realproperty

ours was the windsurf at San Basilio so watch your ticket.

one more thing, the Windstar docks at the San Basilio pier, not the main cruise terminal so don't go to the main terminal or you will be in the wrong place. I didn't look at our ticket to see the pier name and went to the main terminal figuring there was transportation to the ship which I saw a bit away from the main terminal. Had to backtrack which was complicated. The easiest way to get to the pier is water taxi or vaporetto which stops nearby. If you have heavy luggage, take a water taxi since you have a couple of bridges to deal with to walk to the pier. Otherwise, nothing stressful about embarkation, don't rush to get there since there is little to do on the ship in the afternoon before the ship sails other than booking Candles but that is no big deal either. Other tips: we did Dubrovnik Walks, and found great small group tours from Walks of Italy in both Rome and Venice.

Of course, the ship is great. No food pictures or other nonsense from me. It is really about the ports.We did not do any ship excursions but those who did seemed happy. Some raves came from the wine tours and the truffle tasting tours. Some the ship's tours were pricey and involved getting on buses or vans and we were not interested in shlepping around. Rovinj is a small city and is easy to walk around. The highlight is climbing the hill to the tower and climbing the tower for the view. Lots of little shops to poke around in and a nice place for a quiet lunch. In Split, we went on line and for 45 euros each (of two) we got a private guide and tour. The highlight is the Diocletian palace. We found that the cost of the private tour wasn't much more than the ship's tour with a whole lot more people. Our guide also took us to the synagogue and gave us a bit of a Jewish perspective on the brutality of Diocletian. After lunch, we climbed the Marjan? hill for the view and the old Jewish cemetery. In Dubrovnik, we hooked up with Dubrovnik Walks which you can find on line for a 12 euro per person tour. It meets outside the Pila Gate at 10 am and whoever shows, goes. In the afternoon, we walked the wall. Even in May there were lots of people in Dubrovnik, lots of bus tours and we were the only ship in Port. Cannot imagine the place with a big cruise ship in port or into the summer. Would be like a mall before Chrsitmas. By the way, no great shopping in any of the Croatian ports so unless you like junky souvenirs, don't allocate time to that. Kotor is very small and the highlight is the trip through the fjord. We disembarked and headed straight for the ramparts and up to the top. A very good hike if you are in shape--wear sensible shoes. Great grilled fish lunch in the town. Messina is all about Taormina, and we hired a guide to take us there with 6 others. Nice views but basically a shopping street with high end shops mostly and an ancient ruin. Our guide took us up the hill to Castelmolo for lunch and that was a good option--quiet, authentic, not touristic. Capri was fine, been there, a bit of a snore, high end shopping and nice views. We did not explore for better views.

Ship tenders in most ports and no hassles, no lines and very easy. Swim deck was open but water was too cold for swimming. Private guides gave us a nice overview of the history and the recent history as well which was different from the news we seemed to get that it was religious based. Typical Windstar--understated, pretty good food, very nice people on staff and among the guests. It is a good cruise. Our weather could have been a bit warmer but they say the east side of the Adriatic is cooler than Venice and Rome. Expect lots of crowds. Venice was packed (as usual) with tourists, even in early May and Rome was as well. There are lots of tourists in the cities in Croatia, many on land tours, so if you are looking for some space, maybe look into some of the ship's excursions to get away from the crowds. Otherwise, be prepared for it. It is Europe inthe summer time. Have fun.

Rialto and San Marco areas are packed with people and will be even crazier in June. We just returned and spent 4 days at Ca Pisani (pronounce Kah), which is a boutique hotel (35 4 star rooms) in the Dorsoduro section of Venice near the Guggenheim museum. What is great is location, away from the main walking and congregating routes, but 3 minutes to the Accademia vaporetto on the grand canal and 3 minutes to the Zattere vaporetto on the other side. Close to good restaurants that are less focussed on the tourists than at Rialto or San Marco. 10 minute walk to San Marco and high end shopping, 15 to Rialto and pretty quiet at night. Great staff, warm welcome, great breakfast included. There are tons of boutique hotels around, you just have to find one. My advice, find a travel agent who knows Venice and I mean knows it and has been there. Our travel agent told us about a Ca Pisani (she gave us 3 or 4 choices and then we investigated and chose this one but on line, all were comparable and well located. ) Staying at a Hilton, Westin, etc in Venice seems almost sacreligious. Why go to Venice and stay in a North American hotel? Defats the purpose, don'tcha think? Go local.

Because there is so little in Kotor. Just off a cruise and the whole thing about Kotor seems to be the scenery on the way in and the way out. The beautiful fjord. And it is beautiful, wake up early in the morning to cruise into the port. There is little in town to really see and there is no shopping to speak of. If you are in shape, when you get off the ship in the morning, head straight for the ramparts and climb up as high as you can go. It costs a few euros. It is not an easy walk, the ground and steps are uneven, take some water, wear good running shoes, not sandals or heaven forbid, flip flops and if you can, go to the top. It will take about 75-90 minutes with stops for photos and to catch your breath and it takes 35 minutes or so to come down. But the views are quite spectacular. After the hike, find a restaurant off of the main square for some fresh grilled fish. By the time you get to Kotor, you will be tired of pizza and pasta and this was one of the few places where our ship stopped that had fresh Mediterranean bream. Then just wander around. I heard no one raving about the ships tours.

Someone told me about Dubrovnik Walks, no reservations or deposits required, just show up before 10 am outside the Pile (pronounced Peela) gate at the big Skybar sign and pay 12 euros and they take you through the town for 2 hours. We did it instead of opting for the more expensive and larger group ship excursion and were very pleased. (We were a group of 10.) They have other itineraries as well and other times but this was perfect for us. We walked the wall in the afternoon, after lunch. Dubrovnik, even in May was very crowded and there were no big ships on port. I cannot imagine it in high season with a few ships in port. Oh, yes I can--the shopping mall just before Christmas.

in my view. Just back from 8 days Venice to Rome and spent $45 getting laundry done for socks, underwear, a couple of polos, shirts and tees and some khakis. Would probably have had to be doing laundry daily and not bringing much clothing to run up $108 in laundry. My wife did her stuff (you might call them delicates??) in the room. Check the price list in your room before you sign on for the laundry package.

as for how late to board, we have boarded virtually at departure time due to a late flight arrival in Saint Maarten and the ship has waited for later arrivals if they know there is a winter storm and where people are coming from. If the ship is close to the city, check in and then go wandering back into town. Check in is really informal and fast--remember, there aren't 3000 people to organize. Certainly, 2 hours before departure is plenty in my opinion. We are doing Venice to Rome in a few weeks and between sitting on the ship for a few hours waiting for it to leave and wandering Venice, I will take Venice. We will probably dump the bags and then enjoy our last tastes of Venice.

Forgive me, I am not anti-children, I have my own and grand kids too. And yes, I have certainly seen teens and even younger ones on my Windstar cruises but it is still different. No kid focussed activities, arcades, pool games, discos, (do they still call them that?), jockeying for positions at meals or for deck chairs. From what I have seen, the kids adapt well to the different pace and the expectations of them. And I suspect that the parents know their kids well enough to know if they are suited to a Windstar style cruise.

It is not like the big ships. no huge rush to get on the ship and there really isn't that much to explore. If you are sailing from Stockholm, enjoy Stockholm a little more or check in and then enjoy the city a few more hours. The one thing you have to appreciate is the pace--no lining up, no rushing to buffets, no big shows, no crowds, no need to save seats, no kids, no noisy pool games, no big lineups to get off the ship, no parades of people on tours, no bus badges, no shopping lectures, no gold by the inch sales, no pushing drinks. You will check in early anyway but you will see what I mean for the next time. And there will definitely be a next time.

We did Tahiti a few years ago on what was then the Tahitian Princess about 600 passengers. First, these islands are seriously remote, not only relative to Australia, Hawaii and the Western Hemisphere but they are not that close to one another. The only city is Tahiti, the rest are islands with villages, no shopping to speak of (thankfully) unless you want to be black pearls, which seems to be the only thing worth buying and they are sold everywhere so know your prices before you go. There are no beaches to speak of or at least no sand beaches. These are lava islands so they are rocky. Everwonder why all those bungalows on the water--because there are no really good beaches to hang out on or to swim from. Activities are mostly water based, snorkeling, snorkeling and snorkeling. Bring your own mask and snorkel so you don't get bad equipment and bring good water shoes. Flip flops are not good for walking on rough rocky beaches and you may even want them when swimming. Unless you are a water person and you have great weather, you may find it all very quiet, even too quiet after the noise and the commercialization and the sand beaches of the Caribbean. Watch your time of year since you can get hit with lots of rain in the wrong season. The islands are beautiful, other than scenery, there is not much to do other than enjoy the water and be with someone you love to be with.

we took a day room at the Westin. Quick cab from the port and easy from there to the airport. Very civilized-pool, lunch by the ocear, good shower and off to the airport.

I have done both and each is great. What you have to appreciate is that Windsurf is totally different from the big ships. Don't bother with excursions unless you need a snorkel trip, plan on spending days at the beach, wandering a town briefly and just relaxing. Plan on spending time swimming off the swim deck. No need to rush to meals, or book meals. And buffets are civilized, not food jamming experiences like on the big ships. No big shopping experiences and the ship isn't interested in duty free ports, art auctions, photo nights, etc. All very adult. Plan on walking or taking a cab to a beach and that is the life on Windsurf. Our favourites--Des Saints, Jost van Dyke for beaches. We took a day room at the Marriott in Bass Terre, and you can do the same at the Westin in St. Maarten. Took a cab to Turner beach in Falmouth. The Baths in Virgin Gorda was the only tour we took because it is not easily accessible. Like I say, and it is hard to understand after the big ships but slow down. No need to grab cots on the deck, get it lines, endure loud music at the pool, etc. As for sea sick, take a kid's Gravol to settle yourself if you really feel the need but the only time it affected my wife was one sea day when it was rocking a bit. Otherwise, no problem. Yes there is a casino--small but it will give you a fix if you need it. Enjoy it and if you do one this year, you will do the other next time. You will be back.

We got off the ship, looked at the boats in the harbor and took a cab to Turner Beach. The driver also offered to pick us up at 230 and take us back to the ship. Turner Beach was fine, a mediocre place to eat lunch and around noon, a couple of buses, probably from a big ship came in and crowded the place. We were happy to go back to the ship, and enjoy the swim deck. Best beach on that cruise was Jost Van Dyke. Turner Beach was OK.

We are on the Venice to Rome cruise in May and are looking for helpful tips, particularly about the ports. We have been to Dubrovnik and walked the walls, had a great lunch and that was a delight. What about the other ports? Are there any standout ship excursions to take, is it easy to rent bicycles, or a car and is there anywhere outside of the port town that is a must see. We are early 60's, very active, energetic and not fans of bus tours unless it is the only way to get someplace worthwhile and in an efficient manner. We look forward to your ideas, tips, things to avoid, etc., while we do our own research as well. Thanks.

is probably one of the highlights of a Windstar cruise. At least on Windsurf, the ship usually anchors in the harbor (some aren't even harbours, more like sailing anchorages) and out go the water rafts and then, you really do think you are on your own private yacht. We often had enough of the beaches by early afternoon and then off to the swim deck. Enjoy.

our Windstar ship docks in Marigot on the French side. Are there car rentals at that port?

They are governed by the position of the moon and the moon is in a different position at the same time every day rather than like the sun which is sort of in the same position at the same time every day. You want to get complicated--search for tide tables for Raiatea for the day you are going to be there. Or on the other hand, just do it at the time of day you want to do it and take a chance. By the way, the coral garden was probably the best of the excursions we took there. We have snorkeled lots of places and the fish are no great shakes in the south pacific but to see all that coral in literally an underwater garden was pretty cool.

of nonsense I ever read. Where do you think you are going, on a self guided safari in the jungle? You are going on a first rate cruise, like going to a first rate hotel. If you actually need any of this stuff and the likelihood is highly remote, you can always buy it or ask for it.

Pack like you were going to a good hotel and don't believe this nonsense.

you may be right or else only a few people are really interested. We shall see.

This is a thread I started on the Princess board that others felt was worth sharing with those who don't follow that board. It started out over how one does passover on a cruise and moved on from there. My thread was about going to Shabbat services on a cruise and went like this.

We were very surprised on a first cruise a few years ago that RCL had a Shabbat service. We and the families we travelled with met another 60 or 70 fellow Jews and enjoyed a wonderful experience. Before the service someone volunteered to lead, told us who he was, where he was from and then everyone introduced themselves the same way. The service was a reform style which was very inclusive, candles were blessed and kiddush was said. Everyone seemed happier for attending.

So, do you go and what kind of experiences have you had? And when you are taking excursions, do you seek out Jewish sites. Our experiences in Istanbul, Rhodes, Rome, Florence, Athens, St. Petersberg, etc. including Jewish sites among our shore excursions have been very worthwhile.

So, if you have things to share about your travels that may be of interest to others, here is a place to put them. I will come back and add some travel details if this thread catches on.