Windstar Cancel Vieques port-of-call

[dandee2]

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/4728/

 

 

[ridethetide]

What a disappointment to go to St. Thomas instead of Vieques.  Of course, the change is totally understood under the circumstances.  I wonder why they didn't go to Culebra instead.  My Star Legend cruise out of San Juan a few years ago went to Culebra, and it was beautiful.

[Misty Morning]

I believe the reason they replaced Culebra with Vieques is that the channel to get into the Culebra Port is quite narrow and subject to high winds and that the Windstar captains felt it was challenging to get in and out of so they decided to go to Vieques instead.  St Thomas is certainly a disappointing replacement.  We are on the Legend now and were on the ship when these events happened. While the Captain kept us informed on what was happening, it was positioned a breach of security onshore and it took a while to really find out what had happened (found out by going online) In the end no guests were near the pier when the events happened and the injured Windstar employee is expected to be back on the ship today

[MNgardens]

Am I correct in thinking that the St Thomas stops will be on Sundays?

 

Depending on your hours in port, this company runs a day trip to Culebrita from St Thomas. They also have trips to the taco boat anchored off St John. I am heading to the taco boat in about 10 days while I am on St Thomas for a vacation.

http://stthomasboattours.com/

[sb44]

We were also on board and thought the captain did a superb job in communicating the facts as he received them. He also reported on the condition of the crew member regularly and did his best to keep the situation calm. The day became more like a sea day with activities put together on the spur of the moment including a great cooking demo on top deck. We were on several years ago when tendering to Culebrita became an issue and went to St. Thomas.  Had a lovely day and did not feel like we missed out at all. So booked passengers will have to decide whether it's lemons or lemonade.  My feeling is anyone coming from winter freeze will go for the lemonade!

Edited November 10, 2019 by sb44

[Host Jazzbeau]

40 minutes ago, sb44 said:

We were on several years ago when tendering to Culebrita became an issue and went to St. Thomas.  Had a lovely day and did not feel like we missed out at all. So booked passengers will have to decide whether it's lemons or lemonade.  My feeling is anyone coming from winter freeze will go for the lemonade!

 

Or, given the wintry weather here in NY, perhaps a Hot Toddy!

[jmbklj]

Oh darn!  Seeing the bioluminescent bay at night has always been on my bucket list.  That is the first and only Windstar excursion I've booked for our upcoming Nov 30th sailing.  That is the main reason why I booked this cruise.  We did this similar cruise 2 years ago on the Pride, and when I saw Vieques added on this itinerary, I was excited to book this southern caribbean route to see the bioluminescent bay.

 

That's why I cruise Windstar - to go to the ports that the big ships don't and can't do......not to go to the same ports over and over, like St Thomas. Again.

[jmbklj]

Some additional info on this incident that I learned on Trip Advisor:

 

"The incident you reference was tragic and understandably of great concern for future tourists planning an upcoming visit. It is also very uncharacteristic. Yes, there is crime on the island, as there is everywhere. Violent crime like this is extremely rare in tourist areas such as the Malecon in Esperanza. Residents and tourists alike were horrified by it. It was not a random act. The victim was targeted. It appears to have been in response to the victim destroying property belonging to the perpetrator. It was not directed at tourists. The perpetrator has been arrested, charged with a series of serious crimes, and being held on main island with very high bail. Since the incident, security has been heightened, with additional law enforcement officers brought in from main island to supplement local police. It was taken seriously. No one can predict the future, but I have been a frequent visitor to Vieques for almost 7 years. I do not feel unsafe there. I hate that this happened, particularly when this small cruise ship had just arrived. It's horrific no matter where or when it occurred, but the time and place could not have been worse. Having said that, I have no misgivings about returning to the island for future visits. I see this as an isolated tragic incident and nothing more. I was relieved to read that an arrest was made quickly. Our time on the island has always been marked by relaxing days at secluded beaches followed by peaceful nights."

 

In response to this poster above........

I hope that Windstar comes to the same conclusion........and that hopefully they will quickly reinstate Vieques as a stop. I'd still love to do kayaking at night in the bay. But I fear nothing will change before our departure at the end of November.

 

Yes, Puerto Rico knows where its bread is buttered with tourism business and the island cannot afford to scare tourists and cruise ships away with these types of crime incidents. In fact, I wish that the Puerto Rico law enforcement authorities would proactively outreach to the Windstar Cruise Line to reassure them of passenger safety on the island.

[amunhbuu]

Ugh.  That is too bad for everyone involved.

 

We were looking forward to going there on our Feb cruise.  Hopefully, everyone will be comfortable with returning by then!

[Redtravel]

Sailing in January on Star Legend.  Just got email from Windstar that our itinerary will go to St. Thomas instead of Vieques.  I certainly understand the circumstances having read this thread. Would like to know where they will dock or tender.  It is a Sunday. What is open?

[sunfl0wer]

We are sailing on Star Pride in Feb.  Received the same email yesterday.  According to WS website, we will dock.  I assume it will be Crown Bay based on past experience, but have been unable to confirm.  The Ferry to Water Island runs hourly on Sunday, so that's our current plan for being away from the crowds.  There are several other smaller ships in port that day, with Celebrity Summit being the largest, so it shouldn't be too crowded, and shops should be open.  Any additional info would be appreciated.

[amunhbuu]

We received the same information last week while sitting in St. Thomas.  Very disappointed at this point as it is the busiest port in the Caribbean and we booked the cruise solely for the smaller ports.  This plus the increase in tipping makes me not impressed with Windstar so far. Oh well, first world problems.

[mnsailor]

We are on Star Legend in a few days. I heard about the port change some time ago and noted that it took a bit of time for the information in the My Windstar website to catch up.  However, it now includes the St. Thomas stop.  Interestingly, unlike others, I did not  receive an email alerting me to the change. 

[jmbklj]

For the St Thomas port, they dock at Havensight.