Few general questions....

[minidonuts85]

Hello, Getting excited about our first Windstar cruise for new years eve (Yachtsman Caribbean). I had a few lingering questions that I was hoping to get some insight on:

 

• We dock at Road Town Tortola and sail away is 12:30pm. What time would "all aboard" generally be? 12:00?
• I got our cruise docs via email yesterday. Are we supposed to get luggage tags too?
• I cannot seem to locate the cancellation policy for shore excursions. Anyone have a link or info?

 

Thank you!

[milepig]

Can't answer #1

#2 - luggage tags are sporadic. Sometimes we get them, of late usually not. They'll have a supply at checkin and really all you need to do is write your name and cabin number and you're good to go.

#3 - usually you can cancel up to 24 hours before each tour. IIRC.

[minidonuts85]

Thanks Milepig.

[Misty Morning]

Minidonuts85,

 

last boading is usually 30 minutes prior to departure, so in this case 12 noon.  Should you miss that, you can always re board from the next stop which is Norman Island (some folks on another thread were looking into doing that and you would certain need to advise officers in advance to get approval for doing so). Roadtown and Norman Island are the stops temporarily replacing Sopers Hole as the latter still has not fully recuperated from Hurricane Irma.  You will love this itinerary. Our first cruise was on the Surf with the same itinerary and since then have sailed 6 times on both the motor and sail ships.  The ships may be a little older but the relaxed casual atmosphere, good food and great service is what keeps us coming back year after year.  Enjoy your cruise

[minidonuts85]

1 hour ago, Misty Morning said:

Minidonuts85,

 

last boading is usually 30 minutes prior to departure, so in this case 12 noon.  Should you miss that, you can always re board from the next stop which is Norman Island (some folks on another thread were looking into doing that and you would certain need to advise officers in advance to get approval for doing so). Roadtown and Norman Island are the stops temporarily replacing Sopers Hole as the latter still has not fully recuperated from Hurricane Irma.  You will love this itinerary. Our first cruise was on the Surf with the same itinerary and since then have sailed 6 times on both the motor and sail ships.  The ships may be a little older but the relaxed casual atmosphere, good food and great service is what keeps us coming back year after year.  Enjoy your cruise

 

Thanks MM! We were one of the folks looking into moving ahead to Norman, which we may still do...not 100% sure yet but hanging out at Pussers in Roadtown for a little longer past noon and then catching the water shuttle to Norman later is on the radar. We are super excited and looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere.

[milepig]

On 11/2/2018 at 2:10 PM, minidonuts85 said:

 

Thanks MM! We were one of the folks looking into moving ahead to Norman, which we may still do...not 100% sure yet but hanging out at Pussers in Roadtown for a little longer past noon and then catching the water shuttle to Norman later is on the radar. We are super excited and looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere.

 

Let me reiterate the "let the ship know" part. If you just don't show there will be a full court press to look for you, delaying the ship by possibly an hour or more - even after they decide you aren't on board they then need to notify the port authorities. They offload your passports, etc. If you Really ugly inconveniences for everyone.

[minidonuts85]

We plan to clear our independent plans with the ship upon embarkation.

[Strenz]

Ditto to Milepig, it is rwally an inconvenience for ship crew and passengers and in the end the passenger that skipped out. We have heard awful stories. Happy Sailing

[milepig]

Just now, Strenz said:

Ditto to Milepig, it is rwally an inconvenience for ship crew and passengers and in the end the passenger that skipped out. We have heard awful stories. Happy Sailing

 

My "favorite" example happened in Spain. Our group of pax included two early 20-something women who were having a great time. One day they didn't show up for departure. The ship started a round robin of checking their cabin,  doing an announcement on the PA, lather, rinse repeat. Finally, they offloaded their passports and off we went.

 

Since the next port was also in Spain there was no real worry about them actually getting to the next port, and sure enough, the next morning they appeared all smiles and laughing at the "adventure" they'd had. (grrr)

 

They'd gone to the beach and lost track of time. They ultimately took the train to the next port and stayed in a hotel overnight. WS did NOT pay for any of this, but did contact them via the contact information they had to let them know where to retrieve their passports.

 

An even better story involves a couple that lost track of time in Capri and were sitting having lunch in a restaurant at the top of the hill in Capri. They looked up to see the ship sailing out of port and had the good sense to snap a photo. The photo was then sent to the ship's captain (through some contact they had, can't remember how) with the caption "the ship looks great from up here.!""  I think their reconnection with the ship involved multiple ferries, and IIRC  it took a couple days.

[minidonuts85]

That is insane! I don't have the b*lls to just freely not return to the ship on time and treat it like my own private charter. Thanks for sharing those stories!

[Ski Mom 2]

On our recent back2back2back, in Valletta, there was an announcement for a couple asking them to come to reception. And then another, and another and another. 30 minutes after our departure time, an officer told us we were waiting for a couple who were still not back on board. They continued the announcements and finally, one hour after our scheduled departure time, they were back on board and we left. We were told the captain didn't really want to leave them and we think, because there was another ship that left ahead of us and the seas were rough, it worked out in their favor. Of course, when we found out they had been just across the way from the ship, sitting in a jewelry store buying a diamond bracelet, the rest passengers weren't very sympathetic. 

[milepig]

36 minutes ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

On our recent back2back2back, in Valletta, there was an announcement for a couple asking them to come to reception. And then another, and another and another. 30 minutes after our departure time, an officer told us we were waiting for a couple who were still not back on board. They continued the announcements and finally, one hour after our scheduled departure time, they were back on board and we left. We were told the captain didn't really want to leave them and we think, because there was another ship that left ahead of us and the seas were rough, it worked out in their favor. Of course, when we found out they had been just across the way from the ship, sitting in a jewelry store buying a diamond bracelet, the rest passengers weren't very sympathetic. 

 

Yep. That's a "grrr moment".  Sometimes a ship can wait a bit depending on port schedules and length of that night's cruise. Sometimes they really need to get a move on.