BBQ Lover

Thanks for the info. It looks like Oceania will be a god fit for us. People in suites pay more and should get extra perks commensurate with the extra money that they spend. We don't mind if they get perks that we don't, as long as their perks don't impinge on our ability to enjoy our vacation. It just burns me up to be standing in a line for half an hour while watching suite and elite people cut in front of everybody. BTW, another thing we liked about Windstar is that we didn't stand in line once the entire cruise. What are lines like on Oceania ships?

Also, we don't mind about not being able to use the concierge or executive lounges. if we wanted to use them, then we could have paid more money for the access. What irked me was when I got kicked out of what looked like any other bar in a public area on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I was told the bar was for diamond and above only, and that I was not welcome no matter how much money I was willing to spend. Things like that irk me, but the bartender probably did me a favor. He saved me from hanging out with people that were elitist enough to hang out at such a bar.

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We have grown tired of mass market cruising and have started to branch out towards the premium lines. Our last cruise was on Windstar and we really enjoyed it. One of the things we particularly enjoyed was that everybody on board was treated equally, no matter what state room they were in or how many past cruises they had done with Windstar. There was no special lines for "Suites and Elites", no restricted bars and lounges for "Diamonds and above". None of that that divisive class elitism. It was really nice.

I am getting so tired of going on vacation and being told that I can't have something because I don't have the proper rewards status. So much so, that we will no longer go to any Harrah's Casino property. The last straw came when we were told we couldn't have our crab heated in the buffet. Steamed crab was reserved for "Seven Stars and above members", while everybody else eats chilled crab. Stuff like that really irks me.

We are now looking at doing a cruise on Oceania next year. The ships look really nice. The food looks really nice. It really seems like Oceania is a good fit for us. The only thing we are really worried about is the class system, so..... What's the class system like on Oceania?

Daddy can really cut a rug on line dancing night

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We've done two Alaskan cruises, both in July. I wore shorts, a hoodie, and flip flops (or tennis shoes) almost the entire time outside of the dining room. I was very comfortable and I never realized that I was dressing so inappropriately. YMMV.

BTW - I am a magnet for mosquitoes and other biting insects. I don't recall getting bitten on either trip.

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Cruise companies have always set there brochure prices ridiculously high. This practice allows them to constantly advertise sales of 50% or more off of brochure prices. It is a common practice. Arthur Frommer is famous for saying that only a sucker pays full brochure price.

Internet at sea is painfully slow. I would estimate that there is a zero likelihood for streaming video at sea.

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The 220 is the French style two prong

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If there is no listing on the Windstar website, then she is probable being chartered or undergoing renovations.

I'm just waiting for the day when the government tells everybody to stay away from Zika infected areas. That alone would kill almost half of Windstar's business.

I would like to rephrase that statement. I am not eagerly awaiting for that Zika announcement from the government. It's just that my pessimistic side can see that day coming. We are booked on MSY Windtsar out of Barbados in December and we have every intention of going as long as there is still plane service to Barbados. Heck, we live in Southern California and the news is projecting that we are going to get Zika mosquitoes sometime this summer. If we already live in a Zika area, then we figure that there should be no harm in visiting one.

Delta isn't going there because bookings are down, not because it isn't safe.

It is true that Delta isn't going there anymore because bookings are down, but we need to ask ourselves why bookings are down. The plain and simple truth is that bookings are down because of terrorism. Our own US government has warned against travel to Turkey because they believe that it is unsafe. I understand that the warnings only apply to certain portions of Turkey, but most people aren't going to make that distinction. They are just going to stay away from Turkey as a whole.

I'm just waiting for the day when the government tells everybody to stay away from Zika infected areas. That alone would kill almost half of Windstar's business.

No jacket required, ever. You will be over dressed in a jacket.

No shorts in main dining room and probably not in Stella either. Dockers and a decent collared shirt will work at those two. Something like a polo shirt or Hawaiian shirt is fine.

Shorts and flip flops will work at Candles and the deck bbq.

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Here is a video of MSY Wind Spirit doing the Jewels of the Windward Islands itinerary a couple of years ago. MSY Windspirit and MSY Windstar are identical sister ships that both hold 148 passengers. MSY Windstar currently does the Jewels of the Windward Islands itinerary from November to March.

[YOUTUBE]x4iCSL8XF4A[/YOUTUBE]

Thanks for the heads up about the night time passage. I checked the "itinerary & ports" page on the Windstar website for the Puerto Caldera to Colon itinerary and it states the following:

At nearly 51 miles long and connecting two oceans with a vast “highway of water,” the Panama Canal easily earns its reputation as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Enjoy a cool and breezy nighttime passage during which the lights illuminate the inner workings of the waterway. Experience a once-in-a-lifetime thrill as your ship is raised, then lowered 85 feet to sail gracefully through three massive locks that transport you from the calm Pacific Ocean to the shimmering waters of the Atlantic.

I'm sorry that you feel ripped off, but they did deliver on the night time experience that they said they were going to. I have had this itinerary on my bucket list, but I think we might reconsider based on the night time canal transit.

Does anybody have any experience going from Colon to Puerto Caldera? I'm curious if that canal transit is also at night. The website just posts the same info as Puerto Caldera to Colon itinerary.

Update- I just spoke with Holly at Windstar and got the discount for our Jewels of the Windward Islands cruise in December. It looks like a fair number of Caribbean itineraries around that time frame have received a recent discount. You might want to check if you have an existing booking.

As far as the procedure went, it is not considered a new booking and our original booking date remains the same. We had used the "Welcome Home" 10% discount when originally booking. They applied that 10% discount to the new fair, even though we are now currently well outside of the 60 day welcome home period. I was glad to hear that, since I thought there was a chance that they would only honor the 5% yacht club discount at this later date. It would have still been a savings, but it would have been a couple hundred dollars less of a savings.

In the words of Strenz- "Bravo Windstar"

I checked the price of our booked cruise this morning and noticed that it dropped a couple of hundred dollars per person. I'm going to call Windstar when I get home from work to get the price reduction applied to our cruise. I was wondering how this process works in conjunction with third party insurance .

I am particularly wondering if Windstar considers this a rebooking and will change my booking date to today's date. I ask this because everything about the third party insurance seems to revolve around our initial booking date. I'm concerned that getting this price reduction might somehow screw up our insurance. Does anybody have any experience with this situation? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Kevin

Cool. It sounds like they are finally getting a handle on Star Pride.

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I don't really know anything about the Glitter and Glam itinerary. I can't help you there.

What I do know is that Windstar is being very tight lipped about when we will actually see Star Pride sailing again. They are selling Star Pride cruises starting with June 6, 2016, but it wouldn't surprise me if they end up cancelling even more Star Pride sailings. Right now, I personally wouldn't book any Star Pride itinerary until she is back in service.

That's just my 2 cents worth.

With the Ruby having the new mattresses their promotion about the change states they have a duvet which obviously isn't true for the OP's in-laws. :confused:

 

European-inspired duvet

 

With a continuous-filament fiberfill of hypoallergenic 100% virgin polyester to maximize loft without compromising climate comfort.

Maybe a European inspired duvet is nothing more than a comforter between two sheets.

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Aki and Yusuf were manning the Yacht Club back in December. At night, they also were waiters at Candles. They were two of our favorite crew members on the ship. I mentioned to Yusuf that we wanted to eat at Candles more often and he said just to talk to the maître de and he could get us in based on availability. We talked. We ate. We enjoyed.

Yes, they will give you sandwiches to take off the ship.

Other crew members that we really liked were Harry, Daddy, and Lusia in the veranda. They also pulled double duty in other dining areas of the ship. Harry could really cut a rug on line dancing night.

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Exactly. That guy ought to be in jail for thievery.

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$50? That guy must have seen you coming. We get the paper documents for free. You have a choice. Just let Windstar know what you want.

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The email just came out yesterday. Looks like you cancelled before the shift in Windstar policy.

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Docked at Dominica. Tendered everywhere else. For some reason, the St Kitts port authority would not allow the water sports platform to be down. It was down at all of the other tender ports.

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We were just in Barbuda last month. We think it was a bit of a stretch to call that sand pink. Maybe we didn't go to the right spot, but the Windsurf tour guy and all of the locals were calling that beach a beautiful pink sand peach.

Maybe we just didn't drink enough run punch.

We're getting ready to book a cruise on MSY Windstar out of Barbados later this year. Which cabins are the bad ones. You know: noisy, smell of smoke from crew quarters, cosmetic damage, etc.

We are thinking about either 227 or 236. Does anybody have any experience with one of these two rooms.

Thanks in advance

Kevin