Barrycat

We just got off the Spirit and although we used the normal configuration I could clearly feel a split between the two halves. Also the table on the outside wall could be lowered apparently to let the bed to be split.

Pirokop is correct. This is on Windstar website today, a recent change.

Windstar requires guests to arrive at the pier with a negative COVID-19 test result in hand. Windstar also accepts medically observed telemedicine tests. 
 

Regent as well as a few of the bigger lines no longer requires testing results prior to boarding.

Not sure if I think that is a good idea but my guess is that Windstar will be looking at it.

Babr

You might not have wanted the FCC “in the first place” but that’s what you signed on for when you booked the cruise. Granted the cruise itself is what you hoped for but things don’t always work out the way we hope, especially now, but a well informed consumer should be aware of the well publicized aspects, and it is well publicized, of any agreement they sign on to.

One month to receive the FCC seems reasonable, the cash in my experience will be on the way. Whatever, it could have been a Crystal booking

Windstar has offered a 5% discount on b2b cruises for years. I checked with them about two months ago and at that point they confirmed that it was still policy albeit Soto vocal.

Just got this from Air Tahiti Nui. Great news

Vaccinated travelers are no longer required to present a negative Antigen or RT-PCR test prior to departure to Tahiti. 
 

I’m not involved but we were booked on the SanDiego to Puerto Vallarta portion of this Breeze series but cancelled but still interested.

Passenger currently on the Breeze in Cabo was just informed that the rest of that cruise to San Diego and the following up to Vancouver have been cancelled and they have been asked to disembark half way through the scheduled itinerary.

A few passengers were infected on the way down and now it’s the crew.

Everyone’s opinion is right on this subject, it is all a matter of personal preference.

We have been on multiple Windstar sailing ships over the years in Tahiti and in the Mediterranean. We have also been on all of the motor yachts in the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia as well as Greece. Our next planned trip is this summer on the Spirit out of Tahiti.

Each trip has been magical and always making us anxious to come back for more.
I have always been a sailor and the sailing ships  hold some interest but the added cabin room and the additional facilities on the motor yachts is an increasing draw.

Although this summer will be our second Tahiti Windstar cruise, both on sailing yachts, I will consider a third helping when the Breeze returns to the islands, it’s a great ship and after all, your in Tahiti

Susisan

Same demographic maybe, same preference not really ? When did Oceania add sailboats?

On 10/23/2021 at 7:38 AM, Barrycat said:

After lots of Windstar cruises I have never worn a tie.

You could go either way with the sport coat on a European cruise but leave it at home in the Caribbean or Tahiti

Spain is now one of the countries where independent touring is allowed by Windstar. 

We’ve stayed at he Grand Bretagne, a great experience to do once. We also stayed at the St George Lycabettus and was not impressed and would not return. Last visit we tried the Electra Palace in the Plaka. Great location, nice rooms, pool in basement and roof. When we go back, this will be our choice.

Check out the information on this subject on he Windstar Roll Call site

She should be allowed. The Venice limit  is 25,000 tons, the Surf is less than 15,000

It looks like the first four cruises introducing the new Legend have been cancelled. It was scheduled to start in London September 4 and now the first scheduled cruise is on September 27 from Lisbon. Unfortunately another tough start for Windstar.

In the previous post I misstated the detail on the CDC level 4. It is not specifically do not travel but rather COVID risk very high. That’s the same to me but I wanted to clarify.

CDC guidance by county

Current list of countries listed by the CDC as Level 4, do not travel, added St Martin and Greece yesterday and include BVI, US Virgin Islands, Martinique, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and most of the EU coastal countries including the UK. All primarily due to the spread of the Delta variant. All problems for Windstar sadly

As it turned out the UK lost it’s lead position as our greatest concern about this trip. pour plan was  to go directly from the airport to the ship by entering London as in transit passengers. We would then avoid the quarantine and second day shot requirements. Today’s announcement just makes spending a bit of time enjoying London prior to embarkation a possibility. Since we recently cancelled this cruise this is interesting but academic to us. Besides the excursion requirements, the necessary mask requirements and the recent Delta variant surge in the countries we were scheduled to visit, the possibility of contacting the virus despite full vaccination concerned us. The possibility of flunking one of the many required tests during the cruise, despite no symptoms, and facing the local quarantine requirements probably turned out to be the final nail that caused us to cancel.

We are sorry but safe and we look forward to already booked Windstar cruises in the future.
 

For us there are just too many questions/negatives about these two cruises to go ahead with them. Despite the great itinerary combo which I don’t see repeated in the next eighteen months and all of the perks Windstar has included, the danger of flunking one of the required tests and quarantining is just too great.

Windstar has six ships sailing 52 weeks a year. We should be able to find something among those 300 plus itineraries that gets us excited. If not there are other cruise lines but hopefully it doesn’t come to that, we love Windstar

Mocamps

You may be taking our place on the London start. With all of the other concerns we have about this cruise, now I’m dreading the possibility of flunking one of the many COVID tests despite being fully vaccinated. I’m confident we wouldn’t be really sick but being denied boarding on any of the flights or the ship or shore excursions would be a nightmare. 

No choice, book WS excursions or stay on board. We booked for about half of the days on board but that is one of the negatives about this cruise which may cause us to cancel. We would only transit in the UK so we should be ok boarding but the Delta in Portugal and Spain is a concern. Conflicted

Thanks Mocamps. Passengers on the Caribbean sailings said that Amphora was seldom used since the ship was at half capacity. That’s about the case on my cruise so hopefully that will not be the determining factor for Amphora openings.

We have long London/Athens cruise scheduled for September and an equally long list of questions and reservations about Windstar’s ability to manage all of the aspects of port calls in six different countries. We just got a promotional email assuring us that Windstar is aware of the current complexity of this Mediterranean itinerary and that they are working on dealing with the issues involved with each country and port. Let’s hope.

Besides the various countries entry issue, the restricted excursion issue, the mask issue, and the cost issue, now there is a new potential problem. Part of the Windstar email states

will you have to wear a mask? Probably - mask policies may change according to evolving guidance and to meet a destination’s requirements. Will it mean a bit more dining alfresco? So much the better. We have every confidence you’ll be able to enjoy the same pleasures of a Windstar Cruises vacation that you would in any other year. 

Dining alfresco sounds like code for “sorry but Amphora is closed”. Apparently the main dining room was seldom open for dinner on current Caribbean cruises and I’m afraid the Windstar is setting the stage for the same on our cruise. Ending the day with a cocktail and an elegant dinner is an integral part of our enjoyment of a cruise. Candles is ok but I don’t want to be forced to dine at one of the new, more casual, Star Legend restaurants all 28 nights. Not a big deal to some, and maybe alfresco in the Caribbean on a seven day cruise might  be fun but for us this may be the final straw for that poor camel.

Not only is the ability to enter the UK a bit involved but I checked the entry requirements for France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Morocco. Many of the countries on the itinerary have fairly liberal policies for Americans coming from America. Where it gets complicated is when you have been in another country, not the US, prior to entering the country in question. Some require PCR or antigen tests not longer than 72 hours prior to arrival in the case of PCR tests. The test you needed to get on the plane to London probably doesn’t apply, it was too long ago.

I wish I was more comfortable with believing that Windstar is on top of all of these requirements and has figured out how to comply. Their experience in the Caribbean is not very encouraging. That was simple, get the crew vaccinated, gaining entry to seven different countries in Europe is not so simple. 
Only viewing the Barcelona skyline from the deck of the Legend is not my idea of the ideal way to experience Barcelona

Here is some information about transiting through the UK. It appears that entry is allowed if you follow this procedure. On July 19 the UK plans to go to Plan #4 which hopefully will relax restrictions.

FROM U K WEBSITE

Transiting through England

There are different rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Passing through an airport in England while on the way to another country is called ‘transiting’. Some travellers call it a ‘layover’.

There are 2 types of transiting:

• ‘airside’ - you do not pass through UK border control before you leave on your connecting journey
• ‘landside’ - you do pass through UK border control, but come back through it and leave the UK within a short amount of time (usually 24 hours)

Before travel to England

If you will be transiting through England, you need to do the following before you travel:

• take a COVID-19 test
• complete the passenger locator form

If you will be transiting landside through England, (including to the Crown Dependencies), you need to do the following when you complete your passenger locator form.

• select ‘Stay in the UK’ under the Your travel plans section
• reply ‘I will be travelling for an exempt reason’ to the question about whether you are required to self-isolate on arrival
• select the Exemption options, and then select ‘Transit Exemption’

Note, you should be prepared to provide evidence at the border of your onward journey and your stay in the Crown Dependencies.

When you transit through England

You do not need to quarantine on arrival or take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and day 8 if you are transiting airside or landside to a country outside of the Common Travel Area or, from 4am 29 June, to one of the Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands or Isle of Man).

If you are transiting landside, you must be entering England for the sole purposes of continuing a journey to a country outside of the Common Travel Area or to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

You must either:

• remain within your port of entry until your departure from England, or
• travel directly from your port of entry to another port of departure in England