Another review of Windsurf 2/15 from a Windsurf newbie

[ljk76]

A review of our Windsurf 2/15 cruise and a thank you!

 

Last year around this time we cancelled a Celebrity cruise and booked this instead based on a great photo review by Loves.II.Cruise. I'm back to report...we are so glad we did! This is the way to truly experience the Caribbean. We loved the warm and sincere service, the connection to actually being out on the water, the sports deck, all the time with our feet in the sand or floating in the aqua ocean. Six beaches in seven days sure beats the two snowstorms we missed while gone.

 

Some of the things we loved best...great breakfasts to order on linen clothes up on the veranda, never scrambling for a seat, flawless even on disembarkation morning. A great variety and changing breakfast offerings. Lunches were just as well done on the days we were on board, with both a quality buffet or cooked to order items. It was wonderful not to fight your way to a beverage station or wait in lines. We enjoyed dinner in all three venues. We thought dinners were a notch above Celebrity, but not as good as Azamara. A great selection of sandwiches were available when we returned late in the afternoon.

 

It was great to check out snorkel gear for the week, and saved us a lot of packing. We used the hobie cat once, and did make it back to the platform, but saw a lot of folks being patiently rescued! We loved using the floats and toys at the beach barbecue on Prickly Pear island. Again, no crowds, tons of loungers on the beach, bar servers everywhere, great food with lots of covered seating. This was such a huge win over " private island" beach days on other lines. The evening on board barbecue was our one night of rain, and the staff worked so hard to reset everything in the lounge! Captain Harris was dishing out lots of grilled lobster, and the menu was great. All of the officers were friendly, approachable, and seemingly everywhere. Once captain Harris was down helping load the tenders. We never waited more than a few minutes for a tender and found them just as safe as any other tender service! (I'd read some comment on these boards about unsafe tenders...)

 

Our cabin was comfortable with a great bed, a large double closet, tons of drawers, and nice decor. The bathroom was also well laid out and had a circular shower that felt quite roomy with a European style double shower head and fantastic water pressure. I loved the laundry package. It was wonderful having clothes returned clean and pressed on a daily basis.

 

I was worried that I would miss having a balcony, but very rarely did! We enjoyed socializing on the uncrowded pool deck, and the bar servers couldn't be more helpful even if you were just looking for ice water or a soda. Those breakfasts on the veranda were better than any balcony room service breakfast. I did sometimes miss that last look up at the stars, but overall felt much more in tune with the ocean on this ship.

 

We loved the itinerary, but will freely admit sunning, swimming, and snorkeling in lovely places is all we need in the Caribbean. Serious history, ruins, and museums are more our thing in Europe, although we did enjoy strolling around Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua.

 

One thing we did not like...the airport in Saint Martin. We are wondering if it is always a mess. There were huge crowds everywhere on departure and our arrival was held up 1 1/2 hours due to a bottleneck in the Saint Martin airport. We barely made the muster drill. We were so lucky not to get caught up in any of the snow drama at home. Ironically some who had to catch up to the ship days later had planned on early Thursday arrivals that had to be rescheduled, so difficult this busy time of year.

 

Bottom line, it was a great cruise and I'm sure we will be sailing with Windstar again in the Caribbean. Everyone told us we would like the smaller ships even more! If you are a traditional cruiser I think you'd find a lot to love with Windstar. If anyone should have a question I'd be happy to answer as I found so much valuable info here!

[westchestermom]

Thanks for the great review. We leave NY for St. Martin on Friday and are crossing our fingers for no surprise storms! I wonder if the airport backups are primarily on Saturdays which I perceive of as "turnover" day in the travel industry.

[gskimmel]

I recently booked our first sailing directly with Windstar and was advised to add 3 hours from time of landing in St Maarten to the port. Based on this, and your experience, we will try and fly in a day early to avoid the rush to the port.

[westchestermom]

I'll let you know how it works out coming in a day early. As for the snorkel gear - do you check it out when you need it or can you get it for the week. I'm thinking of bringing a mask from home but would prefer not to carry fins. As for the laundry package - you mentioned loving it, but was it worth it? Do you think you did $100 worth of laundry between the two of you? That's the last piece of our puzzle - whether to take the laundry package. We've decided against the beverage package since we mostly drink wine and we'll bring some with us. Thanks for the great review...makes me even more excited to get out of here!

[roomiec]

The snorkel gear is available at the Sports Platform and you'll receive a mesh bag with mask, fins and snorkel that's yours for the week.

 

The laundry package is one of the best things Windstar offers. Forgetting for the moment the $100 cost, we were able to pack 1/2 the amount of clothes(saving the cost of 1 checked suitcase), have them cleaned and pressed every night....and best of all, returning home with no laundry to do.

[Katbird93]

That St. Maarten airport was a nightmare!!! I will say 3 years ago on similar flight, it was bad, but not quite as much as Saturday. I also feel if you don't fly in at least 1 day early you will regret it. We flew in 2 days ahead, stayed at the Holland House ( which we liked). It gave us a day to relax and really get in vacation mode! A lot of people had difficulties getting in, including my nephew and his wife.

[Blerg]

Thanks for the review, ljk. I'm sailing on the Wind Surf in April in the Mediterranean and wondered if you or anyone you know experienced any seasickness. I've cruised once before on a bigger ship and encountered no problems but was curious about the smaller ships. My girlfriend is getting the prescription patch because she often has problems on cruises and I think I'll pack some Dramamine, just in case.

 

 

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[ducklite]

Thanks for the review, ljk. I'm sailing on the Wind Surf in April in the Mediterranean and wondered if you or anyone you know experienced any seasickness. I've cruised once before on a bigger ship and encountered no problems but was curious about the smaller ships. My girlfriend is getting the prescription patch because she often has problems on cruises and I think I'll pack some Dramamine, just in case.

 

 

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I spent two weeks on the Surf in the Med in 2012. I am prone to motion sickness, and had absolutely no problem. One night it was a little rocky, but it was late in the evening and I went to bed, so no problems. The next morning it was smooth sailing again.

[Blerg]

Thanks, ducklite. That's good to know.

 

 

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[grannie729]

I am sailing March 8 on Wind Surf and this is my first Windstar Cruise. Does anybody know what kind of "busses" are used for the land tours on these islands. Are they those rickety open air jobs or have they been upgraded to something that at least feels and seems safer? Had a very bad experience once on one of them and don't want to risk repeating that! Thanks!