Lvwindstar007

The same thing happened to us (at a much lower cost) on a Paul Gaugin cruise from Fiji to Bali earlier this year. We stopped at Tuesday Island (Australia) and all the info said we needed a Aussie visa which you can buy online. Most of the passengers did but it turned out to be unnecessary. Also there was similar confusion re Bali (Indonesia) but it was resolved a month or so before we departed so we didn't get stuck with that cost also. FWIW: Jack in cool Reno

Many years ago cruise lines sometimes allowed this. No longer possible due to obvious security concerns.

"Are fisherman's sandals okay for men with the long pants?" I think they should be fine. I often wear my Birkenstocks to cocktails and dinner along with long pants. Although my usual is a pair of nice black slip-ons. We are doing a BtoB on the Surf in January with the new itinerary. FWIW Jack in sunny Reno

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LVWindstar007, we might be sailing with you on Jan 20th???

Yep that will be our second week. We love the BVIs and hope they recover quickly. Last time we werein Dominica was 7 or so years ago. Hope the damage wasn't too bad. Jack and Becky, Reno

American did my reschedule from SXM to BGI without a change fee and the additional fare was not very much more. We are going on the 13 Jan 2018 departure for two weeks. Hotels.com is working on my "nonrefundable" hotel res.

For us Komodo and the IC Bali at the end of the cruise were the highlights.

Still in time shift recovery mode. But it was an interesting and enjoyable trip especially with friends. Still it was not a trip that I would repeat. Will post more a little later.

Assuming the ship is actually dry docked, the bottom is cleaned and valves, seals, etc. that are in contact with seawater are checked/refurbished. Major and/or minor maintenance is done. Some refurbishment can be done in two weeks.

We enjoyed one trip to FP on the Windsong (rip), one on PG and a more recent on the Windspirit. We have a trip planed on PG from Fiji to Bali in two months with friends. The Windspirit has stabilizers which helps somewhat with roll in high seas. PG has been serving FP the longest. I would go with the best overall financial package. Our preference is Windstar overall but PG will be fine.

Mike: I recall you draw your snorkeling gear early in the cruise. I bring our masks/snorkels but get fins and vests from the ship.

The non drowsy drug is meclizine with commercial name Bonine as well as others. Very inexpensive if you buy the generic. They usually have free packets outside the doctor's office. Also the Windspirit has stabilizers which will help.

I would like to echo MightyQuinn's comments on entering the Fakarava lagoon. It is a beautiful and photogenic passage. When we arrived a couple of years ago the dive spots were too rough and they canceled the scuba tours. We just walked to "town" and enjoyed ourselves.

We have used the train from the Rome downtown station to and from the airport. It is convenient if your hotel is closeby or a short taxi ride away. We have used a WS hotel in Rome and their transportation both ways. If you are going to be in Rome and departing on WS you should be able to buy their transfer but it will be from whatever hotel they are using. We have done this numerous times in several locations. Also we have stayed at one of their hotels but made our own reservation and saved $$ and still bought the WS transfer!

We did a back to back from Istanbul to Rome in October, weather was generally good but the seas were rough from Greece to Rome and we had to skip Siclly stop due to the slow passage. Ship was Windsurf..

The only thing like that is when they used to have a oil price surcharge but of course that was set when you paid...but it was a variable up to that point. At least for the moment none of that!

One thing to do at St Martin (If you have never been there before) is to hire a taxi driver to take you around the island ending at the Surf. I recall $100 or so for an hour and a half trip.

We arrived on a Sunday with very limited transportation choices. We took a taxi to the Balboa area which cost about $100. (This was on the Wind Spirit a few years ago on the way to Tahiti, without us.) We were not interested in the ship's tour which would have dropped us at their downtown hotel or the airport. Also we have toured PC many times before.

They still do the beach lunch at least as of two weeks ago. Ours got canceled due to rain but not until the crew had transported most of the setup to the beach.

We.stayed twice in street side room last year. It was fine and had a covered porch. Spent all our time on the beach side bar and restaurant or the boardwalk. Jack on Windspirit next week!

All three sailing ships have stabilizers which help to control the motion in rough seas. Not sure but expect the new ships also would have stabilizers. They can't completely remove the effects of rough water. Everything depends on the weather and the location/path of the ship. Nothing like a destroyer in the north atlantic winter! CaptJack

We have used Windstar hotels several times, in Rome, Venice, Istanbul and San Jose. That have been expensive but very satisfactory and convenient with both transfers included. Most recently we booked our own room in the San Jose Costa Rica hotel that they use and got a better rate, then added the one way transfer to the ship and took a cab to the hotel from the airport. We saved some money doing it that way.

We have done both, but the one on Windsong was just before its demise. We also did the PG cruise that went to the Tuamotus and the Marquesas. Enjoyed both but the service and overall experience on the Windsong was better. We hope to do Tahiti on the Windspirit soon.

Dear past Winstar guests,

 

Can you tell me if Windstar sends you any kind of boarding pass for their sailings? This is my first time sailing on Windstar and I paid off my January 31 Barbados fare over a month ago. I have emailed Windstar with no reply to see if I will receive boarding passes in the mail. We are traveling on our own flying & hotels, not going thru them. Thanks for the info!

We received our EDocs about 60 days before our departure. I have no idea if they are going to mail us paper docs but we are about 30 days out at this point. Looking forward to a sunny departure on 10 Jan. Regards, from cool Reno!

I can't comment on this specific transfer but we have used Windstar's transfers many times and while we might find cheaper means they were convenient and on time. Usually less than a taxi. Often we have stayed at our own hotel and then taken a taxi to the one Windstar used for the transfer.

Unless I am mistaken, the Windsurf could easily clear the two bridges between Istanbul and the Black Sea, and the Windstar and Windspirit could clear, paying attention to the tidal conditions. I am not familiar with the range of tide, but the Surf is listed at 50 meters, the Star and Spirit at 62 m, with both bridges listed at 64 m above sea level. Of course I am sitting at my computer in Reno, NV and don't have to run up to the Black Sea. I have traveled nearly up to the Black Sea in a private yacht when we were visiting relatives in Istanbul, but of course, the Windstar just docks in the New District area.