Misty Morning

The problem on the Star ships is getting a place in the shade (mostly on deck 7 Pool Deck) as there is very little shade on deck 8. Prior to the stretch, they used to have umbrellas tied to the railings on deck 8 but they usually got destroyed by the wind pretty quickly so I think they gave up. The same issue can also happen on the Surf depending on where the sun is (people will reserve loungers on the shaded side of the ship) It was never an issue getting a place in the sun though and we had 270 onboard in November

Does anybody know if the A/C issues have been fixed once and for all. Haven't heard anything lately

Max wattage on the Surf was 400W. If the appliance is over that, it will trip the breaker. I think, a regular hair dryer is 1,500W, so they provide one in the room that doesn't exceed that limit. My wife did bring a travel sized hair straightener and there was no issue.

Just returned from a week on Surf in room 309 (upgraded from 109). room fine but tender operations in the morning start at 7AM and last 5-7 minutes. Also the engine vibration when reversing to drop anchor was extremely loud at the back of the ship every morning for 30 minutes (it was loud in 309, can't imagine what it would have been in 109). We always had rooms forward or center in the past so never had this issue. Will try to stay away from stern rooms in the future

We just got off a 7 day cruise on the Wind Surf and would like to give our impressions on the ship and our cruise after a 3 year pandemic induced hiatus. We last sailed the Surf in March 2020 (the last cruise before everything was halted), however we did sail 16 days on the Star Pride in November so I think it's opportune to make comparisons. Food: Continues to be excellent, many people raving about the food, even long time Seabourn clients who had never been on Windstar said the food and service was just as good on Windstar as Seabourn, so it goes to show how good it is. Yes there is no longer lobster at the deck BBQ but they now have it on the last night in Amphora. Had dinner once in Candles (veal chop is back and was great) and twice in Stella (rack of lamb and coquille St Jacques) and all were excellent. Just a note on dress code, they do enforce the no shorts policy in Amphora, we saw group of 6 with one person in Bermuda shorts and Maitre d' told to them they either need to change or they could go to Candles which they took up. Nice way of deflecting a problem Air conditioning. We had AC issues on the Pride in November and it seems there are still problems with it as we speak. However this was not a problem on Wind Surf, AC worked well, just too well. There is no fan adjustments in the rooms just a temperature adjustment. The fan speed however was on full blast all day and all night and was very noisy. I did not remember it being as noisy on our previous Wind Surf cruises (we had done 4 prior to this cruise). Heard similar comments from a few cruisers. Rooms: Had no issues with room, however the location aft on deck 3 (309, upgraded from 109) meant the room was shaking hard when the captain was backing up the ship to drop anchor in the morning and there was also noise from of the tenders being lowered, which lasted a minute or two. Next time would choose a room more in the center as in the past we had always been forward Sail away/Sails. Sail Away continues to be a highlight for many Windstar passengers, especially on the sailing ships (a bit underwhelming on the Star Ships). However many passengers, including myself, felt the music was just not loud enough. If you want to make a dramatic statement on sail away, ensure the music can be heard loudly from many areas of the ship. That being said, the sails were also not out much due to strong winds. This is becoming more and more of an issue as people expect the sails and yet they were only out a few hours all week. If this is going to be the new normal (i.e. less sails), I am leaning more and more towards the renovated Star Ships, with their larger rooms and what I feel is a better and larger centralized pool and bar layout but can understand why some people may like the little private nooks and crannies spread out all over the Surf Crew/Service: Great as usual. Gradually there are more and more women in bartending and waiter position which is a welcome change. Stops: This cruise had no sea days and 6 tender ports. Falmouth/English Harbour got replaced with St John's in Antigua due to swells (more on this below) and the Wind Surf no longers enters into the North Sound Channel in Virgin Gorda due to the BVI authorities not dredging or surveying the channel which was already close the Wind Surf's 5.4 meter draught (the Star Ships can enter the channel as they are lighter than the Surf). It now anchors north of Prickly Pear which makes for a rougher exposed tender ride. Falmouth/English Harbour is also getting problematic as the Authorities are no longer allowing the Surf to anchor inside Falmouth Bay but on its outskirts which leaves the ship more exposed to high swells. The ship had to call in St John's (really not as nice as English Harbour) at least 50% of the time this winter. St Barth's and Montserrat have also been problematic tender ports this winter for similar reasons as the ships are forced by the authorities to anchor further and further away. This is something Windstar management should start looking into as many people book these cruises for these ports specifically only to have them replaced at the last minute. I understand security comes first Finally, having been on the renovated Star Pride, it is becoming clear that the Surf is due for a major drydock (last one was in early 2019 to take out casino). The ship, especially the outside and the decks, are looking tired and a bit rusty. All deck and stateroom furniture would need to be replaced. However the public rooms and restaurants still look good but areas around the pool bar and Compass Rose would need to be redone completely. As for the space, there were 270 passengers onboard and while there are nooks and crannies everywhere with chairs, they may be far from the pool or bar. Pool area was always busy, with chairs taken up quickly. We enjoyed the expanded deck space on Star Pride, there were always chairs available (there are close to 100 chairs available in the pool area vs about half of that on the few decks near the pool on the Wind Surf. Still an amazing cruise but will definitely focus on Star Ships in the future.

Mostly 24 hrs for most Caribbean excursions but in St Barth's it's all 48 hrs

Just got off the Surf and as always (our 11th Windstar cruise) it was never an issue getting a table for 2.

We just got off the Surf and tipped 5 or 6 times $20 to bartenders/waiters as well as room attendant.

We just got off the Wind Surf yesterday and I had the wine/beer package (no liquor) and my wife did not as she does not drink as much. However being on the package allowed me to buy wine for her at 30% off and that's what we did all week. It's a bit more logistics and your need to remind the bartenders the first few days of the arrangement, but it was well worth it

We rented a car a few times to get around the island. Beware that while there are taxis, they have become very expensive. We tend to go to St-Jean beach, very nice no shells. You can rent chairs but they can be expensive as is everything in St Barth (15 to 50 euros a chair depending on the spot). Despite the high costs, we love St Barth for its beaches, shopping restaurants and beach bars

Sorry for my ignorance, I have now looked just at the google maps and found the “PricklyPear” whch is close to Antigua! Islands Lover, there is also a Prickly Pear Island in BVI when you do a search on Google Maps. It's right next to Moskito, Necker and Eustatia Islands north of Virgin Gorda. Very nice BBQ area and beach

Ciaoyacht, Like GottaKnowWhen says, the only way to get onshore in VG is by taking the Baths tour. They will not let you out otherwise and some clients found out the hard way on our last cruise in November.

Again today Wind Surf is in St John Antigua instead of Falmouth Harbour. Wind out of the ENE and no swells. This seems to be happening much more often with this stop as well as St Barth and Monserrat

The Yachts are really more geared to warm weather cruising. That's why I am reluctant to take any of these ships anywhere cold (Scandinavia, Iceland. New England, Alaska). There are definitely space issues if you can't use the outdoor decks. We were on the Pride for 16 fays in November (in the Carribbean). The first 9 days there were 270 people, the second week 160. Yes is was busier the first leg especially around the Star Bar as it rained quite a bit in the first few days but never really had to wait for dinner (we're late diners, never before 8pm) nor breakfast (always had a table outside) and felt the staff was always on top of things. Understand the chef from Star Pride is now on the Legend to train kitchen crew. We felt the food on the Pride was excellent for the 16 days and everyone in our group (6 of us) agreed the food was as good as it was before covid

Six ships are in Philipsburg today including some really big ones (Symphony of the Seas, P&O Arvia, MSC Seaside, Anthem of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas and Celebrity Constellation). Must be record day with total ship capacity in port at over 28,000 passengers + crew. Must be a zoo getting around. It certainly is in contrast to yesterday where Star Pride was all by itself

On our 16 day cruise in November, we had 260 in the first 9 days and 170 the second week. Yes it was a bit quieter during the second week but there wasn't much difference. The Star Bar is really where people congregate and where it is a bit lively even if half full (I would not go as far as calling it a party atmosphere though). I am sure you will enjoy your cruise no matter what. We'll be sailing on the Surf in February and really look forward to going back on the sailing yacht for the first time since covid (we were on the last Wind Surf cruise before the covid shutdown in March 2020).

Jazzbeau, I totally agree and laughed when I read your post. Not sure I would do zip lining in the Caribbean...these things rust pretty quickly down there.

You should definitely do the tour of the buried city. Well worth it. However had you already done it, you are right, there isn't much else to do. There are a few beaches but many are not easily accessible. I remember we had lunch on the way back from volcano and there was a small but nice beach next to the restaurant we were at. The island is very lush and green and undeveloped which can be nice for a change

Been watching the Wind Surf's position lately and it has not called on Falmouth Harbour on its last 2 stops (including today) instead docking in St John. Does anybody know why? The winds were out of the east both times so issue there. We're due to be on the Surf in Feb. Hopefully this is temporary.

Beware of their droppings. On our cruise in November, by the end of the day on our way to Grenada, the Star Bar windows and deck had their droppings all over. A good cleanup was required

This cruise is on sale for Canadians at $990. The problem is the price of the flights to get there which just keep going up, if you can find one

Yes some of these $1000/week specials are for Canadians only and these same cruises go for $1,499/week or $2,399/2 weeks in Last Minute Deals.

I personally never book a long time ahead as I know this is what they do. There currently are several 7 day cruises this winter that are now selling at below $1,000 on the Canadian Resident Discount (and under $2,000 for Star Collector) Now that’s what I call a great price

That's what we do at the beginning of each cruise and then we sometimes bring some back from port and usually that's not a problem but I guess depends on who's manning the Xray machine (we did it twice on our last cruise in November, no issue) and yes if you bring it to any beverage outlet/dining room, they will charge a $15 corkage fee which I don't mind paying but sometimes gets forgotten.

We have bought wine in port several times and never had any issues bringing it back. One or two bottles at a time, never more, don't want to push my luck lol