Zeno

I am considering a Northern European cruise and would like to know if the Lido Pool is usable on Northern cruises?

Thx for any info.

Any suggestions or tips for our first time on this cruise line?

 

Thanks,

Lorrie

We found the laundry package very useful (You just let the Front desk know on arrival day that you want the package - the price is quite reasonable.) As long as we got laundry out early, we received it back the same day. You just hang the laundry bag on your door handle.

Note: cappuccinos/teas and sandwiches and pastries are available in the Yacht club during the day. Very handy if you want a snack or coffee before dinner after coming back on board.

We found the port talks (on our cruise given before dinner in the main lounge) were actually pretty useful. There were also good port maps available near the Shore excursions desk.

Any questions?

Curious: which ship excursion did you take and would you recommend it ? Thank you.

 

 

The excursion we did was the Beach Break in Antigua.

Personally I thought it was just OK. Next time I would just take a taxi to the beach at Pigeon Point.

If it is your first time in Antigua (it wasn't for us) I would recommend doing Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. The are near this port and well worth it.

Just received an email that due to an "operational issue", our beach barbecue will take place at Spanish Town instead of Prickly Pear Beach.

 

i am assuming that this is due to mechanical difficulties Windsurf recently experienced. Has anyone recently been to Spanish town? Is it still a beach barbecue?

 

Our cruise is over three weeks away, so I assume many sailings are effected.

This is what happened on our cruise in December - it actually has nothing to do with mechanical difficulties and more to do with the other location (near yacht club - it seems they have had some issues with them). The beach near Spanish Town is Fischer's Cove. The facilities were quite good and the location was great - VERY near The Baths (about a 5 minute taxi ride - so you could definitely do The Baths on your own). The beach BBQ was great - good food and well- organized. Spanish Town is the main town on Virgin Gorda.

I'm just wondering what I can purchase with my OBC's. Can I use them in the casino, on purchases in the gift shop, booking excursions on board, drink or laundry packages etc? We will be sailing on the Wind Surf in February and any prior information is greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly.

We used our OBC for: laundry package (we were VERY pleased with it), a shore excursion, gift shop purchases and drinks. You cannot use it for the service charge.

I don't know about the casino but I think not. I nearly forgot, we were also able to use it in the spa.

Note: the watertight doors are only deployed at certain times (i.e. when the ship is entering port) - we experienced them only once and were only affected because we were trying to get to the spa (further back from our cabin).

White jeans with a slightly dressier top would fit in just fine. Some people were fairly dressy, others pretty casual. I tended to wear my sundress or my nicer capris and a top.

The Baths are extremely close to Fischer's Cove - at the Beach Party, we me a couple who had easily jogged to Spring Bay (next to The Baths). If we found ourselves at Fischer's Cove again, we would probably take a taxi to Spring Bay (for me level and easier to get to than the beach at The Baths). The couple we spoke to were very impressed with Spring Bay.

I forgot to mention 2 things.

We LOVED the (included Beach BBQ party) - well-organized, good food (a cut above regular BBQ fare), very good beach band, nice location (decent beach with VERY good washroom facilities - clean and well-kept), lots of loungers and better yet for me I was able to get a chair (easier for me to sit on than a lounger). Since I have never experienced Prickly Pear, I don't know how the location (Fischer's Bay sp?)compares to it. We also liked the location since it was closer to The Baths and other points of interest on Virgin Gorda.

Our only real disappointment in the cruise (not Windstar's fault) was that due to ocean conditions, the watersports platform was not deployed on this cruise. Both my husband and myself were looking forward to trying it out.

Since Tbmrt has already given an excellent long review of this voyage, I will dwell on a few things that specifically mattered to us:

Overall: Simply the best cruise we have ever had. Even with the delay at the beginning, we were extremely pleased with just about every aspect of the cruise. We felt that the compensation for the delay was quite appropriate and we felt that we were kept well-informed.

Some things specific to us:

I have minor mobility issues due to knee surgery - my knee is not very flexible and for the most part I use a cane (sometimes I can do without). I can go up and down short flights of stairs (so getting on and off the ship in port was no problem.

I had been a little concerned about tendering but due to the concern and attention to safety of the tender crews, this turned out not to be significant problem. There were various lips on doors and some uneven flooring to contend with but as long as a I paid attention when moving about the ship, these were no real problems.

The 2 elevators on board definitely made my life easier. The one time I had to use the stairs to get from on deck to another, was doable BUT I was relieved that I only had to do this once. (The watertight doors were closed and we were trying to get to the spa). Consequently if anyone has a problem with frequently using stairs, they should be aware that of Windstar's ships with sails, the Wind Surf is the only one with elevators.

The crew were wonderful - always on the alert to help me and make things easier. Frequently in the Verandah buffet area, a waiter would carry my plate around and assist me and I can't say enough about the concern shown by the tender crews.

On a more active note, my husband really enjoyed the stretch and yoga classes every morning.

A few other things:

Cabin 217 - we loved our cabin. The location was good except for early morning tendering noises. (We are pretty early risers so this wasn't a big concern and the minor inconvenience was outweighed by the nearness to the the tenders and elevators.) Note: if always having access to the elevators is a concern, your cabin should NOT be located at either extreme end of Deck 2 (NOT cabins 205-212 or 256-269). The layout of the cabin was great for us (even with the lip into the bathroom) but be aware if you are like me and cannot flex your knee well, remember to pay attention (I managed to stub my toe pretty badly on the first day by not lifting my leg enough.) After that incident, my husband took it upon himself to be aware of any potential tripping/toe stubbing/ etc hazards and "mind the lip" became his mantra.

Why we really enjoyed this cruise:

The crew are simply great especially waiters Uud and Nurd and our cabin steward Fawzi. We had great massages at the spa. The lounges were comfortable and staffed by pleasant servers. We especially loved the relaxed atmosphere of the Yacht Club - it was our favorite spot to relax after coming back on board from shore.

The amount of deck space per passenger seemed excellent. We never felt crowded. NO lines! - Absolutely wonderful!

We enjoyed the food (for us the portion sizes were perfect). The lunch and breakfast

buffets were always fresh and appealing.

When the ship was under sail, the atmosphere was magical.

Relatively Minor Issues:

On-board personnel were all pretty great, knew their jobs and really seemed dedicated to doing a good job and being helpful. However the same cannot be said for on-shore personnel. The on-shore check-in process was somewhat chaotic. Some SIGNS indicating where to go would have been helpful. The check-in personnel were pleasant enough but not good at providing direction (like where to go to get the shuttle from check-in to the ship. We had to ask twice before being given clear instructions which way to go. (A simple sign would have helped a lot.)

We only took one ship excursion and once again the scene on-shore was chaotic and not very comfortable for someone with difficulties standing for any length of time. Providing a few benches and some shade would have made this a lot easier. And the transportation was chaotic and disorganized - people milling about - little direction being given.

Neither of these issues detracted from our overall enjoyment of the cruise. We would cruise again with Windstar (and especially on the Wind Surf) in a heartbeat.

Another vote for Royston. We had a great tour with him a couple of years ago.

http://www.roystontoursstkitts.com/

We will visit Club O as usual, but also would like to check out Aloha Bar and other clothed beaches.

 

Suggestions? How far of a walk will that be?

It's not far at all - since the beach is basically one continuous beach - Just a very small point between Club O and the "clothed" beaches.

We like to go to Chez Leandra's for lunch - delicious wraps and other stuff. It's just on the other side of Pedro's

As Karysa has said the buses do not go to the beach. It is a longish hot walk from the main road (where buses run) to Orient Beach.

Taxis can actually be quite reasonable IF you are prepared to share. They are generally mini-vans. The best place to get a shared taxi is probably the cruiseship docks (also prices are posted there which helps). I am not aware of it (Philipsburg is not usually where we hang out) BUT there may be somewhere in Philipsburg where it is also easy to get a shared taxi. If you plan on doing this while you are staying at your hotel - ask at the hotel.

If you share a taxi the one way fare should be about $9 per person for 3 people, less if you are in a bigger van with more people.

I think (but I am not positive) that the taxi fare for 2 people (one way) to Orient Beach would be $20-$25.

In general a bus would work to get to Marigot but really not to any of the beaches.

Nearly forgot - there will not be any problem getting a taxi back from Orient Beach - always lots of taxis hanging around.

St. Kitt's - a tour that includes Brimstone Hill - the views alone are amazing

http://www.brimstonehillfortress.org/

Take a look at the drone video at the above site

Martinique - a tour that takes you into the interior - The Route de La Trace is gorgeous

thx for info! Very useful - especially about distilled water.

Yes - it's not long now!

An additional questions to add to TBMRTs.

Does anyone know someplace near the Pasanggrahan where I can pick up distilled water (for my CPAP)?

Also where can I pick up insect repellant? Something good for mosquitos and sand fleas not just mosquitos.

thx

thx for info - seems promising

I am considering booking an OV GTY and hope to get at least one of the better obstructed views and if I am really lucky unobstructed.

Anyone who had a Guarantee cabin on POA?

If you have booked a GTY cabin on the POA - did you get the minimum cabin or an upgrade?

I am specifically interested in an oceanview GTY (did you get an obstructed view or better?)

We did a tour with Lawrence several years ago and were very pleased.

Seriously (and I avoid ships' excursions too) this is one case where I would definitely take one - it's just too tight to do otherwise.

I found this video of the path down to The Baths. It is really quite useful since it gives you a very good idea of what the path is like. As you will see there are a couple of spots that are a little tricky and you should wear proper footwear. So it really depends on if you think you can cope with this kind of trail.

Actually the path down to the Baths isn't that bad - just uneven in a few places.

Going through The Baths is a whole other issue - I would not recommend that someone with limited mobility try that. There are a couple of spots that would be pretty near impossible for someone with mobility issues. BTW coming by boat will still NOT take you into the Baths but to one of the two beaches on either side.

However even after saying this, one could get down to The Baths - check them out and go as far as is feasible and then turn around. You can still get a feel for The Baths without doing the difficult bits. The beach area on either side is interesting - lots of giant boulders.

You might find the Devil's Bay Path a little easier than the path that goes to the entrance to The Baths. (Devil's Bay is where you end up if you go through The Baths.)

Take the ferry - it's a short walk from where the ship docks.

Either ferry company is fine - just go with the one that suits your

schedule:

http://www.bvitourism.com/inter-island-ferries