MNgardens

Ephesus and especially the terrace houses are great if you are a history buff.  In July it will be hotter than Hades. If you are not big into history you will get a sense of the place at the evening event.

Because it will be so hot in July consider getting a laundry package. I would come back to the ship, take off all my sweaty clothes and put them in the laundry bag for the steward to pick up that evening.

I try to check a website that will tell you how many ships are in port, how many people are on them, and the hours they are in port. I think I use cruise time table - here is a link to the Santorini page https://www.cruisetimetables.com/santorini-greece-cruise-ship-schedule.html Find your date and see what the situation is. When I was there a couple of years ago we got off the ship quickly, took the cable car up, and then took the bus to Oia. (Tom's Port guides, maybe Rick Steves, I think has a good page for that but I don't have it bookmarked) Later a mega ship arrived and the line for going up the cable car was horrifically long. Be aware of when the mega ships leave so that you don't get stuck in a long line at the top.

Patmos - there is a downhill earthen trail from the Chora that passes the religious cave and then through the woods to the town below. I walked this with my sister and it was very enjoyable. Once in the town we headed towards the waterfront, stopping for a meal at a neighborhood restaurant. There was a sign stating that the government is promoting several walking trails. If this is your kind of thing you can google to see if there is information on the other ones.

There is a list of ports that use tenders on the Windstar webpage. It isn't easy to find. I just looked around and couldn't spot it. At one point it had been under the accessibility tab

I've been on all three Windstar sailing ships for the small size and itineraries despite the lack of balcony and dim light from the portholes. For me it is a tradeoff. As an introvert I do not consider deck space to be an adequate option particularly if the weather is rainy or with a very strong sun. I do like being able to bop around the ship easily to get a beverage or snack, get a tender quickly, and no lines for dinner etc. I do like the Windsurf suites with the double bathrooms and seating area. 

I take my first motor ship trip next spring and am looking forward to comparing. The ships that were just purchased have many balcony cabins and they may become our preferred configuration.

I am really pleased that there will be many balcony cabins.The light and fresh air of a balcony is something I had come to appreciate on my Azamara cruises.

There are some renders on this website

https://cruisefever.net/small-ship-cruise-line-announces-expansion-with-new-class-of-ships/

Hope your travel day is going well.Are you going to your home or to relatives?

Holy cow! Just when the story can’t get any worse….Have the knee fractures taken your mind off the root canal pain?lol Kind of an extreme step to take for good medications.

Hoping your flight home goes smoothly once that can be arranged. Maybe on the way to the airport you can stop at store and purchase a few rolls of bubble wrap. 
 

In all seriousness, do you live in an area with non stop flights home?

Thinking of you

Plus, in a situation in which you would be going by ferry or tour boat between USVI and BVI (or vice versus) a passport Card is sufficient. I last did this in 2019 and am assuming this still holds. 

There is a roll call started if you want to join in. Not really sure how useful it will be since there are no ports to discuss lol. 

Just booked this for my husband and me. Still waiting on whether or not the other family members can join.

Thank you!!

I really want to do this. Now to start herding the cats to see how many family members can join us.

My family group were just in three rooms on the Windspirit. We noticed that there are essentially two layouts of the rooms.  One has the closet by the door and opposite the bathroom; the other has the closet more in the bedroom proper. 205 and 234 had the first layout and 232 had the second. I wish I had taken photos of that to explain it better

205 no tender noise, background hum of engines but at the level of a white noise machine. I had no issues sleeping. The head of the bed was on the aft side.

232 very quiet. I think the head of the bed was on the bow side.

234 very quiet

I am so sorry the loss of your husband. What a massive blow. My best wishes as you move forward into your new reality.

Do you have a sense of whether one has to pay cash or if a credit card option is ok?

I really appreciate the couple of posts you have about what is available at the pier.

Members on the Windstar boards are reporting that the Star Legend has all of the region's itineraries cancelled for several months and the ship will be deployed elsewhere. The elsewhere is as yet unannounced. At least the travelers and agents can start canceling flights. The schedule shows cruises recommencing in April 2024

No doubt Azamara and other lines are shuffling destinations around too.

@HaveDogWillTravel This has been an outstanding effort! I have only been on the sailing ships and I now have a better sense of how the motor ships look and function. I am very tempted by the larger staterooms and increased natural light.

Your comment about the tenders and the exhaust is an important note. Would you be willing to leave a remark about this on the thread discussing the staterooms on the motor ships? It is a pinned thread.

A lot of it is going to depend on the region specific platinum card that you have. The various travel benefits available to you can vary widely. I became aware of that over on the Amex specific sub forum on FlyerTalk.
 

I have a US platinum card. I just booked two cruises with Windstar. I used a travel agent and she does not work for Amex travel services. There is a mechanism where she can register with Amex and provide the trip details to prove I have paid the deposit and final payment on my card. I don’t remember the details of how she set that up but it is possible. I received $300 per cruise and it is reflected on the cruise documents supplied by Windstar. I am also receiving chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne from Amex. 
 

I haven’t recently checked the list of cruise lines to know if Azamara is still on it.  I am assuming so. BUT this may not be the case with the international platinum card. If this https://www.americanexpress.com/icc/cards/benefits/travel/cruise-privileges-and-discounts.html

is your card, then Azamara is not on it. You should log into your Amex account and see what is available to you. My link could be old and I am not an expert googler 
 

I hope this was helpful. Basically everything is going to depend on which region card you have. 

The snippet of deck plan that oakridger post shows the suite with an X designation. The X indicates a third berth. Have you or your agent called Windstar?

I have not been on the motor ships. I have been looking at them.  I think if I go on the motor ships I will spring for either the classic suite or the owner’s suite if a good weather itinerary for their small outside sitting areas. If a cooler weather itinerary I would be ok with the French balcony for the increased amount of light that would bring in. 

I have gone back to Windstar which I had cruised three times pre Azamara. I had one with them last fall (Windsurf), have one for next fall (Windstar), and probably doing something this winter (Windspirit in Tahiti.) I don’t go to shows so I don’t miss the evening entertainment scene. I do miss the veranda but it isn’t a deal breaker. Obviously I haven’t been on the motor ships which used to belong to Seabourn.

I was there on the Windsurf in September 2022.  The tenders dropped us off right in the busy old town area, not the further port that the larger ships use. It's unfortunate that there will be so many cruise passengers.

I have been looking at those suites as well. I found a rather chaotic video on youtube that helped me visual the space better than photos. There are people moving through the suite which may help you get a sense of how it would be with your spouse.

edited to fix typo

Last summer we were in a suite, I think room 339. I had been concerned that we would have noise from the lounge but but we never heard anything. I was traveling with my sister and the two bathrooms were handy to have. We found the cabin to be very conveniently located. We were near a stairwell which made it easy to pop up a level for a coffee. I would book in this area of the ship again.

If I have done this correctly, here is a link to professional photos of all the cabin types on the Journey. These were taken for the Cruise Critic organization.

There are good photos of the obstructed cabins.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/azamara-journey-410/

There is no sofa, only a desk and chair.