Why low CC ratings "Star" ships?

I have been looking at Windstar for Costa Rica cruise next spring. Only Star Breeze and Pride do this itinerary. Am concerned because in CC rating section the "Wind" boats receive 80% satisfaction ratings, but the "Star" ships only in 60% satisfied ratings. Why so low? We have cruised many times on the larger ships. NCL years ago (never again), Carnival, and now last few years exclusively on HAL. Have never done a small ship cruise before but would love to try it. We are in our 60's and retired. Reasonably good health, but I do not have great knees so lots of stair climbing not great for me but I can certainly do a few flights of stairs. Costa Rica on my bucket list and also have friends living there want to visit so Windstar looks like a good choice for us then could extend for week or so and see our friends and do some land touring. Price reasonable compared to other small ship cruises but am concerned about the lower ratings. Any insight from others who have done this cruise? We don't need to go, go, go all day and entertainment really not important as seldom attend the showrooms on other cruises. Like to "chill" on deck a lot and love sea days and good food is important to us. Doesn't have to be fancy-just taste good. Thanks a bunch.

Jane

You will love it! First of all there were some initial problems when ships went into service a few years ago and some people were not happy. All has been corrected. It was growing pains and some poor management. Those people have been replaced. We've been on Legend and going on Pride in Nov. Loved Legend and found it to be as great as the sailing ships. The negative posters are the same ones who complain about life in general. Go. It's a great line and you will fall in love with the comfort of large cabins and wonderful service by smiling crew.

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sb44 has it right.

The second you board one of the "Three Sisters" (Pride, Breeze and Spirit) something magical happens. That magic has little to do with the advertised luxury, extra space and great food. Small ship cruising is just so different that finding the proper adjectives to describe the experience is challenging.

You'll find yourself smiling from the moment you board one of these ships until you turn around and say goodbye to your new found friend as you head home. I've sailed on them since they were new (Seaborne days) and look forward to sailing on them right up to the time they are turned into bottle caps.

Hope I moved the ratings up. Book the Pride or the Breeze - you'll love either one.

If you are looking to be overwhelmed by a cruise that offers non stop entertainment, long lines and that will nickle and dime you until only moths are left in your wallet (you mentioned that you were not) look elsewhere. The Three Sisters weren't intended to be ordinary.

sb44 has it right.

The second you board one of the "Three Sisters" (Pride, Breeze and Spirit) something magical happens.

Pride, Breeze and Legend!:)

Seabourn Spirit became Star Breeze when joining the fleet as Wind Spirit was already there.

We're very excited to be boarding Star Pride in a few days' time for our first Windstar cruise.

There are three things I can never remember..........................................FOUR!

I should have read what I wrote before I clicked 'Submit Reply'. I just got of the Legend last week! Thanks for the correction.

We loved the WS Costa Rica cruise. We had been to CR many times before and loved the country and we were invited to cruise CR we were excited and this cruise met all of our expectations and more. A great way to see a wonderful country. We did it on the Star at the time but I was on the Breeze last fall and loved it. I think it is a great fit for CR. Have a great time.

Thanks to all. Makes me feel more confident we will enjoy this cruise tremendously. Sounds like it is right for us.

Jane

Thanks to all. Makes me feel more confident we will enjoy this cruise tremendously. Sounds like it is right for us.

 

Jane

You'll be fine if you go with this attitude. Lest you be overly expectant, I would modify SB44s "all is corrected" slightly. These are still old ships and there is always something to do, if you look in every corner you'll find something. There will be a bit of rust here and there - ships rust. A piece of marble in our bath was cracked. We had to ask for lacking shampoo, which came instantly. Nothing can ever be perfect. A tender might not be working like on our itin in August. But, things get sorted out, the crew is generally great and you'll have a wonderful time.

Thanks Milepig. An example -my very favorite cruise so far was 1st one back in '97 from New Orleans. Can't even remember cruise line name - they went out of business long ago. Was very old ocean liner from the day and held about 800 passengers as I recall. Nothing fancy at all. But it was a REAL ship and not the fancy cruise "barges" they use today. Officers mingled with passengers and told stories about the hurricanes they had sailed thru(not gone around) and other interesting stories. Cabins all different and ours very unique but loved it. Still had high entries into all the cabins, etc. Remember it with such fondness and totally different from today's mega ships which I really wouldn't want to sail thru a hurricane on. So I think we are the type to love Windstar!

Jane

Thanks Milepig. An example -my very favorite cruise so far was 1st one back in '97 from New Orleans. Can't even remember cruise line name - they went out of business long ago. Was very old ocean liner from the day and held about 800 passengers as I recall. Nothing fancy at all. But it was a REAL ship and not the fancy cruise "barges" they use today. Officers mingled with passengers and told stories about the hurricanes they had sailed thru(not gone around) and other interesting stories. Cabins all different and ours very unique but loved it. Still had high entries into all the cabins, etc. Remember it with such fondness and totally different from today's mega ships which I really wouldn't want to sail thru a hurricane on. So I think we are the type to love Windstar!

Jane

Cut that passenger number in half (depending on how full the ship is) add staff who've been with WS for many years and who greet us with hugs when boarding and you'll have WS. I'm not beyond asking for sowething to be corrected when not right and they always correct it immediately.

We did our first WindStar cruise in May on the Star Breeze.

The issue as mentioned in previous posts is that these are old ships. They were rushed through renovation to get them sailing and generating income. It was a mistake.

Things have improved although we still had issues in our cabin. That said, everything was taken care of immediately. The service was fantastic! We did a back to back and were only one of three couples that did the same. By the second leg we were treated like royalty.

Definitely take the cruise if the itinerary excites you. That's why we took ours despite all the negativity and we were glad we did.

We have sailed on WS numerous times. All but one of the times were on the sailing ships. In 2015 we went on the Legend. The ship itself was good however the service was not up to the standards we had come to expect on WS. Long waits in the dining room, fish overcooked, no real concern for the passengers etc. This was the situation even tho many of the staff were from the "old" WS staff. We have waited to book our next WS cruise until we see reports of improvement.

That being said, since you are coming from HAL, you will probably find everything much better than what you are used to. It all depends on your expectations.

We have sailed on WS numerous times. All but one of the times were on the sailing ships. In 2015 we went on the Legend. The ship itself was good however the service was not up to the standards we had come to expect on WS. Long waits in the dining room, fish overcooked, no real concern for the passengers etc. This was the situation even tho many of the staff were from the "old" WS staff. We have waited to book our next WS cruise until we see reports of improvement.

 

That being said, since you are coming from HAL, you will probably find everything much better than what you are used to. It all depends on your expectations.

We had one of "those" cruises as all. Many crew well known to us but just a disorganized mess. To the point that the maitre' at dinner was gone and the podium shoved to the side. Based on our recent experience this month things have *almost* retuned to normal. Old timers can spot a few remaining cracks but at this point with 15+ itins behind I wouldn't hesitate to book again. The same was not true even a few months ago. The old WS is almost back.

We had one of "those" cruises as all. Many crew well known to us but just a disorganized mess. To the point that the maitre' at dinner was gone and the podium shoved to the side. Based on our recent experience this month things have *almost* retuned to normal. Old timers can spot a few remaining cracks but at this point with 15+ itins behind I wouldn't hesitate to book again. The same was not true even a few months ago. The old WS is almost back.

...as well...too late to edit.

We had one of "those" cruises as all. Many crew well known to us but just a disorganized mess. To the point that the maitre' at dinner was gone and the podium shoved to the side. Based on our recent experience this month things have *almost* retuned to normal. Old timers can spot a few remaining cracks but at this point with 15+ itins behind I wouldn't hesitate to book again. The same was not true even a few months ago. The old WS is almost back.

Thanks for the update. We are still waiting for awhile to book WS again. We want to make sure that things have really changed back to "normal". Right now our focus is on SeaDream. The other week SeaDream had what turned out to be a relatively minor fire in the engine room. They evacuated the ship and immediately took care of everyone. The difference between what SeaDream did for its passengers and what WS did on the Pride incident is like comparing night and day. Have not seen 1 single complaint by any of the passengers. Look at the SD CC forum and you can see how WS should have taken care of the Pride passengers.

We've cruised twice since that event and everything was lovely. Going again next week and again in November.

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We were in the Legend for almost two weeks in July/August. It was our first trip on the new motor yachts and our 7th for Windstar. I thought the food was excellent. We are both fish lovers, and may have been a bit spoiled because the fresh fish the chef picked up at every stop in Norway and Iceland was outstanding. We were a group of four. On one evening I was served a very small portion of fish. On the other nights all of the entrees were more than adequate.

One thing that happened on this sailing is that they were never able to open the veranda for breakfast or lunch. I tend to have room service breakfast and lunch onshore or from the Yacht Club, but I will say that by the end of the cruise my in-laws were a bit tired of eating three meals a day in Aamphora. Also, this could be because the burgers were cooked in the kitchen, but wow! someone has taught the cooks how to make a decent burger.

Service was exactly as we're used to. We thought we would miss all the open decks, but with the weather like it was, we ended up appreciating the larger staterooms.

We did not travel too much with Windstar during the transition, other than one transatlantic. The few small blips on the radar were not in evidence on our recent trip.

How was Iceland trip? Looking very seriously at same itinerary next summer. Or Baltic and British Isles. Would love your opinion.

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I travel often. Over time I have taken independent trips, land tours, riverboat cruises, and large and small ship ocean cruises. I have never disliked any trips. Of course, there are some trips that are truly amazing. My cruises on Windstar have been amazing. No problems. The staff is skilled at being charming, being able to please, and almost anticipate what you need before you do. The service is outstanding. However, after reading some of the recent reviews,there are some people who don't share my opinion. People have different needs and opinions. while some people find lots of faults with Windstar, I like their style of cruising. If you want lots of glitz, brioadway style shows, and nonstop buffets, windstar isn't for you. If you enjoy great service, good food, no crowds, friendly atmosphere, and visiting interesting ports(often only visited by small ships), you will enjoy Windstar.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but the trip was wonderful. We were actually on the 13 day Iceland/Norway/Ireland. It was a great mix of places we had never been. We only had 1 1/2 days in Iceland, wish we had time for more. Its a fascinating place. All but one of the circumnavigations of Iceland had lousy weather. I was told lots of rain and fog, so not great for sightseeing.

All but one stop in Norway was also really good. I could have done with Molde. The entire town of Geiranger is a UNESCO site. Faroe Islands are unique and remote. We missed Isle of Man due to a really bad storm and having to anchor behind an island for 18 hours, then still 25 foot seas coming out for half a day. We were rocking and rolling! They tied down everything on board.

The one down side as I already said was the lack of variety in dining locations. It wasn't enough to not recommend the itinerary.

I travel often. Over time I have taken independent trips, land tours, riverboat cruises, and large and small ship ocean cruises. I have never disliked any trips. Of course, there are some trips that are truly amazing. My cruises on Windstar have been amazing. No problems. The staff is skilled at being charming, being able to please, and almost anticipate what you need before you do. The service is outstanding. However, after reading some of the recent reviews,there are some people who don't share my opinion. People have different needs and opinions. while some people find lots of faults with Windstar, I like their style of cruising. If you want lots of glitz, brioadway style shows, and nonstop buffets, windstar isn't for you. If you enjoy great service, good food, no crowds, friendly atmosphere, and visiting interesting ports(often only visited by small ships), you will enjoy Windstar.

I totally agree with all of this. I think when you essentially double your capacity, it just takes awhile to get all the new people up to speed. I have also wondered if some of the negative reviews were from previous Seabourn customers who missed the way things were done before.

Yes, I definitely think that some of the negatives were from past Seabourn cruisers who wanted Windstar to be exactly like Seabourn.

Here's a little story - On our cruise last year (Star Legend's fifth after refurb), we were seated with a couple who had sailed Seabourn exclusively for years. I was curious and asked her what she thought about the refurbishment of Legend. Her reply was that Windstar hadn't changed a thing in the main areas. She felt the cabin was OK, but she hated what they had done to the bathroom. When I mentioned that they hadn't made any changes in the bathrooms, she didn't believe me! She emphatically stated that the bathrooms on the Legend had been much better with Seabourn.

She then proceeded to order and send back entrees claiming that it was either too salty, not hot enough, or whatever! After the third time, she said she was just giving up since she couldn't seem to get a decent meal!

While OUR meal was lovely, the company was not. Very happy when that dinner ended.

Yes, I definitely think that some of the negatives were from past Seabourn cruisers who wanted Windstar to be exactly like Seabourn.

 

Here's a little story - On our cruise last year (Star Legend's fifth after refurb), we were seated with a couple who had sailed Seabourn exclusively for years. I was curious and asked her what she thought about the refurbishment of Legend. Her reply was that Windstar hadn't changed a thing in the main areas. She felt the cabin was OK, but she hated what they had done to the bathroom. When I mentioned that they hadn't made any changes in the bathrooms, she didn't believe me! She emphatically stated that the bathrooms on the Legend had been much better with Seabourn.

 

She then proceeded to order and send back entrees claiming that it was either too salty, not hot enough, or whatever! After the third time, she said she was just giving up since she couldn't seem to get a decent meal!

 

While OUR meal was lovely, the company was not. Very happy when that dinner ended.

Suzanne,

Hopefully she goes back to Seabourn! Don't want her on my Windstar cruise. We are way too laid back for folks like her.

Jane

Suzanne,

Hopefully she goes back to Seabourn! Don't want her on my Windstar cruise. We are way too laid back for folks like her.

Jane

The bathroom comment is hilarious since they seem to be one of the few things WS didn't touch.

The bathroom comment is hilarious since they seem to be one of the few things WS didn't touch.

That's what we thought - and she totally denied it when I pointed it out that Windstar hadn't touched the bathrooms.

For the rest of the cruise, whenever Tom and I encountered something left over from Seabourn that we knew hadn't yet been changed by Windstar - we would just look at each other, laugh, and say it must have been better when it was Seabourn.:D