SOMEWHERE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA - On a dark and stormy night at sea, we ask our Seadream I concierge Brenda to recommend a DVD that we can take back to our comfy cabin and enjoy on our state-of-the-art entertainment system.

The congenial Brenda pulls out several large black binders holding a wide selection of Hollywood blockbusters and we choose an action flick.

As we start to leave the concierge desk, Brenda asks: “Would you like anything with your popcorn – champagne, wine?”

Popcorn? “You can’t watch a movie without popcorn,” says Brenda.

We’ve been on many cruises and we’ve watched many movies but never have we ever been offered popcorn. “But you’re not cruising now – you’re yachting,” smiles Brenda, as she picks up a phone to order our popcorn and champagne from 24-hour room service.

Seadream Yacht Club’s crew take great pride in pointing out the differences between “cruising” and “yachting” and a few days later when I ask Seadream I’s Captain Bjarne Smorawski to explain the difference he says: “On a cruise ship, the most important person is the captain, but on a yacht, the passenger is the most important person.”

Seadream, which operates two luxury yachts called Seadream I and Seadream II on seasonal voyages in the Caribbean, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and along the Amazon River, makes passengers feel important with pampering and detail to service worthy of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The Queen wishes she had it this good.

Above: Stops on secluded islands make the trip worthwhile.

We board the Seadream I in San Juan, Puerto Rico – the yacht’s home port – for a week-long sail around the Caribbean with stops in romantic places like the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the chic French West Indies island outpost of St. Barts, where the corner store is Louis Vuitton.

With room for only 112 passengers and 95 crew, Seadream yachts are able to offer an intimate level of service and attention that makes guests feel as if they are sailing by themselves.

The all-inclusive Seadream voyages include gourmet meals – ours were expertly prepared each day in Executive Chef Gilles de Cambourg’s kitchen – an open bar featuring fine wines and spirits, all gratuities and unique onboard entertainment offerings like a golf simulator and water toys like SeaDoos which you can ride at the back of the yacht each day in the small romantic coves where the sleek vessel is able to anchor.

he only things you pay extra for aboard Seadream yachts are spa services – the eight Thai certified massage therapists aboard Seadream I perform treatments worthy of a 5-star Asian resort – and vintage wines and spirits.

One of the unique features offered on Seadream voyages is the chance to sleep under the stars on “Balinese Dream Beds” located on the top deck. By day, the double beds are used by passengers to curl up with a good book or to catch some rays under a cloudless Caribbean sky. At night, Seadream’s attentive housekeeping staff will deck the beds out in the finest linen and a cozy duvet so you can experience a romantic night’s sleep under a star-filled sky.Accommodation aboard Seadream yachts is offered in four different levels, all featuring the same luxury trappings.

Our “Yacht Club” stateroom was 195 sq. ft. of pure comfort and actually felt much bigger thanks to the well designed floor plan. I’ve stayed in London hotel rooms that were smaller than this.

Left: The ship’s pool is a great gathering place. Right: The crew of Seadream likes to join in the fun.

The well appointed living area offers plenty of space for two to maneuver and comes complete with sofa, desk, flat-screen TV and DVD player. The marbled bathrooms are stocked with luxury Bulgari toiletries and feature a large standup shower. The overstuffed Egyptian cotton-dressed beds, combined with the gentle rolling of the ship each night, supplied us with some of the best sleeps we’ve had in weeks.

The 447 sq. ft. “Owner’s Suite”, the 375 sq. ft. “Admiral Suite” and the “Commodore Suite” – a combination of two staterooms - are the other accommodation choices offered onboard Seadream yachts.

However, with so many activities offered by Seadream while at sea, we rarely spend time in our cabin. We’re too busy: - Visiting romantic ports of call in the U,S, and British Virgin Islands;

- Catching up on some reading in the oak-paneled library;

- Enjoying conversations with fellow passengers in the main salon or at the cozy piano bar; - Dancing under the stars at the Top of the Yacht Bar;

- Trying our hand at blackjack in the yacht’s intimate casino;

- Jumping off the back of the ship into the warm Caribbean Sea while at anchor;

- Watching movies poolside under the stars;

- Enjoying daily yoga classes on the wooden decks;

- Having spa treatments from well-trained therapists.

Day One of our Caribbean voyage has us leaving San Juan in the early evening and after a welcome cocktail, a Michelin-star worthy dinner in the main dining salon and a great night’s sleep, we awake on.

Day Two to find the Seadream I anchored in Cruz Bay off the tiny U.S. Virgin Island outpost of St. John. Jeff, the Seadream I’s cruise director, has arranged hikes into the Virgin Islands National Park, which covers three-quarters of this tropical island, but we decide to hire a cab for a drive through the park, which features lush vegetation, dramatic volcanic mountains and secluded coves with pristine white beaches.

Above: Ports of call in the Virgin islands are truly beautiful.

Day Three is spent exploring the chic French West Indies island of St. Barts and its capital Gustavia, where high-end designer stores, cafes and snooty servers make you think you’re visiting Paris. We’re impressed with the town’s U-shaped harbour and the million dollar yachts anchored in it as well as the luxury homes that cling to the side of St. Barts’ dramatic hills. The few colonial buildings that survived a late 1800s fire that destroyed most of Gustavia and the French bake shops are what we find most charming about this South of France wannabe.

On Day Four, the Seadream I sails into the North Sound off the British Virgin Island of Virgin Gorda and we spend the day as guests of the Bitter End Yacht Club snorkeling in the turquoise waters and enjoying its facilities. This is an area once dominated by real life pirates of the Caribbean like Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake.The day was supposed to be spent in Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda’s southern sound exploring the world renowned Baths – giants boulders spit out by an ancient volcano onto the island’s shoreline and shaped by surf over the centuries - but inclement weather prevents Captain Smorawski from anchoring there. The yacht club was a delightful host and we soon forgot all about the Baths.

After each shore excursion, we return to the Seadream I and are treated to luscious lunches featuring mounds of fresh seafood and other tasty delights. The al fresco dining experience aboard the Seadream yachts earns rave reviews from guests and industry watchdogs alike and the dinners are always the highlight. They feature Chef’s nightly “treats” which showcase his culinary brilliance. The final night of the voyage features an eight course tasting menu and Chef outdoes himself with dishes that are orgasmic delights.

The yacht’s fine selection of Old and New World wines is impressive and the vintage offerings (which come at an additional cost) would make most 5-star dining rooms blush.

In the late afternoon, the yacht’s sports marina opens and guests rush to the back of the Seadream I to try their hand at handling one of the vessel’s two SeaDoos. Others strap on some water skis and are pulled around the ship by a motorboat. It’s all great fun and a unique feature offered by Seadream. (The Seadream ships also carry a number of mountain bikes which guests can take ashore.)

The final day on Seadream’s Caribbean trip is always the best.

Seadream 1 drops anchor in tranquil White Bay off the lovely British Virgin Island of Jost van Dyke and passengers are summoned to the deck where we are transferred by zodiac to the snow-white shore for a beach barbeque.

The event, known as a “champagne and caviar splash” has become a tradition on Seadream outings and marks the end of the week-long voyage before the Seadream I begins its overnight run back to San Juan.

Corks pop and heaping helpings of caviar are sampled by guests who stand knee deep in the gentle surf and have their photographs taken with the sleek ship acting as a backdrop.

It may mark the end of the voyage but Seadream has created memories that will last a lifetime for its passengers.