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Review of Windstar Star Legend

 

 

 

I’m very pleased to offer up my review of the Windstar Star Legend. This sailing was April 9-23, 2017, from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Lisbon, Portugal.

 

 

Let me start by saying that I prefer smaller ships. I enjoy the stately manner of sailing while being pampered, enjoying the company of others with great food and entertainment. I’d been wishing to sail on Windstar for many years, but I’d settled into enjoying Holland America so much, that it finally took a great flash sale to get my attention.

 

 

From the start, in dealing with Bethany in Seattle, I felt like I was a valued guest, even though I’d never been on Windstar. I didn’t find that their web site was the most user friendly, but I’ve yet to encounter a cruise line that has one that is. Do they all use the same web team?

 

 

Checking in: 10 of 10

 

 

Boarding was set for 1300 hours, but my flight arrived at 0600. I arrived at the port and was able to leave my large suitcase with the staff while exploring the old town of San Juan.

 

 

When I returned at 1245hrs, they had already subjected my bag to the screening process and it would be at my door on board within an hour.

 

 

At 1300, they began to allow passengers to be screened. It was quick and simple. We then went immediately outside and climbed aboard. We were shown to the show lounge on deck 5 and offered rum punch. We were asked to fill out a health questionnaire, after which, we stood in a short line for our photo, credit card information, received our key card and were free to go. They kept our passports, which made it much easier when arriving in Lisbon; there was no need to deal with passport control as we left the ship!

 

 

At this time, one has the opportunity to check on or pay for the drink package. Checking in took all of 15 minutes. As I left the show lounge, a room steward waiting escorted me to my room, one flight up. She then offered a tour of the room’s amenities. This was first class, all the way. I was very impressed with the entire check in process, and the escort to my room was very classy.

 

 

One thing of note; this cruise only had 55% occupancy (131 passengers). This may have contributed slightly to the ease of check in, but not everyone was there for check in right at 1pm, especially considering all aboard wasn’t until 8pm.

 

 

Staff: 10 of 10

 

 

As I mentioned, my escort and room tour was very classy. Names were learned very quickly on board. I’m sure it was made even easier with the occupancy level they crew enjoyed on this voyage. There were always smiles from the crew. Crew members would step aside to allow passengers to pass, if they were doing work, or passing by, themselves. There was a level of professionalism that was also very comfortable. It really did feel like a personal yacht.

 

 

The officers were very comfortable, as well. We saw the captain often and he was always cordial and willing to chat. I got to know many of the officers, Capt. Reville, First officers Toni and Adam, and Lucy, and even many of the cadets, such as Ellen, Hammish and Chris.

 

 

Dining room staff were terrific. It was open dining, so I didn’t always have the same person serving me. I think Alfredo knew my name before I even introduced myself to him. Of course, I had my favorites; Deva, Kartika, Kristi, Gusti, Tata, Wenti and Jacki.

 

 

My room steward was Marsuni. He was very friendly and attentive. My special requests were always honored, such as asking to have two bed sheets and no comforter. I also asked that he keep a stock of Sprite Zero in my fridge. I was always amazed at how quickly he worked.

 

 

My only complaint with the room steward is that I would often find hair in the bathroom that was not mine. But the room was always clean and made up how I liked it.

 

 

Ship: 8 of 10

 

 

The ship was in really good condition, considering her age. They took the opportunity to be at sea for 2 weeks to do some maintenance, which is normal. For a few days, one could hear the banging and grinding on the upper deck, as they maintained the railings. There were painting projects going on, as well.

 

 

There was a great library with many books of varying subjects. There were quite a few DVDs to rent for free; a wide range of tastes.

 

 

The Compass Rose Bar is where I spent most of my time. Tata was a great bartender who quickly learned how to anticipate our needs. He’d see us walk in before dinner and would automatically make the drinks he knew we would order. He knew I liked peanuts and would always bring some to me without asking.

 

 

The larger show lounge (that doesn’t seem to have an official name) didn’t seem to be used as often as I would have thought. There were a few talks and the crew show was in this room, but the Compass Rose was also used a lot, such as for Karaoke and the Liar’s Club game show.

 

 

By far, the best amenity on board this ship is the open bridge policy. There were several times the bridge was used for public activities, such as a knot tying class, a talk on astronomy and one on weather. There was also a game of guess the flag (I came in 2nd).

 

 

The Yacht Club was another place I spent most of my time. There were quite a few games and cards, which got a lot of use. There were some puzzles, but I never saw anyone start one. One could almost always find a table or chair to sit in. Again, this was a crossing with no port stops, so we really needed a space such as this.

 

 

Here, you will also find the coffee bar and sandwich station, with desserts and breakfast items in the morning.

 

 

Legend was very well designed and it was quite easy to get around, with no dead end hallways. I did hear people say they wished it had a larger wrap around deck for walking, but they all seemed to make due walking around deck 7, going in front of the bridge and then back to the Candles area.

 

 

I was disappointed in the gym. It’s a small ship, so it was a very small gym with an average height ceiling, so there were no pull down weight machines or stair climbers or elliptical machines. There were 3 treadmills (and if you are tall, you may hit your head on the ceiling if you use the hill climb feature) one recumbent and one regular stationary bike. The regular bike was out of commission from boarding and one of the treadmills broke down on day 4, so at many times the remaining 3 machines were in use with a wait.

 

 

Another thing that compounded the use of the gym was that Legend does not have a work out room for crew, so we shared it with the officers. They were very good about letting guests use the machines first, but I always felt bad for them when they did so.

 

 

I loved the spa area. There were several treatment rooms and the men’s room had a very nice dry sauna and steam room. There were two showers and 3 lockers, but they were rarely used, as with so few people, we all felt comfortable leaving items in the locker room shelves. (Of course, don’t leave valuables.) The sauna and steam room were always hot.

 

 

The hot tub on deck 5 was never open on our transatlantic voyage. This was disappointing.

 

 

The hot tub on 7 seemed to be having issues staying hot. I heard others complain, but it was always hot in the afternoons/early evenings, when I used it, except for one day, when it was cool when I got in, but hot by the time I got out some 20 minutes later. A crew member would often come out and check the temperature. Only one side of the jets were working.

 

 

A few years ago, the larger pool was removed to make more seating for the Veranda/Candles restaurant. I only saw guests using the tables in this area two or three times, and usually it was one or two people sitting here. This seemed like such a waste of space.

 

 

Also, the Veranda/Candles was often closed due to winds or weather. Maybe this is not so much of an issue when not doing an ocean crossing. I ate lunch at the Veranda while still docked in San Juan, and the wind was blowing the lettuce off my plate. The atmosphere inside wasn’t all that welcoming. But on a nice day, sitting at the back of the ship was bliss.

 

 

The dining room was very nice and elegant. There was never a wait. I was always seated promptly, and they got to know me so fast that I was only asked for my room number the first 3 or 4 times. It was easy to request to be seated with new friends, or even to be seated alone. Again, having a low occupancy helped with this.

 

 

My biggest complaints are two: First of all, the smoking area on board is on deck 8 at the Star Bar...port side. This is where the door is. So to access the Star Bar from the Yacht Club or the elevators, one must open the door to be blasted by the cigar and cigarette smoke that is going on literally 3 feet from the door.

 

 

Second, the area just inside this same door was carpeted. It was always wet from a leak and being dried. It smelled bad of mildew. I really would like to see Windstar simply take this carpet up and put in a flooring that can be more easily cleaned when it gets wet. I would often see water dripping from the ceiling in this area. I have no idea why.

 

 

There was also an issue with the rest room in this same area, that always smelled bad of urine. I’m not sure if someone was missing with bad aim, or if urine had somehow gotten into a spot difficult to clean.

 

 

Cabin: 10 of 10

 

 

For a standard sized cabin, this was the best I’ve ever encountered. There was plenty of storage, with drawers in the closet, in the desk in front of the bed, on the bed sides and in the bar area. There was even a drawer in the entertainment console.

 

 

The beds were slightly closer to the ground than I’m used to. My suitcase wouldn’t fit under the bed, but it did fit just fine in the closet.

 

 

There were lots of mirrors. One thing missed in my room tour, that took me 2 days to discover, was that behind the corner mirror in the bath room was a cabinet. This is where there are glasses (that won’t slide off the counter in rough seas) and a container of cotton balls and swabs.

 

 

The bathroom was large with a tub. I didn’t appreciate the manner in which the door would swing open and shut while at sea and discovered a wheel with a spring that one can tighten to make the door not move so easily. The first two days, Marsuni seemed to loosen this wheel back, but he seemed to quickly understand that I liked it tight and he stopped loosening it. I mention it as a tip to you, if you enjoy the scene out the window while in the bathroom.

 

 

The bed was quite comfortable and there were two soft pillows and two firm. I loved the manner in which Marsuni folded my bed down at night. I don’t know how often the sheets were changed, but they always seemed crisp and clean.

 

 

There was a couch and two chairs near the window, with an oblong table in the center of the living room area. For over a week, my little red rose hung in there. When it got too sad, Marsuni took it away.

 

 

The bar area was great. Above was storage for numerous glasses and even a pitcher. There was a pull out table. Under was the fridge. Marsuni always made sure it was stocked. Sodas are stocked free of charge. They leave two small pitchers of filtered water. I kept one in the fridge for cold water, and Marsuni always filled it back and returned it to the fridge for me.

 

 

There were chocolates left on the bar. If I had one or two, they were always replaced. I like this, as I didn’t eat them daily, so I felt like there was less waste.

 

 

I never heard noise from neighbors or from the hallway from inside my cabin. I could hear the neighbor’s door close, but it wasn’t intrusive.

 

 

There’s nothing like the huge picture window! Drapes kept all light out, so I was able to sleep in easily and be unsure if it were day out or not. There was also a drape one could close to separate the sleeping area from the living area.

 

 

The TV on the wall swiveled for easy viewing. I only used it once to watch a DVD that I had brought with me.

 

 

Food: 9 of 10

 

 

I’m going to start off with the issues I had first, since they were far fewer than what was good about the food on board.

 

 

First and foremost, who bought so many freaking onions? Onions in the egg salad. Onions in the tuna. Onions in the slaw. Not big ‘you can pick these out if you don’t like them’ onions, but little itty bitty chopped onions. You can’t pick these out. Windstar...PLEASE use onion slices so we can pick them out. And this was not just me. I heard others complain and saw many pick them out as best they could.

 

 

If you wake up at 10, other than room service or the continental breakfast items that are out until 11, after which are brought out the sandwiches, you can’t eat until noon, when they open for lunch. Not a huge deal, and it never bothered me, but I heard a lot of comments about this.

 

 

Loved the assortment of sandwiches in the Yacht Club. They were willing to make a special tuna salad for me, but they asked that I request this 24 hours in advance. I don’t know what I’m going to be in the mood for in 24 hours and I’ve yet to see what they are going to offer on the lunch menu, so this was sort of a joke.

 

 

Lunch was always great, because they had an elaborate salad bar. Varying lettuces, veggies, salads, beans, cheeses, nuts, croutons, Caesar salad, soup and bread. There was always a serving station with something different daily, such as carved baked tuna one day, a carved pork loin another. One day on the crossing was pizza, but they only offered 3 varieties, 2 of which we didn’t like (Hawaiian style with pineapple or a veggie with onions). They also had cheese, so I had some, since I was really jonesing for pizza, but the crust was too bready. The menu also had a special of the day. The day they had cheese steak sandwiches was great.

 

 

One day I asked for the sandwich from the room service menu when I ate at the Veranda. They made it seem like it was a big deal, since it was cooked in the kitchen downstairs and not right there, but in the end they did bring it up to me.

 

 

One thing that was very inconsistent was in ordering menu items. We ordered burgers one day. Mine arrived with a ramekin of ketchup and no slaw. The other arrived with slaw and no ketchup. This happened almost daily. It got to where we realized that when placing an order, we had specify all that we wanted (a burger with slaw and ketchup, please). Very strange.

 

 

In the Yacht Club, service could also be a little sketchy, as they would deliver a drink or food and not bring a serviette with it.

 

 

I never had a bad meal. Every meal I ate was top-notch. Desserts were always very good (well, I should have known that the sugar free carrot cake would taste, well, sugar free). Twice I asked that dessert be delivered to my room for later consumption. That only happened once.

 

 

Room service always arrived faster than they said. Ordering was simple and the food was delivered hot and with a smile. One night, I ordered chips and dip after midnight.

 

 

Every evening, after six, a team of two would make rounds to the bars with trays of food- nice little pre dinner snacks. There were usually fried foods, such as won tons, shrimp or meat skewers, and a tray of toast points with pate, blue cheese or salmon. This was a very nice touch, but if you just missed them, one would have to endure a marathon to catch up with them. I wanted to enjoy the culinary delights, but hated having to chase them down. I do wish they would make two rounds, or stay put, or as they do on other lines, leave the food at the two main bars and have the bar staff serve them on small plates.

 

 

Entertainment: 6 of 10

 

 

Although I was looking for a quiet and relaxing trip and didn’t expect any big production shows, I did wish there were more than the 2 music duos. I wished there had been a comic or some sort of act.

 

 

Duo one, with Laura (I didn’t get the name of the man) was great. They had a lot of Latin flair. Laura was opera trained and sang beautifully. They gave her an opera show one day at sea. One day! During the afternoon. I missed it due to other obligations. Why they didn’t schedule her to sing one evening after dinner is beyond me. They started out singing at the Star Bar, but after a few days were moved to the Show Lounge, which didn’t have a bar.

 

 

The other duo were Vee and Ryan. They were typical of what you might find at a wedding or on a ship. They had a great selection of songs. He played piano, as well as flute, clarinet and sax, and would often do so during the songs that Vee sang so well. They were both very friendly and open to playing requests.

 

 

In both cases, I was impressed with what the duos could do. They sounded like complete bands. And as much as I wished for more entertainment, the vast majority of guests seemed to go to bed early. (Or, as I later found out, were going to their rooms to read or watch DVDs). I was really impressed at how so many guests stayed up until one, two, even three minutes past ten!

 

 

That being said, on the nights when there was entertainment, such as the Liar’s Club game show (with officers and staff) or the 2 nights of Karaoke, or the always popular crew show, the room was packed. The bars seemed to stay open until 11, or later if there were enough people to warrant staying open later.

 

 

I enjoyed that many of the staff and officers would come and hang out at night at the bars. I got to know many of them like this and it was very nice to be able to do so.

 

 

Overall: 9 of 10

 

 

If you like a slower paced cruise without all the water games, announcements, prizes, drunken guests and children running all around, if you like getting to know people, relaxing with a book or a few movies, playing games, getting to know the crew and officers and how a ship is run, this is the cruise for you.

 

 

I know this is different from their usual itineraries with port stops. We were not able to use the water sports platform at all, and I really do wish this cruise could have included a stop in the Azores so we could have had that opportunity. This was a repositioning, so there were things that were done differently. I knew this going in. This was the cruise I was looking for...something low key, something small, something that would pamper me and make me feel wealthy. Mission accomplished.

 

 

If you like Holland America, I think you’ll like Windstar. I often found myself telling others this was like a mini HAL cruise ship. I liked that there were fresh flowers, live music, linen in the public restrooms instead of paper towels. I loved that everyone knew my name. There were things to keep us busy and to entertain us. We got to know one another and the crew.

 

 

We were blessed with great weather, only having 2 days of seas that were a bit rough and a few days of rolling waves. It’s a smaller ship, so perhaps one can feel the motion easier than on one of the newer behemoths they are making these days...and that I will continue to avoid. (Legend does have stabilizers.)

 

 

This was by far the best cruise I’ve had. I can’t always afford Windstar, so I was happy to have found their flash sale and had the opportunity to experience this kind of cruise. I would love nothing more than the chance to dine with the company’s owner to express how much I am in love with his product. He’s truly doing the right things. There could be a few minor tweaks (fewer onions, remove some carpet, larger/higher gym space), but I had to ask Merrel, the dining room officer, “Do you hire the most amazing people, or do you hire people and MAKE them amazing?”

 

 

I would not hesitate one second to book another cruise on this ship and with this company!

 

 

If you’d like to read more about my cruise vacation, check out my blog at

http://penguinlust.blogspot.pe/2017/05/two-weeks-at-sea-on-star-legend.html

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Thank you for your generious sharing. So happy you enjoyed WS. We have been cruising with WS since 1999 and we love it. Off tomorrow for Italy for the 5/17 Venice to Rome. Hope you become a regular. Happy Sailing

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Great review, thanks for taking the time to share. Some of the crew you mentioned were also our favourites, certainly Kristi and Gusti were lovely. We had Tata on a previous cruise and he is exceptional (17 years of service at WS!!!). There were also two guys that I can't unfortunately remember their name, one worked the Star Bar during the day and he was fantastic, the other Indonesian guy worked in Veranda/Candles and looked after us very well. Overall the crew are exceptional.

 

Question, did they remove the unsightly large refrigerated shipping container from the aft deck? Originally when boarding I was concerned and thought it was a generator, but then saw galley crew taking fresh veg out of it. Apparently some of the regular refrigeration was not working so they slapped a big ugly refrigerator box on the aft deck by Compass Rose.

 

 

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Question, did they remove the unsightly large refrigerated shipping container from the aft deck? Originally when boarding I was concerned and thought it was a generator, but then saw galley crew taking fresh veg out of it. Apparently some of the regular refrigeration was not working so they slapped a big ugly refrigerator box on the aft deck by Compass Rose.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

I saw no such shipping container on my cruise. The biggest gripe I had about the ship itself was the leak in the hallway between the door to the Star Bar and the elevator that forced them to continually use air blowers to dry the carpet and created a foul smell.

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Very disappointed to hear onions are in items (e.g. egg salad, tuna salad, slaw) where there is no reason for onions. Means we will be unable to eat these.:mad:

 

 

Keep suggesting to them that they take them out/use slices so they can be removed. I know some people love their onions, but they are easier to add than to take out! Submitting a request for 24 hours in advance is so difficult; how am I to know what I'll be in the mood for? Maybe the lunch menu is better. And I've never in my life have encountered onions in an egg salad. That was just really gross! :(

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Thanks for the review. DW and I were on the cruise prior and I can tell you about those onions. The ship was provisioned in St. Maarten and I could not believe how many huge boxes of onions were put on!

 

I'm not sure I could do 14 sea days. On the 8 day cruise prior to yours there were no sea days. I did track your progress crossing the pond and wondered about the weather and sea conditions. Also, the wet carpet and blower you encountered outside the Yacht Club was present during our cruise.

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Thanks a lot for the comprehensive review! I have learned many things because of you review. It will help me very much when I board the Star Legend.

What a pity that there is no swimming pool and that the gym is not very satisfying. Is there a promenade?

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There is a swimming pool. It is a cross-current pool, which is great for exercise. It is large enough for many people to comfortably wade and cool off without the current. For the size of the ship, we find the gym to be adequate and we work out every day. I'd like to see an Elliptical, but the bikes and tread mills are fine.

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There is a swimming pool. It is a cross-current pool, which is great for exercise. It is large enough for many people to comfortably wade and cool off without the current. For the size of the ship, we find the gym to be adequate and we work out every day. I'd like to see an Elliptical, but the bikes and tread mills are fine.

 

Thanks for explaining about the pool.

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Question, did they remove the unsightly large refrigerated shipping container from the aft deck? Originally when boarding I was concerned and thought it was a generator, but then saw galley crew taking fresh veg out of it. Apparently some of the regular refrigeration was not working so they slapped a big ugly refrigerator box on the aft deck by Compass Rose.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

 

 

I saw no such shipping container on my cruise. The biggest gripe I had about the ship itself was the leak in the hallway between the door to the Star Bar and the elevator that forced them to continually use air blowers to dry the carpet and created a foul smell.

 

 

The refrigerated shipping container had Spanish writing on it so perhaps they got the interior fridge working and didn't want to cross the Atlantic with the container on the back of the ship.

 

I did see the beginning of the foul odour at the Star Bar bathroom hallway. Not sure what the issue was and I do agree it was unnecessary and needed to be dealt with.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

"A few years ago, the larger pool was removed to make more seating for the Veranda/Candles restaurant. I only saw guests using the tables in this area two or three times, and usually it was one or two people sitting here. This seemed like such a waste of space."

 

Thanks for posting such a detailed review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

The overflow area for the Veranda gets very busy when the ship is full, especially on port days for lunch.

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  • 3 weeks later...
There is a swimming pool. It is a cross-current pool, which is great for exercise. It is large enough for many people to comfortably wade and cool off without the current. For the size of the ship, we find the gym to be adequate and we work out every day. I'd like to see an Elliptical, but the bikes and tread mills are fine.

 

 

Fine, perhaps, when all of the machines are working and you don't have to wait half an hour to use a machine or when you don't have 13 sea days with the intent of working out daily.

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I have been on seven Windstar cruises and have only once experienced a piece of equipment out of order. I am surprised that on a TA, when there is always a less than full ship, you would have to wait to use equipment. You and the others pretty much have all day to work out. I have never had to wait on any cruise to use fitness equipment.

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"A few years ago, the larger pool was removed to make more seating for the Veranda/Candles restaurant. I only saw guests using the tables in this area two or three times, and usually it was one or two people sitting here. This seemed like such a waste of space."

 

 

 

We sailed on the first Windstar/Seabourn ship, Star Pride, shortly after it went to Windstar. It still had the 'larger pool' (I think it still does). If you had seen this pool, you would appreciate the seating area more. The "pool" was awful, and no one would ever dream of using it. As a bonus, the entry to the Star Bar had an underwater view of the "pool" - much like a human fish tank. Truly awful.

We sailed on Star Legend this winter, and I really liked all the changes made. I reviewed both ships in the Windstar reviews section here on Cruise Critic - you can see my comparison (including some photos). So glad you enjoyed your cruise!

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