Star Breeze August 31st check-in/lunch, etc.

Venetian Passageway

This will be our first experience on Windstar and we are a bit frustrated about the lack of pre-cruise information. As Europeans we cannot get a brochure or book online but have to go through a TA who also has no direct contact with Windstar.

We have registered on the website but the information we get is that we have "no upcoming voyage" on Windstar.

We have written several e-mails and get no replies that make sense.

However in the meantime we got some eDoc confirming our reservation. Absolutely NOTHING on this document tells us more than what we already knew. It says that the pre-cruise hotel is booked in Athens, that the transfer to the ship is also booked, etc.

However ---- transfer at what time?

Check-in is as of 1pm and last onboard at 4pm. Will there be a possibility to get some lunch onboard or what?

We have booked separately a post-cruise hotel in Venice and paid for a boat-taxi transfer from the vessel to the hotel - again - no voucher for this and no time of transfer.

Our TA tells us not to worry - everything will be fine once in Athens and once onboard!

However, this lack of information makes us feel bad even before starting the cruise. Our only experience up till now was two cruises on Oceania and just ALL information was received beforehand and could be checked online.

Here - all you get is some printed piece of paper with a reservation number and information that you know about at the time of booking but just NOTHING more - we just could have typed it and printed it ourselves!

Can someone familiar with Windstar cruises re-assure me that this is all normal and that there is nothing to worry about?

Welcome to Windstar Lemailu! Once on board all these concerns will vanish...promise. I can't speak to the Athens transfers as I haven't ever used Windstars transfers but I can tell you your debarkation transfers will be given to you while on board. I'd imagine your Athens hotel will have information for you once you arrive.

You will be able to eat a light lunch when you get on board. No going hungry!

I too am frustrated by Windstar's communication skills. They even are poor here in the States. My TA however is able to get any questions answered for me, yours should be able to communicate with Windstar. Their website is slow, cumbersome and is not at all intuitive.

But, I concur with your TA, it will all be fine once onboard. Hope this helps in some small way.

I have never used a TA when booking a cruise on Wind Star. I have always called them directly and spoken to them direct. Have you tried this? I've even called and gotten a reduction in price when my cruise dropped its price (although we were more than 120 days out). Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

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I am in Australia and like you, became very frustrated with the lack of information before our cruise. I could not access the website, sent emails, no reply, no contact in Australia etc but I did use a TA. Fortunately he did manage to get paper preregistration forms which I filled in and he faxed them!

I had no idea what time transfer to the ship was but when I checked into the hotel (which I had booked through WS) all of the information was there. It went smoothly and the cruise was wonderful, but I spent many sleepless nights beforehand, wondering if that would be the case.

We have the pre-cruise hotel and transfer package too. We received our vouchers for both in the mail the other day and there's a note on the transfer voucher that the pick-up time will be given to us by the hotel.

Thank you all. I feel re-assured.

I never thought about calling them because of the time difference and the cost as it might have been a lengthy conversation.....I am a bit slow in speaking and making myself understood in English and frankly --- e-mails are just so easy.

Anyway, I just hope for the best and will post a review in due time.

We have registered on the website but the information we get is that we have "no upcoming voyage" on Windstar.

We have written several e-mails and get no replies that make sense.

This happens all the time - when I login using "my windstar" on the top bar I sometimes first get lines for journeys in the past, sometimes lines for things I'm not booked on, sometimes multiple lines for my current itin, and sometimes nothing at all.

However - once logged in there is a "my voyages" option over on the left-hand bar. Clicking there always brings up my current itinerary.

Windstar is not known for their cutting edge IT.