Katbird93

Yes, it's easy to make friends.  We had a great group with us.  I'm partial to St. John.  Red Hook area in St. Thomas is kind of fun.  As soon as you get off the ferry, you will see High Tide, which opened not long after the hurricanes.  Just down the beach is Beach Bar and Rum Hut, both just opened this week.  Honeymoon Beach offers food, drinks and lounge chairs, along with floats, snorkel gear, etc.  Might be a fun day for you!  Lots of beautiful beaches!!

We went on our first Sea Dream last February, similar itinerary.  I packed 4 pair of pants for my husband.  We were fortunate enough to have dinner every night but one outside, so he could wear shorts for dinner.  We had pretty calm seas the entire cruise.  Tenders were fine most of the time.  We stayed on board at St. Barths because it was so rough.  We ate lunch mostly on board.  Most of the islands we had been to previously, so we spent more time on board than most people.  I really enjoyed just hanging at the pool.  We normally just vacation in St. John, but decided on the cruise last year.  If you haven't been to St. John, you will love it!! Two of the beach bars just opened this week after being closed 2 years because of the hurricanes!  Enjoy your trip!!

Just returned from SD 1 last week and I scheduled a 45 minute back Thai massage.  I was having some lower back issues.  It truly was one of the best massages I've ever had.  Yes, she crawled up my back, but you could hardly feel her.  I like a firm massage and she kept asking me if it was too much.  My niece and nephew both had the same massage and also loved it.  He doesn't like a real firm massage and she adjusted according.  I totally recommend it!

Good point!  Of course I overpacked more than just slacks!  

We just returned from our first SD cruise.  Great trip and guests and staff that were amazing.  Just wanted to give a heads up to those sailing the Caribbean soon.  We only had dinner served inside 2 nights.  The weather was spectacular, so the captain decided this.  That being said, I didn’t realize dress shorts for men was acceptable for outside dining and packed way to many pairs of pants.  He could have easily survived on one pair saving valuable space in our luggage!  

We ended up not getting wifi and occasionally connected on shore.  It was perfect. Enjoyed being disconnected for the week.

My nephew and wife used same TA company as us different agent, and they only received email.  I believe it depends on what they request.

Thanks very much for the reply.  We also have ATT and have the international $10 per day.  We are on this Saturday from SJU to STT, so I think we’ll be ok with that.  We may opt for one phone with WiFi.  Having a 92 year old mil that we need to be able to keep tabs on is important.  Figure off the ship there will be restaurants/bars with free WiFi?!  Enjoyed hearing about your Cuba trip.  

Is it worth it to purchase the Wifi on Caribbean sailings on SeaDream?

Thanks!

Our first SD cruise and our docs arrived today.  Nice little info packet with luggage tags and straps.  After this horrible cold snap, this trip is going to be one of our best!

Where exactly does SD handle embarkation in Saint Thomas? Also, for San Juan where does SD disembark? Trying to look at hotel bookings this week for an upcoming sail.

We have stayed at At Home In The Tropics in St. Thomas precruise, a beautiful B & B. Very nice and great owners. We stayed at Mafolie last year after the hurricanes. Even without hurricane damage, this hotel needs a huge facelift. Don't recommend it. We are staying this year at Doubletree in San Juan, we got a great rate. After the cruise, we will be staying in St. John for a few days.

Great question since we are all beer drinkers!

Thanks so much for this review. We will be doing similar SD cruise next February and have anxiously been looking for info.

Just Booked 2/2019 cruise and very excited! Have cruised Windstar, but wanted to add a few days in St. John post cruise, so this worked for us. I thanks those that have answered my past questions and welcome any suggestions, recommendations, etc. We have bee to all the islands, but 2, and usually don’t do many excursions. Thanks and looking forward to a great new experience!

Agree Trapper!

Does this happen often, changing courses.p? We are considering a SD cruise next February. We’ve done Windstar a couple of times and never encountered this. But, when we were in St. John this year, we did notice a definite change in weather.

Looking forward to your reports!

In the Carib it doesn't really matter which side, because you won't likely be at a pier unless you are doing a B2B, in which case I'd opt for port side. Does it matter to you whether your head is fore or aft? I've never noticed a difference, but I don't have a problem with a rear facing airplane seat either. If it matters to you, look at the door location in the room. The head of the bed will be on the opposite side.

 

Where in IL are you? We are NW Chicago burbs.

We are from Central IL, close to Peoria.

So, if we book the lowest cat, should I book starboard rather than port? Normally, I would prefer port. I don’t have a TA, but am looking into it. Thanks!

Sounds like a lovely trip. We are thinking of first SD next Jan-Mar. Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve a couple of questions. We’ve done 2 Windstar Cruises and loved both. We generally spend our time in St John. How far in advance should we book? Should we use a TA? Have you stayed in lowest level room? if so, is it ok? Any advice, suggestions, etc., are welcome. Thanks!!

Not on Star Breeze, but my husband and I did on the Windsurf. It was wonderful. Captain performed ceremony on top deck at sunset while in port in Antigua. Several officers present along with couple that was with us. Sent little invites, had a certificate, champagne toast, flowers and cake at dinner. I forget what the cost was, maybe$175, but it was worth it. Had a great time.

Depends on the time of the day. During the day, we like the pool bar. Evening before dinner, compass rose to listen to the music and after dinner, compass rose again. Didn't care that much for the large entertainment area, but that's us.

We stayed at Holland House 2 nights pre cruise last February. Like the hotel and location was great. Even without a pool there are a lot of beach areas to lounge. We also did do the beverage package - it works for us. I would definitely recommend atleast coming 1 day prior to your cruise. Our traveling companions last year booked 1 day ahead and almost did not make the ship.

Enjoy!

The set up on the Wind Spirit is much different than the Surf. In fact, we like it much better. It is easier to hear and see sail away on it. Would love to hear how you think they compare and how you like the Tahati cruise. Enjoy!!:)

Thank you for your wonderful review. So glad to hear you had a great trip and loved Windstar as much as the rest of us!:)