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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Karen Raven
Email: karenr@cgo.wave.ca
Age: 50
Occupation: Mediator
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindStar
SailingDate: May 9-16, 1998
Itinerary: 7 Day French and Italian Riveras
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 60
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 70
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 60
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 70
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 60
LoungeService: 65
TenderService: 60
GoodForSeniors: 60
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 70
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 70
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 65
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Nov 1998
Time: 21:00:56
Remote Name: 24.226.19.174
Remote User:
Comments
This is a review of the Windsurf, Windstar cruise's newest offering. I could not input
Windsurf onto the form. This was the trip of a lifetime for me, a gift
for my 50th birthday with the added bonus of 2 sets of friends joining us as a surprise.
It was the maiden voyage for the Windsurf which Windstar line
had bought from Club Med and had just re-fitted. The City of Nice, in appreciation of the
maiden voyage, staged a wonderful pier-side reception with a
dancing troupe, lots of champagne, many varieties of local food, and a small souvenir gift
for each cabin. We were impressed. Departure was 10 pm. It
was a balmy night with a full moon and the City of Nice again had a display for us on the
dock. They had the dancers again, but this time they had
wonderful fireworks and many small fishing boats festooned with lanterns below us in the
water. They then boarded thousands of flowers for the
passengers to throw overboard as they played incredible music and we slowly departed. It
was breathtaking.
The ship itself is lovely. The cabins are very well designed and appointed with features
like a VCR, bar fridge and safe. The bathroom was well stocked
but missing the promised bathrobes. The service by the room steward was terrible though.
The fruit basket (skimpy) was never touched. We didn't eat
anything from it but it was never changed and the fruit started to go bad. I had to ask
for more kleenex 4 times before finally getting some and there
were several other things along these lines which were very poor as far as cabin service
was concerned. We did get our beds turned down but never
a towel animal or anything at all. I bought flowers and asked that they be put in vases
and delivered to our friends. They were dumped on the bed. It
took another 3 phone calls to get something to put them in, but in one of the rooms only.
The other friends used their icebucket, even though our 3
rooms were adjacent to each other. What was so bad about this was that they advertise 180
degrees from ordinary and that your wishes would be
met before you even ask.
The dining was good with a couple of reservations. Dinners were excellent with good
variety but one of the dinning rooms was so cold we had to get
extra clothing. When we complained to the Maitre'D about how cold it was, he laughed. When
we were on a Carnival cruise, our drinks were waiting for
us each night at the table. This never happened here. Lunch was not great. The selection
seemed to be exactly the same every day and got quite
boring by the end and the service here was downright awful. There were all kinds of staff
all over the place but they seemed to have no idea of what to
do.
The casino (to us an important feature) was very small with no dice and only 1 blackjack
table and a bunch of slots. The casino staff however were just
great and we had a lot of fun in the casino, even though we didn't make any money.
We did not go on any shore excursions. The cruise director was not around ever except to
give these really boring talks in the lounge at 7pm. Not one
of the excursions sounded appealing so we did our own thing. It must be noted that it
would be very difficult for disabled or frail passengers to sail on
this ship. She has a deep draft and must anchor at all the ports except one. They do not
have tenders as such but use lifeboats which have no rudder
and are obviously terribly difficult to drive. We had many different operators but we
named them all "Captain Crash and Bang". There were also long
waits to get back and forth some of the time and the entire process was somewhat
degrading. This was especially true in Monte Carlo when we went
ashore in black tie. Climbing into these lifeboats was anything but elegant.
The open bridge policy was one we took advantage of often and really enjoyed. The captain
was friendly and informative and the crew on the bridge
were good.
We were really lucky. We had exceptionally great weather and the 6 of us had a ball
because we made our own fun and we were not going to let
anything interfere with our enjoyment. However, the level of service on this ship was very
poor. I'm not even talking about value when I say that. We
were on a Carnival cruise 14 months before this one and the service on the Inspiration,
also a new ship, was much better. As an example, the last
morning on the Windsurf a lot of the staff were hanging out at the main reception desk and
blatantly opening and reading guest comment cards in
front of everyone. I felt a bit sorry for some of the staff because it was clear to me
that it was more a management problem than anything. There was
absolutely no leadership and very low standards of service. We did make allowances for
this being the first sailing but even so, the service was very
bad. I cannot imagine what it would have been like if the weather had been bad and we had
not brought along our friends. With the amount of money
this cruise cost, it would have felt like being robbed. Although the trip was magic for
me, it certainly was not as advertised.
Name: Patrick Clar
Email: Pedropatsf@aol.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Airline pilot
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindSurf
SailingDate: 9/19/98
Itinerary: French Riviera
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 25
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 50
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 50
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 85
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Jan 1999
Time: 03:18:47
Remote Name: 205.188.199.159
Remote User:
Comments
We boarded the Windsurf on a beautiful sunny Saturday in Nice. This was to be our second
Windstar cruise and
a belated honeymoon as well. Although we could not board until 3:00 pm, Windstar provided
very nice
accomadations in an air conditioned tent, set up at the dock, with juice and coffee.The
Windsurf is much larger
than her sister ships. One of the features that I especially liked was the wrap around
promenade deck. Our cabin
was identical to the cabin on the Windsong. Very comfortable. And, of all the cruises that
I've been on, the
Windstar cabins are the best for their size. Originally built as the Club Med I for about
500 passengers, the
Windsurf has been reconfigured for 312. Needless to say, the passenger-to-space ratio is
fantastic. We attended
the welcome-aboard party complete with complimentary cocktails and set out to get
aquainted with our cabin and
explore the ship. Just newly out of overhaul, I found the ship to be very clean and the
decorations to be
sophisticated and elegant .We dined in the Bistro resturant at dock side and had a
wondurful fish dinner. The
ship departed promptly at 10:00pm. Our first stop, Portofino, Italy. What a sight to wake
up in the morning and
see this beautiful and quaint village. Tenders to Portofino ran every thirty minintes so
one could go explore and
shop, come back to the ship for lunch, and back for more sightseeing. Late in the
afternoon, we set sail for
Portoferraio on the island of Elba. We explored the town, and because we we were docked,
it was very easy to
come and go as we pleased. The next stop was Portovenere. Anchored in a small cove, we
tendered back and
forth to this beautiful town, rich with history and architecture. A far cry from this
sleepy, ancient town, our next stop
was the incredible city of Monte Carlo. As luck would have it, the international yacht
show was in port, and the
cruise staff provided us free passes to the invitation-only event. Very late that night,
we sailed for Cannes, France.
Again luck was with us because the city was hosting a classic yacht regatta. Our last stop
was to be St. Tropez,
but weather conditions precluded the ship from going there. We proceded to the safe harbor
of Villefranche.
Although some passengers were disappointed, we enjoyed exploring the area and found it to
be quite beautiful
and interesting. That night, we set sail for the very short trip back to Nice. I can't say
enough great things about
the ship and the Windstar line. I must point out, though, that these cruises are not for
everyone. If you like flashy
entertainment, long lines, and crowds, these cruises are not for you. But if you liike a
quiet, elegant, beautiful
sailing ship, with no crowds and wonderfully attentive service, the Windsurf is the ship
for you. Windstar cruises
are really somthing special and well worth the money. We'll be back soon.
Name: winnie
Email: dtierney@sonic.net
Age: 64
Occupation: consultant
NumberOfCruises: 20+
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindSurf
SailingDate: May 7, 1999
Itinerary: western mediterranean
Cabin: A
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess: 50
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Aug 1999
Time: 15:04:31
Remote Name: d91.pm2.sonic.net
Remote User:
Comments
We sailed the Wind Surf from Barcelona to Nice with ports daily:Sete, Porquerolles,
Corsica, Elba, Portovenera,
Portofino, Monte Carlo. The shore excursions were all very well done with excellent and
knowledgeable guides. We
especially liked Corsica and would return there anytime. Sete, a French island, was
interesting: we visited
Flaugergues Castle and toured with the duke and duchess and sampled their quite good
wine--thouroughly
charming hosts. We opted for touring on our own in Portonevere, climbing the roads/steps,
paths to the Cinque
Terres, 5 hillside towns above the Italian Riviera, with two other couples--wonderful day
and I would urge everyone
(in GOOD physical condition) to do this at least once! Monte Carlo was in the midst of
Grand Prix trials and very
noisy. The service on board is impeccable; staff is largely Filipino and Indonesian and
very service oriented. Cruise
director seemed new but eager to please; experience will help as these were the first
visits for him in these ports.
Recommend at least one dinner in the alternative dining room, the Bistro. All seating is
open and with whomever you
want, or don't want. The lido for breakfast and lunch is very good with varied selections.
All in all, one of favorite
cruises and experiences. Can't wait to do it again!!
Name: Michael Burwen
Email: mburwen@pamg.com
Age: 61
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 12
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindSurf
SailingDate: 11/8/99
Itinerary: Barcelona-Lisbon
Cabin: All same
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 60
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 60
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 10
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 10
CruiseActivities: 20
Casino: 60
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Jan 2000
Time: 00:54:08
Remote Name: sji-ca1-93.ix.netcom.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first crusise on Windstar, shich had been highly recommended by several friends.
The Windsurf program is definitely upscale. Rooms are commodious, service generally excellent
throughout. Ports of call were interesting.
Lots of elderly people on the ship, very few under the age of 50. Most passengers had already been on
the ship for a week or two before we got on.
Food was terrific. The best I have had on any cruise. I was a bit miffed, however, that more meals were
not built around local produce and local dishes (in this case Spain, Morocco and Portugal). That would
have made the menu more interesting.
My biggest objection was that there were very few onbosrd activities. No entertainment to speak of
except a crew talent show one evening which was hysterical. Not even a bingo game. We got a lot of
reading done! Because of the lack of things to do, we felt that one week aboard was sufficient. More
than that would have been quite boring. This supposition was confirmed by many of the passengers we
met who had been on board for a couple of weeks.
We did meet many interesting passengers, about 90% Americans. Many of them were professional
people and many were investors as I am. I found it annoying that we could not get any investment news
except for the European version of CNN. At each port, I was able to find a Cybercafe, so could get email
and Internet access, but the ship personnel offered no help on this, and I had to go through hoops in
most towns to find such places. I should think that carrying CNBC would be SOP on a ship like the
Windsurf.
Being a bit of a wine buff, I was appalled at the wine list. Nothing in the way of local wines at all and the
prices on most ordinary wines were outrageous. We took to buying our wine onshore and drinking it
instead of the ship's offerings. Many of the wines were Californian (from whence I come). A wine we
would pay $7.50 at retail was sold on the ship for close to $40. One of the two dining rooms charged a
corkage fee of $10, but since we were able to get fabulous Spanish wines for less than $10/bottle, it
was still a good deal.
The ports we visited were great and we were given sufficient time to see them. The only organized tour
we chose to buy was in Tangier (we had been advised that it was not wise to travel alone in the city).
The basic tour was standard fare - just OK - but at the end of it we were taken to a rug merchant's
establishment, which was nothing more than a thinly disguised sales presentation. Fortunately I knew
what was coming from a similar experience I once had in Istanbul, and walked out before getting locked
in. The ship people should have advised us ahead of time that this was a standard ploy of the
Moroccan tour operators.
Our decision to go on this cruise was made at the last minute, and we were therefore able to obtain a
stateroom at half the listed rate. At the price we paid - about $4,000, the cruise was a good value, but I
would not have thought so if we had paid the list price.
Windstar ships are characterized by the fact that they can make way under sail. The WindSurf, we were
told, is the largest sailing vessel in the world.Ttravelling under sail was an enjoyable experience the first
time it happened, but after that it became an "old hat" experience.
We have cruised on both small and large ships, and much prefer the smaller ones because it is easy to
meet new people. In this respect the WindSurf doesn not disappoint. We ate dinner with different
people every evening, which added greatly to the enjoyment of the trip.
Name: Howard French
Email: howfrench@avenew.com
Age: 48
Occupation: Professional
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindSurf
SailingDate: 02/06/2000
Itinerary: Barbados
Cabin: 108
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 89
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 0
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Feb 2000
Time: 19:21:50
Remote Name: du2081695899.chicago.avenew.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was a fabulous cruise for me. It is not, however, a cruise that would suit everyone. There are
no programmed activities throughout the cruise. There are no shows at night. I do not think families
would enjoy themselves as there are no provisions to occupy children. On the Wind Surf there is
only one elevator with steps through some doorways which would prove most challenging to people
with disabilities. I felt that a single person would probably not enjoy this cruise. This was confirmed
by a single professional on the cruise when I asked his opinion. Having said all that, for anyone else
this cruise provides a quiet, elegant, and sophisticated setting for you to occupy yourself. All the
rooms have CD players, stereos, and VCR's with hundreds of titles to check out from the ship's
library. The rooms are well appointed with state of the art bathrooms. You might want to avoid rooms
128/129/240/241 as they are across from ice machines. Additionally the rooms toward the back of
the ship will have the gangway lowered by them for shore excursions. This was the case in my room,
but the only bother was to simply keep the curtains closed when the tender was operating. There is
no assigned seating for dinner nor is there a specific time to eat. This creates a wonderfully relaxed
feeling on board where you can maintain your own pace. While I felt that the shore excursions were
expensive for what they provided, there was enough to do and see in each port that I never had a
problem filling the day with sightseeing and exploring. There is also the available water sports
platform that provides banana boat rides, skiing, kayaking, wind surfing, and sailing. Although you
will not get to wind surf or sail unless you are already experienced. The food was quite good with a
fine resturant atmosphere instead of servers parading down the aisles with sparklers and baked
alaskas. The only time I felt crowded was at breakfast and lunch when the food was served buffet
style and most people tended to eat at similar times. Excellent fitness center with Cybex workout
equipment, 4 treadmills, 4 lifecycles, 2 stairsteppers, and free weights. With this cruise you will enter
ports that are not visited by the large ships. That feature alone makes this cruise worthwhile. The
very things that makes this cruise line 180 degrees from ordinary also makes this cruise not for
everyone, but if you are looking for something a little more special and initmate this might be right
up your alley.
Name: Marilyn Thies
Email: mmtwrite@aol.com
Age: 63
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Windstar-WindSurf
SailingDate: April 2000
Itinerary: Lisbon-Nice, 13 days
Cabin: 311-Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 98
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Jan 2001
Time: 11:56:20
Remote Name: spider-tf053.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Reasons we like the Wind Surf:
• Suites — nearly 400 square feet and his-and-her bathrooms • Coats and Ties — not needed! • Space —
lots of room, always can find a quiet corner somewhere • Spa — Huge, luxurious, and pampering; staff is
expert and friendly. • Ambiance — no organized shipboard activities, just relaxing and enjoying the sea, the
ports of call, and meeting fellow passengers who have chosen this laid-back shipstyle for the same reasons
we have •PA Announcements — Hardly any. Blessed peace and quiet! • Size – just right. Big enough to
remain anonymous if you wish, small enough to meet most everybody if that's your style. • Single-seating
dining, when you want to eat, with whom you want to sit • Good food, with variety to please most tastes,
whether you are watching your weight or have decided to indulge without limit
Things that could be improved:
• The tenders • Bathroom lights — on our last cruise, bathroom lights went out in our suite and in other suites
and cabins...they were repaired quickly, but obviously there was a problem in that they went out in the first
place
In short, we love the Wind Surf. Must confess that having the suite accounts for a great deal of our
enthusiasm.
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