Grayboots

On 5/5/2024 at 1:02 PM, SOPOME said:

What's luggage storage like on the trains?  We will each have 1 checked luggage and 1 carry on with us, and I'm wondering if we can keep those near our seats, or do we need to store the bigger ones at the end of the car we are in?

I am wondering the same thing.  I am traveling Venice St Lucia to Trieste and am considering going by train.  I have an option of a direct regional train that only has 2nd class seating or Italia rail that I can book premium or 1st class, but this one has a change of train.  We also will have 2 large suite cases and 1 carryon.  Any info would be appreciated.

On 5/31/2019 at 7:49 AM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

I’m surprised that they are not trying to tax the entire cost of the cruise!

We just returned from our cruise and I don't think they charged the VAT on anything.  Shore excursions or drinks!  Maybe a scare tactic to get you to pay in advance??  And someone questioned earlier that both people in the cabin had to buy the drink package.  According to the person I talked to at Windstar, that is false.  Also, we booked our drink package a few weeks prior to our cruise and it was $52 per person per day.  Don't know why we got a discount (maybe it was the price at the time of our booking??) but glad we didn't have to pay $59 pppd.  

Just received an email regarding the beverage package...

"As of April 22, 2018 various countries in the European Union have added a Value Added Tax which affects our Beverage Packages and all purchases on board. It is applicable for voyages that start and end and do not leave the European Union. Rates range between 20%-24% depending on the country.  To avoid this additional European tax as a pro-traveler tip, we highly recommend that you purchase all your amenities, including wi-fi, laundry and the beverage package of your choice prior to your cruise. And we are pleased to be able to offer you a reduced price on Beverage Packages. Save $5 on your choice of Beverage Package and avoid the costly VAT on beverages purchased on board. "

So if a drink costs $8.50 and you add 15% gratuity, does that mean you have to add an extra 20-24% also?  That is an extra $2.00 per drink!!  Has anyone encountered this?

1 hour ago, Strenz said:

In the early spring and late fall the Med. can be like the North Atlantic rough, lots of rock and roll. My experience with WS is safety first, therefore the port changes. They do their best to try and make it work out. Of course with some people trying hard is not enough. I have experienced in the Med the rock and roll and waters smooth as ice. I wish you smooth sailing. 

Thank You!  We are sailing in late May.  Hoping the waters are not too rocking and rolling.  Maybe we should bring some extra Dramamine just in case.  

10 hours ago, Misty Morning said:

I was looking at the weather for those days and I suspect there were strong winds coming from the north, which in both cases prevented them from running tenders.  It’s unfortunate but more likely to happen in the early or later part of the European cruising season (April to November).  Despite the changes in port, they more than likely could run some similar excursions as distances are probably not too long.  As for the gap in scheduling, more than likely a charter.  Happy sailing

Thank you for responding.  That makes sense.  I am so excited for our first time on a Windstar cruise!!!

So, I have been tracking Star Pride's Itinerary using cruisemapper.com from Barcelona to Rome for the April 20th sailing and noticed that some of the ports are different than what was presented.  For example, instead of sailing to Sanary sur Mer, I believe they went to Marseille.  And they docked in Nice for 2 days instead of Cannes and Monte Carlo.  Is this typical?  If so, how do you plan shore excursions outside of Windstar to coincide with the itinerary changes?  Or, am I not understanding things correctly.  Also, looking at the Star Prides itineraries, it seems there is a gap from April 28th to May 4th.  I know they already went into dry dock recently, so could this be a private charter?

50 minutes ago, stcruise said:

We usually do not buy the packages since we don't drink enough to justify, but we have a family cruise coming up on Celebrity, so out of curiosity I checked to see what their prices are.  Three different packages priced at $49/$59/$69 per person per day plus an added 20% service charge. 

 

Of course, keep in mind that Celebrity also does NOT offer free water, soft drinks or specialty coffee drinks.  They also have packages for those priced at $22/$18/$16/$9 per person per day plus the 20%.  I was surprised to see that the one at $16 was for water!!!  It is premium water, but still seems a little high for water!!

I checked Oceania cruises and their drink packages range from 39.95 to 59.95 per person per day.  So I think Windstar is comparable to other luxury cruise lines in their category.

On 3/27/2019 at 12:05 PM, MRGACRUZR said:

Sorry, I don't have a copy of the new menu. I am 99% sure that most of the hard liquors haven't changed much. The biggest change was the wines available in the package and individual non package drink prices are up.

Do you remember what the draft beer price was?  In a menu that Windstar sent me a few months ago it was $5.00 per glass.  That seems reasonable.  And individual non package drink prices were around $8.50 for non premium brands.  Does that sound right, or have those gone up? Thanks for info!

On 2/11/2019 at 12:16 PM, beachtrl said:

Just a FYI:

 

I am also scheduled to be on the Star Pride at the end of May. I looked at her schedule and it looks like there is a gap in the schedule in Lisbon from April 1-12.  So I am guessing she would be in dry dock during that time? Correct me if I am wrong.  I have no idea what is being done while she is is dry dock though.

Looks like Star Pride is in dry dock in Cadiz

On 2/7/2019 at 7:24 PM, Grayboots said:

I am also scheduled to be on the Star Pride at the end of May.  I looked at her schedule and it looks like there is a gap in the schedule in Lisbon from April 1-12. So I am guessing she would be in dry dock during that time?Correct me if I am wrong.  I have no idea what is being done while she is is dry dock though.

Looks like Star Pride is now in dry dock in Cadiz.  

6 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

 

This is all really good info. I noticed the "flyer" posted for the bev packages on the WS site is now just a one-pager with "hey here are the two packages" and no list of inclusions as they've posted in the past. I sure hope they provide an updated list.

This is what Windstar just sent me.  I also asked for the bar menu prices for individual drinks and bottles of wine, but haven't received those yet. 

2019 Beverage Package Flyer_12.5.18.pdf

43 minutes ago, MRGACRUZR said:

This bar menu is no longer valid. See my post on page 2. The Beverage Packages, Prices (package and per drink) have gone up and the listed wines have changed due to Windstar's contracts with providers. My favorite, Oberon, is no longer available. Additionally, if you are picky about your drinks, you need to be aware that just because it's on the "menu" doesn't mean it's included in the package. That has also changed. Now, there is a specific list of what you can have.

Thanks for the heads up.  I have emailed Windstar for an updated menu.  I will pass it on if/when I get it.

So can you bring 2 bottles ONLY at embarkation?  Or can you buy your two bottles in a port and that counts as your two bottles?

We got upgraded around 3-4 months out too!  Actually, it happened twice!  We booked our cabin, and  Windstar upgraded us to a balcony within a week of our booking.   The price went down substantially, so we downgraded and took the credit.  Then they upgraded us again a few weeks later!!!  Thank You Windstar!!!!

The terrorist attack in New Zealand and that sick person who wants to start a race war hasn't helped things. The President of Turkey is using this massacre as a political tool to incite his followers by showing the horrible video of the attack.  I guess time will tell if things will escalate. I am sure Windstar is following the situation closely and will make the right decision based on circumstances at the time of the sailing.

3 minutes ago, luvtocook said:

We are wine drinkers with an occasional cocktail now and then but we can have several glasses of wine during the course of a day and evening so the pkg might work for us😃  We are planning one all day excursion, but for the rest of the ports planning to either stay on board or just go walk around for an hour or so.  We have been to many of these ports before.

I DO like my wine also. We are a party of 4  (3 drinkers) and we can bring 4 bottles of wine onboard, so I am trying to factor this in to our consumption too. We would probably drink this in our suite while we are relaxing before dinner.    This is our first time to these ports, so I am thinking we will make the most out of it.  But I guess we have a few days to decide if the package makes sense for us.  

1 hour ago, luvtocook said:

It worked perfectly, thank you!!!!

You are very welcome.  Glad I could help!  I did the calculations and figured that for the Captains package, you would have to drink around 5- 6 drinks per day. (please correct me if I am wrong)  That seems like a lot of drinks.  My husband does like to drink, but we will be in port everyday and I doubt he could drink all of those in one evening. (Might cause a Man Overboard situation) .  And he said he wouldn't want to feel like he needed do drink that much just to get his money's worth.  So, I guess we will pay per drink.  He might go over a day or two for what the package would include, but most days there is  probably no way he could drink that much. 

22 minutes ago, luvtocook said:

Does anyone have a drink menu with prices that they can share?  We are trying to see what kinds of wines cost what and trying to make a decision on which Bev Pkg we want to buy.

I emailed Windstar a few weeks ago and this is what they provided for the Star Pride. Hope the link works. I am tech challenged. 

Bar Menu Final MAY 2018.pdf

I am seeing very few shore excursions for this port of call.  Thinking of doing the walking trail to Santa Margherita.  Do we need a guide for this or can you just do it on your own? Or are there other things to do?

Thank you CruiseOrLand.  I don't think they are trying to screw me either.  I just want to get the most bang for the buck, if you know what I mean.  After discussing it with my hubby, I think we are just going to go with the onboard credit.  $600 is better than nothing, I guess. Hoping our TA can maybe negotiate a better credit. (Don't even know if that's possible though)  It just seems like such a hassle to rebook and go through all of the hoops for that.  Thank you again for your thoughtful responses!!  Also, wondering if it is better to go with a guaranteed suite or one that we should confirm? Do we have a chance for a better suite?

Also, here is the Price Assurance Policy

Guests who purchase a cruise on Windstar will be eligible for reimbursement upon request if the fare published by Windstar for their specific departure and cabin class is reduced after they have made a booking and deposit, and if the request is received by Windstar at least 90 days prior to sailing.  The reimbursement will be provided in the form of a shipboard credit, upgrade, fare reduction, or a future cruise credit.  Windstar will determine the form of reimbursement, and the amount of reimbursement will be the difference between the fare actually paid by the guest and the published fare on WindstarCruises.com the day the request is received.  Guests who select reimbursement will be eligible for any complimentary inclusive features (e.g., hotels, air, tours) associated with the new fare and will forfeit any complimentary inclusive features associated with the original fare.  All requests for reimbursement must be made directly to Windstar Cruises at 1-888-660-8185 (during regular reservations hours) at least 90 days prior to sailing.  Windstar’s new fare pricing assurance policy will take effect with new bookings made on or after August 15, 2018. Windstar reserves the right to modify or terminate this policy at any time for bookings not yet made. Policy does not apply to certain promotions or guests outside of the US or Canada.

Thank you for your response. You brought up some interesting points.  Here is the cancellation policy

CANCELLATION POLICY:  Each cruise booking cancelled before 120 days prior to initial departure will be subject to a $50 per person cancellation fee. A full refund (except for the amounts paid for air transportation, Cancellation Protection Plan and the $50 per person fee) will be made for written cancellations received by Windstar Cruises at least 121 days prior to the date on which you are to commence travel by any mode of transportation booked through Windstar Cruises (air, sea, or land). Guests who cancel after that date for any reason, including medical or family reasons, are subject to the following cancellation fee schedule:
*  120-90 days before commencing travel  – 15% of gross fare;
*   89-60 days before commencing travel  – 35% of gross fare;
*   59-30 days before commencing travel  – 50% of gross fare; 
*   29-0 days before commencing travel  –  100% of gross fare.

I did purchase cancellation insurance through an outside company (not Windstar) and I guess I should check with them as to what happens if I rebooked.   I don't know if we will ever travel on Windstar again as I had to pull teeth to get my husband to go on this cruise. (He is not a cruise lover BOO!) so the $200 per person incentive doesn't appeal to me.  We booked 2 suites as we are a party of 4 (my 21 and 23 year old kids are traveling with us).  Windstar did give us an upgrade to a balcony suite on both cabins. (YAY!)  We would keep one suite "as is" and downgrade the other (since my kids don't really care about the balcony)  But the extra $$ would really help with the excursion prices.   Also, if we do decide to rebook, not sure if going with the guaranteed suite or choosing a particular suite would be best.  

So I found out that the fare was reduced on our upcoming cruise by $500 per person.  I asked the travel agent to see if we could get a price adjustment.  After checking with Windstar, he advised that Windstar would give us an onboard credit of $300 per person and a $200 future cruise credit (which I don't know if we will ever use).  I don't understand why they would do that because all I would need to do is cancel and re book and lose $50 per person as long as we are within the 120 day cancellation policy.   We would still be a net $900 to our advantage.  Is there something I am missing?

Once you board, how long do you have to choose a beverage package?  Or do you have to choose before the cruise begins?  Also, if someone at the dining table, who purchased beverage package,  buys a bottle of wine, can he share it with others who have not purchased package?  I know the drinking age is 21, but if our 20 year old daughter wants a daiquiri, can we buy it for her to drink?  

2 hours ago, beachtrl said:

When you mentioned a dry dock visit in a couple of months, can you be more specific (if you know). We are scheduled to be on Pride in May and just wondering if it before that.

I am also scheduled to be on the Star Pride at the end of May.  I looked at her schedule and it looks like there is a gap in the schedule in Lisbon from April 1-12.  So I am guessing she would be in dry dock during that time?  Correct me if I am wrong.  I have no idea what is being done while she is is dry dock though.