HaveDogWillTravel

@oakridger thanks! and wow! This doesn’t seem like a charter!

Thanks @Ski Mom 2for sharing your experience. @mwike. I book my airfare the minute it comes out as I’ve found that business class lie flat seats have the best prices and selection early. So I am also very curious if WS has cancelled after airfare was available to purchase and if so how did they handle the expense the passenger would have faced. Of course I have travel insurance but it would be one less thing I have to do if WS took care of any change fees.

I’m really enjoying your posts thanks for taking time to do this! We are on the Wind Spirit at the end of October Rome to Barcelona Med Island Medley. So while that sailing doesn’t take us to Marseille, our Oceania Vista sailing in the beginning of the month Barcelona to Rome does. It’s our first time to this region and debated exploring Marseille or venturing out and decided there was enough to see in Marseille that we’d stay local. I’m good for about 6-7 miles of walking (hills & uneven ground are of no issue). I read that bus 60 will take you up to Notre Dame cathedral. Did you by any chance use that? Are there taxis or Ubers as an alternative? Thanks in advance😀

Thanks for posting this. I’m new to WS and have the 17 day Twice the Tahiti booked for 2026. (As well as 2 others before that). It had not occurred to me that this could happen but I guess it makes sense that with such small ships charters would happen. I would really be interested in other folks experiences with this. A year in advance is horrible and the options seem fair enough (but still incredibly disappointing to have to change plans). But has WS ever done this closer to sailing I wonder?

I have a rule….if I can’t get up to get my drink I don’t get to have one. I really hated it before that rule was implemented and I’d stand up and immediately face plant. Gots to keep tabs on how drunk I’m getting.

A729 & Panama Canal in January.

The corner suite.

Given the mobility issues be aware that the corner aloha suite balcony is bi level. There’s a step down just after the corner. The side deck usability is complete up to which way the wind is blowing. It is very, very rare that the aft facing balcony is windy. On slow scenic cruising days or port days you can easily use the side balcony but you’ll probably get far more use out of the aft facing. I’ll try and post pictures. @Crystabelwe went over my Birthday Jan 8, 2017. Its was very hot.

We did an Alaskan cruise in the corner suite A727 with the wrap around deck in 2016. We sailed in the middle aft facing suite A729 for the Panama Canal cruise in 2017. We sailed 14 days for the North and South bound Voyage of the Glaciers cruise in A729 again in 2018. We visited the Lido deck cabins as well. We did not like how narrow the Lido deck cabins were and the room layout on the Lido corner suites was awkward and chopped up. We loved the full wrap around balcony on the Aloha corner suite for the scenic cruising days in Alaska. However having to access the wind free aft deck by braving the very cold and very windy side deck while under sail was a deal breaker for us. That is why we only booked A729 (A728 would have been identical) for our next sailings. This is the best bang for the buck full suite. Being a vista suite puts it at a nice price point and the deck is the largest S6 in the fleet. @cactusroseyou are correct, the Panama sailing is extremely hot. While we did have views out the back door we still wanted to be on the balcony. It was just amazing to be directly above the locks looking down at them. I worried we didn’t have side views when I booked but it turned out that didn’t matter to us. Like Alaska when sailing Panama you just need to be out on all decks for awhile. The Island has a great promenade in the shade for side and forward viewing. Once the locks are closing behind the ship you can go back to the cabin and watch it. I wrapped a wet bath towel around my shoulders to stay cool. And yes you have to just not care that the Lido deck people can see you. Our Lido deck neighbors were very nice. That’s how we got to visit those cabins.

I really hope she turns things around. I’m on for 13 days starting March 31 (in suites). I really abhor complaining. I hate spending any energy on it. That said I will go up the ladder as needed and ask for whatever issue I’m having to be taken care of. But if it doesn’t happen I just move on. After my less than experience in the Grand Suite on Diamond last year if this sailing is also less than I’ll save my suite money for other lines and stick to balconies on Princess. It looks like you had a great time regardless, but I am sorry Princess fell so short on this sailing for you. Thanks for all the great posts!

Email me. It’s in my signature

Maybe on the eclipse cruise you can join me and Adam in the sky suite and we will order that. 8

@Steelers0854 great review. Thank you taking the time to write it. Like you I’ve decided to branch out and have sailed Oceania and Windstar last year. I like O but fell in love with WS. Both lines have better food than Princess but WS wins hands down over O. Both of these lines have the same all included feel as VV with just a few exceptions. Room service menus are quite extensive in both with no room service charges. They both also include fresh pressed juices and specialty coffees. Both lines don’t care how much wine, beer or booze you carry on. I don’t know if VV has such a lenient policy or not. That’s something I’d have to look into if I booked them. O has one night where the captain buys all the drinks for a couple of hours and O has two 2 for 1 happy hours daily. WS has a captains reception where they serve free drinks and WS had a 5 star white glove dinner in the ruins of Ephesus with all wine included. While kids are not excluded on either line I didn’t see any. I really don’t think WS (O for that matter) is a line that would attract them as there is literally nothing onboard for them to do. Unless they like to do what adults do. WS star has no casino and the sad lonely aft deck smoking area never got used. WS just doesn’t seem like a good fit for smokers. Neither of those lines includes gratuities I have looked at VV but their itineraries didn’t excite me at the time. I’ll keep them on my radar and if they offer something interesting to me I’ll certainly consider it. I have 3 WS, 2 O and 3 Princess sailings booked thru 2026. I think in general folks who have sailed mostly on one line are branching out and trying new lines. It’s a good thing. Thanks again for a great perspective on VV.

Thank you. I appreciate the answer.

@HBCcruiserthanks for the great live from. I saw your suite was stocked with glassware. Are those wine glasses the nice thin lipped kind by any chance?

Oh that’s not good.

Agreed. We had a little bit of a change to our itinerary from the map they provided us at the beginning. But once we got back on schedule that helped as it gave the times we were to be in each area. Yes I think it should have been in the patter and on journey view. I had such a jaw dropping good time. I used google maps to see where the little blue dot was. But we did have to be proactive in making sure we knew how early to set our alarm. And sometimes we had to stay up late.

I was on the sailing before this in December. The captain told us the timing of where we’d be and when during his noon announcement. As we were usually in MDR having lunch we heard it clearly.

I was able to book a specific bungalow I went to the excursion desk and asked for the one I wanted. Otherwise they just assign them in order. If you rent a bungalow you are taken on the first tenders as it is considered a ship shore excursion. I have posted a ton of pictures of all the bungalows along with the map that’s on shore on another Bungalow thread on CC. it was my favorite day of our 19 day LA to NYC sailing last Sept.

Bring a magnet and put it on the outside of your door. Ask your steward to put notices there. I use a 65 pound one that will hold multiple pages.

Thanks for a great report! I am also intrigued by what would cause that shaking of the ship. Glad you’re home safe and sound.

Either they had a limited number or I just had a lazy steward. He really was marginal at best. I was on the 34 day sailing just before yours LA to BA Dec 1 to Jan 4, 2024 and was told they ran out. I asked on day one of the cruise. Since the cruise before us was a long South Pacific sailing there weren’t too many b2b folks. I’ve asked for and had kettles provided on the Emerald and the Diamond in 2023. If my steward tells me no again I’m going to ask for the room supervisor and let them tell me no.

You’re welcome. Thank you for letting me know I appreciate the feedback. We added a sailing on Wind Spirit Oct 27 Rome to Barcelona this year. I am nervous and excited at the same time. Long ago (1975) I sailed a 131 ft tall ship, Brigantine Enchantress’ when it first launched out of Port Jefferson harbor Long Island. My brother and boyfriend helped build her so I was invited to that first sailing. It was amazing. Sailing in Long Island Sound is a far cry from the Med. And the Spirit will be much bigger. The Spirit sailing is part of a 7 week land sea adventure and I am uncertain what access I will have to internet. I do plan on a live from if possible.

I’m not familiar with them. But I just booked with TAP from SFO to Barcelona adding a 3 night stopover in Lisbon for this fall. Business class lie flat seats for $6000 RT booked as two one ways. They have good reviews and the plane is an a330 airbus if I recall.

No one from Cruise Critic did that. This cruise was always billed as TSE. But there is somebody claiming credit for changing our eclipse day from being in port in Mazatlan (center line ) to at sea. Not everyone agrees that is a plus. I was in La Paz January 2023 and thought it was very nice. We grabbed a cab into town and arranged for the same cab to bring us back. It was a posted fixed rate. We felt it was reasonably priced. We really loved the art museum in town and would definitely go back. ‘Loreto is my favorite Mexican port. Very charming town. These are pictures of La Paz