Misty Morning

They typically have other beers such as Carlsberg, Stella, Corona, plus some local beers at times. Also if you have a favorite and it's available in port, if you ask, they sometimes can pick it up and stock it in their bar. I've seen that done and most of the time they are also not too picky if you bring back wine onboard (beer not so much however)

Maybe but it's pretty banged up, but you don't see it after a while. I like the old configuration better. The lighting in the new cabins is also much brighter than the old cabins

Has anyone heard if any changes have been made to these itineraries given the recent developments in Israel?

Thanks Flygod for bringing the Welfare Fund to everyone's attention. We will make sure to contribute to it in the future

See you then and be careful with the remnants of Tropical Storm Philippe coming your way,,,don't go swimming!! lol

Funny that you mention that you went swimming today, my wife did the same at the lake (we live on a lake northwest of Quebec City) and the water was still close to 20C. Looks like our summer is now slipping into September and even October, climate change at work. We are Pierre & Nathalie and we will likely be easy to spot as the only Francophones on board. Santé

Thanks Strenz for your info. Look forward to bump into you in January. Just like you we love the Windsurf itineraries in the Caribbean. Total relaxation. Very much looking forward to get back on our favorite island Anguilla which has now become a regular stop on the Yachtmans Caribbean. À bientôt

Strenz, did you find the ship crowded i.e. Yacht Club, bars, restaurants, when weather was less cooperative?

We reached the 4 star on our last cruise last February. The 4 star perks will only start on our next cruise in January as you only get them after you have reached the threshold not when you reach it.

I am also looking at this itinerary which I find interesting but would likely do it from Barbados to Panama given the prevailing winds blow from east to west

They still have individual sized bottles on the sailing ships. Only the Star Ships have the dispensers and the scent is not the same

I noticed that too. Looks like 2023 is the last year for Alaska. I guess that after sailing 6 years, they felt their clientele was looking for something else. Will be interesting to see how they do with their new Middle Eastern itineraries to which they have committed 2 winter seasons in 2024 and 2025 and are really pushing hard. They also have 2 ships committed to Greece so still lots of demand for those itineraries. Will have to do Alaska with another line.

I have never been in a Bridge Suite but one of the things I remembered is that they were located next to doors that were used by people to go to elevator and these shut loudly in the wind. It was less noisy this past March when we were on but I thought I wouldn’t like to have paid that kind of money to be in the middle of the traffic as that entrance is used often as it leads to the Bridge

The difference between the 7 and 10/11 day cruises is that the ship will actually leave at 6pm for the 10/11 day cruise as the first day is a sea day to get to the Tuamotu Islands. This is not the case for the 7 day cruise as the ship only needs to cross over to next island Moorea, a 2 hour sail, which is why they can afford to leave only the following morning.

I would give him something discreetly. I have done it in the past

We were on the Pride for 16 days in November. Amazing ship since the stretch and amazing crew. Just came back from a week on the Surf and the difference is stunning. The Surf's is great and the crew just as good but the ship is looking a bit tired. Looking to book on Star Legend Panama Canal next year. Was "Speedy Jack" still running the Star Bar?

The problem on the Star ships is getting a place in the shade (mostly on deck 7 Pool Deck) as there is very little shade on deck 8. Prior to the stretch, they used to have umbrellas tied to the railings on deck 8 but they usually got destroyed by the wind pretty quickly so I think they gave up. The same issue can also happen on the Surf depending on where the sun is (people will reserve loungers on the shaded side of the ship) It was never an issue getting a place in the sun though and we had 270 onboard in November

Does anybody know if the A/C issues have been fixed once and for all. Haven't heard anything lately

Max wattage on the Surf was 400W. If the appliance is over that, it will trip the breaker. I think, a regular hair dryer is 1,500W, so they provide one in the room that doesn't exceed that limit. My wife did bring a travel sized hair straightener and there was no issue.

Just returned from a week on Surf in room 309 (upgraded from 109). room fine but tender operations in the morning start at 7AM and last 5-7 minutes. Also the engine vibration when reversing to drop anchor was extremely loud at the back of the ship every morning for 30 minutes (it was loud in 309, can't imagine what it would have been in 109). We always had rooms forward or center in the past so never had this issue. Will try to stay away from stern rooms in the future

We just got off a 7 day cruise on the Wind Surf and would like to give our impressions on the ship and our cruise after a 3 year pandemic induced hiatus. We last sailed the Surf in March 2020 (the last cruise before everything was halted), however we did sail 16 days on the Star Pride in November so I think it's opportune to make comparisons. Food: Continues to be excellent, many people raving about the food, even long time Seabourn clients who had never been on Windstar said the food and service was just as good on Windstar as Seabourn, so it goes to show how good it is. Yes there is no longer lobster at the deck BBQ but they now have it on the last night in Amphora. Had dinner once in Candles (veal chop is back and was great) and twice in Stella (rack of lamb and coquille St Jacques) and all were excellent. Just a note on dress code, they do enforce the no shorts policy in Amphora, we saw group of 6 with one person in Bermuda shorts and Maitre d' told to them they either need to change or they could go to Candles which they took up. Nice way of deflecting a problem Air conditioning. We had AC issues on the Pride in November and it seems there are still problems with it as we speak. However this was not a problem on Wind Surf, AC worked well, just too well. There is no fan adjustments in the rooms just a temperature adjustment. The fan speed however was on full blast all day and all night and was very noisy. I did not remember it being as noisy on our previous Wind Surf cruises (we had done 4 prior to this cruise). Heard similar comments from a few cruisers. Rooms: Had no issues with room, however the location aft on deck 3 (309, upgraded from 109) meant the room was shaking hard when the captain was backing up the ship to drop anchor in the morning and there was also noise from of the tenders being lowered, which lasted a minute or two. Next time would choose a room more in the center as in the past we had always been forward Sail away/Sails. Sail Away continues to be a highlight for many Windstar passengers, especially on the sailing ships (a bit underwhelming on the Star Ships). However many passengers, including myself, felt the music was just not loud enough. If you want to make a dramatic statement on sail away, ensure the music can be heard loudly from many areas of the ship. That being said, the sails were also not out much due to strong winds. This is becoming more and more of an issue as people expect the sails and yet they were only out a few hours all week. If this is going to be the new normal (i.e. less sails), I am leaning more and more towards the renovated Star Ships, with their larger rooms and what I feel is a better and larger centralized pool and bar layout but can understand why some people may like the little private nooks and crannies spread out all over the Surf Crew/Service: Great as usual. Gradually there are more and more women in bartending and waiter position which is a welcome change. Stops: This cruise had no sea days and 6 tender ports. Falmouth/English Harbour got replaced with St John's in Antigua due to swells (more on this below) and the Wind Surf no longers enters into the North Sound Channel in Virgin Gorda due to the BVI authorities not dredging or surveying the channel which was already close the Wind Surf's 5.4 meter draught (the Star Ships can enter the channel as they are lighter than the Surf). It now anchors north of Prickly Pear which makes for a rougher exposed tender ride. Falmouth/English Harbour is also getting problematic as the Authorities are no longer allowing the Surf to anchor inside Falmouth Bay but on its outskirts which leaves the ship more exposed to high swells. The ship had to call in St John's (really not as nice as English Harbour) at least 50% of the time this winter. St Barth's and Montserrat have also been problematic tender ports this winter for similar reasons as the ships are forced by the authorities to anchor further and further away. This is something Windstar management should start looking into as many people book these cruises for these ports specifically only to have them replaced at the last minute. I understand security comes first Finally, having been on the renovated Star Pride, it is becoming clear that the Surf is due for a major drydock (last one was in early 2019 to take out casino). The ship, especially the outside and the decks, are looking tired and a bit rusty. All deck and stateroom furniture would need to be replaced. However the public rooms and restaurants still look good but areas around the pool bar and Compass Rose would need to be redone completely. As for the space, there were 270 passengers onboard and while there are nooks and crannies everywhere with chairs, they may be far from the pool or bar. Pool area was always busy, with chairs taken up quickly. We enjoyed the expanded deck space on Star Pride, there were always chairs available (there are close to 100 chairs available in the pool area vs about half of that on the few decks near the pool on the Wind Surf. Still an amazing cruise but will definitely focus on Star Ships in the future.

Mostly 24 hrs for most Caribbean excursions but in St Barth's it's all 48 hrs

Just got off the Surf and as always (our 11th Windstar cruise) it was never an issue getting a table for 2.

We just got off the Surf and tipped 5 or 6 times $20 to bartenders/waiters as well as room attendant.

We just got off the Wind Surf yesterday and I had the wine/beer package (no liquor) and my wife did not as she does not drink as much. However being on the package allowed me to buy wine for her at 30% off and that's what we did all week. It's a bit more logistics and your need to remind the bartenders the first few days of the arrangement, but it was well worth it