Pudgesmom

The ship is so small you can have that experience by walking a short way to the exterior deck.

This is exactly where we have settled. I like the outdoor spaces much better on the sailing ships, but really enjoy the larger cabin and indoor spaces on the motor ships.

This is what we use for water shoes. They are available for women too. They dry fast, stay on, protect the bottom of your feet well and last a long time. They are also great for water aerobics. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PYZ847C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1&psc=1 I have no pics to share, but I like 3 and 4.

I like the Speedo water shoes too. I have used mine 6 days/week in an energetic rough-bottom pool workout. They are a bit difficult to get on at first and then they stretch out later..Sadly they often have a longish back log. Last year I bought a pair of Hiiitake water shoes on Amazon. They are holding up very well, were affordable and I would recommend them. I have also used them for snorkeling and some rough bottom beaches.

Thanks for posting. We are sailing on her in October. It will be our first time on Ponant but it is a full ship charter.

We were put in the Miami East hotel- closer to a homewood suites than a Mandarin Oriental. Not even a door to the bathroom- just open. It seems to be a complete roll of the dice. I would never use an “included” hotel with them.

Thank you. We recently learned that Captain John Smith had passed away. We sailed with him quite a few times and he was a wonderful person.

Thank you. We had watched that and found it useful, and I agree somewhat chaotic. I think they were filming it when leaving, maybe kind of a last minute thought. We will be there next spring. I’ll try to do a slightly longer one.

Thank you for your comment - as I said we have sailed many times in the dual suites. I was hoping to get an answer to my question about the bridge suites.

Current infestations can be monitored on this map. https://sargassummonitoring.com/?amp

We have traveled on Windstar many times. I checked the website and didn’t see any cruises starting on Barbados. They used to have some, but now they tend to use St Maarten as a departure point in the Caribbean. Many trips are offered which start and end in the Caribbean as well as including St Lucia as a port. We have never bundled air with a Windstar cruise. Ships have attentive service, lots of outdoor space, all inclusive packages if you wish and often have good specials. Right before Covid we did a a week on the Windsurf (300 passenger sailing yacht) for $1100 per person out of St Maarten. if you are looking for a premium product with a small laid back ship which can get into some small ports, it’s a great choice. If you prefer Las Vegas style entertainment and large ship, it won’t be good for you. ( I saw you may have made other plans, but thought I would throw this in due to our 15 plus trips with them.)

It’s very disappointing to read that from you as I know you are a well traveled Windstar passenger. We haven’t been on a full ship since before Covid, although we had a great time last summer on the stretched Star Pride with about 75% occupancy.

We have sailed quite a few times in the Windsurf third deck double suites. We like the two bathrooms and large windows. We are considering a bridge suite for an upcoming transatlantic cruise. We like the idea of a completely separate sleeping space as we aren’t always on the same schedule. However, we are curious on the amount of light in the bridge cabins and also whether they feel cramped in the living space. We do spend quite a bit of time in our room, particularly on the Transatlantics. Can someone here who has done both share a comparison?

I hope they fix the app. My hearing aids are Bluetooth and so much easier to deal with that than the hanging vox systems. People can also use their own earbuds.

This picture right here is why we come back time after time to the Windsurf.

My suggestion would be closer to the aft elevator than the forward one. At least for us, we spend more time at the stern. We love Compass Rose and the open deck above it. The front desk is back there, yacht club close, and we only go forward for dinner.

Thank you so much for your travelogue! And I very much appreciate you sharing the time adjustment information. So glad you enjoyed your trip. 🙂

We were in this suite in July for about 9 days - we also had the next two adjacent cabins. 600 is a great gathering spot for cocktails, conversation and views. The couch only seats two, so we ended up taking the armchair by the exterior door and creating an “L” shape facing the TV. You can just barely see that (and a glass of wine) on the left in the photo. Add in the desk chair and a couple of dining chairs and you’ll have seating for six. There is no bathtub on the Star Pride. We are personally fine with the nice shower. The table is tight for a full dinner for four but perfect for two. Overall it’s a fantastic suite. and the balcony….! And the windows!

Check out Windstar, especially the three sailing ships. However, you may find not enough educational programs. You will get lots of quiet places to sit outside and enjoy the ocean.

We love transatlantics! We haven’t done one on the Windstar yet but have done four on the Windsurf. We are both looking forward to your posts. (As much as you can get service!) All of ours have been west to east. Clocks were changed at noon, which worked great for us. We recently traveled on a much faster trip which changed clocks at midnight. We were exhausted the entire cruise. Please report on your time changes when you can. Thanks!

Unusual things I don’t like: Nighttime shows. We went once or twice; never again. I would remove the gigantic show space for things more active or outside. Buffets: I just say no Not exactly a dislike but, cruise directors. I’ve never met one and have no interest in anything they seem to promote or do. Reminds me of summer camp for children. Shipwide announcements other than necessary drills or information about ports.

We are ok with the 7 pm dinner. We eat earlier at home, but usually with significant time changes from home, we just adjust.

Terrible. We’ve done 6 TAs on Windsurf. There are quite a few posts on this forum, including a recent one.

I recommend making the dinner reservations for early in the cruise. Then, if you want to try for another night, you’ll have more opportunities to return. On our British Isles cruise in July, there was so much Covid among the crew that no one was able to return due to lack of staff. I’m glad we went in the first couple days.

Try asking this on each respective line's board. You'll probably find more definitive answers there.