r&rd

Absolutely!

Definitely be on deck - the balconies do not give you the full experience of going through the locks.

If the ships are sailing full it is a bit crowded in the indoor venues - especially the Yacht Club and the Veranda. If there are big events in the lounge they have done things twice to accommodate everyone - for instance the captain informing everyone about hurricanes!

Weather is definitely unpredictable- be prepared for cold, wind, rain and sunshine. I hadn’t realized that when a hurricane hits the east coast of the US it can keep going! Somehow our weather people in the US don’t mention anything beyond Canada. You might be a bit early but we saw amazing Northern lights! You just let the reception people know to call you in the middle of the night if the bridge people see the lights. It might be freezing cold and 2:30 in the morning but well worth the wake up call.

We have done this twice. Would recommend arriving a day or two early and doing the Golden Circle day tour first. We actually filmed a video with Tours by Locals on this tour which you can see on You Tube - Tours by Locals - 15 years. Last October we went and hit very heavy storms. Ship was delayed 2 days leaving Reykjavik and did miss a few ports (two because of delay and 1 because seas were too rough for ship to navigate harbor. In other words, don’t count on ports not being missed. Some of the excursions are quite a ways by bus but there are also things that don’t require long drives.

I have had several trips cancelled because of charters. When I was traveling with teachers who could only go during the summer, guest relations was able to extend the deadline for rebooking to the following summer. Try emailing guest relations at Windstar cruises dot com.

You should be able to make it. From the ship to the airport is about an hour and at that time of day in that direction there should not be much traffic. You might want to arrange private transportation. If you get off the ship at 7:30 all should be well. Navigating the airport is fairly easy.

In regards to the Juliet balconies there are trade- offs. The balconies let in air and are nice to step out unto and see a bit more than you can from your window but the viewing area, if you just want to sit and look out, is significantly less than the outside cabins with no balcony. I prefer the picture windows in colder or more scenic areas and the balconies in warmer climates or less scenic itineraries.

You can book excursions before and usually have the charges reversed and use your ship board credit once you board. Would be great if you could book them before with OBC. Some people wait till they get onboard and find that the excursions they wanted were sold out.
The Windstar OBC can not be used for gratuities (although last cruise we were on we noticed that they did apply the OBC to the gratuities.) sometimes inconsistency is the name of the game with Windstar. I don’t know for sure but I would assume the Amex OBC would be treated like travel agent OBC and can be used for gratuities. OBC gets categorized as refundable (travel agent) and non-refundable(Windstar promo) - refundable can be used for gratuities.

We aim to get to the ship a little before 1. Traffic can be bad so we give a little wiggle room - Colon is an hour from Casco Viejo but can take up to 2 hours in traffic. They have local entertainment at the pier with water and cookies so getting there a little early is not a problem. We like to get on at 1 - have lunch in the Veranda and then settle in to our cabin once the luggage arrives.
We always use Tours by Locals when booking private tours but the Windstar tours are small (book early since many sell out because they are small) or they break you into smaller groups for the activities. You might have larger groups for boat tours but they are well organized and I never get the “large group tour” feel. This is especially true if you are on the sailing ships. I often like to get another couple to go on private tours to share costs but hard to find Windstar people to do that.
Panama uses US currency. Costa Rica will mostly take US but give change in Costa Rican currency so bring small bills.
The best airline is COPA - direct US to Panama City. There is  midnight flight that lands about 10 am. The earlier flight - 7:30 pm or so lands too early in the morning and usually can’t check in to any hotel at that time.  Just bought round trip business in lie flat seats SFO to PTY for $1800 pp. Coming home from Costa Rica you can either fly back to Panama on COPA and then direct home or Delta Costa Rica to LA and LA to SFO. In winter we don’t like flights that go through Atlanta (Delta) or Houston (United) with a chance of weather cancellations. COPA is code share with United but will often cost twice as much booking through United. 

We have done the Canal/Costa Rica cruises in different variations 10 times on Windstar. Definitely stay in Casco Viejo. We love the La Compania hotel -the hotel is a museum in and of itself and a short walk to everything you want to see in the area. We have used Amber moon and also Uber which is quite reliable in Panama City and the surrounding area. Make sure the driver is clear on which port in Colon you are going to. There are two and Windstar usually uses the smaller lesser known port.

We have done all of the Windstar tours several times and have loved them all. We like Monkey Island not just for the wildlife but to be in a tiny boat in the middle of the canal. Some people have taken private tours of the Panama City area from Puerto Jimenez  and have thought they were worth it. But if you arrive in Panama a day or two early you can see those things prior to boarding. If you are interested in Manual Antonio park that is one place you might want a private guide. Because the tours are mostly nature related you are somewhat dependent on the wildlife. One week a whale watching tour might see tons of wildlife the next week it is more like whale hunting. 
 

we love the fact this cruise does not go to big cities or have lots of shopping connected to tours. It is relaxing and always has interesting things to see. We have two more cruises to this area booked. You’ll love it. 
 

Happy to answer any questions you have.

If the ship is not full you might get an offer of $100 per night - but many ships have been sailing full. Our last cruise had a few cabins but the price was much higher. You might want to call Windstar - or online chat - before your cruise and ask what the capacity is for the cruise following yours.

You should have gotten a bon voyage email 6-8 weeks before the cruise which is your documentation. But I have never had to show it to anyone other than some ports where they need proof you are getting on the ship in order to let your driver into the pier area.

Have not been in that suite but we were in the deluxe suite across from 528 which is directly next to the elevator. We never had problems with noise.

I had asked Windstar a while ago if that was possible and told it was not allowed in French Polynesia. Don’t know if that was a Covid thing or whether the policy has changed. Call Windstar for current policy

The elevator was not an issue - never heard it. The two cons about the suite were that the shower is very tight and the fact there is no direct access to the bathroom from the bedroom.

I suppose you could check all the port schedules in the area and get a pretty good idea. At least the ports need to know if a ship is scheduled to dock or anchor.

On our New Years cruise on the Wind Star there were 17 children - ages 5 and up. It definitely was not adults only. Very loud and very chaotic. I had never experienced that on Windstar before.

Yes, not a problem.

We used Amber Moon Taxi - $100 cash from Panama City to Colon port. Booked in advance and did not require a deposit. Make sure you have the right port in Colon(Windstar usually uses Cristobal not Colon 2000 the larger port)

It was not offered on my last two cruises but the ship was mostly full. There were a few people that stayed on the ship longer than booked but I don’t know what they were offered. There certainly was no advertising of a deal as there had been on our last 4 cruises. I sometimes call (or chat) to find out the capacity of the ship to get an idea of what to expect.

I was on the Pride recently and did not notice any problems with temperature nor did I hear anyone complaining. Not the case when I was on it earlier last year when heat was definitely a problem.

Unfortunately, yes. We are also 4 star (450 points). I have learned I have to do a lot of math to figure out whether the savings of a lower fare are actually savings. It doesn’t make sense since what we get for yacht club benefits doesn’t actually cost the cruise much. I get the not getting the additional discounts but I don’t get eliminating the onboard benefits. You do still get dinner with an officer.

Now I am hearing the Breeze will stay in the Mediterranean and the Pride will be undergoing maintenance during the times of the cancelled cruises. So hopefully other cruises will not be impacted other than the ones that have already been cancelled.

If they did better than expected you can be sure that the prices will be far higher next year in the Med.