If you’re looking for a relaxing, first-class cruise experience, you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to walk you through a typical day onboard a SeaDream yacht in the Caribbean.

SeaDream Yacht Club (SDYC) is a small-ship cruise line consisting of two mega yachts – SeaDream I and SeaDream II. These yachts hold only 112 passengers who are expertly taken care of by 95 of the best crew members anywhere to be found.

The experience onboard a SeaDream yacht is like no other commercial cruise line. It’s unpretentious, all-inclusive luxury. It’s personal. It’s country-club casual, which translates to no ties or jackets or cocktail dresses.

It’s the best in the industry. Every time I’m onboard, I truly feel like I own the yacht. I’ve sailed on other luxury cruise lines that hold 200 passengers – it’s just not the same as my SeaDream.

One of the best things about SeaDream in the Caribbean is that you can pack for your cruise with just a carry-on bag. Yes, that goes for both men and women. I’ll show you how prior to my upcoming cruise. Stay tuned for a link.

Wide-brimmed hats are essential.

Before we get started, it’d be beneficial for you to understand how I like to cruise the Caribbean. I’m content to not leave the yacht. This differs from cruising SDYC in the Mediterranean because I thoroughly enjoy exploring Med ports-of-call. Sometimes I’ll leave my yacht-haven to take advantage of free shore excursions, like crossing an island with a few crew members (destination: BEACH!) or biking around an island with the Captain.

Days in the Caribbean are characterized by me as lazy. I wake up, don swimsuit, cover-up, flip-flops, sunscreen and a bit of make-up. A wide-brimmed hat completes my lazy-day SeaDream Caribbean ensemble. You’ll notice that showering is not listed here. That’s because I’m lounging on my yacht in the Caribbean sun all day – no sense in taking a shower until it’s time to get ready for Happy Hour, which occurs around 5:30.

Up first – an al fresco breakfast overlooking the amazing turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

The Topside Restaurant, located on Deck 5.

My husband & I leave our stateroom and stroll hand-in-hand to the Topside Restaurant on Deck 5 for a casual al fresco breakfast. Remember, we’re dressed in our swimsuits & cover-ups. There’s no fancy-schmancy dress code on your personal yacht.

I typically don’t have to tell our waiter what I want to order because he memorized my preferences (and my name) on day one. Of course, it’s not that hard to remember, “1 plate of crispy bacon and 1 tray of mimosas.”

As soon as the crew sees *anyone* walking up the few steps into the restaurant, they immediately guide them to their favorite table (or in my case, run to get a cold bottle of champagne for the mimosa that accompanies my meal). Lots of crispy bacon and the requisite mimosa find their way to our table as if by magic.

Yes, I eat other breakfast foods besides bacon & mimosas. Namely, SeaDream’s dark-chocolate-filled croissants, which are made fresh daily. Oh. my. God. Fat Jeans – they’re named so for a reason.

After breakfast, we head to a Balinese Sun Bed on Deck 6.  With my laptop & mimosa in hand (we licked the bacon plate clean), we select a Sun Bed and relax here for approximately an hour.  This is when I do some of my onboard blogging and download any pertinent photos.  We’d relax here longer if my ants-in-his-pants husband could sit still for more than an hour. [Love you, Dear.]

Time to hit a lounge chair by the pool.

Lounge chairs on the Pool Deck.

The blue pool towels are folded neatly and placed ever-so-perfectly on the bottom of each chair.  If you’d like an umbrella, just ask. One will appear out of thin air.

Even when the yacht is fully booked, there always seem to be enough chairs.  And, I have it on good authority that folks don’t save chairs all day like on other cruise lines.

Shortly after we sit down, we’re asked if we’d like anything to drink.  We order mojitos. With lots of fresh mint.  You can order anything you want. No matter your preference, it’ll be delivered to you promptly and with a smile.

I definitely keep my wide-brimmed hat on. The Caribbean sun is surprisingly intense.  After I slather on more sunscreen, a crew member saunters by to clean my sunglasses.  Then, another crew member stops by with a lite snack.  It’s such a rough life.

After a short while, we decide to take the tender to shore.  Though the beaches are lovely, they are no substitute for my yacht. I snap a few pictures and we head back to the tender.  One of the best things about SeaDream is that we never have to wait for anything. That includes waiting for a tender to take us back to our yacht.

If by chance we do have to wait, it’s only for a few moments. Most of the time, there’s a SeaDream table & umbrella at the dock, complete with a cooler of cold drinks. Unfortunately, I have to wait until I get back onboard for the champagne.

It’s time for lunch, so we head to the Topside Restaurant on Deck 5.

I swear, I thought lunchtime would never get here. The Caribbean sun starves me!

Yes, we’re still in swimsuits. However, my husband’s Tommy Bahama shirt and my nice cover-up make for perfect al fresco dining attire during lunch hours.  Let me point out that we are dining in the same attire that we ate breakfast in. Now, if only I could get them to serve me bacon at lunch, I’d be set.

However, I’ll settle for free pours of wine and fabulous, gourmet food. All enjoyed while being made to feel like I’m a princess.  The bacon can wait until tomorrow morning.

Our Caribbean lunch view.

We are guided to a table by one of the servers who seems genuinely glad to see us.  Most of the time, we choose to sit with other passengers because we experience a camaraderie onboard like nothing else.  Other times, we’re content to dine at a secluded table for two.

After lunch, we head back to our perch by the pool.

By this time, it’s around 2:00. The onboard atmosphere is so relaxing that we’re content to just sit back and bask in the Caribbean sun, absorbing every minute of attentive, pampering service from the incredible crew.

After lounging for an hour or so, we decide to head to the aft marina for some fun with SDs water toys. We don’t have to pay extra to play – this is an all-inclusive cruise.

SeaDream’s Marina

A group of SeaDream passengers on the banana boat.

Neither one of us had ever ridden a wave runner or banana boat before. It was quite the experience and we’ll never forget it.

Back safely on the yacht, we rest our weary bodies by the pool for another hour or so.  Now would’ve been the perfect time for a massage. I definitely felt like my body was beaten by the ocean when that crazy inflatable banana boat was tipped.

What the hell was I thinking – who in their right mind agrees to ride atop an inflatable yellow missile? On the ocean. With two other passengers who think it’s funny to tip the damned thing?!?   It was insanely fun!

Time to get ready for cocktail hour.

It’s about 4:00 now. We head back to our stateroom to get ready for Cocktail Hour, which is at 5:30 on the Pool Deck.  Geez, it’s such a rough life.

This is truly one of the things that I love about life onboard a SeaDream yacht. Though dining & cocktail hours are set (as are shore excursion hours) for obvious reasons, the main atmosphere is an unstructured one.  I can do as much or as little as I want.

Happy Hour around the pool deck is so much fun.  SeaDream attracts such a wonderful clientele that we easily get along with everyone onboard.  By this time in the day, the sun is beginning to set and temperature cools a bit, making the champagne-filled atmosphere all the much better.

After a glorious gourmet dinner, we meet new friends at the Top of the Yacht Bar.

The food on SeaDream is fabulous.  Just as fabulous is the fact that there are no fancy dress requirements.  Country-club casual is perfectly acceptable in the Dining Salon on Deck 2.  No jacket required.

The Top of the Yacht Bar sits, literally, at the top of the yacht.  We end our evening here.

Let’s summarize the day, shall we?

Wake up.

Eat breakfast al fresco.

Relax on a Sun Bed on Deck 6.

Relax in a lounge chair on the Pool Deck.

Explore island beach.

Back to yacht.

Eat lunch al fresco.

Relax in a lounge chair on the Pool Deck.

Get the crap beat out of me on the banana boat. Play on the ocean with SeaDream’s inclusive water toys.

Relax and recover in a lounge chair on the Pool Deck.

Relax and socialize with fellow passengers during Cocktail Hour on the Pool Deck.

Enjoy a fan-bloody-tastic gourmet dinner.

Relax with fellow passengers at the Top of the Yacht Bar.

Go to bed.

Repeat tomorrow.

For more information on SeaDream Yacht Club, including stateroom selection and a detailed breakdown of the yachts, please visit my in-depth blog, The Lazy SeaDreamer.

All photos ©Carole Murphy.  All rights reserved.

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