Sea Cloud II
Put aside your images of Windstar, Star Clipper, Le Ponant, Windjammer and every other sailing vessel you may be familiar with. Why? Because Sea Cloud II is different in almost every way than her many-masted counterparts.
From a distance, she could be any new sailing vessel. Yes, she is beautiful, but not all that different. However, once you step aboard, you find out what a truly luxurious product she is. If you were lucky enough to visit the Peter Deilmann Deutschland or one of the River Cloud vessels, then you begin to have an idea of what I am talking about. This is European class and elegance at its finest.
To begin with, the ship carries a maximum of 94 passengers in all outside accommodations. 44 of the cabins/suites are 185-300 square feet, accommodating two passengers. The soft goods are exactly what you would expect to find in a fine European hotel. Down pillows and comforters. Finely upholstered furniture, plush carpet, Italian lacqueur closets and doors. Crown moldings, tray ceilings, wall sconces, and even faux fireplaces. Gold inlaid sinks, marble baths and showers, brass fittings. Get the idea? There are three cabins with upper/lower berths that would be perfect for staff. And, there are seven sets of connecting cabins, should you need to make use of them.
The ship has one single-seating dining room, a lounge/piano bar for lectures, socializing and cocktail functions, a library at the bow, a small fitness center, sauna, watersports platform and an enormous aft deck with cushion-covered teak lounge chairs. This deck is perfect for a casual lunch or dinner barbecue, which I am told they routinely do in both the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Again, in keeping with the elegant theme of the ship, all public rooms are expertly designed and decorated.
I had the pleasure of dining onboard. I am happy to report that the service was most professional by an English-speaking European staff. The food was delicious - and as good as any meal I have had on the other boutique cruise products.
The only drawback is the somewhat limited availability for charter space. This ship sells fast, particularly to the alumni and special interest markets. Choose from Caribbean in the winter and Mediterranean in the summer. You and your clients will fall in love with Sea Cloud II. There is nothing else like it!
