How does Windstar food compare to other lines?

[kmtoner]

As a cruise food lover, I'm greatly enjoying this thread. Could any of you WS veterans please comment specifically on the Wind Spirit dining room food in Tahiti? We are inches away from booking a 2023 voyage. I'm curious about any significant differences that may exist on Wind Spirit compare to the other five ships in the fleet. Thanks!

[Strenz]

Hi, We did the first cruise back on the Spirit in Tahiti, we crossed with her and continued the cruise. I can not tell the  difference  in food between the sailing ships and the motor yachts because, as you have probably read we love the sailing ships and have only done one motor yacht before the ships were refurbished. That being said, and reading this thread, we enjoy the WS food we have always found it varied, creative, healthy and very good. It was great on the pre refurbished Breeze as it has always been on the sailing ships. I especially love the lamb dishes. As for Tahiti I had always wanted to go to Tahiti and for a while we were seriously thinking  of going on Paul Gauguin and at that time the CEO had worked for WS. When WS  decided to go back to Tahiti and we saw the crossing and cruise was with the Spirit, we did not even think, it was an instant reservation. The  crossing was like sailing on ice all 19 days. When we entered the lagoon the first day of the cruise we saw 2 motor ships the Paul Gauguin and a small Princess ship and we were so happy we were on the sailing ship. The beauty of the lagoon, the refections of the sails bouncing off the hills into the water were glorious. It was a thrilling experience for our senses magnified visually. Again, I must preface it or I get  criticized,  we love sailing, we love sails, we love being so close to the water, we love the roominess of the decks, we know we would have been disappointed if we had been on a motor yacht and had seen the sailing yacht. I hope this helps and I wish you a great trip. Tahiti was extraordinary. 

We said then 19 days at sea was greater than 15 hours  flying ( approx time from Boston). 

[Del Rio]

While a couple of comments mention breakfast never changing, I wish to add my soft disagreement with that view.

Not only is the french toast always excellent, it is always either filled or made with a specialty bread.  Since it was different at least 5 times each sailing, it was my staple...especially the mascarpone stuffed and the banana bread type.

 

On the rare occasions I passed on the french toast, the made to order omelette always arrive exactly the way I ask for it.  (I pass on the blueberry.)

 

We are repeat Windstar sailors, coming back onboard at least twice in 2023.  I talk about the mascarpone in the french toast often.

[CruiseOrLand]

On 4/27/2022 at 4:10 PM, Dbld777 said:

If you are not early to the BBQ, you will have to sit on the upper deck where there was absolutely no lighting. We literally couldn't see what we were eating. We eventually moved forward to the Star Grill area so that we could see to eat.

I smiled when I read this because we had the same experience. I actually packed a battery book-light on our 8th WS cruise for exactly this purpose. It is a lot quieter on the upper deck, but of course much farther to go for refills. It can also be windy up there.

 

Theoretically we are talking about the food itself, but I'd add that it's harder at the BBQ to strike up a conversation with someone you don't know. But that may also be because dining groups have already formed by the time the BBQ comes up.

 

This must happen on other cruise lines, but it's annoying when people don't follow the food safety rules, like getting a clean plate or glass before getting more food. There aren't always enough employees around to catch every offender. And of course, some people who don't understand the rules take offense, or plead "water conservation." Which of course is not the point.

 

I think the food is quite good. We usually skip soup or appetizer at dinner to reduce our food consumption. And sometimes skip dessert. But if you are dining with others, this does not speed up the meal. (We would prefer to eat earlier, simply for elderly stomach issues.) We always look forward to the rotation of Bread Puddings at lunch.

 

The complaint about breakfast variety interests me. Over a lifetime, I've noticed that most middle-class Americans "want" to eat precisely the same breakfast every day of their lives. They won't settle for an empty omelette if there are no scrambled eggs.

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, CruiseOrLand said:

They won't settle for an empty omelette if there are no scrambled eggs.

Not the same thing at all!  Any more than an Americano is the same as proper American diner coffee.

[LB_NJ]

On 6/14/2022 at 1:40 PM, patty1955 said:

As someone who is extremely salt sensitive, I understand the reasons for using less salt on cruises but somethings need to be salted while they're cooking. Potatoes and eggs come to mind.

 

I would prefer no salt to too much salt.  I have had way too many cruise meals ruined by too much salt.

[molemaui]

I've only sailed Windstar once in 2016 (Windsurf) and thought the food was somewhere between excellent and outstanding. For some reason, we've not sailed Windstar since. (despite sailing approx. 16 times since on Oceania, (outstanding food) Silversea, (usually but not always excellent food) Viking Ocean ,(great ship but food just a little better than Denny's) Regent, (pretty good food but not memorable) HAL, (OK food) and Celebrity (very good to excellent depending on whether you have a suite or not). 

 

We are looking forward to sailing with Windstar (likely on the Star Pride) soon so appreciate all the positive comments about the food. 

 

Also remember the outstanding service and overall staff our only Windstar sailing. Hope it's still the same post COVID. 

[welcometocruising]

We have very much enjoyed the food on Windstar and found it superior especially in Candles. We also found that while on boarding staff will book your one night at Candles, we went 3 times. You simply go there ready and dressed appropriately for dinner, as there seems to be people who don't show up, and you can get their table.

If you are a really fussy eater, it is up to you to make sure you tell the staff your preferences and they WILL do all they can to please you. 

Happy sailing.

[molemaui]

I've only sailed Windstar once but have sailed many others including Regent, Silversea and Oceania. My opinion only is that Windstar is very close to Oceania which I consider the very best. Very, very close. Silversea can be outstanding but not consistently so. Regent is down another notch or two. Given the small ship size and price point, Windstar food is really quite amazing! 

 

Getting ready to book another Windstar cruise! 

[Host Anne]

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread.  We are on our way at the moment to board the WIndstar Pride in Reykjavik.  We haven't sailed Windstar before and we've never been to Iceland but we like small ship cruising a great deal. 

 

Truly looking forward to the food thanks to all of you.

 

I'm going to try and post a Live From thread as I didn't see many here on the Windstar boards.

 

THANKS again!

  

[2xprincess]

Hi !  
 

We will be on the Star Pride In October.  Does anyone have pics of any menus?  
 

thanks in advance!!!!

[SailingHigher]

On 8/27/2022 at 4:02 PM, Host Anne said:

I'm going to try and post a Live From thread as I didn't see many here on the Windstar boards.

  

I’m looking forward to your thread, Host Anne. (Or even a post-cruise recap!) I’m confident you will have a great time and that you’ll enjoy the ship’s cuisine. On our only cruise from Iceland (on Crystal), I was pretty underwhelmed by that country’s shoreside offerings. The salmon was good and the lamb Hot Dogs were  interesting, but it’s not exactly a prime destination for fresh fruit and vegetables. <grin>

[patty1955]

3 hours ago, 2xprincess said:

Hi !  
 

We will be on the Star Pride In October.  Does anyone have pics of any menus?  
 

thanks in advance!!!!

From the Star Breeze in April

[2xprincess]

7 hours ago, patty1955 said:

From the Star Breeze in April

Thank you! It’s been many years since we have cruised on WS.  This information is great!

[su-arizona]

Thanks to Patty for posting the recent menus.  We have sailed with both Windstar and Oceania several times, but have only sailed Oceania post-pandemic.  Our last WS cruise was in 2017.  I know WS has been working to expand their food offerings and from the menus, it appears they have done so.  We are looking forward to our cabin on the "expanded" Star Pride, and the new/improved dining options.

 

That being said, it is tough to beat Oceania at food, but WS food has always been very good.

[molemaui]

1 hour ago, su-arizona said:

That being said, it is tough to beat Oceania at food, but WS food has always been very good.

Agreed!

[Host Anne]

Hi everyone ~ I'm on my last leg flight home from Reykjavik.  I had hoped to post from the cruise on Star Pride but the internet would not cooperate.  I will be posting a review (hopefully by this weekend).  We had a fantastic cruise and we loved Iceland.  To answer the question posted in this thread, I'd say the food was definitely quite a bit better than the mainstream lines (Celebrity, Princess, Roya, etc.).  This was our first cruise on Windstar and with the exception of one or two dishes throughout the cruise. the food was excellent.

 

The Star Grill was not open on our cruise (a bit rainy at the start of the cruise) and chilly most of the time.  But I thought the burger for lunch in the Veranda was one of the better ones I've had on a ship.

 

This was a totally different experience from most of our cruises but one we will always remember....between the fantastic crew, new friends we've made, the places we visited (we had terrific tours - all independently arranged), and the Icelandic people, we loved every minute of it.

 

More to come!

[Redtravel]

Just back from Star Breeze.  Food was excellent.  We were disappointed that not all venues were open.  We liked Veranda, Aamphora, and Candles.  As for the new restaurants, we are undecided. We ate dinner at Cuodo 44 once. It was pleasant, but crowded.  Too small space. Food was interesting.  Wouldn’t return.  Not our taste.  We were really looking forward to eating in Star Grill.  Love the chef tv shows.  However, we never got to eat at the grill.  It was never open for dinner. Lunch menus were too limited. Veranda had a great assortment of items.  Aamphora was excellent.  Ate at Candles twice.  It was superb. The new head chef on Breeze is amazing.  New head chef is amazing.

[milepig]

We explored the Grill this time. Tea Smoked Duck was amazing.  Burgers the same as in Veranda.  We did notice that the default portion size was smaller than in the past. Very small number of Fries - but they'll bring you more. The soft serve ice cream machine by the grill was operating most of our cruise, flavors were always vanilla, strawberry or the two twisted. Never anything else. Still no BBQ lobster - I think its gone for good.

 

We've had mostly solid chefs and once in awhile one who is splendid. Out recent itin on the Legend we had an OK chef. It was all fine but sort of uninspired. Things labeled "spicy" had almost no spice, even the Indian. You could add Tabasco, but that's no substitute for real Indian spices.  If you label one option as "spicy" you need to make sure it is, people will have been warned.  We did have excelling pasta bolognese is Amphora, one of the best I've ever had. The beef was definitely a higher grade than they were using last November.

Edited September 29, 2022 by milepig

[Redtravel]

On 9/29/2022 at 2:55 PM, milepig said:

We explored the Grill this time. Tea Smoked Duck was amazing.  Burgers the same as in Veranda.  We did notice that the default portion size was smaller than in the past. Very small number of Fries - but they'll bring you more. The soft serve ice cream machine by the grill was operating most of our cruise, flavors were always vanilla, strawberry or the two twisted. Never anything else. Still no BBQ lobster - I think its gone for good.

 

We've had mostly solid chefs and once in awhile one who is splendid. Out recent itin on the Legend we had an OK chef. It was all fine but sort of uninspired. Things labeled "spicy" had almost no spice, even the Indian. You could add Tabasco, but that's no substitute for real Indian spices.  If you label one option as "spicy" you need to make sure it is, people will have been warned.  We did have excelling pasta bolognese is Amphora, one of the best I've ever had. The beef was definitely a higher grade than they were using last November.

Our bbq on Breeze had no lobster or lamb chops. Disappointed until we saw them on subsequent Aamphora menus.  We had lobster tails on the last night of our cruise.  It was served in Aamphora.  We ate in Candles that night. Lobster was also an added entre at Candles.  We ordered the petite filet and lobster.  It was amazing. 

[milepig]

23 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Our bbq on Breeze had no lobster or lamb chops. Disappointed until we saw them on subsequent Aamphora menus.  We had lobster tails on the last night of our cruise.  It was served in Aamphora.  We ate in Candles that night. Lobster was also an added entre at Candles.  We ordered the petite filet and lobster.  It was amazing. 

This is true, but it isn't a substitute for grilled lobster with butter.  I also didn't see lamb chops of the BBQ.