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Transatlantic Onboard Windstar


Floridastorm
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Looking forward to our TA cruise April 7th San Juan - Lisbon on the Star Pride. This will be our first time on a Windstar ship. Previous cruises have been aboard Celebrity and Holland America.

 

Since I am an avid planner I've reviewed every aspect of the Star Pride, cabins, dining, facilities, etc. As such, I pretty well know what to expect and believe that we will have a very nice time for the 13 day crossing. Staying 7 days in an apartment in the Graca district of Lisbon and have that all planned out, also.

 

I'm assuming that the Pride navigates the southern Atlantic route. Even in April the north Atlantic can be a challenge. However, We do not ever get seasick so that is not a concern.

 

Would like to hear from other folks who have done the TA aboard the Pride, Breeze, or Legend ships or who are already booked on one of these ships that cross the pond just to give us an up front and personal view.

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If you search this board on transatlantic, you will find some posts about them. Also try Atlantic or trans and atlantic or crossing because some people hyphenate or make it two words. A recent one with a link to a review of the trip is:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2572035&highlight=crossing+review

 

There is also a May 2017 post with a review of a Transatlatic on Star Legend.

 

This year, Star Legend will be doing Pacific crossings, not Atlantic as it is doing Asia and Alaska cruises. I'm booked on the May 4 Japan to Alaska crossing.

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We're on the same cruise with you. We've done several with Celebrity (1 Eastbound, 4 Westbound). Based on the schematic of the crossing the SP is definitely taking a direct route (instead of up, over and down). It will be interesting to see how they time changes are handled. On our only EB TA we were 5 days crossing so every day you "lost" an hour as the time changed, usually at 2:00 a.m. It was like having daylight savings time (where you lose an hour of sleep) every day. Bad for us but we felt terrible for the hard working crew.

 

Any interesting discoveries on this cruise you've uncovered in your research? Would love to hear it!

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Everything is a discovery, for us, as we've not been on a TA cruise before, have not been on a yacht type cruise ship, and have never been to Lisbon. Am just reviewing the ship itself, our cabin, the eating venues, where things are located on the decks, and the amenities to keep us busy. Will certainly enjoy meeting you and other folks. Since I was a navigation officer in the US Navy it will be interesting to be able to visit the bridge, see their modern equipment, and speak with the crew. My navigation protocols were ancient compared to today where everything is digital and push button. Our survey ship mapped the mouth of the Saigon river for over a year with Decca Navigator System which has now been replaced with GPS. The only thing, having to do with the ship, that somewhat concerns me is the later time for dinner. We usually eat at 5 pm as I do have digestion problems if I eat and go to bed soon after. Finishing the evening meal at 8 pm or later will mean that I have to stay up after midnight every night. Not too good for getting up early.

 

In addition to learning about the Star Pride and the 13 day trip, I am also learning specifics about Lisbon. Am studying everything I can about the city and outlying areas and working on my spreadsheet so that we are not lost once we get there. We plan to walk where we can, and then take public transportation everywhere else using our tablet with GPS. Lisbon has an excellent public transportation system much like Barcelona and Madrid, two places we have spent time in.

 

Another couple our age, Ron and Dolly, are going on this adventure with us. Ron is an ex Marine and Dolly is retired from Lockheed Martin. Ron is also an Optician and makes many trips to 3rd world countries to provide the locals with glasses.

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If eating at 7:00 pm is too late, you can always have room service for your dinners. Since there is little reason to get out of bed early in the mornings on a TA, unless you just love the sunrises, maybe you can adjust your bedtime and enjoy your dinners in the Amphora. Happy sailing!

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Since I am an avid planner I've reviewed every aspect of the Star Pride, cabins, dining, facilities, etc. As such, I pretty well know what to expect and believe that we will have a very nice time for the 13 day crossing. Staying 7 days in an apartment in the Graca district of Lisbon and have that all planned out, also.

 

Can you tell me alittle about the apartment you have found in Lisbon? We will be cruising out of Lisbon in September and I’m just starting my research on where to spend four days prior to our WS cruise. Thanks!

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Can you tell me alittle about the apartment you have found in Lisbon? We will be cruising out of Lisbon in September and I’m just starting my research on where to spend four days prior to our WS cruise. Thanks!

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1580765?eal_exp=1513976626&eal_sig=e0f532114f3a94280e3dd0eb8d430b5f450a6243baa06f24df6204151bbe737e&eal_uid=222658&eluid=2&euid=7473a95e-45b5-0340-c04a-8755a09eab0d

 

It's located in the Graca District which is adjacent to Alfama. One of the historic districts that has mostly local people living there. Very few tourists. However, our apartment is within walking distance of the Martim Montiz metro station. Tram 28 and Bus 734 serve Graca if you don't want to walk.

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Thanks so much for the link to the apartment. It looks beautiful. Can I ask what made you choose this area of Lisbon? Do you have an idea of what you want to see in the time you are there?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Thanks so much for the link to the apartment. It looks beautiful. Can I ask what made you choose this area of Lisbon? Do you have an idea of what you want to see in the time you are there?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

To tell you the truth we use AIRbnb everywhere we travel. I am pretty used to researching their available apartments, and then going on the past reviews to get definitive information as to location, peacefulness, available transportation, etc. Graca is an older neighborhood that has no real nightlife and is thus quiet. We can always get to the upbeat areas in a few minutes. As I usually do, researched everything there is to know about Lisbon and the outlying areas. Pretty much know the things to see, that we are interested in, and have mapped them out using the metro, buses, trams, funiculars, ferries, and trains. Of course walking is the best way to see things up close and personal. May do a day trip to Sintra to see the palaces and/or Mafra to see the huge National Palace. Tripadvisor is also a very good source on just about everything in Lisbon.

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We stayed 6 nights in an apartment in the Baixia area of Lisbon after a TA on Silversea several years ago. We feel it was good value as it allowed us to stretch out and enjoy ourselves, eating a leisurely breakfast and resting after day of sightseeing. We had friends we met onboard who spent more on two nights in hotel than we spent for the 6 nights. Excursions were between doing it totally on our own and using a tour company. Both were very good. Lisbon is a friendly, lovely city that we would enjoy again. Not everyone enjoys the same experiences. Use your level of enjoyment to decide. Nobody ever gave us room service, but we loved our experience there.

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We stayed 6 nights in an apartment in the Baixia area of Lisbon after a TA on Silversea several years ago. We feel it was good value as it allowed us to stretch out and enjoy ourselves, eating a leisurely breakfast and resting after day of sightseeing. We had friends we met onboard who spent more on two nights in hotel than we spent for the 6 nights. Excursions were between doing it totally on our own and using a tour company. Both were very good. Lisbon is a friendly, lovely city that we would enjoy again. Not everyone enjoys the same experiences. Use your level of enjoyment to decide. Nobody ever gave us room service, but we loved our experience there.

 

 

(y) :)

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We’ve been to Lisbon quite a few times and love airBNB. We usually stay in the Alfama, Barrio Alto would be my second choice. Not all lodgings have AC, which isn’t a problem in the spring, but can be in the summer.

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