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Windstar First Timers


amunhbuu
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Hello all,

 

We head out on the Windstar Pride next Saturday from San Juan.  This is our first time cruising with Windstar.  However we have probably 15 cruises under our belt across many different lines and sizes of ships.  We also cruise out of SJ quite a bit on the Celebrity Summit.  We were also on the Celebrity Xpedition a year ago, which is even smaller than the Pride.

 

Some questions / clarifications:

  • We have not received our electronic tickets yet, but I just hit up the TA for those.  But it does not sound like there is an issue if we don't get anything.  I will have a copy of our invoice with us.
  • I am guessing we are sailing out of the Old Town pier given past cruise reports.
  • We purchased the All-In Package
    • How does the laundry work?  We are actually pretty excited out this so we can pack lighter.
    • Where can you get alcoholic drinks?  Looks like Sky Bar and maybe Compass Rose?  Does the Yacht Club also serve drinks or just sandwiches?
    • Everything in the mini bar is included?  Can we make requests?
    • Is there a dollar limit on the drinks/cocktails?  Looks like the wine by the glass is included.
  • Sounds like we need to make reservations at Candles the first night.  Is there any day that is different?  It appears that the menu is the same every night.
  • Do we need to sign up for anything on the Sports Deck or is just first come first served?
  • No set time for AmphorA?  Just show up.

 

Thanks, everyone!

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You don't need a ticket, your invoice is fine.

We've never done the All-In, but the laundry is pretty straight forward. There is a bag in your room, you put your items in it with an inventory slip, hang it on your door. Things magically return to your room, folded and pressed.

There are drinks available at the Star Bar, Compass Rose, Verandah. Also, if there are events in the lounge, someone will come by and to get you a drink.The Yacht Club is coffee/tea only, but it backs to the Star Bar.

Make Candles reservations when you embark. Ask the officer who is signing you up about best days. They are closed for the deck BBQ. It's a steakhouse concept with the same menu each night.

Yes,  just show up between the hours listed for the Amphora. They will ask if you want to share or not.

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We were able to get boozy coffees in the yacht club (iced coffee w/Baileys or Grand Marnier...yum!). Included on your beverage package. Bar service at the restaurants and the Deck bbq is also included in your package. There isn’t a dollar limit but rather a list. I don’t have it handy to attach here but when you check in on board you can get one. The bar staff will get to know you right away and pretty much know that you’re on the package. We always get the drink package. 

 

The Yacht Club also has delicious sweets (cupcakes, cookies, mousse) and breakfast type pastries in the AM. My fave are the fresh fried donuts 🙂 

 

Yes everything in the mini bar is included and we have made requests for our mini bar (pellegrino and Becks). They come around every morning with a cart to restock and you’ll likely see the person restocking it. We’ve let him/her know or our room attendant. 

 

We’ve done a ton with Celebrity and actually doing the Flora Galapagos next August. We enjoyed X but the small ship and service and relaxed atmosphere  on WS keeps us coming back.

 

bon voyage!

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Edited by minidonuts85
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11 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

We’ve done a ton with Celebrity and actually doing the Flora Galapagos next August. We enjoyed X but the small ship and service and relaxed atmosphere  on WS keeps us coming back.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the Flora!  She looks amazing.  The cruise is really about the nature though.  We were more than happy with the Xpedition.  We looked at the smaller two as well, but decided that we wanted something slightly larger.  My wife said that was the only trip where she cried because it was over.

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1 hour ago, amunhbuu said:

 

 

Enjoy the Flora!  She looks amazing.  The cruise is really about the nature though.  We were more than happy with the Xpedition.  We looked at the smaller two as well, but decided that we wanted something slightly larger.  My wife said that was the only trip where she cried because it was over.

We are over the moon excited about experiencing the Galapagos and all of the nature! Def a bucket list trip for us. I have a feeling I may cry too once it’s over 🙂 We we’re originally booked on the Xpedition but then X had a sale and it was just a little more to switch to the Flora and the route we originally wanted (outer loop); otherwise the pricing for Flora was off the charts for us. 

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I urge you to log-in to your (forget the exact name) Confirmed Passengers page on the Windstar website to get a firmer announcement of the exact embarkation pier. You just can't take that for granted based on past cruises. If it is unclear to you, call the 800 number.

 

I would never get value from the All-In package, but I do think that the highest prices wine by the bottle or glass (they'll save used bottles for you) are not included in the base alcohol package. The laundry feature is just great, and simple to use. Windstar is so small you will have a personal relationship with your cabin steward.

 

You will not have trouble getting a drink when you want one. You will learn when the live music hours are at the Star Bar. You may wish to note the cigar hours there, if you care about that. There is sometimes complimentary house wine for all at key Lounge events, with a few hot hors d'oeuvres. Personally, I think you will get better service (say, for the Port Talk in the Lounge) if you bring your drink down from a few minutes in the Star Bar. (But I have a vague idea they are not permitted to give you two drinks at the same time, even for cash!)

 

I don't mean to sound negative, and I really like Windstar: But Candles is just not special enough to do more than once. On cold or windy nights, it can be kept "indoors". Some travelers have been disappointed at the number of times the sports platform was open. (Tour traffic and water conditions affect use, among other things.)

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23 hours ago, CruiseOrLand said:

I urge you to log-in to your (forget the exact name) Confirmed Passengers page on the Windstar website to get a firmer announcement of the exact embarkation pier. You just can't take that for granted based on past cruises. If it is unclear to you, call the 800 number.

 

I would never get value from the All-In package, but I do think that the highest prices wine by the bottle or glass (they'll save used bottles for you) are not included in the base alcohol package. The laundry feature is just great, and simple to use. Windstar is so small you will have a personal relationship with your cabin steward.

 

You will not have trouble getting a drink when you want one. You will learn when the live music hours are at the Star Bar. You may wish to note the cigar hours there, if you care about that. There is sometimes complimentary house wine for all at key Lounge events, with a few hot hors d'oeuvres. Personally, I think you will get better service (say, for the Port Talk in the Lounge) if you bring your drink down from a few minutes in the Star Bar. (But I have a vague idea they are not permitted to give you two drinks at the same time, even for cash!)

 

I don't mean to sound negative, and I really like Windstar: But Candles is just not special enough to do more than once. On cold or windy nights, it can be kept "indoors". Some travelers have been disappointed at the number of times the sports platform was open. (Tour traffic and water conditions affect use, among other things.)

Agree completely about Candles. Once is more than enough. IMO they need to rethink the concept to make it more appealing.

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Many thanks.  I knew the wine lists would be appreciated as it is a good subject of debate on this board.  Will be on the Surf in a couple of weeks if the Virus doesn't catch up to us before then and will check the lists to see if there are any changes and will keep everyone posted.  Would the community like me to take pictures of menus every night...just joking!  Enjoy the cruise

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Okay. It helps me to figure out that the All-In deal doesn't work for us. We like a bottle of wine with dinner (you get wine by the glass only) and a couple of cocktails before dinner. But there is always that group at the Star Bar from open to close. I guess they get their money's worth. 😂 We use boat time to disconnect from the internet. And you can do laundry piece by piece. It takes a lot to add up to $112...

 

But as new Windstar people, you'll find this is one of the top discussions here...

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We figured we wanted to do the laundry.  We drink more than wine, so I figured the beverage package was a wash.  And we have a new dog/house sitter so I wanted to be reachable.  Once we factored all of that in, the all-in made sense.

 

I do like having the drink package as I can try things I would not normally have and not feel guilty if I don't like it.

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17 minutes ago, amunhbuu said:

 

 

I do like having the drink package as I can try things I would not normally have and not feel guilty if I don't like it.

Same here! On our Star Legend cruise in Oct, for science, we went through every drink on this cocktail menu over the seven nights.. Some we’d never heard of (Wang Wang, paralyzer, etc) and had a lot of fun doing it and so did the bar staff...”you’re the only one who’s ever ordered that!”  Lots of hits and some misses! 

 

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Edited by minidonuts85
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Yes good point there in figuring out what works best.

 

Normally I’m a dirty goose martini or vodka soda; try to drink clean and not too much sugar. Can’t do the frou-frou all day or even a few in a row unless we’re taste testing.  

 

Another drink we found to like as an evening ender was called the Goodnight Sip. Hot chamomile tea,, honey and Contreau. True to it’s namesake. 

 

 

 

Edited by minidonuts85
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12 hours ago, O2B@Cagain said:

There are different kinds of drinkers. Give me a good Manhattan. Okay, a martini on occasion. I can't take the frou-frou.🤣

 

But that's how you figure out if the package works for you or not.

 

Definitely, give me a nice whiskey neat and I am happy.  However, that tends to not work out too well when you are sitting in the Caribbean sun.  🙂  I realized why the Daiquiri was created there.

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