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RemPuck

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Everything posted by RemPuck

  1. We recently disembarked from Star Breeze, cabin 524, an original balcony room. The location was perfect, just forward of the new stairwell that directly accesses the tender/zodiac launch on deck 3. We had a good view of the tendering process, but never any noise/bother from the equipment. There were times we had issues with the temperature in the room. Being in Alaska, we needed to get the chill out of the room, but the heat either didn’t kick in or kicked in all the way to max. It took a few days to get the right balance. And our shower seemed not to drain properly. Engineering told us they “cleared a clog,” but our stateroom attendant told us to ignore Engineering! There was no clog; the tiles in the shower are not properly sloped towards the drain opening. Water went down freely but would puddle a bit. I used my foot as a squeegee after a shower and all was good.
  2. We disembarked Star Breeze in Vancouver on Thursday. Starlink was up and running and a huge improvement. We never had any issues with browsing or streaming. While we never used Facetime (or similar), we did use WiFi calling and regularly received text messages.
  3. They need to update their website immediately. After reading this chain, I went to their website to see what options existed and was able to book (and successfully booked) 2 tickets for August 11th. In quick succession, I received a "receipt," my "tickets," and then an email that I will be receiving an immediate refund since they cannot provide service to the glacier as they have no more permits. We, too, are now looking for alternative ways to get to the visitor center.
  4. As an additional point of reference, we had purchased an excursion for our port visit to Antigua. During the port talk the evening before arrival, the destination services manager commented that there were still 2 slots available on an excursion that sounded more interesting. After her talk, I went directly to here (still in the lounge) and asked if we could switch. "Not an issue." When we returned to our stateroom after dinner, we found the tickets for the new excursion. Our statement was credited for the original one and then charged for the replacement. This was about 12 hours before the excursion was to depart (December 2021).
  5. We are booked on Star Breeze from Seward to Vancouver departing Seward on August 6th. A friend was booked on the Breeze departing Vancouver on the 17th. She just shared that the cruise on the 17th has been cancelled so the ship could have maintenance work while in Vancouver. Does anyone know what the issue is? Are there ongoing problems that will hamper other voyages through the summer? This is our "2020" cruise finally (we hope!) happening this year and will be beyond disappointed if it's cancelled.
  6. Thanks @new_cruiser - this is very helpful. I hadn't thought about gloves.
  7. Nearly a year later... We are definitely booked on the Seward > Vancouver trip in August. I've put together some cruise time in the interior (Denali National Park, Talkeetna) as well as a full day in Seward (train to Seward the day prior to sailing, the Major Marine Kenai Fjords tour that same day and then a morning to explore Seward before boarding the Star Breeze). I've also booked Zodiac tours for us in our 3 "glacier" areas: College Fjord, Hubbard's Glacier and Tracy Arm/Endicott. Question to those who have done these (or the similar kayak options): Did you need any additional gear, particularly waterproof pants? Did Windstar provide anything? Thanks to all for the great advice and I look forward to hearing additional input from those on the Star Breeze this summer.
  8. They still have the various beverage packages available https://www.windstarcruises.com/voyage-plan/general-information/#BeveragePackages The Yacht Club benefit also offers a discount (I am 2-star and it's 5%) off of the beverage package (and the Wifi package), but it's not applicable to the all-in package. We are doing an 11 day trip next year. Even applying the 5% discount, the all in package is still the better option: Hotel Charge: 14.5, Beverage (Captain's): 56.05, Wifi (33.25), or a total of 103.80. The All-In is $79 (or even $89 once the new price kicks in) is a savings. For the two of us, it's almost $550 for the 11 day trip. (Finally - they need a proof reader. In the snap above, they show the All In package for $79/day. But in the details, it states that packages must be purchased during the first 2 days of the trip, referencing the "$89 All-In" package.)
  9. I’ve asked my TA to do the same for our 2023 Alaska trip.
  10. Hi @zentraveler I think the "by the bag" deals come and go. We were planning to buy the $8/per person / day package on board in December but we found a flyer for the bag deal when we boarded. Since we'd been travelling a few days before we boarded, we had clothes needing washing, so we just stuffed the bag. It seemed like it was an "embarkation day" deal until we had the flyer in our room throughout. The instructions were to not count out the items (as per the list you attached) but to instead just write "By the bag" in the special instructions area. We did use the unlimited laundry (same $8/pp/pd) on a prior trip and it was really a good deal. We used it every-other-day on a 10 day trip, much more than we'd normally do if we were paying by the piece. And as @Strenz noted, they do a great job with the laundry. Enjoy your trip!
  11. On our December Wind Surf trip, they had "by the bag" laundry available. A full bag was $45, and boy did we stuff it. We had laundry done 3x during the 10 days and this came out to be less expensive than the "unlimited" laundry option, which runs $16/ day (for 2 people). It's buried deep in Windstar's website, but you can see the various packages and options on their "Gift Order Form." https://windstarcruises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/plan_your_voyage/gift_order_form.pdf
  12. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I’ve been doing research in the Alaska forums on both CC as well as Trip Advisor. We will likely do our own land trip for 5-6 days pre cruise that will end in Anchorage. At this point (13 months away) I’m leaning towards the train to Seward the morning before embarking. This will give us the afternoon to do a Kenai Fjord cruise and to see a bit of Seward that evening and the next morning. For those doing Alaska this summer, do you have any additional guidance around pre booking excursions? Any input about any ports? Has Windstar done anything “special” (like the beach BBQ) and has there been a deck BBQ? Thanks for all the advice and feedback. RemPuck
  13. Thanks @new_cruiser an @GottaKnowWhen for the helpful hints. lots to look forward to!
  14. Thanks @r&rd! Enjoy your trip and I look forward to your updates.
  15. Hello – My husband and I are re(re)-attempting a Star Breeze Alaska cruise, Seward to Vancouver, in August 2023. We originally hoped to do this in 2020 (we all know what happened) and re-booked for 2021. There was too much uncertainty about Alaska trips last year, so we instead rolled our FCCs to a Covid Adventure on the Wind Surf in December. While there (and before the bad stuff happened!) we booked this trip. I’ve seen a few (quiet) roll calls for the current Alaska season and I’m hoping recent, current or future participants can answer a few questions. · How did/will you travel to Seward? We are likely doing our own land trip prior to the cruise and are debating on how and when to go to Seward. Did you go directly from Anchorage to Seward to the Ship or did you spend any time in Seward? · We have 3 different “glacier” days (College Fjord in Prince William Sound, Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm. All offer zodiac excursions to get close to the glaciers. If you did this, when did you book? Did you do more than one? Favorites? · Aside from the zodiacs, were there any other excursions that stood out? Any that sold out far in advance that we should consider booking “soon-ish”? · Anything else to share? When we were planning 2020, I booked all 3 zodiac rides, plus a few other excursions, way in advance. When the trip was cancelled, Windstar actually considered those funds as “already paid” (not specifically for shore excursions) and they were eligible for the 25% FCC bonus they offered at the time. While nice, it was a lot of $$ tied up for a long time. I’m trying to balance booking what I really need to with not having too much money locked in for too long. Thanks to all for any guidance and happy sailing for those on board or about to sail!
  16. There are two room layouts - Original and "Star." The Star categories were added during the stretch (cut the ship in half, pull the pieces apart, add a new section containing 50 additional staterooms plus additional public spaces, etc). The original layout has the bed when you enter the room and then the sitting area near the windows/French balcony. The new rooms are reversed, with the sitting area as you walk in and the bed nearer the window. For us, sliding the windows open while sitting on the sofa/chairs is like being outdoors. I am not sure I'd feel the same if the bed were at the door and the sitting area were across the room. (The rooms are identical in size and all rooms have new bathrooms; only the layout is different.) The small size of the ships makes meeting people very easy and the crew knows your name (and preferences/drinks) by the second dinner on board. We've done one cruise each, Star Breeze (pre-stretch) and Wind Surf (in a suite) and have another Star Breeze cruise booked. The Wind Surf rooms were small (other than the suites) and without the French doors, felt small. But (unless confided to the room for isolation, as we were unfortunately for part of our trip), the amount of time spent in the room is limited. There are great open spaces around the ship, from multiple outdoor decks (sun and shade) to lounges and bars.
  17. You can book shore excursions via the website, but once booked, you can't make changes and will need to talk to a person. Prior to our trip in December, I needed to call to purchase cabin gifts and to cancel a shore excursion. The phone system was backed up, but I was offered an opportunity for a call back without having to stay on hold. I forgot the estimated time, but was pleasantly surprised when the call came in slightly ahead of the estimate (something like 45 minutes estimated and the call in about 38?). Per this link (a TA FAQ for Windstar), adding the All-In package is manual. Even TAs need to call it in. However, they do get 10% commission for selling it (for the amounts covering the drinks and WIFI).
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