The size of the ship is nice as you have no long lines and the service was wonderful. Food was well prepared and presented. Balconies to the rooms were very disappointing but the cabin size was good. Activities were poor and excursions excessively expensive but the ports of call were just fabulous.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was fast and easy and luggage arrived very promptly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was lovely. The food was very well done and presented. Our service was outstanding. Bar service was also wonderful - especially with Jesse, Jocelyn and Cesar.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
There were virtually no activities onboard the ship and that was a big disappointment. I realize it is a small ship but that should not mean they cannot have fun things to do. We played two games and went to a cooking demonstration. Other than that, there was nothing else to do other than listen to a lecturer on the British Isles.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Two duos were all there was - same kind of music every day.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had stellar service from everyone - front desk, dining, bar and stateroom.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was great and very spacious. The mini refrigerator was kept stocked with soda and the water. We paid for a balcony - but discovered that you could barely stand on it - it wasn't even big enough for two small chairs. We had an issue with our hot water - it made rust stains on the towels. That meant that we were brushing our teeth, washing our faces and bodies and clothes in it. That was a big negative for us.
Ship tip
Look into adventures in the ports on your own. Their tours were extremely expensive for short times.
So much to see and do. We took the double decker bus all around the city and then visited The Book of Kells, Jamisons, Guiness, Christchurch. We tried to visit the jail but it was all booked. We did not take a Windstar excursion.
We did not take ship excursion. We hired a private tour guide who took us for the day to some wonderful out-of-the-way places and to the Giants Causeway. It was chilly and extraordinary.
We took the local bus and got to visit Scara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and saw the countryside. Then we visited St Magnus Cathedral and the Earl's Palace on our own and had a lovely lunch in a small place.
We hired a local tour guide and had an extraordinary day visiting everywhere. We saw Loch Ness, visited Glenmorangie, went to the Clootie Well, visited Dunrobin Castle and saw the falconry event. It was all glorious.
We stayed an extra couple of days and explored Edinburgh on our own and stayed at an Air BNB. We again took the double decker bus and then walked and visited many places. We toured the underground on a ghost tour, visited Edinburgh Castle, rode the ferris wheel, went up into Scott Tower....
For a small ship, disembarkation was very lengthy. Outside the taxi line was very, very long and I would have thought that Windstar would have arranged for taxis to be at the port.
The private tours that we took were arranged ahead of time using Trip Advisor and Tours by Locals. Some of that is available in the port at times. Be careful of Sundays - things are closed down or running on a much smaller scale. We got Dalriada Tours (Mark) in Portrush and Invergorden Tours (Gavin) in Invergorden. It truly was the best thing we did
Thanks for the review, your port activities sound perfect to us! For the ports you had a private guide, did you arrange that ahead of time or when you got to the port?
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