CruiseOrLand

+1 on Costa Rica and Panama. Also had both on Tokyo-Tianjin and on Tianjin-Hong Kong. (Oct, Nov 2018) I would note that reading the Daily Schedule carefully is important, because the start time can vary, and the full-day shore excursions can almost impinge on the Deck BBQ. If you have an overnight port with a spectacular view, watch for a limited-capacity Dinner Under The Stars with (I presume) a modified Amphora menu.

Your research showed you that they're prohibited by the business in charge of your cruise. What else do you need to know?

Have you researched the laws on the islands you have in mind, or are you going to use the high-testosterone Uber system: Act now and apologize later? There's no Bill of Rights in most other countries.

(Attached photo is from Copenhagen, but that's not the point.) Maybe Windstar is so wimpy that they have signed documents promising not to knowingly transport banned equipment into countries they visit?

I agree that posted standards should be enforced. And I prefer the existing policies. But be careful what you wish for. The trend in American life is towards "anything goes", and the additional emphasis on "it's all about ME" (because my parents never said "No" to me) accelerates the destruction of rules. Top-level fine dining in New York City now features polo shirts and jeans, because the Hedge Fund titans and Digital App duuudes can set their own rules.

Interestingly, during our January 2019 Star Breeze Panama Canal trip, a middle-aged woman commented to me that she wished there was a casual dinner option, where she could just order a burger. There's no room on such a small ship. Another guest reminded her that room service is free on Windstar.

susiesan, I don't like to wait either. But one of the reasons a cruise line checks in the bags before you board is to reduce congestion and collisions in the passageways of the ship. When there are bags staged in certain areas, your having your bags with you means that other passengers (with Rollators or not .... ) have to back up (or wait for the elevator to be empty) for your progress. So it is "not a problem" for you, but it may be for others.

I think of myself as a big drinker, but there is no way I could "make money" on the drinks package without feeling ill and risking a fall on the stairs. Two drinks a day are a bargain compared with NYC bars, although Windstar's pours are lighter.

I don't believe that Dining Under The Stars requires an invitation. It requires intent reading of the Daily Schedule, and a quick call or trip to the Reception Desk before it's all booked up. If you are on a cruise with an overnight in a scenic port (like Hong Kong or Shanghai, for instance), it's especially likely that the option will be offered. Alas, that's also when you might want to eat ashore. It can be hard to see your food at the Deck BBQ, so I would think it's the same for Dining Under the Stars.

Grayboots, I am not an authority on Upgrading. We have, on our last two of nine cruises, been offered (by email) an upgrade, first come first served, to a list of six or eight specific cabins, for something like $300-$400 paid in advance total. We took it once, and declined it once. Because we took it for a 21-night (Back to Back) cruise, it really was a bargain.

After reading here (in another recent thread) how "easy" it is to ask for an Embarkation-time upgrade, I would think that a thrifty (?) traveler would wait for that. I personally don't want to have to sit in my suite without unpacking for hours while waiting for the upgrade. I should add that our last cruise had (advance notice) greatly delayed embarkation time, with a posted 5PM boarding and 6PM departure from Colon, Panama. In fact, we didn't leave the port for several more hours, but I think the greatly compressed Embarkation procedures time might have made the last-minute upgrade process unpleasant on all sides. (OPINION, of course.)

We did enjoy the Balcony addition (whose value depends on month, climate and weather), but since all MV suites are essentially the same floor area, I don't attach a lot of importance to upgrading. We do think about cabin location, with reference to potential noise, distance to the Yacht Club, and ship motion. So if we get what we want at purchase time, we are less inclined to want a change.

Thanks for your additional posts. It appears that the 300/200 offer you got does comply with the guarantee.

I might add that our recent Windstar cruise (huge discount, bought on a 7-for-7-day sale, if you know what I mean by that term) was additionally discounted after we bought it. I called Windstar, and (as I had seen from the "new" discounting) the cabins on sale were not the same cabins that were on sale at the time we bought. Because I have a 93-year old mother, and because the Premium Winstar Cancellation policy is priced on the actual price paid (i.e. the discounted price), I had bought it-my first time buying a NON-third party travel insurance. I was told that I'd have to re-buy it if we took the new fare. (I was aware, for instance, that the Cancellation coverage is full-refund for future travel, not cash in hand. This is not a thread about travel insurance, but it's relevant to the 300/200 offer you got, it seems to me.)

It's an individual thing, but I didn't feel like they were screwing me. It seemed like a reasonable business practice, and we already had a great price. I happen to have worked in a business where the same transition in from predominantly far-advance purchases to many closer-in purchases has occurred over the last 20 years. So I can accept a transition in refund and incentive policy, as long as it seems fair to both parties. Your story seems "fair" to me. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be a little bit disappointed.

We had the same thought in Osaka. But, aside from the widespread physical security concerns everywhere today, they have to worry that you might substitute a person who wants to get into the EU or something. Alas it's just not a practical desire. Windstar has a lot of concessions from various immigration authorities to facilitate our shore excursions, and they can't risk jepoardizing their status as a trusted partner.

Among the issues are: Your travel agent's percentage commission, your possible Windstar brand travel insurance (which may have to be re-bought if you rebook), non-discountable parts of your fees, and discounts that you may have been given in the original booking (like repeater offers.) While I'm not crazy about the 300/200 offer you describe, I do expect to take another cruise, so I would accept it.

All our Windstar (direct, no TA) purchases have involved multiple discounts. You have to expect some of them to go away or be different once some time has passed. That's modern marketing, like at a clothing chain or a hotel-not some Windstar scheme to cheat you.

You have not provided a link to the "120 day cancellation policy" for me to read. It seems posible that the response you got could possibly comply. Does it specify cash adjustments?

I would tip a porter who came out to my taxi or bus and took my bags out of the vehicle for me. I would not tip a porter who was hired by Windstar to deliver bags from a long line of them at the curb (or, worse, a stack of bags inside the cruise terminal.) And I'm a big tipper. This isn't "right".

A related story: At the Bristol Panama hotel, we carried our bags out to the porte-cochere, where a Windstar employee lifted them up into a 16' box truck. I mean that his work was restricted to a single vertical motion. I don't think I tipped him.

This is simply a cost-saving measure. I haven't boarded in San Juan, but have found welcome tables with people handing out paper Windstar luggage tags for me to fill out at various cruise terminals. They are sometimes outside the doors, where we got off the public bus. It's not a problem.

When we met a Windstar transfer from the "Windstar" hotel (only booked the transfer from Windstar, not the hotel) there were Windstar reps at a temporary table in the lobby. In this case, check whether you have to ask for a specific departure time, say among 5 busses.

I haven't been on this itinerary, but I want to comment that the Windstar excursion descriptions tend to be very accurate. You need to read them carefully because they disclose a lot if you are paying attention. Usually "strenuous" refers to either total foot mileage or stair steps. You have to consider climate and month of the year when you visit southern Spain as well. Since places like Granada are not ports, you should also note "  xxx minute coach ride", or use Google Maps to estimate the time sitting on a bus.

I'm reading between the lines of your OP, but having been on several WIndstar sail ships and several of their motor yachts, it's clear to me that you should not book any suite on the sailing ships. We certainly enjoyed our sail trips, but we love the spaciousness of the motor yacht suites - and I think they are slightly better air conditioned. I'm only 5'-7" tall, and I can imagine a tall person hating the shower stalls and similar issues on the sailing ships. Having said that, I've seen both passengers and hotel crew having to bend their heads to get out of the Veranda restaurant to the outdoor seating on the motor yachts!

I do think that the first factor in selecting a cruise should be the destinations, not the cabins, however.

Mocamps, I don't mean to suggest that your planning efforts are unnecessary, but for ship maintenance reasons, Windstar CHANGED our Colon port location AND embarkation time less than two weeks before our departure. I was entirely satisfied with their notifications, which were by email to both of the travelers registered for the cruise. They asked us to use a website to confirm that we had been notified. Because we had already bought the Windstar transfer ($49 p/p I think) from the Windstar hotel in Panama City, in a sense, we didn't care. That is, they ended up comping the transfers for everyone, and provided a lounge at the hotel until later in the day. I would add that when I booked the transfer from the hotel, the Windstar agent didn't care in the slightest whether we were STAYING at the hotel. She seemed to be familiar with the idea of travelers coming to the hotel from a different place where they had slept.

I can understand your thinking about a taxi if you are coming direct from the airport. Maybe you live in the southern U.S., but we would normally not fly on the same day as a cruise departure. I would comment that Colon is so far from Panama City and PTY airport that a private car might get very expensive. Colon is such a dump that you certainly want a reliable independent transfer.

As a courtesy to you (by which I mean that I have no idea if they will go to Colon, or how much it might be), I will tell you that the Bristol Panama Hotel's local transportation partner (which took us from PTY to the hotel for $40 total) is called PBA Holdings Group. They also took us from the hotel to Casco Vijeho and back for $15 each way, the next day. I had done enough guidebook reading that I did not want to just hail a metered cab and worry about fee arguments, etc., so I let the hotel Concierge arrange that for us.

If you call the Windstar booking phone number, they will offer you a WIndstar transfer between Puerto Jimenez and either SJO or the company hotel, which may be the Marriott downtown. I was offered something around $149 p/p. But note that it is at least a two-hour ride. This is not extortion. I suspect the Windstar bus comes onto the pier, but I don't know for sure. Interestingly, the sales agent specifically warned me that we could NOT book their shuttle to SJO UNLESS we had an air ticket!

I looked at TripAdvisor for private company mentions, and came across Costa Rica Shuttle. But there were at least eight different companies waiting in the (outside security) parking lot at Puerto Jimenez. In fact, our driver was 15-minutes late (which probably counts as on-time in Costa Rica!) He had a logo-painted 10-passenger van, just for the two of us. I'd have preferred a sedan for comfort, because our trip included ONLY modern, paved highways and city roads. The P.J. pier shuttle takes less than two minutes to get to the parking lot outside.

I mainly went with a private company because we wanted to go to a very special botanical garden, beyond San Jose, right after the cruise, and fly home the next morning. Although I asked for a booking of two trips (P.J. to Lankester Gardens 8AM-11AM, Lankester Gardens to Doubletree Cariari 4PM-6PM), they (quite reasonably) said we had to take the vehicle for the whole day (but it was as our disposal, of course.) That was $280. Note that the Doubletree does NOT operate its own shuttle to the airport, so you have to pay a contract company for that transfer.

So one thing you might bring is a 2' USA extension cord with a triple-tap at the end. The 220V outlet is "Shuco" (manufacturer), or what many people think of as contemporary Germany. That has rather large round pins, and an external ground strap on the exterior of the plug. (More modern Shucos have a male ground pin in the wall outlet next to the two female recesses, but they are compatible.) I try to leave one Shuco plug open in the daytime for the steward to do his vacuuming.

We were recently (Oct-Nov 2018) on the Star Legend in Asia, and the Star Breeze Panama-CR last week. I didn't see major physical differences, although OUR Breeze suite had some drawers that did not latch shut as you need on a ship! The biggest difference was ... management. Star Legend, at that time, was much better managed and had better service experiences. (No difference in excellent cabin cleaning. I mean the rest of the ship.) Not incidentally, we saw the Hotel Manager roaming all over the Star Legend, and we only saw the Breeze Hotel Manager at officer introductions!

I hasten to add that the Breeze Captain was personable and very experienced. He handled local Panamanian errors at the canal perfectly, avoiding any delays for us whatsoever. And he warned us in advance that Quepos might have high swells that would prevent water-sports deployment. He said he's tried every possible anchoring place over the years, and you can't avoid it. Also had some rolling at anchor from 2PM to 5PM.

Puerto Caldera is a cargo port, most local trans is not allowed onto the pier. Shuttle service to entrance. Shades of Civittavecchia!

I think Wind Star and Star Breeze ..... were doing the same route in opposite directions last week, but it wasn't mentioned aboard ship ....., and we never did the "sailaround" I was hoping for.

Note that Colon is a scary dump of a place, so the low cost transfer from the Bristol Panama Hotel was very handy. Because our Embarcation was delayed, we had plenty of time to use the hotel's recommended car service company to visit Casco Viejo - even though the Pope had just been there, which Windstar could have mentioned in late communications with us.

The Balboa stop was Flamenco Marina, on the last island of the "Causeway." You might have hesitated to snorkel because of the fishkill we saw at the marina! Alas, the Frank Gehry Bio Museum is closed on Monday. Although Panama Vieja is also, it was specially opened for our and the CMV Magellan excursions.

They showed us where to snorkel off the nice Isla Parida picnic, but warned not to go around the point. Did not see pile of spare swim fins (brought our prescription masks), but didn't bother to snorkel.

Puerto Jimenez is very attractive, and they put out the water sports setup. We wanted to see Casa Orquideas (a botanical garden), and it's such a long ride that we also got a free hour of sighting both local species of dolphins, in quantity.

The Captain warned us that Quepos always has a heavy swell (made Zodiac boarding tricky, in fact) and he correctly said that he could not promise to provide ship-side water sports. There are plenty of nice beaches ashore here. However, while we were in Manuel Antonio NP (good excursion, departing at 6:45AM), they cleared the swimmers out when a crocodile was sighted! We weren't in the water at the time. MANP can be done independently here, but guides are valuable for spotting sloths and howler monkeys.

Tom, I recall years ago that they issued fancy tags as part of a pre-departure bundle, in a zippered pouch. But they need different colored paper tags for Disembarkation anyway. So if they can save a little money and still (for example) have free espresso drinks in the Yacht Club, I'm all for it! We were given white paper tags at the Tokyo cruise terminal for our recent Embarkation. Windstar is often cited here as a "near-luxury product", after all!

I have always used a third party, mostly Travelex, because I want my insurance to survive bankruptcy of the excursion company! In this case, the premium Windstar policy had a better price. Note that people with 92-year old mothers have specific travel insurance needs ...  

I agree that actual claims experience is invaluable to hear about. And I agree that, all other things being equal, third-party is better. But there is no assurance that a randomly-selected third party company will have the softest claim rules. I've read an lot of horror stories on TA and Rick Steves boards. And many of those posters failed to read the fine print before they paid for the insurance product. It was difficult to read the Windstar policy PDF BEFORE making the purchase, because they didn't supply the product number needed to download all the terms and conditions.

I will continue looking, but when I search the PDF of the Windstar/Tripmate/US Fire Insurance insurance contract, the word "Secondary" is not found, and the only uses of the word "Primary" are in "Primary place of residence" phrases. It is not at all clear whether this insurance is secondary.

My point was that they admitted that Medicare will never pay for overseas care. That means any demand for a denied claim is an effort to get me to give up.

Here is the review for the cruise you asked about (reverse order ports, I think.)

Beijing (Tianjin) - Hong Kong

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=639861

I needed the doctor, for a very minor problem, on Star Legend recently, a pleasant M.D. from the Phillipines. He was excellent. Interesting insurance sidelight: The Windstar coverage provider said, "We know that Medicare does not cover care abroad. But we need to see the refused claim before we can pay on the Windstar travel-medical coverage." I'll bet other insurers do that too, but it's an annoying effort to hope you give up on the $140!

I got the idea from a Windstar rep that the Bristol Panama ( a higher-end hotel, that sells airport transfers by email to the concierge) was the "company hotel". So we chose that with the plan to book a Windstar transfer to the ship (because it's so far ... ). However, the transfer wasn't yet available when I booked the cruise, so I haven't done that yet. The hotel is relatively expensive, but we're only flying in one night early, so it's a single night. You should verify my "facts" before booking.

I have just submitted a long review of that voyage. It had too many sea days for us, but the ship was doing 12-knots all the time - they needed the sailing time. Start thinking about your disembarkation transfer now if you don't take the extension - it sounded like it was 3 hours on a Windstar bus to Beijing. (We simply bookended two cruises in Tianjin, so I'm saying what I heard from others.)

I imagine it will be approved this week. In the meantime, I included a lot of general tips at the end of my long review of Tokyo-Beijing (Tianjin):

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=639146