Barrycat

We are in the same situation and equally unhappy but the “why” is obvious. Windstar is now in possession of six months of deposits for the cancelled cruises and they want to maintain possession for as long as possible while accepting some customer displeasure such as ours.

Windstar is playing games. We just got our “postponed” itinerary and like 3kidslater, it is an unacceptable replacement for our original itinerary. Obviously WS wants us to cancel so that they can start with a clean slate one year later. Our original plan had a week sailing around the UAE, a priority for us, their new proposal starts in Muscat and skips the UAE completely. They also propose a round trip between Aqaba and Jeddah with repeat visits to a number of ports. Four days in Sharm, no thanks. Our original itinerary is pretty much available with b2b combinations. If WS really wanted us to reschedule for 2025 they would have proposed these b2bs, guess not. Playing games for sure, disappointed I also noted that the new western Med itineraries for the Legend which were posted last week have now disappeared

I agree with Rosroz. Realizing the complexity of completely changing the five months of weekly itineraries on such short notice, it’s a shame that WS couldn’t have come up with something more appealing than these much visited ports in 50 and 60 degree, if lucky, weather. My guess is that the prices will be low to entice other than hardy cruisers to sign on. Our original sail date was not until February 2024 and maybe WS is working on rescheduling in chronological order, but Chris said the new invoices would come out in a week or so, nothing yet. Have others started to receive the rescheduled information yet?

SKITRIPS Without getting too involved in the details and seeming that you were able to avoid cancellation charges for both airlines and hotels, I’m curious why you don’t just cancel and rebook on the $1500 cheaper cruise. That assumes that those two stops less are not key to your decision. We are in a similar situation but originally scheduled for February 2024. Assuming their offer would be for the most similar replacement, some ports have been eliminated in what I assume will be their option. We will need to wait to see their offer and then decide but this went from a four month away cruise to a sixteen month away cruise.

We just got the following from Windstar. Somewhat confusing regarding how they will reschedule but it appears that our 26 day itinerary has been cancelled. I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I must convey some important news regarding our inaugural Middle East cruise season, which was scheduled to begin on November 23, 2023. Due to the current environment and the evolving circumstances in the region, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this season until the fall of 2024.

We just left the Electra Palace last week. Second time there, great location, great pool, decent breakfast. We would recommend

When this happened to us it was because only one space was left on the excursion

The CDC inspects ships twice a year to rate the ship’s sanitation practices. The results for 2023 show the Pride with a score of 90 disturbingly close to a failing grade of 85. The Pride does call at Boston occasionally so I assume that fact makes it subject to the CDC inspection. I can’t think of another Windstar ship that calls at a U S port and therefore inspected by the CDC, but my hope is that the problems found on the Pride were Pride specific and don’t reflect a lack of focus fleet wide.

What they are thinking is let’s do something maybe a little more interesting than the same islands in the Caribbean one more time, Athens to Venice, or let’s try Venice to Athens just to mix it up, how about Iceland, Iceland, or let’s try Iceland. We have been to Dubai twice and we find it a fascinating spot and we plan to return and encourage our friends to do so as well.

Late in checking back in to CC but wanted to leave a comment. We were on the Breeze in January for 39 days in what WS considered three segments. The first segment was full and we didn’t like it. At breakfast the Veranda was full with every table except for a few of the new addition add ons taken. The tables are tightly spaced and it was uncomfortable. At dinner the staff was stressed and despite their best efforts it showed. The excursion manager was always frazzled and often did not seem to be in control. The hotel manager who generally strolls around to chat with passenger and solicit comments was seen on deck twice in 39 days. The captain was the least visible on our 15 WS cruises. As always the non officer crew was wonderful despite the added workload. In the later segments as the passenger list thinned, the non officer crew shined as usual.

We are now 12 days in to an extended cruise on the Breeze from Auckland to Bali and I wanted to share some initial impressions of the expanded ship considering that we have sailed on all Windstar ships excluding the Surf. We like: The redone suites especially the bathrooms. I’m not wild about the bed next to window placement but my wife is so there. The new in room audio visual system is terrific, loads of information and entertainment. The new Star Grill is a good addition. I don’t see it so much as a grilling speciality venue but rather just another restaurant. As always, the staff is terrific and working harder than ever. The food in Amphora is consistently good, not great, good. We like the new pool setup, and the spa facilities are great, especially the free ones. What we don’t like: This ship is full, apparently every cabin is booked so these may be negatives specific to this situation. We have 100 additional passengers as a result of the stretching however The Yacht Club, the Lounge and the Compass Rose are no larger than they were. Amphora is minimally larger as is The Veranda. Despite the new dining venues, Amphora and The Veranda are much tighter than they were and the staff seems perpetually rushed and rattled in both. We were not thrilled with the environment of the Spanish restaurant. It had kind of a contrived layout probably because it was shoved in to the space of the old shop. We thought the food was good. Not sure if the crew guest ratio has changed or the fact that the crew has 100 new faces to remember, maybe both, but my wife feels that the crew is a bit less likely to greet you by name than in the past. Still great but maybe a bit less smiley. Still glad we are on board and enjoying the experience but we may pay more attention to how many fellow passengers are booked before we make the final payment in the future, and… there are always the sailing ships.

I just received the following from Chris Prelog. It says nothing about needing a Covid shot to board in Auckland. Case settled. Please review important entry details below: · The Government of Australia has specific requirements cruise lines are required to follow and include: o Vaccination status of passengers must be verified during the booking process. § We have created a link for you to submit your proof of vaccination – https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/6864400c374a47a9a0dc651daa6606bf . Please upload a photograph of your proof of vaccination by no later than January 5, 2023. Failure to provide your proof of vaccination may result in denied boarding. o At the cruise terminal prior to embarkation, guests will be required to provide proof of an initial completed vaccine course (one or two shots, depending on the brand) finished at least 14 days prior to the guest's embarkation date. o A health screening will be administered at the pier on the day of embarkation. o The Governments of New Zealand and Australia also strongly recommend that all passengers have the seasonal influenza vaccination, when available. Guests going ashore must adhere to our Beyond Ordinary Care plan and local sanitation guidelines. Details will be provided daily onboard in Destination talks held in the evening lounge. · We aim to execute the itinerary as scheduled but are subject to ever-changing requirements, which may or may not allow us to call at all scheduled ports. · Please visit the Health & Safety page on our website for the latest information on all of our Beyond Ordinary Care protocols. We look forward to welcoming you aboard. Best regards,

This was posted by the department of health in October 2022. Some cruise lines are requiring a test but two representatives of Windstar assured me that Windstar is not. I can understand Nearpost’s concern. My guess is that this was just another critical information screwup by Windstar. You do not need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to meet Australia's travel requirements. Some countries, airlines and vessel operators may require a pre-departure test result at check-in before you can board your flight or ship.Oct 14, 2022 https://www.health.gov.au › internat... International travel and COVID-19 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

We are on the full tour from 1/10 in Auckland to 2/17 in Benoa. At this point based on the research I have done and the information I have received, I don’t think any kind of test results are required at embarkation. Additionally, proof of vaccination will be required at embarkation but I’m not aware that Windstar is requiring that it be uploaded prior to embarkation. Is this incorrect and if so based on what? Thanks

In October the U S Embassy confirmed that travelers to Indonesia are required to have downloaded and are using the PeduliLindungi Covid tracking app. This is probably the most consistently defective app I have ever used and it doesn’t even deserve the two star rating it has received but apparently the Indonesian authorities don’t care and according to the embassy it is required. HOWEVER, a friend of mine just returned from Bali and he said that he dowloaded the app before he arrived in Indonesia but was never asked about it by officials when he was there. It looks like a “just in case” situation to me

Despite two calls to “customer service” at Windstar, they have yet to correct the misinformation on the website that a pre embarkation Covid test is required for Australia. They acknowledge that this information is incorrect but their response is that they don’t control the website, they actually said that. This misinformation impacts the cruise from Auckland next month which first ports in Australia on January 23 in Tasmania. The Windstar information that visas are required in both New Zealand and Australia is correct but they didn’t mention that a visa on arrival will be required for Indonesia or one can be ordered on line for $33

This is turning out to be a less attractive addition to our previous segment, Auckland to Cairns. Windstar made some recent port changes, the cynical view would guess poor planning on the original ports , which left us with the new additions of Darwin, Kupang and Ende. Windstar doesn’t have any excursions on any of the three and Kupang and Ende have no “things to do” tours on Trip Advisor, rare. Im stumped so if anyone on this on this segment found something worthwhile at any of these ports please share. Windstars excursion at Komodo National Park is a ridiculous $399. I’ve booked one for $70 excluding pink beach. If interested post a response here.

Not only convenience but safety, it’s Egypt after all. Our bus had an armed guard on board who was with us at every stop. Also as previously mentioned Windstar had an extra bus in our caravan in case one broke down, one did.

We have done a version of this cruise twice, Dubai to Athens and Athens to Singapore. The first time the Luxor trip was included, all tours in Luxor as well as a night a great Hilton with riverside dinner we’re all part of the package, magical. The second opportunity cost was $400 and we passed, a mistake. Not much to do in Safaga. However you get to Luxor, do it. Windstar has gotten pricy and there are a number of private tour options at a much lower price but I think Windstar will do it right and safely

We did the 18 day itinerary in August and it was great. At the Intercontinental we stayed in the overwater #508 an loved it. Newer and in a great location. Post cruise while the Hilton and IC were ridiculous for a day room we went to the Le Tahiti by Pearl. Not cheap but better than spending the day at the airport waiting for our night flight. There was a lot of correspondence regarding snorkeling excursions on this site prior to our august cruise many authored by Petunia. She was very helpful. Go back to those pages, June, July, for pointers

A little more than three months before the start of this fabulous itinerary. We are on for 39 days but this is a multi segment cruise with lots of choices short of the full itinerary we chose. A post has been started on the Breeze roll call page for this cruise. If you are booked or considering it, take a look and post. There are plenty of opportunities to share thoughts with others about excursions, both Windstar and outside vendors, possible flight opportunities and some must see places along the way

Just a couple of observations - It should be no surprise that Mykonos and Santorini were crowded in mid September -My guess is that any Greek island cruise that doesn’t include those two islands would be a gamble for a cruise line. -In my experience, with a bit of research there are some little known worthwhile sites and things to do even on these very popular islands. Unfortunately with the major cruise lines ordering new and bigger ships at a rapid pace boutique cruise lines like Windstar are going to have to work harder to find the kind of destinations that makes them unique.

Smiling at you and making your bed is not above and beyond obviously that’s what’s covered by your $29 regular fee You compare above and beyond to exceptional service I disagree Above and beyond service is nice exceptional service is that service which deserves the extra tip This is become an exceptionally silly conversation though

You answered your own question Marinaro 44, exceptional is above and beyond, it’s simple

We just returned from 21fabulous days in FP, eighteenth on WS. $29 per day automatically charged is what we consider thanks for the good service we expect. We tipped three others, a great room guy, a waiter who took care of us and the maitre de. All service was good, theirs was exceptional