Wind Star Closing Thoughts

Now for some final words about Windstar to help you determine if it’s a good line for you to experience. This is basically a sailing ship. You DO feel the waves a bit more...sometimes. For the first time in many years I took Dramamine a couple of times and then felt just fine. But if you are really susceptible to motion sickness, you’d want to prepare well prior to sailing. Like any sailing, motion can depend on the weather.

Neither the Wind Star nor Wind Spirit have elevators. Of course, the ship is not large with only 4 main decks accommodating just 148 passengers, so getting around is easy—as long as you do not have mobility issues. The Wind Surf is larger, however, with six main decks and elevators.

Windstar itineraries are not about covering a region; instead, they allow you to really savor a destination. If you’re interested in hitting as many ports of call as possible across the Mediterranean, stick to the larger, faster vessels. (Azamara and Oceania offer more time in port and some overnight stays if you want a little of both features.)

Windstar is also not about production shows and all-day buffets, but rather about great conversations with interesting people and a touch of local entertainment. It’s about right-sized dining and ports of call where the big guys can’t even think of approaching. It’s about sitting on deck as the captain hoists the sails and announces the ship is now cruising under full sail power, while the theme from Vangelis’ 1492 blares from the speakers. It’s about walking into the bridge whenever the ship is sailing and talk with the captain and crew. And it’s about sensing the passion and pride a local naturalist displays as he offers interesting information about his country and his people.

Call it an unpretentious upscale line. No suits, ties, or gowns. Resort casual by evening, jeans and shorts by day. We were glad we packed our hiking boots for both the nature walks and horseback ride.

Would we sail a Windstar ship again. You bet we would! A 14-night Greek Isles cruise sounds kinda nice, don’t you think?

Wind Star Review 2

The staff and crew of the Wind Star could not have been more friendly and accommodating. The ship‘s British captain, Mark Boylin, frequently roamed the ship conversing with both crew and passengers. Hotel Manager Jeffrey Jack treated Ben and me with a bottle of wine when he learned we were celebrating our anniversary; his wife of just a year, Simona, ran the gift shop. The other married couple of note were our host and hostess Sam (basically, our cruise director) and Shauna (who minded the front office).

Our wonderful onboard naturalist, Carlos Picado, gave presentations on our shore excursions and Costa Rica in general, and was always available at our ports of call offering direction and guidance. Ben and I invited him to dinner at Candles one night to learn more about and from this local treasure.

The lounge served as both lecture hall and entertainment venue for the onboard musician/singer and two visiting local dance troupes. Besides the lounge, the only "congregating areas" were the dining room and the open deck space on top. On a small sailing ship, what more do you need?

I must say that food was excellent. Breakfast and lunch were served in the casual Veranda Restaurant. For breakfast we had our choice of buffet, short order selections, or even Eggs Benedict. Lunch was basically the same with several salad and cold cut options, plus short order burgers and pasta dishes. The dinner menu varied each night, but always featured a fish, meat, chicken, and vegetarian option. Needless to say, delicious fresh fruit abounded--mangoes, papayas, coconuts, melons--and I never ate a bad seafood dish. As referenced above, guests could also opt to eat at Candles for dinner, the Veranda restaurant-turned-intimate for evening meals. There was no charge, but reservations were required. We ate there twice and found the food and service excellent, especially the beef filet.

A limited room service menu was offered 24 hours, too.  Another nice perk is the free bottled water handed out to everyone before each excursion/day in port and on transfers to and from the ship.

Ben has posted all of our photos now, so check 'em out by clicking here!

Next up: ports of call.

Wind Star Review 1

Windstar Cruise Line sails only three ships: its flagship Wind Star, her sister ship, Wind Spirit, and the larger Wind Surf. The first two accommodate up to 148 guests, while Wind Surf can hold 312. Hers is one tag line you can can take literally: “180 Degrees From Ordinary,“ for this is not your traditional cruise line.

Don‘t make the mistake of comparing Windstar with the now defunct Windjammer line, nicknamed "barefoot cruises" and on which passengers did some of the work and stayed in shorts and swimsuits.

Quite the contrary. Windstar is a 5-star, more upscale line that just happens to be "resort casual." You won't see any tuxes or gowns, but your fellow passengers will largely be well traveled with a shared preference for small ship cruising. On our cruise were retired doctors, lawyers and other professionals, along with 50-, 40- and 30-something passengers. Windstar repeatedly receives accolades as the "most romantic cruise line," and we understand why. When the captain hoists the sails and music from Vangelis' CD 1492 fills the air, you know you're in for an extraordinary experience!

Windstar ships sail in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, the Greek Isles, and Western Mediterranean, plus a short Baltic run and transatlantic itineraries. Ben and I chose Costa Rica since we'd never visited there. We were not disappointed. We sailed roundtrip from Puerto Caldera, one of two ports cruise ships use on the Pacific, the other being Puntarenas. January is a dry season month--better for touring, even in the rain forests.

There are only two passenger decks, and cabins are all the same size, except for the one suite on this ship. They are quite spacious with ample storage space and a very nice bathroom. Each cabin has two portholes and no private balcony--but this is "yacht," after all.

I will write more about about the ship, food, and our ports of call in my next posts.

Live from Costa Rica

Greetings from the Windstar Cruise Line Wind Star, sailing roundtrip from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica! Our very first cruise on this line--and our 41st anniversary gift to ourselves.

We began our vacation, however with a couple of days in San Jose, both to counter any possible flight delays (always a good policy), but also to take in a bit more of this ecologically diverse country. We‘d love to have seen the Aerenal Volcano, one of the most acive in the world, but decided that a 13-hour day trip would neither do it justice, nor “sit“ well with us.

So, we opted for an excursion to Poas Volcano, still acitive with geyser-type eruptions, but a shorter trip from San Jose. We were not disappointed. Our guide, Gina, was extremely knowledgeable about her country and fluent in English. Upon our arrival to Poas Volcano National Park, we took a short walk up to the viewing stands above the rim of the volcano--a great vantage point. We also had the option to hike up a trail to a nearby jade-blue crater lake formed by volcanic eruptions years ago. It‘s a beautiful lake, and I hope you‘ll check out the photo I posted on Facebook. (We will load all of our photos when we return.) The hike itself was not difficult, but we quickly felt the effects of the altitude. We weren‘t in San Antonio any more.

Also included in the tour was a visit to the Doka Estate coffee farm. Gina explained the journey of the coffee bean from seedling to coffee cup. Costa Ricans are proud of their coffee, and we agree that it‘s delicious. A typical Costa Rican lunch with rice and beans was served in an open-air restaurant at the estate.

Our van made a couple other stops, too, one to the craft center in the town of Sarchi selling every imaginable craft and indigenous product, and another to a factory where decorative ox carts and other crafts are made and painted by local artisans. The interesting thing about the factory was that tools were powered totally by water--a tradition kept alive for decades.

Our hotel was actually located in Herredura, outisde San Jose, and this Ramada Inn Resort is also the hotel used by Windstar, which hosts a hospitality desk. We had purchased Windstar transfers from the hotel to the ship in Puerto Caldera and enjoyed the historical and ecological information offered by our host as we made our way the following afternoon to the port.

Next up: more about our cruise. Pura vida!

Wave Season Promotions and More!

The holidays came and went without a single blog posting from me, I’m afraid. I last posted from New York City the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Then came Thanksgiving; next, our military reunion in Nashville; and finally, the Christmas and New Year holidays. In the midst of it all, our clients kept us busy with new bookings that placed us well ahead of the traditional “wave” season—thank you! Now that I’ve finally updated our databases, it’s time to get busy and post again!

The January-March timeframe is traditionally the peak booking time for cruises, as people zero in on those summer and holiday plans. However, for Ben and me, the wave season varies each and every year. Most of our regular clients tend to buck the trend and book further in advance than the norm, preferring to take advantage of both best cabin location and best price, knowing that in most cases cruise lines will re-fare rates for booked clients if the price drops. That said, we also have clients who wait for those wave season offers. Now is YOUR time to book.

This is the summer of the great migration to Europe, with cruise lines pulling extra ships out of the Caribbean to capitalize on market growth in the Mediterranean and Baltic. Celebrity extended its season in Europe; Carnival is back in Europe with the new Magic, and Norwegian is sending the brand new Epic to Barcelona for summer sailings. Even Disney, a line not known for offering extra perks (their ships sell out quickly without them, thank you), put an onboard credit offers on the table for Verandah staterooms on select 7-11-night Med sailings and the transatlantic itineraries on May 14 and Sept. 10. Yes, airfare to Europe is not cheap, especially in summer months, but cruising is still an economical way to travel overseas. And from our 14 years experience, prices will not be cheaper in future years. This could be your best opportunity ever to take the Europe plunge!

Speaking of Disney, the line just christened her first new ship in some 15 years, the Disney Dream, in Port Canaveral. We couldn’t make the festivities, but our friend Gene Sloan of USA Today posted photos to his blog. Check them our HERE. 

Ben and I head to Costa Rica January 27 for our first cruise on the Windstar Cruises Wind Star. Accommodating a mere 148 guests, this four-masted yacht features wide open teak decks and a watersports platform at the aft. We’ll visit ports in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  Watch for the review in my next posts.