Hillskis

We have canceled shore excursions while on a Windstar cruise and they put the credit on your shipboard account. It just offsets and other expenses charged to your shipboard account.

I know this is a cop out but it all depends on the weather. Last year we had smooth sailing but the year before they had gale force winds and rough seas. No cruise is without its possible bad weather. Under normal conditions the Wind Surf is a very stable ship.

I think it depends on the ship and accommodations/bar manager. Last summer when we were on the Wind Surf in the Baltic we took 12 bottles on board for our 19 day cruise. We also bought wine by the glass and a few of their bottles. Their prices are very fair.

I just read a brochure from Regent on their Iceland cruise. It goes to Iceland and Greenland on the Voyager Seven Seas (600 passengers).

They offered it to us last year on the Wind Surf. Didn't take it since you're not on the ship enough to make it worthwhile. Some people like the convenience of just ordering a drink without worrying about the cost. We brought our own wine on board. If you are in Venice long enough at the beginning of the cruise, get yourself an empty 2 liter plastic bottle and take it to one of the local enotecas(wine stores) and they will fill it up for 3-5 Euros.

It's roughly 26 miles from Dubrovnik to the entrance to the Kotor Fjord. Another 16 miles from the entrance to Kotor. The 26 miles can be covered in about 2-3 hours while the trip up the fjord will taken much longer since it will be at night and the fjord is very narrow. I don't know the schedule since we sailed into the fjord late afternoon and early evening. We had the deck BBQ while we sailed into the Kotor fjord. Then we stayed overnight in Kotor and sailed out the next morning at 7AM. Since you are leaving Kotor at 5PM you'll get a great view of the fjord for at least 1 1/2 hours. The best shore excursion in Kotor is the Highlights of Kotor Bay & Baroque Village of Perast.

Take a look at my blog from the Venice to Athens Wind Surf cruise.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/khillski/5/tpod.html

We sailed the Croatian coast in June. In September the sun will rise about 6:30 and set about 6:45. Another good choice for Candles would be when you leave Split since you sail out along the islands on the Croatian coast. They may have the deck BBQ the night you are in Dubrovnik since you don't leave there until 10PM. Make sure that you go and make your Candles reservation immediately upon getting on the ship. If you want to go to Candles more than once, just let the Candles' maitre d' know you would like to be notified if there is a cancellation. Also, if you tip him early in the cruise it always helps.

I would suggest doing Candles on the night you leave Kotor. The cruise out of the fjord is beautiful and sitting on the deck at sunset would make it better. On our cruise the water sports platform was open on Capri and Dubrovnik.

Supermarkets are your best bet for wine on Croatia coast and Athens. Try the local Croatian wines. In Venice find yourself an empty 1.5-2.0 ltr plastic bottle and take it to one of the local wine shops where they will fill it with great local wine for 3-5 euros. We did this in Venice every day we were there and sat on our hotel balcony and drank the wine and watched the world go by.

You can also order popcorn or nachos from room service. They won't deliver to the deck but your room. Then just take it up on deck and enjoy. You can also get sandwiches from the deli and take them with you for your day trip.

We have been there twice in the last 3 years and bought wine at Carrefour Grocery just down the road from the Intercontinental Beachcomber. They have a great selection and reasonable prices.

Last year we were in St. Petersburg on the Windsurf. We were docked at the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. Windsurf's sister ship, Club Med 2, was docked next to us so I am sure that this is where you will probably dock. The tour companies get notified of where each ship is docked so don't worry, they'll find you. We used SPB Tours and they found us.

Last August we were on the Wind Surf and brought 12 bottles on board. At the time the policy was 2 bottles per person per week. We even had the dining manager approve the wine as we came on board. I guess it just depends on timing. We had a few of our bottles at dinner and paid the corkage fee. The rest of the time we kept an open bottle in the cabin and would go down and fill up our glasses.

The wines on Wind Surf are very reasonable and the package isn't worth purchasing. Also, you can bring your own wine on board. Last year we brought a case of wine on board. You must open your bottle in your cabin otherwise you will be charged a corkage fee. We just kept an open bottle in the cabin and occasionally went back there to refill our glass.

Make sure that immediately after checking in on the first day you go and make reservations for Candles (outside dining) and Stella Bistro. There is no up charge but you do need reservations.

As far as tours, the Taste of Capri and Blue Grotto is great and make sure you go up to the top of the island on the chair lift. Dubrovnik, Messina, and Split can be done on your own. In Dubrovnik get off the ship early and walk the wall around the city. In Kotor take the Bay & Baroque Village tour. In Rovinj take the Seaside and Wine Tour. It's fun to try some of the local wines of Istria.

This hike was spectacular. The guide stopped often to talk about the area so you will have a chance to rest. I hike and walk often and this hike was 7 out of 10 on difficult meter. Make sure you take a walking stick or get one from your guide as the trail is uneven and there are many roots sticking up along the way. Although it was not raining, the trail is wet and can be slippery so make sure your shoes do not have slick soles. The total climb from Belvedere Point to the pass is about 600 ft. and the total length is 4 miles roundtrip. Depending on your guide and the speed of the group, you will spend about 30-45 minutes at the pass.

If you are not in good conditioning and do not walk or hike regularly, I would not recommend this excursion. Several people on our hike were out of breath a few times but they said they were glad they made it..

We have done Capri twice with Windstar. The 1st time we did one of their tours that included a boat tour around the island and up to Anacapri to take the chairlift to the top of the island. This was great since it gave you a great view of the island from both land and sea. For 1st time visitors I think this one is the best option. The second time we went on our own and bought a finicular/bus pass and explored the island by land. Which ever one you do, make sure to take the chairlift to the top of the island.

On our last two cruises (back to back) for 18 days we ate at Candles 6 times. Sign up early on the day you leave port and then put yourself on the waiting list each night. Also, a nice tip to the restaurant manager helps you get a call the next time there is an opening.

Since I have been on the Wind Surf many times I have found that tipping some of the key staff at the beginning of the cruise insures even better service throughout the cruise. The staff I find to be key are the dinning room mater deis, your room steward, and a couple of the bartenders. Anywhere from $30-$50 at the start makes life easier throughout the cruise.

We sailed in August on the Windsurf for 19 days and took a case of wine on board and didn't have any problems. The hotel manager had to come down to the x-ray area but said it was OK. We had the wine in 2 half case boxes to make it easier to transport. We would fill up our glass in the room and take it up on deck or to the lounges. We took our wine to dinner a few times and the corkage fee is $15 per bottle. We also purchased several bottles of their wine and many of their cocktails.

We sailed in August on the Windsurf for 19 days and took a case of wine on board and didn't have any problems. We had the wine in 2 half case boxes to make it easier to transport. We would fill up our glass in the room and take it up on deck or to the lounges. The corkage fee is $15 per bottle, not per person. We also purchased several bottles of their wine and many of their cocktails. The drink package includes only wines offered by the glass. Most of the wines are very drinkable but not high end. We didn't buy the drink package and found we didn't even come close to spending that much overall. If you are off the ship during the day you would need to drink 6-8 cocktails/wine per person each evening. Makes it really hard to get up the next morning if you do that.

Take a look at the shore excursions listed for each of the 3 cruises Windstar does in the Caribbean. They will indicate how much non-water related activities are offered. An itinerary with larger islands will offer more non-water related activities since there will be more land focused excursions.

I just checked my invoice from our B2B that we got off of last Friday and they gave us a 5% discount as an alumni and a 5% discount for Connoisseur Collection BTB (back to back). It ended up being $2,100 off when all was said and done.

We always get the laundry package. Just did 19 straight days on the Wind Surf through the Baltic and the laundry package came in real handy. Packed less and because it was in the 80s the whole time we needed to have laundry done every day. Here's a caution; write on your laundry form "COLD WATER WASH" or everything will come back two sizes smaller. Also, take a delicates bag for bras & lace items so they don't get snagged in the wash.

Outside of 502 & 503 is a corridor that goes toward the bow and stairs that go up and down. You do not need to go outside to move throughout the ship. Being on the bridge level you only need to go up 1 deck or down 1 deck to get to the main dinning venues. Suite 501 is much smaller than 502 & 503. It is directly behind the bridge and next to the captain's and officers quarters. One very nice feature of the bridge suites is the ability to host a cocktail party in your parlor. We have done that a couple of times when we were in 503. You just tell room service what you want for appetizers and they will bring it to you. Although there is only 1 bathroom, it is so big both people can be in it at once (double sinks & large shower).