Seadream "world's best small ships"

**Ally** · 10-23-2006, 03:39 PM

SeaDream Yacht Club’s been voted this year’s World’s Best Small Passenger Shipping Line by the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller Reader’s Choice Poll.

More than 30,000 subscribers to the magazine gave their highest rating to SeaDream’s twin mega motor-cruisers, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, and SeaDream was also the only passenger shipping company to be included in the publication’s listing of the world’s 100 Best-of-the-Best travel experiences.

The annual Conde Nast poll is now in its 18th years and is considered by the travel industry to be the most prestigious in the world for honouring best cruise lines, cities, islands, hotels, resorts, airlines and car rental agencies.

In accepting the award in New York this week for World’s Best Small Passenger Shipping Line for 2006, President, CEO and co-owner of SeaDream Yacht Club, Larry Pimentel paid tribute to staff aboard the 110-passengers SeaDream “twins,” those at offices ashore, and travel agents world-wide for the company’s success.

He also recalled how SeaDream Yacht Club almost foundered before it started. “SeaDream was born only five years ago on September 1 2001 – just ten days later our principal co-owner, Atle Brynestad and I were asking ourselves whether we may have just made the biggest mistake in our professional lives.

“But with a small dedicated staff we’ve created the finest small luxury passenger ship operation in the world – just like The Little Engine That Could, we are The Little Yachts That Could.”

SeaDream I and II carry 110 passengers each, served by 94 crew in “country club smart casual” ambience. Their all-inclusive prices include all drinks, power and sail watersports, a golf simulator, and gratuities; they cruise the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas in the northern summer, and South America and the Caribbean from November to March.