Windsurf Refit

[dandee2]

1 hour ago, Chipshot from Michigan said:

 

I forget to mention another problem we had with cabin 136.  At embarkation there was an unidentified white powder on several surfaces.  Housekeeping addressed it and acknowledged the cabin should have been completely clean before we arrived.  Damage was confined to slowing down our unpacking and getting on with enjoying the ship.

 

Cabin doors were often left open, and I was surprised to see how many passengers (mostly kids and young adults accompanying their families?) were living out of suitcases despite the ample storage available.

We also seldom unpack except for some clothing item that we hang in the cabinet.

 

[Chipshot from Michigan]

1 hour ago, dandee2 said:

We also seldom unpack except for some clothing item that we hang in the cabinet.

 

Our strategy for a one-week or longer cruise is that the empty suitcase under the bed becomes the take-home laundry bag.

 

We try to leave space for the cabin stewards to work and don't expect them to tidy our stuff continuously.  I imagine some of the messier cabins were characteristic of their occupants.  Wind Surf's cabins live larger when they're not cluttered.

[sb44]

On 11/6/2019 at 9:36 AM, Chipshot from Michigan said:

We're sailing on her 12/21.  It will be our second time aboard, and I'm curious to see the changes.

Who was the captain and do you know if he was getting ready to get off or had just come on? They usually switch around the first or second week of the year.

[minidonuts85]

2 hours ago, sb44 said:

Who was the captain and do you know if he was getting ready to get off or had just come on? They usually switch around the first or second week of the year.

The captain this week is Remi. He plans to stay for “awhile” but didn’t give us a timeframe. 

[sb44]

Thanks. He was our captain in Greece this summer.

[Chipshot from Michigan]

1 hour ago, minidonuts85 said:

The captain this week is Remi. He plans to stay for “awhile” but didn’t give us a timeframe. 

 

Yes, Remi Eriksen.  Are his wife and daughter still aboard?  He was the most aloof and haughty captain we have ever experienced.  I wonder what he is like when they are not along.

 

Staff Captain (a large ship title?) was far more engaging and appeared to be significantly more involved with the ship's operation.  It was he who spearheaded cleanup of the bow area.  The two cadets were very engaging.  They have bright futures ahead of them.

[minidonuts85]

Yes Remi’s wife and daughter are still aboard. 

[Misty Morning]

Minidonuts,

 

I see the Wind Surf has left St Barth early (4PM instead of 10PM) and seems to be rushing back to Philipsburg at 13 knots when they only have 15 nautical miles to do.  Anything special happening? 

[minidonuts85]

It is wickedly windy (30mph gusts) and supposed to get worse later on. Heading back to SXM and will dock overnight there. 

[MNgardens]

If you go to windy.com - in the upper right hand side there is a list of options. Click on waves. Seas are really rough.

There is a timeline bar along the bottom so that you can see what the forecasted winds and seas will be.

Edited January 13, 2020 by MNgardens

[Chipshot from Michigan]

Useful information, though straying a bit off-topic?

 

Anyway, my two cents.  PassageWeather.com is another valuable resource.  Leeward Islands or Virgin Island to Dominca for this area.

 

https://www.passageweather.com/

[Chipshot from Michigan]

Here are some fitness center shots.  Nice space but a lot of inoperative equipment (please note that I avoided posting pictures of people).

[cruisencrazy]

We are boarding Feb 1.  Not a lot of great posts about the Surf.  Starting to get a little nervous.  We were on the Legend  2 months ago back to backs and the officers were  the least friendly of all our Windstar cruises.  Our captain also had wife and daughter on board.  Very interesting.  Oh well, looking forward to the itinerary!!

[honumaui]

We are boarding Feb 18 in Cozumel. I was looking forward to a spruced up ship. We did a back to back on her a couple of years ago. . Oh, well...as long as the sails work, the food and service are great and our room is comfy  i will be happy.  Have never been in the fitness center and probably never will.  We cruised on the Pride, New York to Montreal and our cabin definitely needed an update but the cruise was great.  Same for our Alaska cruise  on the Legend. We have cruised the Med. on Regent and chose them because of the all inclusive and business air. They do a great job on their tours esp for oldies like us who don't do well independently in Europe. I would compare the food and service on Windstar as good as Regent but Regent beats them on accommodations. I wish Windstar had their beds.

[sb44]

On 1/9/2020 at 9:09 PM, Chipshot from Michigan said:

 

Yes, Remi Eriksen.  Are his wife and daughter still aboard?  He was the most aloof and haughty captain we have ever experienced.  I wonder what he is like when they are not along.

 

Staff Captain (a large ship title?) was far more engaging and appeared to be significantly more involved with the ship's operation.  It was he who spearheaded cleanup of the bow area.  The two cadets were very engaging.  They have bright futures ahead of 

 

[sb44]

We will be boarding on 1/18 and staying on until 2/10. We spent a month on the Surf in August and it was wonderful.  I imagine anyone could take a photo of something bad on any ship.  We use the gym every day and have never had a problem with broken equipment.  The food is consistently great, the crew wonderful.  The Capt was the same as this cruise and he is fully competent which is all we care about. There is always someone who focuses on a few negatives.  We prefer the 98% positive and are looking forward to next Saturday.  Windstar has never disappointed us and we have been lucky enough to make several life long friends on our journeys. 

[Chipshot from Michigan]

58 minutes ago, honumaui said:

We are boarding Feb 18 in Cozumel. I was looking forward to a spruced up ship. We did a back to back on her a couple of years ago. . Oh, well...as long as the sails work, the food and service are great and our room is comfy  i will be happy.  Have never been in the fitness center and probably never will.  We cruised on the Pride, New York to Montreal and our cabin definitely needed an update but the cruise was great.  Same for our Alaska cruise  on the Legend. We have cruised the Med. on Regent and chose them because of the all inclusive and business air. They do a great job on their tours esp for oldies like us who don't do well independently in Europe. I would compare the food and service on Windstar as good as Regent but Regent beats them on accommodations. I wish Windstar had their beds.

 

• The food was very good.  Book a table at Sandals at your earliest opportunity.  While everyone should have an opportunity to eat there, repeat bookings are allowed even if some haven't.
• The sails work but only in manual mode.  They are rarely up for long after sailings.
• Having only one working treadmill on a ship this size was disappointing.
• You may wish something else had been put in the new fitness center's prime location.
• Plenty of outdoor seating allows deck chair hogs to indulge in selfishness.
• We loved the Yacht Club Café.
• I have never seen so many jigsaw puzzles done during a cruise.

[Strenz]

Anyone who reads CC Windstar know that we love WS cruises. We love the sails and have never been disappointed in the amount if  time they are up during the day time, it is most if the time. Honestly not been in the gym for we love the fresh air and I walk the decks. We also do not complain, we are grateful that we can be on such a beautiful ship, great food, fabulous service, for a person with such an awful  back,  mattresses great. So much of life is subjective what is the point of complaining and life is too short  to send pictures of stains and not working signs. No, it is not right to be a chair hog it is simply selfish and rude. Hope you all can have a happy sailing experience. 

[sb44]

1 hour ago, Chipshot from Michigan said:

 

• The food was very good.  Book a table at Sandals at your earliest opportunity.  While everyone should have an opportunity to eat there, repeat bookings are allowed even if some haven't.
• The sails work but only in manual mode.  They are rarely up for long after sailings.
• Having only one working treadmill on a ship this size was disappointing.
• You may wish something else had been put in the new fitness center's prime location.
• Plenty of outdoor seating allows deck chair hogs to indulge in selfishness.
• We loved the Yacht Club Café.
• I have never seen so many jigsaw puzzles done during a cruise.

The outdoor restaurant is Candles and on the Surf, gorgeous outdoor dining. Have personally encountered chair hog once in 20 plus sailings. We walk the deck. Never have liked treadmills. They seem very pointless to me when I can walk in the beautiful fresh sea air. The sails are up when the wind is right to help, not impede, forward speed and navigation. The people on the bridge can explain this to anyone who chooses to spend some time up there.  If people want to do jigsaw puzzles it probably relaxes them. I try to not be judgemental about what people do on their holidays.  If I sit in a corner and read all day it's really none of anyone else's concern. We all have different expectations on our cruises. I'm sorry yours were not met. Not every cruise line is meant for every person. There are some that sound like horror shows to me which is why I am content to keep coming back to a really lovely sailing ship.

[Chipshot from Michigan]

Fanboy defense?  I see that in car forums, too.  Selectively responding and making poor assumptions.  Playing the non-judgmental card?  Fine.  I hope you're not one of the boozers who buys the drinks package and makes sure to get their money's worth.

 

I spent a fair amount of time on the bridge and spoke with several officers about the sails.  They are used primarily for cosmetic purposes now because there is no interest in committing personnel to controlling them manually.  Things were different in 1998 when we first sailed on the Surf.  There used to be a contest where the guest who came closest to guessing the amount of time spent sailing won a prize.

 

The port briefings on our 1995 Wind Song cruise were entertaining and fascinating.  This time around was lackluster, featuring the excursion assistant reading from a PowerPoint.  Really?  I probably shouldn't have been surprised by the poor turnout.  Recent Windstar passengers knew better than to attend.

 

If you and others are willing to accept Windstar's faults, then it has no incentive to improve.  And if your standards are that low, by all means sit in your corner where no one will bother you.

[Chipshot from Michigan]

1 hour ago, Strenz said:

Anyone who reads CC Windstar know that we love WS cruises. We love the sails and have never been disappointed in the amount if  time they are up during the day time, it is most if the time. Honestly not been in the gym for we love the fresh air and I walk the decks. We also do not complain, we are grateful that we can be on such a beautiful ship, great food, fabulous service, for a person with such an awful  back,  mattresses great. So much of life is subjective what is the point of complaining and life is too short  to send pictures of stains and not working signs. No, it is not right to be a chair hog it is simply selfish and rude. Hope you all can have a happy sailing experience. 

 

What's wrong with sharing facts?  Interest was expressed about the re-fit, and information was provided.  That's why we're here, isn't it?  Windstar should be defending itself, not relying on contented passenger to do its lifting.

[new_cruiser]

3 hours ago, sb44 said:

We walk the deck. Never have liked treadmills. They seem very pointless to me when I can walk in the beautiful fresh sea air. 

We love Windstar and I'm looking forward to having a full month on Wind Surf starting this Saturday. It will be my husband's first time on Wind Surf and I haven't been on since 2005.

 

I hope they are able to get more treadmills working. I like to spend some time running as part of my workout and that could be inconsiderate or dangerous to do on the decks. I spotted dolphins while running on the treadmill on Wind Star a year ago. If they don't have them working, it won't ruin the trip for me but it will be a disappointment. At least, we will have plenty of ports to get exercise in. Having weights and machines to do some lifting is important for our health too. Having a fitness center is one of the advantages of Windstar ships over Star Clippers for me. 

 

[minidonuts85]

Here is a video of the refurbished lounge. We think it looks great and spent a lot of time there with the Top Society Band last week. 

[minidonuts85]

I don’t recall this seating area outside of Amphora pre-refit. 

[sb44]

29 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

I don’t recall this seating area outside of Amphora pre-refit. 

Thanks. Yes there has always been a seating area but it looks like it's configured differently.