JoanneCam

Signed up in advance for the French class and loved it. Simple ingredients allowed focusing on technique. We have reproduced the chicken breast centered dinner three times since returning home last month. Loved the set up: chef demonstrates and you return to your own station and reproduce the steps. All the ingredients are set up in order so it's easier to remember the sequence. Plenty of help. We also signed up on board for the Caribbean class, and made a beautiful paella which I loved but don't see how it was Caribbean. Classes were added during the cruise due to their popularity so it would be worth being on a waiting list. Great way to spend shipboard credit.

Had not trouble getting a glass of Sauterne with the foie gras. Very accommodating.

BTW, several years ago we did a SeaDream cruise along the coast of Mexico and ended up spending 2 or 3 days in Cozumel which was not on the itinerary at all. Again the direction of the seas was unusual and the Captain thought hiding in the lee of the island was a better idea than getting everyone sick (half the boat missed dinner the night before he made that decision).

The seas last week were apparently very unusual in terms of mph and, more importantly, direction - they were onshore creating some very large swells as they funneled into the harbors. We docked in St. Thomas instead of St. Bart's and also docked in Tortola instead of St. Martin so the days were not lost. Our trek to Tortola was longer so the staff did offer cooking demonstrations along with napkin and towel folding. We were happy to be up on deck reading. Hope that helps.

Just returned two days ago after a wonderful cruise on the Star Legend. We've been to many of the ports in the past so did none of the Windstar shore excursions. In Culebra we rented a six person golf cart for $70, a good deal since there were 6 of us traveling together. Spent a few hours at Flamenco Beach (beautiful) and saw much of the rest of the little island including a few great views of the boat. We never made it to St. Bart's due to high seas but our plan had been to walk to Shell Beach and then shop. In Montserrat we arranged our own tour of the island for $40 pp with Montserrat Island Tours but were unable to get into Zone V. It was still a great tour. Again, high seas prevented us from reaching St. Martin. In Jost Van Dyke we just stayed on the boat but a few in our party hiked the island. The beach experience in Prickly Pear the last day was the best I've ever attended in terms of comfort, available sporting activities, and food. Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.