
some of the hatchway doors can be a little sticky. Watch your
head and Watch your step signs can be found everywhere and for
good reason. Once you get the hang of it it's no problem. The
ship is pretty well kept up, and I did not notice any undue
wear in public areas. I thought the decor looked great
considering the ship was built in the 50s! The dining room was
nicely decorated in elegant blues, and seemed pretty well set
up, although in some corner areas tables did seem a little
close. There are several tables for two. A grand piano is the
centerpiece, but in our little corner we barely heard it.
The Carmen lounge is the main show lounge and it is outfitted
in sofa like benches with matching individual chairs around
tables. Watch out for those single chairs as they can be quite
tippy! One side of the room was designated "non smoking", and
the overall effect was not a bad experience for a non-smoker.
The room seemed well ventilated. There seemed to be enough
capacity the nights we were there.
The casino is small with the usual slots, and game tables. It
was always bustling but never so busy you could not find a
table, or machine. It also did not get overly smoky (a
complaint I have heard about other ships) I do not think the
payout is too wonderful, but if gambling is main thing I guess
you'd be in Vegas!
The Agitato Disco is all the way forward and ALL the way down,
seriously, so far down many can't find it! Past crew quarters
and in the "bowels" of the ship. But evidently enough people
eventually figured it out because it seemed to be a popular
place. One night I stumbled in (in search of my 12 year old -
another story)right in the middle of a pretty wild toga party -
we never heard anything about it! Teen groups used the disco in
the early hours, but there are no unattended persons under 18
after 11:30pm. It really gets wild around 1:00am (or so I was
told).
Other lounges: This would include the serenade (kareoke) Royal
Fireworks, Prelude lounges which are all nicely decorated, and
host a variety of activities. The Harmony Room (games/library)
was one of the nicest places to be, full size windows over the
sea and nice comfy sofas to admire the view, plus tables just
waiting for bridge scrabble etc. Often empty, this is a restful
place to relax.
Outdoor areas did not seem crowded at any time and there seemed
lots of deck space. The outdoor cafe areas are on 2 decks. The
higher one was often less busy. Breakfast buffet was served in
the lower area Pastorale Cafe) while lunch was served at both.
There seemed adequate seating. Nicest (although windy) viewing
deck was the 4 seasons observatory up on A deck forward. Found
by few, this was a lovely way to watch the sea.
The pool was the standard 12 by 12 7 foot deep salt water
variety which was used very little. The water was warm. The
whirlpool area was very popular and best about 8 am (for me).
There are 3 seperate whirlpools with 3 different water temps,
so try them all! A wonderful thing to sip your orange juice, in
the whirlpool! There is a much used basketball "mini-court",
ping pong, shuffle board, and a jogging/promenade deck that
went all away around 6 laps = 1 mile. The two outdoor dining
areas are covered by a canopy which makes for pleasant dining
regardless of weather.
Food.
Well lets start by saying this is a budget cruise line.
Everyone who was on her knows that (after all many got on on a
$459.00 US special) but it has a reputation for giving very
good value in the food department. I can say this was the case
because the food was wonderful in every way. From the artful
presentation to the interesting sauces and selections, there
was never a disappointment with quality or quantity. I heard
many people comment on the excellent food and service on this
cruise compared to other cruises they had been on. The majority
of the people on board had sailed this ship before, and some
had even made it their second home. We were introduced to one
lady who was in a wheel chair, who was sailing the Seabreeze
for the 85th time! Needless to say she got special VIP
treatment and knew everyone by name. A ship that attracts such
a loyal following must be doing something right. The food
certainly is part of that. They utilize the same catering
company as Celebrity, and that probably helps. Also on a per
passenger basis they spend twice what some other lines do
(according to an article downloaded from rec.travel.cruise),
and some of those other lines are the biggies! OUtdoor buffets
were not as varied but still good, and at lunch you had the
choice of upstairs for BBQ items (h.burgers, hotdogs, chicken,
salads, desserts) or downstairs for more traditional items,
roast beef, ham, salads, potatoes, etc.
The drinks were (non alcoholic) ranged from $1.25 to $2.00,
unless you went for a "virgin" mixed drink which could go as
high as $4.00. The bar drinks also had quite a range, $6.95 for
the "keep the glass" tall type, to $2.50 for the daily special
of which there were 2 or 3 to choose. Always ask, because
drinking $2.50 drinks is a lot easier on your wallet than the
$6.95! There was no pressure from bar staff to order drinks,
and snacks were also often brought to you, depending on where
you were.
Service: From the top on down:
Our Bus Boy Julio was wonderful. He worked harder than anyone
else for us, making sure the kids drinks were right, bringing
that delicious roll and bread basket, entertaining fussy
children, and generally going out of his way whenever we saw
him to make our cruise enjoyable. My kids adored him, and want
to go back to see him. Cabin Steward Harry was great too.
Brought extra blankets and showed me how the airconditioner
worked, as well as made sure there was ALWAYS ice in bucket.All
the social staff and children/teen staff were very dedicated
and really worked hard to make sure things went well. The staff
at the beauty salon ($28.00 for wash and set) were great. I did
not get to try massage - next time!
Our waiter was a wash out. Unfortunately by the time we
realized this we did not know what to do. He did not know much
about the kids menu, constantly brought incorrect items was
surly at times, forgot to bring entres, brought kids entres
before we even had salads, and generally seemed unable or
unwilling to extend himself in anyway. No coming around with
the desserts to show us (just a menu placed on table) No
offering freshly ground pepper, no stopping by to see if
everything was OK. We often had to dispatch the poor busboy to
find this guy to bring back an inappropriate (unordered) entre
and ask sometimes twice for the correct one. One night after
sending back the second choice (stillnowhere NEAR what my
daughter ordered) we just left - no dinner for 2 of the kids,
becuase it was getting late and the kids were getting antsy.
Because of this we ate only 6 meals in dining room prefering to
avoid the aggravation. We should have spoken up and done
something. THe most unforgivable gaffe of all came the night
before tip night. Instead of deserting us after dropping our
meals on the table (We didn't even get a baked Alaska brought
over for our table of 6 - not even to see just slabs put in
front of us) after the dinner when the waiter came over and
started telling us about his family back home and how much they
all needed this job and how this captain demanded only
excellents on the comment card or you were out of a job. He
said if he got all excellents he could then maybe get a day
off and see his family over Christmas. On and on it went in
front of my 3 kids who were near tears. They insisted on seeing
those cards and marking the excellents themselves because they
could not bear the thought of this poor family not being
together at Christmas. What if he were OUR dad... Dolphin will
be getting a letter about this. This is unforgiveable in my
opinion.
A word about the 24 hr room service - I asked the waiter about
it he just said - "No - you eat in here." I explained my son
was not feeling well and was not up to coming to the dining
room for dinner and he suggested that we needed a doctors note.
Fortunately our busyboy brought out a cold plate (he overheard)
and handed to us as we were leaving. No room service except for
continental breakfast till 9 am. This was a disappointment.
Shore Excursions:
We did the Blue Lagoon Island tour in Naussa for $20.00 per
adult, and $10.00 per child and were pleased. A nice place to
spend the morning, clear water, BBQ included, nice boat ride
over - good value. Kids counsellors went as well so there was
plenty for them to do. Everything was well organized but BYO
pail/shovel/sand toys - the ones at the island gift shop were
$6.00 a piece!
In San Juan the tours of El Yunque rainforest and El Morro were
cancelled due to US government shutdown (budget something or
other) so we just strolled around old San Juan. It was lovely,
and we enjoyed just looking at the buildings. We ate off the
ship (No dining room - Hurray says the kids), and returned for
Tropic night on board.
In St. John/St. Thomas we were told not to miss the Trunk Bay
tour so we signed up. $30.00 for adults $20.00 for kids.
Facilities available include showers washrooms, bar, snack bar,
gift shop. NOT!!! Guess what, after a terrible overloaded
tender ride over we board the tram get taken to the beach
dropped off and it's CLOSED! (Due to U.S. Government shutdown)
We were told NOTHING about this and I attended the ashore talk.
So we stepped across the barricade where a handwritten sign
read " de beach is always open man!" and made our way down the
path. A local was there hanging out, and we asked him how long
the facility had been like this he said several days. There was
NO water. Not for showers, washrooms, etc. The water had been
turned off, so the washrooms were non functional, but
apparently had been used anyway! Walking by that stench we saw
that the snack bar etc was closed as well. On to the beach. The
beach IS beautiful, the water clear and warm. But we were left
for 3 hours and were quite thirsty, sandy, etc. by the time the
tour tram came back. If we had KNOWN we would have packed
snacks because we are now herded on the same smelly overcrowded
tender for the ride to St. Thomas. In St. Thomas we showered
and ate on board! We went to the dock area for shopping but
could someone tell me where all the supposed GREAT buys are? We
sure could not find them. The shops on board the ship (2) had
better prices on some of the same stuff. Oh well.
Ship Activities: ON this cruise the Platters joined us, and put
on 2 very nice shows. The other entertainment was fairly
low-key as you would expect for a ship of this type. Comedy,
juggling, singers,etc. One point about those famous Hanna
Barbarra costumed characters: Fred Flinstone appeared for 15
minutes as we set sail from Miami, for 10 min at one midnight
buffet and at the final jackpot bingo. That was the extent of
the presence. I think a better job could be done with that, and
I KNOW the kids were always hoping to see a character but few
did. The usual contests, sporting events, bingo, horses, etc
were available.
All in all everyone was pretty pleased (and several came up to
us and commented on our terrible waiter) and most everyone said
they'd do it again. One passenger had sailed the NOrway twice
and the Costa Romantica, and was disappointed by the Seabreeze
- I wonder WHY she would even book this type of cruise?
Passengers range from young families (150 kids on board) to
retired persons. This cruise gives good value for your dollar
and is great for families. Even some RCCL and Princess alumni
were raving about the food/service/bargain! These classic ships
will not be with up long, and while they are it was great to
sail on a bit of history. The Cruise Director told us that
Dolphin had just purchased the Festivale from Carnival and was
refitting her, and had a bid in on the regent ships. It should
be interesting to see what they do with these added resources!
We'll sail with this line again.
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