Information On Windstar Cruises

[WorldTravelcrazy]

Hi,

My wife and I are considering taking a Windstar cruise ( Venice to Rome) in the Fall this year. We have cruised many times before but never on Windstar.

A couple of questions:

 

1. My wife has a tendency to get seasick; Will this be a serious problem on these ships? Is it an issue only if the weather gets rough, or do these ships rock more because of their size?
   
2. We like the idea of a smaller group of passengers, however will this become a problem since we are at close quarters all the time, with very little privacy? Are there places on the ship ( common areas) where we can find a quiet spot to do some reading without bumping into passengers or crew?
   
3. I am a vegeterian. Are there other vegetarians out there who have been on these ships and have been served decent meals not just salads and boiled vegetables? How is the food.
   
4. I read that all the food is flown in from the US, is that correct? Do we get to sample local cuisine at all?
   
5. How much leisure time is really available at ports of call?
   

Thank you

[ridethetide]

I can provide you with some feedback to your questions since my husband and I have been on 4 Windstar cruises.

• The ships are equipped with stabilizers that do a good job of keeping things calm. However, if the seas are really rough, you will definitely feel them. We had 10-14 ft seas on our sail from Panama to Bermuda a couple of years ago, and many of the passengers and crew were ill. That is not the norm, however. The Mediterranean can be rough in the fall. if you are sensitive to motion sickness, you might try scopolamine patches.
  
• You can always find quiet spots on the ship for your privacy. One of the wonderful things about Windstar cruises is that it is easy to be alone and it is easy to share. You will find there are many interesting people on the cruises.
  
• We are both vegetarian and have had nothing but fantastic meals onboard. There are many veggie options at all of the meals, and they are always willing to make special accommodations (e.g., leaving out the meat or fish from a pasta dish) if you ask.
  

Enjoy your cruise...

[RAYSAN11]

Hi ridethetide was that 2013 you did the Bermuda cruise and it was a day and half late. We are Ray and Sandy a black and white couple from Bermuda and we were on the same cruise

[ridethetide]

Yes, Ray and Sandy, that was the infamous cruise, and I do remember you! We saw some of the staff that had been on that cruise during our Panama cruise last year. They all lamented how sick they had been!

 

My husband Bob is 6'5" with gray hair and beard. I am 5'4". I'm certain we crossed paths many times on that trip! We did actually use scopolamine patches for the first time on that cruise and were most thankful we had. We will be sailing the Legend on the Lands of the Midnight Sun in August and plan to take patches again due to the large expanses of North Atlantic that we will be traversing.

Edited March 2, 2015 by ridethetide

[milepig]

There are all sorts of little places you can hide away on the ships, both inside and out. Even during the day when the ship is in port the bar and pool deck areas can be surprisingly quiet. We were recently on the Surf when it was pretty much full. Our day at sea wasn't very nice weather but we found a spot in the main lounge which was deserted except for one other couple on the far side of the room. You will never feel overwhelmed by other people.

 

I asked about the food on our last trip and was told that most of the perishables (fruit, veg, dairy) are sourced out of Rotterdam these days. I believe some of the proteins still come from the US, but some are sourced locally as well.

Edited March 3, 2015 by milepig

[marama]

There are all sorts of little places you can hide away on the ships, both inside and out. Even during the day when the ship is in port the bar and pool deck areas can be surprisingly quiet. We were recently on the Surf when it was pretty much full. Our day at sea wasn't very nice weather but we found a spot in the main lounge which was deserted except for one other couple on the far side of the room. You will never feel overwhelmed by other people.

 

I asked about the food on our last trip and was told that most of the perishables (fruit, veg, dairy) are sourced out of Rotterdam these days. I believe some of the proteins still come from the US, but some are sourced locally as well.

 

 

Sounds as though we may have been on the same cruise (31/1) - on our recent Windsurf trip the one sea day was windy and rough. If so, shame we missed each other!

[milepig]

Sounds as though we may have been on the same cruise (31/1) - on our recent Windsurf trip the one sea day was windy and rough. If so, shame we missed each other!

 

We were on Barcelona to Lisbon in November.

[SB_Travlr]

We were on the Windsurf from Rome to Venice. During the stop in Split, we had the opportunity to join the chef as he shopped the local markets. He was buying fresh local veggies, cheeses and fish. It was a very interesting part of our trip!