LOVED this ship and Cruise Line

We just returned from our Lisbon/Barcelona cruise on the Windsurf. We were pleasantly surprised with all aspects of this cruise. Our latest cruises have been on Silversea and SeaDream which we really enjoyed.

Even though Windstar is not all inclusive (we enjoy not having to sign checks all the time) we did not suffer in other categories. The food was very good with a wide variety of selections. The wine lists could be improved. There were several wines that they were out of even on the first night. We thought the service was wonderful! Never had to wait for anything more than a minute. The staff called us by name by the second day.

The spa and gym were delightful, especially for this size of ship.

Very impressed with the ship's stability. We hardly noticed any movement except for the final night where the swells were large. Several days we could not use our sails because of high winds.

Loved the mix of passengers. Ages ranged from 30's to 70's. Very fun, relaxed passengers. No attitudes.

Will return to Windstar in a heartbeat.

Great Review! We are going to be on the Wind Surf in May 2006, and I can't wait! You mentiond that you have sailed on SeaDream....how does Wind Surf compare to SeaDream?

I will try and answer this very carefully so not to sound biased. Let me first say that Windsurf is about 3 times the size of SeaDream so we cannot compare everything equally. Wind Star and Wind Spirit would be more comparable in size.

Service-We had wonderful service on both lines. Windsurf was mostly Indonesian. SeaDream mostly European.

Food-Loved the food equally. Nice to have a second restaurant selection on Windsurf.

Spa/Gym-Windsurf's spa and gym were much larger. Both were nicely equipped.

Pools/hot tubs-Again, Windsurf had two pools with SeaDream only one. SeaDream does have the balinese beds though. Both have drop down marinas. SeaDream has jet skis with theirs. Were not able to use on Windsurf because we docked at all ports.

Cabins-SeaDream's slightly larger and nicer. Marble in bathrooms and lighted beverage cabinets with etched glass. For some reason thought Windsurf's bathroom was better laid out. Seemed like there was more room.

Tender service-Cannot compare because we docked at all ports on Windsurf. Would find it hard to beat SeaDream's tender service though. No waiting. We were often the only ones on a tender at times.

Casino/Entertainment-Edge to Windsurf. Casino much larger and lively. Dealers much nicer. Dancing available every night before and after dinner with a decent house band. Live music available in other bars also.

Loved the all inclusive aspect of SeaDream. Nice not having to sign checks. Also easier when checking out. There is essentially no bill except for an occassional bottle of wine or spa treatment.

We're cruising on SeaDream again in Nov. and hope to join Windstar in Greece next summer.

Both lines are super. Enjoy.

What great details! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. How were your experiences in the ports? Any worthwhile excursions or should we do it on our own?

Maryann

Thank You so much for the info! That was a great summary......maybe you should do this for a living....not a shabby job at ALL.

Many thanks for the cruise report and feedback. Very reassuring with only a few weeks to joining the vessel in Lisbon for the Atlantic trip to hear how things are onboard and what we have to look forward to!.

Maryann,

Usually, we like to do our own thing while in port. We will hire a driver in our embarkation/disembarkation ports for a half day from time to time. That always works out well for us.

We enjoyed Ibiza very much. The town changes dramatically in the evening. Make sure to see it at night if you can. Very fun and lively with incredible restaurants/bars tucked into the side streets.

Did not care much for Tangier. Imagine mexican vendors multiplied by 30! Let me say too, that we enjoy Mexico. There were some incredible rugs and wooden boxes there. Knew of fellow cruisers that purchased and shipped many items.

Palma de Mallorca was great. We did that city on foot except for the castle on the hill.

Marbella/Malaga was beautiful. Heard about some incredible excursions to Grenada (sp?) and Ronda.

Barcelona...what a city. We hired a driver for 4 hours. Perfect! Explored the rest on our own.

To the previous poster-I would be happy to write reviews for a living! Wouldn't that be the perfect job? In the meantime, I will be content sharing my passion for what I love to do...travel.

I cruised on the Wind Spirit this past March and thouroughly enjoyed it; the cabins are very nice and the ship is beautifully designed, and especially attractive with the sails up. I was not however, paticularly impressed with the food; competent certainly, but in general nothing to write home about (My wife's a pretty decent cook, and we eat out at many fine restaurants).

I'm somewhat concerned about your food comment which suggest's to me that the food on Sea Dream, which is highly praised, may not be that good. As we're doing a Sea Dream cruise 12/06, can you explain why you thought the food was equally good on Windstar? Thanks so much

hmmm. Let me try and digest this one. I hope you are not implying that my taste in food is below average because you thought the food on Windstar was just "competent". I am glad that your wife is a good cook and that you eat out alot.

Let me tell you two of our lunches on Windstar. Seared scallops with basil and grilled lobster tail with some fabulous seasonings. One afternoon in Ibiza they even brought on a guest chef who prepared the most incredible paella on deck. I thought they had some very unusual and tasty soups also.

Do I love everything that I am served? No. So order something else.

In my opinion, the food on both lines was very good.

okay; I needed your additional input, and I appreciate it; it's much easier to analyze your comments with specifics. Can't recall any distinguished dishes on my cruise which is why I asked.

Thanks again

Have to agree with sandbag7 on the food issue. There was certainly nothing wrong with the food on Wind Surf, but it was nothing special either. For example, it didn't begin to compare on some Cunard cruises we have taken. And service was very slow with forgotten drink orders and other errors.

Bottom line? We loved the Wind Surf Nice-to-Rome cruise--nice accomodations, nice staff, nice ports. But for those seeking gourmet, or even interesting, meals I'd suggest another line.

Dear Fourpines,

I too have been on Cunard (QM2) and thought the food was just average and the service very below par. Windstar in my opinion is leaps and bounds over Cunard.

Isn't it amazing how a change in chef or wait staff can dramatically change a passenger's views of things? Quite possibly it may come down to the hotel manager.

Happy sailing to you.

Dear Fourpines,

Isn't it amazing how a change in chef or wait staff can dramatically change a passenger's views of things? Quite possibly it may come down to the hotel manager.

 

Happy sailing to you.

How absolutely true! One waiter or one chef has such a dramatic influence on passenger perception.

I'm just off the WindSurf. I'm with the two above posters in that the food was just ok. It was about day 4 before either of us ate anything that we were like, "Wow, that's really good." Service was also hit & miss. There were some great moments and some really adequate to less-than-adequate moments.

On the first night, we dined at the Bistro. We were taken to a table, handed a menu, and then, by my watch, no one came back for 20 minutes. When the waiter did come back, he came back pad in hand and gave us a perfunctory comment about what did we want to eat. At this point, we still did not even have water. It did not make a good first impression.

On the other hand, the lobster grill lunch was fabulous.

We were on the Windsurf New Years cruise last year and although I wouldn't call the food gourmet but ours was good. We never did eat in the Bistro, as both my daughter and I have food issues... so we stuck with the same waiter, a great guy Wahid. He was fab and if he's still on the ship track him down. All our drink and wine orders were taken care of immediately, he not once forgot our food issues. Between him and the chef they dreamed up desserts I could eat (most on the menu I could not). I thought the service was very much above and beyond. I'd say by day 3 almost every staff member on the ship knew us. I was one of only 2 single people on the cruise and I was the only one with a child, so we did sort of stick out. But the entire staff made us feel totally welcome and at home.

We're cruising again this New Years and summer 2006.

Susan

We have been receiveing brochures from Windstar and are thinking about booking with them for our next cruise. DH was concerned about the movement. Thanks for addressing that issue for us.

We took Sea Dream I to Med. and LOVED it. We were wondering how Windstar compared.

We're on Celebrity Constellation in Caribbean next, but X keeps changing the itinerary so that it is no longer recognized.

Thanks for your review!

We have also been on the both the WindSurf (about a month ago Rome to Barcelona) and the Sea Dream II in the Carribean. We loved both of them, but there are some subtle differences. We thought the food on WindStar was very good and had no complaints, but the food on Sea Dream was truly exceptional. The service on WindStar was also excellent, but Sea Dream was a notch above. And one day reading a book on my lounge chair on the WindSurf, I remembered the Balinese beds on the SeaDream....those beds are awesome. We found the cabins to be equally comfortable. I would gladly sail again on either of these lines. Due to the price difference and itinerary choices we'll probably pick WindStar next time. WindStar also had a slightly younger crowd, which we enjoyed (we're in our 40's). We'll probably opt for the WindStar or WindSpirit next as we enjoy the smaller size ship. I hope that helps those who were looking for a comparison.

Hi luvtojump,

I am back and forth trying to decide between a Windstar/Wind Surf Cruise and Silversea Silver /Silver Whisper Cruise in the Med. next May. I see that you have sailed on both and was wondering if you could kindly give me a little info on each...

Things like cabin size, condition of the ship, friendliness of staff & crew,

(Doesn't need to be elaborate). Thank you in advance for any guideance you can

give me...... Seadestin22

Hi Seadestin,

We really enjoyed both cruise lines. Without knowing which Windstar ship you are considering, I can't be too specific.

Windsurf and Whisper are fairly comparable in size. Whisper being slightly larger. Silver Whisper is a more formal ship with dress codes in the evening. Windstar does have dress codes (ie. no jeans, shorts in dining room) but no formal nights.

Both had very personable wait staff and bar staff. I may give the edge to Windstar here.

Huge difference in cabins. The Whisper is all suites with marble bathrooms, walk in closets, dual vanities, separate bath and shower, sitting area etc. I missed that on the Windsurf for about an hour. After I unpacked, saw that there was plenty of room for all our clothes and toiletries etc., I forgot about the smaller room and bath. I did miss the balcony though.

Silversea is all inclusive. Both have nice sized casinos with friendly dealers. Both have alternative restaurants. Both have gyms/spa areas. Both made us feel pampered, but in different ways. Silversea had to learn our names while Windstar wanted to learn our names. Does that make sense?

You will find me and my husband on both of these lines next year.

Price, dates and itinerary are always a factor when we decide. Hopefully we still have many years to see everything and sail on every ship we want to.

I sincerely hope this helps with your decision.

As always...you were very helpful! I guess I need to generate a pros and cons list

and put this to rest. Here I go..................Thanks Again