avalong

Hello Able Seaman H, I have a friend aboard. Her name is Rosi. If you happen to meet her, would you please tell her that her friend Nancy back in California says hi. This should thoroughly blow her mind which should be fun to watch. She should be easy to spot, she has long blonde hair. Thanks! And have a great time on your cruise.

By "Herbert" did you mean "Hubert?" We thought he was a kick in the head. We encountered him first on the Windsurf and then on the Star Breeze. Interestingly, he was much more fun on the Star Breeze.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it's not so much the rain, but the increased humidity that makes sailing in Tahiti uncomfortable during our (northern hemisphere) winter months. But then I suffer from humidophobia. :-)

Was your cruise with AMA the Tulip Time cruise?

Thanks for the great review! I've always felt that Windstar's great strength is the warmth and friendliness of their crews.

'Bout time. Been waiting for it. :-)

Indeed it is!

This thread has been so interesting and informative! I have a question about Tauck transfers. I see that they will pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel even if you haven't booked your air or hotel with them. Do they also pick you up from your hotel and take you to the ship if you haven't booked the hotel through them?

I'm surprised to see that Star Breeze was in this part of the world. Thought she was exclusively in Tahiti.

CDNPolar: Thanks for the info on the walking track. Good to know. I would still be interested to hear from someone regarding engine vibration in that location.

To experienced AMA cruisers: Is this stateroom far enough forward and high enough to avoid engine noise/vibration? I'm assuming the stateroom number approximately coincides with other AMA ships, but I'm not sure. Are there any other annoyances I should be considering? Fumes?? Thanks in advance for your help.

My daughters were in 428 on the Star Breeze (identical to Star Legend, as you probably know), and had no noise issues whatsoever.

That is simply not so.

We just returned from the Star Breeze, stateroom 541. No issues at all. A great room. Our daughters were in 428 and also had a great experience. They said they could sometimes hear the crew setting up for the tender operation, but it was not a problem. I will say that I thought the older decor in 428 was far more cozy and charming than the decor in our newer cabin (541) which, in comparison, was rather sterile. But that's strictly a matter of taste.

It's not so much the rain as the increased humidity that makes Tahiti uncomfortable in our winter months (their summer months).

That's interesting. I know that Paul Gauguin and Windstar used to coordinate, but it looks like a whole new ball game.

Hopefully the cruise lines will continue to coordinate so that no more than 1 ship is in any Tahitian port on a given day.

Some of the best snorkeling of my life was in the "aquarium" in Rangiroa.

Just back from the 2nd deck barbecue of our back-to-back cruises. There were lamb chops on offer, but still no lobster. It was fabulous, nonetheless.

On the Wind Surf now. The food is very good. The deck BBQ is still fantastic, despite the omissions you mentioned.

Regarding the salt issue: Anyone who cooks can tell you that a dish that is salted DURING the cooking process (sometimes multiple times at different stages), is going to taste entirely different (better) than if it is salted only at the end.

Please have your wife try the wristbands. I'm sensitive to motion too, and they work perfectly for me. I thought it sounded like voodoo nonsense until I tried them.

Hey, leave Cher alone. :-)

I wonder how the additional 48 passengers will impact the interior public spaces, especially in cold weather. I seem to recall hearing this was a problem with the triplets after the stretch.

Wow, you really hit it perfect! In contrast, my husband and I had such bad weather in the Med in mid-October that we vowed never to cruise the Med beyond early October. May and September being ideal. It seems like these days the weather is even more of a crapshoot than it used to be.