What are the demographics of WindSurf Passengers?

Should have made that "WindStar" cruise line passengers. We are looking to go on the windsurf.

I'm not sure I phrased that correctly,but I have always wanted to do a "Yacht" type of cruise and would love to take my wife on it as a surprise. We have been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises and really like them. We just want to try a more true sailing/cruising experience. O.K., Got a little OT there!

My point is we are middle class blue collar workers and I really don't want to put us in an uncomfortable situation if we don't belong with the other passengers,to be blunt about it (not putting myself down, just a realist.I picture these cruises for wealthy retirees for some reason. We want to have a nice time and just relax and enjoy ourselves and maybe even meet other people if the situation allows.

Hopefully I didn't spew too much and would appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks

:)

Should have made that "WindStar" cruise line passengers. We are looking to go on the windsurf.

 

I'm not sure I phrased that correctly,but I have always wanted to do a "Yacht" type of cruise and would love to take my wife on it as a surprise. We have been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises and really like them. We just want to try a more true sailing/cruising experience. O.K., Got a little OT there!

My point is we are middle class blue collar workers and I really don't want to put us in an uncomfortable situation if we don't belong with the other passengers,to be blunt about it (not putting myself down, just a realist.I picture these cruises for wealthy retirees for some reason. We want to have a nice time and just relax and enjoy ourselves and maybe even meet other people if the situation allows.

 

Hopefully I didn't spew too much and would appreciate any thoughts.

 

Thanks

 

:)

Don't worry about it a bit. Sure, there will be a handful of people who will put on the bling at night, but Windstar, at its heart, is a very laid back casual situation. As long as you have something decent to wear to dinner (men = nice trousers but even khaki's are fine, closed toe shoes and a nice collared shirt, women = blouse or dressy T with pants or a skirt) and you're good to go. During the day everyone will be wearing t-shirts or polos with shorts. Everyone will be friendly and we've met all types from someone who is on multiple Board of Directors to teachers, police officers, etc. You'll be fine, just relax and have a great time.

In all our trips on WS (10+) the only thing we've run into is cases where multiple couples are traveling together and don't want to interact with anyone else, but they're easily avoided.

Dear Viking Cruiser, we will be on our 18th in a week and we are not wealthy or fancy. We love Windstar for the sails, the luxary without being ostentacious. Mix with folks fine, stay alone fine, take group tours fine, go it alone fine, everyone is nice and those that are crab apples so be it and how sad for them that they can't enjoy such a magnificient experience. Feel good about yourself for a great choice of a vacation, enjoy, it won't be your last guaranteed! Happy Sailing. Susanne

Ditto. Everyone (almost) on board is there because they love the sea and the difference in the experience between Windstar and the rest of the herd! The slogan of 180 degrees from the ordinary is spot on. Never met anyone uptight. Maybe they are there but fortunately we have not run into them. People from all over and all backgrounds. No dress up. No suits. No tuxes. Just be reasonably clean at dinner.

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Dear Viking Cruiser, we will be on our 18th in a week and we are not wealthy or fancy. We love Windstar for the sails, the luxary without being ostentacious. Mix with folks fine, stay alone fine, take group tours fine, go it alone fine, everyone is nice and those that are crab apples so be it and how sad for them that they can't enjoy such a magnificient experience. Feel good about yourself for a great choice of a vacation, enjoy, it won't be your last guaranteed! Happy Sailing. Susanne

Thank you all, I really appreciate the positive feedback!

:)

We don't own a business nor high paid professional but never had any complex fitting with any group. Everybody is on vacation and have fun all the same. We prefer Windstar once a year than going on vacation twice a year with another line.

I belong to a flying club and you could not tell the difference between a professional airline pilot and a a blue collar worker. We all have fun at the BBQ after a day's flying.:)

Note: Canadian will be a rarity on WS this year due to the canadian dollar taking a nose dive (33% premium compared to 2013)

Think about it a minute, the truely rich own or charter their own yachts. Anyone on Windstar, SeaDream, Seaborne, etc. are just normal folks. They just want to enjoy the sun and the sea, without the carnival atmosphere and hordes of screaming kids of the major lines.

Heck, the "yacht" lines even let ol' Ragnar aboard (though they are often sorry later...) :D

My spouse and I have cruised many times. We are not fancy people...retired and loving it. We also have done many land vacations. Out of all of our vacations, our favorite is on Windsurf. When they say 180 degrees different, they mean it. Relax and enjoy. No formal nights, no bling, no crowds, no pressure to buy excursions or spa treatments. Just relax in style. Most people on Windstar are easy going folks that are enjoying the cruise. I have never met anyone who didn't enjoy Windstar. I would sail on Windstar more often if the prices were lower. As a retired couple, we sail on 4-5 cruises/year. Most of our cruises are on less expensive lines. They are nice. However, none are as good as Windstar.

Agree re the rare Canadians, have to pay final installment on our Dec 2015 cruise, and really considering letting the deposit go - makes a huge impact on Canadians travelling this year.

Also, agree with everyone's comments here - never had an issue with unfriendly passengers on WS. I think this is more of an issue on the larger cruise lines.

Thank you for asking this question. We were curious too. We are considering Windstar after 3 RCI cruises. We are much more into the destinations and opportunities to learn about & enjoy the ports we are visiting, than being herded around with the masses on canned-campy excursions, and "nickel & dimed" to death. We are late 30s. I'm not sure whether we will be able to bring our 2 children since Windstar is much more expensive. They are both intellectual, quiet & respectful elementary school-age. This is something we would really like to try at some point.

Haha, also, you don't need to be wealthy to own a boat and travel on it. Only to afford gas for it :) You can get around that with a hybird or sailboat though. We often hear of young families who sail all over the place and homeschool their children onboard. I wouldn't consider them wealthy or elite. Many boat/yacht owners are really just normal people, they just choose to spend their disposable income differently. They don't usually dress up, aren't elite, and just enjoy traveling and being on the water. They don't "rub elbows" with the rich and famous that I'm aware of :) Many are into fishing & wildlife concervency :)

Thank you all, I really appreciate the positive feedback!

I worry about that, too, but, I figure all I can be is myself. I'm slinging prescriptions at Walgreens during the day and cruising as often as I can. The only way I can afford Windstar is they had a sale for solos. I'll go and see how it is, I love my big ships, but, excited to try something new.

We sail the tall ships only....since 2000. Love them for the reasons indicated above. We sail many of them, including Windstar (see signature below). If you want to try a tall ship that offers even fewer passengers, even more opps for exploring on your own, yet great fun and accommodations, consider also checking out islandwindjammers.com, sailing in the Caribbean year-round, via three gorgeous tall ships.

Don't worry. You will be very comfortable on Windstar. On our last cruise, there were many first times switching over from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Everyone seemed like normal folks. Only a few seemed wealthy but they were all nice and down to earth.:)