firststeps

Thanks for the response.!  Hope you had a wonderful trip.   We have taken 7 trips on Windsar but of course, this is a "new" ship.  We are looking at cabins 446 and 447.  Both S1 category.  One time our son and daughter-in-law were in a cabin where they heard the anchor early in the am which woke them up.  Never again!  

Any input would be appreciated.  How are the new eating venues?  

We are thinking about booking the Iceland trip for Aug 2022.  Would appreciate comments on the renovated ship and which cabins to book.  Hard to find any information.  Thanks.

WE were on the Pride Dec. 15. Never again... We had been on 5 other cruises with Windstar and this was the worst... the engine was so noisy that you could not enjoy eating at the outdoor venue... we had to operate on fewer engines than they had... something was wrong... communication was non-existent... We requested a room change since we were where the anchor was being used... very noisy... we did this as soon as we got on board... remember... we are frequent windstar guests. I went to reception and was told that the ship was FULL... I was lied to my face. They ship had plenty of open cabins... then I was told that I could come back after 6pm and they would see what they could do... I did that and was told that they still did not have any rooms...WHAT? THEN I asked to speak to a supervisor... after some back and forth they changed our room... this is not the Windstar we know and love... the first evening we went to the dining room to be there early.. there is a particusar table we like... it is quieter... when we entered we told the head of the dining room where we would like to sit... he said " I make those decisions"...not a good first day... The next week this ship went aground and people had to be off loaded to other ships and sent them home. Reading the posts on various boards they were not treated very well... so this is not the experience one usually has on a Windstar cruise. We leave next week on our next Windstar cruise... we have been trying different line but wanted to give Windstar one last chance... we'll see what happens. BUT.... I would NEVER take the Pride again... even now we are having issues with windstar. Just received our final documents yesterday... 13 days prior to the cruise... there are exclamation marks next to our names with no explanation... when I tried to go on-line there is no information... I called and was on hold for 1/2 hour... I timed it... I gave up... I'll have to try again today.. I am afraid the Windstar of old is gone... I know they have down on staff and apparently corporate is no better...Sorry to be so negative... this used to be a great company.. Good Luck if you do the Pride.

Did you need an international license to rent the car?

Thanks for this information.

We too are doing the Windstar cruise... used to be our absolute favorite line but the service has gone down hill the last couple of years... was Krashmir in the dining room? He was in charge on our last Windstar cruise in the Baltic and then he joined the Breeze... Hope he is still on that ship... he is a gem.

Thanks for the info on the ports...

What did you do in La Gomera and Lanzarote? We rarely do ship tours and are wondering what is worth seeing in these two places. Thanks...

After tons of reading and sending emails I have found several options for private experiences in each location. I talked to Windstar and they said there was no reason why someone could not set up their own tour. So, for those of you out there wanting to do this, it is possible.

MJ Cruiser.... we are also going on Windstar. Any info you can share on private tours that you have found would be appreciated. We prefer to do things on our own.

Enjoy your trip, Karen. This is one of the itineraries that we have yet to do but is calling us. I would love to hear about it when you return.

We were on the Legend from Dover to Copenhagen. We had a fabulous time. This was our 4th or 5th Windstar cruise ... can't remember any more. The good news is that the suites are really nice... large comfortable, etc. At least by our standards. We did miss the sails of the other ships though.The balconies on this ship are "french" balconies which means you can not sit on them. I would not recommend paying extra for a balcony on this ship. We enjoyed having the additional space. It was a luxury. I think this ship has less common outside deck space than the sailing ships but I could be wrong. We really were not outside much because of the temps.

We had rough seas going through the English channel and could not get into Brugge... sad but gives us an excuse to go back. Hope that doesn't happen to you but that's just the way it is with cruising. Be prepared.

The weather this time of year is very changeable. We went from mi 50s to mid 80s from one port to the other. Best to plan on having layers.

The laundry package is well worth considering. We always do it and it lets us pack fewer items of clothes. These ships are very casual and even though they say no jeans, etc. in the dining room, a lot of folks had nice jeans on.. not cut with holes! You will not see tee shirts... casual shirts for men but jeans are really okay.

The ship is nicely done... they are still working on some of the areas that need a little more sprucing up. Service as always is exceptional on a Windstar.

Hawaii... is this your first Windstar cruise? That would help me know how to answer you. This is a SMALL ship.. no big shows, not a lot of entertainment, etc. The focus is really on the ports. Depending on where you are going I might be able to recommend some guides as well if you would like. Are you spending any time in London? We had an amazing guide there for one day...

Now more on the ship... our biggest surprise was the high quality of food in the dining room... very impressed for the very first time. Our waiter, Widhi was perfect and on top of all of our every want/need. You might ask where his serving station is. Also the dinning room supervisor... a big guy with dark hair. His name is Krashmire is great. Tell him Pat and Terri from the July 27th trip (and will be with him in Costa Rica in DEC.) say hi. He is very interested in the clients and does what he can to ensure a good experience. The CHEF... now there's the real deal. Food was served beautiful and was cooked to perfection. As I said, we were amazed.

We had room service two mornings. Again we were surprised by the quality of the food... it was hot when it arrived.

The only complaint we would have is with drink service. When we would come back to the ship from a day of touring tired and wanting to relax, there was no one serving drinks in the lounge... you had to go out to the bar, get your drink and bring it in... I think they need to work on that a bit.

And... since this was the first time for our itinerary, the folks at reception really did not have enough information to share with passengers when they were asked questions. Travis, the activities director, was of great help this way. If he could not answer a question he found the answer and got back to you. At some of the ports Windstar provided busses to take you from the dock in to the city. When we asked in advance - the day before - if transportation was going to be provided the reception girls did not have a clue... Travis knew however. You might want to find out about where the port you are coming in to is in relationship to the town and see if they are providing busses to go back and forth.

If you have not done windstar before you should know that a $12.00/person/day is added to your bill for tips. Also, 15% is added to any beverages to cover tips. We usually tip in addition to that depending on service... room steward, waiter, and we also gave a tip to the guy who took care of our drinks.

If you get a bottle of wine at dinner and don't finish it they will keep it for you in the kitchen and bring it out the next night. They will also bring it out to you out on deck if you want... very nice option. And, you are allowed to bring on two bottles of wine of your own. If you take them to the dining room they will charge a $10.00 corking fee.

Toiletries in the bathroom are top notch... not cheap stuff. You don't have to bring shampoo, cream rinse, soap, etc. unless you want your own brands.

People are friendly on this ship as they are on all Windstar cruises... both the passengers and staff. Relax and enjoy!

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Sorry, Cirman, we have not done Iceland as of yet. we head to Costa Rica and Panama in December.

Karen, where are you going in October?

We returned last week and stayed at the Scandic Palace. It was AWFUL. Another poster has said it has air conditioning. It does not. It has an air flow system but that is different. I have posted a thorough review on TripAdvisor. You should look there for hotel recommendations and reviews. It has an extensive list of hotels you could consider along with many more comments then you will find on this forum. The location was perfect and the staff tried to be helpful but the hotel was dirty, run down, etc. Not a place I would ever recommend.

We were in cabin 134 and never heard a thing... it was quiet. I don't think you have to worry about it.

We are also doing the Windstar Costa Rica TO Panama on the Sea Breeze Dec. 12. We just returned from a trip on the Star Legend... our first time on one of their new ships. The suites are very spacious! We enjoyed the room. As for a balcony... I don't think it is worth it. We saw them from the outside and they don't even look like you can put a chair on them... so it would only be to open a slider and see outside. Maybe others who had a balcony can chime in here but from my perspective there was simply no advantage. We have now taken 4 Windstar cruises and have never booked their excursions. We always book our own experiences and have had great times while others we talked to who did the excursions had mixed reviews. Having said that, we have only done European trips where it is easy to find excellent private guides. I am just starting to look at what we will plan for this trip. Our son and his girlfriend, early 30s will be joining us so we will be doing more active things... but that is what this itinerary is about... activities rather than historical sites. The big surprise on the Legend was the quality of the dinners in the dining room. We don't expect much on the ships and this was a very pleasant surprise. The best food we have had... and... the chef and head of dining are both scheduled to be on the Breeze in DEC. So, we are LUCKY. Hope their assignments don't change. Any other questions... let me know and I'll answer what I can.

We just returned from a trip on the Star Legend... first time not on one of the sailing ships. Yes, we missed the sails BUT the size of the suites made up for it... at least this time... AND.,, the food in the dining room for dinner was the best we have had on any ship. We usually don't pay much attention to the food as we have found that on all cruises the food has gotten pretty mediocre. Not the Legend. If you have the same head of dining... Krashmire and chef... you will be in good hands. Our waiter in the dining room was also top notch... even for Windstar. He was not over the top as some of the staff are... just very helpful and competent... Weidi. The ship is clean and spacious. We did not spend any time on the decks.. unfortunately we had awful weather... rain and cold. I don't think there is as much outside space as on the sailing ships but I could be wrong. The reception staff, although nice, need to be better informed. It was difficult to get information about transportation in some of the ports... whether Windstar was going to provide a bus or not... they did in most of the situations where we needed them to but trying to get that information in advance was difficult to say the least. Travis, the activities guy was very helpful and went above and beyond. Since we were on an itinerary that was a first for Windstar there were some "unknowns" but Travis sorted it all out. Any other questions let me know. I would be happy to answer what I can.

We returned from our trip about a week ago and had a FANTASTIC guide in Berlin. We are 4 adults who travel together and use private guides extensively. Jeremy Minsberg was one of our all time FAVORITES. He is knowledgeable, funny, kind, etc. He is originally from the US but has lived in Berlin for many years. Jeremy knew the places to take us, the stories and the history... boy did he know his stuff. By the way.. the set up at CHECK POINT CHARLIE is not the actual site. You won't learn that from most other guides. He made the experience come alive... not always easy but truly impactful. We packed a lot into our one-day tour with him. You can check out lots of reviews about him on TripAdvisor. He goes by "TheBerlinExpert".

You can reach him at: theberlinexpert@gmail.com

You simply cannot go wrong if you are lucky enough to book Jeremy. He will definitely make your trip to Berlin memorable.

Thank you all for so much information. We are very excited about the trip.

Is there much to do in San Jose? From what I have read it just reads like a big city. We like to learn about the people and culture. Any suggestions for our two day pre cruise experience?

Thanks so much for the info...

We actually are starting in Costa Rica... want to spend at least 2 nights there before the cruise. We end in Colon and want to spend a night or two there. We will take your advice and stay in Panama City. Thank you! How long a drive from the ship? Do you remember? Also, would you provide the name of the boutique hotel? Did you stay somewhere in Costa Rica when your cruise ended? Any recommendations there?

We are just starting to work on this... we board a Windstar in Dover, England in 3 weeks so am trying to put the finishing touches on that trip at the same time I am beginning to work on this one... Travel is great ... the planning is time consuming but fun.

Also, can you give me an idea of the average ages on your trip? My son and girlfriend are accompanying us and given that it is Dec I am wondering if there will be any other folks in their age range. We have now been on Windstar 5 times and have usually not see younger folks.

Getting ready to book the Costa Rica to Panama cruise for DEC 2015 on the Star Pride. Any info you could supply would be appreciated. We will be traveling with our 30 year old son and his girlfriend. We plan to arrive 2-3 days early in Costa Rica. Suggestions for what to do? And at the ports? We tend to book tours/activities on our own rather than go through the ship. Suggestions for hotels in Costa Rica prior to boarding? Is Colon worth an extra overnight prior to flying back to the states?

We will actually be on the Pride in 3 weeks heading from Dover to Copenhagen so we will see what she is like.

Thanks in advance....

Thanks for this response. It is helpful!

Thanks... I am going to try to call Windstar on Monday. I did find the Star Legend listed on the cruise terminal manifest on the day we are to be there. It says: Terminal PTA. Does anyone know what that means???

Thanks for the info. I thought there were no tenders on this cruise but who knows....

I have been trying to find out precisely where we will dock in Amsterdam. WE are on the Star Legend and will arrive in Amsterdam on July 29. It is getting more and more difficult to get any good information from Windstar. Very disappointing since we really like this company but with the expansion customer service is getting lost.

Can someone out there help?

Thanks!