Wind Surf vs. Wind Star

[40cub]

We took the Windstar cruise to Turkey and Greece many years ago and enjoyed it very much. We are considering a Spain/Portugal trip this year on Windsurf and would like some feedback on a) pros and cons of larger Windsurf vs. smaller Windstar and b) are the refurbishment upgrades evident to regular cruisers? Thank you for your input!

[6rugrats]

I have been on all the Windstar ships, even the departed Windsong.

 

We took a Med cruise on the Windsurf a couple summers ago. The refurbishments were obvious and the ship was beautiful. That said, we probably wouldn't book on the Windsurf again. It just seemed too big compared to the smaller ships. Longer waits for tenders, lines into the dining room, difficulty getting reservations for the other restaurant (there were only two at that time). The gym was larger and nicer then the other ships. Other than that, no other positives for us.

 

We have just booked a trip this summer on the Windstar, so are giving it another try on the smaller ship. There are so few reviews on Windstar cruises, that I will make every effort to post a detailed one when we return.

[chicagogal]

We took the Windstar cruise to Turkey and Greece many years ago and enjoyed it very much. We are considering a Spain/Portugal trip this year on Windsurf and would like some feedback on a) pros and cons of larger Windsurf vs. smaller Windstar and b) are the refurbishment upgrades evident to regular cruisers? Thank you for your input!

 

We are about to take our 9th Windstar fleet trip, leaving in 2 weeks. Most of ours have been on the Windsurf. Our last trip on Windsurf was Sept 2007 and the ship was very noticeably upgraded since just the prior Chistmas. We loved it. All of the ships are great, but we really like Windsurf because there is MORE of all the good stuff. More deck space, more restaurants, more fun people, more great crew, more shops, more spa space, etc. etc.

 

We did the Istanbul-Athens trip on the smaller Windstar, and also the Panama Canal transit (The Windsurf is too big to do that). They are all great - you really can't go wrong either way. Just pick the itinerary you like.

[English_in_Spain]

This is what I posted on another similar thread

 

"I have sailed on Wind Surf 3 times and the smaller ships 3 times.

 

There are pluses and minuses for both.

 

The smaller ships are more intimate and give more of the sailing ship feel but there are less facilities and entertainment. They really do need good weather cruising.

 

Wind Surf has twice as many passengers so loses the intimate feel but has a choice of bars in the evening and a larger casino.

 

I love both depending on where I am sailing. The Greek islands cruise (Istanbul to Athens or vice versa) is my favourite cruise and has to be done on the smaller ship"

[Lair Bear]

We did the Istanbul-Athens trip on the smaller Windstar, and also the Panama Canal transit (The Windsurf is too big to do that). They are all great - you really can't go wrong either way. Just pick the itinerary you like.

 

If I may, let me add that the Windsurf is not too big, but too tall. The masts are too high to clear the main bridge that spans the channel at the Pacific side. Even the Windstar or Windspirit has to wait until low tide to clear the bridge.

 

We experienced the same thing when leaving Lisbon, Portugal, on the Windsurf. It was an interesting experience and everyone applauded when we cleared the bridge by a few feet to spare.