Indybeachgal

La Ora Na! Just returned from the dream-like Tuamotu Archipelago & Society Islands.  I really appreciate all the info on the boards (special thanks to Petoonya).  I posted a pretty extensive (ie long) review on the Wind Spirit Review site and thought it might be helpful for all those in the planning/deciding stages.  This was our third Windstar Cruise but first on a sailing ship.  My advice is GO!  The Wind Spirit crew was top-notch, food superb and our fellow passengers a joy to get to know.   After researching the various options (staying at a resort, which islands, cruising etc), I determined cruising was definitely the most economic way to experience the islands. The extras also really added value . (Beach BBQ, Deck Party, Destination Discovery Polynesian Show on a private motu in Bora Bora, on board cruise  Polynesian culture and history lectures, Bridge tour, taking pictures on the Bow and much more). 

We enjoyed the different islands and though it was the rainy season the "weather gods" smiled upon us and we really only had 3 out of a total of 12 days with significant clouds/rain. Most were sunny, hot and yes, humid.  (I loved it!) . We selected a mix of private and ship excursions and enjoyed each unique destination!  The diving and snorkeling was some of the best we had ever experienced with the beautiful coral and abundance of marine life.  It was fascinating learning the way of life and history of French Polynesian.  Paradise was truly found!

Here's a link to my review:   Cruise Critic Member Ship/Trip Review.

Hi Beachfront,

I am laughing as I read Misty Morning's post and it looks like we have copied their cruises!  We were on the Legend in 2017 and absolutely loved it.  We had heard about previous engine problems and the cruise before us had tender boat problems but our cruise was perfect and we loved the ship.  The staff knew us by name and we loved the rooms.  We then  went on the Star Pride this past fall and were not as impressed with the ship but still loved the cruise as we are leaving on the Wind Spirit tomorrow for the 10 day Tahiti cruise. We got a flash deal!

The Star Pride was showing more wear and tear than the Legend in 2017 and our room definitely looked older.  This time  one of the tender boats had engine trouble the whole time and it really affected our St Lucia day as no one could get off the boat until 10 am. (anchored at 8 am) They were taking supplies over to the island for the picnic on shore.  So the delay knocked us our of independently going into St Lucia that morning.   We had to wait for the tender boat the other days as the first one was always filled with the passengers who booked a Windstar excursion.  Not major delays but we never waited on the Legend with two boats.  The tender boats definitely need renovated but still debarkation so much faster and better than the big ships.  I am so excited to try one of the "sailing" ships. 

We arrived on the Star Pride Dec. 8th and had no issues.  We were docked a the Old San Juan Port and although there were no porters there were taxis out front.  (We later took Uber back to the airport after walking Old Town).  Started to hear rumblings about a strike and then really heard what had happened by other cruisers (Celebrity) on our flight home.  Felt so lucky not to have been impacted by strike.

Tiki_Man: Had an excellent dive experience. I (IndyBeachGal_Husband) normally book my dive trips directly and not through the ship, but because we were not sure about the availability of water taxis from Prickly Pear Island, I let Windstar handle the arrangements. They took us by dingy to Gun Creek where we picked up a taxi to BVI Divers on the other side of Virgin Gorda. We were 3 divers from Windstar of 11 divers total (3 dive masters). Our dive sites were Ginger Steps and Carval Rock. Both excellent dives. As we were headed to Ginger Island and the first dive site, the Captain spotted a couple of "water spouts" (about 3/4 of the way between Virgin Gorda and Ginger Island). He slowed the boat and called out to the divers. We spent the next 15-20 minutes looking out for the whales. They were spotted again behind the boat closer to Virgin Gorda. The whales looked to be a mother humpback and her calf. They put on a great show of "blowing", tail smacks and pectoral fin smacks.

This was my favorite island on our Windstar cruise. We rented our own jeep from Turbe for about $100 total including gas. They picked us up at the port in Gustavia and then took us to the airport to register the car. Super nice people and then we went to the supermarche near the airport and bought supplies for our picnic lunch. Cheese, fruit etc. cost 31 Euros for supplies that lasted for two days. We then drove to Colombier but took the wrong path to the beach. We took the high, steep path (ouch) but it helped me work off all the calories I was eating on the cruise. I suggest trying to park near Flamands beach and take the lower path instead of what we did. Anyway you reach the lovely beach tucked in a cove out at the tip of the island after a 20 to 30 minute walk. Another good snorkeling spot. Wear walking shoes and bring water and food. We ate our picnic lunch on the beach. Next we drove through Saint Jean and did a little shopping, drove around the island to my now favorite beach: Anse du Grand Saline. Parked and walked 5 minutes over the sand dunes to a wide, undeveloped, beach with turquoise water. Loved spending the afternoon there. We did stop by Gouverneur Beach for a little while which is also beautiful. Ended the day walking at the marina and seeing the mega yachts.

Just returned from Star Legend and witnessed a couple of times people coming down to lounge and getting on a shore excursion same day. The staff just radio and asked if there was availablity and they were allowed to join that morning. They also posted at shore excursion desk the minimum number they needed for an excursion not to be canceled. My husband wanted to dive at Virgin Gorda but they needed at least two divers which they told him in advance. Fortunately two more people ended up joining the excursion.

Just returned from our Fantastic seven day cruise which departed from San Juan on January 31. We are a recent empty nest couple in their late forties who love to travel. We have cruised over nine times but always on the bigger ships. Decided to try the smaller ship and see some new port sites. Really liked that we didn't depart three of the islands until after 10 pm.

Overall, we loved the cruise, especially the personalized service and the wonderful fresh, delicious food. It was true that the staff learns your name and we bonded with several and enjoyed talking and seeing them everyday. Our fellow 183 passengers were a mix of mostly well-traveled, friendly age 40 thru 60s. There were a couple of family groups with older teens and twenties and some older folks but most were 50 to late 60s.

Embarkation: So easy! Boarded at 1 pm. Walked to the room and then had a delicious lunch. Toured the ship. Won a treatment in the spa raffle and enjoyed the sail away out of San Juan Pier 4. We had a small snafu as the captain changed our port in Saint Maarten to Phillipsburg from Marigot as the previous two weeks the seas were too rough to tender in. I was glad he let us know at the start so we could rearrange our independent booking.

Stateroom: We were in 129, an ocean view category S1 on Deck 4. The bathroom was great with a nice size tub and shower. The suite had lots of storage and space with a nice couch and sitting area. The only negative about the stateroom was the bed/mattress was too hard but after the first night we asked to have something put on it to soften the mattress and our steward took care of it right away and we were much happier.

It was also the first time we didn't have a balcony but thought the large window kept the room bright. Missed having a balcony when we were coming and going into islands but really was not that important as we anchored out in the bays and tendered in so it wasn’t the same as being docked. For sail-away we always just went out on the decks. I would definitely do the ocean view again for the price. The room itself was large and our attendant kept the mini bar stocked with free soda and water. We did not buy the alcohol package as we wouldn't drink that much but my husband bought three bottles of wine which each cost 45 dollars and we had some mixed drinks that cost about 12 dollars a piece. I also brought my own bottle of wine on board which you are allowed up to two. I poured a glass before dinner and on the BBQ night I easily went back to my room for a second glass. All nonalcoholic beverages were free.

Amenities: beach towels and water supplied port side and rooms stocked with good vanity necessities

Dining: breakfast and lunch were served on deck 7 aft. Breakfast was great and you could have eggs and omelet’s cooked anyway you liked and they also had made to order items such as French toast, pancakes and waffles. The buffet was also very good with fruit, pastries, yogurt, and various meat items. We had dinner in Amphora on deck 3 and thought the variety and freshness of the food was very good. Candles, located where breakfast was served, was the specialty restaurant we ate at one night. Made reservations the first day for one of the days we were in port late. Loved the filet mignon, other food and service but the area was much noisier than Amphora so we didn’t enjoy the atmosphere as well as the dining room. We did get coffee and snacks in the Yacht club, which is very beautiful and loved sitting in there talking with others at the end of the day.

Water sports: this is where my husband was a little disappointed with the lack of equipment. No waterskiing. Passengers were not able to take dinghies by themselves etc. But we spent most of our days on the islands so it wasn’t a priority for us. On Prickly Pear we were too late in the day to be able to use the bigger equipment: the one Hobby cat always had a line and we were too late i.e. another wait list to go tubing. We did kayak and many others took better advantage of the floats, paddle board etc. I did see the younger family groups spending a lot of time at the platform deck

Spa: Did a massage, which was good but expensive. No real extras/sitting areas. They did have a very small steam room and sauna.

Tenders: All worked well on this trip without problems. Minimal wait in the morning. We were either on the first or second tender as they gave priority to the passengers that bought their shore excursions but we never waited long coming or going.

Ports

Culebra: 8-5pm. We rented a golf cart for $44 from Jerry's. Had a small snafu as they were supposed to meet us at the dock but only saw Carlos Rentals at dockside. However, a very friendly taxi coordinator called them for a local taxi and they took us to Jerry’s for free. My husband says he would rent a jeep next time instead of a golf cart, as it was only 10 more dollars, because the roads were bumpy. I don't think he liked getting passed by everyone! We went first to Flamenco Beach, which had beautiful white sand with crystal clear water. It is in the middle of the national wildlife reserve. We walked the length of the beach enjoying the breaking waves and sheer beauty and then went back thru the parking lot thru a loosely chained gate where an old minefield used to be to take the 20-minute trail to Carlos Rosario Beach. There we snorkeled and then went back to Flamenco for some authentic Puerto Rican food. Next we drove around the island and ended up for a little while at Zoni beach. Nice views on the way but I would stay and spend more time at Flamenco or hit Tamarindo beach to see the turtles.

St. Bart’s: 8-10pm. This was my favorite island. We rented our own jeep from Turbe rental for about $100 total including gas. They picked us up at the port in Gustavia and then took us to the airport to register the car. Super nice people and then we went to the supermarche near the airport and bought supplies for our picnic lunch. Cheese, fruit etc. cost 31 Euros for supplies that lasted for two days. We then drove to Colombier but took the wrong path to the beach. We took the high, steep path (ouch) but it helped me work off all the calories I was eating on the cruise. I suggest trying to park near Flamands beach and take the lower path instead of what we did. Anyway you reach the lovely beach tucked in a cove out at the tip of the island after a 20 to 30 minute walk. Another good snorkeling spot. Wear walking shoes and bring water and food. We ate our picnic lunch on the beach. Next we drove through Saint Jean and did a little shopping, drove around the island to my now favorite beach: Anse du Grand Saline. Parked and walked 5 minutes over the sand dunes to a wide, undeveloped, beach with turquoise water. Loved spending the afternoon there. We did stop by Gouverneur Beach for a little while which is also beautiful. Ended the day walking at the marina and seeing the mega yachts.

Phillipsburg, St Maarten: 8-10 pm Big, busy port but we rented a car from Hertz and took off for our own tour of the island. We drove the perimeter and saw Maho beach near the airport. The Dutch side is very commercialized. Our favorite places were on the French side: Friar's Bay and Happy Bay. Beautiful coves with sandy beaches. Friar's had a couple of eateries and we drank pina coladas. Happy Bay was more secluded (10 minute walk from trail at end of Friar’s Bay.) We had our picnic lunch, swam, snorkeled and sunned. Also spent a little time on Orient Beach but it was too crowded for our taste. Traffic was terrible getting back to Phillipsburg but we were leaving port late. We did make it back for the ships BBQ and had a great time meeting people and dancing. A very fun night.

Montserrat: 8-5 pm. We did the ships Buried City Tour, as I was afraid we couldn't get back into the evacuation zone. However we met two couples later that both got off the ship took local drivers back into the zone and had a great time. Our excursion was very good but more expensive. We were in a van with 10 people total and took a four-hour tour of the devastated areas and had lunch on the beach. We went back to the ship as there wasn't much else to do on the island but it was good to have a short day.

Jost Van Dyke: 8-midnight: We splurged today and rented our own private boat from Jost Van Dyke Scuba and the captain took us to Norman Island, Indian Rock and then to Great Thatch for the best snorkeling on the trip. It was so beautiful and clear. We walked Great harbor and shopped at Foxy's at the end of the day.

Prickly Pear Island: My husband did the ships diving excursion near Virgin Gorda, as we were told no tenders/taxis to Virgin Gorda on our own. He saw whales and liked the dives. I slept in and went to the beach day on the island. It was relaxful but it did rain a little. Water sports had lines at the end of day so we ended up just kayaking at the end of the day.

Disembarkation: Easy off the boat at 830am after a full breakfast. Walked our luggage for about 10 minutes up into old San Juan and left them at Barrachina. No charge but they asked for donation. We gave them five dollars a bag. That allowed us to walk the old city and outside the wall on the trail around to el Moro. Did some shopping, ate lunch and then took a 25-dollar cab ride to the airport. Security line was long at the airport but we bypassed as we have TSA pre-check

Ended a wonderful, relaxed cruise that exceeded our expectations.

Thanks so much for the great review and information. We are on the Star Legend at the end of January. Our first Windstar Cruise and we are so excited!

We just returned from our cruise on The Vision of the Seas and experienced a fantastic tour with Dora De Zubiria (the Explorer). She picked us up promptly at the port and took us to various city sites. She spoke English with my husband and I but spoke Spanish to my teenage daughter who is trying to improve her skills. She was very patient, knowledgeble and helped us experience some of the cultural of the area.

Just got home from our cruise on the Vision of the Seas and we were in the Junior Suite aft 8588. Loved it! Only heard slight rumble of the engine the first day/night on the way to Cartagena but it was not bad at all. The room was great and large balcony. We went directly under the Spa (the relaxation room) and never heard anything above us.

We just got home from our Mediterranean Cruise and had such a great experience with Rome In Limo that I too had to post a review. We booked them for all three ports: Naples, Rome and Livorno. (They did give us a 10% discount for booking all three)

All our guides were so friendly, knowledgeable, tried to help us avoid crowds and long lines and were very accommodating to our different requests and desires.

Naples: We walked off the ship and there was Stefano (extremely nice). He promptly whisked us off to Pompeii where they had arranged a terrific private guide: Patricia. She made me laugh as we avoided the "enemy" large tour groups. He then took us to Sorrento where we had a fantastic Pizza lunch and then down the Amalfi Coast line to Positano where we dipped our feet in the Mediterranean Sea.

Rome: Francesco picked us off right of the ship and again quickly got us to the Vatican where our private guide: Praeda, maneuvered us around the crowds and we had a wonderful tour. She was extremely knowledgeable and we learned so much. The day was a scorcher as the temp max out at 104 degrees so we were extremely grateful to be driven to each of Rome's sites in our air conditioned sedan. We wanted to see it all. The Collosseum, the forum, , Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and finally Piazza Navona. Francesco gave us information and history lessons at each of the sites.

Pisa/Livorna: Elizabeth picked us up and was full of energy and love for her Tuscany. We headed straight for Pisa as I had bought tickets to climb up the Leaning Tower and then she took us to Florence for the sights and to see Michaelagelo's Statue of David. We then took a wonderful drive in the country to see the beautiful rolling golden hills of vineyards, olive trees and villas.

I want to go back already!

We just got back from our cruise and DIY in Athens. We decided to take a taxi to Acropolis to try and beat the crowds and did fine with the driver. He did want to take us around the whole day but we politely told him no and just drop us off at the Acropolis which he did. At the end of the day (it was in the 90's) we could have taken the metro but found a very nice taxi driver who believe it or not took us back to the ship for 10 euro! (near Thissio was our start point). He and my husband had this great discussion about their country. His son was a police officer and it was very interesting to hear his prospective. Greece had some of the nicest people I met on our Grand Mediterranean Cruise. We had a great day walking the city from the Acropolis and Ancient Agora (used Rick Steve Free Europe Audio Tour App on our Iphones/Ipods) to having lunch in the Plaka then walking to Syntagma Square and on through the National Gardens. We then saw the the Panathinaic Stadium (modern olympics) and around the Zeus Temple and back to the Theater of Dionysos. We wer pretty hot and tired by the end of the day (hence the taxi so we didn't have the long walk after the metro and we were in Terminal B). My daughter is a photographer and loved taking pictures of the everyday life in Greece.