hlalonde

Last year we did the Chocolate/Spice tour in Grenada, but plan to the Lobster/Catamaran snorkel tour this year, as we met friends who did that one and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also did the snorkel excursion in Tobago Cays - it was great, we drift snorkeled, it was quite choppy that day, and there is quite a current on the reef so you need to be comfortable with those conditions - but we saw a lot of great fish. Sorry we will miss you, we go later in the month. Enjoy!

Just noticed landtraveler you are on Windstar Feb 2017 - so are we! Which date?

We are also doing this itinerary in 2017 - again, we did it December 2015. This time we are taking friends for their first Windstar experience. We booked all of our excursions through Windstar (unlike other cruises we have done through the larger cruise lines) and were very satisfied. Will be doing the same this time as well. All were very well organized and reasonably priced.

We are excited to be sailing on the Windstar for our third trip in February. I wanted to share the great customer service experience I just had with the Windstar agents moments ago. We were able to make an adjustment over the phone and made to feel like we were a valued customer. There is so much negativity in the world these days, I wanted to share a good news story with everyone. Great job Windstar!!:)

I believe it is $100.00 OBC - we too are taking friends in February. As long as your friends made reference to you while booking you should be good to go. Ours showed up on our invoice.

They do not allow snorkeling off of the swim platform due to currents. They have a trampoline and swim mats along with some water toys. It is a great feature of Windstar. The weather is the determining factor as to whether or not the platform is open. Windstar takes passenger safety seriously, which is a good thing.

Been on both the Wind Surf and Wind Star - will take the Wind Star any day - in fact, booked again for February! But in all honesty, you can't go wrong with either. We did the Wind Surf as our first Windstar cruise but have been on the smaller ones ever since.

Booked Cabin 140 - forward, on the Windstar - very quiet vs stern which definitely had noise while underway. Cabin 140 is actually midship as staff quarters are in front. Booked the exact same cabin for this year's cruise as well. And it is the least expensive category!

When we did this itinerary a couple of years ago, they dropped you right in front of Foxy's and tendered back and forth all evening.

Can only speak to the Windward Islands itinerary - we did it December 15, and are repeating Feb 17 - loved it that much. Had only been on the Windsurf prior, and instantly fell in love with the Windstar. My husband does not want to go back to the Windsurf now. Loved the feel and crew on the Windstar. Bon Voyage - hard to go wrong with either choice:)

Remember, most stops are anchorages, and not usually where you will find other cruise ships. We did this itinerary in 2014, and did not do any ship shore excursions as we were familiar with the BVI's. We did the Jewels of the Windward Islands last year and booked three shore excursions through Windstar - all of them were will run and very good. Enjoy! We are about to book our 3rd Windstar!

We were given the option of either - we prefer still and it was great to drink.

The last Windstar cruise we were on there were glass water bottles in the staterooms, that were reused, and refilled regularly. They contained both still water and sparkling water. They also had the traditional plastic water bottles (not reused) at the bars around the ship.

We too struggle with this decision. The nice thing about the beverage package is not having to sign for each and every beverage. We purchased the package on our first WS, and probably did not drink near the daily cost, but it was convenient. Going again in December, and we may not purchase, since the price went up. We are Canadian, so we have to add another 35% to the price given our low dollar these days. Yikes!

Question, how did you access that Mighty Ships episode - would love to show it to some of our friends.

My DH and I take a spring trip every year in Feb/March to celebrate our anniversary. For 2016, I currently have reservations on both Oasis of the Seas and Celebrity Reflection (couldn't decide which to do, so booked on both while the pricing was good). Then, I got an email from Windstar about their flash sale, and now, I am seriously considering booking the Windsurf instead.

 

We are in our late 40's and mid 50's. We prefer Celebrity to RCCL for the better food (we book Aqua, so we can dine in Blu) and fewer kids. We enjoy spending time outdoors, and listening to a cappella groups/acoustic guitar. We enjoyed the all-inclusive beverage package on our last Celebrity cruise, but honestly, probably only have 1-2 drinks/night.

 

We have also been on 2 Uniworld river cruises, and like the more intimate size of the ships (though our 128sf cabin on our last trip was a bit "cozy").

 

In reading a lot of reviews, it seems like Windstar may be a good fit for us.

 

Can anyone who has done mass market and/or river cruises compare the two to Windstar?

 

Thanks!

 

Robin

We switched to WS a couple of years ago - Elite members on Celebrity, but once we enjoyed our first WS Cruise (it was the Yachtsman Caribbean on Windsurf), we thought it would be hard to go back to massive cruise ships. We went on another Celebrity this past New Year's and decided at that point that we are finished with the larger cruise lines. We are booked for the Jewels of the Windward Islands itinerary this December on the Windstar and cannot wait. We are in our mid 50s and quite active. Love our fellow passengers on Windstar!

Agree re the rare Canadians, have to pay final installment on our Dec 2015 cruise, and really considering letting the deposit go - makes a huge impact on Canadians travelling this year.

Also, agree with everyone's comments here - never had an issue with unfriendly passengers on WS. I think this is more of an issue on the larger cruise lines.

We did this itinerary last year as a couple in our 50s. There was every age aboard including a couple in their 90's and several in their 20's. We had a great time, and if you love beautiful beaches, this is the itinerary for you. We are doing the Jewel of the Windward Islands this December but seriously considered repeating the Yachtsman trip.

My husband and I have booked the December 31st cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, and wondered if anyone had recommendations for a pre and post cruise hotel. We are coming in one day prior and departing one day later. Also, any info on shuttles to the cruise ship port would be helpful.

Thank you for your replies - it sounds like we may just repeat the yachtsman - we too, loved the overnights last year. Will definitely check out Holland House earlier - we tried to stay there last year but they were completely booked.

We are planning a trip with the DD in Feb (not booked yet) and have decided on Classic primarily due to the stops at both St Lucia and St Barts, her boyfriend's name is Bart. We have seen St. Kitts on a previous adventure and it is OK. This trip also stops in Nevis - and Dominica - all places on our list to finish out the eastern Carib. We liked the variety.

 

I do have 2 related questions since you have done this before from St Martin. 1) from which marina area does the ship depart? 2) hotel options for a pre/post night stay?

We have been to St. Lucia and St. Barts on previous trips so am really torn but thank you for your feedback. I believe there is only one cruise port in St. Martin - it is on the Dutch side and not far from the airport in Phillipsburg. There are many options - this year we stayed at Mary's Beach Boon resort which is on the beach next to the airport (surprisingly, we did not hear a lot of planes) The resort is in my mind a throw back to the 70's, but we loved it - great little restaurant, and it kicks off your vacation as you are less than 10 steps to a fairly quiet beach - I believe we paid about $350.00 for one night.

Planning to book our second Windstar adventure - last year we did the Yachtsman itinerary - which was amazing. We were trying to decide between redoing the Yachtsman (due to our love of the BVIs) - or should we try the Classic Caribbean itinerary - has anyone any advice? Based on our first experience on a Windstar vessel, either will be amazing. My husband swears he will never set foot on a large cruise ship again after last year.

Thanks all, we did fill out some information online, but it seemed very limited. We are just three + weeks out, so guess we are good to go! Really looking forward to this trip, something we have always wanted to do. Find the larger ships are so much more selling intensive once onboard than they used to be.

Larger cruise lines issue boarding passes prior to sailing. I am just wondering if we will receive anything further from Windstar than our booking confirmation? It sounds like there are no luggage tags to bring with us that are issued prior to sailing either? Any info would be helpful.