Jewels of the Windward Islands Review

As I sit here in snowy New England, I decided it was a good time to relive our latest cruise.

Background info - After a number of big ship cruises, we decided to try Windstar in 2011 and haven't looked back. Unless we plan some type of family cruise with kids and grandkids, I doubt we'll ever again set foot on a large cruise ship. While Windstar may not suit everyone, it certainly was a hit with us. We have sailed on the Wind Spirit on our three previous cruises and this was our first time on the Wind Star. Haven't yet experienced the Wind Surf.

We had already planned a cruise in April on the Wind Star (Barcelona-Rome), but after a rough couple of months decided to take a break and booked the Jewels of the Caribbean in late December. Because of the late planning, we were somewhat limited in the flights we could book as well as the hotel in Barbados.

Fortunately, I was able to book one night at the Amaryllis Beach Resort for Friday night with a great price (for Barbados) of $159.00 which included breakfast. This turned out to be a good choice. Our room was clean, the resort was right on the beach, not too far from the airport, great breakfast and a short trip to the cruise terminal. Spoke with another couple on the cruise who stayed here three days pre-cruise, and they also felt it was a good choice.

Check out was at noon, so we went straight to the cruise terminal. Although we couldn't board until 1:00, Windstar had already set up an area to leave our luggage. We were enthusiastically greeted by Endro who remembered us from previous cruises, left our luggage in his capable hands, and wandered the cruise terminal. After indulging in a chocolate mint milkshake and some Wifi, it was time to get on board!

As always, check-in was quick and efficient and before we knew it we were headed to our cabin. As we stepped in, I immediately felt I really would like this new design (see separate post reviewing the cabin).

We headed up to the Veranda for a quick lunch and then wandered around being greeted by many familiar faces among the crew members. Even though this was our first time on Wind Star, it still felt like coming home.

We returned to our cabin to unpack and get ready for our week. Plenty of room to stash everything - still liking the new design.

As sailaway approached we headed up to the fly bridge, my favorite spot for experiencing the music and the raising of the sails. We were joining two friends from a previous cruise for dinner and the four of us decided to head to the lounge for the welcome aboard talk. OK - I like Gonzolo, but he needs to learn about TMI (too much information). His talk was very long and covered the entire week!:eek: Eyes were glazing over as he described everything in great detail. In my opinion, he really needed to limit the first night talk to tomorrow at Pigeon Island with maybe a brief overview of the week ahead.

Excellent news was delivered to all the football fans aboard. Windstar was going to set up a projection screen next to a bar on Pigeon Island and run tenders starting at 6:00 PM until midnight for viewing the Super Bowl. Also, they were going to have a Pre-Game Burger Bar from 5:30-6:30 at the Veranda. While we didn't go ashore, those who did reported having a great time - especially the Seattle fans.

Dinner was very good with some excellent choices. We had Chef Klaus on our last cruise and he runs a great kitchen.

After spending some time relaxing on deck and enjoying the ocean, we headed back to our cabin. Tomorrow - St. Lucia and Pigeon Island.

Having been to St. Lucia several times before, we didn't sign up for any excursions. After a relaxing breakfast, we decided to join our friends for a trip into Castries. Since it was a Sunday, this turned out to be a not too wise decision. The four of us caught a taxi at the entrance to Pigeon Island, $30 to Castries. While the market in the port was open, many of the vendors were closed and there was very limited shopping. We did manage to find a small bar that was open with free Wifi so Tom got his internet fix in.

No interesting restaurants to entice us for lunch, so we headed back to the ship, another $30. The two women decided to have the cab drop us off at Rodney Bay where there was supposedly some additional shopping and a small mall. Another mistake, fortunately this one only cost us an additional $10 to return to Pigeon Island. Again, since it was Sunday, the mall was closed but there were a couple of small shops open. So, my advice is, if you have never been to St. Lucia, you might want to book a tour - it really is a lovely island with lots to see. If this is a return visit for you, just enjoy the island and its beautiful beach.

By the time we returned to the ship, it was too late for lunch but too early for snacks and I was starving. I had never ordered room service on previous cruises, but today I ordered the Spinach & Artichoke Dip. It arrived after about 20 minutes and Tom and I proceeded to take it up on deck to enjoy. It was really good!! I had planned on ordering it again during the cruise, but never did - oh well, there's always next time.

The sports platform was open today from 9AM-4PM, and people were certainly making use of it.

Because of Windstar's Super Bowl activities mentioned previously, it was announced that we would not be departing for our day at sea until the next morning.

Another lovely dinner in Amphora with our friends and another couple we had met from Canada. I absolutely love the way Windstar handles dinners - it is so great to be able to "mix and match" dining companions or have a dinner with just the two of us.

We went to the lounge after dinner but was not overly impressed with the entertainment so headed to our cabin for the night.

We headed out from Pigeon Island around 8AM. From 9:30-11AM, they were offering photos on the bow sprit as the Captain slowly kept us near the Pitons. I love that they try to fit this in on every cruise.

Then it was time to raise the sails and head out to Grenada. The Captain announced that we would be under sail only (no motor) for most of the day and through the night, only turning the motor on as we approached Grenada. I know that this can't always be accomplished depending on conditions - but today it was and it was a wonderful experience.

There were many activities to fill the day at sea - Galley tour, Vegetable Carving, Cocktail Demonstration, Bridge, Blackjack, Line Dancing Classes.

Tonight was our night to enjoy dinner alone. One of the delicious deserts:

Our day at sea was at an end as we headed to our room for a night of blissful sleeping under sail.

After a night of sailing, I was awakened around 6:30AM as the engine kicked on during our approach to Grenada. This is another island that we have visited several times before, so I decided to splurge and sign up for the Snorkeling Champagne Lobster Cruise. Since our tour was not scheduled to depart until 9:30, we were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast overlooking the port before getting ready.

I will review the tour in a separate entry.

Upon our return to the ship, we set out to find some Wifi. There is free Wifi available about halfway around the port where there are some benches to sit on. Several other people had continued walking and found Wifi available at several bars.

Tonight was the deck BBQ and despite several rain showers during set up which threatened to move us indoors, it cleared up in time for dinner. As usual, there was wonderful food to enjoy. The highlight was the steel band that they brought on board to entertain us. Great music! One of the other questions that seems to pop up on the board is whether or not shorts and sandals are appropriate to wear for the deck BBQ. On this cruise, men in slacks seemed to outnumber those in shorts but the dress for all was very casual.

A late sailaway and we were off to the Tobago Cays.

The Shadowfax pulled up to the pier just a short distance from Wind Star. It was threatening rain but we managed to hit just a small shower on the way to the snorkel site. If you book this tour strictly for the snorkeling, you will be disappointed. While the photos of the site you see look fantastic, the reality is that they were taken by a scuba diver on a very clear day. For our trip, it was cloudy and the water was not very clear. The statues are located quite deep and, while interesting, do not have much of a "wow" factor. Our guide did a great job of directing us to each of the statues and describing them. We kind of treated this as an opportunity to test our snorkel gear so that everything would be set for tomorrow. Not many fish or anything else of interest at this site.

Having said that, the rest of the trip (despite the rain) was great. On our trip to Hog Island, we hit several very heavy rain showers. While we all gathered in the cabin, our captain guided us safely around the island.

Once we arrived at Hog Island, the weather changed in our favor.

With champagne in hand, we were able to wander around this very secluded island and before we knew it lunch was served.

After lunch, we were able to sail back to our ship under beautiful blue skies.

Verdict: A great tour to enjoy sailing in a very fast catamaran around the island of Grenada with a lovely beach and lunch stop. Just don't book it expecting a fantastic snorkeling experience. And, yes, we would consider booking it again should we be on this itinerary in the future.

Woke up this morning in the beautiful Tobago Cays. Our tour didn't leave until 9:00, so another leisurely breakfast on deck (we always eat outside, weather permitting).

I will, again, review our tour separately. Upon our return to the ship, we had a wonderful lunch and decided to just relax. The water sports toys were all at the beach and we could see people enjoying them. How relaxing it was to just sit and gaze out at the water as boats sailed by.

Our captain decided to have a sailaway from the Tobago Cays at 5:00, go a short distance and then anchor off of Union Island for the night around 6:30. Since this was our Candles night shared with our friends, it was just perfect.

After dinner, we went to the lounge since they were having the Crew Show. The crew did a great job - there are some excellent singers among them (I'd listen to them over the regular entertainment), the bar and galley team also did a great dance to catcalls and whistles. However, the highlight for me was Ragam's juggling!!! While it wasn't perfect, just imagine juggling on a moving ship with a low ceiling. He did a great job.

Transfer from the Wind Star to our snorkel cat was accomplished by zodiac. Because of the swells, this was not the easiest transfer - however, kudos to the crew who made it as safe as possible.

We had taken this tour two years ago and it was the highlight of our trip. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not totally in our favor this time - we were going to be able to go to the usual spot for snorkeling with the turtles but they had to move to their alternate site for the second part of the trip due to the swells and heavy currents.

It was still a very fun trip and they definitely did the best they could given the conditions while keeping safety in mind.

The turtles:

The second site:

Verdict: Good tour and value for the cost. Can't always control the seas and the weather, but they did a good job.

Today was beach BBQ day. All the water toys were brought to the beach and the lounges were set up waiting for our arrival.

A lot of people were enjoying the water toys and there was snorkeling to the left of the beach by the rocks. Not many large fish but a variety of brilliantly colored smaller ones.

Tom walked up the hill to one of the bars for his Wifi fix while I lounged on the beach. The BBQ lunch was very enjoyable and the predicted rain held off until about 3:00 at which point everyone went scrambling for the tender.

All in all a pretty quiet and uneventful day for us. We were invited to dine with the captain this evening and we joined two other couples at a small round table in the dining room. It was wonderful to get to chat with Captain Piotr and get to know him and our tablemates better.

Tomorrow - Bequia and Last Day Aboard

This is a very delightful island. Besides visiting here two years ago, we had spent a week on the island about 20 years ago. It hasn't changed much and we always enjoy our time here.

We hadn't planned on any tours, but our friends wanted to do a little shopping. So, we wandered around the lovely downtown area popping in and out of the many little shops. We found a small bar to sit at for Tom's Wifi fix, and then wandered some more along the concrete path that follows the shore. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I will substitute a photo from our last trip.

With a 2:00 PM departure, our day on Bequia was over before we knew it. We started our packing process, but because we pack so light it didn't take us very long. Our transfer to the airport in the morning was scheduled at 5:45 AM for our 8:00 AM flight.

Our dinner that evening was just us and our two friends from a previous cruise. The perfect way to end a lovely week.

Summary of our cruise:

New room design great! Food was very good to excellent. Activities very good. Islands visited excellent - of course, we like the out of the way places and are not really shoppers.

Wind Star is in great shape and all the public venues have been kept up very well since the refurbishment.

However, if someone asks me why I continue to choose Windstar cruises, I would tell them it is the crew. The crew has been what had made each of our cruises memorable. There is a very special feeling when a crew member's eyes light up when they say hello and you know they have recognized you. How can you not feel special when the Dining Room Manager, Gusman, spots you on the first night, recognizes you, smiles and says "Welcome Home."

Wind Star - See you in April in Barcelona. I know it will be yet another unforgettable cruise.

Thanks for the review. After 2 trip on the Wind Surf, we are really looking toward our first visit to the Wind Star. Thanks for sharing.

dandee2

Dear Suzanne and Tom, Thanks for your very generous review and the time you put into it. We also love the Windstar Cruises. For us it is a perfect fit. We are doing the Trans-Pacific starting April 13 arriving in Tahiti May 2 nd and then doing the first new Tahiti Cruise with the Spirit. I will also write a report. This will be # 13 and 14 for us, it is the only cruise line we have experienced and can not seem to be adventurous and try another company. After this weather in New England this winter we are living for April 13. Thanks again. Susanne from Cape Cod practically your neighbor!

You're welcome, everyone. It was fun sitting here looking at the snow out the window and reliving our week in the sun (with scattered showers).

Susanne - whenever I see your posts, I always think of myself as the "other Suzanne with a "z". I know you will have a wonderful trip on the Wind Spirit - quite a number of the crew on our last trip indicated that they would be transferring to the Spirit after Lisbon. Tahiti just isn't in the cards for us right now - my parents are 86 & 88 and Tom's mom is 90. It would be just too difficult to get back should there be an emergency with any of them.

Dandee - I think you will enjoy your trip on the Wind Star. Tom and I have never sailed on the Surf, but I think I'm going to find something in 2015 where we can try her out.

Cheers! It looks like another storm is going to hit us tonight!!!:eek:

Dear Suzanne and Tom, Thanks for your very generous review and the time you put into it. We also love the Windstar Cruises. For us it is a perfect fit. We are doing the Trans-Pacific starting April 13 arriving in Tahiti May 2 nd and then doing the first new Tahiti Cruise with the Spirit. I will also write a report. This will be # 13 and 14 for us, it is the only cruise line we have experienced and can not seem to be adventurous and try another company. After this weather in New England this winter we are living for April 13. Thanks again. Susanne from Cape Cod practically your neighbor!

With our cruise aboard the Wind Spirit scheduled for September 12 in Tahiti we are looking forward to your review on Windstar's return to Tahiti.

Possibly in the future you might want to give the Star Pride Windstar's newest ship a try. Star Pride bought from Seabourn (one of the triplets) will be sailing soon under the Windstar flag. We have sailed on Seabourn a number of times and love the experience and the ships which are all suites. While of course it's not a sailing ship it's still small in size something like being on a private yacht of a very, very wealthy friend but casual at the same time. For us having the former Seabourn triplets part of Windstar Cruise lines is the best of both worlds.

Have a great time in Tahiti.

Shirley

We have been on the Surf a number of times and love it, we have been on all 3 ships and love them all equally. We do not care what ship we are on, just so it is Windstar. We want to try the balcony on the new Seabourne ships with Windstar, it is just we have run out of points to fly business on such long distances. That is why we are taking the Trans- pacific over! Rather 19 days on a ship than 19 hours on a plane in economy, we are using the last of the points to go business to come back to Boston. A wicked distance! Oh what lovely problems to have! Now we are back to the build up of points. Again, thanks so much and I promise to do a report as soon as I get home. Happy Sailing everyone. Susanne

Thanks for the good review. We have only sailed on Carnival in the past but look forward to a better experience on Windstar.

Susanne - Yes, please do a review of your Tahiti cruise - for now I'll have to live vicariously through you.

Mexicobob - that's quite a jump to go from Carnival to Windstar! We did cruise on Carnival once (good itinerary, great price, last minute decision). We went in with an open mind and it was not a horrible experience; however, it was also the least favorite of all cruises taken. We decided after that one cruise that Carnival definitely was not for us! And, now after having been on four Windstar cruises, I don't know if we would ever want to be on any large cruise ship again (unless it was some sort of family cruise with children).

Thanks for the detailed review. We are so looking forward to our first small ship cruise - less than 4 weeks to go!!

mkat - You're welcome. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. On our cruise there were quite a few Canadians which is always a treat for us. We love to talk hockey and the topic can lead to some lively discussions (we're Bruins fans)!!!

StCruise,

I loved reading your trip report of the Jewels of the Windward Islands- I am very interested in this cruise and had already done some research, gotten a brochure, and talked to traveling friends about going with us so I was thrilled to find your review and photos.

We have never cruised on a small ship- do you (or any other readers) know how far ahead one needs to book this trip? Thanks for any advice!

I'm glad you enjoyed my report.

I usually book trips 9-12 months in advance (we try to use airmiles for our flights and that requires significant advance planning). However, this cruise wasn't booked until late December, it was a last minute decision to go. When I called there were only a few rooms left that I could choose from.

My strategy (and everyone has their own) is to decide where we are going next. I then start watching for a sale. Once I find a price that I am willing to pay, I book it. Then I continue to watch the sales (you can get notifications through both facebook and Windstar website). If I see a better price, I call Windstar. They will honor the lower price up until final payment is made. I have been able to reduce our initial fare pricing on all but our most recent cruise, sometimes significantly. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that review. Such a nice one & including some photos is genius. I don't have the patience nor talent for something like that. :)

My wife & I are heading out for our 1st Windstar cruise next week (Wind Surf) and articles like yours keep me very excited.