LTC Dan

I was pleased to see that some of the Summer and Fall 2019 Wind Surf itineraries are listed on the website now. My big question is this: Where in the world will our flagship be after March 30th for nearly 3 months? If anyone is hearing any insider tips from staff while onboard, clue us in!

We know this for sure -- last Caribbean sailing is a 7-night trip on 3/23/2019 from St. Maarten. We also know there happens to be a 7-night Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Barcelona on 6/22/2019. An intriguing twelve-week gap in between, to be sure.

Part of that gap, obviously, is a 2-week transatlantic journey. And maybe there could be a dry dock thrown in. But still, I can't help but wonder what will happen for the remaining time in the late Spring/early Summer.

Here's some idle guessing, nothing more than wishful thinking at this point -- some British Isles and Scandinavia sailings??? I WOULD LOVE THAT!

Also, for those who love extra-long cruise packages, get this -- Wind Surf has a 51-night "Star Collector: Grand Mediterranean" offering on the Wind Surf, commencing July 7th in Lisbon and ending on August 27th in Barcelona. Wow!

Of course, surely they'll break up that massive cruse feast into bite-sized appetizers for those of us who can't splurge on a $19,999 package.

Another, lesser mystery -- what will Wind Surf do for the rest of the Fall? Two of the Rome-Barcelona and Barcelona-Rome options have been released, but that's all.

Don't you guys love speculating and dreaming?

Hello all. My deepest sympathies to everyone that has suffered loss during these natural disasters. First of all, we're all appalled by the catastrophic property losses, economic devastation, injuries, and deaths that happened on these Caribbean islands. My heart aches for those people. The native citizens that live there year-around have pain and suffering we can't even imagine.

I'm also mindful that may of you fellow Windstar travelers have incurred lots of headaches and financial losses of your own. Some of us can take hits like this better than others. (We aren't so well-heeled, and save up for a cruise over the course of several seasons. Anything not covered by trip insurance would be a real blow.)

SB44 said something that I found useful: "Lesson learned for us is that we will start booking only last minute sales instead of paying a year in advance and then not be able to get our cash back". I've always been leery of sailing in the Caribbean in November and December, and for me I always had nagging concerns about how fragile these islands are, and what could happen to a large swath of the region if a monster hurricane swept through. And now my worst nightmare came to pass, twice. For me, it underscored the wisdom of looking for late-booking bargains. Previously, we have always waited until the end of any storm season before booking a cruise (even if that limits the selection). Now, we will surely avoid the temptation of an early booking. Last minute works for us.

So, now we've seen two Cat 5 hurricanes in one season. Who could have imagined that? Windstar is having to re-group after seeing several of their itineraries completely ruined. As Strenz put it, "....WS has made lemonade from those horrible lemons, 2 hurricanes". So as annoyed as we might be with their customer service at times, I can't imagine the stress for all concerned at Windstar headquarters. We want our beloved favorite cruise line to survive, so I hope they recover their own financial losses soon enough. Rest assured, they are reeling from all this, having to make customers "whole again", reassuring those that have already booked and are on the verge of bailing out, and trying to fill up empty cabins for the long recovery months ahead.

For those of you that are disappointed with the re-vamped itineraries, especially when they are so different from what you imagined, hopefully you'll get enough offsetting credits or perks to make up for it -- or the chance to re-book later when the itineraries are completely restored. Complete money-back refunds? I think you're expecting too much from the cruise line for things that are beyond their control.

LTC Dan, I live in Mass. the NE cold! I have sailed my entire life in the N.Atlantic. I need heat! We love the Surf best. While we totally enjoyed Breeze it is the sails that we love. I love someone else sailing, no coming about, no galley cooking, no responsibilities..... been there done that. Over! Let me just enjoy the sail. I have met sb44 we have met on two cruisex and we have become great email pen pals. I also met 2lovetocruise, they have a summer house on Cape Cod where live. I find CC fun. I do learn a lot. I love the Caribbean for vacations I relax the very best and sleep the best, I love Europe cruises for my soul and trips. I am deeply interested in art, history, food culture and opera. My 12% DNA Italian is my dominant culture. It is who I am. Happy Sailing, let us not stop. Happy Sailing.

Good for you, Strenz! We will stay in touch, and hopefully our network of friends will expand over time. I'm a landscape architect in NC (sole proprietor), and you can always reach me at my home office by typing arclanddesigns and then type @gmail.com. Also, the wife is also a less frequent Cruise Critic contributor, but if you feel the need to contact us in general, our joint address is less lengthy -- type curlydano2005, and then type @aol.com.

Bummer about Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and St. Barts. I wonder if Windstar will be forced to make adjustments on upcoming 2017-18 Caribbean itineraries. The entire trips don't need to be scrapped (especially Wind Star's November circuits in the lower Lesser Antilles), but I think Wind Surf's routing is problematic. Yachtman's Caribbean, especially, since it spends so much time on the northern islands. I think the Classic Caribbean is almost okay as-is, but perhaps they could originate from Barbados instead?

On second thought, all the logistics and customer dealings would be turned upside down, not to mention the ship's port call reservations, etc. What a nightmare for the company, and the customers would scream at the air transportation issues.

One way or another, the leadership at Windstar is going to have to reassure booking customers that; a) flights going and coming can reliably continue as before, and b) the ship can berth at a decent docking facility to take on passengers and supplies. And if local hotels are devastated, a lot of Windstar customers will ask to cancel or re-book later if they had planned to stay a few days in Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. What a mess!

Oh it was my pleasure, Strenz. Yes, it would be fun to meet on WS. I think next up on our bucket list will be something taking in Dublin. We want to see Ireland. The only thing I insist upon is that we want to try one of the sailing ships next. I'm sure a Wind Surf sailing would suit me just fine, and their are a few options that work. Later on, maybe a return to the Mediterranean. The Sicilian Splendors (10 nights) would be so interesting. I guess that's the one you want to do, right, since it includes Malta?

That b2b in January in the Caribbean will be loads of fun. Enjoy your trip!

The neat thing about Cruise Critic is realizing how similar we all seem to be, and nodding with approval when someone mentions something fun we've all experienced. I also like seeing so many frequent contributors pop up with regularity. In addition to you, I'd have to mention 6rugrats, milepig, Pudgesmom, ducklite, sb44, dandee 2, Ski Mom 2, SMNYCruise, and one person we've actually met, flygirl12. That was a fluke. My dw and I were taking our place at dinner the first night, and out of the blue the lady to my left asked me if I was a contributor on Cruise Cruise. What a pleasant surprise!!! We all became friends, and shared Facebook addresses to keep in touch socially.

The Roll Call method is one way to discover someone else that will be on an upcoming cruise and exchange specific tips. But it's not very efficient. In posting a new thread, you might or might not encourage other couples to join you on excursions or whatever. Alas, on that cruise last fall I'm sure there were many Cruise Critic participants on board, but no way to know. [short of standing on the dining room table, banging a spoon on my glass, clearing my throat really loud, and bellowing, "Raise your hands please if you use Cruise Critic! I want to meet you!"]

I wish there was a more convenience way to facilitate meeting some new Cruise Critic friends.

LTC Dan:

 

What are the key things to see/do in Venice that make it your #2 port?

Ah, one more thing I'd like to mention to theadventuregal.

I might get teased for saying this, but I've been an avid collector of art-quality masks much of my adult life. Most people realize that Venice is well-known for its kitschy souvenirs and overpriced trinkets. And at the top of that list, many people find the masks of Venice to be extremely expensive, repetitious, and not worth the cost/trouble to have them shipped home. And most of what I've seen in Venice is exactly that.

If masks are your kind of thing (or even if they aren't, but you like the idea of having one fantastic piece of wall decoration for a keepsake), I have one shop I'd recommend. Ca' Macana (Calle Botteghe, Dorsoduro 1) is a wonderful place where artisans make masks on the spot, and you can sign up for a class where you can paint and decorate the shell of a mask yourself.

I find this gem of a place to be an authentic representation of all kinds of mask styles. I prefer highly unique, collector-quality pieces, and this may be the one place in Venice with enough variety to satisfy most people.

I can't even begin to describe how to find the shop -- I accidentally walked right by it on my way back to the ship. But look it up on Trip Advisor if this appeals to you. It ranks no. 3 out of 302 shopping venues they rated in Venice.

LTC Dan:

 

What are the key things to see/do in Venice that make it your #2 port?

Hi, theadventuregal. Strenz is such a good travel guide and frequent contributor -- really hope to encounter this Cruise Critic personality one day. I completely agree with last night's comments, and can't really add much more.

The big thing to remember is that Venice can be an overcrowded nightmare at times, and that is especially true in the summer when most families take vacations, countless jet-setting travelers fly in from all over the globe, and several massive mega-cruise ships offload thousands of people at once. But it can be an utterly magical place, and in my opinion these fleeting moments happen at dawn or late in the evening. The alleyways are practically deserted then, and even Saint Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge can be quiet.

I've been there at least four times, maybe five (starting to lose count). On my last trip, I arrived at the famous footbridge spanning the canal, Ponte dell'Accademia, as the sun came up. It was the only time I've ever been there when it wasn't crawling with tourists. A thick fog rolled in shortly afterwards, and the sunny plazas and bright alleyways took on a mysterious, but deeply romantic quality.

This is the Venice you should seek out.

You didn't say if you were looking at a sailing ship or one of the motor yachts. They may be a little bit different.

Thanks to rafinmd for the nice listing of daily itineraries, both while "in port" or on "sea days".

I agree with everything said so far. Our friend rafinmd is also quite right about the key differences between the sailing vessels and the motorized yachts. I've only been on one Windstar cruise so far, on the WS Star Breeze, so keep this in mind about the motorized yachts -- the suites are huge. I found it to be a big improvement over what the large cruise ships typically offer, unless you fork out major bucks for a large cabin.

If you decide to take advantage of Windstar, just consider the things that are most important for you. None of the fleet's ships will offer big-time entertainment, but they all will impress with the food offerings and personal service. You won't get "razzle dazzle" amped-up craziness, pool parties and belly flop competitions, and lots of people to meet and greet (and stand in long lines with at the buffet). You will get peace and quiet, and moments just being alone with each other. Big ports alongside other huge ships? Probably not. Small, out-of-the-way destinations? Oh yes.

If Windstar sounds good to you for that sexy, romantic honeymoon, prepare to have a low-stress, good time. Decide if you want the sails or the big suite, because that'll be your last decision when you select the ship.

Hello again, Strenz. You are so right about Venice. I love the city so much that I've been there four times. If you can arrange a trip in the early Spring or Fall the crowds aren't too bad. But even during "off-season" you have to pick and choose your times to wander around.

When we were there on September 30 - October 1 (overnight on the Star Breeze), it was amazing what a few hours difference could mean. On the first day I wandered through a maze of back alleys in the evening, and there were times when I was very nearly alone. The next morning I stepped off the ship promptly at 6:00 a.m. I immediately went to Saint Marks Square, and there were literally no more than a dozen people milling around. Three were in a wedding photo shoot -- a cute Asian couple and a photographer.

A heavy fog rolled in, and a welcoming sense of mystery and solitude took over for a brief time. And then, gradually and inevitably, the crowds arrived.

When we sailed away from Venice late in the afternoon, the Star Breeze quietly glided by Saint Marks Square. To my astonishment, every inch of the plaza seemed stuffed with people. I'm not exaggerating, I believe there were 10,000 people in the square.

We chose the Star Breeze's 9-night itinerary over the Wind Surf's 8-night version for many reasons. But one big reason was the ability to remain overnight and see Venice during quieter hours. (We could have stayed in a local hotel and accomplished the same thing, but ouch, $$$$$).

I absolutely agree with you. The beauty of Venice happens to be the back alleys, the unexplored nooks, the quiet places of refuge never mentioned in the tour books. I found a couple places I want to visit again next time.

I just read an interesting article in the news section on a subject we all know too much about: "From the Bridge: What's the Answer to Cruise Tourist Gridlock?"

I think most Windstar fans would agree, we certainly have an advantage here. Our fleet of small ships tend to visit a lot of quiet ports in out-of-the-way locales. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's pretty tough to enjoy being in a port at the same time with 10,000 to 20,000 other cruise passengers.

I took it a step further when the DW and I took a cruise to the Adriatic last year. We knew we wanted to visit Venice, Dubrovnik, and Kotor for sure, and anything else would be gravy. But all three of these bucket list locales can be buried with traffic in the summer. So I did a deep dive and researched off-season itineraries, and crossed out any options that would have multiple mega ships in port when we visited those three locations.

It can be done. We found a trip in early October -- still wonderful weather, no hoards of tourists everywhere 24/7, and got off the boat during times when less people were out and about. Kotor was especially nice.

I'm sure you guys have some horror stories, though.

Strenz, that was EXACTLY the kind of thorough answer I wanted to hear. Good job! I'm sold on the virtue of a westbound sailing.

This year, the Wind Surf's November 5th itinerary calls for a 13-night sailing from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Saint Maarten, so if I wanted to take in Lisbon I'd have to book the October 28th trip from Lisbon to Tenerife, another 8 nights. Hmmm. Rather than spending money for that B2B cruise we could spend more time on the front and back ends on land. I'd especially like a few days post-cruise in Saint Maarten.

Or, how about this? Sailing on the Wind Star's October 28th itinerary directly from Lisbon to Barbados? With a couple days beforehand in Lisbon and several more afterwards in Bridgetown....yes, I like that idea a lot.

It's all good, any way you slice this.

I've always been intrigued by the notion of doing a transatlantic crossing on one of the sailing vessels, probably Wind Surf. I've always wondered what weather patterns would be most prevalent.

All other things being equal, I think I'd want to sail when the conditions were most enjoyable. So which one seems to be more pleasant -- April (heading east) or November (heading back west)?

Well, heck, travelberlin. My post was truncated, entirely beyond my control. Crud. Here is the rest of what I said:

Easy to imagine Venetian nobles in their tri-corner hats, capes, and masks as they round the corner, coming home after an all-night masquerade ball.

I got up early like that when we had our cruise in late September. When I got to Saint Mark's Square, there were literally a dozen people, including a happy oriental couple and a professional photographer taking wedding pictures. Later in the day, when our ship glided past Saint Mark's Square on the way out of port, there were 10,000 tourists jamming every nook and cranny. So do yourself a favor and go early or go late to beat the traffic.

Hi travelberlin:

Boarding in Venice will probably happen around 1:00 to 2:00 at the earliest on day one. You can board any time thereafter on the first day, or even the second day if you must. I'd try to board as early as you can, get signed up for dining at Candles, unpack/settle in, and then wander the city after dinner when the crowds have subsided. And even more fun: get up early (just before dawn), and walk through the alleys and get lost. As one previous writer so aptly said, "pray for fog". It wraps the entire basin in a mysterious shroud, and the utterly quiet buildings, bridges, and alleys take on a 16th/17th century charm. Easy to imagine Venetian nobles in their tri

Oh travelberlin, I forgot to answer the other part of your question as best as I could. The Venice port terminal will almost surely be the smaller San Basilio quay. Smaller vessles like Windstar's motorized yachts (Breeze, Pride, and Legend) or the tall-masted Wind Surf and Wind Star just slide in alongside the dock and tie up. The huge main terminal at Marittima Basin is used almost exclusively by the giant cruise ships. If you are departing from Venice, make sure to splurge and pay Windstar for a shuttle from the airport. It's a good long hike from the Marittima gate to San Basilo, and on anything other than a perfect day you'll get pretty sweaty.

I can't say what the terminal is in Athens. That was our final port of call, so it didn't matter to us a bit. Again, we paid for a shuttle to the hotel. Very convenient.

One final tip. Others may disagree, but we found the city of Athens to be rather dumpy, and we were not amused by the air traffic controllers strike that upended our travel schedule for a day. The unions tend to have strikes really often in Greece. I wouldn't dare use Athens as a departure port, because a last-minute strike could prevent you from reaching the ship in time. We were so perturbed by the strike that we vowed to steer clear of Athens entirely in the future.

I have a bit of cognitive dissonance making that stance -- The Greeks we met were very nice and the old historic ruins at the Acropolis are bucket list things for any architecture and culture buffs. But one just can't deny that the Greek economy is in shambles these days, so you should decide for yourself whether this itinerary is really for you. (Hint: from the benefit of hindsight, I'd say the "Classic Italy & Dalmatian Coast" itinerary (Venice to Rome, or Rome to Venice ) is probably superior. But other folks can let you know for sure.)

Hi travelberlin:

The Venetian Passageways itinerary features mostly dockside tie-ups as well as a few tender operations. The larger ports all allowed tie-up at the pier. Other than Venice and Athens, that also included Kotor, Katakolon, Itea and Nafplio. We tendered into Hvar, and since it was a rainy day it wasn't all that much fun. Dubrovnik has a pier up the coast, I believe, but the Star Breeze parked close to the old town and we tendered in. Didn't take long. Your cruise will now have Corfu in lieu of Sarande (the port for Butrint), so maybe someone else can tell you about that. Sarande had a nice port, and I'm pretty sure Corfu does as well.

 

The site now lists the transatlantic crossing from Iceland to NYC @ $4,999, and the New England cruises for $3,999 or $4,999, depending on the length.

Oops, correction on the last part of that sentence. The New England offers start at $2,999 or $3,999, depending on the length of the cruise itineraries.

The site pricing glitches have apparently been fixed. (A shame, just for fun I wanted to see a cruise listed for $100,000,000. That would have made for a really funny screenshot.) :p

The site now lists the transatlantic crossing from Iceland to NYC @ $4,999, and the New England cruises for $3,999 or $4,999, depending on the length. The transatlantic one may fall quite a bit closer to sailing time, because repositioning cruises often do. Then again, that's one really unique repositioning cruise, with a lot of nice ports at the tail end.

Bravo, Windstar!! The only way I'd see these being any better would be if one of the tall-masted ships could have navigated that far into the St. Lawrence (which they can't).

mexicobob, I love this forum, glad to help. Here's the thing. Windstar has typically run this itinerary several times from May through October, and I thin kthe key to an enjoyable booking is to look for the best weather and the smallest competing crowds. May is really good, because the vacationers haven't descended on the ports yet. Late September /early October is also fantastic for the same reason; by then tourist season is winding down. And the weather in May and late September/early October is unbelievable -- not too hot, and not too cool and rainy. Don't wait until late October, because the Mediterranean has some wicked windy, rainy weather that comes up from the Sahara in waves.

I'll cling to the hope that acquiring Club Med 2 is at least remotely possible. If the president wants it to be so, let it be so!

I am so pleased with these developments! Misty Morning, fun news. The only way it would be better would be if Wind Surf made a port call in New York City and along the New England coast in leaf season. Alas, twas never meant to be!

 

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Good news. Had dinner tonight with an officer on Star Legend who confirmed Windstar would be doing a Montreal to New York itinerary with embarkation in NY and Montreal in fall of 2018. Ports would likely include Quebec City, Prince Edward Island, Halifax, Bar Harbor. It will either be Breeze or Pride. He also said the Legend would be going to South America after Alaska and down to Antarctica. Wow

I am so pleased with these developments! Misty Morning, fun news. The only was it would be better would be if Wind Surf made a port call in New York City and along the New England coast in leaf season. Alas, twas never meant to be!

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Thanks for the review. Could you comment about on board entertainment, in particular, after dinner? Thank you.

We thought the entertainment was fine, but nobody really goes on a WS cruise to hear the bands. There were two duos that performed, and can't recall their names.

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It occurs to me me that Oceania has a number of good itineraries in that region, and they tend to be competitively priced.

Very cool, as usual! Strenz, I will definitely be in touch if we pull up he trigger and do any sort of St. Lawrence Seaway trip. I've been wanting to do that in connection with the fall leaf season for a long time!

Hi Strenz. Really liked your Paul Harvey "The Rest of the Story". I've heard the acquisition barriers from other sources, too, so I guess the dream of acquiring Club Med 2 will remain just that, a dream. Bummer. I hadn't heard about US ports being so much of a hassle that Windstar gave up using them. That really limits the market options a lot.

If Windstar never adds the St. Lawrence Seaway and the New England coast to the catalog, then I'll use another cruise line to fulfill that bucket list item.