slf1108

We received an advertisement from ShoreExcursionsGroup.com for the Exclusive Ancient Ephesus, Travel Through Time tour where you “see” Ephesus through VR glasses and what it would have looked like 2000 years ago.  Has anyone done this tour?  It sounds cool but they don’t specify what sites they visit.  Ephesus is a bucket-list for me and I want to be sure to see certain areas.

Thanks

I'm not sure how to answer this. The first things we noticed on Windstar was there no blaring announcement from the cruise director every 20 minutes. There is no roving photographer taking your picture at every meal or every time you step off the ship. It is a fantastic, relaxing cruise, typically free of anyone under 20 years old, with people who love to travel.

There is a pool but not many people are in it. There are lots of deck chairs all around the ship. They also have the water sports platform where you can kite surf or kayak for no charge when anchored. There are only 150-300 passengers so you don't feel crowded or rushed. There is a small musical duo that performs each evening but you're not going to get broadway style shows for 120 people. There is a small casino on board if you want to gamble.

The staff is hands down the best we have had on any cruise line. I guess it depends what you like about cruises, but we will never go back to the large ships unless we had kids with us. Windstar is our favorite line.

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I would say there is no comparison, but it is also comparing apples to oranges. Personally, I won't cruise on the "floating cities" anymore. I was over the passengers crowding the buffets with their buckets of Budweisers. It is a totally different caliber of passengers, most are well off, but they are not snobbish.

The style is considered "resort casual" and there are no formal nights. There are no roving photographers taking pictures while you're eating, but also not much in the way of entertainment. There are only 100-300 guests on board and almost no one under the age of 20. The staff is the best we've encountered on any cruiseline. The food is also very good. Low key is a good way to describe it.

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We cruised out of Papeete in December and found most hotels have "day rooms" which allow you to rest, store your luggage, and use their pools etc during the day.

When you disembark, the return flight to LAX is also not until 10pm or so and many checked into these day rooms then too.

Hope this helps.

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I think if they are nice jeans, they would be ok. I've honestly never seen anyone turned away for dress code so unless it was shorts or dirty, frayed jeans, you should be fine.

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We just returned from our Tahiti cruise on the Wind Spirit. We didn't book any excursions upfront and had no problem booking them onboard. There was actually a meeting in the lounge the first day where all excursions were discussed/explained and sign-ups immediate following.

There are only 120 or so people on board so nothing is really crowded. There are also quite a few private excursions or taxis available to rent on the islands.

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The information I found said the Surf had been refurbished in 2013. We cruised her in 2015 and really enjoyed ourselves. We loved the coffee bar.

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I just moved from West Palm and my husband has lived in most cities between Coral Gables and Jupiter throughout his life. He's actually a pilot so we travel a lot and use all three airports extensively.

Because of traffic, the cheapest way to go south is actually the TriRail. Depending on your amount of luggage it's doable. You would probably have to get a cab from the station to the cruise terminals, but if you're going to the airports they have free shuttles. The parking is also free at the TriRail stations.

I moved away before Uber was allowed so it might be the next cheapest. I've never cruised out of FLL so I'm not sure how the parking is at the cruise terminals if you were to take your own car but Miami was easy and well lit.

I know some people booked a car service but we typically took our own car.

Re: last minute deals we used a website that tracks cruises 90 days out and would e-mail us with specials. I'm not sure if we're allowed to discuss websites here, but they are available.

I hope this helps.

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