Beware When Booking Windstar Early

[Misty Morning]

Yes some of these $1000/week specials are for Canadians only and these same cruises go for $1,499/week or $2,399/2 weeks in Last Minute Deals.

 

[ciaoYacht]

https://www.windstarcruises.com/cruise/overview/caribbean/san-juan-to-san-juan/san-juan-the-virgin-islands/?pkgid=273235

Here is the cruise I booked and now you can get the Star Balcony for $100 less per person than what I paid for Star Ocean View Window

[Misty Morning]

This cruise is on sale for Canadians at $990.  The problem is the price of the flights to get there which just keep going up, if you can find one

 

[ciaoYacht]

Just now, Misty Morning said:

This cruise is on sale for Canadians at $990.  The problem is the price of the flights to get there which just keep going up, if you can find one

 

You can fly from Newark NJ for $99 USD each way.

[LJWECOC]

My philosophy is book what you want when you are satisfied with the price, the cabin selection, and can get a decent price on airfare, etc.  Then stop second-guessing yourself! Windstar has always treated me fairly and occasionally upgrades my cabin later without my meddling. If I wanted bargain-basement, I'd sail Carnival.

[ciaoYacht]

Don't disagree, just hate feeling like I'm at an auction when I'm booking luxury - If I wanted that, I would book Carnival.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, ciaoYacht said:

Don't disagree, just hate feeling like I'm at an auction when I'm booking luxury - If I wanted that, I would book Carnival.

If you want luxury, you should book a luxury cruise line.  Windstar is a very good ultra-premium line.

[ciaoYacht]

32 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

If you want luxury, you should book a luxury cruise line.  Windstar is a very good ultra-premium line.

Hmm, haven't seen "ultra-premium" as a category before and in doing my research, as per Gary Bembridge, Windstar falls into the "luxury" category:

https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/windstar-cruises-tips/

 

I was actually booked on a Seabourn sailing St. Martin - Barbados during the same week and due to some port cancelations and changes they made, I moved it to a Med cruise in the fall.  And further, this Windstar sailing was the same price as my Seabourn cruise.  I thought I'd give another line a try, but the pre-cruise experience thus far has left a sour taste in my mouth.

Edited January 8, 2023 by ciaoYacht

[Strenz]

The " Tips for Traveler " mentioned by ciaoYacht is not up to date information on WS cruises. There are no more casinos, gratefully, you can by an " all in " beverage package, or simply alcohol package, if you reach an alumni level you get the laundry and WI-FI as part of your cruise. WS is sophisticated simplicity, beautiful ships with character. If you are basing a cruise on the " best bargain" and you are unhappy with the price or have a sour taste in your mouth before you go, don't go. There is an informality and a positive friendliness about WS. I would imagine from my reading because I have never been on the huge ships, that WS gives you a very different feeling about ocean cruising than mainline line giant vessels. Don't go with a negative feeling it will impact other who simply love the experience. We have completed 27 cruises and absolutely love it whether is is vacations or traveling. Happy Sailing

[ciaoYacht]

12 minutes ago, Strenz said:

The " Tips for Traveler " mentioned by ciaoYacht is not up to date information on WS cruises. There are no more casinos, gratefully, you can by an " all in " beverage package, or simply alcohol package, if you reach an alumni level you get the laundry and WI-FI as part of your cruise. WS is sophisticated simplicity, beautiful ships with character. If you are basing a cruise on the " best bargain" and you are unhappy with the price or have a sour taste in your mouth before you go, don't go. There is an informality and a positive friendliness about WS. I would imagine from my reading because I have never been on the huge ships, that WS gives you a very different feeling about ocean cruising than mainline line giant vessels. Don't go with a negative feeling it will impact other who simply love the experience. We have completed 27 cruises and absolutely love it whether is is vacations or traveling. Happy Sailing

Not getting that vibe from this thread.  Sounds more like Windstar management defending their policies.

 

Also, I plan to go and have a memorable time despite this.  I may be dumb enough to fall for sneaky pricing gimmicks once, but I'm not dumb enough to self sabotage my scarce vacation time.

[Nearpost345]

ciao, don’t feel as though you’ve been cheated. You asked for some special consideration, Windstar declined, nothing sneaky about that.

[Strenz]

Windstar's pricing policy is rather straight forward as is most cruise lines, hotels, trains, tour companies, airlines etc. 

I have found if I book late the air is more expensive. Very inexpensive fares often do not come perks or little add ons etc. We do the best we can and  get over it. Have an  extraordinary on these beautiful small ships. Everything in life is not a gimmick. Life is too short. Happy Sailing 

[ciaoYacht]

10 hours ago, Strenz said:

Windstar's pricing policy is rather straight forward as is most cruise lines, hotels, trains, tour companies, airlines etc. 

I have found if I book late the air is more expensive. Very inexpensive fares often do not come perks or little add ons etc. We do the best we can and  get over it. Have an  extraordinary on these beautiful small ships. Everything in life is not a gimmick. Life is too short. Happy Sailing 

I think the difference is that hotels, railroads, and even airlines post COVID are accommodating to changes now more than ever before.  Doesn't seem to be the case with cruising, not just on Windstar...  So of course I'll have a good time, I was just taken aback with the inflexibility.

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by ciaoYacht

[igooutsidesometimes]

I feel this. My cruise just decreased in price by $2000. I asked for an upgraded room, OBC, or laundry to be included. They said no. I'm kind of disappointed. Especially since I booked during a "special" and now the price is down $1,000 per person from the "special" price.

[ciaoYacht]

54 minutes ago, igooutsidesometimes said:

I feel this. My cruise just decreased in price by $2000. I asked for an upgraded room, OBC, or laundry to be included. They said no. I'm kind of disappointed. Especially since I booked during a "special" and now the price is down $1,000 per person from the "special" price.

It's a bummer, and something to keep in mind moving forward... lessons learned the hard way for both of us.  But like others have said, don't let it ruin your vacation.  I certainly won't let it ruin mine!

[ryndam]

We've been looking at this winter's Caribbean itineraries since they were initially released. They were initially offered at a price that we questioned the price/value ratio (for us, at least). When the price-point dropped this week, we booked. The cabin locations were more limited than they were at first-release, but we are pleased with the price we have paid and the location of the cabin. Before booking the cruise, we first checked r/t air costs and pre-cruise hotel stays, since late bookings often incur higher transportation and lodging costs. The stars and the planets must have been aligned this time; we were able to book (surprisingly) very competitive airfares and hotel stays; that clinched the deal to finally book the cruise. We also did not have any other pre-planned conflicting commitments during this selected cruise

 

It's frustrating to have to engage in a "roll-the-dice" pricing strategy with travel suppliers. We always consider our own price/value ratio when determining bookings. As other posters have commented, once we are satisfied with the value offered, we book and don't look back.

 

We are excited to sail Windstar again and look forward to our journey next month.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, igooutsidesometimes said:

I feel this. My cruise just decreased in price by $2000. I asked for an upgraded room, OBC, or laundry to be included. They said no. I'm kind of disappointed. Especially since I booked during a "special" and now the price is down $1,000 per person from the "special" price.

OTOH, you could have waited only to find that 'your' cruise is sold out.  Chalk up the 'loss' as insurance that you got the booking you wanted.

 

[And to answer a prior question, I book as soon as bookings open – I also buy airfare on the day my return flight becomes available.  If the cruise price goes down afterward, sometimes I'm lucky and get re-fared but if not it's the cost of knowing I got what I wanted.  Airlines never allow rebooking for a lower fare.  More often the prices go up – and I do not offer to pay the extra!]

[ciaoYacht]

51 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

OTOH, you could have waited only to find that 'your' cruise is sold out.  Chalk up the 'loss' as insurance that you got the booking you wanted.

 

[And to answer a prior question, I book as soon as bookings open – I also buy airfare on the day my return flight becomes available.  If the cruise price goes down afterward, sometimes I'm lucky and get re-fared but if not it's the cost of knowing I got what I wanted.  Airlines never allow rebooking for a lower fare.  More often the prices go up – and I do not offer to pay the extra!]

All the big US airlines now offer free changes (except on basic economy fares or the ultra low cost carriers) so you can change and get a credit with no hassle. 

[ciaoYacht]

1 hour ago, ryndam said:

We've been looking at this winter's Caribbean itineraries since they were initially released. They were initially offered at a price that we questioned the price/value ratio (for us, at least). When the price-point dropped this week, we booked. The cabin locations were more limited than they were at first-release, but we are pleased with the price we have paid and the location of the cabin. Before booking the cruise, we first checked r/t air costs and pre-cruise hotel stays, since late bookings often incur higher transportation and lodging costs. The stars and the planets must have been aligned this time; we were able to book (surprisingly) very competitive airfares and hotel stays; that clinched the deal to finally book the cruise. We also did not have any other pre-planned conflicting commitments during this selected cruise

 

It's frustrating to have to engage in a "roll-the-dice" pricing strategy with travel suppliers. We always consider our own price/value ratio when determining bookings. As other posters have commented, once we are satisfied with the value offered, we book and don't look back.

 

We are excited to sail Windstar again and look forward to our journey next month.

Lesson learned. Will use your strategy next time. 

[bebtwice]

So many of the times we see "specials" for tours or cruises, the fine print will state that the price only applies to new bookings. Maybe that means people who have booked prior will not get the lower price or added benefits, but people should know that. We have learned to book things when we see a price we are comfortable with and not look back. I don't feel that Windstar or any other cruise line or tour company is doing anything wrong in changing the prices later on. They want to fill their ships as much as possible. Would you want to pay more if they came back after you booked and said the price has gone up because the ship is not full? There certainly has to be a "break even" point for each sailing, so maybe they make money on some cruises and not on others.

 

IMO you can drive yourself nuts trying to get the best price on anything travel related. As has been said, cabin locations are picked over the closer you get to departure, airfare and hotel rates ae usually more expensive. The comment about not asking what others have paid also applies to airfares and hotel rates. 

 

We do our first Windstar cruise in 3 weeks and just plan on enjoying ourselves. We're OK with what we paid. If we weren't, we wouldn't have booked in the first place. Sure we all like to get a bargain, but sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. The money is already spent, so why worry about it?

[gjanee]

I just noticed that my Caribbean/San Juan cruise has dropped price by half.  This gave me a crazy idea.  What if I cancelled the cruise and then re-booked?  Per Windstar's terms, I should receive 50% back at this date.  But I also have travel insurance through Windstar that includes a "cancel for any reason credit" that says I will get back, as a future cruise credit, 90% of the cruise cost that is otherwise non-refundable.  So, less some cancellation fees and a re-purchase of travel insurance, I could wind up with the same cruise but also have a hefty future cruise credit.  Has anybody tried this?  I feel like I'm overlooking some technicality...

[ciaoYacht]

Not a bad idea if you can swing it! I got insurance through my travel agent and I don't think it has a 'cancel for any reason clause'