A couple of quick questions before 11/30 Wind Surf

I will be on my first Windstar cruise next Wednesday on Wind Surf's nine night sailing and I'm starting to get a little excited! However I have a few questions which I should get on CC right now because with work, entertaining at my house for Thanksgiving, and helping out my mother who is recovering from a broken hip, I'm getting ready to be slammed between now and Tuesday when I leave for St. Maarten.

On all of my previous cruises with other line I've taken a ton of dollar bills and tipped a few dollars for room service and extra for bartenders with each drink. Is it common to do the same on Windstar ships?

I've heard that shade on deck is hard to come by on Wind Surf. Any tips on where to find some shade for a lounge chair for reading on deck?

I read somewhere that you may take two bottles of wine on board for sailings of seven days and three bottles for more than seven days BUT for the life of me I can't find where I read that information. I intend to buy bottles in Philipsburg when I arrive. Anybody?

I've always had a balcony in the past which I used to dry my swimsuits and maybe my cover-up. How do you dry those things inside your cabin?

And lastly, my flight home doesn't leave until late afternoon. I don't want to do the day pass thing and get hot and sandy for my day long flights. Are there any decent bars and/or restaurants in the St. Maarten airport to spend some time? I haven't used that airport before but some of the ones I have used in the Caribbean are not very well equipped with those things....to say the least.

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice!!!

Payment for bar items go on your room Key/charge card and they add tip on automatically. You can add more if you wish. Tips for room stewards go on at the end of your cruise but you could certainly leave extra each day if you wish. The crew works very hard and are all so nice and friendly. One of the joys of Wind Star is they will know your name by day two!

Shade: This would depend upon which direction you're heading and time of day. Just wander a bit and you'll find a nice cozy spot!

We took on two bottles of wine on the Classic Caribbean last January.

They have a system of clotheslines you pull out in the shower where we hung up things to dry over night.

We went to the Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House after we disembarked in Philipsburg. They held our luggage (I had prearranged this) while we shopped and then we had a delightful lunch there on their outdoor patio before they called us a cab for our late afternoon flight home.

Hope this helps. Have a great time!

This will be our second Windstar trip. We hung wet clothes on the shower line. I tipped for drinks, even though tips are (according to others) included in the price, it feels good to leave some tips and I think it resulted in higher volume shots. We go back to a hotel after the cruise, but I'm also trying to figure out how to spend the day before hotel check-in time. Probably drop our luggage there and hang at the pool and beach, or taxi around. Hope to meet you on the boat!

Eric and Christine

ALCOHOL ON BOARD POLICY

For voyages of 7 or fewer days guests may bring 2 bottles of wine or champagne per stateroom or suite for their enjoyment on board. For voyages of 8 or more days, guests may bring 3 bottles per stateroom or suite. All additional alcohol, including those bottles purchased at ports of call along the cruise route, will be kept by the ship’s purser and delivered to your room the last evening of the voyage. Guests may consume the outside beverages in the dining room, but a small corkage fee will be applied to the guest's onboard account.

http://www.windstarcruises.com/voyage-plan/faqs/#Alcohol