HORRIBLE!!! CHOOSE ANOTHER CRUISE COMPANY
Star Breeze Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 69
8 Night Gaelic Explorers (Edinburgh To Dublin)
Sail date: August 24, 2018
Ship: Star Breeze
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 226
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
The Windstar Star Breeze misrepresents itself as a luxury cruise experience!! Let me begin by saying this was to be my dream vacation. My last vacation was 5 years ago. I work incredibly hard and when I finally chose to take the time I sought out Windstar. I explained my needs and my concerns. I was a solo traveler and wanted a luxury experience. I explained that bedding and the sleeping arrangements were very important to me. I sleep with a CPAP and require a minimum of a double size bed as I sleep in the center. With proper electrical hookup bedside. I needed a fully equipped gym with cardio equipment so I can run the morning otherwise I get anxious. A well appointed spa. I was assured that the motor boat class of Windstar had all of this and more. A luxury cruise in every sense of the word filled with pampering amenities. The Windstar Star Breeze boasted of beautifully appointed accommodations, exceptional public areas, 2 luxury dining rooms, full spa and gym facilities. Upon boarding I quickly surveyed the situation and my heart sank. My stateroom 226 on the #starbreeze From Edinburgh to Dublin The bedside plug was damaged. I was unable to get power to the CPAP machine. The adapters would not work it took 3 trips by maintenance until they found a workable solution which was an extension cord across the room. The bed is 2 singles pressed against each other. Something I was specifically was assured was not the case! The bathroom mirror vanity was cracked and held together with silver tape. The white Marble was stained completely yellow around the toilet from years of urine on porous stone. The DVD player did not work. I went to the spa to book services. I was delighted to see acupuncture. Was told that was not a service provided on this ship. Why was it on the menu of services then? I took a tour of the spa. I recoiled upon opening the steam room door due to the smell of mold that was overwhelming, it was small and musty. I went to the gym and was shocked to discover outdated equipment. An old rower, a basic exercise bike and 2 treadmills. The ceiling is maybe 6’5 the treadmill is a step up making it impossible to be used without hitting my head. I am 6’. At this point I spoke with both the guest services manager and the General Manager. I asked what were my options of disembarking. They informed me that it was my choice but no refund would be offered. I went to the buffet. Again dismayed, the food was basic and below anything I was accustomed to. I inquired about the buffet because that was another issue I had and was assured by the booking agent that there were full service restaurants available all day. We left the port and set sail. I asked about internet and that it was imperative that I was able to get basic work done with my home office and was assured that it would work throughout he ship. Upon signing up the reception informed me that it was unlikely to work in my stateroom and it was an additional $275.00. Not only did it not work in my stateroom it never worked at all as well as the computers in the library! One computer was out of service. Every passenger I spoke with complained about it. The library filled with books left behind by other passengers. A selection of DVD’s from the 90’s There was no real bon voyage celebration - some flag thing with no fanfare or pomp. No champagne toast, no little waving flags nothing. The lounge singers provided bad renditions of popular songs. If it weren’t all so sad it would have been funny. It was all like a late night basic cable skit. I went to dinner in the below deck restaurant. It was all mediocre. The ambiance, the service and food. I went to bed distraught. The seam in the middle of the bed, the hard pillows, the scratchy sheets. I tried to hold back tears. I was a grown man. Day 1 at sea. More bad lounge singing, a lecture about a detox treatment for sale. I went for my massage in an intensely claustrophobic treatment room. I asked about the overhead florescent tube lights. He informed me that there is no way to shut them off. Florescent lighting trigger my migraines. His solution was to put this eye mask on. I don’t want anything on my face especially something like a beanbag that isnt clean and used by others. The massage was amateur at best. I went to dinner at Candella - the converted buffet. That stayed exactly the same other then then it being night. Not a candle electric or otherwise, not a flower, not twinkling light. A blank room. The steel buffet set up remained. A night cafeteria with a new name. A lipstick on a pig. This was supposed to be the special steak house? I ran into the GM - I expressed all my disappointment, pointed out all the ways that this ship could be elevated and he admitted that is would be decommissioned at the end of season and completely redone. This would be the reason that this ship was so completely and totally outdated a floating holiday inn and no where near a four season as I had been led to believe. I went to sleep with stomach pain, sad and frustrated. I prayed that in the morning the excursion would be a bright spot. I woke up early with mild pain and cramping, nauseous and a little weak. I went to the ships doctor seeking pepto bismol. I wanted to make sure that i wouldn’t be queasy on the off board excursion. He immediately started to question my systems, I explained to the best of my ability the situation. He said in order to continue I would need to pay I think $150. He chose to ignore my request for Pepto and let me know if he were to examine me and he suspected that I might have a bacterial or viral digestive illness that he would immediately quarantine me. Not upon clinical diagnosis but suspicion. That lab results would be sent out and until their return minimum 3 days and an all clear I could be locked in my room. At one point as I attempted to leave his office he stepped in front of me blocking my exit. An aggressive move and perceived threat. I told him to move or call security. He moved out of my way. This threat of possibly being locked in the cabin with no open window induced such a state of panic that went into a state of fight or flight. I reiterated all this to the guest services director as I was attempting to get my passport back, I was visibly distraught. He commented that it was for the best I leave, that if I was ill it’s was best for the other passengers as well. To be clear, my stomach issue resolved itself the same day. That aspect of the ships protocol is highly disturbing. I left the ship immediately. I took a 4 hour cab back to Edinburgh. I am utterly and totally disgusted. Anyone of the above reasons are a justifiable cause to leave the ship. I sent all this to Windstar Customer service. Their response was simply that they ever claim to be a luxury cruise line and that my expectations were too high. No credit, no refund and the blocked me form all social media. Feel free to contact me for proof and pictures. DO NOT CHOOSE THIS CRUISE LINE! #windstarcruises #windstarcruiseEmbarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
DO NOT
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Invergordon (Inverness & Loch Ness), Scotland
Disembarkation
Traveler Photos
25 Comments
BargainHunter 6 years ago
My wife and I have taken 6 or 8 cruises, but our most recent one was our first cruise aboard a Windstar vessel, a 21 day cruise aboard Star Breeze from Colon, Panama through the Caribbean to Barbados and then on to Lisbon Portugal. We had a simply delightful time aboard Star Breeze, our best cruise experience to date. I'm sorry that you had such an unfortunate experience. Star Breeze was built in 1989, making it almost 30 years old. This ship was acquires in 2015 from Seabourn. They may well have concluded that it had reached the end of its useful life for that cruise line. Or may have concluded that it wasn't economic to provide the level of service that is their goal with ships as small as Star Breeze. The capacity of the five current Seabourn ships range from 458 to 600 passengers, with ships proportionately larger. Even with an $8.5 million refurbishment when acquired by Windstar and with diligent maintenance it is inevitable that Star Breeze will show its age. As a small ship accommodating only a little over 200 passengers there is limited space for spa and fitness center facilities. If these are priorities for you then a larger ship would be much more likely to meet your requirements. We very much enjoyed both the James Beard cuisine and our fellow passengers during our voyage. I'm sorry to here that you were disappointed.
Kerenm 6 years ago
iluv2sail-
Regardless of who u r, where u come from, or what the expectations r, it shouldn’t have anything to do w/the company addressing the issue w/decency & respect towards the individual without daring to demean & under value a persons experience.. It’s simply shameful & outrageous!! @WindstarCruises..@johndelaneyWSC @WindstarSteve
@Xanterra
Kerenm 6 years ago
This truly saddens me..
As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry, dealing w/high end clientele along w/everyone in between, this is just truly SHAMFUL of Windstar Cruises.. who btw is owned by the billionaire luxury hospitality travel group Xanterra,..(Andrew N. Todd
President & CEO)
The pure lack of compassion, common courtesy & lack of basic customer service is appalling..! Regardless of the amount of money spent..which in this case seems close to $10,000, or who you are, where you come from, or what the expectations are, should not have anything to do w/the company addressing the issue w/decency & respect towards the individual without daring to demean & under value a persons experience..
It’s simply outrageous!!!!!!!
DOfir 6 years ago
Jenny - thank you! I am really hurt over the whole ordeal. I just tried to share my experience, I was very forthright from the beginning. I spent the better part of 3 months before I chose this style of a vacation being it had been 5 years since my last one and I needed it like air to breath, only after all my research and questions and confirmations only to find everything I was sold was lie. The let down was rough. I swear I attempted to shift my perspective regardless of the immense cost involved, I attempted to focus on the good but after a full day of sea and every aspect a further let down, followed by the aggressive and honestly threatening doctor. It was the last straw. I’m fully aware of a ships responsibly regarding possible stomach flu outbreak. However his response was the nuclear solution. In addition after 2 days of what was tantamount to a type of torture the possibility of being locked in the cabin for 4 additional days with no internet, no tv and nothing to do while awaiting results from Atlanta to arrive to the Scottish highlands was just too much. My leaving was the best decision I could have made because regardless of me locked in the room or trapped on the boat with no ability to run on the treadmill or the decks, bad food, no internet, no entertainment, no unsable spa, im left with literally nothing. Except a 10 thousand dollar lesson in buyer beware, the addtional costs of replacement hotels, transportation, the original flights and all my vacation times. The least Windstar could do is take a basic level of responsibility and address the actual physical complaint regarding the cleanliness, gym, spa, library, dvd, broken computer, etc.. something, they just ignored and blocked me on social media. Only after they did that did I begin to discover all the other negative reviews and horror stories and so many of us having our complaints totally shut out. In a perfect world I would have hoped for an apology, a partial refund like any other well established travel company would have done. Now American Express is my advocate and If need be legal action. Because the bottom line is they misrepresented every aspect of ship and it’s ammenties. It is in writing on all their promotional materials and slick brochures. The sales and booking calls are recorded and windstar needs to be held accountable.
jennydeer74 6 years ago
DoFir, I haven't disregarded you personally and I mentioned a few times that I'm sorry this experience was so horrible for you. Someone commenting on your review is not trolling, it's just a commenting and I did so politely even if with words that were straightforward. You made your review and I responded. I don't know you personally and I don't know about this cruise company (there are always two sides to every story); I do know what I read in your review and I stand by my comments but apologize if you felt slighted.
You may be completely right about the shape this ship (haha!!) is in but that doesn't negate the way your review read as I perceived it as snobbish. Doesn't mean you're a snob, just means that is the way your review came across to me, and apparently, others. I wish you the best on your next cruise and hopefully it will be a better experience. I would just say to look at your review through the lens of someone who didn't experience what you did and you might see what I see.
JeffLL 6 years ago
Thanks you for sharing this detailed review. Most wouldn’t put such effort into warning others of the deception these cruise opporators perpetrate on the unknowing public. We all work hard for the time off and financial ability to take vacations. I will search for a cruise opporator with more integrity.
DOfir 6 years ago
Correct this was my first cruise review however i sailed on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth II three times with my family before it’s decommission and I am world traveler. Been to every country other then Antarctica, both backpacked and luxury accommodations and experiences. Good luck with Your cruise choice or any travel for that matter. Troll me all you want for sharing my experience, judge me all you want, but I will save other traveler who choose to spend their hard earned money on a cruise line that actually cares for its customer base. As for good reviews check yelp and their very own Facebook page reviews! Dozens of similar reviews and every one have reported back that Windstar promised to address their concerns and did NOTHING including never refunding a woman’s trip whose husband past away 2 days before her scheduled departure. Not a credit, not an apology nothing! My complaints may be about quality control, food quality etc but the other reviews cover every other forceseable issue including methane leakage and poison, hospitalizations, days of power outages, promised credits and over charges. So go ahead and champion a corporation that regardless of a passengers expectation should at the very least address the issues and attempt to solve the problem. Key word attempt! If I get through to one potential traveler then I’ve been of service. What have you done other then attempt to disregard me personally. Shame on you too. And good luck on your future travels, you know that they say about karma. Peace!
jennydeer74 6 years ago
I understand your feelings about this and I agree that's a lot of money. I also understand why they would block you as I imagine your behavior towards them is likely viewed as over-the-top and potentially even harassing. It seems you, at least from what your writing here, that you went into this cruise with a lot of demands and an expectation of failure. Given this cruise line's overall exceptional reviews, one must assume a lot of these issues have to do with you and not them. Again, I'm sorry this was a bust for you.
DOfir 6 years ago
I agree it is first world problems .. however at a 10k price tag there should have been some element of what was personally promised when discussed prior to booking as well as what was advertised. The ship chose not to address any of it and proceeded to block me. Regardless that personal expectations were not met its one thing to misrepresent itself completely. As for the pepto the little store didn't carry any and referred me to the on board doctor. As for a neuro virus.. it is accompanied with fever, vomiting and flu like symptoms. None of which I had other then a sour stomach. I shared of my experience to warn others to think twice before spending a premium on what is one of the most expensive cruise lines out there and to look elsewhere Crystal and Silver would never have dismissed a customer in this manner.
jennydeer74 6 years ago
I don't know where to begin. That's a whole lot of drama for one person.
No cruise ships have double beds. It's either two singles of those moved together to make a queen or king. This is standard across the industry.
Why didn't you have your passport in your possession? I don't understand why guest services had it.
You seem to have a lot of demands and requirements, it comes across as a little diva-ish. My husband has a CPAP and we just run the extension cord across the floor at night in our cabin and move it out of the way in the morning.
Internet on a cruise ship can be spotty to say the least and its almost always an extra charge. This should come at no surprise.
The ship Dr had every right to be concerned about your symptoms. They are very aware of the possibility of a Noro Virus outbreak and when you tell them you ache and are nauseated, that will raise a red flag, and rightfully so. Why didn't you just go to the shop on board and buy your own Pepto?
I agree that it probably was best for you to leave the ship. I'm sorry it was miserable. However, it doesn't sound like cruising is for you.