LTC Dan

Having written what I just did about Alaska adventures, I must say the prospect of doing a future Windstar cruise up there sounds like fun. We have one cardinal rule, and that's a mandate to avoid repeating any exact cruise itinerary (no matter how much fun we had). But it has been awhile, and I think Windstar would do it justice. I think we'd end up seeing many smaller ports, some selections that most of the other cruise lines couldn't even consider. That would make it unique and special.

Just idle speculation, but I think we might see an itinerary or two aboard one of the motorized yachts. But just imagine, how cool would it be to see one of the sailing ships explore Alaska's Inside Passage? With the former, mark me as a "maybe". With the latter, I'd say absolutely "yes!"

But then there's the whole deal about re-positioning a ship. So which one is most logical? If Windstar is returning to the orient, would that ship do so by transiting the Panama Canal, sailing up the Pacific west coast of North America, spending some time doing Alaska cruises, and then continue to the Far East? We're starting to venture into the realm of around-the-world cruising. Hmmm.....

We are in the older demographic ourselves. Actually this cruise might be a retirement celebration for one of us.

 

I think I would prefer an Alaska round trip or at least a cruise that starts or terminates in Alaska. That would fit with doing an Alaska land segment along with the cruise.

 

At this point, I'm thinking that if we do a high end or luxury line, it would be Oceania, Regent or Seabourn.

Also looking at smaller boat adventure type lines; mainly UnCruise or Lindblad.

And considering a mass market line like Celebrity or HAL. Both Celebrity and HAL have dropped Formal nights. HAL now has a "Gala night" where ties and jackets are not required.

 

Really need to narrow this list down. I'm looking at the itineraries and getting a list of prices.

Hi new_cruiser. You are really in the weeds now, and I mean that in a good way. I imagine you encamped in your favorite comfy spot with a cup of coffee. You're pouring over brochures; you're checking out itineraries, prices, and excursions; and you're cross-checking recommendations on Trip Advisor. You know with certainty what you've GOT to fit into the schedule to make it a fabulous trip. You're consulting lunar schedules and calendars, and syncing arrivals and departures with available land tours. You're adding up competing scores on your spreadsheets, and before long you'll know which cruise you want so badly you can taste the Alaskan King Crab already. That isn't work at all, that's FUN.

Bravo to everyone for pitching in. Congrats on generating such a neat message thread, because many folks have some great ideas.

I think I see a slight consensus building about HAL. You were right about the fact that they no longer have a real formal night, that was true even back when we did our trip. But many folks did break out the tuxedos, gowns, and jewels. I didn't mind dressing up for one evening, and for me it was a chance to wear my Army Dress Mess uniform. One slightly confused (but very kind) senior passenger came over and breathlessly gushed about how wonderful the cruise was, and said I must be so proud of my crew. I thanked her for sailing on Holland America, and then confessed that I wasn't really the ship's captain at all. She seemed disappointed, but I found it charming and heart-warming. I figured at that point I should probably change clothes before heading to the lounge to participate in live band karaoke. True story.

I was so impressed with the commentary by sparkleplenty, and rafinmd also has great ideas. I wish I had known about Cruise Critic back then. We happened to pick out a nice HAL trip, but it was only by coincidence that we avoided a parade of ships in every port. I do like the notion of sailing out of Vancouver. I think we did stop there (or maybe it was just Victoria? - can't remember), but I left there wanting to explore so much more of British Columbia. We LOVED Sitka, and hope it still is available as an option. By the way, try fish and chips made with a honking slab of halibut ....oh my, was that delicious!

I think everyone is spot-on with suggestions to sail on one of HAL's smaller ships, and to splurge on a suite. The service and entertainment are really first rate. They have a wonderful steakhouse, but there is an up-charge for that specialty restaurant.

Never sailed on Crystal, Regent, Silversea, or Seabourn. I bet they would really be amazingly plush, but maybe too stuffy and formal? Expensive. That much I'm sure about.

Oceania has good pricing, the food is what everyone raves about, and maybe you'd like the size of their ships. I think they should be a solid contender based on your commentary, but maybe not. HAVE FUN figuring this out!!!

Thank you... We had looked at the Foxy's website already. It looks a little crazy but, fun And, probably a once in a lifetime. We plan to go. We dock at 9 PM.

Hi cherdon. Enjoy the New Years Eve celebrations, no matter what. I have to confess, your original was both funny and misleading. "NYE on Star Legend" had me thinking Bill Nye the Science Guy was going to be the celebrity lecturer or something. Of course the context of the discussion quickly dispelled that silly rumor. :D:p;)

 

I'm trying to figure out which lines that cruise Alaska would be a good fit for us and thought it might help to ask here to see which lines other Windstar fans liked.

HI there new_cruiser. My wife and I decided to do the Alaskan cruise thing for our 25th. After talking to friends and looking at itineraries, it seemed clear that Holland America has carved out a specialty niche in that market. We did a round trip from Seattle and loved it.

Bear in mind that they tend to skew older in the demographic, but we saw younger families as well. As far as the big boats go, it provides a great fun time for the money. There is one formal night as I recall.

Our ship was the MS Westerdam, with about 2000 on board. Not a relaxing small boat experience by any means, but stellar entertainment. An Elton John impersonator was extraordinarily talented and funny as hell.

If you can tolerate the whole big boat experience again, try Holland America. But personally I'm eager to do a Windstar cruise up there someday because it'll get to all the less busy places. Have fun!

BTW, I'd be interested in the name of that car/van service you used.

Okay guys (and sparkleplenty), here's the deal. I've been spooked before about how candid I can be in making a recommendation. So I went back to the community guidelines and it seems I'll be okay talking about hotels, shuttle services, etc., because those tips will be outside of the cruise market itself. I will have avoided the minefield of talking about or endorsing a travel agent or competing cruise marketing company.

So, without further ado....the name of the shuttle service I like so much is GoOpti. They are a reputable company, and I've seen mostly flattering reviews in TripAdvisor and in the guide books (Rick Steves' to name just one). If you type in the search term "GoOpti" in your browser, you'll land on their internet site. Also, Wikipedia wrote a good summary about them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoOpti

This company is a regionally-based outfit specializing in transfers between various locations in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. Do your homework and decide if it's best for your situation, because it's just one of many options you can explore for getting around. Sometimes it may be cheaper to rent a car for a few days, or take the train, ride a local bus or taxi, or even hop on a commuter flight. And you need to factor in how tired you might be after a long flight. A private van service sometimes is a great deal.

Thanks, everyone for the gushing compliments. I am definitely ready to go again. Strenz (Susanne), you write lots of entries yourself, and I love hearing from you. Sparkleplenty (what a fun name), I'm so relieved to know I'm not the only one pouring over spreadsheets, fussing over which cruise line will be the best at whatever, and turning a vacation planning process into a labor of love. It truly isn't work at all, is it?

Great job Dan! You are such an entertaining writer. When you retire, maybe you could get a job doing travel writing and then you could travel for free...just a thought!

Now there's a concept that works! Sip nice beverages, eat fine cuisine, and take my best friends on exotic vacations and be the tour guide. I'm ready. Who's with us? :D

Loved, loved, loved your review.

 

We are going on our first Windstar cruise on the Windsurf/Yachtsman in December and are so excited about it. We're big snorkelers/beach lovers and can't wait to return to Jost and the other islands that we first visited years ago.

 

The only thing I'm a bit apprehensive of is that we won't have a balcony on the Windsurf even though many people have written that we'll be fine without it.

 

Thanks so much for your very detailed review.

 

Barbara & Tom

Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it so much. :) I sure would love to do a Caribbean cruise on Wind Surf, but first priority is to get to the British Isles. The lovely wife has been there before (long time ago) and wants to give me the tour. I can do a Windstar cruise without the balcony, I guess. Didn't have one on Star Breeze and it surely didn't make a dent in our overall experience.

Well, I was starting to have my doubts about getting published, but two weeks after turning it in, I can happily report the piece is finally online. Hope that you like it. This link will take you there. http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=01bf4469c70367c276b11cf28e9c2b7ff8d365fab7bfa843be2f7e66006649b10f751e91667d126c06ee42332e1787d8 :D

Hi tbmrt (Barbara). The notice I got said that it can be found at this link: http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=01bf4469c70367c276b11cf28e9c2b7ff8d365fab7bfa843be2f7e66006649b10f751e91667d126c06ee42332e1787d8

I just pasted it in my browser and it worked. Alternatively, select the most recent review you can find for Star Breeze, and then hit the "previous" review button. It will also take you there. Not sure why the regular display isn't showing mine as the most recent, but oh well. :rolleyes:

Finally! It took two solid weeks, but my review passed muster. Thank goodness it didn't gum up the works. I can be long-winded, but some may just say I'm being useful and generous with my comments. :D. Strenz, avalon, mbruck, karen 13, and tbmrt, thanks and let me know if it works.

Now I just have save up some more money so I can cruise, report, and repeat. ;)

Irritated at Cruise Critic. I spent a good bit of time writing a detailed review of our 9/30 cruise from Venice to Athens. Made a point of talking about every aspect of the trip I could, because I know newcomers appreciate objective reporting. You fellow contributors in the Windstar fan group got most of the story, because I covered the tips I'd learned with a separate series on this message board.

Anyway, it's been the better part of two weeks, and they haven't reviewed and published my rating. Is that an unusual lapse of time? :mad:

Sorry about that, ricflyer. We didn't mean to hijack the thread so badly. I think we'll see new schedules released around the end of the year, but maybe others can fine-tune that prediction a bit. As you can see, we all love the moment when new schedules come out and everyone can start planning vacations on Windstar. :D:cool:

We recently went on a cruise from Venice to Athens, and I completely forgot to pry the captain for any speculation about future itineraries. Prior to departure, I had resolved to do so when I visited the bridge. And then poof, I became distracted by all the fun and completely forgot. I can't quite qualify as a senior citizen (not yet, but soon), but that was definitely a senior moment.

Nothing's for sure until the home office releases the brochures, but I think the captain might have had some good inside information. A missed opportunity.

Let's do some sleuthing and deducing. I had read previously that Windstar wanted to expand their fleet within three years. Add to that petenmarion's intel that the company would be going to the Orient and Alaska sometime in the future. If both of those things are true, I wonder what new itineraries elsewhere might pop up?

I'm most curious about Wind Surf, because sailing on that beauty is my next priority. She seems to have a pretty predictable routine now (in a rut?), with sailing the Caribbean from December to March (two certain, time-tested, alternating itineraries); the Mediterranean, Baltics, Northern Europe, and Canary Islands from April through November; and trans-Atlantic runs in between. I wish she would "mix it up" a little bit, because wouldn't it be fun to sample some new ports and itineraries? I think that's especially true for the sailing yachts in the Caribbean, because it seems that it's been years since the Wind Surf or Wind Star broke in any new trips in that part of the world.

I guess market forces will continue to rule. If they can sell out those cabins most of the year, I suppose it won't make sense to rock the boat. So to speak....

Thanks Milepig. Made the request as suggested -- we'll see what comes of it. By the way, you are a frequent contributor and your advice is fun to read and greatly appreciated. Hope we meet someday.

Howellmc, that sounds absolutely perfect. I will definitely check it out. THANKS!

Thanks for the tip, pudgesmom. Can't figure out how to edit/undo the damage now, but I'll be more vigilant next time.

A few years ago, for my husband's 60th birthday, we took the family on a trip to London and Ireland. We rented a car and drove from Shannon, through the south of Ireland ending in Dublin.

 

For wonderful heritage type accommodations check out http://www.irishlandmark.com/

 

We rented the Georgian Townhouse in Dublin right in the Temple Bar area. It was a wonderful location and fascinating place complete with a friendly (at least we thought friendly) spirit. The worst part of the location was the location since it was in the Temple Bar area it was pretty noisy. But I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

That being said, they have many different types of properties throughout Ireland and you might find something special for your stay in Dublin.

 

We did rent the car and I will say I couldn't handle being in the passenger seat or the back seat. I couldn't handle being so close to the stone fences! I had to drive the entire time. It made me feel better but it took my husband and one son to help navigate especially on the roundabouts! Driving is doable but a bit nerve wracking too.

Ski Mom 2, this is fantastic!! The Irish Landmark website looks perfect, and seems to be chock full of the historical gems that really float my boat. It'll be a really good website to help me zero in on several good selections. And I'll also study up on the Georgian Townhouse in the Temple Bar area. And of course Rick Steves' guide books always are a good primer, and will help me get a feel for various options at hand.

Hello, I sent an email to your email address given on your post about Slovenia.

Subject: Cruise Critic Member.

Has it ended up in your Spam box, perhaps?!

Cooee.

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I missed your message, Cooee. By now you must think I snubbed you. I just wrote back with a bunch of information that'll help you out.

I almost always respond to my work e-mails within 24 hours, but my wife is much more active on the personal e-mail site. I tend to let her give me a heads-up when there's a message awaiting my attention. Not this time. She was buried with work-related stuff recovering from our vacation, so she didn't see your message drop in the mail box. Oops. Still my fault. :o

If you want to knpw anything else about that shuttle service, you can write straight to my work e-mail, danny.w.hassell.nfg@mail.mil.

The dw (Curly Montana) and I enjoyed our last Windstar trip so much we want to go again on another small ship adventure. :D We never repeat the exact same itinerary, so next time we want to go to Northern Europe, probably on the Wind Surf on "Gaelic Explorers" (Dublin to Edinburgh, or vice versa).

I'd love some advice on pre- and post-cruise lodging and exploration. Ideally, we'd stay about three nights both before and after the cruise, which will give us a wonderful 14-night land-cruise vacation. We would probably adore something low-key and charming, such as an old cottage B&B out in the countryside. Something right downtown in either city wouldn't work for me; I'm more of a 'Green Acres' kinda fella. But there certainly is a lot of merit to finding something within walking distance of nice attractions. I'm not too keen on driving on the wrong side of the road using a rental car. :p So I'd like a balance between something low-key/quaint/attractive and something convenient/near the action. A charming B&B might be lovely, but if it's totally lost out in the boondocks it might become pretty boring pretty fast.

What do you think folks? We have a long time to figure this out, but if anyone has discovered some lovely lodging gems out there somewhat near Dublin and Edinburgh I'd like to hear about it. I can start daydreaming. :)

Whew-ee. Had no idea you would be coming in from West coast. Safety first. The drivers can be extremely aggressive, especially in the bigger cities. I like your plan, Texasstar. Get away from metro madness (and maybe catch some zzzzs while someone else drives), and then get the rental car? That's a concept that works!:)

Dan, we are planning on a pre-cruise trip to Verona and Lake Garda. I will email you concerning the shuttle service. I think after a long flight, I won't want to deal with a train to Verona.

Hello again texasstar. I'll definitely pass on the name of the shuttle service if that works best for you. But here's another option, depending on how comfortable you are with the notion of driving on narrow roads in a foreign country -- how do you like the idea of renting a car? Depending upon your circumstances and how many places you want to go off the beaten path, it might be easier and less expensive.

For example, let's say you fly into Venice. With the shuttle service I like, you could pay anywhere from 55 euros to 110 euros apiece to take a shuttle one-way to Verona. From there, you could take a local train to the lake, or pay a taxi. And then at the end of your stay you'll repeat that, with a combination of local transportation and the shuttle to the port. So it could add up quickly.

Compare that to getting a rental car. You could probably find it to be much less expensive, even when you throw in insurance and gas. For just two people, I'd get a compact diesel, buy lots of insurance (not too bad, actually, and I like the peace of mind), DEFINITELY pay for the GPS feature for easy navigating, and drive wherever your heart desires.

We ran the numbers in Slovenia, and it turned out the best way for us was to get the rental car at the Ljubljana airport, drive it for five days and then return it to the same spot, and then take a one-way shuttle from the airport to Venice. I compared that to the cost of the rental car plus flying from Ljubljana to Venice ($$$) and getting two shuttle trips alone (airport to Lake Bled, and Lake Bled to Venice) plus local taxis. All things considered, we loved the independence of having a car for the "scenic" part and then taking a shuttle to get from one country to another. And we saved a load of money.

By the way, you know how much we paid to top off the tank after five days of driving? 18 euros. Granted, we didn't use it much for four days, and only one day involved full-time driving through the Slovenian Alps, but still. Several hundred kilometers for $20. What a deal.

Your situation will vary, so consider this with a grain of salt. Check out Rick Steves' wonderful series of articles online about renting a car in Europe. In some countries it can be the best way to go. In others, it can be a nightmare. And if you're scared about driving really fast on the autostrada (Italy's equivalent of our interstate and Germany's Autobahn) with crazy drivers all around you, then stick to the local roads and enjoy the scenery.

By the way, a funny tidbit: I had the hardest time learning how to spell the name of Slovenia's capital, and had to look up how to pronounce it (Lee-YUBE-lee-ana). So to this day, I mentally resort to calling it Lube Job.

Hi texasstar. Enjoy your cruise next May. All of the northern-most areas of Italy are gorgeous, especially the alpine lakes like Lake Garda and Lake Como. I'll be glad to pass on the name of that shuttle service. When you log on, you'll just need to be specific about where you want to be picked up and dropped off, dates, and any flexibility you have. The lowest package is for people who don't mind riding with others in a van and have a several hour window for pickup or drop-off. The mid-price option also allows people to ride with others in a van, but you can be specific about when you must be picked up and/or dropped off. The most exclusive option is for private service with a dedicated driver and no fellow strangers on board. We chose the middle option, and it was really good.

This service has great reviews and a solid reputation. Our hotel host in Slovenia said he had used it himself many times. And Rick Steves is a fan.

Thanks Cooee, Strenz, and Zeno. You've all made nice remarks, and I love the feedback as much as I do re-living the experience through my reporting.

Cooee, I don't envy the way you did your Venician Passageways in August. Oh my Gosh. I would have absolutely melted, especially when I did the walk on the ramparts above Dubrovnik and when I took an hour and a half to climb to the fortress way above Kotor Bay. But we can both attest to how awesome the Star Pride is on that itinerary. Bet you appreciated Marius' humor as much as we did. What a Cruise Director!

Love Murano. Only did a very brief hit and run as a college student way back when, but it was nice anyways.

Yes, there are ways to study up on the ins-and-outs of getting around Venice. We discovered some of it after the fact, but mostly by trial and error.

Glad you liked Athens. Maybe if we hadn't been forced to stay an extra day (because of the almost-strike) we could have done so in a more leisurely way and appreciated its charm.

Strenz, have fun next May. I bet the weather will be really nice. I envy the tail end of your Venice-Rome itinerary, which is probably superior to what we experienced. (Although transiting the Corinth Canal was way fun, and the back alleys of Nafplio were nice.)

We really had some special moments on our Windstar cruise, and we'll definitely be back. Here are some closing thoughts that might help:

TIP No. 5. Try to link up with your fellow Cruise Critic contributors. At dinner on the first night, as we're reading the Amphora menu, FlyGirl12 (who was seated to my left) politely asked, "are you on Cruise Critic?" What a pleasant surprise. I think she recognized me because my avatar has my photo. We shared lots of tips and observations, and Carla and I loved getting to know Alex and her husband Rich.

TIP No. 6. Venice is an absolute delight at dawn (or after dinnertime, for that matter). That's when the crowds vanish. If it gets foggy, it becomes downright mystical. If you brave the crowds at St. Mark's Square or the Rialto Bridge, it's insanely busy in mid-afternoon. I visited both places at dawn, and at St. Mark's Square there were maybe 20 people. When we sailed away from port at 4:00, there were 10,000 -- no exaggeration.

TIP No. 7. For heaven's sake, you MUST see Dubrovnik and Kotor. These are absolute, must-see, five-star, glorious destinations everyone should put on their bucket list. At Dubrovnik, walk the ramparted walls surrounding the old town, but do it EARLY before it gets too hot and crowded with tourists. And at Kotor, try to climb to the fortress above the old town for stunning views of the entire Bay of Kotor. The best photograph can be taken on the cobblestone and stepped trail just past the chapel, mid-way up the slope.

TIP No. 8. In my opinion, you'll hit the sweet spot on timing if you take this cruise in early to mid-October. The weather should be glorious. And the crowds should be much less hectic because it'll be off-season. If you go in the summertime....oh boy.