Just back from Wind Star 12/16/06 - Part 1

[KatWag]

Overall - lots of really special moments and a very enjoyable trip. This was our first cruise with Windstar and we would definitely sail with them again. There were a few problems, but that's to be expected. Nothing more than minor annoyances and quickly forgotten in the enjoyment of the cruise. My overall impression is that this line offers terrific value for the money. They are offering a pretty luxurious experience at a price point well below some of the other lines.

 

We flew in on the 14th and spent two nights at the Intercontinental at San Jose. When we arrived, they offered us an upgrade to the Club level for $30 a night. We took it and thought it very worthwhile. Happy hour from 6 to 8 every evening and a continental breakfast in the morning. Tip - if you are staying at the Intercontinental before your cruise, be sure to ask from a room far from the elevator. The lobby is an open design and we had a lot of noise late into the night.

 

We took the Windstar transfers. Mixed reviews here, to be honest with you. Two transfers were offered from the hotel - an 11 AM and a 1PM. We were all asked to be there 15 minutes in advance. Most folks complied. But the bus was quite late. We'd been waiting about 25 minutes by the time the bus arrived. We all loaded up and the bus started to leave. Just then, two women walked out to where the bus was. They stopped the bus, backed up and went back for them. After loading the two women and their luggage, we were ready to pull out. Next thing, out strolls two more women. They now want to be on this transfer. The Windstar reps says "OK". Then the women say they need to go find their husbands. By this time folks on the bus were getting a bit frustrated - it was 50 minutes past the time we were supposed to be there. It took a bit for them to get themselves together, get their luggage out to the bus and get onto the bus themselves. A good bit of muttering going on in the bus at this point. And several wives (including this one) shooting their husbands "please behave" looks in the hopes of avoiding unpleasantness. As you might guess, none of the latecomers were at all apologetic about their actions - in fact the husbands who had to be hunted down were laughing and seemed to think it was hilarious that they kept all of these folks waiting. Not the best start. But it was vacation and we were off to the ship.

 

Time permitting, they do make a rest stop about half way to the ship. Clean restrooms and a nice little shopping / eating area. Pretty gardens in the back, including a butterfly area.

 

Embarkation - very smooth. We had only two people ahead of us because we were at the front of the bus. Because it was so hot, a security officer boarded the bus to check our passports, then we all got off the bus and boarded. We were greated with chilled wash cloths and mimosas. Then, we were directed to the lounge. Two lines here - you go first to the immigration line, then to the check in. We were done in about 5 minutes and off to the room.

 

Rooms - compact but extremely well laid out. Plenty of storage space for both hanging and folded clothes. We had a bit of a musty smell in the closet and cabinets, probably caused by the high humidity . If I had it to do over again, I would have brought a small bottle of Febreeze and done a quick spray before putting my clothes away. The A/C doesn't seem to work all that well when the ship is stationary, but as soon as you get underway - no problem at all. The bathroom, although compact, was one of the best laid out. Two medicine cabinets - I cannot imagine anyone running out of storage space in there. Small shower but great water pressure. Two shower heads - one fixed and one handheld type.

 

We did a quick unpacking job then changed and headed up to the pool deck. The sun is pretty intense on this itinerary and finding a shady spot can be a bit of a problem. The area in front of the veranda seemed to work out the best for us. It was kind of funny though... as we got later on in the cruise and would be anchored ,you would get all set up, the ship would turn slightly and you'd be in the sun again.

 

The bar staff is really terrific on this line. Very friendly and quickly get to know what you like and anticipate your needs. Three drinks of the day are offered: a tropical drink, a non-alcoholic drink, and a martini. Great snacks, appetizers and tea are offered by the pool deck daily.

 

First day out was a sea day and we just relaxed and tried to find a shady spot to read. This was the only real adjustment for me. Our most recent cruises have been on Regent. And I can't remember the last cruise where I did not have a balcony. I have to be very honest and say I did miss it. I never realized how much time I spent there between breakfast, drinks at night, and just a quiet spot to read.

 

Our first port we took the all day tour to Granada. I was a bit nervous about such a long tour but I was really glad we did it. The folks who did the shorter tour were disappointed. What they don't tell you when you book is that you are driving 2 hours to Granada and another 2 hours back. That only leaves the shorter tour 2 hours to actually tour. Our longer trip spent time in the city, did the market, went to a nice Nicaraguan restaurant for lunch and then went to the volcano. A long day but most folks I spoke to were glad they did it.

 

We alternated shore excursions with quieter days so our second port we just went ashore and wondered on our own. I found a cute little souvenir shop and bought several gifts.

 

At Quepos we did Manuel Antonio park. Be prepared for extreme heat. We were all very grateful for the half hour swim break. The beach was gorgeous. We saw a sloth, a large number of monkeys, birds, iguanas, a boa. Although they suggested bug spray, we didn't seem to need it here. We were walking along a wide path most of the way.

 

Drake Bay - can't comment on the shore excursions here since we didn't book any. I did speak with a couple who took the Corvado Tour and were not happy with their gude. That's about the only review I remember hearing about this spot. If you just walk along the paths on your own, you can spot lots of monkeys.

 

Curu - We did the two hour walk here. We had a bit of a problem to start the day. We had prebooked all our excursions on the internet and clearly had our printout stating we were on the later excursion. At 7:45AM we get a call in the cabin from Jane, the hostess. In what I can only describe as an accusatory tone, she informed us that we were on the earlier excursion and that we were late. My husband told her that he was staring at the paper which stated which tour we were on but she refused to believe him. In the end, he had to take the paper down for her to see. Then, she just kind of flipped it off saying, "Oh, sorry, our mistake." I understand that the front-line staff often have to deal with difficult guests but I felt that her attitude was over the top. Later on, at the airport, I was to encounter several other folks who experienced similar problems with her.

 

Part 2 soon, hopefully. I'm buried in laundry right now. :)

[nancyrg]

we are taking this cruise 1-27 so i am so glad you are posting a review! I look forward to part 2!

 

nancy