Star Plus Initiative

[dandee2]

Annoucement from Windstar LIVE on Twitter on Tuesday, April, 9th. Check their Twitter and Facebook Page.

[O2B@Cagain]

Did anyone else watch the live event? I thought it was interesting that they are not redoing the old suites. The new ones will have mainly showers, 20 (or was it 20%?) will have tubs. Sounds like the space is going into the spa, the Verandah/Candles, and the deck.

[ridethetide]

2 minutes ago, O2B@Cagain said:

Did anyone else watch the live event? I thought it was interesting that they are not redoing the old suites. The new ones will have mainly showers, 20 (or was it 20%?) will have tubs. Sounds like the space is going into the spa, the Verandah/Candles, and the deck.

I wish they would expand the Yacht Club.  With 200 passengers, it is often impossible to get a seat in the Yacht Club when the weather is cold or rainy.  With over 300 passengers, where will the overflow go?

[milepig]

7 hours ago, O2B@Cagain said:

Did anyone else watch the live event? I thought it was interesting that they are not redoing the old suites. The new ones will have mainly showers, 20 (or was it 20%?) will have tubs. Sounds like the space is going into the spa, the Verandah/Candles, and the deck.

 

I did not.  I checked the website several times, but never saw any announcement about the TIME, just the date.

[O2B@Cagain]

milepig: You are supposed to be checking Twitter a thousand times a day. LOL🤣

[milepig]

20 minutes ago, O2B@Cagain said:

milepig: You are supposed to be checking Twitter a thousand times a day. LOL🤣

 

That would be hard as I don’t tweet. 

[O2B@Cagain]

That is where they announced the event and had it on Facebook and Twitter live. I was teasing, milepig, that was why the laughing emoji. 😉

[dandee2]

It was on FB live (still available) and on their web site. And they have not finished unveiling new / updated area. Another dining venue is also in the works

https://www.windstarcruises.com/starplus/

[milepig]

40 minutes ago, dandee2 said:

It was on FB live (still available) and on their web site. And they have not finished unveiling new / updated area. Another dining venue is also in the works

https://www.windstarcruises.com/starplus/

 

I'm very glad to see the pickled oak is being removed. I think the cabin design is OK, but is also very generic and I don't think it will age well. I like the beds by the window. Bathrooms look nice, and since we don't take baths we welcome the large shower. I'll reserve judgement on the public areas until we have more pics.

[Del Rio]

18 hours ago, O2B@Cagain said:

Did anyone else watch the live event? I thought it was interesting that they are not redoing the old suites. The new ones will have mainly showers, 20 (or was it 20%?) will have tubs. Sounds like the space is going into the spa, the Verandah/Candles, and the deck.

Having been following this project since the earliest hints came out, I believe you have misunderstood the comments and information.  While the overall layout of the existing suites will remain the same (not flipping the bed area and living room seating) all the suites are getting an overhaul to the same finish and furnishing as the new section.  This includes the bathrooms.

Personally I am happy to see the living room seating area stay in the same place, except in the new section.  The wife and I agree; we prefer having a suite with the seating by the window.  And with the new suites being flipped, everyone can have the choice that fits their wishes.

 

Some folks have expressed concern about too many passengers making the Yacht Club over crowded.  The design of the Courtyard area is likely to make that a very usable enclosed space, when the Yacht Club seems to busy for some.

[O2B@Cagain]

Del Rio: Okay, maybe you are right. I went back and listened to it again and he said that the old suites would be "refreshed" and the bathrooms redone, but that they had just been refurbished? And I agree with you, I like to sit by the window, also... He did mention that the new suites, because of their mid-ship position, would be more expensive.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Really interesting video.  Glad to see they have allowed a long time to complete this work; hopefully they will avoid the disastrous dry dock experiences that some other lines have had recently.  Looking forward to our Star View Ocean Suite (542) on the lengthened Legend in Oct. 2020.

[Sunprince]

5 hours ago, Del Rio said:

Having been following this project since the earliest hints came out, I believe you have misunderstood the comments and information.  While the overall layout of the existing suites will remain the same (not flipping the bed area and living room seating) all the suites are getting an overhaul to the same finish and furnishing as the new section.  This includes the bathrooms.

Personally I am happy to see the living room seating area stay in the same place, except in the new section.  The wife and I agree; we prefer having a suite with the seating by the window.  And with the new suites being flipped, everyone can have the choice that fits their wishes.

 

Some folks have expressed concern about too many passengers making the Yacht Club over crowded.  The design of the Courtyard area is likely to make that a very usable enclosed space, when the Yacht Club seems to busy for some.

Agree, I also like the old layout with the seating area by the balcony door or window.  Glad to hear there will be a choice.  The email I received did not clearly state this.  I think the new layout is not practical.  The main reason for choosing a balcony suite is so that we can sit with the the door open to have a drink or enjoy the view. Why would I want to sit on the bed by the window to do that?  That’s a silly design choice IMO. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by Sunprince

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Sunprince said:

Agree, I also like the old layout with the seating area by the balcony door or window.  Glad to hear there will be a choice.  The email I received did not clearly state this.  I think the new layout is not practical.  The main reason for choosing a balcony suite is so that we can sit with the the door open to have a drink or enjoy the view. Why would I want to sit on the bed by the window to do that?  That’s a silly design choice IMO. 

 

Horses for courses, as the Brits say.  My DW likes to get up early and order room service breakfast, while I sleep as late as possible and then grab something in the buffet [our experience form other cruise lines, hoping it is comparable to Windstar].  This new design allows her to use the bathroom, listen for the knock on the doorbell, and have her breakfast – all without walking past the bed and possibly disturbing my sleep.  Win-win for us!

[O2B@Cagain]

Sunprince: They said that the river cruises have got them to rethink the bed placement. Also, when you walk in the suite, there will be more space and you won't have to walk around the bed.

[ridethetide]

10 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Horses for courses, as the Brits say.  My DW likes to get up early and order room service breakfast, while I sleep as late as possible and then grab something in the buffet [our experience form other cruise lines, hoping it is comparable to Windstar].  This new design allows her to use the bathroom, listen for the knock on the doorbell, and have her breakfast – all without walking past the bed and possibly disturbing my sleep.  Win-win for us!

The breakfast buffet is not available all morning, but you can always get room service.

[Misty Morning]

I did not think the existing suites were getting redone to match the new suites but only the bathrooms were getting redone.  If the existing suites are getting the same treatment as the  new suites, then that’s good news. I thought they were leaving them as they were (except for bathroom) and would have applied a substantial mark up on the “new” suites vs the old ones, but if they are all the same, then I would expect the prices on these ships to be at a premium from what we have been used to from Windstar in the past. With a $267,000 investment per berth, prices can only go up for this investment to make sense.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Misty Morning said:

I did not think the existing suites were getting redone to match the new suites but only the bathrooms were getting redone.  If the existing suites are getting the same treatment as the  new suites, then that’s good news. I thought they were leaving them as they were (except for bathroom) and would have applied a substantial mark up on the “new” suites vs the old ones, but if they are all the same, then I would expect the prices on these ships to be at a premium from what we have been used to from Windstar in the past. With a $267,000 investment per berth, prices can only go up for this investment to make sense.

 

You can answer this question by checking prices for the ships post-refurb [I can't, as I have no Windstar base to compare to].  But they did say clearly on the video that the new cabins will be priced the same as the existing ones – with the caveat that the new ones are all located in the most-desirable midship locations and are therefore priced at that level.

[Sunprince]

On 4/11/2019 at 8:14 AM, O2B@Cagain said:

Sunprince: They said that the river cruises have got them to rethink the bed placement. Also, when you walk in the suite, there will be more space and you won't have to walk around the bed.

 

If WS is basing design on river cruises then they are misguided. River cruise ships are smaller and narrower thus requiring the design of the bed facing/near the window. It’s really the only option for river cruise design which is usually under 200 sq ft. This is not true for an ocean cruise ship.  Having a bed near an en-suite bathroom is standard design. At home, I would not trot through my living space to visit the bathroom. It’s called an en-suite. I also seriously doubt that one would not be disturbed by someone delivering breakfast even if the bed was by the window.  But to each their own. I do believe prices will increase with these “improvements”. For similar pricing, we can find good value on Seabourn or Silversea as I having been finding WS pricing has escalated, especially after adding drinks, gratuity, etc costs,  

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

13 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

 

If WS is basing design on river cruises then they are misguided. River cruise ships are smaller and narrower thus requiring the design of the bed facing/near the window. It’s really the only option for river cruise design which is usually under 200 sq ft. This is not true for an ocean cruise ship.  Having a bed near an en-suite bathroom is standard design. At home, I would not trot through my living space to visit the bathroom. It’s called an en-suite. I also seriously doubt that one would not be disturbed by someone delivering breakfast even if the bed was by the window.  But to each their own. I do believe prices will increase with these “improvements”. For similar pricing, we can find good value on Seabourn or Silversea as I having been finding WS pricing has escalated, especially after adding drinks, gratuity, etc costs,  

 

Not a very accurate description of river ships.  Cabin size has been going up with each new generation, and now most cabins are >200 sf (up to 300 sf or more).  Bed facing the water is a recent innovation and still hasn't spread to all river cruise lines.  On the not-very-old (e.g. 2008) ships we have sailed, the bed is not by the window and doesn't face the window.  This is in fact a new trend that is spreading to ocean ship design:  viz Celebrity Edge 'Infinite Veranda' cabins (much-criticized on the Celebrity Cruise Critic forum, but deemed successful enough by management that they just ordered a fifth Edge-class ship).  

 

But Windstar is giving you a choice: the existing cabins remain with the bed hear the hall, or you can book a new-style cabin with the bed near the window.  Choice is good!