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Windstar Newbie Q's

CanadianKate

By CanadianKate,
in Windstar Cruises

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sb44

sb44

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If you bring it to Amphora there is a corkage fee. If you open it in your room and drink it in your room, nothing.  I would not pour a glass of wine and bring it to Amphora to avoid the fee. That's just me.

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cruisencrazy

cruisencrazy

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We were on Legend in November.  You do not need to hold the button on the hair dryer.  They have a great selection of teas in the yacht club.  There is no Diet Dr Pepper.  I am diabetic and had to be a little pushy to only have diet drinks in our suite.  I would bring many books to read for sure.  There is an umbrella in your closet and also by the gangway on rainy days.  There are no binoculars in the suite. The Legend has been going in and out of San Juan.  If that is where you embark, there is both a CVS and Walgreens across from the dock.  You can easily purchase last minute things there.  The wine list on board is actually very good. Enjoy your trip!!

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CanadianKate

CanadianKate

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Thanks for more answers!

 

And for the questions as well! Especially about the TV. While it doesn't answer if we should bring cables, it does tell me there's a DVD in the room so maybe I should pack a few DVD's I've picked up off our free exchange shelves and finally watch them since we won't be watching Netflix or Prime!

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ridethetide

ridethetide

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1 hour ago, CanadianKate said:

Thanks for more answers!

 

And for the questions as well! Especially about the TV. While it doesn't answer if we should bring cables, it does tell me there's a DVD in the room so maybe I should pack a few DVD's I've picked up off our free exchange shelves and finally watch them since we won't be watching Netflix or Prime!

The library has a large collection of DVDs.

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cruisencrazy

cruisencrazy

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I'm 99% sure you can hook up cables to the tv.  It's on an adjustable wall mount and fairly easy to access the ports on  the back.  There are many DVDs, but I didn't notice more current choices (unless they were checked out).  Hope you have the best time.

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CanadianKate

CanadianKate

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Dagnabit, I'm going to have to ask a dress code question. I know this is a minefield and I hate to ask but I feel I don't have a choice. 

Are jeggings/leggings the same as jeans? 

 

I have no first hand experience with what country club casual means but I do know that I don't own anything like the clothing in the pictures when I google it. And the words say that I should pay attention to flow of pants and skin tight pants don't count. 

Y'all have to know I'm a Walmart and Thrift Store girl. I dress neatly and nicely and most people don't know the pedigree of my clothes but I don't look anything like the pictures in magazines.

But a lovely tunic top with a pair of not-denim 'jeggings' (according to the tag at Walmart) looks like something I'd wear out to a family restaurant with table service here.  The issue is we don't dine. We eat. So I don't go to anything but family restaurants on land, so I have no idea what is proper anymore. 

Do I need to dress-up what I'd wear to restaurant with linen tablecloths and napkins? Because I've only packed 3-4 outfits (for a 15 day cruise) that in my mind meet that criteria. And I don't want to repeat those for 15 days. Yet I'm stuck on the word 'casual' and how in other Windstar dress code threads there's a proud "no formal nights" on Windstar chant. Somewhere I read sundresses fit the bill but I wouldn't wear my sundress to a dinner at a linen-cloth restaurant. 

 

So colour me confused. I've picked what I wear when my husband is wearing a collared shirt with dress pants. But that sure as heck ain't anything like the country club casual images I've seen. 

To me, Silversea with its formal nights is actually easier. I know what a gown is. And my gowns approximate those in the images when I google formal wear. It is their informal nights that I skip because that really means semi-formal and on my first cruise I figured out night two my church clothes weren't good enough for informal so they were bumped down to casual nights and we ate in the cabin or at casual restaurants on informal nights. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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honumaui

honumaui

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I've worn lots of different outfits to dinner on Windstar depending on the climate and my mood  ( and what packs easily), dresses or pants outfits, cute clothes from Goodwill ( one of my favorite places to shop), some more dressy , some more casual. Whatever you feel comfortable in with just a few exceptions ( jeans, t shirts, shorts) Rarely see anyone in a cocktail dress but if you want to wear one have fun, It is your Yacht to enjoy. You only need to share it with a few other passengers, some of which dress up and some dress down. My husband usually wears long pants with a Hawaiian shirt ( he has a collection of them) or other collared shirt. He never brings a jacket and tie.

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CanadianKate

CanadianKate

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Thanks for the (gentle) responses! 

I'm now happy with the outfits I've put out. I truly feel it is the confidence the outfit gives you that is the key to whether or not it is appropriate. This is why you'll find people wearing high-end jeans in land restaurants because those jeans give the wearer confidence. Although, I still haven't got on board with the idea of buying pre-ripped jeans. To me, those will never be acceptable wear outside the home! 


Of course, I like to be within the range of 'acceptable' because either too casual or too formal will create a discomfort in me. If too formal, I'd feel like I'm 'peacocking' and the last thing I'd want to do is that. Conversely, too casual shows a contempt for the social norm in the room, which is also not a good way to present oneself as approachable and interesting. 

Edited by CanadianKate
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SailMaine

SailMaine

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I too was a bit worried about how to dress ‘country club casual’ for dinner on our first cruise, but now having been on windstar, I no longer worry.  Firstly, I’ve realized nobody is really looking at you or cares what you’re wearing, and I soon learned it’s ok to repeat pants, skirts, capris or leggings at dinner with different tops. There is always one or two couples that wow every night and we looked forward to seeing what they wore but other than that, it’s pretty laid back! Secondly, we’ve found that the warmer weather cruises we’ve been on are definitely more casual with tropical and polo shirts for men, and casual capris with fun tops or sundresses for women. On our recent B2B Caribbean cruise, we had laundry so I only packed two pairs of capris and one skirt for the evenings and packed 4-5 fun tops to interchange with the bottoms for dinner. So my advice... don’t look at the magazine and website pics...just dress nicely sticking to the no jean policy. Enjoy!

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minidonuts85

minidonuts85

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3 hours ago, SailMaine said:

I too was a bit worried about how to dress ‘country club casual’ for dinner on our first cruise, but now having been on windstar, I no longer worry.  Firstly, I’ve realized nobody is really looking at you or cares what you’re wearing, and I soon learned it’s ok to repeat pants, skirts, capris or leggings at dinner with different tops. There is always one or two couples that wow every night and we looked forward to seeing what they wore but other than that, it’s pretty laid back! Secondly, we’ve found that the warmer weather cruises we’ve been on are definitely more casual with tropical and polo shirts for men, and casual capris with fun tops or sundresses for women. On our recent B2B Caribbean cruise, we had laundry so I only packed two pairs of capris and one skirt for the evenings and packed 4-5 fun tops to interchange with the bottoms for dinner. So my advice... don’t look at the magazine and website pics...just dress nicely sticking to the no jean policy. Enjoy!

I did the exact same! A pair of black capris and a pair of khaki capris with tops that went with each. Worked well!

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CanadianKate

CanadianKate

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Can someone point me to the prices for the spa services?

 

Never mind, found it: https://windstarcruises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/plan_your_voyage/windspa_price_list_012317.pdf

 

Cruise docs came today. I appear to have a $1200 ship board credit, plus free internet and laundry and 2 bottles of wine. We have one port and the tours that interest us are under $100 each. Timing means we can only do one tour.

We don't drink alcohol so that option to spend is not for us. 

I read that I can't use the credit for gratuities. 

So it appears it will be spa stuff (so NOT me) or the shop unless anyone can think of another way to spend the credits. 

 

 

 

Edited by CanadianKate
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  • 4 weeks later...
minidonuts85

minidonuts85

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, CanadianKate said:

I will but not for a week or two!

 

Sneak preview: we booked another cruise while on board!

That’s a good sign! We love booking on board and having another cruise to look forward to. 

 

ahottoddie- You’ll get 10% off (welcome home discount of 5% and alumni discount of 5%) along with any sale/promos currently going on. Sometimes they’ll have an additional 5% as well and other perks. They’ll leave flyers in your cabin with the promos. 

 Reduced deposits are also offered...usually $100/pp for non-Suites and a little more (I forget now) for Suites. 

Edited by minidonuts85
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O2B@Cagain

O2B@Cagain

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Kate: Well that's a good sign. I really have been wondering about you. 😉

ahottoddie: We signed up on our last cruise. When I got home, I found cheaper fares through my TA. Easy to shift your reservation to them. We did get some OBC, which I've never had before, LOL.

 

I think people either "get" and like the Windstar experience or not. I read one review that was obviously the latter. If you are expecting white glove service, you may be disappointed. If you enjoy casual (but not to the point of tank tops on guys or holey jeans in the dining room!) but sincere service, you might be a Windstar person...

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