Perplexed

We were all waiting for a review on the Star Breeze and I found the one written by BocaEvRay to be perplexing for some of the criticisms, in my opinion, were not fair. I have sailed my entire life and understand ports, seas, the beauty and wonderment of the sea and at the same time the challenges and the respect that needs to be given to the sea. Small ports are that, small ports, they do not have the capacity to dock a 440 ft. Small ship, so tendering is necessary. Like the Caribbean and Tahiti, we love small ports but for the most part that means tendering. Those boats are lifeboats used as tenders or tenders used as lifeboats, they are not speed boats. Motors yes, speed no. Given the ship I do not know how a catamaran could fit on such a small ship in the space allocated. So the ship/company to be cited for that does not seem right. A bit of research on the part of a passenger is recommended. I for one would not like Monte Carlo, it has nothing to do with the company, I adore Ciinque Terre etc. The Mediterranean can be rough especially in the spring and fall. We expect the North Sea and the English Channel to be rough on the Tall Ship cruise, if I could not handle rough seas I would not go and that is not the fault of the company, tenders rock and roll! Ships have stabilizers. We are tendering in Amsterdam and thought we were docking, that is seamanship, it always changes and we as passengers have roll with it, not the fault of the company. Of the 16 times I have sailed with WS the crews have been 100% on the side of safety I am sorry for the person who injured their arm but if the seas were choppy everyone is at risk, you are on the water. I am sorry WS was given a C+ on the new ship for the criticisms did not seem to be the fault of the company or reflect the hard work of the crew or the effort and beauty of this redo. Happy Sailing. Susanne

I understand your frustration, Stenz. But this was not a totally scathing review, and for someone like me that's considering trying out one of the new motorized yachts, well, I won't be deterred. The follow-on comments from others will surely raise up the average score.

I think some folks expect 5 or 6 star quality for absolutely everything, and maybe that's unfair with Windstar. The cruise line deliverers an extraordinary product for a very fair price. If they expect perfection and a snooty atmosphere, well they can try Sb or SS.

I was please to see a good number of good comments, and the bad ones are to be expected (Windstar doesn't pretend to have awesome entertainment). Not sure how the ship could have 1930's vintage speedboats as tender craft (surely they jest! or at least exaggerate?) So I'll shrug off that unusual comment as the writer's pet peeve and focus on the positive stuff. I am a glass way more than half full kind of guy. :D

Not sure how the ship could have 1930's vintage speedboats as tender craft (surely they jest! or at least exaggerate?) So I'll shrug off that unusual comment as the writer's pet peeve and focus on the positive stuff. I am a glass way more than half full kind of guy. :D

The only thing I could come up with was that maybe they weren't WS tenders but were part of a tour picking people up at the ship?? It's been awhile, but I'm pretty sure we were put right on the little tour boats in Capri for the blue grotto.

If you look at the USA Today article "Firstlook:Windstar Cruises'new Star Breeze" May 7 article it does reference two classic wood-lined tender vessels. They do look very different than the typical tenders. They could create issues on and off the tender in rough seas.

I remember a Dubrovnik tender issue when a squall whipped up. Many were having difficulty as the tender bobbed quite a bit before they made the call to go to the other side of the ship. It was my first cruise and I was a bit alarmed about the prospect of getting back on the WindSpirit.

I'll be taking my 80yo mom on her first Windstar trip aboard the Breeze and I'm sure I'll be a bit sensitive to tendering safety for her.

As for the gripe about tendering rather than docking, I chalk it up to being uninformed. It's too bad that aspect of the review brings down the overall review timbre. Hopefully following reviews will be more optimistic. I CANT WAIT for my upcoming cruise.

I think this is what the reviewer was refering to. The reviewer must be used to the mega-ships.

I think this is what the reviewer was refering to. The reviewer must be used to the mega-ships.

That's not from the 1930s nor is it a speedboat. Just rhe normal WS tender/lifeboat!!

I believe this is what the OP was describing, taken from the USA Today article. Quite different from the othe WS tenders.

That's not from the 1930s nor is it a speedboat. Just rhe normal WS tender/lifeboat!!

The photo is of the larger "catamaran" type tender/lifeboat that larger ships use. Note the twin hulls. Likely more stable at the ship's platform than the v- hull tender MTJtraveler shows. But the v-hull is way cooler looking ;)

I agree with those who said that sometimes people haven't done their homework regarding Windstar cruises.

I remember one review from a year or so ago, where the individual complained that the Windstar brochure showed a photo with beautiful lavender fields. They booked the cruise; but then while on the cruise found out the lavender fields were no longer in bloom!!! You would think if your entire reason for booking a particular cruise was to see lavender in Provence, you would at least check to see when they are in bloom.

Also, it seems in reviews that those people who found something not to their liking are the ones who post a review so that they can complain. Nothing wrong with this, they might help someone else out who would also not be happy on Windstar. However, many of us on this forum who have great experiences and believe in Windstar tend to not post reviews - I am including myself in this since I only posted reviews for two of my five cruises.

So, I would encourage everyone to post a review of their cruise. The good and the bad. After all, very few trips, whether a cruise or on land, is perfect. For me the important thing is how problems that crop up are handled. My few, minor problems on Windstar have always been taken care of to my complete satisfaction!

You're the type of person I love sailing with! with the attitude most tall-ship passengers tend to have.:)

There is now another review of the Star Breeze also commenting on the tenders

The itinerary was great, Portofino,and St Tropez were favourites, but, the most disappointing part of our week was that every port except Monoco were tendered. We could have forgiven that had the tenders been of a satisfactory standard, however they were both (when they used 2) very old, unsafe and frankly horrible,

I'm anxious to hear more.

Yes the picture of the tender from JTtraveler is what StarBreeze used during our cruise from Monaco to Rome May 25th.

I too am perplexed by some of the negative reviews on StarBreeze. Not sure what people are expecting. I feel like we travel and fair amount and stay in nicer accommodations... Four Seasons and American Express Fine hotels and resorts when available. I had read tons of reviews and seen plenty of negative reviews about the first sister ship StarPride. I also followed the updates on StarBreeze reno. I knew that this would be an older yacht with updated interiors. I really cannot think of anything that was disappointing once we were on the ship. We loved StarBreeze, the crew and our entire experience!

We were all waiting for a review on the Star Breeze and I found the one written by BocaEvRay to be perplexing for some of the criticisms, in my opinion, were not fair. I have sailed my entire life and understand ports, seas, the beauty and wonderment of the sea and at the same time the challenges and the respect that needs to be given to the sea. Small ports are that, small ports, they do not have the capacity to dock a 440 ft. Small ship, so tendering is necessary. Like the Caribbean and Tahiti, we love small ports but for the most part that means tendering. Those boats are lifeboats used as tenders or tenders used as lifeboats, they are not speed boats. Motors yes, speed no. Given the ship I do not know how a catamaran could fit on such a small ship in the space allocated. So the ship/company to be cited for that does not seem right. A bit of research on the part of a passenger is recommended. I for one would not like Monte Carlo, it has nothing to do with the company, I adore Ciinque Terre etc. The Mediterranean can be rough especially in the spring and fall. We expect the North Sea and the English Channel to be rough on the Tall Ship cruise, if I could not handle rough seas I would not go and that is not the fault of the company, tenders rock and roll! Ships have stabilizers. We are tendering in Amsterdam and thought we were docking, that is seamanship, it always changes and we as passengers have roll with it, not the fault of the company. Of the 16 times I have sailed with WS the crews have been 100% on the side of safety I am sorry for the person who injured their arm but if the seas were choppy everyone is at risk, you are on the water. I am sorry WS was given a C+ on the new ship for the criticisms did not seem to be the fault of the company or reflect the hard work of the crew or the effort and beauty of this redo. Happy Sailing. Susanne

Apologies for saying this, but it seems to me that you are not perplexed but from your response you simply disagree with the review based on your past experience with Windstar. Everyone has different experiences and expectations, so I don't think it is a big deal that a new review of a newly acquired ship will have some positive and some constructive reviews.

If you look at the USA Today article "Firstlook:Windstar Cruises'new Star Breeze" May 7 article it does reference two classic wood-lined tender vessels. They do look very different than the typical tenders. They could create issues on and off the tender in rough seas.

Going through the pictures from that article, it has this shot of one of the tinders .... not exactly a speed boat! But not quite like the typical life boat.

Going through the pictures from that article, it has this shot of one of the tinders .... not exactly a speed boat! But not quite like the typical life boat.

 

Looks just like the tender we had on Seabourn Spirit a few years back. Most definitely not from the '30s. More like 1980's fiberglass. They can be very fast when conditions allow. At least compared to most plodding tenders. :D

Jimbo, were the seats tightly spaced like on many lifeboats, or can a big lug like me or yourself sit with knees straight out in front? The Regent tenders were aweful in that regard, I usually stood if possible.

Returned from Star Legend Gaelic Explorers cruise last Saturday. The photos shown above are accurate of the tenders on the Legend. They seat 24 very comfortably. Middle aisle with seating for two along each side. I felt they were much more comfortable than the lifeboats typically used for tendering - and felt the tenders themselves were very safe.

However, having said that, the tender crews were very undertrained. We, also, tendered frequently and in two of the ports it was very rough. We have tendered in rough seas on past cruises and always felt that the crew handled it in a very safe manner. This time - not so much. On past cruises, it was stressed during muster about the proper handhold with the crew (forearm to forearm) when transferring to and from the tender. On this cruise nothing was mentioned during muster and the crew did not do that hold even under the extremely rocky conditions. In fact, when I tried to perform the proper hold, they pulled back and just grabbed my hand.

The crew also seemed to lack training in maneuvering and securing the tenders. More than once, the tenders slammed (and I mean SLAMMED) into the docks and/or ship tender platform. And this would happen after multiple attempts to get in position. Yes, it was rough - but not that rough!! We've encountered worse in the Caribbean. And, of course, there was also a grazing of a yacht in one port - the owner was not happy.

Another couple we became friends with during the cruise did end up speaking with the captain about it. He said they were aware of the problem and would be addressing it. However, I was a little disappointed with Windstar that this training had not already taken place. It definitely was a safety issue, especially for some of the passengers who were not as mobile.

I am letting others know what we encountered on our cruise and believe that Windstar will get this under control.

I will be writing a full review of our cruise in the future. I am awaiting the return of my camera which I left in our rental car at our last port of Invergordon. I'm just thankful that they found it - I thought it was gone forever along with the photos of our entire trip!

Hi Susanne and Tom, looking forward for your review. My husband came across your email to me ( think it was you) and for some very strange reason it was in my junk mail which I never read and delete, obviously something strange happened and I fell badly I did not respond. Here us my address again sstlulu@gmail.com. I hope you had a great trip despite the tenders. We are taking the 12/5 repositioning Phillipsburg to Colon, Panama. He wants to try the yachts. It was ridiculously cheap! We are off in 3 weeks for the tall ships cruise, can't wait.

Too bad about the tender training, the English and North Sea can be rough first and really only time I ever got sea sick back when I was 21. We will be in the North Sea again, I am prepared.

WS certainly does not need more poor performance reviews, perhaps they should have had longer training.

Again, can't wait for the review and hope the trip was great. Susanne

Just as an FYI along the lines of tendering from the small cruise ships ...

My husband and I will be taking the Star Breeze on its Spanish itineraries. I called Windstar and they told me that all ports of call are berthed.

I was very glad to hear that because my husband does have some mobility issues.

Yet another review up that is perplexing! This time for the Wind Surf where evidently they did not research what the cruise entailed and then blamed Windstar when it didn't meet their requirements. From the review:

Windstar is the only ship that we have sailed to date that did not offer complimentary wine with dinner. Even Windjammer served wine with dinner--not the greatest wine, but wine. We were ever so surprised when we were asked to sign a charge for our wine with dinner.

Susanne (strenz), I sent you an email - did you receive it this time?

Hi Suzanne, thanks wrote you back. Agree with you, if you travel you have to take responsibility for your decisions and research, read etc. Glad you had a nice time. Susanne

While I agree that it is important to research and read ahead of time ... and I do a LOT of that ... I can still understand being surprised.

In this particular case with Windstar and the tenders, I would never have guessed that a small ship such as Star Breeze would have itineraries where most POC are tendered.

This is the first time we'll be sailing with Windstar. I know on the itineraries I receive from lines like Princess and HAL it very clearly states which ports are tendered. So looking at my Windstar itinerary I didn't know if no ports are tendered or it is just something they don't designate.

So I was taken quite by surprise by the info in the referenced review and followed that up with my phone call to Windstar. If I didn't read CC, I would never have known. And I know a lot of cruisers don't have a clue about this forum. (I keep education people as we travel. :))

"If they expect perfection and a snooty atmosphere, well they can try Sb or SS."

I am sorry you had a bad experience with Seabourn and SilverSeas. We have 10 cruises between the two and have never experienced a snooty atmosphere. We have experienced perfection. Give them another try.

Self-removed to save the moderator's time :-)

 

In this particular case with Windstar and the tenders, I would never have guessed that a small ship such as Star Breeze would have itineraries where most POC are tendered.

Tendering is one of the nice things about Windstar. There is normally not a long line to get on the tender. In addition, when they tender they are, for the most part, able to put down the sports deck. If you are docked, they normally can not do that.