Windstar cruise - a great disappointment

[dandee2]

Respect is a two way street. They have a hard job to do, away from their loved one for weeks at a time. They are also easy to talk to and most crew members will give you info about were to find the best wifi in port or the best place to visit for example. I consider myself fortunate to be able to go on Windstar and meet marvelous guests and crew alike.

 

Cheers

[richb21]

Might want to consider seadream yacht club, plusses are you would probably find food, wine and service more to your liking, stateroom similar to windstar meaning smaller than the newer luxury ships, but prices seem to run 20% or so higher than Windstar. Good luck!

 

 

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[TravelguruDanville]

Hi All,

Asking my questions here as there are so few roll calls with Wind Surf. Although we have cruised extensively on other lines, this is our first for Wind Surf (June 11, 2014) Venice to Rome.

 

So here is my first question:

My husband and I cruise often and I love being an active participant on our roll call, creating private excursions for small groups. I'm not seeing a lot of cruise critic folks coming together to arrange alternative tours on the few Windstar roll calls I visited. Am I missing something? Or am I looking in the wrong place?

 

Question two:

From what I gleamed from the humorous (?) "give and take" from this thread, it seems that Wind Surf is casual (yeah)!!! We have been primarily cruising on Oceania for the past several years for the same reason. So what IS the dress for evening? (especially for men as I don't want to have the fight ("yes, you do need a jacket" before we even leave the house!). We are going to be celebrating big next year with back to back trips. We travel as light as possible so I'm trying to get a good handle on evening attire.

 

Many thanks!

Gail

[ducklite]

Hi All,

Asking my questions here as there are so few roll calls with Wind Surf. Although we have cruised extensively on other lines, this is our first for Wind Surf (June 11, 2014) Venice to Rome.

 

So here is my first question:

My husband and I cruise often and I love being an active participant on our roll call, creating private excursions for small groups. I'm not seeing a lot of cruise critic folks coming together to arrange alternative tours on the few Windstar roll calls I visited. Am I missing something? Or am I looking in the wrong place?

 

Many of the ports you'll be visiting are quite double DIY without a guide, or a guide can be hired on sight if you prefer.

 

We did that itinerary last year, and took the ships tour to Pompeii, next time we will simply take the train and hire a guide there. We took a private tour arranged by our charter company to a winery in Taormina, did our own thing in Kotor and Dubrovnik just walking the city and visiting the small museums. We got info on Dubrovnik from Rick Steve's and Kotor from Windstar, and took a ships excursion to a winery in Split or Hvar (can't recall which we visited in that part of the trip) and felt the cost was justified.

 

Question two:

From what I gleamed from the humorous (?) "give and take" from this thread, it seems that Wind Surf is casual (yeah)!!! We have been primarily cruising on Oceania for the past several years for the same reason. So what IS the dress for evening? (especially for men as I don't want to have the fight ("yes, you do need a jacket" before we even leave the house!). We are going to be celebrating big next year with back to back trips. We travel as light as possible so I'm trying to get a good handle on evening attire.

 

Many thanks!

Gail

 

No jacket, definitely no tie! Men wore chinos or slacks with polos, Tommy Bahamas/Cuban style shirts, Oxford shirts, etc. think Tommy Bahamas, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers type style. My husband brought a sports coat and never wore it.

 

Women wore casual dresses, slacks and blouses, casual skirts and tops. Think what you would wear to an outside summer cocktail party or a beach wedding. A little dressy, but stopping short of actual cocktail attire. Lot's of accessorizing with jewelry and scarves. A few more casual LBD's, but they were the exception. Lot's of Eileen Fisher, Ralph Lauren, Chico's type clothing.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[dandee2]

Agree with previous posting. I also did not know what to expect. In the Boat shoes (sperry) most of the time (even for dinner), Hiking shoes on shorex or good pair of sandals. I tried to mix and match most days. The only jacket seen was worn by the capitain at dinner. The have cleaning on board available.

[stcruise]

Gail, regarding roll calls - no you are not missing anything nor looking in the wrong place. The roll calls for Windstar are usually somewhat quiet compared to other cruise lines. I feel this is primarily due to the fact that the ships are small.

 

Not sure what the statistics are for cruisers who participate here on Cruise Critic roll calls, but it would seem to be around 2% of people on any given cruise. So, for instance, if you were on the smallest Oceania ship (684), that means there would be about 13 people on the roll call. On the larger Oceania ships, it would be more like 20.

 

Compare that to Windstar ships - Wind Surf (6) and Wind Spirit/Wind Star (3). So, while I absolutely love the "smallness" , the flip side is that it doesn't always lend itself to the ability to plan independent group tours in advance through the roll call. Of my three cruises (all on Wind Spirit), our roll call numbers have been 2, 3 and 2 (which includes me). Even with these small numbers, we have had some wonderful tours with others - we even were able to meet up in Istanbul for dinner with one couple the night before our cruise. So, it is not totally impossible!

 

My current roll call for Wind Star next April is just me so far :(.

[acruisefan]

To add to the clothing - we have done 2 cruises - istanbul to Athens and a Carribbean cruise. Another Carribbean cruise is scheduled for January.

 

I second Ducklites clothing assessment. I think DH brought a jacket (no tie) for the istanbul cruise, but it was cooler weather so it served a warmth purpose.

 

No jeans or flip flops in the dining room at night. I wore casual long dresses several times. Funny story - on a Carribbean cruise I bought a new long dress at Chicos. 2 other women had the same dress! On a cruise of less than 300 people! Too funny! So yes, Chicos is popular with Windstar cruisers. Also I brought costume jewelry and scarves to change up my look. Sweaters, shrugs or pashminas are also good as the dining room can get chilly and if you dine at the outside venue, it can be chilly especially if you are sailing. My first trip, I had to buy a sweatshirt on board as I found morning breakfast to be a little chilly outside, even in the Carribbean.

[ducklite]

I want to remember wearing a light sweater to breakfast a couple of times. I definitely remember it being chilling during one of the dinners we ate on deck--I want to remember them bringing me a table cloth to wrap up in, and I already had a sweater in. I wasn't the only one--there were a dozen or so people wearing oh so chic white table cloths that night, LOL!

 

 

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[GISUHO]

Apparently, Windstar was not a good fit for the OP. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

We've done several Windstar cruises, and loved them. It's a treat to be on a smaller ship, with an attentive and caring crew. No complaints here. :) And we're looking forward to our next one.

 

Same here. We're back on in Dec. and frankly....we liked the wines offered and felt the prices for the drinks in general and the top shelf wines was quite reasonable.

[GISUHO]

Since the poster stated they had previously sailed Cundard "on several occasions" I find it odd that they did not peruse CC prior to their Windstar Cruise to either garner some advice or at least get some tips before the cruise. Then to come on the board for the very first time and post a very negative assessment of their Windstar experience focusing in large part on the WINE-this just seems rather odd. The cruise line is the polar opposite of Cunard both in terms of size of the ship and style of cruising. Just saying...

 

Yo, guys.......this is what cruisecritic is for.....right? Obviously not their taste, but perhaps someone else like them will appreciate their candor and do more research. Just sayin'. :D

[GISUHO]

Count us as big Windstar fans, still our favorite, although Seabourn cabins were nicest and Oceania food was best.

 

Given my screen name, the Winegirl always orders nice bottles off the wine list or finds some local gems in port. Corkage fee is fine, the cruise line is in business to make $$$ and is accommodating me by allowing me to bring wine to the DR.

 

When cruising on Seabourn, I never, ever smelled any smoke anywhere. I did not realize they allowed smoking. I am also asthmatic and don't tolerate smoke well, but we did not find it on Seabourn, either in public places or and odor in the cabin.

 

I don't think Canada is known for wine like some other places, but we had dinner at the Sooke Harbor House in the past, which has a very nice, extensive wine list. The couple from TX sitting next to us ordered several of the big CA names. We asked the sommelier for a "big red," and something outside the box. He sold us a Canadian wine, Malivoire Old Vines Foch, which turned out to be one of the best wines we ever drank. From Ontario.

 

Thanks, we do have great wines, and often win the awards previously given to the 'big' wineries. LOL We're working against an iffy climate remember.;)

[TravelguruDanville]

Thank you all for your great advice and clothing suggestions! I definitely fit the demographics of Chicos, Clarks and scarves/jewelry to accessorize! Ducklite, what is the brand of those cropped pants you love? Husband will be happy too! One less suitcase full of "cruise stuff".

 

Have enjoyed the wine dialogue too! We usually bring some with us and buy along the way and have no issue with corkage. We believe that life is too short to drink lousy wine!

 

Thanks again for all your info. Looks like we will be excursioning by ourselves after all.

 

Cheers,

[ducklite]

Thank you all for your great advice and clothing suggestions! I definitely fit the demographics of Chicos, Clarks and scarves/jewelry to accessorize! Ducklite, what is the brand of those cropped pants you love? Husband will be happy too! One less suitcase full of "cruise stuff".

 

Have enjoyed the wine dialogue too! We usually bring some with us and buy along the way and have no issue with corkage. We believe that life is too short to drink lousy wine!

 

Thanks again for all your info. Looks like we will be excursioning by ourselves after all.

 

Cheers,

 

Eileen Fisher. Love them!

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[winegirl]

Thanks, we do have great wines, and often win the awards previously given to the 'big' wineries. LOL We're working against an iffy climate remember.;)

 

We love Canada and the people who live there! One darned civilized country that's got it all together. We try to sample the wines produced by each country, since brilliant winemakers and specific terroir create all kinds of surprises. Just had a fabulous Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) from the Alto Adige of Italy, on recommendation of the sommelier. He was so happy we enjoyed it. Isn't life all about these experiences?

[Smooth Sailing]

We love Canada and the people who live there! One darned civilized country that's got it all together. We try to sample the wines produced by each country, since brilliant winemakers and specific terroir create all kinds of surprises. Just had a fabulous Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) from the Alto Adige of Italy, on recommendation of the sommelier. He was so happy we enjoyed it. Isn't life all about these experiences?

 

Sister Creek Winery - just down the road from us - wins international gold and silver every year at the top competitions in the world - this is South Texas.

[milepig]

It just once again proves that not all experiences are for everyone. The fact that on our cruise in November (Barcelona-Lison) there were very, very few first time pax indicated that plenty people get it. Yes, WS is casual, but that's advertised on virtually everything they produce. I do think "luxury" might be going a little far, but only since the food is a step above "good banquet" most days. Breakfast can be very dicey but once you learn to avoid the horrible pre-made eggs and that the staff will make you fresh its fine. Coffee just plain sucks, but the guy on the back deck will make you a good cup, probably after a "good morning Mr. Bob" - doesn't bother me! The cabins are small, but everything right down to the square feet and layout is made clear in the brochure, and the bed is comfy, the linens nice and the amenities perfectly fine.

 

Everytime I walked past any crew member they said hello to me and asked if they could do something for me.

 

I've complained about the wine selections in the past, but on this last itin I was pleased to see a number of French and Spanish wines in the $30-40 range. Not "great" wines but one night we had a perfectly lovely white from the south of France that was perfect with our mostly seafood dinner in Stella. I thought the price point was fair. If you want a really nice bottle for a special night bring it on board and pay the $17 corkage.

 

The Surf has smoking on one side of one rear deck and in compass rose but it never bothered us, and we're sensitive. There was a faint wisp in the cabin deck hallway one day which we think was a staff member sneaking a smoke. Just the once. SMOKE IS NOT AN ISSUE.

 

I for one enjoy not needing to dress for dinner, but there were plenty of people who did and many of the men wore a jacket and women a nice dress. No one looked like a ragamuffin.

 

We've stayed in enough luxury hotels to know that they come in two types. In one case you could use the word "stuffy" to describe the experience, everyone cold and with their noses us (both the staff and guests, actually.) You hardly dare breath lest you offend their senses. A piano playing in the lobby each night that no one is listening to. Crystal everywhere, but don't look too closely in many of these places it hasn't been dusted in a decade or more. The other type is drop dead comfortable, great rooms with smashing views of something, staff that truly welcomes you, yes by name, and responds to you as you present yourself - if they figure out that you're the casual type they treat you so in return. They're not offended if you walk across the lobby in jeans and hiking boots before your day trecking around the city. The restaurant and bar are likely to attract a hipper type that actually laugh rather than talking in a whisper. This later type is Windstar.

Edited December 22, 2014 by milepig

[SailorJM]

BINGO! You've hit it....re Windstar

[lovecruisingtoo]

Milepig. You are right on. We have sailed on WS a half a dozen times (know that is not a lot compared to others) but you are right on about how the WS experience is. I remember on the first cruise going to the bar before dinner and asking for a glass of wine. The next night they just asked if I wanted the same thing. The third night they just brought the wine without asking. That is great service on a cruise ship. We love that many of the crew members remember us from prior cruises.

 

Obviously WS is not for everyone. But for those that want the WS style, it is great. But for others, it is absolutely not what they are looking for.

[milepig]

Milepig. You are right on. We have sailed on WS a half a dozen times (know that is not a lot compared to others) but you are right on about how the WS experience is. I remember on the first cruise going to the bar before dinner and asking for a glass of wine. The next night they just asked if I wanted the same thing. The third night they just brought the wine without asking. That is great service on a cruise ship. We love that many of the crew members remember us from prior cruises.

 

Obviously WS is not for everyone. But for those that want the WS style, it is great. But for others, it is absolutely not what they are looking for.

 

We've had the same captain three times in a row, and were pleased to find that several people from our cruise this November will be on the Pride when we sail in April. WS is not a huge company by any means and you do get to know the staff.

[commodoredave]

The OP is only expressing an opinion about their personal preferences, which do not reflect on other Canadians or cruisers, most of whom do not share their views.

DW and I have been on over 60 cruises, and we take a completely different attitude towards staff than the OP. Whether on luxury or budget lines, we insist that all the staff we get to know call us by our first names, tell us about their families and lives, and hug us as often as they can tolerate us! Some have become good friends, some have been to our house for dinner, and still others have become pen pals.

For us, making friends with cruise staff is one of the great pleasures of cruising. However, we come from poor families and made our way up the economic ladder through hard work and respect for others. We understand and accept that this attitude is not shared by everyone.

Edited December 24, 2014 by commodoredave

[Snow cat]

I, for one, am not totally convinced that the original poster is legitimate. This was their 1st post of 2 on cruise critic (the 2nd being a response). All the comments seem a little over the top :rolleyes:.

[MICHE99]

The OP is only expressing an opinion about their personal preferences, which do not reflect on other Canadians or cruisers, most of whom do not share their views.

DW and I have been on over 60 cruises, and we take a completely different attitude towards staff than the OP. Whether on luxury or budget lines, we insist that all the staff we get to know call us by our first names, tell us about their families and lives, and hug us as often as they can tolerate us! Some have become good friends, some have been to our house for dinner, and still others have become pen pals.

For us, making friends with cruise staff is one of the great pleasures of cruising. However, we come from poor families and made our way up the economic ladder through hard work and respect for others. We understand and accept that this attitude is not shared by everyone.

 

I certainly hope to meet you and your DW on a future cruise. We share the same values and idea of a wonderful time. Cheers my friend.

[milepig]

Staff referring to you by your first name and actually touching you, how dare they!!! Wine not up To your standards, dastardly! Fruit forward, how could they?

I think the suggestion that you get a life was well directed. Next time stick with the royal yacht. You should be embarrassed.

 

Actually, I've heard that the food served by the royals pretty much sucks, so I think I'll stuck with Windstar.

[SFL]

Actually, I've heard that the food served by the royals pretty much sucks, so I think I'll stuck with Windstar.

Hi All

Been reading these exchanges. We have cruised 27x before but never on Windstar. We are not concerned with the wine or alcohol selection and at this point are "casual" cruisers. We are considering the Lisbon to BCL cruise. So, I have some questions, that I would appreciate some input on

1. Is there any difference between Cat Bx or Ax. i.e, being on deck 1 or 2 midships? Re ship stability and comfort?

2. What is the bedding like? Hard mattresses or softer?

3. Are Gratuities included?

4. How did you find the Windstar tours price and value wise(is it a coach cattle car? or small group?) or are you better off doing your own thing

5. I know food is subjective, but can you describe it? is it a mix of local and western or primarily western

6. On Windstar tours do they herd you to their preferred vendors for shopping(like some river cruise and ocean lines) or allow you the freedom to roam?

7. Are the on board tour guides helpful in assisting you do your own "thing" or are they wilfully ignorant if you do not use their services?

8. What was your best and worst experience on Windstar

9. Are you better off booking thru them or a TA in your experience?

 

thanks in advance for any input you can give me

:)

Edited March 31, 2015 by SFL

[ducklite]

Hi All

Been reading these exchanges. We have cruised 27x before but never on Windstar. We are not concerned with the wine or alcohol selection and at this point are "casual" cruisers. We are considering the Lisbon to BCL cruise. So, I have some questions, that I would appreciate some input on

1. Is there any difference between Cat Bx or Ax. i.e, being on deck 1 or 2 midships? Re ship stability and comfort?

2. What is the bedding like? Hard mattresses or softer?

3. Are Gratuities included?

4. How did you find the Windstar tours price and value wise(is it a coach cattle car? or small group?) or are you better off doing your own thing

5. I know food is subjective, but can you describe it? is it a mix of local and western or primarily western

6. On Windstar tours do they herd you to their preferred vendors for shopping(like some river cruise and ocean lines) or allow you the freedom to roam?

7. Are the on board tour guides helpful in assisting you do your own "thing" or are they wilfully ignorant if you do not use their services?

8. What was your best and worst experience on Windstar

9. Are you better off booking thru them or a TA in your experience?

 

thanks in advance for any input you can give me

:)

 

 

1. Not really. If there are waves you might get splashing on your porthole on the lower deck.

 

2. Comfortable and medium firmness.

 

3. No

 

4. In Ny ports just do your own thing. Typically you won't have more than 10-15 people on your tour. I think the most we had wa Pompeii with about 20-25.

 

5. Both, but primarily western. It was very good to excellent.

 

6.. No preferred vendors and they will offer unbiased port info.

 

7. They have no problem offering local maps and advice so you can DIY.

 

8.. Sailing into Kotor. Worst? Can't really think of anything.

 

9. If you have a good TA you have a relationship with use them. Otherwise book direct.