Wind Surf- Rome to Barcelona 10/31/10

[rafinmd]

If you’ll indulge me, I’m about to embark for 7 days on the Wind Surf (Rome to Barcelona), and will be doing daily reports on the trip. My pre-cruise “hotel” is the Crystal Serenity (Athens to Rome), and I’ve been reporting on the trip to date here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=26690011#post26690011

 

I’ve been playing tag with the Surf the last couple of days. Friday, we docked in Catania Italy while the Surf was in Messina, and both ships had guests touring in Taormino. Today, we were in Naples and the Surf in nearby Sorrento, with excursions from both ships to Herculaneum. I haven’t encountered any of the Surf’s guests but have passed by their waiting busses. Both ships will be in Civativeccha tomorrow and I’ll be making the switch then.

 

I’ll be starting my posts here with day 17, measured from my departure from home.

 

Roy

[Snow cat]

Looking forward to your reports!

[rafinmd]

I am currently still on Crystal Serenity. I took a walk on deck early this morning, and passing the bow saw the familiar Windstar design. A few minutes later the Surf came by and docked. As the darkness faded, I could see that the first ship I saw was actually the Wind Star. It was supposed to have left Rome at 5PM yesterday. We are currently having gale force (43 kt) winds, so I assume the ship is waiting for better weather. I imagine at least one port will need to be cancelled. From www.crystalcruises.com, if you click on "the Crystal Experience" and "live views, you can see the Star and the Surf docked immediately ahead of us.

 

Roy

[cpinstein]

I really enjoyed your posts on Crystal. And I'm looking forward to your posts on Windstar. I have also sailed them both, but not back to back. I'm curious as to how you'll perceive Wind Star after Crystal. Obviously, 2 totally different experiences.

[rafinmd]

There were a number of noticeable jolts and bumps over night, and when I went out on deck early in the morning it was drizzling with a heavy wind. Walking around the front of the deck, I saw the familiar shape of a Windstar ship just ahead of us. A few minutes later my ship, the Wind Surf came past and I realized one of the smaller ships that was supposed to leave Saturday night was still in port. I found out later that it had developed some cracks and was headed for a shipyard. It was doing the same itinerary as we are and we have it’s passengers on board. As suggested by one of the Crystal forum’s most active and knowledgeable posters, Keith1010, I had a very leisurely breakfast on Serenity and departed the ship just before 10. It was less than half a mile to Wind Surf, but the walk was a bit of a struggle as the strong wind made my heavy packs with a lot of surface area made for a challenging walk. I dropped my luggage off at the Wind Surf and took the shuttle to the port entrance, picked up a map and explored the town of Civitavecchia a bit. Most of the shops were closed but it was still a very charming old town. I explored the quiet streets for about 90 minutes, stopped at an internet café to do some things I couldn’t on the ship, had lunch and started back to the pier. I had planned to walk back to the ship, which was quite close to the port entrance, but the wind had gotten very strong and the shuttle bus became necessary. I went through security, then the registration process, and spent the rest of the afternoon settling into my new cabin. We had a planned 5PM sailaway, but it was delayed the weather. It was about 7:30 when we sailed out past the Serenity, due to depart at 9. Captain MacAry reported we would have to sail across the wind for a half hour before turning. We bounced quite a bit through dinner but most people seemed to take it pretty well in stride.

 

This evening’s entertainment was a Halloween/Sailaway party in Compass Rose.

 

Tonight’s parting shot is a wish for a great Halloween for all.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Despite our late departure we sailed into Portoferraio, on the Italian island of Elba, on schedule. While this had been billed as a docking port, our dock was also used by ferries and they were staying in port due to the weather. Our anchorage in the harbor was calm, but the tender landing had breaking waves and we had to arrange permission to go to the old port. All of this put our arrival a bit later than anticipated.

 

I had booked a tour to the Napoleonic Museum. The ship has a sandwich bar in the Yacht Club which promises custom made sandwiches. I asked for a sandwich and was told they only could prepare sandwiches from a list on a chalk board. None of those fit my taste so I passed on the idea. A few minutes later I was passing by and one of the staff came running after me and gave me exactly what I requested.

 

As we disembarked the tenders a driving rainstorm came making for a mad but still wet dash for the bus. We drove around the scenic island making a stop at the picturesque town of Porto Azzurro. There was a lovely Spanish fortress overlooking the town that made a great climb. Back in Portoferraio we visited the palace where Napoleon stayed when exiled here. It was in a fort high overlooking the town, one of three walled fortresses in the town. Napoleon was here only 10 months but made a permanent impression on the island.

 

As we prepared to tour the house, we looked over the harbor and saw the Wind Surf backing into a dock recently vacated by one of the ferries. As we returned to the shore from the Palace, the rain returned with full force and I was glad to be able to quickly return to the ship for lunch in the Verandah. I took an independent afternoon stroll through town in nice weather, returning before a late afternoon shower.

 

We had our Captain’s welcome aboard party in the lounge this evening, and a show by vocalist-entertainment director Savannah Rye.

 

I’ll lead into my parting shot with a posting from the Windstar forum:

 

I really enjoyed your posts on Crystal. And I'm looking forward to your posts on Windstar. I have also sailed them both, but not back to back. I'm curious as to how you'll perceive Wind Star after Crystal. Obviously, 2 totally different experiences.

 

This is my first “cruise” with Windstar, but I knew pretty much what to expect after a crossing with them last fall. I am not a luxury oriented person so my thoughts are likely not typical of Crystal cruisers, in fact I have 2 favorite cruise lines and my other is a true polar opposite of Crystal, much more different from them than is Windstar. I find the quality of service quite close to the quality on Crystal, although it is less comprehensive. Each company has it’s strengths, and I see that particularly in relation to a match of the ship experience to the land experience. I think Portoferraio was a wonderful port, but a mass of people descending on it, even the 1000 or so Crystal would have brought would have made the experience less enjoyable. I have not yet swayed from my initial thought that 12 days on Crystal and 7 on Windstar is a great combination.

 

Now the parting shot. Our guide today indicated that Elba has been rated the second best Mediterranean Fortress after Malta. My Mediterranean experience is limited but her statement rings true. It has been my good fortune to experience each of these 2 great ports this year, and probably with each port matched with a ship that provided the best possible experience of the port. We have choices in cruise lines but thankfully one choice does not preclude also making another choice when it is appropriate.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

We arrived at our anchorage just after 7. Elba Island is birthplace of Napoleon, and is part of France. For this port Windstar used a local tour boat to provide tender service and provided a shuttle into town, about a mile from the dock. I did not take a tour this time, but explored Porto-Vecchio on foot. The town was very quaint and historical, but did not have much in the way of true historical spots. The walled city sits about 150 feet above the harbor giving spectacular views. The streets are all very narrow and traffic very light. The St Jean-Baptiste Church occupies the center of town. I explored the town with it’s quaint streets for about 3 hours and bought a sweater for the North Atlantic crossing before walking back to the tender pier. The water sports platform was opened and a few people were using the small sailboats or kyacks off the ship. One person (a Norwegian) had braved the cold water for a swim.

 

The evening entertainment was singer Deborah Boily, who sings in the style of Edith Piaf, with the theme “French Connection”.

 

For today’s parting shot, I am composing this immediately after breakfast Wednesday. There has been a controversy on the Seabourn forum about the main dining room being closed for breakfast. That is how it has always been with Windstar. The Verandah has a buffet line, but they also have waiter service and you can easily get whatever you want delivered to your table. I believe that is what Seabourne is trying. Having a choice of dining rooms is nice, but having a choice of service modes all in one place does not seem to me much of a sacrifice.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The island of Sardinia, the second largest in the Mediterranean, has been in many hands, having been colonized by the Greeks, Phonecians, Romans, Pisans, Genoese, and Spanish. While it is now part of Italy, the largest cultural influence is Catalan. The town of Alghero sits on the northwest corner of the island. It was founded in the early 12th century, and the most prominent feature is the walled old town which sits directly on the water, not high on a hill as the previous 2 ports. The wall of the city contains 7 watch towers, and at the center sits the Cathedral with a tall tower that is visible from a distance but pretty well obscured from nearby as it is approachable only by one very narrow (perhaps 10 feet) alleyway. The city is also a vibrant fishing village with a large full of fishing boats of all sizes. Aside from the walled city, the primary tourist attraction is the Neptune Grotto, but it is closed for the winter. It can be reached with difficulty by land after descending 600 steps. The grotto is best reached by tour boat which in season is about a 90-minute round trip.

 

I spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the town and waterfront on foot, and then relaxed on the ship.

 

The evening entertainment was a rock and roll show in the Compass Rose.

 

Today’s parting shot relates to dinner in The Restaurant. We were swapping stories about travel mishaps. My contribution was getting hauled away by the police in Newfoundland in 2000. I was walking in Gross Morne and was called over and asked for identification. I hadn’t carried my wallet since it was a short walk. I was escorted back to my hotel and later told they were looking for an escaped prisoner. I guess I should have been pleased since the person they were looking for was about 20 years younger than me.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The day was sunny with just a bit of a chill, and a fairly busy sea making the ship a bit unsteady most of the day. It was the busiest shipboard day I have seen on Windstar. In the morning one of the sports directors gave a presentation on his climb of the world’s 6th tallest mountain and how the experience relates to life in general. In the afternoon there was a session of Liars Club, a presentation on future cruises, a cooking demonstration, an afternoon concert by Deborah Boily with Leah Stonum, and a farewell Captain’s Coctail Party. In the late afternoon we passed the south side of Menorca, our destination for Saturday. After we were by it we turned around and Captain MacAry announced we had pressed through the choppy waters as quickly as possible and, now ahead of our schedule, were doing a bit of scenic cruising.

 

The evening’s entertainment was Name That Tune in Compass Rose and Dance Request Hour in the Lounge.

 

As today’s parting shot, I was a bit surprised today by Windstar. I sailed transatlantic last fall and with 10 consecutive days at sea there was virtually no planned activity, while here a single sea day was pretty well packed. I would certainly expect a period of several sea days to have more activity than a single one; this is just another example of how Windstar is unique in the cruise industry. They have a dedicated cadre of people who love the crossings just as they are and come back to them year after year.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

This was my second visit to Palma, having been there first on the Crystal Symphony in 1996. We docked shortly after 7 at the cruise terminal which is just over a mile south of the center of town. The ship’s tour that would have been of interest to me was the Valldemosa and Chopin tour but had done that from the Symphony and decided just to explore the town on my own. After taking the ship’s shuttle into town, it took me a bit of time to find the information center and learned there was public wifi in the square, a real benefit. The real center of town is the palace and cathedral, right next to each other. I visited the palace which still functions as a palace for official meetings and functions but not as a residence. There was a terrace with a lovely view of the waterfront, there were probably 20 rooms open for the tour. I did not enter the cathedral next door but the exterior was beautiful and imposing, although a bit surprising that such a large structure would be allowed next to and blocking the view of the palace. I also visited the Arabian baths, dating from the 12th century and much like a Roman Bath. I also stopped at the Basilica of St. Francis, but it had closed before my arrival. The streets of Palma are mostly very narrow and excellent walking, but they run at odd angles making it easy to get lost. I walked back to the ship in mid-afternoon.

 

Dinner was a change of pace. We had a barbeque on deck with a wonderful selection of meats and trimmings. The aft pool had been drained and the musical group from the lounge was performing there. As we got to desert around 8:00 we sailed out of Palma.

 

When I was in Palma I was carrying a carton of UHT milk, and had a small pair of scissors (approximately a 2-cm blade) to cut it open. The guard at the palace would not let me enter with the scissors, and held them until I left the building. He spoke impeccable English; he could easily have been from Kansas or Missouri. I passed one of the tour groups outside the Cathedral, and the guide was quite hard to understand, as have many of the guides on this trip. Her English was clearly much better than my Spanish, but based on my experience with the Palace Guard, I wonder if that was the best the tour company could do. At times I wonder if some tour companies take a limited command of English as proof that the guide is really an authentic representative of the region. Just a thought.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Mahon sits near the end of a narrow fjord-like inlet about 2 miles in from the edge of the island. The sail up to out dock was very scenic. Normally, the bridge on Windstar is open except at or near ports (on the first day, the Captain advises that the bridge is open only to invited guests and then invites everyone). Normally, the bridge will close anywhere from 2 hours to 30 minutes before arrival in port. Today, it was open as we entered the harbor, remained open after we picked up the pilot, and was closed only as we pivoted to head the right direction at the pier, less than a ship length from the dock. It was also reopened within the first mile of our 2.5 mile sail out of the harbor. Most unusual. As we came in we passed ancient walled fortresses on both sides of the channel.

 

Our dock was right in the center of Mahon, but it was about 150 steps up to the town. The streets were again very narrow with many in the center of town closed to cars, and there were a number of beautiful churches. Unfortunately, most things closed down about 2PM, and I arrived at the town museum too late to tour it.

 

With 150 miles left to our destination of Barcelona, we had to leave Mahon at 4PM, but the sail back out the channel was again stunning.

 

Our crew show came at 6:30PM today, along with Captain MacAry’s farewell remarks (including a number of truly bizarre questions Captains have been asked by various passengers).

 

The remainder of the evening is being taken up by the sad task of packing. I expect a hectic day tomorrow as the Pope will be visiting Barcelona and I expect challenging traffic conditions.

 

As today’s parting shot, Windstar’s policy on onboard bookings has traditionally been a bet generous than what I’ve experienced on other lines. While transferrable, the deposits have not been refundable. They are doing something new. While there is no traditional refund of the deposit on cancellation, an onboard credit is applied to the existing voyage, effectively an immediate refund of the deposit whether the new voyage is completed or not. This is apparently a brand new policy, so new there was a lot of confusion among the staff about it’s existence. It seems to me an offer too good to pass up. I’m not yet 100% sure, but I’ve signed up for an April 2012 crossing on the Wind Star. It’s a winner for me, and if I cancel Windstar loses only a bit of administrative expense, but it makes a future voyage more likely.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The Wind Surf docked in Barcelona about 6:45 after the Norwegian Pearl and Voyager of the Seas. Disembarkation was between about 7 and 8:30 with continental breakfast in Compass Rose starting at 6 and full breakfast in the Verandah at 6:30.

 

I had booked an airport transfer with a tour of Barcelona. It was quite a hectic experience due to the Pope’s visit to the city. Our main attraction would normally have been the Church of the Holy Family, but that was strictly off limits today. This church was begun in the 1880's, and is still in the construction process; the guide estimates about 20 years to go. Today, the Pope will consecrate the church’s high alter. About 7500 people will be in the church, and another 40,000 watching on video screens outside. Fortunately, they have a perfect day for the event.

 

After a short stop at the maritime park with some very modern sculptures, we made our way to the city’s largest park, a large hill wih great views of the city. It is also home to several of the 1992 Olympics venues including the pool, built into the hillside with seating overlooking the city, and the martial arts venue. Continuing through town we saw a number of the buildings form the 1882 (I think) worlds fair and also more Olympic venues. We passed the original bullfighting arena. It was abandoned for a number of years, and now has been raised about 30 feet with a new parking deck below and is being domed and redeveloped as a shopping mall.

 

Our final stop was an archetectural walk through central Barcelona. The city has a varied design history with a number of buildings featuring elaborate mosaics both on the facades and the ceilings, and office buildings designed to look like Moorish castles or with

elaborate sculptures on the facade.

 

I arrived at the airport shortly after noon and had some time to kill before checking in at 2:15 for my 4:20 flight. It was uneventful and we arrived on time despite reports of headwinds. After quickly clearing passport control and baggage claim, I made my way to the coach station, and was ticketed for the 6:30 coach to Southampton. We spent about 40 minutes running between Heathrow terminals, and another 80 to Southampton Central. I walked about a mile to the Mercure Hotel and it was quite late by the time I got dinner and headed off to bed.

 

As today’s parting shot, I have just completed the second leg of my journey experiencing 2 very different cruise ships with a third very different style to come. It is fantastic that we have such a world of choices.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

While I was on the tour yesterday, there were a number of complainers. Both complaints were valid, but were beyond Windstar's control. Some passengers were unhappy with being transferred from the Wind Star. I understand their disappointment, but things happen and it is far more important to have the ship in fine shape than the inconvenience to a few guests who get to their final destination a day late. I understand the frustration of people who had Saturday flights, but also understand the necessity.

 

While I was on the Crystal Serenity, I was actually thinking "maybe I should have gotten off a day early in Naples and taken a train to Rome to pick up the Wind Star before it left. I really wanted to try that ship, but now it will have to wait for a later time (2012). How glad I am I didn't do that.

 

The second complaint was not being able to tour the Holy Family Church. Again disappointing, but what can Windstar do, throw out the Pope.

 

This concludes my reports on my Windstar Voyage. I will continue my reports as I conclude the trip on QM2 on this thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=26632390#post26632390

 

Roy