SailorJM

We last sailed Windstar in Jan. 2010.

Everyone who did the horseback riding on the beach raved about it. We didn't do it, but we did the Mangrove boat trip and enjoyed that (especially when the little white-faced monkeys climbed all over the boat, and then seeing the tiger-faced crabs. So unusual). My husband did the zipline trip thru the dry forest and really really like it. We also did the rafting trip, which wasn't rugged at all, but for those like me who prefer it that way, it was super.

Snorkeling was a bust, if they even offer it now. The Pacific waters are too churned up to see much of anything.

We used Roiner also, but we got to him at http://www.coachcostarica.com. Maybe he has changed companies? Patricia also was the one we made arrangements through. Website is still good, since I just checked. But so is trekscostarica.com...hmmm??

Anyway: LOVED him, and Patricia! He took us around the countryside and to a coffee plantation, butterfly farm, and for an authentic Costa Rican lunch (buffet), which was excellent...he's very pleasant, fun and knowledgeable. Patricia had a free day, so she joined us. After touring, they drove us to the ship. I highly recommend Coach Costa Rica, Roiner and Patricia. The price was reasonable, but I can't recall what...that was almost 4 years ago.

At the time, they said their company was the only one that had permission to actually drive into the docks area and take you right to the ship. We watched other drivers offload passengers outside the docks area, and those folks had to lug baggage in a long way.

Clarification: Legacy was scrapped and destroyed, with all the photos on this board somewhere. Windjammer Sailing Adventures has the Mandalay, also a former Windjammer Barefoot Cruises ship, just like Legacy was. But Mandy fared far better........

Thanks for posting! You made lemonade out of lemons......it's the best way to stay happy and unstressed out. It does sound like fun, even the way you did it.

Haven't tried the wrist bands, but the natural ginger chews did it for me, and very quickly, on my Sagitta windjammer cruise earlier this year. We had one really rocky sail between islands, and those of us who had tummy issues and used the ginger chews were feeling better very soon.

Thanks, Roy.....that is some good info to ponder.

We've been sail cruising with a number of folks in their 50s-80s, but all have been hearty, adventuresome souls who are looking to go beyond a bus ride to tour a church or a mall. More interest in actual exploring, on land and in the sea. Kayaks, ATVs, Hobie cats, hiking, snorkeling, etc. So yes, it may be back to the Caribbean or Costa Rica/Panama via the windjammer-style ships.

I enjoyed reading this! You sure know how to make lemonade out of lemons, and I'm glad most of the rest of the passengers did, too! We've done a lot of sailboat cruising (the smaller triple-masted sailing cruise ships with 12-40 passengers) in the Caribbean. Now THAT can be "lumpy"! It's great sailing/cruising most of the time because you're so near the islands, but if you need a long sail from one island to the other, you can certainly get lumpy, because you're out in open ocean water for a time. Fortunately, that only happens, if at all, maybe once a cruise.

We're now looking to try a cruise in the states and that's why I started reading this thread. We know nothing of Blount cruises and have been looking at American Cruise Lines. We are in early 60s, but no slowdowns of any kind, just looking for a little adventure and a chance to see/explore more of the US via boat. I was interested to read about the age group on your cruise because while I don't mind all ages, we're not into a cruise where we're surrounded by folks who are more interested in just sitting, on the boat or on a bus. We want to be able to explore, maybe take some excursions that involve an ATV, etc. Your report has me a bit intrigued, and I'm going to do more research on Blount.

thanks for the really good report. We sailed Mandalay in 2003 when she sailed the San Blas Islands off Panama and it was all you say. We were set to sail on Legacy in late 2007 when Windjammer Barefoot Cruises died. We watched the demise of Legacy in the Costa Rican harbor and have been following the ownership changes for Mandalay, when Fiddi Angemeyer bought her and refurbed her and then when Windjammer Sailing Adventures bought her and finished the refurb. We are looking forward to planning a trip aboard.

We were so lost when WBC fell apart, but we lucked out and found the tall-ship Arabella and sailed her around New England and later, out of St. Thomas. When she was put up for sail in late 2011, and we once again found ourselves dockside.

Then we discovered Island Windjammers, which has the tall-ship Diamant, a crew all former WBC crew, including Capt. Matt, and ownership made up of longtime WBC sailors/fans. We've enjoyed sailing Diamant twice and will sail on IWJ's newest tall-ship, Sagitta in May. All you say about Windjammer Sailing Adventures can be said about IWJ, too.

It's just so dang cool for those of us who love tall-ship sailing and have little interest in the "floating condos" to have these TWO fantastic options! Your review helps underscore our interest to sail away on Mandy next....thanks again!

WSA's Mandalay sails out of Grenada, as does IWJ's Diamant. IWJ's Sagitta sails out of St. Maarten.

The alternative IS available. I just re-read this string and there are some positive things to report!

Since the demise of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises (WBC), two windjammer sailing companies are now operating: Island Windjammers since 2009, Windjammer Sailing Adventures since last year. Both are operated by companies made up of some longtime Windjammer Barefoot Cruises fans and crews.

Both company's ships are crewed by former WBC crews and some WBC captains, including Capt. Matt, who has been a skipper of IWJ's Daimant, a 12-passenger tall ship. I sailed her twice (with Matt!!) and she is beautiful! And great fun! IWJ recently purchased the tall-ship Sagitta from Angemeyer Cruises and started sailing her last December. She is a 24-passenger ship, and I gonna be onboard this May! Matt is going to be one of Sagitta's captains now. islandwindjammers.com

Windjammmer Sailing Adventures has THE Mandalay!!!! The actual Windjammer Barefoot Cruises Mandalay! Angemeyer Cruises saved Mandy and refurbished her, but then decided to sell her. WSA to the rescue. I haven't sailed her yet, but reports are good! sailwindjammer.com

So life is good for those who would like to recapture some of the spirit of the old Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. :)

That is truly sad to hear about Caribe I. She was our first sailing adventure, back in 91. Most cruise ships from Med had been brought to Caribbean when it wasn't deemed safe to sail in the Med (there was war in Kuwait, plus a tourist had been tossed from a hijacked ship, etc). We had been advised to call for rates and to ignore brochure rates due to the great number of ships available. We figured we could afford an H cabin on the Caribe, with an A at the top of the price list. When I called and asked what I could get for the price of an H, she offered me an A! So we took it!

We found our cabin in Caribe I's one-time "first class" section, with all its once-decadent glory: deep rich woods, red velvet materials, shining/gleaming brass, etc. It was a large cabin, with a sitting area and a bedroom. That we got for $250/week per person! Yes, the cabin was showing its age, but it was twice the cabin of almost any ship we've sailed since. The old first-class section bar was gorgeous....and unfound by most everyone else on the ship. My husband was in heaven. The bartender got to know him and what he would drink and always had it ready for him. We basically had a "private" bar whenever we wanted it.

It was a wonderful cruise...met some fun people, loved the ship from bow to stern, and got our first introduction to the Caribbean. We've been Caribbean sailors ever since...on a variety of ships (mostly small) and for the past 10 years, we've become tall-ship sailors. But Caribe I, which started it all for us, remains dear to our hearts. So it is very sad to hear she is gone.

Aha! It was Club Med I that became Wind Surf.....

When were these photos taken? I always understood that Club Med 2 became Windstar Cruise's Wind Surf, back in 1999-2000. We sailed on Windstar's newly acquired and renamed Wind Surf in 2000, and she still was set up and looked just like a Club Med ship. And I remember looking out the porthole early one morning to see Club Med 1, a mirror image of our ship, with all of them looking out and seeing us, a mirror image of them. Kinda cool moment! Wind Surf has since been remodeled, which needed to be done: upgrading the galley, a new more-passenger-friendly entry that wasn't way up a long, long, narrow, metal ladder to an upper deck, and the combining of every two staterooms to make much nicer, more spacious ones. I think Wind Surf has undergone a more recent and more extensive reno, after the recent ownership change.

But I could be wrong re Club Med 2 to Wind Surf. Don't think so......

Little birdie says Island Windjammers has been looking at Arabella as a sister ship to Diamant. And S/V Mandalay has been purchased by newcomer Windjammer Sailing Adventures (also former Windjammer Barefoot Cruises people, like IWJ). So life on the seas is looking extra good!

Oh how I'd love to see ALL the fantastic Arabella team together again and Arabella looking beautiful and majestic on the seas, sails raised and full. I'm ready to sail them all: Diamant, Arabella, Mandalay! May the gods of the seas make it happen......We never thought Mandalay would sail again, and now she will. As Jimmy Buffett says: Believe it, and it will come true! Me, I'm gonna keep believing re Arabella!

Tail ships rule!! IWJ just won an award as Best Caribbean Cruise Line via online voting.

Nancy, I wish we'd had the opportunity to sail Mandalay more than once. We. too, are hoping and praying that she'll be sailing once again soon. At least she doesn't seem to be headed to the scrap heap like Legacy and Flying Cloud. You might enjoy a topic on the jammerbabe site: Final Resting Spot for Flying Cloud, under View Active Topics. It is a sad topic, with even sadder photos, but it has now evolved into a discussion about some of the WJBC people/places. I recently posted a photo there, taken last November, of Capt. Matt as captain of IWJ's Diamant and former WJBC captain Paul Maskell, aboard Diamant for one night as Matt's guest.

So far, I've heard no more news about Arabella.

You're right, there's no easy way to get to Grenada that I've found......I'm on the left coast, so it makes it extra trying. We're taking one of Diamant's new 10-day, 9 night cruises next November, leaving from St. Lucia and ending in Grenada. We took a chance on American being still in business and got flights that have us fly out of LAX and onite in Miami (we use the airport hotel) and then fly directly into St. Lucia. From Grenada, we'll fly direct to Miami and then to LA, all in same day.** A 10-day, 9-nite cruise makes the cost and effort more acceptable.

**I say that with fingers and toes crossed. When we returned from Grenada last November, AA had mechanical probs with flight from Mia to LA, and we returned to Mia, where we had to wait (in the terminal, thank goodness) for 5 hours before AA could get us another plane. We have had no end of mechanical probs with AA flights in last 2 years and had decided to avoid AA from now on, but AA was the only way to get from left coast to Diamant and back without going to JFK, so we're hoping for the best.

Ok, yeah: harumph.

Haven't heard anything new about Arabella. But we're sailing on Diamant again next November. Long wait.....

Sorry to be so long getting back here after our Nov. cruise on IWJ's Diamant to say: IT WAS FAMTASTIC!!! So much fun, wonderful crew, ship, passengers. Nothing to complain about except having to get off. Reason I'm posting this here is because while onboard, we learned that Island Windjammers was in discussions to buy Arabella. Now that would be something to really celebrate.....fingers crossed and praying to the gods of the sea for this to be!

Sailor JM

Diamant: that's all I've heard; all good! We're excited to learn that Capt. Matt will be our captain once again. Sailed with him on Windjammer's Mandalay. Other crew are from WJ's Polynesia and one from WJ's Yankee Clipper. Gotta be a good cruise! But still in mourning for Arabella. May she sail again soon! What a gorgeous tall ship she is.

I do have to commend Atlantic Star Lines, who let me know about Arabella's non-sailing via email, snail mail and a personal call. Plus promise of deposit refund by end of today. I was booked on Windjammer's Legacy and didn't find out WJ was done for til day before supposed sailing (got all my money back via credit card, tho). I wasn't using Cruise Critic prior to that non-sailing, but I sure use it now. Friends were booked on Renaissance Cruises when it shut down, and they lost thousands. Although maybe ASL could have let us know earlier, I'm very happy to be informed now well in advance of our cruise and with much better letter/email than "we're not sailing for safety reasons," which is what WJ said to us in a terse email day before we were to sail. Of course, that was after WJ had stranded many passengers and her crews.

While hold good thoughts for Arabella to sail again, we're going to give S/Y Diamant a try. She's the tall ship that Island Windjammers sails in/out of Grenada, to rave reviews.

I'm in mourning! The wonderful Arabella, a triple-masted sailing cruise ship (40 passengers) has ceased sailing for 2012 and "the foreseeable future," per an email just received. We were signed on for our third sail, and this is just so sad. The plus side is that there apparently is an effort being made to find new owner/operator.

The message....

Dear valued Arabella passenger:

It is with great regret that we inform you that Atlantic Star Lines will not be operating the 2012 Arabella itineraries as scheduled. After the death of company founder Don Glassie earlier this year, we committed ourselves to completing the full 2011 schedule. However, due to estate obligations and associated business restructuring, we find that we must suspend the operations of the cruise yacht Arabella for the foreseeable future.

Please rest assured that we will be refunding any payments/deposits you have made to us immediately. In the case of credit card payments, this process should be finished this week, in which case you will see the credit on this month's statement. If by check, you will receive a refund check within the next 5 - 7 business days.

We wish to thank you and all the other wonderful passengers who have joined us over the last ten years — whether in the Caribbean or New England — and the great captains and crew who have helped make these trips so special. Over these years we've seen many changes in the world and in the travel industry, but the one constant we could count on was the pleasure in joining a group of fellow sailors aboard a tall ship reaching under full sail with a yet-to-be explored island beckoning on the horizon. With this in mind we are making every effort to place Arabella with a new owner/operator who can continue the traditions we've started. We will keep you informed as to any plans for a resumption of operations as they develop.

good to know...thanks for posting!

Wonderful!!!

We were on Wind Star off Costa Rica when it got rocked by 105mph winds one night (Jan. 2010...Hi, fellow cruiser OSUGrad!). Our cabin was on B deck, midship, and we felt NOTHING. Slept through the entire episode. Others who were towards the stern felt it (and heard it....every time the screws lifted out of the water). By the way, captain slowly and carefully turned the ship around and bypassed Nicaragua where he was heading when these amazing winds came up....and found us a new port to visit instead, back in Costa Rica. Crew did a fantastic job and only a few people (that I heard) said they were somewhat adversely affected. As far as I was concerned, the whole trip was fabulous.

SailorJM in San Diego