Cometman

One Windstar cruise we were on a large group from the Rose Parade Committee was onboard. Those ladies had some very fancy evening gowns - way over dressed. It was a very interesting group to observe during the cruise.

Great! I'll save about $500 on the cruise!

I bought some black sneakers before our last Windstar Cruise.... wore them every day... and night.

In my opinion I think they just don't want swimwear, shorts and t-shirts in the dining room in the evenings.

We usually have a light breakfast before boarding- remember the food is included..... if you don't get enough, order more!

Tim

Windsurf has windows in the cabins? 🙂

We spend our time on deck- so much room, you can get private space in the Surf as well.

Once every cruise my wife and I order room service and have it delivered to the top deck, where we enjoy a private dinner just the two of us!

As for the cabins themselves, they are very spacious and lots of storage places.

Exactly the same cabins. Just one floor up.

Thank you 3kidslater for sharing your experiences. We have decided to book a private tour with another couple we met on our Roll Call from Catania to Taormina and a winery. So that checks another port off the list!

 

It's nice to know about Lipari too. I haven't done much for most of Sicily yet so an easy day is good.

 

I have started looking at Joe Banana for our stop in Sorrento. Since we have a short stop in Amalfi I would like to see Postiano and Ravello and spend some serious time in both locations. We have been to Pompeii (loved it!) and we can't realistically do those two towns and Capri so Capri lost (I was there many years ago with my grandmother). I still need to arrange this but haven't pulled the trigger yet. We have until midnight in Sorrento so it really should be an easy tour to book!

 

avalong: it's nice to know Malta might be an easy day as well. I'm worried after the first two cruises I will be on overload by the time we get to the Sicilian Splendors part of our journey!

While in Sorrento, we are doing Capri- we already booked the 9:50 ferry to Capri. We have been there twice, but are traveling with another couple that has never been there, so we are going back. I love it there- plus like you said we are in Sorrento until late that night too.

Tim

You can say the same thing about the hotel/airport/ship transfers. You can get a cab for $40 and they charge $150 per person.

If money isn't an issue, it one stop shopping, if it is, then shop around.

I see nothing wrong with what they are doing- it's business.

We cruise in 30 days and received this as a part of an email from Windstar:

"As of April 22, 2018 Spain and Portugal have added a Value Added Tax which affects our Beverage Packages and all purchases on board. It is applicable for voyages that start and end and do not leave the European Union. For Spain the tax is 21% and for Portugal it is 23%. To avoid this additional European tax as a pro-traveler tip, we highly recommend that you purchase all your amenities, including wi-fi, laundry and the beverage package of your choice prior to your cruise. And we are pleased to be able to offer you a reduced price on Beverage Packages. Save $5 on your choice of Beverage Package and avoid the costly VAT on beverages purchased on board."

We are getting on board the Surf July 13 for a B2B cruise! Bringing along two couples that have never cruised before- looking forward to a wonderful time!

Thanks for the update! Looking forward to hearing more.

Just checking to see if anyone has rented a scooter in Bastia Corsica.

Where did you rent from, how was your experience, and what routes did you travel?

We will be there twice on our B2B Windstar cruise in July.

Thanks!

I just received a reply from Windstar, they use https://www.luggageforward.com/ for this service.

Looking at out upcoming cruise, it would be $335 for large luggage weighing 50lbs each way.... no thanks :)

Tim

I just received a tweet from Windstar that says, “Have your luggage picked up at your home and delivered to the ship. And then delivered home when you get home. “

Interesting service. Has anyone ever tried that?

I wonder what the cost is.

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We have taken 10 Windstar cruises, most have been a part of B2B cruising.

In each case I have booked directly with Windstar, all I can speak of is my past and current experiences.

For each booking I have made in the past, I track the deals on the website, and when I saw a price drop, I'd call WS and ask for the new deal. I have always received the deal (if it was within the contract period).

For this current booking, I made it in Nov 2017 for July 2018. Since the time of the original booking I have received an additional $3400 in price reductions. Plus they have added free laundry service and ship board credit. Granted none of these came without a phone call, but being a diligent consumer, I don't mind making the calls when I get results.

We have only cruised on one other line, Oceana, and we were not satisfied with the quality of the service, when compared to WS.

Looking ahead at one of the same cruises for next year, 6/22/19 WindSurf Rome/Barcelona 7 days is $3199.

The price of the same cruise for July of this year has varied from $3199 to $2199 between Nov 17/ Mar 18.

What this tells me is that the prices change- watch them. What's currently posted for next year probably will not be the best price you can get.

Tim

After 11 cruises on Windstar I have never felt seasick. In fact I only remember two days of rough seas.

Tim

I always ask when I get back on board how many people are still off the ship. My goal is to be the last one....

That is exactly what I did with the same results. Watch the website weekly for price changes up to 120 days out. I have gotten two such discounts for our July cruise.

As a Certified Sommelier who cruises, I am happy to see a real Somm on the Windstar cruise line ships. I am looking forward to interacting with whoever it might be.

On a past cruise the wine sale rep was on the ship doing classes with the staff and invited me to join in. It was a great experience.

The SOMM's role it to pair wines with meals, if asked, and suggest wine on the list that might satisfy the customers pallet.

Most customers can not describe what kind of wine they like, so a lot of times it is a guessing game for the Somm.

"Red and Dry... doesn't always cut it. Knowing what different kinds of wines (varietals) and wine regions you like really helps in narrowing down the selection process.

Thanks for sharing- really enjoying your posts!

Makes me want July to be here already for our cruise!

Shorts and your dancing shoes!!!

That's great! They do take care of their B2B passengers!

Windstar27- Thanks so much for your first hand experience. Good to hear no none was seriously injured too.

Also excellent to hear how the crew reacted as well. Hopefully it will be all repaired in July when we sail!

I follow one of the crew members on Facebook.

He said no one was seriously injured. They got into Lisbon this morning.

I saw photos posted on Facebook of the Veranda on the Surf. It got pretty beat up last night.

6-9 meter waves tossed it around.