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Wind Surf Dec 09 2016 (Mobility Highlighted)


Zeno
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Since Tbmrt has already given an excellent long review of this voyage, I will dwell on a few things that specifically mattered to us:

 

Overall: Simply the best cruise we have ever had. Even with the delay at the beginning, we were extremely pleased with just about every aspect of the cruise. We felt that the compensation for the delay was quite appropriate and we felt that we were kept well-informed.

 

Some things specific to us:

I have minor mobility issues due to knee surgery - my knee is not very flexible and for the most part I use a cane (sometimes I can do without). I can go up and down short flights of stairs (so getting on and off the ship in port was no problem.

 

I had been a little concerned about tendering but due to the concern and attention to safety of the tender crews, this turned out not to be significant problem. There were various lips on doors and some uneven flooring to contend with but as long as a I paid attention when moving about the ship, these were no real problems.

 

The 2 elevators on board definitely made my life easier. The one time I had to use the stairs to get from on deck to another, was doable BUT I was relieved that I only had to do this once. (The watertight doors were closed and we were trying to get to the spa). Consequently if anyone has a problem with frequently using stairs, they should be aware that of Windstar's ships with sails, the Wind Surf is the only one with elevators.

 

The crew were wonderful - always on the alert to help me and make things easier. Frequently in the Verandah buffet area, a waiter would carry my plate around and assist me and I can't say enough about the concern shown by the tender crews.

 

On a more active note, my husband really enjoyed the stretch and yoga classes every morning.

 

A few other things:

Cabin 217 - we loved our cabin. The location was good except for early morning tendering noises. (We are pretty early risers so this wasn't a big concern and the minor inconvenience was outweighed by the nearness to the the tenders and elevators.) Note: if always having access to the elevators is a concern, your cabin should NOT be located at either extreme end of Deck 2 (NOT cabins 205-212 or 256-269). The layout of the cabin was great for us (even with the lip into the bathroom) but be aware if you are like me and cannot flex your knee well, remember to pay attention (I managed to stub my toe pretty badly on the first day by not lifting my leg enough.) After that incident, my husband took it upon himself to be aware of any potential tripping/toe stubbing/ etc hazards and "mind the lip" became his mantra.

 

Why we really enjoyed this cruise:

The crew are simply great especially waiters Uud and Nurd and our cabin steward Fawzi. We had great massages at the spa. The lounges were comfortable and staffed by pleasant servers. We especially loved the relaxed atmosphere of the Yacht Club - it was our favorite spot to relax after coming back on board from shore.

 

The amount of deck space per passenger seemed excellent. We never felt crowded. NO lines! - Absolutely wonderful!

 

We enjoyed the food (for us the portion sizes were perfect). The lunch and breakfast

buffets were always fresh and appealing.

 

When the ship was under sail, the atmosphere was magical.

 

Relatively Minor Issues:

On-board personnel were all pretty great, knew their jobs and really seemed dedicated to doing a good job and being helpful. However the same cannot be said for on-shore personnel. The on-shore check-in process was somewhat chaotic. Some SIGNS indicating where to go would have been helpful. The check-in personnel were pleasant enough but not good at providing direction (like where to go to get the shuttle from check-in to the ship. We had to ask twice before being given clear instructions which way to go. (A simple sign would have helped a lot.)

 

We only took one ship excursion and once again the scene on-shore was chaotic and not very comfortable for someone with difficulties standing for any length of time. Providing a few benches and some shade would have made this a lot easier. And the transportation was chaotic and disorganized - people milling about - little direction being given.

 

Neither of these issues detracted from our overall enjoyment of the cruise. We would cruise again with Windstar (and especially on the Wind Surf) in a heartbeat.

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I forgot to mention 2 things.

 

We LOVED the (included Beach BBQ party) - well-organized, good food (a cut above regular BBQ fare), very good beach band, nice location (decent beach with VERY good washroom facilities - clean and well-kept), lots of loungers and better yet for me I was able to get a chair (easier for me to sit on than a lounger). Since I have never experienced Prickly Pear, I don't know how the location (Fischer's Bay sp?)compares to it. We also liked the location since it was closer to The Baths and other points of interest on Virgin Gorda.

 

Our only real disappointment in the cruise (not Windstar's fault) was that due to ocean conditions, the watersports platform was not deployed on this cruise. Both my husband and myself were looking forward to trying it out.

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Note: the watertight doors are only deployed at certain times (i.e. when the ship is entering port) - we experienced them only once and were only affected because we were trying to get to the spa (further back from our cabin).

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  • 2 weeks later...
Curious: which ship excursion did you take and would you recommend it ? Thank you.

 

 

 

The excursion we did was the Beach Break in Antigua.

Personally I thought it was just OK. Next time I would just take a taxi to the beach at Pigeon Point.

 

If it is your first time in Antigua (it wasn't for us) I would recommend doing Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. The are near this port and well worth it.

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