gsutiger2

Hello, For those who have sailed with Windstar during Christmas in the past, I would appreciate your sharing your experience. I would like to know the following details: Was the boat/ship crowded? Were there any Christmas-related activities offered? Highlights from the Christmas dinner? What are the pros and cons of traveling with Windstar during Christmas? Thank you

This is what has kept me away from VV - the itineraries. They are boring and repetitive. We are going to give them a try. But we discussed if we like VV, we probably will not sail with them again until they add some unique ports. We tend to like port-intensive cruise lines like Azamara and Windstar.

Oh, I did not realize this. This is good to know. So Celebrity has had some changes causing folks to look elsewhere. Got it. I was wondering why such a large influx of VV reviews/feedback in the past few months appears to be a high number of Celebrity folks. Thank you

Do you think this would apply to other holiday sailings such as Thanksgiving?

I've never seen a dirty cruise spa. Wow

We were considering a holiday cruise as it's the best time for our entire party to take vacation. There are concerns the crowd will skew younger or have more of a young "party" vibe.

I agree. I noticed the passengers in Virgin YouTube review videos from 3 years ago, skews a bit differently from the most recent videos. Just an observation.

With VV prices up significantly, do you see a difference in the passenger profiles and/ activities offered? I observed that earlier CC posts about VV had reviews/feedback from a large number of Carnival passengers. I can't help but notice that a lot of the most recent feedback/reviews appear to be from Celebrity like lines or premium cruise lines.

David- thanks for the info. Wasn't aware of this. I'll have our travel agent contact Azamara for this info. Grandma- oh no. That is a long time. Hopefully they have learned from that experience and improvements will be made.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the cruise booklet? Thank you

I wish. We had a great time on that cruise last year, although embarkation in Rio was a bear. What happened in Rio? Wondering if we need to be prepared for anything.

Lactose intolerant people or those with dairy allergies may also ask for "vegan pancakes". Believe me, breakfast was the only hot meal we could eat and get somewhat full from. After I realized the weak plant based offerings, I had to rely on pancakes for breakfast and rice for dinner. We rarely eat pancakes at home. They had plenty of plant based milk available which was good news!

Hi Nancy - yes, we checked out those cruises. We are pretty well traveled and have visited most of those locations. In addition, there is a large vegan cruise with top vegan chefs and experts in March 2024. We decided against that as it is on a monster ship and during spring break. We ultimately chose Windstar as they had been advertising their new plant based offerings. Nearpost- I totally agree and that's the vibe we got. Everyone was nice, but I ultimately felt this plant based push was from corporate and not truly thought through.

You need to write in "vegan" on the room service card. However, I would have a conversation with the dining manager before you do this to ensure the galley knows how to cook this. By the 7th day - the pancakes got better. I did not see any vegan pancakes or waffles in the restaurant. The only hot plant-based/vegan item I found in the breakfast buffet was potatoes.

For vegans searching for information about Windstar offerings, allow me to share my 2023 experience. We were on Pride and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise line! We will never go back to monster ships. However, the food (which I know is subjective) was a major major issue for us. Please note we are fully aware and understand that plant-based and vegan are different. We eat and enjoy both. While we did not expect the same level of variety as non-vegan or vegetarian passengers, we were disappointed to find that we were often left with no other option but to eat salad, beets, or chili for lunch almost every day. Our food always felt like an "afterthought." This lack of variety became particularly frustrating when we were served what appeared to be frozen Dr. Praeger's burgers. We informed Windstar of our vegan dietary requirements well in advance and even confirmed this information with our travel agent closer to the departure date to ensure they had time to order/cultivate a menu if we were the only vegans onboard. However, the galley seemed unprepared to cater to the dietary restrictions, and they appeared to have to devise a plan of action once we were on board. As a result, we felt we were not given the same consideration as non-vegan or vegetarian passengers. We were disappointed that the money we paid did not translate into a minuscule -comparable range of options to those enjoyed by non-vegan or vegetarian passengers. For instance, we had to request vegan pancakes for breakfast and rely on room service as the buffet offered no hot plant-based/vegan breakfast items. Moreover, we were disappointed to find that deck hors d'oeuvres, beach BBQ, and the ice cream social offered us no plant-based/vegan options. Let me give you clear examples of how the money we paid did not in any way come close to the options as vegetarians: Vegan Options Offered/Provided Breakfast – I had to ask them if they could make vegan pancakes. We stuck with room service as the buffet had no HOT plant-based/vegan breakfast items readily available. Beach BBQ - Salad and chips Verandah Lunch – Salad, beets, chili (some days), mushy Dr. Praeger's "like" burger Dinner – Salad, Asian tofu and rice (3 days), mushroom pasta that seemed thrown together with leftover prepped items. We were presented with a bowl full of mushrooms with sauce! I dislike mushrooms, but unfortunately, that was my ONLY option for dinner! Dessert - The cruise offered no vegan ice cream warm plant-based/vegan options (i.e., apple pie). The plant-based desserts were all cold, weird textures, and lacked flavor. Deck Hors d'oeuvres – never any plant-based or vegan options offered to us. Ice Cream Social – no vegan ice cream Easy replacements I compiled based on the ingredients I saw used onboard: Beach BBQ – BBQ jackfruit burgers, grilled BBQ tofu, BBQ beans, grillable vegan quinoa and chickpea burgers, grilled vegetable skewers, pasta salad, etc. For vegan - impossible or beyond burgers is an easy option! Lunch – tacos (rice, beans, etc.), vegan pizza (add vegan cheese), falafel, harvest bowls, tabbouleh salads, black bean nachos, avocado tacos, vegan BLT sandwiches, marinated tofu kabobs, tofu popcorn chicken, vegan tuna, chickpea burgers, HUMMUS, plantains, rice and peas (Caribbean), sweet potato tacos, tofu caprese, pesto pasta, tofu and pineapple sandwiches, buddha bowls Dinner – Pasta (remove the meat)! Fettuccine Alfredo (cashew cheese), vegetable lasagne, olive tapenade, pasta with Asian style dressing, lobster rolls with hearts of palm, vegetable fritters, rice pilaf, herb bread, lemon roasted potatoes, black bean stuffed sweet potatoes with guacamole, vegan caesar salad, Singapore noodles. Dessert – vegan cookies and ice cream I looked at the food they offered the general public and could EASILY identify plant-based/vegan options with no new ingredients. We really liked Windstar and hope they will take recommendations into consideration and expand the plant-based/vegan options on their menu in the future. Having only 1-2 options per day was frustrating, and I couldn't wait to get to a vegan-friendly restaurant at ports. The dining crew was amazing, and you can tell they really tried to find other options available. If the food situation is rectified - Windstar would have easily been a solid 10 for us.

I saw a Solo Travelers get together scheduled on the first day of the cruise and the cruise following. Star Pride

You definitely want to consider a travel agent for this complexity. They may know of deals or alternatives to best suit your situation.

Thanks for sharing

Any vegan options for room service breakfast? Any vegan pancakes or waffles in restaurants? Thank you

Your right, a call can make a difference. Proved worthwhile.

I'm interested in a cruise for early 2024. The website says Sold Out. Is this concrete or worth putting in a call? Not sure if Seabourn does waitlists.

I guess the number of guests aboard would determine the noise level and crowding at the tendering/exit. This is helpful- thank you.

This is not good news for vegans. We are a bit concerned that we will be forced to eat the same food day in and out due to a lack of variety. If this is the case, I know that WS will not be our cruise line of choice.

Hi new_cruiser, Thanks for the information - this is helpful! By "vegan comfort foods," I was simply referring to junk food - i.e., burgers, hot dogs, fries, nuggets, pancakes, tacos, french toast, etc.

Hello, fellow Windstar cruisers, I was wondering if anyone could share their experience or knowledge about the Porthole Suites located on deck 3. I'm curious if there is noise from guests gathering to tender or from the restaurant crowd. Is there a door between the cabins and the public space? If anyone has any advice or recommendations for these cabins/locations, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.