Wind Spirit Jan. 12-19 2008

[Xoe]

I just finished my photo album, which includes maps as well as photos with descriptions. I'm hoping it may help you get a "feel" for this cruise, which is indeed a wonderful one!

 

Click on

http://fredasphotos1.shutterfly.com/action

The Wind Spirit Caribbean cruise is the featured album, at the top. Viewing it as a slide show probably works best.

 

I was going to do a cruise report, but Winegirl's report of the same cruise the week after ours is so complete, and her experience so similar to mine, that I may let the photos do the talking!

[englishtraveller]

Xoe, this is a wonderful pictoral account of your holiday - thank you. I can only repeat my plea (in my thread) for someone to provide the same quality, factual report for Windsurf (also see Winegirl). So far responses have been refering to the same reports filled with people's individual issues (be they positive or negative), without the more helpful detailed objective account I am hoping for. People must appreciate that "one man's meat is another man's poison" and visa versa!

[Xoe]

I like to think that Winegirl's excellent report on Wind Spirit + my travelogue-type photo album will provide reliable information upon which Cruise Critic members can base decisions about this ship and itinerary.

 

AND now -- we need this kind of information for Wind Surf.

 

Please help us out, past Wind Surf passengers!

[6rugrats]

I was on the Windsurf in the Med in June. However, I was on vacation and had no intention of writing a travel article, so I have no great detailed notes with which to write a fabulous review.

 

I will tell you some things I did and did not like.

 

I did not like it when I was ordering or was served a drink (& once this also happened when we got coffee in the morning!) and was told:

 

"Have another cocktail (or coffee), it make you feel sexy"

 

I am still puzzled as to what that was about, and it wasn't said just to my DH and myself; I heard this same comment made to others, and we all exchanged perplexed looks!

 

I did not like the fact that it was impossible to make reservations in Degrees if you did not make them by 7:30 a.m, after which time the restaurant was completely booked (note - the food was no better though, IMO, in Degrees then the regular restaurant)

 

I did not think the food was as good as my last three Windstar cruises. I cannot honestly say if the decline was really that bad, or if my palate is just a lot better. I will say that the buffet at lunch and breakfast, at which we never eat, looked almost exactly the same. Saw no evidence of tater tots and Jimmy Dean sausage.

 

I did not like the fact the the sport deck was rarely open, and when it was, there appeared to be only one gentlemen there, who did not greet us when we came in, and did not offer to help us with anything. A great contrast to our last Med cruise on the Windstar, when a crew member gave us a guided tour of in a boat by ourselves of the harbor in Monte Carlo. Also, the sails were rarely up on this last cruise.

 

I hate the fact that when you sit in a chair in the aft deck, if you are wearing light colored pants, you will get soot on them. We got to where we would just grab a clean towel and place it on the chair before we set down. I can't tell you how many people I saw walk back with black marks on the bottom of their pants/skirts. However, this has always been a problem on Windstar.

 

I loved the refurbished cabins. They have been beautifully redone, have great bath amenities and plenty of storage. The cabin steward, as always did a great job. The crew does seem to be overworked (& is there a ship where they are not?), but they remember your name, and do an overall fabulous job.

 

I love the Captain's and alumni cocktail party where you can tune out the boring announcements and just enjoy the appetizers and free drinks. At the time we sailed, you did not have to drink the champagne they offered, but could go up to the bar during the party, and order whatever drink you wanted without charge. I am wondering if that has changed?

 

My DH loved his first Windstar cruise on the Windstar a couple of years ago, but after this last one, he says he is in no hurry to ever go on another one again. I am not sure why, but I also was not sad for this cruise to end. We went on a HAL cruise this December and frankly, in many ways, we enjoyed it more then the Wind Surf cruise, and I never thought that would happen.

 

I think you can read about other people's experiences for hours, but your experience is the only one that will count. You just need to go with realistic expectations and know that things will go wrong. They always do. But you can still have a great time; just don't expect perfection because you paid a lot more because it's not happening.

[englishtraveller]

Perhaps we have to hope that Xoe and Winegirl will take a holiday on Windsurf!

[winegirl]

Thanks to all for the compliments on the Windspirit St. Thomas cruise(despite the spelling errors, which I tried to correct but my computer hung up.)

 

Windsurf carries about 300 passengers and that number is too big for our taste. We like ships carrying less than 200, the fewer, the better. So we will not choose to try Windsurf.

 

We've always enjoyed our cruises on Windstar or Windspirit (Windstar Lines-150 passengers,) Spirit of Endeavour (Cruise West-100 passengers,) the Amadagio (Amadeus Waterways-150 passengers,) and the L'Abercrombie (Continental Waterways hotel barge-22 passengers.) The larger ships are too impersonal and "busy," homogenized, commercialized for our taste so we will not be trying Windsurf. If we decide to go for a larger boat, there are many choices...but having sailed on a larger ship (Holland's Westerdam-2,000 passengers,) we just did not enjoy that at all--we felt like cattle being herded around all week and the atmosphere was chaotic rather than relaxing. There seem to be a point where critical mass has been exceeded and the resulting product is less than satisfactory. So we will stick to the small ships/river cruisers and barges, or do a land tour on our own.

[Xoe]

but will not turn down a larger ship if it is the only one [or only affordable one] that goes somewhere I want to go. Also, my husband likes the larger ships, so our choice for an adventure together is different from my own if on my own or with my sister or a friend.

 

If the reports from Wind Surf "smarten up" as the months pass, I would consider that, too.

 

Meanwhile, I have just reserved 14-days on Wind Star March 28, 2009, repo cruise departing Puerto Caldera, through the Panama Canal, ending at Barbados. Lots of new places! And I have 13 months to plan and dream and anticipate, which I greatly enjoy.

[ezcheezy]

Xoe,

Thank you for another wonderful slide show! I really enjoyed it.

Nancy

[Xoe]

A lot has happened since last I checked in on this board!

 

I've changed from Wind Star's 14-day repo cruise March 28, 2009, to Wind Surf's 7-day S/B out of Barbados March 8, 2009. I needed the shorter time-frame due to family responsibilities, and the lower price is also helpful.

 

In case you're in the mood for a very different slide show, my husband and I just returned from Carnival Spirit's 12-day Hawaii (Honolulu to Vancouver) cruise, chosen for itinerary as it provided a visit with family in Honolulu, gave us revisits to favorite places in Hawaii, was reasonably priced, and required only ONE flight. It's no Windstar ship, for sure, but worked well for us this time -- and it left me yearning for my next small ship cruise!

 

Here's our Hawaii cruise: http://fredasphotos1.shutterfly.com/action