Lobes1

Just a $200 pp change fee which will be offset by the 1/2 off offer from WS. I've always thought trip insurance was throwing money down the drain now need to rethink.

 

The reason that trip insurance is not "throwing money down the drain" is not for trip cancellation or delay so much as for the health and medical evacuation coverage. Those features are relatively inexpensive and will potentially cover a catastrophe that might otherwise cost as much as half a million dollars.

We are sorry to hear about your problems scheduling this cruise. We have recently had a contrasting experience. We received an email from another cruise line (not Windstar) announcing their 2018 cruises. Looking at the schedule, we found a cruise that interested us, with a price that looked too good to refuse. We received the email on a Saturday, so we emailed our TA and expressed interest. Our TA put a hold on the cruise for us. By Monday, the cruise line apparently realized that they had made a mistake and raised the advertised price of the cruise by 83%! The good new is that they honored our reservation at the lower price, even though we had not yet finalized it or made our deposit. That is customer service! It helps to have a TA who is available 24/7, too.

On two of our last four WS cruises, the AC in our cabin did not work when we arrived. We complained, and it was quickly repaired. Our friends had a similar experience. The Windsurf is an old boat!

Yes ... food is subjective but cig smoke is not. You are obviously Crystal people, which WS is not. We were on the Surf two months before your last cruise and again three months after. On our cruises the food was just as good for us as our seven previous WS cruises. The ship itself is in far better condition since Zanterra took over.

In the last four years, we have been on four WS cruises and two Crystal Cruises, so I am not sure that we are "Crystal people". We were very pleased with our experience on WS until our last cruise, where the food was disappointing, at best, the service had also gone downhill, and the cigarette smoke was suffocating. So I suppose now we are Crystal people. That is really a shame, because we do like the smaller ships and the more casual ambiance on WS. And yes, the Windsurf is in remarkable condition.

As for the smoking, I would have demanded a different cabin on a different deck. They are never at 100% capacity. And I would address my complaint to WS corporate. Smoking on board other than a designated smoking area is unacceptable and dangerous at sea. Once again, food is subjective.

 

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Unfortunately, on the Windsurf the employee smoking room is located just below one deck of passenger staterooms. It is supposed to have a special ventilation system, but the odor of smoke in our room and the adjacent rooms was a major problem. And yes, food is subjective, but on our first three WS cruises, we thought the food was excellent. On the latest one, it clearly had gone downhill. Yes, food is subjective, but......

I have been amused about all the definitions about luxury and WS. For me it is such a personal term. My luxury is another's regular occurrence.

" state of great comfort vs extravagant living"

" condition of great abundance vs great ease and comfort"

" something adding great ease or comfort but not necessary"

"Elegance"

" something one enjoys but does not get often"

" something expensive that you enjoy but do not necessarily need"

So speaking to friends and family who have taken the WS due to the experiences my husband and I have had and believe it or not and I am not a travel agent, it has been over 100 people since 1999 when we took our first cruise. Everyone of them would have described WS as luxury, casual elegance. For it is elegant and for us luxury and thankfully not ostentacious. We do not need people serving us drinks in the water in a tux. WS gives us our sense of luxury:

Sails, wind, sea, great service, wonderful food, terrific mattresses, great water pressure and bath products, friendliness with crew and passengers, no crowds and lines, fair prices, lovely drinks, nice wine selection, quiet, destinations that are intellectually stimulating and destinations that are relaxing, salt air, experiences i.e., Tall Ships, going trough the Dardenals, and I could go on. Are they necessary in life no but they sure are wonderful and being able to share the experiences with people we love time and again. Is everything perfect 100% of the time no but who cares for us it is about as perfect a way to travel as one can get. We are trying the motor yacht in 6 days and I am sure that will meet our definitation of luxury. Happy Sailing, don't let the word define your experience and make you miserable enjoy it for we are the fortunate ones to be able to define the word within ourselves. Susanne

I would agree completely, except on our last WS cruise the food was forgettable, at best, and our cabin and that entire deck stank of cigarette smoke. No more WS for us!

Be careful for what you wish....

 

The all-inclusive lines are open-bar, and they provide decent liquor, with upcharges for only the most expensive brands. Where most fall short is in beer selection and the included wines. We've been on all the all inclusives and, for us, the included wines are almost undrinkable. Knowing wine a bit, I've seen them pouring many wines that are available at the grocery store for $5 (or less!). But many pax drink it up and seem happy with it. We usually opt for buying a bottle with dinner, as the generally good food... errr, cuisine in the main dining rooms deserve good wine to accompany.

 

Interesting that you brought up the question of the wines that are served on the "all-inclusive" cruises. We had the impression that most of the wines that were served on our past Crystal cruises were rather good. Your posting motivated me to pull out some recent Crystal menus and price their all-inclusive wine selections. I checked about twenty of their offerings, and none were under $15 from the various on-line wine dealers, and several were as much as $50 to $60 a bottle. We did do a river cruise with AMA Waterways a few years ago, and I agree that the wines were forgettable, at best.

As I recall, in the distant past, the beverage receipts were hand written, and the server sometimes added the gratuity, sometimes did not. When accounting received the receipt, it was adjusted accordingly. On our last trip, in April, I believe they had computer generated receipts that automatically added the gratuity as a separate line item. No, the beverage package does not make you eligible for a reduced price on bottles of wine. Here is the information from the Windstar web site:

*Premium Beverage Packages are only sold per stateroom/suite and must be purchased for all guests occupying a stateroom/suite. Package must be added by the first day of the cruise and must be purchased for full duration of the cruise. Package price (based on double occupancy) is $116 per stateroom/suite, per day, and does not include the standard 15% beverage service charge. Beverage premium up charge is $1.15 per glass. All sparkling wines and wines by the glass are included that are $12 and under. Bottles of wine and champagne are excluded from the package. Package prices are inclusive of applicable taxes. Minimum drinking age aboard Windstar Cruises is 21 years old.

If your experience is anything like our last Windstar cruise, you will experience food that is underwhelming, at best. It is really a shame, because in previous years their food was quite good.

From what I have read, Windstar, like many other cruise lines, due to fire hazards, will not permit the use of irons and will not supply them.

I was wondering how tough it would be on a Windstar ship for someone like me who has a bad back and needs a walker for moderate to long distances.

 

Dan

The following comes from the Windstar web site:

Windstar does not discriminate against persons on the basis of disability. We seek, to the extent feasible, to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities. There are no elevators on Wind Star and Wind Spirit nor were the ships originally constructed to be wheelchair accessible. As a result, these ships may be unsuitable for people relying solely on wheelchairs. The other yachts are equipped with elevators, but staterooms on Wind Surf are not wheelchair accessible. Also note, there is no elevator access to board the ship. Star Pride, Star Breeze, and Star Legend have modified wheelchair accessible suites available.

Certain ports require the ship to anchor; in this case guests must be ferried into port. Service animals are permitted on board ships if prior arrangements have been made at time of booking. In limited situations where an individual with a disability would be unable to satisfy certain specified safety and other criteria, even when provided with appropriate auxiliary aids and services, we may find it necessary to ask the individual to make alternative travel arrangements. It is essential that Windstar is notified of any special medical, physical or other requirements you may have at the time of booking.

My husband and I just completed our 5th Windstar cruise. We follow a vegan diet, and our TA has made arrangements for our special needs to be communicated to the chef prior to embarkation for each cruise. On the first three cruises, a complete vegan menu was prepared for us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It included appetizers, soups, breads, entrees, and desserts. Our needs were met and the food was incredible. On the fourth and fifth cruises, we were only offered a vegan dinner entree. We were on our own to try to figure out what we could or couldn't eat for the rest of the meals. In fact, there were lunches where our only options were green salad or steamed vegetables with white rice. We are booked on the Star Breeze this coming April and hope that a better effort will be made to accommodate our needs. Please advise me if Windstar's policy has changed regarding meeting passengers' special dietary needs. If it is no longer a priority for Windstar, I am saddened to think that this will be our last Windstar cruise.

Thank you for your time.

On our latest (and fourth) Windstar cruise, the general quality of the food seemed to have significantly deteriorated, compared to our previous Windstar experiences. Because of that, as well as problems with cigarette smoke permeating our cabin, we have decided that our recent Windstar cruise will also be our last one.

What was your stateroom number?

We were further forward on the 1st deck and had no problem but every time we walked aft it just reeked of smoke. Avoid those cabins.

We were in 150, forward, near the bow elevator. Our friends were in 144 and 146.

I'll be in 123. What do you think?

The cabins closer to the stern have more engine noise, especially on deck one.

To change the subject a just bit, we were recently on deck one on the Windsurf, and we constantly smelled cigarette smoke in our stateroom. It turns out that the crew have a smoking room on the deck below, and the smoke permeated our room. We had friends in adjacent staterooms, and they complained and were moved to another deck. Apparently this is a chronic problem. The nearby elevators seem to pump the smoke up from the lower decks. This is one of many reasons that this was our last Windstar cruise.

 

From either the Pasanggrahan or the HH, it is not an easy walk to the ships. Narrow, curvy road with no sidewalks. You will want to take a cab.

 

There is also a water taxi that will take you from the hotels to the ship. It is convenient and quite inexpensive.

Two bottles per person is correct. Been there and done that, last April.

Having been a loyal Windstar cruiser since 1987 (41 cruises) I am puzzled why Windstar never created a loyalty reward program similar to the other cruise lines...offering free laundry or category upgrades etc. Today, Windstar announced a modest expansion of benefits for all repeat passengers, but in my opinion, it falls short by not offering more rewards to passengers based on the number of actual sailings a passenger takes on Windstar.

Windstar has been under many owners since 1986, and the previous records of passengers sailings may be incomplete. However, During the time Windstar was owned by Holland America, Windstar sailings were credited to Holland America Mariner Rewards Loyalty Program. All Windstar passengers needed to do was to submit written proof of the specific Windstar sailings. I think Windstar might increase their business by implementing [ATTACH]358804[/ATTACH]something like this now with their ships and affiliated properties.

On our last Windstar cruise, we received a 5% "Alumni Discount". On Crystal, we get a 2.5% "Crystal Society Savings", plus a 2.5% "Onboard Booking Discount". Seems pretty similar to me. Crystal does offer a free cruise after you complete 25 cruises with them, as well as some on board credits after 5 cruises.

Lobes1, It appears that you have a number of Crystal cruises booked. From your prior posts, it appears that you had decided, prior to this cruise that Windstar was not for you and you enjoyed Crystal much more. Windstar and Crystal do not compete with each other - the each appeal to different crowds.

Actually, we had sailed with Windstar on three previous occasions, enjoyed the casual atmosphere, and had planned to continue to cruise with them, as well as Crystal and other lines. After our latest experience with Windstar, we have crossed them off of our list.

We recently completed our fourth Windstar cruise, an eight day cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona. Our previous Windstar cruises over the past four years included the French Riviera, northern Europe, and the Caribbean. The Windsurf, while aging, is in excellent condition. We were impressed by how well maintained this almost thirty year old ship is. As in the past, service was excellent. Crew members knew our names even before we were introduced. Beverage prices were not unreasonable and seemed to not have changed over the past years. We did have a major issue with cigarette smoke on deck one. The crew smokes on the deck below, and it was a significant problem. Two couples in cabins near us had to be moved due to these smoke issues.

Our major issue was with the food. Breakfasts, as previously, were very good. I liked them, although my wife was less enthused. All the items on the buffet were bland, although the cooked to order eggs were excellent. We have always felt that the lunches were poor to mediocre. We ate most of our lunches ashore this time, and the few lunches we did have on the ship were no better than in the past. Hamburgers were dry and overcooked. Sandwiches on the a la carte menu were tasteless, with lots of bread and little meat or other fillings. Items on the buffet were bland, at best. Our major issue, however, was with the dinners. The menu always sounded great, but the food was consistently underwhelming. A "filet mignon" appeared to be a sirloin steak. Oysters Rockefeller were served cold. Items usually made with veal (veal Oscar, e.g.) were made with pork. Soups were served lukewarm even when we specifically asked for them to be hot. "Tuna tartar" was a dab of unrecognizable liquid. On several occasions, including the final evening, we could not find any appealing entree to order. On previous cruises, we were permitted to order from either restaurant menu (AmphorA or Stella Bistro) regardless of where we were eating. This time, we were told that that was "against policy." Service was very slow on several occasions. The deck party was excellent, however. We had the impression that Windstar was just doing too much cost cutting. Nothing was terrible, but it seemed like things were not up to previous Windstar standards. We will not sail with Windstar again in the future.

Windstar has fabulous food. Best deck BBQ that I have ever seen. Celebrity is very good. Food is subjective. Nothing can compare with Celebrity's cheese cake. It is my favorite dessert.

We were on Windstar a month ago, and the food was a big disappointment, mediocre at best. We had had three previous Windstar cruises, and the food has clearly gone downhill, big time. For that reason, we will not consider another Windstar cruise.

Is this "new policy" posted somewhere? I've seen nothing. In the past we've brought six bottles with no one even paying any attention.

It is clearly stated in the FAQ for booked passengers on the Windstar web site. They now have a small sign reminding you at the top of the gangway, too

Previously you could bring unlimited wine on board. That policy has been changed, and you can now only bring on two bottles per person per week. From my experience, they have no way to enforce that, and, in fact you can bring on two bottles per person at each port. You can imbibe in your cabin, tactfully on deck, and with dinner, paying $15 corkage.

In a word, yes.

We just returned from a Windstar cruise. The drink prices have not changed for the last few years. With the gratuity, a cocktail or a glass of decent wine costs about ten dollars. You would have to do a lot of serious drinking to make the alcohol package worthwhile. They have apparently changed the policy on bringing wine on board. In the past, you could bring on as much wine as you wanted. Now, they say you can bring on two bottles per person on a one week cruise. I am not sure that there is any mechanism to enforce that, as long as you do not bring more than two bottles with you each time you board.

Yesterday we finished our fourth Windstar cruise, an eight day cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona. The Windsurf, while aging, is in excellent condition. As in the past, service was excellent. Crew members knew our names even before we were introduced. Our issue was with the food. Breakfasts, as previously, were very good. We have always felt that the lunches were mediocre. We ate most of our lunches ashore this time, and the few lunches we did have on the ship were no better than in the past. The issue was with dinners. The menu aways sounded great, but the food was underwhelming. On several occasions, including the final evening, we could not find any appealing entre. Service was very slow on several occasions. We had the impression that WS was doing too much cost cutting. Nothing was terrible, but it seemed like things were not up to previous Windstar standards. We do not plan to sail with Windstar in the future.