MNgardens

I second the cigars and pipes suggestion. I have asthma and they can move me indoors very quickly

I disembarked on April 26, 2025 and made a booking with my travel agent on May 2. Unfortunately I cannot get the extra 5% off for booking within 60 days of a cruise. My agent was informed that the policy changed on May first. This despite being told about the benefit while on board and I am pretty sure a board near the desk said so as well. I should have taken a photo of it but the benefit has been in place so long I didn’t think I needed to. On board bookings retain the extra 5% discount. The new policy is $100 per person on board credit, nothing extra for premium suites. Was I oblivious to the change? Wish they had grandfathered in cruises ending before May 1.

Wow what a challenge for the crew and passengers. Are you currently on board?

My husband and I are really looking forward to this trip. We are having a lot of fun thinking of the different routes it could take. We haven’t signed up for any excursions because the descriptions are so vague but we won’t have trouble finding something to do.

Would you feel comfortable posting in the motor yacht staterooms thread (pinned at the top of this sub forum) so others can learn what you liked or didn't like about the location? I too was not a fan of the folkloric show and buffet. The food in Dec 2023 (sailing ship) was meh and the show was nothing special. The little island is available during the day and there were only about nine of us there in the morning. Now that was fabulous.

Look for a navy blue oblong button. On my iPhone on the overview page it is at the area where the dates and name of cruise are shown, right under the “starting from” price. On the accommodation page each category has the navy blue oblong button with a price and Book Now On my desk top running Firefox it is set up similarly. The top header with the dates and ship has to the right the long navy blue button saying Book Now. On the accommodations page the price is displayed in the navy blue field that also says Book Now.

I was able to make a dummy booking on a 2026 Star Seeker cruise without signing in. I chose the cabin category I wanted. It auto assigned to a cabin. There was a change cabin option that then gave me the option of seeing the deck plan with the available cabins visible. The next step was to in put the names of the travelers. This is where I closed the tab. This is a real game changer and I am so pleased that Windstar implemented this system.

There were some photos of how the conversion process is going. @Misty Morning was completely right about the outside dining. The space is shown in one of the photos. https://blog.windstarcruises.com/star-seeker-update-completing-the-steel-work/

Suite 348 very occasionally heard faint music from the lounge iirc the head of the bed is to the aft, feet to the bow

You have all brought up a good point that I hadn't caught before which is the lack of Veranda/Candles space. I do enjoy having breakfast and lunch outside while on warm weather itineraries. Maybe that will happen up at the Star Grill area.

The rendering of the triple infinity shows a round thing that I took to be a window. I found this when looking at an accommodation page for a San Juan cruise. Perhaps it is a light? https://www.windstarcruises.com/cruise/accommodations-pricing/caribbean/san-juan-to-san-juan/windward-islands-surf-sunsets/?pkgid=1013337 Hopefully there will be better photos and videos in the future.

Here are the deck plans for those of us looking at the new itineraries. https://www.windstarcruises.com/BlankSite/media/deck-plans/deck-plan-seeker-explorer-v15.pdf Wish I were clever enough to post the images but migraine... adding- the triple rooms look interesting. I thought it only meant triple capacity but they have an extra bonus space.

Post 54 on this page has pro and cons of the deluxe suite. They mention no noise from the elevators

Today I went to look at the cruise prices and found that the accommodation is now priced at $999,999. Does anyone know what weird pricing like this signifies? Is it about to be yanked for a charter?

From an email received today: "Finally, I’m excited to announce that Star Seeker, the first of two new ships joining our fleet, will have her inaugural season in the Caribbean. Then, she’ll head over to two very popular Windstar destinations: Alaska and Japan. These itineraries will be available for booking later on this summer."

My travel agent reports that she was on the phone for hours today while trying to make our final payment for a September cruise. Very aggravating. The bright spot is that our onboard credits and excursions all appeared correctly.

I had a survey request hit my email in box today. They estimated that it would take 15 minutes to complete. I stopped trying to fill it out part way through. There were questions about other cruise lines with no option for "I don't know". For example I had questions about how well Viking delivers on being a ship with teak flooring and their pre cruise communications. I have never been on one so how can I truthfully respond? I tried to skip them but could not move forward without putting an answer in. So, I closed the survey in frustration.

Here is an article that mentions the deployment to Alaska and Japan https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/windstars-new-ship-star-seeker-sail-alaska-japan-2026 edited to add that the cruises will be viewable and bookable in August 2024

Ephesus and especially the terrace houses are great if you are a history buff. In July it will be hotter than Hades. If you are not big into history you will get a sense of the place at the evening event. Because it will be so hot in July consider getting a laundry package. I would come back to the ship, take off all my sweaty clothes and put them in the laundry bag for the steward to pick up that evening.

I try to check a website that will tell you how many ships are in port, how many people are on them, and the hours they are in port. I think I use cruise time table - here is a link to the Santorini page https://www.cruisetimetables.com/santorini-greece-cruise-ship-schedule.html Find your date and see what the situation is. When I was there a couple of years ago we got off the ship quickly, took the cable car up, and then took the bus to Oia. (Tom's Port guides, maybe Rick Steves, I think has a good page for that but I don't have it bookmarked) Later a mega ship arrived and the line for going up the cable car was horrifically long. Be aware of when the mega ships leave so that you don't get stuck in a long line at the top. Patmos - there is a downhill earthen trail from the Chora that passes the religious cave and then through the woods to the town below. I walked this with my sister and it was very enjoyable. Once in the town we headed towards the waterfront, stopping for a meal at a neighborhood restaurant. There was a sign stating that the government is promoting several walking trails. If this is your kind of thing you can google to see if there is information on the other ones.

There is a list of ports that use tenders on the Windstar webpage. It isn't easy to find. I just looked around and couldn't spot it. At one point it had been under the accessibility tab

I've been on all three Windstar sailing ships for the small size and itineraries despite the lack of balcony and dim light from the portholes. For me it is a tradeoff. As an introvert I do not consider deck space to be an adequate option particularly if the weather is rainy or with a very strong sun. I do like being able to bop around the ship easily to get a beverage or snack, get a tender quickly, and no lines for dinner etc. I do like the Windsurf suites with the double bathrooms and seating area. I take my first motor ship trip next spring and am looking forward to comparing. The ships that were just purchased have many balcony cabins and they may become our preferred configuration.

I am really pleased that there will be many balcony cabins.The light and fresh air of a balcony is something I had come to appreciate on my Azamara cruises.

There are some renders on this website https://cruisefever.net/small-ship-cruise-line-announces-expansion-with-new-class-of-ships/

Hope your travel day is going well.Are you going to your home or to relatives?