Windstar documentation

[Mocamps]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice from Windstar regulars!.......we leave for our first Windstar cruise in less than 3 weeks but all I've had in the way of paperwork so far is a confirmation of booking. If I go into My Windstar and put in the confirmation number my booking is there but there doesn't seem to be any paperwork to download with embarkation instructions, baggage labels etc.

 

Is this normal?

What should I expect?

[milepig]

This is normal.

 

When you booked you should have received a "detailed itinerary" which you should print out and take with you, although you likely won't need it. This includes the port and boarding time. Here's what I pulled off our upcoming cruise paperwork that was emailed to us. This does NOT show up on the online view:

 

PORT OF EMBARKATION:
Reykjavik, Iceland

MIÐBAKKI
Embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. All aboard will take place
one hour before scheduled departure.

 

Midbakki is the port information, in this case it is the "old" port right downtown.

 

Embarkation instructions are essentially "show up" if you let us know your departure point there are websites that will tell you the expected pier (they do sometimes change). Some ports will have a facility to stash your bags early, some do not. But in my experience there's always been a WS available at least an hour before embarkation begins. The outliers for us would be Oslo on one end, where we just all lined up alongside a chain link fence until the clock struck the embarkation time was beginning, to Yokohama on the other where when I was out on my early morning walk I just walked past the pier since it was on my route anyway and found that they were already set up to take bags hours before embarkation began.

 

They do not send any luggage tags beforehand. They just have bands when you check in and you take 10 seconds writing your cabin number and name on them and you're done.

 

Does your online information show that you've completed all the paperwork? If you have, the checkboxes at the bottom with all be green, if you haven't take a moment to complete it as it will save time when boarding.

 

When you board you'll need to complete a couple simple forms - there's a health form and a release form, that takes a couple minutes. They you go to the desk, they take your picture and swipe your credit card, they take your passports, and you're done unless you want to sign up for options stuff, candles reservations, laundry service, spa services, etc. There is also the chance to sign up for tours and the liquor package, but both those can also be done before hand, saving time.

 

The process is very quick and easy and not at all like the big ships. You may have to wait a bit if you show up at a busy time, but that's only happened to us once.

 

The cabin will already be available, although it may take awhile for the bags to come. Our usual plan is to stash our hand carried stuff in the cabin and then head up to lunch.

Edited February 8, 2019 by milepig

[Mocamps]

23 minutes ago, milepig said:

This is normal.

 

When you booked you should have received a "detailed itinerary" which you should print out and take with you, although you likely won't need it. This includes the port and boarding time. Here's what I pulled off our upcoming cruise paperwork that was emailed to us. This does NOT show up on the online view:

 

PORT OF EMBARKATION:
Reykjavik, Iceland

MIÐBAKKI
Embarkation begins at 1:00 pm. All aboard will take place
one hour before scheduled departure.

 

Midbakki is the port information, in this case it is the "old" port right downtown.

 

Embarkation instructions are essentially "show up" if you let us know your departure point there are websites that will tell you the expected pier (they do sometimes change). Some ports will have a facility to stash your bags early, some do not. But in my experience there's always been a WS available at least an hour before embarkation begins. The outliers for us would be Oslo on one end, where we just all lined up alongside a chain link fence until the clock struck the embarkation time was beginning, to Yokohama on the other where when I was out on my early morning walk I just walked past the pier since it was on my route anyway and found that they were already set up to take bags hours before embarkation began.

 

They do not send any luggage tags beforehand. They just have bands when you check in and you take 10 seconds writing your cabin number and name on them and you're done.

 

Does your online information show that you've completed all the paperwork? If you have, the checkboxes at the bottom with all be green, if you haven't take a moment to complete it as it will save time when boarding.

 

When you board you'll need to complete a couple simple forms - there's a health form and a release form, that takes a couple minutes. They you go to the desk, they take your picture and swipe your credit card, they take your passports, and you're done unless you want to sign up for options stuff, candles reservations, laundry service, spa services, etc. There is also the chance to sign up for tours and the liquor package, but both those can also be done before hand, saving time.

 

The process is very quick and easy and not at all like the big ships. You may have to wait a bit if you show up at a busy time, but that's only happened to us once.

 

The cabin will already be available, although it may take awhile for the bags to come. Our usual plan is to stash our hand carried stuff in the cabin and then head up to lunch.

Thanks for that but I don't have a detailed itinerary other than the one I can see on the website so I don't have ANY details about where the port is or when embarkation begins.I Do however have a cabin number!

 

I was sent a confirmation from my Travel Agent and that has the outline itinerary and the details of payment but that's it!! I've filled in the personal info as you suggest.

[milepig]

My TA always sends me two documents.

 

One is headed Guest Invoice Copy that has only basic information, mostly billing details.

 

The other is headed Detailed Itinerary Confirmation and the "Port of Embarkation" information is in the middle of that ont he right hand side.

 

Both are on Windstar letterhead, if your TA did not supply this ask for it - it also included detailed arrival and departure times for each port, etc.

 

If you would like me to look up port information reply with the port of departure, date and name of ship.

 

Final advice - with Windstar don't sweat the details, they just take care of you.

[Mocamps]

Thank you. I'll contact my TA but would really appreciate that help with my planning.

 

The port we leave from is Colon on 2nd March. I don't know what time we can board and I need to know that so that I can sort out a taxi from panama City. We then go to Balboa and are there for over 2 days but I'm not quite sure where we dock there either. 

[6rugrats]

Boarding time should be on your itinerary.  It usually starts at 1:00 p.m.

[milepig]

52 minutes ago, Mocamps said:

Thank you. I'll contact my TA but would really appreciate that help with my planning.

 

The port we leave from is Colon on 2nd March. I don't know what time we can board and I need to know that so that I can sort out a taxi from panama City. We then go to Balboa and are there for over 2 days but I'm not quite sure where we dock there either. 

 

Colon has two terminals - Colon 2000, and Cristobal - and from previous reports, Windstar uses both. The distance between the 2 is only 5 km, so if you wind up at the wrong one it won't be the end of the world.

 

If you want to see something cool and read this soon, right now the map shows the Breeze lining up getting ready to leave the canal:

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?poi=87

 

For Colon, I haven't yet found a detailed page that includes which port the Star will be using, so you really need to get this from your TA. Some cruise ports have very detailed information about docking online, but I haven't found one for Colon.

 

The cruise is listed to depart at 6:00pm, which means boarding most likely commences at 1pm - and you can arrive anytime until at least 4:00. Shoot for that window and you'll be fine.

 

The actual cruise port name for Balboa is Fuerte Amador, Balboa. Here's a map:

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/panama-city-port-584

 

It's on a sort of island connected by a causeway. There are a few shops there, but not much so most people will head into Panama City, which isn't too far. It is a tender port, the ship will be at anchor.

[minidonuts85]

I've always received both docs that Milepig referred to above. The attachments from Windstar are: "Invoice Guest.pdf" and sent right behind it is "Itinerary (non-financial).pdf". Double check if your TA might have sent you just one and not the other?

 

I asked this very same question before my first WS cruise not too long ago and the check in process was a breeze. No luggage tags needed.

Edited February 9, 2019 by minidonuts85

[Mocamps]

Thank you all. I'll definitely get back in touch with my TA. I'll also change my taxi from Panama so it's a bit later. At the moment pick up is about 10am but that seems like it will be too early? On most cruises we've been on, we board and then go for lunch. I think we can still do that but probably best to aim for 1pm.

[Karen13]

Hi, we docked at the Cristobal terminal on our recent Panama Canal cruise on the Star Breeze. I emailed Windstar and they emailed me straight back to confirm this, as it was not on our cruise documentation.

 

this info was on another thread recently about what to do in Balboa - 

Posted January 28

   On 1/26/2019 at 11:20 AM,  Mocamps said: 

Thanks for that, new cruiser. Can you possibly tell me what there was to do in Balboa? That looked to be my least appealing destination and we already have 2 nights there so I'd be slightly disappointed if Pearl Islands is swapped for another day there.

There is a lot to do in Balboa. We didn't get to do everything I wanted to. We were anchored and tendered to Marina Flamenco (near the end of the Amador causeway). 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Marina+Flamenco/@8.9229608,-79.5468257,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8facaf06e12d6f73:0x3d149e4af039a38a!8m2!3d8.9115931!4d-79.5226214

 

Something I really wanted to do but couldn't work in was a day tour to an Embara village. The following one gets really good reviews. It is a long tour day so it would be good to do it either before the cruise or on the first day in Balboa.

http://www.emberavillagetours.com/ 

 

If you are really into learning as much as possible about the canal, you can visit the visitor centers at Mira Flores (old locks, has a museum about the canal) and Agua Clara (new locks).

 

We did an evening walking tour (mostly Casco Viejo). For embarkation day, we arranged for the same guide to take us on a morning tour of Portobello (the Caribbean end of the Spanish overland route for transferring gold from the Pacific to the Caribbean) including the Customs House museum and the forts. Since we had some extra time, he also took us on the ferry across the canal to visit the land side of the Gatun dam before dropping us off to board the ship.  The guide, Vincent Scott, was excellent (phone is +50766547771 email vscott03@gmail.com).

 

I went to the Biomuseo - it is on the causeway, not far from the ship. It tells about how the isthmus formed and explains the biodiversity there. Very nice - about 2 hours to view it.

 

Casco Viejo is a really nice area to spend some time. There is also a canal museum there. 

 

I did the monkey tour on the second day in port. It left at 9 AM - I think an earlier departure might have been better - we saw some monkeys, birds and a distant view of a sloth high in a tree. The guides said that the monkeys are more interested in the tour boats earlier.

 

 

 

We stayed in Casco Viejo (the old town) for a few days at the end of the cruise and I would highly recommend a visit there. There is also a Canal Museum there which it is worth visiting. Much less crowded than the one at Miraflores.

 

 

[CruiseOrLand]

Mocamps, I don't mean to suggest that your planning efforts are unnecessary, but for ship maintenance reasons, Windstar CHANGED our Colon port location AND embarkation time less than two weeks before our departure. I was entirely satisfied with their notifications, which were by email to both of the travelers registered for the cruise. They asked us to use a website to confirm that we had been notified. Because we had already bought the Windstar transfer ($49 p/p I think) from the Windstar hotel in Panama City, in a sense, we didn't care. That is, they ended up comping the transfers for everyone, and provided a lounge at the hotel until later in the day. I would add that when I booked the transfer from the hotel, the Windstar agent didn't care in the slightest whether we were STAYING at the hotel. She seemed to be familiar with the idea of travelers coming to the hotel from a different place where they had slept.

 

I can understand your thinking about a taxi if you are coming direct from the airport. Maybe you live in the southern U.S., but we would normally not fly on the same day as a cruise departure. I would comment that Colon is so far from Panama City and PTY airport that a private car might get very expensive. Colon is such a dump that you certainly want a reliable independent transfer.

 

As a courtesy to you (by which I mean that I have no idea if they will go to Colon, or how much it might be), I will tell you that the Bristol Panama Hotel's local transportation partner (which took us from PTY to the hotel for $40 total) is called PBA Holdings Group. They also took us from the hotel to Casco Vijeho and back for $15 each way, the next day. I had done enough guidebook reading that I did not want to just hail a metered cab and worry about fee arguments, etc., so I let the hotel Concierge arrange that for us.