Star Legend Observations from a long-time Seabourn guest

[diebroke]

My observations are influenced by my comparison to the previous incarnation of this ship & its sister ships under Seabourn.

Perhaps it’s not fair to compare Windstar to a luxury brand, but I spent many weeks on the former Seabourn “Little Sisters”, so the ship feels familiar, and at over $1,800 per night, I feel no qualms in comparing the Windstar Legend to a luxury cruise line. This was our first Windstar cruise - an 8-day cruise in the Norwegian fjords in late July.

 

The hardware

We have at least 9 weeks on the Seabourn “little sisters” although this was our first time on the Legend. It felt very familiar. We loved the size & intimacy of the ships when they were Seabourn & we still do. I was not jealous of any of the large ships we saw. The redo of the bathrooms & the French balcony doors was well done. The rest of the suite felt like it had the original Seabourn furniture & carpet, and it seemed a little worn – especially the mattress which sagged significantly on one side. It never felt too crowded in any of the venues except for Cuadro 44 where the tables felt too close together. I also remember a number of days on Seabourn when there was a problem with the sewage system said to be caused by guests who mis-used their toilets. That never happened on Windstar so maybe they reworked that system.

 

The software

The service delivery by the restaurant staff was over the top excellent. I have been reading stories on Facebook & CruiseCritic about restaurant service problems on luxury cruise lines. Loyal clients have attributed the problems to staffing shortages, new staff, & training delays as ships returned to full service. I understand the Legend was almost full; however, no excuses were necessary on the Legend. Service was prompt, exceptionally friendly (with one exception,) & accurate. The one exception was the server in Cuadro 44 who seemed sullen in comparison with the rest of the staff. There were never any delays in any of the dining venues for any meal service. The positive attitudes were remarkable. All meals were served as requested without delay.

The Seabourn tradition of calling guests by name continues on Windstar except you are called by your first name rather than your last. I don’t have a problem with that.

We did have one glitch with the laundry service. The first batch we sent out was returned the same day in excellent condition. The second batch was also returned the same day. The items on hangers were fine; however, we received a bag of socks & underwear that were not ours. I called & they promptly came to collect the bag but they did not deliver our bag with my socks & underwear. It was never found before we left the ship, but I was charged for washing them. I interacted with Reception, our room steward, & his manager in an effort to find it with no success. It’s a minor annoyance in the overall scheme of things. An apology might have been nice. I didn’t take the time to ask for the laundry charges for the missing items to be removed as it was at the end of the cruise & we were in a hurry to disembark.

I was looking forward to the “open bridge” experience. We had a memorable cruise on Lindblad to Antarctica where I spent many hours on the bridge watching the captain navigate. On the Legend, I walked by the bridge every day multiple times, but there was always a “bridge closed” sign on the door.

 

The food & wine

The food was good. Dishes were well prepared & flavorful and served as requested. It is definitely a step below Seabourn in the sophistication of the dishes both in presentation & ingredients. We ate once in Candles. I understand you are supposed to have beef at that venue, but we serve outstanding beef at home. My wife had branzino & I had lamb. Both were unremarkable. We did not return because of cool weather & because we enjoyed dining in Amphora much more than Candles. We had one meal in Cuadro 44. We had each of the appetizers. None blew us away. The Iberian ham paled in quality compared to that we had 2 nights earlier in a Copenhagen restaurant. Likewise, the lamb chops were not memorable. Given that, the cramped environment, & the sullen server, we stuck to Amphora & were not disappointed. I know most people love Cuadro 44. The other experience where we differ from the conventional feedback is the signature deck barbecue. I was going to remain silent about our experience there, but ryndam’s excellent review of the Star Pride emboldened me to offer negative comments. It has great fanfare. The crew seems genuinely excited about it, & it is considered a highlight by many.  I second rydam’s comment; “It was a complete and total miss for us, and rather than the “signature highlight” of the cruise, it was actually the lowest “low-point” for us.” Like rydam’s experience, it was moved indoors because of the weather. Perhaps the outdoor venue would have made the ”picnic” more enjoyable. The two preparations of shrimp were excellent. The meats were a sliced beef with a heavy & sweet sauce & a sliced whole pig without much flavor. We were in & out in under 30 minutes.

Wine was another issue. I have often complained about the included wines on Seabourn. Seabourn served exceptional food & below average wine. Windstar's included wines were even worse. I drink far better wine every night at home. Call me a wine snob if you wish. We finally gave up on the included wines & stuck to beer for lunch, cocktails for before & after dinner, & purchased bottles of decent wine for our dinners. The included wines were a nothing-burger. The prices for the purchased wines were fair & there was a good selection.

 

Lounges

We enjoyed using the Yacht Club & Compass Rose on sea days & for cocktails before dinner.

What we missed from Seabourn was the solo piano or guitar player playing softly. In our one visit to Compass Rose before dinner, there was an amplified duo singing to a recorded back-up band. It was kinda like karaoke except that the singers had nice voices. It was too loud for conversation. We also miss the afternoon tea on Seabourn. We like snacks with our cocktails. On three occasions, we asked for nuts & were given a jar of soggy & stale mixed nuts. On one occasion, we got salted peanuts & they were fine. After 6:00pm, they passed trays of canapes in both lounges. They were quite tasty both times we tried them, but there was only one pass. On a third occasion, they ran out before they got to our table & did not return.

 

Embarkation

I can’t recall an easier embarkation on any cruise line. The info we received from Windstar said our boarding time was 12:00pm. We arrived at that time. There were 3 stops in the boarding area & there was no wait at any of them. Our luggage was tagged; we presented our negative COVID test, got our room key, made restaurant reservations & were on-board in less than 10 minutes. I asked how we found out when our suite was ready & they said it’s ready now. Our luggage arrived shortly after we did. Amazing.

 

Itinerary

The Norwegian fjords met our very high expectations. We had been many years ago on a Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry from the southernmost point to the northernmost point. Our second visit was even better. The towns we visited were interesting & the fjords spectacular. Our weather was better than expected. We experienced only one very rainy day & that was during a walking tour in Bergen. We were prepared.

We cruised for 7 days (8 nights.) Two of those days were sea days with no scenery. In hindsight, I wish I had chosen a longer cruise with more ports & the same number of sea days. Almost 30% of our time on board consisted of sea days. That is a higher portion than I would prefer & I should have realized this before booking. My bad.

 

Based on our experience with the outstanding crew & the terrific yacht ambiance, we look forward to another Windstar cruise in the future.

[ryndam]

40 minutes ago, diebroke said:

I was looking forward to the “open bridge” experience. We had a memorable cruise on Lindblad to Antarctica where I spent many hours on the bridge watching the captain navigate. On the Legend, I walked by the bridge every day multiple times, but there was always a “bridge closed” sign on the door.

 

Great review, diebroke. Thanks for posting.

 

I quoted your comment about the open bridge policy. On the Star Pride, the bridge doors also were often closed due to inclement weather, with a "closed" sign on the door. We usually just walked around in front of the bridge, got an officer's attention and indicated with hand signals if we could be allowed on the bridge. Every time they motioned us to come around and they opened the doors. All bridge personnel were masked and as a professional and health-related courtesy to the bridge crew, we also donned our face masks when on the bridge. The only time the bridge was truly closed was when maneuvering in or out of ports. Due to Covid protocols, we were told that no more than 6 guests were allowed on the bridge at the same time, however, every time we visited, we were the only two pax there.

 

Thanks again for your observations. We look forward to cruising again on the Pride, Legend or Breeze on a cruise in a warmer climate when we can enjoy all the outdoor decks, bars and the swim platform!

 

Rob

[anadi]

Great observations diebroke! We will be on the Legend next August for the Norwegian Fjords. (my 3rd Windstar cruise, but first on the stretched ship). I know the weather may be completely different from what you had, but I am trying to figure out  how warm my clothing should be. I love to stand (or sit) outside while cruising along....I think I have my rainwear figured out, but not sure what type of coats to take. 

[diebroke]

15 hours ago, anadi said:

I am trying to figure out  how warm my clothing should be. I love to stand (or sit) outside while cruising along....I think I have my rainwear figured out, but not sure what type of coats to take. 

We took lightweight layers & were never cold outside while cruising in the daytime. We ate lunch outside most days & were always comfortable. I would avoid packing a heavy coat - not worth the space it requires. We did a walking tour in Bergen in heavy rain. We had good quality & lightweight rain jackets, pants, & hats that worked well. My wife, being smarter than I am, also brought waterproof shoes. When we got back to the ship, I could wring the water out of my socks & my shoes stayed wet for 3 days.

Enjoy

[zentraveler]

Great and helpful review diebroke. We cruised Seabourn to Antartica and the Caribbean and are booked on the Legend in October for Turkey and Greece. We also have been on Windstar in the Caribbean so we have been on both lines about the same amount. We are planning on the Norwegian fjords (maybe Arctic) summer of 2023 so are very interested in the lines comparisons. Will likely come down to itinerary and price. 

 

So far we have liked both lines but do appreciate the added luxury of Seabourn. 

 

[baltic17]

@diebroke Thank you for your review.  We are doing the TA from Lisbon to Miami 3 December.  Looking forward to the adventure and will definitely take you wine comments to heart.

[Redtravel]

You can bring your own wine onto the ship.  We do.  There is a small corkage fee. If you talk to the wine steward, you may find a more pleasing wine.  On one trip in France, we met the wine steward to A shop where she was doing a tasting. She invited us in to join her. Then she bought what we liked. 

 

[cookiersmom]

On 8/30/2022 at 10:26 AM, diebroke said:

We took lightweight layers & were never cold outside while cruising in the daytime. We ate lunch outside most days & were always comfortable. I would avoid packing a heavy coat - not worth the space it requires. We did a walking tour in Bergen in heavy rain. We had good quality & lightweight rain jackets, pants, & hats that worked well. My wife, being smarter than I am, also brought waterproof shoes. When we got back to the ship, I could wring the water out of my socks & my shoes stayed wet for 3 days.

Enjoy

What kind of waterproof shoes? Thanks 

[FlyerTalker]

9 hours ago, cookiersmom said:

What kind of waterproof shoes? Thanks 

 

Was not there, but would suggest some hikers made with Gore-Tex.  Merrell makes a number of different ones - I'd start there to look at your options.

 

I would avoid rubber boots, as they can become quite warm and sweaty, as they do not breathe like Gore-Tex.

[diebroke]

16 hours ago, cookiersmom said:

What kind of waterproof shoes? Thanks 

"Bogs." She found them on-line (bogsfootwear.com  $70.). They were rubber. She didn't want to invest in Gore-Tex because we live in a drought area (CA) & didn't know much use she would get out of them. It was cool enough in Norway that the lack of breathability was not an issue although the website says the boots wick moisture off your feet. She felt she got her money's worth even if she doesn't wear them again.

[FlyerTalker]

FWIW, Gore-Tex is quite appropriate, even in dry climates.  The fabric vents moisture out, while putting a barrier on it coming in.  So don't be put off just because you don't live in a rainy environment.

 

I have some G-T hikers that get use in all seasons.  Never an issue, and nice to have for those occasions when I need them

[Host Jazzbeau]

33 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW, Gore-Tex is quite appropriate, even in dry climates.  The fabric vents moisture out, while putting a barrier on it coming in.  So don't be put off just because you don't live in a rainy environment.

 

I have some G-T hikers that get use in all seasons.  Never an issue, and nice to have for those occasions when I need them

I have bought identical Merrell designs with and without GoreTex.  The GT versions may be a little hotter in hot weather, and they definitely run a little smaller.  But otherwise the two versions perform identically – and if you get caught in a thunderstorm the GT is a life saver!  [The GT version is more expensive, but Merrell changes their designs as often as Sony changes its TVs so I always buy on close-out.]