mriguySeattle

We are sailing on the Marina next month and booked a 2 day private tour in St. Petersburg with a local tour company. We need to present our passports along with tour voucher/visa waiver to clear immigration in the terminal. Will the ship give us back our passports for these two days? They typically collect the passports at embarkation and keep them until the end of the cruise. Thanks.

Yes, I reserved in advance but you don't have to provide a form of payment. Just send an email with your date to Raihau (the name of the owner) to raiatealocation@mail.pf

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Raiatea is on Saturday, but stores in the main town of Uturoa where the ship docks are only open until noon.

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We just returned from Tahiti and the Wind Spirit and rented a car on Raiatea. If you rent from Raiatea Location, Raihau will pick you up at the tender and bring you to his agency, a short ride from the port. It was only $60.00 for the day including insurance, taxes, and unlimited mileage, and we had a wonderful lunch at the Opoa Beach Hotel. You can easily drive around the whole island in one day and traffic is almost non-existent, very relaxing. The next day we spent on the private motu off Taha'a that Windstar takes you to, which was extremely well-done.

Thanks for the info! Did the ship use the San Basilio pier in Venice? If so, do you recall if there were ample taxis waiting outside? We need to get to the airport as soon as we get off the ship. Thanks.

We're disembarking at Venice San Basilio (Royal Clipper, 225 pax) and want to pre-book a land taxi to get us quickly to Venice airport. Does anyone know a website where I can pre-book? Or are there usually ample taxis awaiting the ship? Thanks.

We're doing the Croatian coast soon on the Royal Clipper and have some questions about the on-board amenities:

1) Is there self-serve laundry or ironing? If not, does the ship's laundry provide pressing services (for clothes that don't need washing)?

2) Does anyone have a copy of a room service menu?

3) Do the pools contain fresh water or salt water?

4) Is there any outdoor dining or is it all in the main dining room?

5) Dos the ship typically dock or tender on this itinerary? The only port where we have other ships in port is Kotor, Montenegro.

Thanks for your info!

My partner and I have done 2 Windstar cruises, in 2013 on the Wind Star from Athens to Istanbul and more recently on the Star Pride out of Singapore. Both were amazing and we are now hooked on Windstar. There was only one other gay couple on the Athens cruise and we were the only gay couple on the Singapore cruise, but it was a non-issue. Due to the low passenger count you quickly learn who the fun/liberal types are and it is easy to meet people and have a great time. We've had no issues of anti-gay attitude from passengers and certainly not from the crew who are phenomenal. Some of them even remembered us by name from the Athens cruise!

Since we like the small ship experience, we are trying the Source Events charter of the Royal Clipper out of Venice this Sept. We are counting the days! If a future gay charter books a Windstar vessel we will certainly consider it but would not hesitate to book another standard cruise with Windstar.

Thanks for the info. Any idea what lies directly forward of cabins 201 and 202 in the white empty bow space on the deck plan?

Has anyone stayed in Royal Clipper Cabin 201 before? Pros and cons?

It's at the bow on the Clipper Deck so motion may be increased, and there may be noise from a dropping anchor, but is there anything I should know?

It appears to be right below the Observation Lounge....is this venue used at night? Thanks for any feedback.

Also, that 1-star reviewer sailed on the Pride in May 2014 but just now posted a review 11 months later?? The ship he/she describes is not the ship that is currently sailing. It is in very good condition now and the 1-star review is hugely unjustified.

If you have a bedside appliance (CPAP, etc.) bring a 10 foot extension cord with you as their is no outlet by the bed.

Just got off the Star Pride yesterday after a wonderful 10 cruise of SE Asia. The ship looks great...all internal spaces are beautiful, pool and jacuzzis are clean, food is great, and the crew is phenomenal. Yes, the cabin decor is dated but the overall look has been refreshed and the walk-in closet, dual sinks, and an array of lighting options make it comfortable and completely functional. All the negative reviews from mid-2014 no longer apply as things have either been fixed or replaced. I was in cabin 110 and very pleased with its location on the vessel. And it's in the cheapest category. No need to spend more on other categories.

Great trip, you'll love it! A couple recommendations:

In Santorini, right at the port, beside the line to the cable car, are two store fronts advertising boat transfers to Oia. One is a high-speed boat. No reservations required, walk up and buy a 20 euro ticket (may be more now) and get on the fast ferry. A 12 minute run takes you to the port at Oia. Included is a ticket for the bus up the crater to the Oia city center, along with a second ticket for the bus transfer to Fira (which runs more or less every 20 minutes). Shop, explore, and have lunch in Oia then head back to Fira.

In Bodrum you must do the gulet boat trip with Lyn on the Adorya. You can contact her at adoryalyn@yahoo.com.

Have fun!

Hi Scoutnj,

Did you hear any feedback about the Scenic Island Adventure at Ko Yao Noi tour offered by Windstar? Thanks.

Hi RMS,

My partner and I sailed on the Wind Star from Athens to Istanbul in Sept 2013 and now we're hooked on the small-ship cruise experience. We loved it! There was one other gay couple on the cruise, who of course we met, but we also enjoyed meeting many of the other passengers as well. You can meet people so much more easily on a small ship. The service and itinerary were fantastic. We'd do this itinerary again for sure. We are doing a 10-day cruise next month on the Star Pride out of Singapore and are counting down the days until departure. We're also doing a Source Events (gay charter) on the Royal Clipper in Sept out of Venice. We've done the big ship gay cruises, and are confident the small-ship gay cruise will be more our speed.

Let me know if you have more specific questions/concerns about Windstar and I'd be happy to share my thoughts.

Hello!

I'd love to hear reviews of the 10-day round-trip Singapore cruise on the Star Pride from those that took this voyage in December 2014. We're booked on the March 30 voyage and would appreciate reading feedback on the overall condition of the ship, the shore excursions (the good and the bad) and port impressions. Thanks in advance for any info!

Hello!

I'd love to hear reviews of the 10-day round-trip Singapore cruise on the Star Pride from those that took this voyage in December 2014. We're booked on the March 30 voyage and would appreciate reading feedback on the overall condition of the ship, the shore excursions (the good and the bad) and port impressions. Thanks in advance for any info!

Thanks. Do you know what's on either side of cabin 212? The deck plan show white space on both sides. storage? water-tight door?

Hi all, just wondering if the Cat 6 cabins on the Royal Clipper are all the same size. On the deck plan, Cabin 212 appears slightly larger than the others but not sure if the drawing is 100% accurate. Thanks for any info you can provide.

We're taking Star Pride in March on the 10 day Singapore-Malaysia cruise. I'm hopeful that these exterior cosmetic issues will be taken care of by then. Does anyone have recent pictures of the exterior problems? The pool issue is troubling. I have read though that the interior is very nice and service/food is up to Windstar standards.