getting on and off ship and walking on board?

[surfway]

My husband and I are considering a Windstar cruise in 2012 for our 40th wedding anniversary. My husband is legally blind with just a small amount of vision. Otherwise we are both pretty active. What is the procedure for boarding and disembarking the ship? Are there steep ladders to climb up or down, to get on the tenders? We have done the now defunct Windjammer Barefoot cruises and on our last one in 2007 right before the company went under, my husband had a tough time judging the swells of the waves to get onto the little tendars. His eyes have probably gotten slightly worse since then. The crew was wonderful in helping him but he is worried about this. Also, how about walking around the ship? Is there an elevator? any info will be appreciated!

[6rugrats]

The only Windstar ship with an elevator is the Windsurf. On the other two ships, there are a lot of stairs, but they are probably wide enough that they might not be a problem. The most difficult ones would be the stairways outside, but you can pretty much avoid these if I am remembering correctly, and use the ones inside the ship to move between the upper and lower decks.

 

You must climb down a ladder to get to the tenders and yes, when it's rough, it can be more difficult. I don't know if your husband would find this hard or not. I think the hardest part when it's rough, is stepping into the tender and getting off, but the crew is always there to help you.

[surfway]

Thanks for your input-sounds pretty much like the Windjammer.