Terrible reviews on Facebook

has anyone had a good experience on Windstar lately? Just read several 1 star reviews on this cruise line.

We just came off of Barbados and I guarantee everyone was happy. Figure WS carries 1200 people a week on average. Don't let a few negative people scare you off. And you don't even know if they are legitimate passengers. Social media is not too reliable if there are a few people with grudges. 60% or more of the people on our cruise were past passengers and were already planning their next cruise.

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You must not be searching hard for recent reviews. I just sailed WS during NYE for the first time and posted this thread, which is still near the top...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2585114

I actually did read yours. Just saw some bad ones on FB when I liked Windstar. Thx for the feedback

You must not be searching hard for recent reviews. I just sailed WS during NYE for the first time and posted this thread, which is still near the top...

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2585114

I re-read mine again and I should have posted more positives. It was an amazing cruise and I hope to sail the WS Surf again. Go and enjoy a wonderful trip.

The most recent 1-star from Dec 2017 was rehashed over and over and over again here regarding a luggage issue.

We're first timers too but this will be our 31st cruise in total; with 399 5-star reviews and 39 1-star, I like my odds with Windstar!

If you havn't tried Windstar then you have missed out. Cruising at its best, you'll have a great time.

So glad to hear. Looks like it’ll be awhile bc ship is booked and there’s a waitlist.

We love WS cruises, after 22 we do not tire of them. Try it, wonderful experiences whether it is a vacation or a trip. Try it and let us know. I have a feview coming out and I publshed a prereview on this forum. Happy Sailing.

has anyone had a good experience on Windstar lately? Just read several 1 star reviews on this cruise line.

It seems Facebook always defaults to"Most Helpful" reviews and that means showing the worst reviews first.

I just shifted the page to "Most Recent" and it gives us a far better understanding of what people think currently.

I most also mention: Often times on Facebook, Cruise Critic, Yelp and Trip Advisor; reading many of the negative reviews gives me a better picture of the reviewer, rather than what they are reviewing. I have now seen at least 3 reviews over 6 months on multiple sites from the same person who did not get their luggage delivered properly. I think some of the worst reviews come from people who are never happy.

I have traveled on at least 5 different cruise lines, over 20+ years. Windstar is still at the top of my list.

I am off Facebook for that very reason. Not helpful it is a forum for people to gripe rather than embrace their good fortune. I was sick of the negativity, horrible, lying ads, the dangerous practice of posting children’s pictures, religious zealots, political trash... I had it. I felt it was stressful. I have not mssed one minute, I feel liberated. I enjoy WS. Leave it at that.

We were with the Star Legend in October from Venice to Athen and we have loved it. We would sail any time with Windstar again.

Ivi

As an owner of a hospitality business it's important to remind people: reviews are one person's perspective of one experience. If you read a hotel/restaurant/airline/cruise company's reviews and you see the same thing repeated over and over, then there is some legitimacy. However, one person's bad experience should not tarnish your view. Also keep in mind each person's expectation will influence their comments. Go to a super premium cruise line reviews (Silver Sea, Crystal, etc.) and read the reviews - it's comical: people complaining that the caviar wasn't cold enough or they didn't like the type of tea served in the afternoon. Bottom line: it's your vacation and you make of it what you will.

Bravo well said. Happy Sailing

Just off 14 days on Windsurf. It was my 3rd time on that ship and my 6th Windstar cruise. It was fabulous. Pure luxury and relaxation. No request was too much. With 300 passengers and 192 crew, the service is outstanding. The food was very good. I would not hesitate to book another cruise on Windstar. No cruise is perfect. There is always some people who get annoyed by the smallest problem. The true test is how does the cruise line employees handle problems. Windstar really went over and above to solve problems. On the cruise, we had 2 people get seriously hurt. Not the cruise line's fault. captain gerry went to a port to get them medical help. Ship went back to Castries for a lady who fell and broke a leg. Went into Barbados early to get medical help for a person who got hurt jumping on the water trampoline. Kudos for really caring about the passengers. Also, the newly appointed hotel manager, Juillian mingled with guests discussing ways to make Windstar go from " good to great." He really listened and made some changes based on guest's suggestion. Windsurf crew was sincere and outstanding.

We were on the same 14 day cruise. It was a fantastic cruise. I wrote a review waiting for CC to publish it. The injouies were dealt with in a very humane and professional manner. Service fabulous. We also met Julian, seems like a great addition, we really enjoyed James, the host and destination manager, very knowledgable and friendly. We adore Capt. Hogan. Of our 22 cruises with WS we felt the the food was the best we have ever had. We applaud WS for creating such a nice itinerary so quickly after the hurricane. Some people can not applaud the little things in life, they fester in negativity and how unfortunate for them. Life is too short not to embrace all that is good. Happy Sailing

- it's comical: people complaining that they didn't like the type of tea served in the afternoon. Bottom line: it's your vacation and you make of it what you will.

I have complained about the tea myself.

It can be an important thing to a Brit or some Commonwealth citizens in a way others won't understand.

We just sailed on a line which always had decent Twinings or Bigelows tea for the last 70 cruises we had done on that line.

Then we get on last fall for 29 days around the Med and transatlantic.

No Twinings tea, just some no name cheapo tea bags with little flavor.

So, no decent cup of tea for 29 days. Local stores where we put into port did not stock anything we liked in tea.

You think its comical? Not really for a Brit.

Next time we cruise on that line we will bring our own tea, problem fixed.

I drank Twinings tea on the Windsurf. They had a good variety of teas. If you prefer a specific product, bring it. After many cruises and hotel stays, I never assume that I will get the same products on a followup visit. I always bring my own toiletries. You never know if you will get the same products as you enjoyed on previous trips. . I love L'occitane products. I am happy that Windstar still provides L'Occitane. Viking used to have LOccitane. They replaced L'Occitane with Freya. Freya is not nearly as good as L'Occitane.

We love WS cruises, after 22 we do not tire of them. Try it, wonderful experiences whether it is a vacation or a trip. Try it and let us know. I have a feview coming out and I publshed a prereview on this forum. Happy Sailing.

We are going on our first windstar cruise feb 24 star pride. we are trying to figure out if we should book excursions before hand, if the boats dock or you tender in, and can you just walk to a beach. we have done multiple river cruises in Europe where the excursions are all included, so this planning your day thing is new to us. any suggestions would be helpful. thanks diane

Hi, I am probably not a good person to ask about excursions because rarely do we take them. I love the research of finding my own way. I have taken WS snorkeling excursions and they have been excellent. I have such unusual interests and I do not like to travel in big groups. I do not need to see major tourist things but rather things that meet my interests. Also for the Caribbean this is a vacation cruise and I love the beach and to swim. Unlike when we go to Europe i research like a mad person and hire guides/drivers etc or simply walk or cab to explore. I consider these cruises trips. However, given that, you will tender into Bequia, Ils des Saints, Pigeon Island, St. Barts, Antiqua, Martinique we docked in Grenada. Bequia has a beautiful beach Friendship Bay, we take a taxi about 2-3 miles from the adorable town., Ils des Saints has a beautiful beach Pontpierre, it is a mile walk but you walk part of the way with the goats and cows we love it and it is very scenic. In Grenada we took a cab to the spice market and then to a beach, Pigeon Island is where the beach barbeque is, I was not thrilled with Martinique I think best there go with one of WS excursions, we stayed at the beach which is an easy walk, not great, our friends wanted to kiteboard p, they had their own equipment, to find a beach to kite cost them $250 ouch, they did have a nice tour trying to catch the wind! St. Barts I usually walk to Shell Beach I have taken a cab to other beaches, I go to a grocery store to buy French cooking products that I can not get in the US. I used to live in Europe so there are products I miss. We are boring truly we adore the Caribbean for the heat in January( we live in the NE ), I swim to keep my back healthy, we love the visuals, we love the ship, for us pure relaxation. I sailed all over the Caribbean with my father in my youth I adore it but those days are over I want other people to sail, I am over with the work of sailing. Wish I could be of more help. If you were going to Europe and loved art and obscure interesting things I am a great resource. Have a great time. Happy Sailing.

We are going on our first windstar cruise feb 24 star pride. we are trying to figure out if we should book excursions before hand, if the boats dock or you tender in, and can you just walk to a beach. we have done multiple river cruises in Europe where the excursions are all included, so this planning your day thing is new to us. any suggestions would be helpful. thanks diane

Cherryhillspeechie,

We just came back from this cruise and some of the tours do get booked early especilaly any of the ones on catamarans. We typically do things on our own so I will not comment necessarily on the Windstar tours

In Gustavia, you can rent a car as taxis are very expensive. You should rent the car on your own, will be much cheaper than through Windstar. We have been to st Barths several times and it is easy to navigate. Bear in mind traffic is a little heavier these days due to all the construction going on. We rented a Mini Cooper Convertible for 4 and had a great day going to all beaches (Salines, Gouverneurs, St Jean, Flamands and tour the island) and costs 60 to 75 euros. You should reserve ahead of time and let them know you will be on ship, they will bring car to port. There are several good and reputable companies.

In Falmouth Harbour you can easily walk to and visit Nelson Dockyards and go (up a short hill though) to Pigeon Beach and have lunch at Catherine Café Plage. Visit the Dockyards in the am before the hordes from St John’s cruise ships get there, usually by 10h30am. Falmouth is one of the big sailing hubs of the Caribbean and you will see a lot of big boats in the Harbour. we always enjoy this stop and the ship only leaves at 10pm so you are in no rush.

We were in Les Saintes last week and wanted to rent an electric car to go around the island. However by the time we go there at 9am, they were already rented out, so I would try and book directly with them. The cars can take 4 people and cost 70euros. You can go to Fort Napoleon and Pompierre beach. Also nice little mainstreet with interesting shops. Many people on the cruise liked this stop. There is a Catamaran tour on this stop which people enjoyed .

Pigeon Island is Beach BBQ And some people took tours but we stayed and enjoyed the water toys which were brought to the beach. From the beach you can walk and climb to the top of the small hill to visit the fort and enjoy great views

Grenada, last time we took a cab and went Magazine Beach and the Aquarium hotel and restaurant. Had lunch there and had taxi come pick us up at same spot. No problem. Very nice beach with some good waves. Beach was quiet

Bequia, you can walk to Princess Margaret beach and have lunch at Jack’s Beach Bar or take a cab a little furthertoLower Bay. Both are very nice beaches.

Anse Mitan. We were in Anse Mitan last week and our plan was to cab to Anse d’Arlet and have lunch at Ti Sable however due to strong Northeasterly winds, the ship had to dock across the bay in Fort De France. There is not much to do there so we took the ferry back across the Bay to Anse Mitan (7 euros return 30 minutes), but not enough time to go to Anse d’Arlet. Nice little village (pointe duBout) and had a drink on the beach at hotel Bakoua. There was a catamaran tour that we were contemplating here and it was limited to 26 people only from our ship and was already fully booked. People enjoyed the tour.

Hope this helps. Enjoy the cruise. This is a great itinerary.

Hi, I am probably not a good person to ask about excursions because rarely do we take them.

 

on the contrary your thoughts were so helpful. Initially, we were just going to do no research, tours etc, but friends of mine who cruise often strongly encouraged researching. Now i will go back to my original plan of not planning and just relaxing and enjoying the warmth and scenery. Can we assume that there are (safe) taxis available on most islands? thanks for your advice. dd

Thanks for your kind words. I am a person who never worries about safety and we have never had a problem anywhere and we have traveled far and wide but I would never worry in the Caribbean. Just make sure if you are stopped at a beach arrange to be picked up. If you like snorkeling truly the ship snorkeling excursions have always been nice. Have fun enjoy WS great way to relax and see the world.

My reviewof my recent cruise has just been published. I did no research before sailing. Since I have been in the Caribbean many times, I just sit back and relax. Usually I do not take excursions. However, since we had a nice bit of OBC and were going to new islands, we booked a few excursions. We were really pleased with them. bequia and Monserrat were very interesting. No crowds or big ships and resorts. Our tours were very good. The best was Barbados on disembarkation. Since our plane was late, we opted to take the excursion. We were amazed at some of the stops. We have stayed on that islands many times. It was nice revisiting old places and we also went to new ones too.

Dear Redtravel, Very nice review. I think our cruises overlapped. We are easy people who have always enjoyed Windstar Cruises. We are grateful that we have been able to take so many. It has been a perfect way for us to travel: on the sea, vacations and trips, interesting food, relaxed, independence, small ports, high culture and beaches. Perhaps we will meet someday onboarc. Happy Sailing