AirbusPat

Fred Olsens currently operates what remains of the Royal Viking fleet and they were built in 1972 and 1973 respectively, so, if we are talking mass market Lines, I believe that the Black Watch and the Boudicca must hold the record, presently.

 

Of course, they are both perfectly gorgeous old girls, and built to the very highest standards. Ships generally don't survive into their fourth decade unless their interiors have mellowed to a warm patina

I'll second that! NCL had one of these ships for a while back in 1992. A beautiful classy ship. I would take one of these over a huge overcrowded mega ship any day.

Just wondering how well the ac works in the cabins on the Wind Spirit?

Going to be in a BX category in Tahiti in July.

 

Thanks, Martini Cruiser

In my experience, the A/C worked great on the Windsurf and the Windsong which is no longer in the fleet. If anything it can get a bit cold in certain areas of the ship. Never had any issue with the temp in the cabin.

You're going to love this cruise, hope this helps.

My advice Lori (anonymousegirl) is to cancel your Windstar cruise ASAP and rebook with Princess or Royal Caribbean or anyone else - get a balcony cabin and enjoy. Windstars tenders are frightening - the food is just average - breakfast and lunch are less than average. Windstar may go to the small ports where the big ships can't go - the truth is the big ships don't want to go to these ports and you probably will not want to.

I can't figure out if this post is an April fools joke or just plain sarcasm?:eek:

WINDSTAR is the best! You'll see for yourself. Have a great voyage and post up your thoughts on the cruise.

Well, they are small but comfortable. My guess would be about 150 sq. feet which is smaller than most big cruise ships. That said, most folks on the Star Clipper cruises that I've been on don't spend a lot of time in their cabin.

Even though the cabins are small there is everything you'll need. Comfy bed, flat screen TV and lots of hot water in the shower. I do recommend mid ship cabins to avoid any engine room noise and less motion.

Hope this helps

We have stayed at the Holland House before our Wind Surf cruise last December. There is a water taxi that is 100 feet from the hotel that takes you right to the pier where the ship docks. If you get an ocean view room you will be able to see the Wind Surf in the morning from your balcony.

We'll second this! Holland House is a nice little hotel and very convenient to the ship. Lot's of places to eat and drink close by. Try for an ocean view room.

While you are there, don't miss the "Sunset Beach Bar and grill" out by the airport. A fantastic place to people watch and get as close as you'll ever get to a 747 landing.

You are in for a treat, we have done this cruise twice and had a blast.

:(

Thinking of booking a cruise for my hubby's 55th birthday, I stumbled on a perfect itinerary: Athens to Istanbul. Having sailed on Cunard on several occasions, I was ready to try a smaller ship. The Windstar brochures looked good and it promised casual luxury. While on board, I realized that casual, it was. Luxurious? Not so much. Except for our cabin steward, most of the staff were WAAAAAAY too familiar, addressing us by the first name without an invitation and making a nasty habit of touching one's shoulder at every opportunity. Call me old fashioned, but I am a paying (and tipping well) passenger, not their friend. The food was largely good, though not stellar (salty on most occasions) and the wine list.... well,it was wine, to be sure, but I would not call it good.Heavily skewed towards American palate (heavily-oaked or fruit-forward reds, semi-sweet whites) and no alternatives. The couple of decent bottles on the list were soon out of stock, so we have started buying the wine in ports and paying the corking fee ($17) every night - hardly the promised luxury. The house Champagne turned out to be a dreadly sweet Prosecco. To add insult to injury, after I made my observations known to Guest Relations lead at Windstar Cruises, she dismissed me as a wine snob and basically told me to get a life. So the score is: Windstar got my money, to be sure, but will never again get anything from me or my family, friends and associates.:cool:

Thanks for not being on my next Windstar cruise.:D

We have been sailing with Windstar since 1999, great then and great now. We have had some of the great staff since then as well. If you loved it then you will

love it now. Have a great cruise. Susanne

I'll second that. First cruised on Windstar in 1994, we did our third Windstar cruise last year. All have been fantastic! We are very excited about the return to Tahiti and the new ships.

We did a 5 day cruise on the Brittanis in February 94 and we have fond memories of this cruise and this classic ship. We chose to sail on the Brittanis because of her history. My wife"s grandparents sailed on her to Hawaii when she belonged to Matson Lines.

We brought along some original menus from the dining room which was a hit with the staff. Of course the cabins and public rooms were nothing like the new mega ships today, but the Brittanis had a lot of character and you won't find that on "The Oasis of the Seas".

We followed the Brittanis till the end and we are glad to see she escaped the breakers. She now rests on the ocean floor gone but not forgotten.

Sailed on the Regent Star back in May of '93. She was the ex "Holland America" Statendam, I hope that's the right spelling. Anyway it was a cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and it was quite memorable and fun.

Out of 23 cruises, that was the only time we were ever invited to dine with the Captain and go to a special cocktail party. Some of the other highlights that we will never see again was, skeet shooting off the stern, midnight buffet and a tour of the engine room while under way.

The entertainment was funky but still fun. I've got a thing for old ships with some history so being on the Regent Star was a little like sailing in the 50's. I know she is scrapped now but I'll always have fond memories of her.