Redtravel

Get nails done just before your trip. Use a light color and relax.

Took cruises on 2 other lines this summer. Both used to have small bottles of shampoo. They both had large bottles attached to the wall. It’s happening in hotels too. It’s ok if the bottles are refilled regularly. Nothing worse than getting wet in a shower and finding the shampoo container empty.

Any cabin is ok. I like deck 1. Cabins forward near elevator May have a slight curved edge. It eliminates nightstand near window. Not a deal breaker.

Often booked gty cabins when there was significant savings. No real difference between A1 and A2. Book the cabin in your desired location. However, if you want a shot at a suite, book the gty. It could happen.

. We booked a January 2023 cruise. B2b on Riviera. Our TA was told that we couldn’t use the fcc on that booking. Fcc had to be used by end of 2022. Since it was a sizable amount, we canceled that booking and are booked on a December 2022 cruise. While December isn’t our preferred time to travel, it was either use fcc or lose it.

It depends on itinerary. Both cruise lines do a good cruise. We really love Oceania food and service. Oceania decor is beautiful. Viking is the best for organized travel. They are superb in transfers, tours, and arranging extra things. Viking has good food and service. Decor is modern and clean. All cabins have verandas. We gladly book either. So, how do we decide? We are deciding between the 2 lines for a future cruise in northern Europe. Both lines do a similar cruise. We chose Viking. Viking flies in and out of major cities. Viking has a great spa with an indoor pool.

Excellent

That’s how I got my latest iPad. Go asap for best selection.

Would like to see Windstar include unlimited WiFi as part of the cruise. Many cruises include it. the fee that Windstar charges for WiFi is very high. Contact your mobile carrier for options that may save you money.

Sorry. I accept WS as it is. It seems to work well and meet my expectations. Having taken many cruises including 11 on WS, I have heard lots of people who love WS and many who don’t like it. It’s different from most cruise lines. It is very quiet and very relaxed. If you like lots of ship activities, demonstrations, and shows, WS isn’t a good choice. WS does have some activities. It also has some live music or entertainment nightly. It isn’t as active as mass market ships. Even though at home I usually eat early, I don’t object to dinner at 7. Cuadro 44 and Candles start at 6:30. I have never had to wait to get a table at any venue. My last cruise in September was on Breeze. It was very nice. Ship had 130 guests. I do wonder how the Star ships will be when they sail with 300 + guests. Before the expansion, Star ships had max 212 guests which they accommodated well. I am concerned with your comment about possible dining problems when the ship sails full. I haven’t booked any future WS cruises. Waiting for reviews when the ships are full.

WS dinner hours have been the same for years. Either accept it, eat in your cabin earlier, or find another cruise. When people complain about WS and compare it to other cruise lines, they aren’t happy. Windstar is different. Either accept or move on.

It depends on the length of the cruise. The longer cruises have more available reservations. Often if you ask and are flexible with time and size of table, you can get extra reservations. Pandemic has made many people requesting tables for 2. If you don’t mind sharing, you can get more reservations.

It depends on the port where the cruise embarks the new guests. Some ports require you to go through customs and immigration. US ports often make you do this when you leave and enter again. It doesn’t have to happen on turn around day. In September, we took a cruise from Vancouver to San Diego. When we stopped in Seattle, first US port, we had to get off ship and go through immigration on the pier. On some cruises, US immigration has met people on the ship. Some cruises let you use the same seapass for both cruises. Some cruises take away the old seapass and give you a new one. My favorite is when you get one seapass that is good for both cruises and no checkin or immigration stops. Many European ports do this. It’s just another day of your cruise. Get off, enjoy day, and get back on. Be ready for anything.

Windstar. Before pandemic, Windstar didn’t have a tiered loyalty program. Past cruisers got 5-10% off future bookings. 10% if you book onboard or within 60 days after a cruise. During pandemic, they announced a 4 tiered program. Sounded good. We looked forward to some extra freebies. We did get some discounts on laundry and logo clothing. Nice, but worth less than $20. However we were told that we weren’t eligible for the 5% loyalty discount or OBC. Why? If you book with a travel agency who offers discounted fares, loyalty benefits are reduced. Never had that happen on any other cruise line. As elite plus, I usually book with a TA. Celebrity never shorted the listed benefits.

Double kid filet is still there.

I was amazed at the time. However, once I thought about how the pandemic has changed life, it makes sense that people are dressing more casually. During lockdown people didn’t need to dress up. Many worked at home. Few people shopped for new clothing. If they shopped, it was mostly online. Fast forward to taking a cruise. People are used to being comfortable. Why not continue to be comfortable on vacation. while I was surprised at what I saw, it wouldn’t stop me from cruising. I also took a cruise on a more deluxe line. While I didn’t see any flagrant opposition to dress code, people were more casual.

Wear whatever you want. Forget the dress code. While it would be nice if people dressed as requested. Sadly that isn't happening. For those guests who haven't sailed since the pandemic, the old dress codes are ignored by many. On my recent cruise I saw pajamas and bathing suits at breakfast in MDR. Dinner is a come as you like party. You name it, it was there. Chic night is a joke....rubber flipflops, souvenir tees, shorts, torn jeans, hats, etc. There were people who dressed well. unfortunately that wasn't the majority. It was a constant parade unlike anything that I had seen before the pandemic.. Nobody was excluded from MDR . Forget the dress code.

Only Celebrity took my power strip.

If they follow the trend, there will be more restrictions to using benefits. Just got had on another line. I was denied some of the loyalty benefits because I booked with a travel agent instead of direct. Travel agent gave me a nice discount.

Bidding to move up can pay off. Unfortunately more often it only makes people upset. It adds stress. Booking gty can also pay off. While I have never bid to move up, I have had some good experiences booking gty. I usually book a specific cabin and ignore move up bidding offerings. Move up bidding is a great marketing way to increase revenue.

Pandemic changed everything. For months we seldom left home. Many people stayed home and worked online. No need for office attire. Retail stores that sold clothes did most transactions by mail. It took me months before I went into a store to buy new clothes. I shopped for new clothes in my own closet. Fast forward after 2 years at home. Who has clothes for a cruise? In June 2022 I took my first pandemic cruise. I pulled out my old cruise attire. Happy that they still fit. Obviously, many people on my cruise didn’t have old cruise attire that fit. They wore everything. While there were many appropriately dressed people, there were many dressed poorly. Did it affect my experience? No.

Before pandemic, both lounges were open 24/7. I read somewhere that hours are being limited since you aren’t allowed to self serve. Anyone recently on, has this changed? I like going there early AM or late PM for coffee or tea. I know that you can get coffee/tea at any bar.

I used to get online at midnight when the reservations opened up. For my upcoming cruise, I actually forgot. Got online 2 days later and got acceptable tables for two at my preferred times.

We have been on cruises that are sold out. If you are flexible in dates and times, you should be able to get a reservation at each restaurant. First nights are usually easy to get a table. If you have trouble getting what works for you, note that not all openings can be booked online. See the maitr’d on the ship. On longer cruises, we often get additional reservations. The most popular restaurant is Jacques. I always look for that reservation first. Regardless, the food is excellent in all venues. I even like eating in the Terrace buffet area. On warm evenings, many people like the buffet area outside. The buffet serves the same items at GDR plus cooked to order lobster, steal, and lamb chops.

You are right. We completed our 11th cruise in September. We had a great time. We cruise on Windstar, but not exclusively. We enjoy variety. We like smaller ships or at least not the ones with thousands of people. Next cruise is on Oceania. It’s using fcc from the stuck at sea fiasco in March 2020. Over the years, we have enjoyed most of our cruises. When we need a break to relax, we choose Windstar. We mostly disconnect and veg out. It also helps that the crew is amazing and the food is outstanding.