We sailed the Wind Spirit (one of the sailing ships) which had only 75 cabins. An absolutely amazing trip. The engines only fired up when pulling in or leaving harbor/anchor. Sailing overnight was great! You do feel the ship much more because it's small, so if you tend toward sea sickness keep that in mind. Gary is absolutely right about being able to visit smaller destinations, which was awesome. Not having to complete with 3,000+ people in the same port is a much better experience. The cruise is *meant* for you to focus on exploring the destinations and/or excursions; if you just want to hang around the ship it's fine, but really the reason most take this line is to be able to experience the destinations. The crew was great; they really do get to know you (and vice-versa). The food was excellent as well. Overall, I don't think I could go back to the larger ships; having experienced Windstar really changed my outlook on cruising!
I’m so glad to hear that - we are sailing on the Wind Spirit next February. I took my kids on a Windjammer Barefoot cruise while they were still operating in the early 2000’s, and WindStar looks like a similar experience.
Last year my wife and I did the Star Pride Trans Atlantic from San Juan to Lisbon. Everything about this cruise was superb. The ship was super clean. The cabins are all suites, extremely quiet and very comfortable. The food and service was as good as any 5 star restaurant. The crew had to be the most efficient, polite, and friendly that I've ever encountered on a cruise ship. The ship itself has a few very relaxing areas and a couple of light entertainment venues. Think the Marriott Hotel on the water. The best part of this cruise line is the interesting people you will get to meet. Although most are probably well off they are unpretentious folks. So many of them bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences to any conversation. Surprisingly, this class of ship rides very well in the ocean. Only one day out of 13 when the Pride worked hard against the sea. All other days and nights were a pleasure. Most of the crew seemed to be Indonesian and Philippines. Such lovely people obviously hired for their dispositions in addition to their capabilities. We are considering the Star Breeze trans pacific Anchorage to Tokyo 16 days with 8 ports next year. Looking forward to that with anticipation.
We've cruised on a few lines (a Holland America medium size ship for Alaska, when Windstar was not sailing there, a Renaissance ship for Indonesia, when Windstar was not cruising there, and the Radisson Diamond through the Panama Canal, due to timing issues). We now cruise exclusively on WIndstar, about 18 cruises from Singapore and Malaysia to France and Italy, Croatia, Malta, Portugal to Barcelona, including Morocco and Tunisia, the Baltics, Japan, Tahiti, Greece, Turkey and the Black Sea. And regular spring break weeks in the Caribbean (no grown drunken Spring Breakers, but our well-traveled teen grandaughter was with us.). We adore Windstar's style, service, and itineraries. Almost everyone is a multi-time Windstar cruiser. The crew is outstanding and because the ship has so few passengers, we get to know many personally. The food is superb and the itineraries (and pre-tour lectures) and either active sporting or interestingly educational. When a Windstar ship comes into port, it is delivering 100 or 150 people into the destination, not 3000-5000. I cannot imagine being on a behemoth floating Las Vegas. While we were used to the amazing romantic sail experience in the early decades, we've come to like the three "Star" yachts just as much--a slightly different environment but the same friendly and competent staff, food, etc. We cannot wait to get back to cruising.
We love Windstar We were waited on hand and foot The food was fantastic. Many of the staff knew our names. The staff were all happy. It was tge favorite cruise line we had been on. It is also a good value
We continue to choose Windstar for our vacation cruises specifically for the quiet relaxing environment and the high level of personal service the crew provides. Yacht style cruising is such a more personal experience then the mega ships with thousands of people competing for venues and tenders.
Best cruise of my experience, we could go right into small jewels of ports like Kotor, Korcula, Dubrovnik, and sailed all the way up the fjord in Montenegro. Truly magic. There were quite a few people in the 40-50 bracket travelling alone so we had fun.
I really enjoy Gary‘s videos. He gets right to it. No fluff. No influencers prancing around the halls talking about nothing for 4 minutes into the video before they say anything useful. Thank you, Gary. You do it right. Everything I learned about river cruising I learned from you.
I used to work on the "MSY Windstar" and the no longer "MSY Windsong", I was an Engineer. A fantastic time of my life in fact I met a girl on the "Windstar", who at the time was a casino croupier in the two person ran casino, she is now my wife. Holland America ran the boats when I served on them; they were as described high market but casual, a very well run outfit back then, which is now twenty seven years ago a tad more than the fifteen in this post. The boats were built in Le Harve, France, the Windstar started cruising in 1985. Diesel electric power plant which is very quiet for passengers, when I served on them we would regularly go sail only power which the passengers loved, however we required to engage the propeller at night as any tail current would cause a knocking of the stern. Do they still have diving facilities, we used to carry two scuba diving instructors, normally a husband and wife team. Great days.
Absolutely love your no nonsense straight to the information style! Don't know that I've ever seen this type of video before, although I wish others would take a lesson from you!!! Thanks for the information Sir.
just thought I'd say that my family went on a cruise with Windstar in summer 2016 around the Greek island and it was fab, although the boat is small there is still a lot to do and the staff always found something for the teens to do at night. we were on one of the smaller of the ships - Windstar - so each stop we always were in the middle of the town and got off and on and had a look around, on one night we stopped off and we had a large banquet dinner with a Greek dance and when we got back to the ship, the staff were lined up on either side to welcome us back on. the staff were very friendly and helpful and you got to know them well, the food was great, I'm a vegetarian and they catered so well, the chef made me a separate thing for me, for example, a vegetarian curry and it was always delicious. the watersports day was very fun with the mats and especially being able to be sun-dried after! the open policy was really cool because we were allowed to go inside where they controlled the ship and the captain was super friendly and we learnt quite a lot as well. so overall, it was a great experience and I would do another cruise with Windstar.
Was on the Wind Star a few months ago off Costa Rica and will the on the Legend next week off Turkey and Greece! This is my first and only small cruise line-I've been on other lines but not the newer mega ships..I would recommend this company to anyone. Just an overall great time, definitely more low key that the bigger ships-buts that's the beauty of it. Food was great, crew was wonderful and being able to get into smaller ports was a bonus. I really can't think of one thing I would change..
Great help and well presented. I have been on the Royal Clipper and looking at the Wind Surfer for a change and with this you have answered a good few questions that I had in the back of my mind. 👍🏻
Great information. We are looking for ships that emphasize destinations versus entertainment. The entertainment is the destination and exploring what it has to offer.
Excellent overview, Sir! We have chosen well in going with Windstärke, I believe, though I have yet to see personally. I think you hit on a huge point, and that is the focus on the destination. Love the journey, and I like the idea of a quieter experience, but the expertise and in-depth information looks to be one of the key differentiators. Instead of “shopping briefs”, we’ll get informative overviews and history of our ports o’ call, and the surrounding John Muir experience, if you will. Again, excellent overview/differentiator. Travel well!
Great viideo. We have done several cruises on the big ships but fell in love with river cruises for several of the same reasons you mention for Windstar. We hope to give Windstar a shot this fall (2018) Icons of SE Asia.
Our favorite cruise line so far is Celebrity. I got recommended Windstar, which seems surprisingly great value for the money. I'm in my late 30's, have done 6 cruises, so have plenty left to see. Compared to other "luxury" options I've looked at, this seems to hit the exotic ports, at a quality that justifies the difference in price between it, and the mass market. 8 night Ireland/Scotland for $1,699 US, that's maybe $300 more than what Holland America would charge in the region?
+thejokerspeaks Thanks for watching and the comment / question. Agree that Windstar prices very favourable versus other luxury lines usually. For the comparable cabin type that sort of premium looks about right yes!
Thank you for your comprehensive and thoughtful review of Windstar Cruise Lines. I’ve watched many of your previous videos and have come to trust you. Windstar might be right for me. 😎
We are planning a cruise to Alaska in the next year and have SO enjoyed your videos. Very helpful in narrowing down our cruise ship choices. Question being with these smaller ships, in your opinion how different is the sail in terms of sea sickness? Is there a big difference you think? Also, when I grow up, I want to be you!! LOL. Love all your destinations.
Windstar, when I first started working for them, was owned by Holland America. Then they were bought out by Carnival. Interesting to hear that they are now "independent".
Great tips. Thanks! Can't decide between Windstar and Seabourn. We're both the casual elegant and formal elegant people. It'll be our honeymoon either Caribbean or Tahiti.
+Sarah Sherter hard choice I agree! Seabourn is probably a bit more luxurious feeling overall but both are excellent! Let me know what you decide and why!
Thanks Gary. I love your advice, I'm now following you on FB too. As we love a good nightlife with live music, dancing, fine cuisine and wines, we are probably going with Seabourn for our honeymoon. The total price including airfare will play a factor too. I'm well traveled, but it'll be my first cruise ever. Someday, I would also like to try windstar too.
Having enjoyed Seabourn cruises I would mention that all drinks are included on their ships so you can enjoy cocktails, champagne, fine wines etc all in the price. And NO tipping expected or required! Definitely the choice for that honeymoon!
I like Allure of the seas (huge ship) but it doesn't have that feel like you are cruising on an ocean, the smaller ships like Windstar has the feeling like you are cruising on the ocean (If you get seasick, probably not your best choice)
Thanks Gary: many people have told me that the excursions are way over-priced, and that on most of the Greek islands you can enjoy the sites by planning your own walking tour. Especially given how long you're actually at each port. Your thoughts?
Can't thank you enough for posting this. I was skeptical, my wife wants to go. Your info convinced me. We will probably be taking the Windsurf, "Yachting the Riviera", but looks like we missed the October 2017 booking. Seems like next booking availability is June 2018. Thanks again for helpful info. Ronald
+Ronald Wolf great to hear it helped ! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave your feedback! I am actually on another Windstar cruise right now and working on a follow up to this one about how to make and get the most once on board. So hopefully that will help you both too! I hope you love the experience once you head off with them
Very informative. We saw a Windstar sailing ship on our first trip to France, a long time ago. It seemed to be following us - Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo. I've always been curious about them. You say they charge for all the usual cruise ship things. I haven't cruised in so long I don't know what those are. Wi-fi hadn't been invented yet. They charge for beer/wine/spirits, shore excursions, wi-fi, and you pay gratuities. Anything else? What do they charge for wi-fi? Our last few cruises have been on a schooner in Maine. Let me tell you that is a different experience!
+Jim McDonough yes everything you mention. Like all cruise ships wi-fi is expensive and as uses satellite can be slow at times. They have different packages with unlimited access at about $250 for a seven-night cruise. Alcoholic Drinks, excursions, gratuities are all extra above the fare
THank you for your excellent informative video. It really helps when choosing a cruise / cruise line. Just one question - we are looking at a 'repositioning' cruise from Puerto Rico to Lisbon.... basically it is just a lot of sea days and achance to relax! Do you think these smaller ships are still comfortable on the big ocean crossings? Have you done such a cruise before? Would appreciate your feedback!
+Christine Lines thanks for watching and leaving a comment and question. Much appreciated. I love doing repositioning cruises though not done on as small a ship. In my experience there will be though a lot of activities, talks and events laid on to keep you busy. The days of relaxation and being forced to slow down and chill will be great though !
About 5 years ago we took the Star Breeze for the Monaco Gran Prix. Short version: Cruise from hell. The food was atrocious. The crew (I recognized some from Wind Spirit) I think were all grabbed from their old ships and stuck on this one. They didn't seems to want to be there. The cruise past Cinque Terra was a big disappointment and the Gran Prix was total BS. This was a really, really expensive cruise. We got seats in the K stands and couldn't see much of anything. We were all led to believe the boat would be in the harbor but the boat anchored off the Heliport. What a stupid mistake or a cheap one. Helicopters flying 200 feet over your head all day. There were 8 in sight when I got back from the race.The black tie dinner at the Cafe de Paris next to the Casino was great but there was no way to get back to the boat since the tender drivers had all worked 8 hours and no one would come get us. imagine 200 people, all driver-driver type A personalities, in the rain dressed in black tie and gowns getting wet for 90 minutes as tenders for the Wind Surf went off repeatedly EMPTY. The Wind Surf by the way, anchored well away from the loud and very busy heliport. Finally the hotel manager from the Wind Surf took pity on us and used their tenders to get us all back to our boat. Wind Star would not even apologize for the litany of problems on that damned cruise. And never order fish and chips from them because they served tilapia. Yuck, a trash fish. I can go on and on but the boat and their attitude was bad . The response from Windstar was to over a 5% discount on our next cruise. What an insult. Sorry... I did see the Wind Spirit in the Caribbean a few years later when the boat I was on tied up across the pier. The boat had mossy weed growing along the waterline and rust all over it. I was grossly disappointed because I had such a good time on it going through the Panama Canal in 2014. We'll likely never go on Windstar again and that's a shame. If they would only show some ownership for screwing up and then make it right they would have loyal customers instead of reviews like this one. Oh, I almost forgot the head gash I got in the closet from a stupid brass nail like hook I am guessing was for hanging your belts on? I bent over to get my shoes and very nearly lost an eye as the nail gouged my eyebrow badly with lots of bleeding. I asked for it to be fixed and they refused despite the obvious danger it presented. What a bunch of bums...
Great video. With docking at smaller ports is possible to get off the ship and just explore the region close to the port without booking an excursion? or do the ports tend to still be farther away from town?
+scobralazor thanks ! Usually the ship is docked right close to the action and walking off and straight into where things are in smaller ports is what I found. The quay is right in the heart of these smaller places
We just took a chance and booked on Windsurf for Dec 2020. I hope the next level of Jumanji doesn't fall on us. We didn't really like the giant cruises. Not enough to do one again. I think that this smaller ship will be just right for us. Leaving St Maarten for 7 nights Dec 5th
Love your videos! We have booked a crossing from St Marteen to Lisbon departing April 4, 2020. Looking forward to 14 days aboard. How does the Windsurf do in rough weather which is likely at that time maybe?
I took the Wind Surf cruise from St. Marteen to Lisbon this past April. A WONDERFUL cruise. There were only 153 passengers. It did get a little rough for 2-3 days. But not real bad. Started out warm but got cooler the closer we got to Lisbon. I have scheduled the same cruise for 2020.
Those ships are well seasoned adults not teens lol.....the youngest ship in their fleet is 26 yrs old which is star legend ( ex Seabourn) and the oldest is 30yrs which is Windstar.
+TerryM it is quite a wide range in my experience. I guess the average is late 50s. Thanks for watching the video and really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment and question
My friends went on a European cruise with them in Aug, & had s fabulous time. They are in their 30’s & loved the people on the ship- passengers & staff. They made some friends too.i guess on a smaller ship, you find people who have more in common with each other.
Does anyone know the price range of the excursions? About how much do you end up spending on these from beginning to end? And how much is the internet? Also, is there a gym on board the yacht style ships? Thanks.
Did I miss it, or did you not compare prices between resort ships and Windstar? The more personal attention and fewer quests might bring a cost increase, I would think.
You mentioned that gratuities are not included in the fare. Is there a settlement at the end to tip everyone by credit card or does one need to have cash for every meal, drink, daily room service, etc.?
Do you know if they adhere to all the required safety parameters? Are the ships safe and maintained well? Do they allow smoking on board? I do not smoke and would not want to be stuck on a small ship with nowhere to go to avoid the smoke?
Yes the ships are very well maintained. Smoking is only possible in a few places outside, which are on one side of the Star Bar and at the rear of the ship behind the lounge.
which mode of travel has best budget value overall between bus tours, train, independent, river cruises, ocean cruises, etc is valuable for people who like art, classical music,marchaeology, palaces, and similar activities? opera, ballet, .....
It often varies by destination, e.g as the Scandinavian countries are very expensive for a lot of us, I consider cruising the best bang for the buck there.
Can you say something abour accessible cabins with Windstar? Ixve never been on a cruise and am interested if this would be a good one for me or if I should stick to looking at the larger lines
They are very welcoming and cater well for solo travellers but the single supplement puts some off. But when I have been on there are always solo travellers. I have always been solo on them!
So basically, if you like crappy food, large massive crowds with screaming kids, the need to pack a suit and tuxedo, mundane massive ports, shit service, and need a rock climbing wall and ice skating rink on your Polynesian vacation, Windstar isnt for you. Got it!
which non english speaking tours whether bus, train, river, ocean , have cultural value, art galleries, museums, classical concerts recitals, opera, theatre, ballet, folk dances, ancient ruins, palaces, churches, temples, synagogues, .....
It’s overpriced for us and for a small cruise line they don’t offer kosher style food or kosher meat or chicken so nup for 14,000 for 2 ppl for days forget it
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We sailed the Wind Spirit (one of the sailing ships) which had only 75 cabins. An absolutely amazing trip. The engines only fired up when pulling in or leaving harbor/anchor. Sailing overnight was great! You do feel the ship much more because it's small, so if you tend toward sea sickness keep that in mind. Gary is absolutely right about being able to visit smaller destinations, which was awesome. Not having to complete with 3,000+ people in the same port is a much better experience. The cruise is *meant* for you to focus on exploring the destinations and/or excursions; if you just want to hang around the ship it's fine, but really the reason most take this line is to be able to experience the destinations. The crew was great; they really do get to know you (and vice-versa). The food was excellent as well. Overall, I don't think I could go back to the larger ships; having experienced Windstar really changed my outlook on cruising!
I’m so glad to hear that - we are sailing on the Wind Spirit next February. I took my kids on a Windjammer Barefoot cruise while they were still operating in the early 2000’s, and WindStar looks like a similar experience.
Last year my wife and I did the Star Pride Trans Atlantic from San Juan to Lisbon. Everything about this cruise was superb. The ship was super clean. The cabins are all suites, extremely quiet and very comfortable. The food and service was as good as any 5 star restaurant. The crew had to be the most efficient, polite, and friendly that I've ever encountered on a cruise ship. The ship itself has a few very relaxing areas and a couple of light entertainment venues. Think the Marriott Hotel on the water. The best part of this cruise line is the interesting people you will get to meet. Although most are probably well off they are unpretentious folks. So many of them bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences to any conversation. Surprisingly, this class of ship rides very well in the ocean. Only one day out of 13 when the Pride worked hard against the sea. All other days and nights were a pleasure. Most of the crew seemed to be Indonesian and Philippines. Such lovely people obviously hired for their dispositions in addition to their capabilities. We are considering the Star Breeze trans pacific Anchorage to Tokyo 16 days with 8 ports next year. Looking forward to that with anticipation.
I spent almost 5 years working with WindStar Cruises and would highly reccomend. Once you go small ship cruising you won't go back to the big boats!
We've cruised on a few lines (a Holland America medium size ship for Alaska, when Windstar was not sailing there, a Renaissance ship for Indonesia, when Windstar was not cruising there, and the Radisson Diamond through the Panama Canal, due to timing issues). We now cruise exclusively on WIndstar, about 18 cruises from Singapore and Malaysia to France and Italy, Croatia, Malta, Portugal to Barcelona, including Morocco and Tunisia, the Baltics, Japan, Tahiti, Greece, Turkey and the Black Sea. And regular spring break weeks in the Caribbean (no grown drunken Spring Breakers, but our well-traveled teen grandaughter was with us.). We adore Windstar's style, service, and itineraries. Almost everyone is a multi-time Windstar cruiser. The crew is outstanding and because the ship has so few passengers, we get to know many personally. The food is superb and the itineraries (and pre-tour lectures) and either active sporting or interestingly educational. When a Windstar ship comes into port, it is delivering 100 or 150 people into the destination, not 3000-5000. I cannot imagine being on a behemoth floating Las Vegas. While we were used to the amazing romantic sail experience in the early decades, we've come to like the three "Star" yachts just as much--a slightly different environment but the same friendly and competent staff, food, etc. We cannot wait to get back to cruising.
We love Windstar We were waited on hand and foot
The food was fantastic. Many of the staff knew our names. The staff were all happy. It was tge favorite cruise line we had been on. It is also a good value
We continue to choose Windstar for our vacation cruises specifically for the quiet relaxing environment and the high level of personal service the crew provides. Yacht style cruising is such a more personal experience then the mega ships with thousands of people competing for venues and tenders.
We are first time cruisers. We are going in 2022 with Windstar to the Norwegian fjords!
Could you tell me what flag (country) Windstar sail's under?
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Best cruise of my experience, we could go right into small jewels of ports like Kotor, Korcula, Dubrovnik, and sailed all the way up the fjord in Montenegro. Truly magic. There were quite a few people in the 40-50 bracket travelling alone so we had fun.
I really enjoy Gary‘s videos. He gets right to it. No fluff. No influencers prancing around the halls talking about nothing for 4 minutes into the video before they say anything useful. Thank you, Gary. You do it right. Everything I learned about river cruising I learned from you.
We have done five transatlantic cruises and two trips to the South Pacific on Winstar and can’t wait till we get to go again....loved every minute
They are a fab cruise line. I agree. I need to get back on board soon!
My wife and I were married by the captain on the Windsurf while cruising down the Med. the most amazing trip ever. Cannot wait to go back
I used to work on the "MSY Windstar" and the no longer "MSY Windsong", I was an Engineer. A fantastic time of my life in fact I met a girl on the "Windstar", who at the time was a casino croupier in the two person ran casino, she is now my wife.
Holland America ran the boats when I served on them; they were as described high market but casual, a very well run outfit back then, which is now twenty seven years ago a tad more than the fifteen in this post.
The boats were built in Le Harve, France, the Windstar started cruising in 1985.
Diesel electric power plant which is very quiet for passengers, when I served on them we would regularly go sail only power which the passengers loved, however we required to engage the propeller at night as any tail current would cause a knocking of the stern.
Do they still have diving facilities, we used to carry two scuba diving instructors, normally a husband and wife team.
Great days.
Sailed on the WindSong before its untimely end.
Gotta say…this sounds like exactly what appeals to me. Great food and service and hard to find ports of call…bucket list for me
Absolutely love your no nonsense straight to the information style! Don't know that I've ever seen this type of video before, although I wish others would take a lesson from you!!! Thanks for the information Sir.
just thought I'd say that my family went on a cruise with Windstar in summer 2016 around the Greek island and it was fab, although the boat is small there is still a lot to do and the staff always found something for the teens to do at night. we were on one of the smaller of the ships - Windstar - so each stop we always were in the middle of the town and got off and on and had a look around, on one night we stopped off and we had a large banquet dinner with a Greek dance and when we got back to the ship, the staff were lined up on either side to welcome us back on. the staff were very friendly and helpful and you got to know them well, the food was great, I'm a vegetarian and they catered so well, the chef made me a separate thing for me, for example, a vegetarian curry and it was always delicious. the watersports day was very fun with the mats and especially being able to be sun-dried after! the open policy was really cool because we were allowed to go inside where they controlled the ship and the captain was super friendly and we learnt quite a lot as well. so overall, it was a great experience and I would do another cruise with Windstar.
Thanks for watching and adding your Windstar experience. I love the line
Was on the Wind Star a few months ago off Costa Rica and will the on the Legend next week off Turkey and Greece! This is my first and only small cruise line-I've been on other lines but not the newer mega ships..I would recommend this company to anyone. Just an overall great time, definitely more low key that the bigger ships-buts that's the beauty of it. Food was great, crew was wonderful and being able to get into smaller ports was a bonus. I really can't think of one thing I would change..
Very informative thank you for your insight on Windstar Cruise Lines
Thank you for the informative video. I am sold , now to surprise my love!
Very helpful. Not yet decided to the 1st cruise. Still nervous.
Great help and well presented. I have been on the Royal Clipper and looking at the Wind Surfer for a change and with this you have answered a good few questions that I had in the back of my mind. 👍🏻
+Guy Roberts Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Very much appreciated. Even better to hear it helped in some way too !
Great information. We are looking for ships that emphasize destinations versus entertainment. The entertainment is the destination and exploring what it has to offer.
Brilliant! Hopefully then this is one for you! I really appreciate you watching and taking time to leave your thoughts and comments, Thanks
Was there any local entertainment brought into the ship
This was exactly what I sought. Thank you.
Thank you for your explanation! Fabulous. Windstar seems like its exactly what i am searching for my first cruising experience.
Great to hear it was helpful! Hope you have a great first cruise !!
Excellent overview, Sir! We have chosen well in going with Windstärke, I believe, though I have yet to see personally. I think you hit on a huge point, and that is the focus on the destination. Love the journey, and I like the idea of a quieter experience, but the expertise and in-depth information looks to be one of the key differentiators. Instead of “shopping briefs”, we’ll get informative overviews and history of our ports o’ call, and the surrounding John Muir experience, if you will. Again, excellent overview/differentiator. Travel well!
Lovely. I'd love to go on a Sailing vessel.
Great Information, excellent presentation and well detailed talking points. Well done!
Great viideo. We have done several cruises on the big ships but fell in love with river cruises for several of the same reasons you mention for Windstar. We hope to give Windstar a shot this fall (2018) Icons of SE Asia.
Windstar is great! That should be a good itinerary too for it!
Our favorite cruise line so far is Celebrity. I got recommended Windstar, which seems surprisingly great value for the money. I'm in my late 30's, have done 6 cruises, so have plenty left to see. Compared to other "luxury" options I've looked at, this seems to hit the exotic ports, at a quality that justifies the difference in price between it, and the mass market. 8 night Ireland/Scotland for $1,699 US, that's maybe $300 more than what Holland America would charge in the region?
+thejokerspeaks Thanks for watching and the comment / question. Agree that Windstar prices very favourable versus other luxury lines usually. For the comparable cabin type that sort of premium looks about right yes!
Thanks Gary you have just confirmed that this company is definitely what my wife and I want.
Great info,I'm a travel agent for cruises for over 8 years and still learned a little more today ! Cheers 🍻
+Rob Cook thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Great to hear you found it helpful !!!
I love the open bridge policy!
+L Chapman agree ! It's a great touch and plus from being on a small ship
Thank you for your comprehensive and thoughtful review of Windstar Cruise Lines. I’ve watched many of your previous videos and have come to trust you. Windstar might be right for me. 😎
Great job Pedro. I still miss the sailaways.
The most informative travel video on cruising that I've seen. New subscriber here. Thank you.
+Queen Maja awesome to hear! Thanks for subscribing which I really appreciate. Hope you enjoy other videos to come !
We are planning a cruise to Alaska in the next year and have SO enjoyed your videos. Very helpful in narrowing down our cruise ship choices. Question being with these smaller ships, in your opinion how different is the sail in terms of sea sickness? Is there a big difference you think? Also, when I grow up, I want to be you!! LOL. Love all your destinations.
Very informative. A friend mentioned the wonderful time she has had on Windstar cruises and I wanted more information. Thank you.
Windstar, when I first started working for them, was owned by Holland America. Then they were bought out by Carnival. Interesting to hear that they are now "independent".
They're now owned by Xanterra.
You are on the former “Seabourn Spirit”.
Great video very informative and thanks for sharing!!!
Windstar is the best cruise line ever!
Excellent information...very useful guide. We have just booked with Windstar thanks to this...many thanks
Great tips. Thanks! Can't decide between Windstar and Seabourn. We're both the casual elegant and formal elegant people. It'll be our honeymoon either Caribbean or Tahiti.
+Sarah Sherter hard choice I agree! Seabourn is probably a bit more luxurious feeling overall but both are excellent! Let me know what you decide and why!
Thanks Gary. I love your advice, I'm now following you on FB too. As we love a good nightlife with live music, dancing, fine cuisine and wines, we are probably going with Seabourn for our honeymoon. The total price including airfare will play a factor too. I'm well traveled, but it'll be my first cruise ever. Someday, I would also like to try windstar too.
Having enjoyed Seabourn cruises I would mention that all drinks are included on their ships so you can enjoy cocktails, champagne, fine wines etc all in the price. And NO tipping expected or required! Definitely the choice for that honeymoon!
good points!
Choose Tahiti (French Polynesia for a honeymoon, Caribbean is more mundane.
An amazing ship and amazing cruise.
I like Allure of the seas (huge ship) but it doesn't have that feel like you are cruising on an ocean, the smaller ships like Windstar has the feeling like you are cruising on the ocean (If you get seasick, probably not your best choice)
Thanks Gary: many people have told me that the excursions are way over-priced, and that on most of the Greek islands you can enjoy the sites by planning your own walking tour.
Especially given how long you're actually at each port.
Your thoughts?
Wonderfully helpful! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thanks for all these tips!!
Great tips! Haven't been on a cruise in a while but will keep these in mind.
+Jamie Banks thanks for watching and really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment and feedback!
Can't thank you enough for posting this. I was skeptical, my wife wants to go. Your info convinced me. We will probably be taking the Windsurf, "Yachting the Riviera", but looks like we missed the October 2017 booking. Seems like next booking availability is June 2018.
Thanks again for helpful info.
Ronald
+Ronald Wolf great to hear it helped ! Thanks for watching and taking time to leave your feedback! I am actually on another Windstar cruise right now and working on a follow up to this one about how to make and get the most once on board. So hopefully that will help you both too! I hope you love the experience once you head off with them
As long as the riff raff from Carnival is nowhere to be seen, I will consider.
Do the sail version cause motion sickness? Or is it similar stability to the large cruise line boats?
The boolian answer is Yes.
Very informative. We saw a Windstar sailing ship on our first trip to France, a long time ago. It seemed to be following us - Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo. I've always been curious about them. You say they charge for all the usual cruise ship things. I haven't cruised in so long I don't know what those are. Wi-fi hadn't been invented yet. They charge for beer/wine/spirits, shore excursions, wi-fi, and you pay gratuities. Anything else? What do they charge for wi-fi?
Our last few cruises have been on a schooner in Maine. Let me tell you that is a different experience!
+Jim McDonough yes everything you mention. Like all cruise ships wi-fi is expensive and as uses satellite can be slow at times. They have different packages with unlimited access at about $250 for a seven-night cruise. Alcoholic Drinks, excursions, gratuities are all extra above the fare
$35 a day for wifi
Thanks for the information. I wanted to ask a question because it's a smaller ship, do you feel the water movements more than on a bigger ship?
In my view yes
Not at all
Very informative video.
THank you for your excellent informative video. It really helps when choosing a cruise / cruise line. Just one question - we are looking at a 'repositioning' cruise from Puerto Rico to Lisbon.... basically it is just a lot of sea days and achance to relax! Do you think these smaller ships are still comfortable on the big ocean crossings? Have you done such a cruise before? Would appreciate your feedback!
+Christine Lines thanks for watching and leaving a comment and question. Much appreciated. I love doing repositioning cruises though not done on as small a ship. In my experience there will be though a lot of activities, talks and events laid on to keep you busy. The days of relaxation and being forced to slow down and chill will be great though !
About 5 years ago we took the Star Breeze for the Monaco Gran Prix. Short version: Cruise from hell. The food was atrocious. The crew (I recognized some from Wind Spirit) I think were all grabbed from their old ships and stuck on this one. They didn't seems to want to be there. The cruise past Cinque Terra was a big disappointment and the Gran Prix was total BS. This was a really, really expensive cruise. We got seats in the K stands and couldn't see much of anything. We were all led to believe the boat would be in the harbor but the boat anchored off the Heliport. What a stupid mistake or a cheap one. Helicopters flying 200 feet over your head all day. There were 8 in sight when I got back from the race.The black tie dinner at the Cafe de Paris next to the Casino was great but there was no way to get back to the boat since the tender drivers had all worked 8 hours and no one would come get us. imagine 200 people, all driver-driver type A personalities, in the rain dressed in black tie and gowns getting wet for 90 minutes as tenders for the Wind Surf went off repeatedly EMPTY. The Wind Surf by the way, anchored well away from the loud and very busy heliport. Finally the hotel manager from the Wind Surf took pity on us and used their tenders to get us all back to our boat. Wind Star would not even apologize for the litany of problems on that damned cruise. And never order fish and chips from them because they served tilapia. Yuck, a trash fish. I can go on and on but the boat and their attitude was bad . The response from Windstar was to over a 5% discount on our next cruise. What an insult. Sorry... I did see the Wind Spirit in the Caribbean a few years later when the boat I was on tied up across the pier. The boat had mossy weed growing along the waterline and rust all over it. I was grossly disappointed because I had such a good time on it going through the Panama Canal in 2014. We'll likely never go on Windstar again and that's a shame. If they would only show some ownership for screwing up and then make it right they would have loyal customers instead of reviews like this one. Oh, I almost forgot the head gash I got in the closet from a stupid brass nail like hook I am guessing was for hanging your belts on? I bent over to get my shoes and very nearly lost an eye as the nail gouged my eyebrow badly with lots of bleeding. I asked for it to be fixed and they refused despite the obvious danger it presented. What a bunch of bums...
Fabulous review, thanks
Great video. With docking at smaller ports is possible to get off the ship and just explore the region close to the port without booking an excursion? or do the ports tend to still be farther away from town?
+scobralazor thanks ! Usually the ship is docked right close to the action and walking off and straight into where things are in smaller ports is what I found. The quay is right in the heart of these smaller places
Santa close is coming to me
We just took a chance and booked on Windsurf for Dec 2020. I hope the next level of Jumanji doesn't fall on us. We didn't really like the giant cruises. Not enough to do one again. I think that this smaller ship will be just right for us. Leaving St Maarten for 7 nights Dec 5th
Hi Liz. What made you pick the Windsurf instead of the Windspirit or Windstar sail ships?
This is the old Club Med ship and that is the reason I was asking.
@@cloudhopperaerialpix1225 we canceled. To much uncertainty. We rescheduled for Tahiti 2022
Love your videos! We have booked a crossing from St Marteen to Lisbon departing April 4, 2020. Looking forward to 14 days aboard. How does the Windsurf do in rough weather which is likely at that time maybe?
I took the Wind Surf cruise from St. Marteen to Lisbon this past April. A WONDERFUL cruise. There were only 153 passengers. It did get a little rough for 2-3 days. But not real bad. Started out warm but got cooler the closer we got to Lisbon. I have scheduled the same cruise for 2020.
Bill W Thanks so much. That is what i wanted to hear about!!
Would this experience be fine for a single person who is very private and not too sociable?
Yes! I went solo and I’m not very sociable !!
@@tipsfortravellers thank you for replying.
Excellent information. Thank you!
+Matthew Lyons thanks! Great to hear you found it helpful. Appreciate you watching and taking time to comment!
Great insight 👍
Are special coffees included Gary?
Thank you
Those ships are well seasoned adults not teens lol.....the youngest ship in their fleet is 26 yrs old which is star legend ( ex Seabourn) and the oldest is 30yrs which is Windstar.
+SLUAviationvideos They do look after them well though I felt. Agree?
+Tips For Travellers yes totally agree...they're in fantastic condition for their ages.
Excellent video.With regard to the type of passenger that would be attracted to Windstar, what would be the age demographic?
+TerryM it is quite a wide range in my experience. I guess the average is late 50s. Thanks for watching the video and really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment and question
My friends went on a European cruise with them in Aug, & had s fabulous time. They are in their 30’s & loved the people on the ship- passengers & staff.
They made some friends too.i guess on a smaller ship, you find people who have more in common with each other.
Does anyone know the price range of the excursions? About how much do you end up spending on these from beginning to end? And how much is the internet? Also, is there a gym on board the yacht style ships? Thanks.
Thanks!
Did I miss it, or did you not compare prices between resort ships and Windstar? The more personal attention and fewer quests might bring a cost increase, I would think.
Yes,the cost is higher but seems it is well worth it
Excellent! Thank you!
+Michele Wirth thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Glad you enjoyed!
Thank you for the video.
You mentioned that gratuities are not included in the fare. Is there a settlement at the end to tip everyone by credit card or does one need to have cash for every meal, drink, daily room service, etc.?
1st of all Carnival do actually own Windstar !!! Bought them in 1988 when I worked for them
They do not own Windstar ! It is owned by Xanterra Parks & Resorts ( refer to their website which confirms this www.windstarcruises.com/our-company/)
Carnival sold Windstar in March 2007
Ah I do apologise..so Carnival only owned them for 20 out of the last 30 years then.
Rip
Do you know if they adhere to all the required safety parameters? Are the ships safe and maintained well? Do they allow smoking on board? I do not smoke and would not want to be stuck on a small ship with nowhere to go to avoid the smoke?
Yes the ships are very well maintained. Smoking is only possible in a few places outside, which are on one side of the Star Bar and at the rear of the ship behind the lounge.
Are the bathrooms a separate room? Or are they separated by a curtain from the main room?
In a room with a door luckily!
Do they own private shops on their ships and which are?..so nice ships
which mode of travel has best budget value overall between bus tours, train, independent, river cruises, ocean cruises, etc is valuable for people who like art, classical music,marchaeology, palaces, and similar activities? opera, ballet, .....
It often varies by destination, e.g as the Scandinavian countries are very expensive for a lot of us, I consider cruising the best bang for the buck there.
Thanks.
You're welcome
Do all the rooms have windows to look out ?
Thankyou
What local entertainment is presented with Windstar
What about local cuisine, beverages?
Are alcoholic drinks and wine included?
For the prices they charge they should be
Can you say something abour accessible cabins with Windstar? Ixve never been on a cruise and am interested if this would be a good one for me or if I should stick to looking at the larger lines
I have not see the accessible rooms on Windstar unfortunately but believe they are good and people I met in them seemed happy
how do find yacht, river cruises, .....
I was very sad when Carnival sold them.
age, destinations, vs entertainment?
Is Wind Start friendly to single travelers?
They are very welcoming and cater well for solo travellers but the single supplement puts some off. But when I have been on there are always solo travellers. I have always been solo on them!
Tips For Travellers Thank you for your reply. I called them and yes the supplement is quit stiff.
Hi Gary nothing personal but you are too close to the camera in this video.
Carnival=Spirit=Greyhound.
I am Travel Agency owner and I have sold cruises for over 26 years. Its up to the travel consultant to select a cruise for the clients..
I was a Travel Agent for 30 years, I disagree. O e can advise, but ultimately it is the client’s choice on their dime.
So basically, if you like crappy food, large massive crowds with screaming kids, the need to pack a suit and tuxedo, mundane massive ports, shit service, and need a rock climbing wall and ice skating rink on your Polynesian vacation, Windstar isnt for you. Got it!
which non english speaking tours whether bus, train, river, ocean , have cultural value, art galleries, museums, classical concerts recitals, opera, theatre, ballet, folk dances, ancient ruins, palaces, churches, temples, synagogues, .....
Is LIQUOR included????
r u kiwi?
477
Do Black people take this cruise?
We
?
It’s overpriced for us and for a small cruise line they don’t offer kosher style food or kosher meat or chicken so nup for 14,000 for 2 ppl for days forget it
I’m always disappointed when these premium cruises don’t include wifi……makes me look elsewhere just because of this pettiness……