Just completed a 9-day Amazon cruise on Seadream II, Iquitos Perus to Manaus Brazil. I won't dwell on the stops and specifics of the cruise itself because Seadream (SD) announced that this will be the final Amazon cruise. My thoughts on SD itself are:

SD is a good "small ship" alternative to "large ship" cruise lines like Princess or Holland America. Instead of 2,000 or 3,000 passengers, SD sails with 85 to 110, basically about 3% to 5% of the passengers. Accordingly, the service is much more personalized - the crew all know your name and take all of your requests or problems seriously. The service is 5-star.

The food is also much better than the large ship cruises. It's better than the "specialty" restaurants on the large ship lines with no extra costs. As a matter of fact, there are very few extra costs - drinks, tips and most expeditions are included in your fare - no last minute tipping or add ons. The chef is very accessible - you can just walk up to him during lunch or breakfast and introduce yourself and ask him for a kitchen tour or for a special dinner or lunch the next day and he will be happy to oblige. Read more