windsurf comfort

[tennis4you]

I am cruising on the Windsurf with my wife coming up soon and my question involves my having just had hip surgery 10 weeks ago. I read at one place that the ship to shore boats were"rubber rafts." I have a problem with my knee being above my hip and wonder if these boats may present a problem or whether they are the normal ship to shore boat I have been on in other cruises. Are they covered? How seaworthy is the windsurf. I have been on a 17 day tuna fishing trip but wonder about my wife and seasickness. Thanks for response.

[AndreaRH]

I saw a photo of the Wind Surf tender somewhere on the Internet recently and it looked much more formal than a "rubber raft." In fact, it looked to be very similar to the tender used by Regent's Seven Seas Mariner.

 

I'll be on the 3/18 Wind Surf sailing. I'd be happy to take a photo of the tender for you so you can gauge for yourself if it will work for you.

 

As for the ship's "ride," I've heard that the stabilizers and sails make for a very smooth cruise. Again, I'll let you know specifics after we set sail next week. (I'll be blogging about the cruise on a daily basis at my travel blog.) Just to be safe, I'm bringing along Bonine (which worked like a charm when we crossed the Bering Sea last fall with Regent) and SeaBands.

 

I hope your hip surgery went well and that you're on your way to a full recovery!

 

Andrea

[parislady40]

I will try to give you the information that you request as best I can. First of all, there are elevators on the Windsurf, unlike her smaller sisters. That should give you a degree of comfort. The ship to shore boats-tenders- are most definitely not rubber rafts. They are regular ship tenders, and do not require your knees to be above your hips. Sometimes they are a tight fit if there are a lot of people on, but usually unless its the last tender back to ship, you will be fine. The only thing that you really need to be careful of, is getting into the tender. Sometimes, they may rock, as all tenders do, making getting in a bit of a job if you are a bit unsteady on your feet. The crew are always there to assist you however. They are covered as well. I have been on the Windsurf about 13 times, and being a non-swimmer, she is very very sea-worthy. In fact, I did a transatlantic crossing from Barbados to Lisbon by myself, and trust me, I would not have done this if I had any doubts:) I myself have never had any problems with sea-sickness. The reception desk and the infirmary have medicine if that is a problem. The Windsurf has great stabilizers, which hold her very steady in the water. Feel free to ask away. We are a very loyal family here.

[hipgirl]

just back. windsurf offers covered tenders and people into their 70's and even possibly nearing or in their 80's were loading on them without difficulty. However if you are fresh postop, I would be a little worried. It can be a bit bouncy on occasion if a wave from another boat comes by or when getting on and off. You do have to step out and maintain balance quite well but there are crew who support your every move too.

 

the zodiac rubber rafts were used only for the dive excursions that we saw.

 

Noone I spoke to got sick worth mentioning on the boat. Some people took medicine or wore the patch as a precaution but everyone that we came in contact with was having a wonderful time.

[Lair Bear]

As several others have already stated, the Windstar ships use tenders to go to shore in almost all cases. We did use a Zodiac to go to the beach on one occasion, but that is not normal.

The tenders are covered boats with lots of seating. They are relatively easy to get into but may rock a bit in choppy waters. For some pictures go to the following web site. The very first picture shows what the tenders look like. You can browse some more to see lots of details of our trip in the Mediteranean on the Wind Surf.

http://www.*****.com/Corsica.htm

[ksg]

Don't worry about your trip. It's the Costa Rican itinerary that uses the Zodiacs at a number of "ports." This way it allows them to get into beaches and nature preserves.

 

Have fun,

Kim