Windsurf - Sicilian Splendors Itin

[OliveOil2330]

We have sailed Windstar previously, Windsurf and the yachts, loved them all, especially Windsurf.  I always wanted to do the Sicilian Splendors due to itin.  I see they have either changed itin or just named them differently.  That aside, I would appreciate hearing from those who have done this itin recently and also their impressions of the vessel, etc.  I have been reading some poor reviews which saddens me as we have great memories of our trip on her.  Don't want to spend the money if the intin wasn't great and the ship run down.  Thank you in advance!  

[Ski Mom 2]

We did Sicilian Splendors in September 2018 as the third leg of our back to back to back. It was a glorious itinerary! We loved it!

 

We sailed on the Dalmatian itinerary on Wind Surf out of Venice back to Rome in September 2022. Another wonderful itinerary!

 

We have sailed on Wind Surf many times. We love her crew and the sails. The cabins are laid out well and if you can splurge on a cabin, we love the ones on Deck 3 that are the suites with 2 bathrooms. But any cabin is wonderful. We did think there were a few cosmetic issues on our last sail. Nothing that would stop me from sailing her again but there were some tired spots. 
 

It’s all about the itinerary, the crew and the other wonderful passengers (now life long friends) that we’ve met on Windstar that keeps us coming back!

 

[Strenz]

We did the Sicilian Splendors last October after canceling twice due to Covid. We loved every minute and the trip was the same as this coming October's 

The condition of the ship for us was simply fine. That was our 26 th cruise with WS, most have been  on the Surf which we love. I love that the Surf is first and foremost a sailing ship with great deck space. I have been on a full ship many times and always have found silent spaces with the exception of the sounds of the sea. We do not need bling, we love comfort and tranquility.  We usually do not notice what is wrong but we found her as pretty and as nice as ever. 

We had great weather, one day was rainy and a bit rougher and we could not go into Lipari we went to Naples in the rain. The folks who went on the excursions to Herculaneum and Pompeii it did not rain my mistake for not taking an excursion. 

The afternoon we sailed out of Amalfi we had the most spectacular sail along the coast that lasted 4 hours, it was magnificent and exceptionally beautiful.We sat on the starboard side on the top of the ship simply gazing at the beauty for hours.

In Malta we did the 4x4 excursion in jeeps, that was fun, we saw all the ancient monuments, the museum, I could take a swim, fabulous sights. In Valletta, the reason I was on this trip, I had a guide and driver from Tours by Locals because I had to get to the painting by Caravaggio before the crowds, Italian art history is a passion, we also saw Rabat and Medina and spent time sight seeing the beautiful Valletta Harbor. Great island loved it.

We have been to Sicily many, many times and this trip hit the great sights. We were on our own but there is so much to see. We have a guide we know and adore in Catania so we spent time at the extraordinary market, the cathedral plaza and he drove us to Siracusa and the ruins. Great day.

In Sorrento, again another tour company we love we hired a driver to take us the coastal village of Nerano to meet a chef we knew at a restaurant we love and I learned how  to make my pasta Nerano without lumps. 

For us a fabulous time. Of course our last night in Italy we took the WS bus to their hotel Savoy which we adore because of their  roof top garden to see the sun set over the Vatican with a glass of Prosecco. Absolutely great trip for us, well worth the wait. We saw nothing wrong with the ship and the food was as usual great and the service as always great. Happy Sailing if you have questions as away. 

[IpswichChris]

My husband & I sailed on the Wind Surf a few weeks ago.  It was the only cruise we’ve ever taken so we have no basis of comparison.  But we loved the Wind Surf and have in fact booked another cruise on her.  I also had read very negative comments re her condition, so was very nervous about it.  Nothing we saw onboard bothered us- we just loved the experience so much that signs of wear didn’t matter.  We did book a suite on Deck 3 as we thought regular cabin would be too small.  For us, it was well worth the extra $.

[OliveOil2330]

2 hours ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

We did Sicilian Splendors in September 2018 as the third leg of our back to back to back. It was a glorious itinerary! We loved it!

 

We sailed on the Dalmatian itinerary on Wind Surf out of Venice back to Rome in September 2022. Another wonderful itinerary!

 

We have sailed on Wind Surf many times. We love her crew and the sails. The cabins are laid out well and if you can splurge on a cabin, we love the ones on Deck 3 that are the suites with 2 bathrooms. But any cabin is wonderful. We did think there were a few cosmetic issues on our last sail. Nothing that would stop me from sailing her again but there were some tired spots. 
 

It’s all about the itinerary, the crew and the other wonderful passengers (now life long friends) that we’ve met on Windstar that keeps us coming back!

 

Thank you so much for your reply.  Our cruise is from September 22nd to October 2nd but in 2025.  I had major surgery so won't be ready to cross over to Europe until then.  We did the Dalmatian Itin on the Star Legend and it was wonderful.  Last Windsurf was Caribbean and love it.  Since then we have done several Celebrity cruises but becoming disenchanted, while we have always had great service and food we like a smaller ship and theirs are tending to be larger or ports we aren't interested in.  

 

The Sicilian Splendors has been on my bucket list!  Appreciate your input.  

[OliveOil2330]

1 hour ago, Strenz said:

We did the Sicilian Splendors last October after canceling twice due to Covid. We loved every minute and the trip was the same as this coming October's 

The condition of the ship for us was simply fine. That was our 26 th cruise with WS, most have been  on the Surf which we love. I love that the Surf is first and foremost a sailing ship with great deck space. I have been on a full ship many times and always have found silent spaces with the exception of the sounds of the sea. We do not need bling, we love comfort and tranquility.  We usually do not notice what is wrong but we found her as pretty and as nice as ever. 

We had great weather, one day was rainy and a bit rougher and we could not go into Lipari we went to Naples in the rain. The folks who went on the excursions to Herculaneum and Pompeii it did not rain my mistake for not taking an excursion. 

The afternoon we sailed out of Amalfi we had the most spectacular sail along the coast that lasted 4 hours, it was magnificent and exceptionally beautiful.We sat on the starboard side on the top of the ship simply gazing at the beauty for hours.

In Malta we did the 4x4 excursion in jeeps, that was fun, we saw all the ancient monuments, the museum, I could take a swim, fabulous sights. In Valletta, the reason I was on this trip, I had a guide and driver from Tours by Locals because I had to get to the painting by Caravaggio before the crowds, Italian art history is a passion, we also saw Rabat and Medina and spent time sight seeing the beautiful Valletta Harbor. Great island loved it.

We have been to Sicily many, many times and this trip hit the great sights. We were on our own but there is so much to see. We have a guide we know and adore in Catania so we spent time at the extraordinary market, the cathedral plaza and he drove us to Siracusa and the ruins. Great day.

In Sorrento, again another tour company we love we hired a driver to take us the coastal village of Nerano to meet a chef we knew at a restaurant we love and I learned how  to make my pasta Nerano without lumps. 

For us a fabulous time. Of course our last night in Italy we took the WS bus to their hotel Savoy which we adore because of their  roof top garden to see the sun set over the Vatican with a glass of Prosecco. Absolutely great trip for us, well worth the wait. We saw nothing wrong with the ship and the food was as usual great and the service as always great. Happy Sailing if you have questions as away. 

Thank you for your input, lots of information for sure.  Our dates are Sept. 22nd to Oct. 2nd but in 2025 due to major surgery I have had so not ready to go abroad just yet.  We are also thinking when we end the trip to do a few days in Florence/Tuscany before returning home.  

 

Really appreciate all you info......  

[OliveOil2330]

55 minutes ago, IpswichChris said:

My husband & I sailed on the Wind Surf a few weeks ago.  It was the only cruise we’ve ever taken so we have no basis of comparison.  But we loved the Wind Surf and have in fact booked another cruise on her.  I also had read very negative comments re her condition, so was very nervous about it.  Nothing we saw onboard bothered us- we just loved the experience so much that signs of wear didn’t matter.  We did book a suite on Deck 3 as we thought regular cabin would be too small.  For us, it was well worth the extra $.

We loved Windsurf when we did her in the Caribbean and have done Star Legend on the Dalmatian Coast a few years back, just loved it.  We do love a smaller ship, we had our own sail boat in San Diego years back and did some great sailing.  You will be hooked.  Lately we have done Celebrity and enjoyed their ships, service and food but we are more laid back so don't need the fanfare of shows, etc.  

 

Appreciate you replying to me and your input.  

[texasstar]

On 6/12/2023 at 12:30 PM, OliveOil2330 said:

Thank you for your input, lots of information for sure.  Our dates are Sept. 22nd to Oct. 2nd but in 2025 due to major surgery I have had so not ready to go abroad just yet.  We are also thinking when we end the trip to do a few days in Florence/Tuscany before returning home.  

 

Really appreciate all you info......  

If you have not been to Florence and Tuscany, defiinitely add this to yor trip.  It is one of our favorite places.

 

[OliveOil2330]

We are researching that now.......so yes, we are going to end our trip with Florence/Tuscany.  Thank you though for the info.....