JDiver

On the Star Breeze, Legend and Pride smoking and vaping is confined to a handful of tables on the port side, Deck 8 (also referred to as the Sun Deck) forward outside by the Star Bar. It’s open to the sky, and though the area is sheltered from the apparent wind generated by the ship’s forward motion by the structure housing the Yacht Club, lift to decks below and bath rooms, the wind quite effectively prevents smoke from circulating to other areas in back and starboard of the Star Bar other than a couple of tables directly behind the smoking area, and certainly protects the pools area on the next lower Deck 7 / Bridge Deck. This may not work as well when in port or at anchor if in very still air, but normally whilst moving or at anchor in any breeze it works effectively.

There are occasional “Cigars under the stars” events after dinner in the same area by the Star Bar if the weather is cooperative. Most passengers at that point might be in the Compass Rose, Yacht Club or Lounge if not in their personal spaces.

If I recall correctly, there’s a smoking spot aft of the Lounge as well, but I don’t hang out there.

Smoking is not allowed in any inside space, including in the suites or using the French balcony area of the balcony suites.

Reporting smoking outside of the areas it is allowed will result in passengers being contacted by officers. I have heard of one couple evicted from the ship for refusing to abide by the ship’s smoking policies, and when those of us occupying the Brudge Suites on Wind Surf were inconvenienced by smokers who set up their own improvised smoking area outside were asked in no uncertain terms to desist. They did.

I’ve been cruising since the 1950s (Ile de France, Queen Elizabeth my earlier cruises, many others since including 33 Wind Star cruises), and as a onetime smoker and recent smoking cessation expert training medical professionals, cessation leaders, etc. I’m fairly experienced in cruising, Windstar Cruises and smoking issues. Not anything there to brag about, but it seems necessary with a couple of members here to state relevant experience. ;)

As they say in Newfoundland, “Long may yer big jib draw!" (“May your sails always catch wind!”) If you’re on Wind Surf transatlantic crossing this November, see you there.

We are getting ready to leave for a Caribbean cruise on the Star Legend next week, as our cruise on the Star Pride to Costa Rica was cancelled. After reading all the above posts, I emailed Voyage Services and here is the response I received yesterday:

 

"I want to inform you that you will be able to explore Pigeon Island on your own and that you should have an opportunity to visit the Bitter End Yacht Club. While this is subject to what the harbor master tells us we are planning on allowing visits to the yacht club."

 

We can only hope that this is true...If not like lesliew said above, we too will just have to suffer by being on a private island with a beautiful beach and BBQ!

Print it out and take it with you. I do hope you get the opportunity.

And yes, LOL, you won't suffer on Prickly Pear. :D

In checking flights, I find using Google Flights often finds us good fares (it incorporates the ITA Matrix software); the problem is if you have a nonrefundable itinerary originally, you'll get hit with the change fee and any fare differences.

Sometimes it can pay to take a voucher, generally good for one year from when you purchased the original ticket, minus the change fee, and find another airline or partner to fly to your rescheduled cruise on.

I've found the Seattle staff so-so at dealing with issues, so with the Pridevdebacle and cruise rebooking and cruise bookings on the other five ships they're up to their, er, waists in caimans ad the dates for checks are wishful. Persist! (We had similar issues with Lindblad a couple of years ago when our scheduled Amazon River cruise had to be cancelled when the boat caught fire - and we ad begun our journey to get to Iquitos; it took several communications, plenty off polite but firm assertiveness and self-advocacy, but after some time we did get our issues acknowledged and get served properly. Ilegitimi non carborundum! ;) (Don't let the, er, "illegitimate ones, wear you down!)

Good luck, all!

Thanks for all the useful information about the Star Legend.We'll be on her for the Tenerife to Lisbon cruise in early April. So you will be boarding later that day after we are off.It will be our first time on one of the motor yachts and we are looking forward to seeing how it compares to the sailing ships.

We'll make sure to book Candles early on and try for an evening when there is a late sail away.

That should be a great cruise!

I'd only pre book excursions for one that I'd really feel strongly about and not want to miss. (What we do pre book is the laundry package - we prefer to travel light so there's no checked baggage to impede endorsing our tickets or changing flights during OSO - Off Schedule Operations- conditions.)

Enjoy!

The Wind Surf suites are commodious, though limited to porthole views; as they are comprised of two adjacent cabins, one the bedroom and the other the living room, they are quite different than those on Star Legend.

Star Legend has full ocean views from its suites, whether window or French balcony, and has IMO a more open feeling.

The issue with Star Legend tenders has hopefully been addressed - I was told a maintenance crew flew in and performed some maintenance. If this has not addressed the issue sufficiently, I'm sure there will have been lots of complaints registered and they will pay dearly for not dealing with it. Certainly by the time they're repositioned in Europe!

The decks are spacious, and the gym is very large and won't be a problem for a six footer (I'm 6'4").

Yikes. I can't tolerate the smell of smoke. This is my first time on Windstar and will be my last if I have this issue in my cabin. I'm going to call Windstar to see if there is another cabin available

Call. If a problem, tell them at check-in. Ask to speak to the Guest Services Manager. Tell them in the booking you need smoke free to reinforce.

I had no problems during a two week transatlantic crossing, but that is anecdotal.

We are booked for the July 1 week. I have been on windstar 3 times and it is no comparison to Seabourn, which is the previous owner of the ship.

They are charging seabourn prices but not seabourn amenities. I am a little concerned, but hubby likes the dates and itinerary. I am sure it will be fine as long as we don't expect it to be like seabourn.

Average food, average service, casual

Everyone is different and has different predilections; glad you prefer Seabourn. We prefer Windstar for its relaxed and casual traveling, so our 25th Windstar cruise will be the Iceland voyage starting, iirc, July 9. Preceded by a few days in Reykjavic.

Thanks! A cocktail in the pool sounds awesome ... 19 days to go.......

I can only second what others have posted. The current pool and tub are nice, and I suspect one may have to ask for adjustments to the current strength.

The forward deck 5 whirlpool tub is nice, the deck feels quite pruvate, there are plenty of towels and there's a cooler with soft drinks and water.

Getting there is definitely not half the fun. Air Tahiti Nui has iirc four refurbished A340s and one not. Even thevrefurbished aircraft have an angled flat Poerava Business seat that is rather outdated; Moana Coach is mizzerable sardine seating.

So, what we normally do is to go a few days early and stay in beautiful Moorea, a half hour fast ferry ride from Papeete. There are several nice properties, from the homey Les Tipaniers to the Hilton and the IC. Cheaper than Bora Bora, much more variety in terms of activities, and stunning in its own way.

If in Papeete briefly, there are tours to Gaugin's home, the "interesting" Lagoonarium, the museum of Tahiti and Her Islands (IMO well worth it), and the best shopping is at the public market in downtown Papeete (le marché).

On Wind Surf, we were able to detect a whiff of smoke when the crew doors were used by crew, but it was momentary. And we got no scent of cigarettes in our cabins. And I'm pretty sensitive to smoke and its components.

We were on the December 5 sailing of the Legend and had the same experience with lack of options in Virgin Gorda. There were lots of problems with the tenders during our trip, with only one of the ship's tenders and sometimes one local operator running back and forth. Do you think that they might restore tender circuits including Bitter End, the main land and Prickly Pear once the mechanical issues are resolved?

 

It would be a great excuse to book the itinerary again!

We returned January 16. Though both tenders were in the water, the only option if not on a ship's shorex was to Prickly Pear. Dunno if it was Windstar Cruises or the BEYC that called the whole thing off, but that's how it is at the moment. Still, North Sound is beautiful, Prickly Pear is fun.

What ship are you asking about? The Wind Star was sunk many years ago.

You're confusing Wind Star with Wind Song, basically sunk after a fire and subsequent "inspection" by the French authorities where they insisted on opening the ship up and fed lots of fresh air and oxygen to the smoldering remains - now gutting the ship with the renewed fire.

I do the same when I'm decaffeinated. ;)

We are on the Legend starting 1/23. Really looking forward to this itinerary. I've been to the Caribbean many times and never had problems with high seas this time of year. Missing two stops would be very disappointing. Was there ANYTHING to do onboard to make up for it? I assume the sports platform would also,be inoperable at that time....anything? Trivia? Movies? That is the only thing I don't like about small ships....the lack of alternatives when things go south.

 

But yes, there is always the bar :D

We missed St Barths due to an unusual (7 foot) swell, tricky to say the least for tenders, but Captain Griffiths knew in advance and we had the day in St. Thomas.

Marigot was different because ordinarily there's no swell; of course this day there was, and the pier there is not so good (we've boarded there) and is some distance from Marigot itself. So off we went and had the afternoon and evening in Road Town, B.V.I.

Though there was the two meter swell at least one night and we were up at the "pointy end" in one of the two foremost suites (02 "Cannes"), we didn't feel bothered by the ocean motion. For those who might be, take some candied ginger; Reception has an open box of Meclizine, and of course you can check with your health professional about the Scopolamine patch.

IMO the Star Legend with the refurbs to pools, star deck etc. is more nicely laid out than the S'Pride (though it's getting the other refurbishments in Panamá whilst it's in dry dock for the repairs) so we merely shifted gears and rolled with it. Still a lovely cruise on a nice ship, attentive service, and good all around.

(The pool on the S'Pride was not used by many because it was so closed in, and it leaked - closed often for maintenance. Now, there's a courtyard-like extension to the Verandah there, and the actual pool space underneath is the newly expanded shop. The twin whirlpools amidships now are one, with a current pool, amplified by the whirlpool and sun deck forward on deck 5. The narrow star deck above the pools and sun space were widened by perhaps four feet, allowing some cozy topside chaises and a more expansive deck space. Glad to see the S'Pride will get these as well, by the time it's back in service.)

We did sign up for two shorex - one was cancelled for lack of other participants, so we "limed" during our time on Jost Van Dyke, using the open air $5.00 taxi to visit White Bay beach and the infamous Soggy Dollar and later walk to Foxy's (both have decent free WiFi). The other shorex was the Montserrat Buried City tour, well worth it - the driver and guide had gone through the volcanic activity and our guide was both well informed and a good communicator. (There are police checkpoints at the Exclusion Zone border - only tour groups with previously arranged permits are allowed through to the remains of the Montserrat Springs Hotel and Plymouth.) The cancelled tour was credited to our final invoice, and I'm glad we pre booked the Montserrat tour because it was popular.

Note that the restaurant service is attentive and friendly, but typically crew hire for nine month contracts with no days off; they are from Indonesia (bar staff from the Philippines) and the line has recently doubled in size. Some may not know what we do - our breakfast server had no clue what "whole wheat" meant for the breakfast crepes, and we had to slow down and clarify a couple of times. Help them help us, basically.

Suggestions include booking Candles, the "seafood and steak" restaurant, the first day. I'd recommend booking it on a day you're late in port, such as St. Barths or Jost Van Dyke, to assure it will be calm on the outdoor Verandah. (Marigot, St. Marten, is the setting for the deck barbecue - though I'd not be surprised if they move dicking to Phillipsburg in Sint Maarten; the island's pretty small and one can still get up to Grand Casse etc. easily, adding on fifteen minutes for the congested road to the dock at Phillipsburg.)

My in laws on the Dec 5 cruise didn't, and when they got around to it it was fully booked. For a more private whirlpool and deck, go all the way forward on deck 5. Don't overlook the light lunch and Continental brekkies in the lovely Yacht Club, or perhaps an after dinner drink in the Compass Rose.

There are two evening venues for after dinner - the Lounge has a duo that's livelier (Splash, on our cruise), and an acoustic and song duo (Double Malt) in the more relaxed Compass Rose. Some prefer one, some the other - it's nice to have both. We love the more relaxed ambiance of Windstar Cruises; I hope you do as well. (We're very much looking forward to our Lisbon-Barcelona-Rome back to back cruises in the latter half of April, and our Iceland cruise July 9 - coincidentally, all on the Star Legend.)

Oh, the Seattle office, well they're quite preoccupied trying to sort out the cancelled Star Pride bookings - so though you may have information the ship will be at Muelle (pier) 1, it might actually be at #3. Check en route - it's likely if you're in from the airport or Carolina / Isla Verde you'll drive by #3 first, so keep your eyes peeled. (If you're at the ideal hotel for this trip, the Sheraton, waterside in San Juan, you'll be able to see - and walk to - both piers.)

Windstar's sailing ships use the sails, water tanks they can move water from or to and wing stabilizers to help stabilize the ship. Tahiti and her islands offer a lot of sheltered waters, so it should be pretty calm.

We've done four cruises on Wind Song, a sister ship, and M/S Paul Gauguin. The most motion we had was on our first trip, going to the more isolated Tuamotus (open ocean, a good swell).

The ship has Meclizine freely available, but as a frequent traveler on small live aboard dive boats I personally prefer ginger (ginger in any form will work pretty well).

Talk to your physician about the Scopolamine patch and about Meclizine as well, as though it is over the counter it may interfere with some medications. And remember to start before the motion begins, rather than after you begin to feel ill (if you do so).

By the way, for those of us on IST-IST via the Black Sea, Turkey will institute new visa requirements as of 10 April 2014. Visa on arrival will no longer be a possibility; you will have to secure an electronic visa in advance of going to Turkey:

I you are American (and several other nationalities) you can get a visa on arrival up through April 9, as of April 10 2014 you will need to secure electronic visas for each and every traveler ($20 each, online, Visa or MasterCard, good for 90 days multiple entry within 180 days of entry date validity; your passport must match, of course, and be valid 180 days beyond your last date of Turkey visa validity - this last bit is according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which I checked because it is not so clear on the e-visa site.)

http://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

Of course, you can also get a ninety day visa at your local Turkish Embassy or Consulate, or via a (expensive) visa service.

If you are on a cruise:

• You don’t need e-Visa, if you will not leave the ship.
  
  
• You don’t need e-visa, if you only tour in the respective port city of Turkey (You will be given a permission by local border police authorities to enter Turkey).
  
  
• You need e-Visa, if you want to tour beyond the respective port city of Turkey.
  
  

OP, I forgot to address your original question! (And I can't edit after 20 minutes...) OP, all seems good so far. Windstar leased the three Seabourn ships back to Seabourn, and we saw the Pride in Siint Maarten in December. She will transfer over after the cruise season and go (I suspect to wet dock) for refurbishment and the inaugural cruise from Barcelona is, as many of you know, May 5.

We're booked on the inaugural cruise as Star Pride, and on from Rome around Sicily - we'll see some of you aboard, apparently*! And for those who know him, Capt. Doogie ;), er, Capt, Alan MacAry (he's not looking quite as young anymore!) will be the captain for these voyages. (Later this year we will do Athens - Istanbul and Istanbul - Istanbul via the Black Sea / Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria).

Captain Alan MacAry

The 'Pride will have the same number of passengers (Windstar says 212) as it has under Seabourn; no changes like that will be made. Only the Wind Surf has 300 passengers.

Here's a video with some information about Star Pride's full (suites and all other spaces) refurbishment: http://www.windstarcruises.com/starpride-transformation.aspx (artists' renderings at this point, of course).

A little bit on Capt. MacAry and why he may have been selected: during time between cruise contracts, he fills in on other ships, from suprtankers to you name it, for a little exposure to varied ships. We enjoyed the Wind Surf in December under his command, and are looking forward to Barcelona-Rome-Sicily-Rome. Another bit highlighting Wind Surf's 2013 rescue (under Capt. MacAry) of a sailboat in the Adriatic can be seen here: http://www.windstarcruises.com/blog/2012/10/wind-surf-to-the-rescue/

BTW if you're not using Windstar's transfers, I can recommend

Filippo Biasini and his Mercedes van

filippo@rome-tours.org

+39 333 7413375

http://www.rome-tours.org

(Filippo has a livery license - meaning he can access the dock up to the ship, as well as bus and taxi lanes in Rome... and speaks English pretty well to boot.)

and some others I find reliable have used Rome Cabs: http://www.romecabs.com/

*PM me if you want to meet during either voyage... especially 2LoveToTravel, lots of Windstar cruises! (We began with five cruises with Wind Song...)

Great review! We were on the 'Star since renovations, and the renovations are stunning. The 'Surf has had most renovations finished; the major clues we could still find from the "old" Club Med / 'Surf interior design are the two tiny safes, originally placed when the ship was Club Med I and two unrelated guests could be sharing a cabin; this will also be changed soon with an enlarged single safe. The Spirit will be done as indicated above - 2015 (when the Seabourn Spirit and Legend will also undergo renovations prior to initiating service as "Star" ships in April and May 2015).

As Windstar cruisers (we will make our 20th this year) we were disappointed with service and wear and tear under Ambassador Cruise lines, concerned as to who the "dark horse" buyers were after the auction, wondering if Xanterra knew what it was doing when it was revealed they were the buyers, extremely happy when they announced $18 million for refitting, and ecstatic when it was announced they purchased the Star (neé Seabourn) Pride, Legend and Spirit.

(We'll be in Barcelona to christen what will be the Star Pride on her maiden voyage as a Windstar ship departing May 5 2014 - and can hardly wait!)

Other options at SFO include the DoubleTree Burlingame SF International Airport. Their Park and Fly rate includes 14 days of on-site free parking (I used to use the El Camino BW but much of their parking is now off site, their people drive your car to and from, and I am uncomfortable with that). You will find a better rate if you stay over a weekend night than a weeknight - considerably - and you can make this an overnight on arrival or return. Shuttles to / from SFO are quite regular, about every 20 minutes during much of the day, and they run longer than most because one part of this property is a crew hotel.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Francisco Airport

http://*******/1gG5Gau

835 Airport Blvd., Burlingame, California, 94010-9949, USA

TEL: 1-650-344-5500 / FAX: 1-650-340-8851

If you are HHonors Gold or Diamond, they will include breakfast (hot and cold buffet) for two, and you can ask for the 8th floor (includes printer / fax, is a bit quieter as it's the top floor) and there is a decent restaurant (others within walking distance).

If you are cruising from the Port of San Francisco (Pier 35) getting there is not super easy, but doable. A taxi is one way, of course, but it won't be cheap; figure about $55 US one way.

Alternatives include taking the free airport shuttle to the International Terminal and from there BART (local metro) to San Francisco, changing to public transit, or from the Embarcadero station on Market Street to a surface tram (you will be riding on an antique tram, could be from SF, Basel, who knows from where?)

If you prefer not to park, sleep and fly, and you are cruising you can use ACE Parking (as recommended by cruise ships, which is now $18 per night and a "one time $2 booking convenience fee" :p. Easier to book online, as calling can take forever and several calls. http://www.55francisco.com.

Here's a map that shows your pier 35, the pier 33 / Ferry Building and ACE parking: http://*******/1bAgEiV and

here's another showing Ferry Building / Pier 35: http://*******/1g8oNbk

Sacramento and vicinity folks will find AMTRAK (rom Roseville, Sacramento, etc.) to Emeryville, including the free bus to San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf, is probably the best deal. Alternatively, disembarking at Richmond and using BART from there, connecting to the SF tram system or a taxi is a bigger PITA.

Those who can park in Vallejo at the ferry terminal can take the ferry to San Francisco - it docks at the Ferry Building, 1.1 miles form Pier 35 - which leaves a bit of a walk to the cruise terminal (or the before-mentioned tram or a short taxi ride, or a walk if you are able and have rolling luggage). http://www.sanfranciscobayferry.com, $13 per adult one way, half off for Seniors 65 or over, disabled or Medicare. The City parking lot at the ferry costs $5 per day.