Redtravel

I like most cruises. Crews are hard working people. Often on the last day of the cruise, there is some crew person who reminds me to give them excellent on the survey. Telling me how to respond to a survey is obnoxious. Also, using survey results to penalize the crew is wrong. I seldom respond to cruise surveys. Any survey that says it expires in 7 days is worthless. I view the online survey at the end of a cruise as a waste of my time.

Oceania!!!! Once you go on Oceania, you will wonder why you even asked the question.

Do you have any status from Captains club? Captains club perks may get you some real value if the BCC deal allows it.

Just an entry fee? Bermuda found a new way to make money.

Just sailed on a small ship that had only 40% occupied cabins. Great service, but limited activities. Most excursions were canceled. It felt like visiting a resort town in the off season.

My spouse and I both received real mail postcard offer for a free Caribbean cruise. Blue chip offer? We are not real gamblers. Once in awhile on a cruise, we have played slots. That was before pandemic. On our last cruise in June, we never went to the casino. It was just too crowded. Our sea pass shows us as pearl. Why would we get a free cruise? Just seems strange. Is this real or a scam?

I like Celebrity and Oceania. Special trip deserves special service. While Celebrity is good, Oceania is superb. I prefer the larger O ships, Marina and Riviera. They are beautiful. Cabins are huge. When I booked my first cruise on Marina, my TA said Oceania standard veranda is like suite on many lines. He was right. Oceania claims that it has the best food at sea. Oceania has multiple dining venues that are different. It provides a great variety. Food is excellent wherever you dine. Everyone has the opportunity to dine at least once in all the specialty restaurants. No extra charge to dine in Jacques, Red Ginger, Toscana, or Polo. They are amazing. the Grand Dining room and Terrace Cafe also have excellent food. The best part of sailing on Oceania is that everybody gets to enjoy everything. While there are larger suites, all guests are treated as one class. Best feature is Oceania ships never feel crowded. No chair hogs. No long waits for anything. There are many activities offered. There is an evening performance nightly. Afternoon tea daily is a real treat. my choice for a special occasion is Oceania. It’s also nice for any occasion.

Just did a cruise on another line. No daily sheet. Activities were listed on cabin tv. After a few days of missing stuff, we asked for paper copy and got it. I don’t use my phone on ships. Turn it off and lock it in safe. When I was on Summit in June, I downloaded the app and found it worthless. There was a daily sheet, but no info or maps for ports. Many people do NOT live on phones. Sadly, too many people need to be connected.

Our bbq on Breeze had no lobster or lamb chops. Disappointed until we saw them on subsequent Aamphora menus. We had lobster tails on the last night of our cruise. It was served in Aamphora. We ate in Candles that night. Lobster was also an added entre at Candles. We ordered the petite filet and lobster. It was amazing.

Booking a gty at the lowest price is usually a good deal. You have nowhere to go but up. Before the pandemic,I never saw a gty offered. Also, only the sailing ships had portholes. We liked the portholes on Windsurf. The porthole suites on the Star ships are all new. They were created in the space that was previously been Aamphora. In the stretch, they recreated Aamphora in the new section. Having been on decks 4,5, and 6 on the Star ships, there really isn’t any difference. Enjoy your cruise.

On Summit in June. It was very crowded. It was very uncomfortable. It was hard to getaway from people. No surprise that my spouse got Covid. Just off Windstar yacht, Star Breeze. 130 guests. Maximum capacity is 312. Never a crowd. It was comfortable. We had a great time and didn’t get sick.

supply issue? Or just saving money? So sorry for your loss. I love tea forte. I buy it at home. I was on Summit in June. They had tea forte. However, they did run out of some varieties. Bigelow is not my cup of tea. It’s awful. Just off Windstar cruise. They had Bigelow and Twining at the Yacht Club. Dining room had Bigelow. Asked the Barista for Twining. He gave me some Twining to use in the dining room.

I have reserved table for 2 on many cruises. Just did it on Summit in June. I am elite plus. If you cannot reserve online, call captains club. Never had a problem getting a table reservation.

Nice change. Unfortunately on our September cruise, we had to go through the ArrivCan stuff. It was a hassle getting it all done. Luckily we didn’t get chosen for the random testing. Even so, it was time consuming. However, Even though ArrivCan was a pain, it gave you a sense of safety and caution. Just hope that without mandatory testing, people can avoid Covid. I will continue to self test before and after traveling.

Take anytime and make dinner reservations before you sail. As soon as I book, I get online and reserve a table for 2 @ 6 pm. Works for me. We were on Summit in June. It was very crowded. First night at MDR, there were 2 lines. One for people with reservations. It was short. Other for people without reservations. It was very long. Some people were furious. Since we had reserved, we were promptly taken to a table. Reserve asap.

On demand movie selection has replaced the former dvds. Selection didn’t interest me. Library has been moved to yacht club. It occupies a few small shelves. Best to bring your own entertainment.

Did you get all of the listed Yacht club benefits?

Our cruise had 130 guests. There were lots of empty cabins. The future cruise person was selling upgrades. First time I ever saw that on a Windstar cruise. We kept our original booked suite. Since the motor yacht suites are mostly all the same size, paying extra for a different deck seemed odd.

Yes, you are right. Yacht club and veranda were open every day for breakfast and lunch. Yacht club is open from 6am to 6 pm. The veranda was open on some nights for dinner as Candles. Veranda has more seating inside than it did before the stretch. Veranda has many options for lunch including grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. Veranda lunch menu changed daily. It always had lots of choices. Some items are on a printed menu. Some are on the buffet. Some lunches had international themes. Never had a problem finding something to eat. If you want food anytime, you can order room service. Unlike the big ships where you need to reserve before the cruise, Windstar has a more relaxed atmosphere. Never had a problem getting choice of days or times in the specialty restaurants. On our September 2022 cruise, we ate at Candles twice. Relax and enjoy.

Before pandemic, we got some complimentary upgrades to similar cabins on higher decks. Yacht club for repeat guests used to include upgrades to bigger suites for $300 onboard if any suites were available. The new Yacht club doesn’t include upgrades as a benefit. Just Off Star Breeze. With only 130 guests, there were lots of empty cabins. Future cruise person was selling upgrades. No comps.

Only discount was for first night if you booked online before embarkation. Never saw anyone offering discounts. Been to all of the specialty restaurants before pandemic. Food in MDR was very good. Saw no need to eat in the specialty venues.

The $75 isn't a big deal. The hidden "terms and conditions" is a big deal. As a loyalty member of many businesses, I have always received any listed benefits regardless of how I booked or at what price I paid. Hidden conditions are the issue.

Heard that Victor left Windstar and went to Viking. Does anyone know which ship?

Know your port before you go. Get info and maps. Ship isn’t good at providing info. Many excursions were canceled. Don’t know why. Be prepared to do ports on your own.

Unfortunately our cruise didn’t have all of the restaurants open every evening. Star grill was never open for dinner. Grill was open some days for lunch with a very limited menu. Grill has mostly big communal tables Not good spacing. Never ate there. Veranda is a good option for lunch.