Just off Windsurf 5/10-5/17 Rome to Nice

Hi Everyone - Troy and I just flew in from Nice last night after our incredible cruise on the Windsurf and although I promise to write a detailed review, I wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that these Windstar first timers had one of their best cruises ever and thought that the Windsurf was fantastic. Itinerary, food, service, ship etc.... all excellent.

Thank you T & T. It's great to hear that you enjoyed your trip.

Look forward to additional details.

So glad you enjoyed yourselves-----looking forward to your more detailed report.

Grace and I enjoyed this cruise also. Enjoyed meeting you too and glad we hooked up.

Hi Everyone - Troy and I just flew in from Nice last night after our incredible cruise on the Windsurf and although I promise to write a detailed review, I wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that these Windstar first timers had one of their best cruises ever and thought that the Windsurf was fantastic. Itinerary, food, service, ship etc.... all excellent.

Todd and Troy,

I knew you guys would have fun! We are just off Windstar today and we had a grand time too! We are staying a couple more days in France in St Jean Cap Ferrat,

We really enjoyed the Grand Prix.

Now check out Oceania, too!

I am sort of lost on this website so I hope no one "yells" at me :)

We are doing Windstar June 28 Nice to Rome

Does anyone have a reliable car company to pick us up in Livorno and take us to Pisa- wine tasting and then back to the ship?

thanks

Ldtc2

I am sort of lost on this website so I hope no one "yells" at me :)

We are doing Windstar June 28 Nice to Rome

 

Does anyone have a reliable car company to pick us up in Livorno and take us to Pisa- wine tasting and then back to the ship?

 

thanks

Ldtc2

You may want to go to the Ports of Call section of this webpage and ask your question. Have you considered just taking the train? It's really easy and not a long trip.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234

Here is a thread discussing taking the train:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=993406

Leaving in August any tips? This is our first cruise with Windstar. We will be sailing on the Windsurf. Should we make reservations for fine dining? Is it true it is a casual Cruise? Is deck 1 OK?

Leaving in August any tips? This is our first cruise with Windstar. We will be sailing on the Windsurf. Should we make reservations for fine dining? Is it true it is a casual Cruise? Is deck 1 OK?

Am not sure what you mean about reservation for "fine dining" - are you asking about the other restaurants besides the main dining room? Make reservations if you want to, but be aware, at least when we were on the Windsurf, that these usually filled up by 7:30 a.m., so you need to make them early on the day you wish to dine there.

It is "country club casual". You will not see jeans and shorts, etc. in the dining room. Deck 1 is fine.

I apologize for taking so long to write a review, things have been busy busy busy since we returned home. Busy is good though $$$. I'm almost done with the review, but wanted to let everyone know that I posted 66 (out of 568) photos on my facebook page that you can go see. There aren't many of the ship as most are of the locations we travelled to. The link to the photos is:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027245&id=1212263122&l=89875e8b4b

Review to come soon I promise!

The pictures were great! Ischia looks amazing. Thanks for sharing. I am considering (1st time) trying out Windstar next year (vs. more traditional lines) and am reading up! ;)

Jen

I apologize for taking so long to write a review, things have been busy busy busy since we returned home. Busy is good though $$$. I'm almost done with the review, but wanted to let everyone know that I posted 66 (out of 568) photos on my facebook page that you can go see. There aren't many of the ship as most are of the locations we travelled to. The link to the photos is:

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027245&id=1212263122&l=89875e8b4b

 

Review to come soon I promise!

Enjoyed the photos, Todd! Looks like you and Troy had a great trip! Wasn't Pompeii cool?

your trip looks wonderful...can you inform us of your itierary for the entire trip & how you connected teh cruise to your land arrangements....

Thank you!!!

Hi Everyone - Troy and I just flew in from Nice last night after our incredible cruise on the Windsurf and although I promise to write a detailed review, I wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that these Windstar first timers had one of their best cruises ever and thought that the Windsurf was fantastic. Itinerary, food, service, ship etc.... all excellent.

Hi Everyone,

Well I finished the first part of the review and wanted to at least post that for the all you guys wanting to know about the ship. I'm reviewing the ports also, but boy it's taking much longer than I expected. First though, I believe I owe some answers haha -

Chicagogal - Pompeii was amazing, but we only saw a little and I definitely want to go back and see more. Pompeii was the one excursion we took from Windstar and overall it was a good tour. Not too big of a group and a good tour guide. The ride there and back was great. We did hear about some people doing it on their own that sounded better though.

6rugrats - We made dinner reservations the first day on board and had no trouble at all getting the restaurants and times that we wanted. We even made a change mid-cruise and had no trouble getting into a different restaurant.

Rotterdam - The next half will be great for you as I'll go over the ports and the things we did, didn't do and wish we had done.

jen516 - I hope this all helps, it was great!

So here's the first part. Please don't hesitate to ask me to expound on anything. The next part will go over each port.

All I can say is what a trip. After 12 cruises, mostly on Celebrity and Holland America, we finally decided to try Windstar. We are so glad that we did

CABIN

So let’s talk staterooms. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive as we would have no balcony, sitting area, large bath etc…, but fortunately and surprisingly, I did not miss any of those . The only time I thought about a balcony and wished we had one was after we would return to the ship after a day in port. But we were usually taking a shower or nap and then heading back in anyway since we stayed in most ports until 11pm or overnight so that feeling didn’t last long. The beds and linens were great, our attendant was one of those “stealth” attendants that somehow managed to get everything done but not be obtrusive, the legendary shower water pressure was present and the toiletries were good and always replenished without a need to ask.

FOOD

Now about the food. I know food is very subjective so here’s my general take -the food was wonderful!

Breakfasts - All breakfasts are served in The Veranda and it was always fresh and plentiful. I can’t think of item that I looked at and thought “what the…” The Veranda has a grill that offers omelets, french toast and pancakes. Service was great and we never had to ask for more coffee.

Lunches – We only had one lunch on board and that was on our one sea day. It was served in The Veranda and was just as good as the breakfast. One thing that really impressed me was the quality of the desserts. They were not the dry, thin layered sponge cake squares served on the other lines we have been on, but actual desserts you would see in a bakery. The cakes were actually round!! There was a big fluffy cheesecake, a real carrot cake and a bunch others I can’t remember. All I do remember is thinking how good it was and how it could be from any good bakery back home.

Dinners – There are four restaurants for dinner. Le Marche is the seafood themed restaurant and is set up on one of the aft decks. We did not have a chance to try Le Marche, but all the reports we heard were good. Candles is a steak themed restaurant set up at the aft pool. We ate here the first night out and we really enjoyed the steaks we were served. Surprisingly, they were served at the temperature ordered and were tender with good flavor. Admittedly not the best steak I have ever had, but it made for a really nice meal. There is only one choice for your appetizer (Insalata Caprese) and dessert (Tiramisu), but the Tiramisu served was so good I had them bring me another, and I think even another. Hey – I was on vacation and those pounds wouldn’t show up until Florence. The Restaurant is the main dining room and we ate there most nights with all meals served being good - excellent. I can’t really think of any misses, but can remember a good veal shank. Degrees is the last restaurant and has more of a tasting menu. Many courses, all with a theme. Our theme was seafood and it was very good. Service at all restaurants was very attentive.

THE SHIP

As our first time on such a small ship, I thought I would spend a lot of time comparing it to our other cruises and other cruise ships. To be honest, I found it so different, that I really ended up not doing that at all. And I mean different in a good way. It was more like being a guest on someone’s private yacht. Time on board was spent relaxing and hanging out with new friends. Even a nap or two. We were in Monaco for two days and one day we just stayed on board and hung out by the pool reading, swimming, snacking – just doing what all the other people on the real yachts were doing. We headed back onto shore later in the evening, but it was great to just relax during the day. The ship itself seemed to be in great shape. There were a few spots on the rails that had what seemed to be an excess (ok globs) of paint, but I sure didn’t let that affect my cruise. Everything was kept clean and I didn’t notice any torn carpet of worn fabrics. The ship doesn’t have the wow factor as some others, but I don’t think it is meant to and I really didn’t miss any of that (yeah I was surprised too – and so was other T). The staff was all personable and the one minor issue we had with two drinks we didn’t order being charged to our room was taken care of immediately.

Hi Everyone,

Well I finished the first part of the review and wanted to at least post that for the all you guys wanting to know about the ship. I'm reviewing the ports also, but boy it's taking much longer than I expected. First though, I believe I owe some answers haha -

Chicagogal - Pompeii was amazing, but we only saw a little and I definitely want to go back and see more. Pompeii was the one excursion we took from Windstar and overall it was a good tour. Not too big of a group and a good tour guide. The ride there and back was great. We did hear about some people doing it on their own that sounded better though.

mystichill - We made dinner reservations the first day on board and had no trouble at all getting the restaurants and times that we wanted. We even made a change mid-cruise and had no trouble getting into a different restaurant. It is a very casual cruise. Khakis and golf shirts were the most dressed up things we wore. We were on deck 1 and you are right at the waterline, but it was not bad at all. I've been a boater all my life and it reminded me of going out with some of our friends who have large boats.

Rotterdam - The next half will be great for you as I'll go over the ports and the things we did, didn't do and wish we had done.

jen516 - I hope this all helps, it was great!

So here's the first part. Please don't hesitate to ask me to expound on anything. The next part will go over each port.

All I can say is what a trip. After 12 cruises, mostly on Celebrity and Holland America, we finally decided to try Windstar. We are so glad that we did

CABIN

So let’s talk staterooms. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive as we would have no balcony, sitting area, large bath etc…, but fortunately and surprisingly, I did not miss any of those . The only time I thought about a balcony and wished we had one was after we would return to the ship after a day in port. But we were usually taking a shower or nap and then heading back in anyway since we stayed in most ports until 11pm or overnight so that feeling didn’t last long. The beds and linens were great, our attendant was one of those “stealth” attendants that somehow managed to get everything done but not be obtrusive, the legendary shower water pressure was present and the toiletries were good and always replenished without a need to ask.

FOOD

Now about the food. I know food is very subjective so here’s my general take -the food was wonderful!

Breakfasts - All breakfasts are served in The Veranda and it was always fresh and plentiful. I can’t think of item that I looked at and thought “what the…” The Veranda has a grill that offers omelets, french toast and pancakes. Service was great and we never had to ask for more coffee.

Lunches – We only had one lunch on board and that was on our one sea day. It was served in The Veranda and was just as good as the breakfast. One thing that really impressed me was the quality of the desserts. They were not the dry, thin layered sponge cake squares served on the other lines we have been on, but actual desserts you would see in a bakery. The cakes were actually round!! There was a big fluffy cheesecake, a real carrot cake and a bunch others I can’t remember. All I do remember is thinking how good it was and how it could be from any good bakery back home.

Dinners – There are four restaurants for dinner. Le Marche is the seafood themed restaurant and is set up on one of the aft decks. We did not have a chance to try Le Marche, but all the reports we heard were good. Candles is a steak themed restaurant set up at the aft pool. We ate here the first night out and we really enjoyed the steaks we were served. Surprisingly, they were served at the temperature ordered and were tender with good flavor. Admittedly not the best steak I have ever had, but it made for a really nice meal. There is only one choice for your appetizer (Insalata Caprese) and dessert (Tiramisu), but the Tiramisu served was so good I had them bring me another, and I think even another. Hey – I was on vacation and those pounds wouldn’t show up until Florence. The Restaurant is the main dining room and we ate there most nights with all meals served being good - excellent. I can’t really think of any misses, but can remember a good veal shank. Degrees is the last restaurant and has more of a tasting menu. Many courses, all with a theme. Our theme was seafood and it was very good. Service at all restaurants was very attentive.

THE SHIP

As our first time on such a small ship, I thought I would spend a lot of time comparing it to our other cruises and other cruise ships. To be honest, I found it so different, that I really ended up not doing that at all. And I mean different in a good way. It was more like being a guest on someone’s private yacht. Time on board was spent relaxing and hanging out with new friends. Even a nap or two. We were in Monaco for two days and one day we just stayed on board and hung out by the pool reading, swimming, snacking – just doing what all the other people on the real yachts were doing. We headed back onto shore later in the evening, but it was great to just relax during the day. The ship itself seemed to be in great shape. There were a few spots on the rails that had what seemed to be an excess (ok globs) of paint, but I sure didn’t let that affect my cruise. Everything was kept clean and I didn’t notice any torn carpet of worn fabrics. The ship doesn’t have the wow factor as some others, but I don’t think it is meant to and I really didn’t miss any of that (yeah I was surprised too – and so was other T). The staff was all personable and the one minor issue we had with two drinks we didn’t order being charged to our room was taken care of immediately.

Todd and Troy,

So glad you enjoyed yourselves on Windsurf.I look forward to reading more of your review.

Val

Thank you for your time & efforts......your photos are wonderful......will you sail windstar again????

Hi Todd

Just read your CC reviews. Thanks so much. This is our 3rd Windstar cruise but 1st in Italy.

We are doing the same cruise in Sept. Would love to hear about the ports

ie which hot springs you went to in Ischia, Pompeii with Windstar and anything else you can share.

Barbara Levine -- ( Associate Broker - Prudential Towne Realty, Williamsburg Va