Oceania Regatta versus Windsurf

[Delta Queen]

Has anyone cruised both ships? We are thinking of the Regatta for a transatlantic cruise & were wondering how the 2 ships compare, given that Regatta has twice as many passengers.

[Florida cruisee]

You really can't compare the two. They are totally different experiences. The only similarity is the casual anytime dining. The food on the Windsurf is so much better; it is not to be compared with Oceania food. We cruise Windstar ships every year and find them to be beyond reproach. The service on any Windstar ship is quite remarkable because of the Indonesian crew. They learn your name within 24 hours and always approach you for anything you want. The cabins on all Windstar ships have only portholes. If you think that would bother you, you might be surprised. If you want a veranda, you are out of luck. The Windstar cabins are a study in efficiency. They have so much storage space, I would challenge you to use it all. The bridge is open 24/7 except when approaching or in a port. We have found the passenger group on Windstar to be exemplary. however we have made life long friends on Oceania, too. All Windstar ships lack elevators, have very small casinos (though the one on the Windsurf is a bit bigger than on the other ships). Entertainment is limited to a combo whereas on Oceania, they have lounge entertainers, classical entertainers and shows. All in all, it rather depends on what you want out of a cruise. If you are looking at a crossing on one or the other, you might want to take the size of the ship into account. We have been in rough weather on both and didn't feel it on either. Both are very stable ships, even though they are small. Personally, I would feel a bit cramped on a crossing on a Windstar ship and eventually bored with little entertainment. They do have DVD players in the cabins with a huge DVD library but that could get old fast, in my mind. We choose according to itinerary and use both lines, but Windstar is our favorite.

[golfergal]

While I haven't cruised Oceania, I'm still going to give you my 2 cents as I have cruised Wind Surf and am looking at some Oceania cruises. One correction to Florida Cruisee's wonderful description, Wind Surf does have elevators, but Wind Star and Spirit don't. I LOVED our Wind Surf cruise for its casual, relaxed elegance and the great crew. It was amazing to "sail" out of ports at the end of the day. We are really struggling with our decision this year between Oceania, going to more of the ports we want, and Wind Surf for the overall experience. But I don't think I'd take a Wind Surf transatlantic crossing. Personally, I'd get too bored and what I loved was visiting some of the smaller ports, some nights in port late, and especially the views from my chair on deck as we sailed to or away from a port. I think I'd prefer a ship with a little more going on for that kind of cruise. The Windstar crossing cruises this year are pretty short, so there's not much time to get bored, but I still think you are missing a lot of what makes Windstar cruises so wonderful.

 

Let us know what you decide and enjoy!

[willmschen]

You really can't compare the two. They are totally different experiences. The only similarity is the casual anytime dining. The food on the Windsurf is so much better.

 

I don't agree that the food on Windsurf is superior to Oceania. We have sailed both several times and, while the food on Windsurf is excellent, I think that Oceania is somewhat better. That said, we like Windsurf very much and would readily sail on her again.

[Delta Queen]

Thanks for the replies.

We sailed on Windsurf Apr 05 from Fort Lauderdale to Lisbon. We enjoyed the cruise immensely, the food was excellent & the crew so attentive. We were going to do the reverse trip this year in Nov. since we like being at sea for 10 -14 days with nothing to do but relax. However Winsurf is going to Barbados this year & the air fare from Barbados to Toronto is very expensive putting the whole cruise in a more expensive bracket. Regatta is going to Miami which makes it a more affordable cruise for us. I was just wondering if the 2 ships were comparable in comfort, food, casualness etc.

 

Delta Queen

[golfergal]

Correction to my original post. I looked quickly at the Windstar itinerary and it looked short, but it is certainly not. It looks like 3 nights the way they post it, but clearly that didn't make sense. 14 nights with no stops along the way.

[thatbloominplace]

have sailed on both of the ships you mentioned. all trhings such as these are subjective but i will tell you my opinion.definitely preferred oceania over windstar/windsurf for the following reasons:

1. better food, presentation, and choices

2. better room accomadations, especially comfort of the beds

3. better entertainment

4. more passengers, although both ships are relatively small, led to more varied interactions. made more cruise friens on regatta than either windstar ships. i feel this was partially due to the slightly higher number of passengers. both ships had extremely interesting people. i can only hope they felt the same about us.

 

for these reasons i would personally select oceania over windstar. remember that they both offer many of the same great qualities in general and that i doubt you would regret either.

[sancarlos]

We have cruised on both Windstar and Oceania. Our favorite is Windstar, the staff is wonderful, the smallness of the ship, so easy to meet people. Our problem is the length of their cruises. Hardly worth going to Europe for 7 day Cruise. We did a back-to-back on Windstar in 2004, which was wonderful, but Windstar does seem to be more expensive doing it that way vs a 12-14 cruise on Oceania. We enjoyed our cruise 2005 with Oceania and are doing another this August with them. We still enjoy Windstar the most but find their itineraries are limited.

[sancarlos]

We have cruised on both Windstar and Oceania. Our favorite is Windstar, the staff is wonderful, the smallness of the ship, so easy to meet people. Our problem is the length of their cruises. Hardly worth going to Europe for 7 day Cruise. We did a back-to-back on Windstar in 2004, which was wonderful, but Windstar does seem to be more expensive doing it that way vs a 12-14 cruise on Oceania. We enjoyed our cruise 2005 with Oceania and are doing another this August with them. We still enjoy Windstar the most but find their itineraries are limited.

[Delta Queen]

We finally decided to book with Oceania & have booked on the Regatta for the Nov transatlantic crossing from Lisbon to Miami. We figure the money we have saved on the cruise fare we can spend on drinks :):).

 

Any other people going on this cruise?