sb44

On 6/16/2019 at 3:56 PM, Cometman said:

All the cruise I have done on WS, we have never opened the minibar..... watching this thread....

That's pretty much us other than taking maybe one Coke or one San Pelligrino over a one week cruise. We love to sit out at Compass Rose on the Surf or the Star Bar on the motors. Never been into sitting in my room drinking but I don't drink in my bedroom at home either! Different strokes... I find it interesting that there is always a thread going on booze, how many bottles, what's included, how to game the system. I guess we all go for different reasons.  I want to experience different places without packing up every few days so this is how we travel at our time of life. We are so comfortable on Windstar ships that even though we contemplate trying something different from time to time, we find these ships easy, the crews stupendous,  and itineraries that have allowed us to see faraway places in comfort. Not worried about the price of a scotch and water.

We stayed in a Classic Suite on an Alaska sailing last June. Never had any noise from the hallway.  Most people don't even know it's there and the jacuzzi was only used by some hardy northerners. People were out there a lot though as the sightseeing was extraordinary. We even had the Coast Guard airlift a sick passenger off the bow directly in front if us. The suite is lovely and spacious, very private. It was too cold to sit out on the little balcony but imagine in the Caribbean or Costa Rica it would be lovely. 

On 6/4/2019 at 3:48 PM, Ski Mom 2 said:

I've organized a Roll Call for our cruise..stop by and say hello!

Will definitely need to get together for a drink ! Should be a beautiful sailing.

We were also on Tall Ships and loved it so much we have booked again for 2020! It happened that we were within earshot of the big screaming fight with the harbor master and bottom line,  Windstar did not get what had been promised to them.  But I thought our positioning was wonderful with fireworks overhead, all one had to do was look up. The concert across the water and the ships and boats circling the Surf was the experience of a lifetime. Photo attached is one of hundreds taken on that trip. Listening to Anchors Away being sung in Dutch was hilarious. We walked all over Amsterdam and took a ride on the huge ferris wheel. My Sail Amsterdam 2015 shirt that I purchased is one of my prized possessions! Had a fabulous private tour guide in Rotterdam and thoroughly enjoyed the day as we did all of the ports on that cruise. We stayed on when the ship got to Dover and sailed back across the Chanel. There was a stop in Cherbourg and we were bussed to the American Cemetery and the Normandy beaches, Utah and Omaha. The most extraordinary trip of our lives. Made some extraordinary friends along the way. Great memories.

Sounds like you all need to take a deep breath.  These posts have gotten ridiculous! We're talking about cruising people! Not world events and the generalizations about different groups is awful and small minded.  Let's get back to sharing good information and not bashing someone else. There's plenty of  other places to do that!

21 hours ago, OctoberKat said:

Not taking the books as baggage.

 

Yes, I know the ship's library is "official" but I've never had anyone complain about the books I leave in the ship library, or in airports or in any other place. My goal is spread the book love. Just a personal quirk that makes me happy.

We have found that Windstar reception has always encouraged passengers to leave books to add to the library.  We've left many over the years  novels, travel,  etc. and always enjoyed finding newly donated books when we arrive back on our favorite ships. We've also noticed the supply has dwindled since the popularity e readers so thanks for doing this. 

Wind Surf going back to Baltic in 2020 and also doing Sail Amsterdam again which we did in 2015. 

2 hours ago, milepig said:

 

Thanks - very helpful.

 

Our four are:

 

College Fjord

 

Hubbard Glaciar

Port Adolphus

(these are two days in a row)

 

Tracy Arm

 

 

Your itinerary is different than ours. I took a look and personally I would do Tracy Arm and College Fjord, two spectacular glaciers, if budget wise you only want to do two. Also do a flight seeing somewhere along the way. Almost passed on this as we did in New Zealand but so glad we did. It's an entire other perspective. If they offer Taku Lodge by all means do that one. A fabulous day! We are really anxious to go back. Doing 20 days on the Surf this summer and Tall Ships in 2020 but need to get AK back in the schedule again.

On 5/1/2019 at 12:00 PM, milepig said:

We have four of these days. Only one is yet showing up under excursions, priced at $185

 

racy Arm & Endicott Arm, Windstar Signature Expedition – Tracy Arm Zodiac Tour (Easy-Moderate)

1 hour, 15 mins - Approximate Tour Departure 8:15 AM • $185.00

 

Four of those for two people can really add up.

 

We did 3 zodiacs, Kenai, Tracy Arm, and Misty Fjords. Yes they are expensive but breathtaking.  If I had to drop one it would be Misty simply because the other two were glaciers with ice floating by and would not want to have missed either.  As for Zodiac or Kayak,  it depends on physical ability. The kayaks obviously take more physically and we both have issues that would make it not so much fun. If we didn't,  absolutely we would have loved to give it a try but don't feel like we missed any part of the experience by being in a zodiac. To the contrary, there is an expedition guide running the boat and their narrative and ability to answer questions and point things out made these our very favorite excursions in a list of wonderful AK excursions. 

I think the bed by the window started with the river boat cruises and some advertising.  Not having the bed almost up against the bathroom door is a plus but I love sitting on the sofa or chair, reading and being able to look out so would prefer the current configuration.  

No easy answer to this one. I would let the daily program dictate the day. Definitely do the zodiacs as much as possible.  The kayaks also depart at different times. One suggestion is the earlier the better as most of the animals, bear, moose, etc., are up and about early and less visible as the day warms up. They will depart from below and several times a day. There will also be other activities going on so each day is a bit different.  Weather always figures in as well.  Make sure you bring some good binoculars as the cruising days are through some of the most spectacular places ever. We spent lots of time on the bow with jackets and binoculars. The excursion crew also pops around the ship to point out sisightings and answer questions.  Our cruise was fabulous and hope yours is as well. 

We had itinerary changes in the Med due to weather. One tour operator picked us up elsewhere, the other gave us a refund as we buy a "cancel for any reason" plan. As for sea sickness,  each person is so different.  I suggest prevention with dramamine about 4 hours before sailing. Generally after 24 hours the body adjusts to motion unless the seas are awful. Moderate alcohol and greasy food intake too! We have been on all of the motor ships and you will love the itinerary.  

On 4/26/2019 at 12:59 PM, milepig said:

Sorry for the total Alaska nube question, but our itin has four days that say ""cruising around..." I assume this means that the ship indeed "cruises" around the area. I do note that some of them also have excursions that pick you up right from the ship. Do you indeed just sort of cruise around the area - is there narration on board?

We did the inaugural season with a longer itinerary last June. One stop was Prince Rupert for about a half day. We did a seaplane excursion which was great. We were there on a Sunday and nothing was open so I would definitely do a ship excursion.  The days that we just cruised were great. It is breathtakingly beautiful. The zodiacs are a must do and the excursion crew also are experts in the wildlife and geology of AK with daily lectures. They made themselves available day and night. Ketchikan was full of big ships but we had a great day there. Private excursions are hard to come by and just as expensive as the Windstar ones. It's a short season and guides commit to the ships for their living. We normally do not take the ship's excursions but did with one exception on this cruise. Loved each one and felt that we got our money's worth. Absolutely do a land tour before or after. The state is mind blowing and the beauty immense. We did the Windstar land tour but there are others. You can also rent a car and go on your own. Its is easy to get around with good roads and no traffic congestion. We will go back and spend a couple of weeks driving but if you only have a short time do a tour. 

Two bottles per stateroom when boarding.  I know that people bring more on as they find some local wines in various ports and the policy seems to be pretty lenient. Spirits are not permitted but again, I've seen people bring rum back on board in the Caribbean without any hassle and Scotch in the British Isles.  On the other hand, have seen alcohol purchased as part of ship sponsored shore excursions and that was held until the end of the cruise.  But the short answer to your questions, 2 bottles of wine at embarkation, no problem! 

Thanks so much.  I put the original sim card in and still have those directions so I should be able to do either. Will check out both.  We might use Orange on mine, swap sim cards, and try knowroaming on my husband's so we have a couple of options in case one gives us a problem.  At least I now have a starting point!

I know many of you get sim cards when traveling and I need some help understanding the what, when, etc.  We are Verizon network customers and when we leave the US and turn our phones on, we are charged $10 per day per phone.  A week in the Caribbean is one thing, but this summer we will be in Spain, Italy, Greece and, yes, Turkey.  It will be almost 4 weeks and I'm trying to figure out what our options are.  I have a Samsung S9+ that I bought from Samsung direct and they sent me the Verizon sim card.  Does that mean I can go to Spain (first stop) and buy a European sim card that will work on that phone?  And is that good for phone calls only? What about messaging and internet which is primarily what we use our phones for when away.  Every time I start reading about sim cards I get confused - also some sites suggest purchasing a cheap phone and service in each country.  Would love some feedback. I am usually pretty good with technology but somehow I am not grasping this and don't want to look at $600 in addition to an already exorbitant bill.

We are also going this July/August on the Surf.  I am usually not concerned about our safety other than taking the usual precautions but the international political climate is very weird right now.  So, rather than a private guide in this port, we will go on a Windstar tour.  I not sure about "safety in numbers" as groups can certainly be targeted. On the other hand, I'm not ready to cower and hide behind my couch at home! I live in a tourist area of Florida and every once in a while a tourist is killed or injured by some moron and I always hope that people don't stop visiting our state.

As a long time contributor to the Windstar Forum I know there are many of you regulars who have done the coast of Spain, Italy, Malta, Sicily, Greece and the Greek Islands.   We are finally doing this on the Surf in July and August, 20 glorious days!  The Surf hasn't done the Greek islands in several years and we were waiting as we love this ship.  Would love to hear some great advice on tours you've done, tour guides, (private or through Windstar), hotels, etc.  We'll be a few days in Barcelona first which is the third time so we know where to stay and what we want to do.  Any great hotels in Athens? We'll be staying over a few days plus the "turnaround" day for the Athens-Athens leg. Would love some great advice.  Thanks in advance!

There will also be a "drink of the day" which is generally some type of tropical rum drink and always local beer is added depending on location.  We've done this itinerary before and it is lovely.  We don't buy the alcohol package; way too much for us.  You can buy a bottle of wine in the dining room, drink a bit, and they will hold the rest for you to drink another night.  Very civilized!

That's why I finally retired! Seriously,  the millenials in my office dressed beautifully but their attitude of entitlement is off the charts. Our recent Wind Surf cruise the dining room manager refused to let men in wearing shorts. There is also the blue jean generation who believe dressing up for the evening  is denim pants and an expensive dress shirt. There were several attempts,  various ages, to skirt the rules. I think people feel like the Caribbean is more laid back and  I only saw two or three sport coats in the evening. In Europe it seems to be dressier at night. As long as someone is clean and neat it doesn't bother us.  And as Bob Dylan said, the times they are a changing. We don't go on other lines specifically because we don't want to drag a suitcase full of clothes to wear at night to impress people we will likely never see again. Not at the price the airlines charge to check them!

We just returned from St Marteen last week. The drop off is now in a large building and was shared with Seaborne and Star Clipper. When entering there are Wind Star reps to do your luggage tags and take the bags. The building has seating where everyone waits before boarding which is not until 1 p.m for the Surf. Not sure how early people are there to take bags though would imagine fairly early as we got there around 12:30 and it was already pretty full. BTW, the ship is quite a hike from the drop off building so look for the shuttles!

The Wind Surf is spectacular and needs no balcony. There is so much beautiful outdoor space and really is much like a private yacht. The standard cabins are not as large as the Star class motor ships but laid out beautifully. The suites on deck 3 are fantastic with 2 bathrooms. We have been on all 6 ships multiple times and sail based on itinerary when we want to go somewhere new but out hearts belong to the Surf! There is magic in those sails.

We were disappointed that the survey for Alaska didn't include any questions or ask for opinions on the 5 day land tour portion. It was the very first one so we thought they'd be particularly interested. The 3rd party that conducted the land tour also took all of our information and we were promised a survey but never received one. It's too bad because the 32 people on the tour had many comments that could go a long way to improve the experience for future travelers. 

Vincent Scott was the guide that we used and he is a super lovely man.  His phone is +50766547771 email vscott03@gmail.com .  He picked us up in Colon, we toured Panama City and spent a lovely day with him before he dropped us at the hotel.  It appears you're doing the reverse itinerary but it should work for you.  If you only want transportation and not a tour he can probably arrange that for you but his forte' is as a tour guide.  If you want to do the canal visitor centers he can do that too with great information and without boarding the dreaded tour busses!  On another cruise that ended in Colon we used a transport service, My Friend Mario, to just get from port to airport and their service was excellent. The hotel can also arrange transportation to Colon. The road is a busy one so leave yourself time. If you use Vincent say hello for us.  Tell him we're the ones who left a Windstar cap in his car.  He was so sweet, called and was willing to bring it all the way back to our hotel but we have many others.  Happy Sailing.

The old forums were accessible on Tapatalk.  Please get the new forums back on that platform.  It was easy to use on smartphone.