few windstar - barbados NB questions

[vimcru]

my wife and i are going on the Windstar 7 day Northbound from Barbados from April 1 to April 8. its our first Windstar cruise and i did all the booking and research. i do have a few questions i could not find answers to:

 

1. departure is at midnight on April 1. seems like an awfully late time to leave - so much for hat waving. what time do people usually board the ship that night and should we eat dinner before?

 

2. my wife was asking what people do at night after dinner? is there any dancing or evening events other than the casino and the captain's dinner? watching dvds does not appeal to her.

 

3. how often are there lectures or educational sessions on the ship?

 

thank you for your time,

 

vim

[xsnowman99]

You can board the ship anytime after 1 or 2 PM. Your documents should tell you what time you can board. They will not provide lunch (although, there are some 'snacks' when you register--don't forget your Rum Punch). A full dinner will be served in both dining rooms. If you want to go to Degrees, the 'speciality restaurant' then you will need to make reservations (there is no additional cost). Abdul (if he is still there) will probably be in the Yacht club (where the coffee bar is) with a menu for both restuarants so you can decide on which to go to.

 

After dinner...not much going on. They do usually have a combo in the Lounge that you can dance to. Many people just go outside on the decks and visit or enjoy the evening under the stars. There is also a small casino that some people are drawn to. You can go up the the bridge and see the navigation of the ship and visit with the officers. Many nights you can enjoy a 'flaming coffee' in the Yacht Club...

 

One evening there will be a crew show, which if you have never been to, is worth going. It will be held in the lounge. The crew work very hard on this and it has a lot of 'authentic' dances from their coutries with authentic costumes as well as some of the crew just 'hamming it up"!

 

There were really no educational seminars when I wa onboard a few weeks ago. They do have the 'always present' art show/auctions. Never been..just not my thing.

 

As an FYI...once you board and roam around, you might want to inquire as to what time you will 'muster'. You will do it before you sail. On ours, it was around 6:30 and caught many people offguard (as in they were in the shower when the announcement came over).

 

Have a GRAND trip. With the changes that sound like they are coming, I might have sailed for my last time. Enjoy and relax.

 

Wishing you smooth sailing and calm seas!!

[vimcru]

thanks for the informative reply. although i did not understand what you meant by "you might want to inquire as to what time you will 'muster'..." please do elaborate.

[lovecruisingtoo]

thanks for the informative reply. although i did not understand what you meant by "you might want to inquire as to what time you will 'muster'..." please do elaborate.

 

"Muster" is the lifeboat drill that is held prior to sailing. You need to put you lifejacket on and go to the "muster" station so that they can take roll. They want you to know what to do in case of an emergency (just like the talk you get on an airplane prior to takeoff).

[spunky123]

Hi Vimcru

 

My husband and I have a tentative hold on a cabin for the 4/1 - 4/8 Windsurf sailing. Hope to see you. We are trying to work out the air to Barbados. From Chicago the air seems like a very long trip and we have to be to work on Monday the 9th. Too bad there are no shorter flights. Hope we get to join you there.

[KERB]

My wife and I also are taking this cruise (our first cruise & 25th anniv.)

The message board has been extremely helpful for us, a lot of great info and tips have been shared.

Look forward to seeing you there...

KERB

[spunky123]

KERB and Vimcru:

 

Finally got the air locked in today and paid the cruise balance. I look forward to meeting you. We have never been on Wind Star. I hope with the sale of the ship the standards are as high as they were. We were on Regent at Christmas and many of the people we met had sailed on Wind Star and thought very highly of the line.

 

We just want to relax, enjoy the weather and not have to cook or clean.

[vimcru]

excellent, see you guys on board. i can't wait to be without our 1 and 3 year olds for 10 glorious days!

[spunky123]

Looking forward to meeting on Sunday. :D That is in 5 days. Actually we are leaving in 4 and spending one night in MIA before taking a morning flight to BGI. We are in cabin 155. Have a safe trip.

[KERB]

Glad everything is working out for everybody. Looks to be a great time..we're now down to days. Hope everyone has a safe trip and we'll see you there. We're in 335. We're also leaving (4) kids behind with grandparents and looking for a relaxing and quiet experience...not to mention some beautiful weather.

Take care,

KERB

[vimcru]

belinda and i are in cabin 147. we are leaving LA today and going to spend 3 days in barbados first.