Considering Windstar

[voyager70]

We're considering booking a Windstar Caribbean sailing for next fall. We've cruised many times on Celebrity, RCCL & Princess but would like to try something new. We love the itineraries & really want to try a different style of cruising. How would you compare Windstar to the big mass market lines? Just some general observations would be appreciated. Thanks.

[lovecruisingtoo]

Since no one else has answered, I will try and give you some information.

 

What Windstar is:

1. Informal - no formal wear

2. Friendly - crew gets to know you and your desires

3. No real structure - eat when you want, with whom you want

4. Concern about tendering - no long line for a tender

5. Concern 2 about tendering - tendering is good because it means that, most times, the sports deck is open.

 

 

I hope that gives you some information. Do a search and you will see even more things.

[blackfoot]

I guess another question along the same line: is Windstar more like the mass cruise lines like Princess/Holland etc or more like the 5 star lines like Regent etc. in terms of service,food, and ship appearance etc. Thanks

[SnakeBitten]

We're considering booking a Windstar Caribbean sailing for next fall. We've cruised many times on Celebrity, RCCL & Princess but would like to try something new. We love the itineraries & really want to try a different style of cruising. How would you compare Windstar to the big mass market lines? Just some general observations would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

We were on the Windstar Costa Rica cruise 4 weeks ago and it was a great experience. It was our first on Windstar and very different from the "big" ships. Try the search feature, it helped us decide whether Windstar's ships were right for us. We cruised the big ships since '92 and wanted to try something different too. We are all ready talking about doing the Med next year on one of the Windstar ships. SB

[Gardendog]

I have cruised mostly big ships and just came back from the small Wind spirit. It is a different experience than sailing on the big ships.

 

Dining: As stated there are no formal/informal/casual nights. All are country club casual, and no one wears shorts in the dining room.

 

You can dine when you want to and with whom you want to. The hours are 7:30 to 9:30 or so. They use beautiful china (Rosenthal) and Riedel crystal stemware. High quality food and depending on the waiter, attentive service. On the big ships I have been on, they have known your preferences from day one. On the Windstar you might not sit in the same area, so the dining room steward might not know what you want. I ended up asking for my decaf latte since we moved from the original table after 3 nights. The food was good and we enjoyed the different "butters". However, food on most cruises that I have been on has been good as well.

 

Because it is small, there is no grill for a quick hamburger at 2 PM. The dining hours are fairly limited, but you can always do room service. Our room service was OK. The first time it came nice and hot and quickly, the second time I had time to shower, change and blow dry my hair before the lunch arrived and then it was cold. (We tipped the first and the second time.)

 

Breakfast was fabulous with Mango every single day!

 

2. Activities: There are no organized activities on the Wind spirit during the day. Most everyone went ashore. The only activity would be spending time by the pool or reading in the library. In the evening there was a piano/saxophone player who played very well. You could sit and listen to him in the lounge, or perhaps dance. One night was the crew show, where they even got more people up on the dance floor.

 

3. Cabins: Small cabins with nice beddings. Well thought out storage. We found room for everything.

We have cruised in suites and mini suites lately, so this was much smaller than I had got used to, but we managed just fine. Also, no balconies on the Wind spirit, but it is such a small ship so it's just a stair case away from the entire deck.

 

4. Work out facilities: Tiny, tiny room with out-dated machines, musty smell and tiny port hole to look out through.

 

5. Tendering: No long tender lines, but on the other hand, there were only tenders. We never docked so we always had to watch for tender times.

 

6. Ports: "Unusual" and out of the way places. Wonderful places to visit that cannot be reached with the big boats.

 

7. Fellow travelers: Well traveled and independent. Mobile people since there are no elevators. Fun to get to know, but people are people, and a friendly person makes friends easily everywhere.

 

Those are some differences. I would love to get back on the Wind spirit, but also cruise the big ships again. I enjoy both experiences.

[javafreek]

I agree with the above posts. I just posted a review (tonight) for the Windstar, so you can take a look and see if it describes some of the things you want to know about a smaller ship vs a big ship. I will have to say there was a little too much "down time" (nothing to do)for me, something I'm not used to, but there was always a way to fill the time- even if just reading or enjoying the ocean view...

[voyager70]

Thanks for all the input. I think we'll need to do a little more research before deciding what to do. While I love the casual sophistication which Windstar embodies, I'm concerned that we've become too accustomed to all the activities and amenities that the big ships offer. The off-the-beaten-path ports Windstar offers are a big plus, however, so there's a lot we need to sort out at this point.

[irc2100]

Very worthwhile comments. We are cuising the Greek Isles this summer on the WindSpirit.