Just back from Sicilian Spelndors

I will write a full review. But I wanted to share that this cruise was fantastic! We have never met so many wonderful people. We met a few on the Cruise Critic roll call pre-cruise so I highly encourage those who "lurk" to post and interact. The ports were lovely and interesting, the food on the ship was very good, the cabin very comfortable, the staff were friendly and helpful, the spa services were very nice, the laundry package is a game changer its so fabulous and we only had 2 bumpy nights out of 10. Yes the ship is showing its age a bit if you look closely and it wasn't quite the 5 star experience of Seaborne. But I would (and have already) recommend it highly if you want to see different ports, explore ruins, eat great food, meet wonderful people and just chill. There is nothing going on at night so if you want an active night life this is not for you. We were happy to have active days and quiet nights. But I know that is not for everyone. We are in our early 50s and were amongst the youngest, but I cannot say enough about how wonderful it was to meet our new friends. The atmosphere on Windstar makes it so easy to meet people it really was a surprising and extremely positive experience

Glad you enjoyed it!

We are going on this same trip in a month. Looking forward to you info. How did you get to the port from hotel? Any great private tours? Any great excursions? Thanks so much, Kim

We had a transfer from hotel to port included But when we went from ship to airport we used Civitavecchia Car Service and they were great. Highlights were Capri with Tours of Capri (just posted review on Trip Advisor) and Valletta with My Maltese Guide (Ingrid was amazing!). Did a couple of ship excursions, Gozo 4x4 was fun, our guide for Erice was not good at all and the hiking the Volcano was fantastic but not for the faint of heart. There are 4 ports where you tender and they can be precarious, so stay flexible just in case you have to change plans Best advice I can give is to try and meet people on line and set up some private tours. We LOVED all the people we met through Cruise Critic and it made the trip extra special for us. We also did a great food tour in Rome that went through Jewish Ghetto, campo di Fiore and Piazza Navonna

Thanks!

Totally agree with two boys on her assessment of this particular cruise. Met lovely people, had some great tours, were served good to exceptional meals and had a large comfortable suite. The crew, from the deck hands to the Captain, were helpful, friendly and approachable.

We bought the beverage package which was very convenient and we probably broke even as the in-suite mini bar is included.

But, if you are looking for formal nights and butler service, Windstar may not be for you.

I will write a full review. But I wanted to share that this cruise was fantastic! We have never met so many wonderful people. We met a few on the Cruise Critic roll call pre-cruise so I highly encourage those who "lurk" to post and interact. The ports were lovely and interesting, the food on the ship was very good, the cabin very comfortable, the staff were friendly and helpful, the spa services were very nice, the laundry package is a game changer its so fabulous and we only had 2 bumpy nights out of 10. Yes the ship is showing its age a bit if you look closely and it wasn't quite the 5 star experience of Seaborne. But I would (and have already) recommend it highly if you want to see different ports, explore ruins, eat great food, meet wonderful people and just chill. There is nothing going on at night so if you want an active night life this is not for you. We were happy to have active days and quiet nights. But I know that is not for everyone. We are in our early 50s and were amongst the youngest, but I cannot say enough about how wonderful it was to meet our new friends. The atmosphere on Windstar makes it so easy to meet people it really was a surprising and extremely positive experience

100 % agreement!

We enjoyed this "small" ship (with its lovely, helpful and amazing staff), the very special ports and the people we met.

We were only 8 Europeans onboard (2 Germans, 2 French and 4 Portugiese) but we felt a great warmness from everybody we met.

This ship and the staff have a soul, if you know, what I mean.

You are not a number - you are a guest!

We will surely be back in the near future to enjoy 180 degrees from ordinary ... ;):)

After reading your about your experiences on the Sicilian Splendors this may be our next cruise! I've been looking hard at the Spanish Seranade but now I've got another contender!

Can you tell me why you choose this this particular cruise? Was it the area of the world, the ports, just because it was Wind Star (have been on two other WS cruises and loved them!), or ? Did you consider any other options as far as cruise lines or other WS cruises? Just trying to get as much info as possible for next fall, 2017.

I suppose the other thing I missed is if the rate listed now for fall 2017, how does it compare to what it might have been during their flash sale?

First of all, twoboys I am so happy you are my friend ( cruise critic roll call- thank you!) and I agree 100% with your assessment. This cruise was amazing! Great people, great staff, great ports! The ship itself is a little worn but honestly we were having so much fun that it really was unimportant.

For lola84- from the hotel to the port we used Rome Private Excursions. We booked their pre-cruise Castel Gandolfo and Roman Countryside Tour and customized it a bit. They picked us up at our hotel and we drove the Appian Way to the Catacombs. Then on to Castel Gandolfo (home of the Pope's summer residence & charming town) and then to Nemi where we had a lovely lunch and we were on the ship by 2pm. It was a great way to get to the port and see sights we never would have seen. We did many great private excursions- a little jet lagged as I just got home yesterday. I'll be back to write more about excursions soon. You are going to love this cruise!

@Sky Mom 2: Perhaps my answers might help you:

Can you tell me why you choose this this particular cruise?

The most important thing for us was the itinerary with the very special ports - which other cruiseline offers you Lipari, Capri or Gozo and three ports on Sicily on one cruise???

The second thing was the ship itself - after being once with Seadream we liked the size of a small ship and we will never ever make a cruise on a big vessel.

The Windstar fleet offers this perfectly and so we decided to make a first try with them.

Did you consider any other options as far as cruise lines or other WS cruises? Just trying to get as much info as possible for next fall, 2017.

We had to decide between the Wind Surf and the Star Breeze.

Our decision fell on the Breeze because its cruise was mid September; mid-October with the Surf could have been a bit cold in the evening or nights.

The size of the cabin is bigger as well on the Breeze, but that was more a side benefit.

I suppose the other thing I missed is if the rate listed now for fall 2017, how does it compare to what it might have been during their flash sale?

We had lots of luck with our booking price during the last flash sale - so it was a no-brainer for us! After the flash sale the prices went extremly up, so I think a lot of other guests took this advantage.

But with the new price policy of Windstar it should be no problem if you or your travel agent checks the prices frequently after your early booking ... ;)

Take this itinerary - it's great, with each ship of the Winstar fleet!:)

Thanks so much gmcv! I appreciate your responses. We have cruised twice with Wind Star. Once on the Wind Spirit and once on the Wind Surf. We fell in love with the small size and I'm not sure I could do another large ship.

I've been enamored with the Spanish Seranade for over a year and really want to do this cruise. However, as I've read more and more about Sicilian Splendors I'm loving this one too! I may have to leave my husband choose between the two!

But with the new price policy of Windstar it should be no problem if you or your travel agent checks the prices frequently after your early booking ... ;)

 

If you book early, thinking that under the new price assurance policy, you will be able to get money back if the price drops, think again. Windstar gets to choose if you get an OBC, future cruise credit, fare reduction or upgrade. You don't get to choose what you want.

Price dropped during the flash sale on my cruise and I got an "upgrade", which was merely moving to the same cabin on a higher deck.

I will continue to book late.

thanks everyone!

How soon can you disembark in Civitavecchia?

How soon can you disembark in Civitavecchia?

Passport distribution was scheduled at 7:15am but we received ours at 7:10am and were off the ship by 7:15. Easiest and quickest disembarkation we have ever had. I know that some people were able to disembark earlier with prior permission. Having just sailed from Capri, the ship was already docked when I got coffee at 6am.

We have an 11:45 flight and just wanted to make sure we would make it. I can arrange transport to airport now.:):):)

We have an 11:45 flight and just wanted to make sure we would make it. I can arrange transport to airport now.:):):)

We had an 11:45 flight also and made it with time to spare. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed ours!

I'm looking at a 10:10 a.m. flight. What do you think??

I'm looking at a 10:10 a.m. flight. What do you think??

Personally, I would not chance a flight before 11am. FCO airport security and immigration can be slow. Also, if you are debarking on a weekday, morning traffic into Rome can be quite heavy. Just my opinion.

We had a transfer from hotel to port included But when we went from ship to airport we used Civitavecchia Car Service and they were great. Highlights were Capri with Tours of Capri (just posted review on Trip Advisor) and Valletta with My Maltese Guide (Ingrid was amazing!). Did a couple of ship excursions, Gozo 4x4 was fun, our guide for Erice was not good at all and the hiking the Volcano was fantastic but not for the faint of heart. There are 4 ports where you tender and they can be precarious, so stay flexible just in case you have to change plans Best advice I can give is to try and meet people on line and set up some private tours. We LOVED all the people we met through Cruise Critic and it made the trip extra special for us. We also did a great food tour in Rome that went through Jewish Ghetto, campo di Fiore and Piazza Navonna

So nice to see you enjoyed this cruise! We will be doing this same itinerary this month - can you advise which ports required the tender? Thanks much!

we tendered in Gozo, Sorrento, Lipari and one other. I cant even remember. The only really rough one was Gozo. Most people didn't make it off the ship. We were lucky

Personally, I would not chance a flight before 11am. FCO airport security and immigration can be slow. Also, if you are debarking on a weekday, morning traffic into Rome can be quite heavy. Just my opinion.

I agree with kbella. The 11-11:45am choices are as early as I would consider, in Rome.

I am surprised at how many cruisers seem to want to run home so fast, after any cruise, yet alone a WC. We appreciate the opportunity to really have a last on board breakfast with some of our new friends.

Because of the small number of passengers, disembarkation on WS never feels like being sent through the "loading (or unloading) chute". Only on WS have I ever had a captain on the dock saying goodby to EVERY passenger.

But I am also one of those; "get to the airport 2.5 hours before and bring a book" people I spent too many years running for planes...before rolling luggage.

I agree with kbella. The 11-11:45am choices are as early as I would consider, in Rome.

 

I am surprised at how many cruisers seem to want to run home so fast, after any cruise, yet alone a WC. We appreciate the opportunity to really have a last on board breakfast with some of our new friends.

 

Because of the small number of passengers, disembarkation on WS never feels like being sent through the "loading (or unloading) chute". Only on WS have I ever had a captain on the dock saying goodby to EVERY passenger.

 

But I am also one of those; "get to the airport 2.5 hours before and bring a book" people I spent too many years running for planes...before rolling luggage.

The 10:10 a.m. flight is the only non-stop from Rome to Los Angeles that day. Looks like I'll have to book a 1-stopper for later in the day. Makes for a grueling trek home. But at least I'll be able to have breakfast with my new friends.

we tendered in Gozo, Sorrento, Lipari and one other. I cant even remember. The only really rough one was Gozo. Most people didn't make it off the ship. We were lucky

Thanks for the helpful information - we will plan accordingly.

Hello twoboys

cruising Oct 27 Sicilian Splendors on Star Legend

Question about tenders - you mention they are precarious- could you elaborate?

Also- finding it hard to arrange reasonably priced excursions on my own- what is your opinion of the Windstar excursions?

we are staying one day pre and post in Rome - will need transfers - hotel offers a transfer for 160 euros each way- does that sound ok?- we dont need a Rome tour bec we have been before

Really looking forward to this trip and if any fellow Oct 27 paasengers are reading this please feel free to add your suggestions

Thanks