Wind Surf Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Having just sailed into Rome on Cunard after staying in The Grills for 9 nights I suppose Windstar had a lot to live up to. But if a cruise company has a motto of 180degrees from Ordinary then expectations are high.

The Windsurf is a motorised sailing yacht and she is an attractive vessel especially when the sails are out on sailaways and occasionally when she is at anchor the sails are raised so that from the shore she can be admired. The same Vangelis music is played on all Windstar ships as the ship sails' out of port which is a quaint touch. Even now if I hear that tune I think of Windstar fondly.

Embarkation was quick although they hold you on dockside until 1pm in a tent with toilet facilities and beverages, so if you expect to board early it wont happen. Arrive as near to boarding time as you can to avoid having to wait around. Some larger cruise ships boarding starts much earlier but apparently not on Windstar.

The bags are taken from you by porters and take 100 yards to be put through the dock security scanners. The porters wait for a tip which I was surprised with as boarding Cunard in Southampton the porters gladly took your baggage as that is their job without the expectation of a tip.

Once on board after minimal paperwork the cabins were ready. Although again surprisingly passports are taken from passengers for the duration of the cruise and were only released whilst in Monte Carlo if you planned a visit to the casino as part of the special event put on by Windstar.The passports then had to handed back to reception and kept again until we disembarked on the morning of arrival into Barcelona.

We were disappointed there was no wine package available although a drinks package of 116 US$ per day per stateroom plus 15% service charge was available  which we considered to be really expensive. I do understand that some cruise companies are no longer offering the wine package which is a shame as it is nice to be able to choose a wine for your particular taste preference and match it with what is on the menu and not just have what is available on the drinks package. We chose to have wine by the glass but again were left disappointed as a glass of wine size was not mentioned on the menu i.e. 125 or 150 ml so when buying a glass I always noted that we were served a small serving where as the customers on the drinks packages were always being poured a larger serving.

We were pleased that we brought two bottles of wine onboard during embarkation to drink in our cabin. However we were pleasantly surprised that on three occasions the Windsurf did give free drinks at the Captains cocktail reception, an invite to a returner drinks reception and the night of the special event in Monte Carlo the wine flowed freely in the dinning room. In hindsight we were glad we didn't commit to a wine package has it really wasn't necessary as we are not big drinkers. Soft drinks are all included in the basic cost of the cruise which did include fresh juices and virgin cocktails for example.

The ship is well maintained. We were lucky the weather was beautiful for the duration of the cruise so we were able to spend a lot of time on deck sunbathing, in the Jacuzzi or cooling down in the pool. The Jacuzzi and pool are both salt water which was an added bonus. The only negative comment were the lack of towels on the sun beds. The crew did their best to keep the supplies topped up but everyone always seemed to be waiting for fresh towels which appeared to come directly from the laundry so maybe more towels need to be provided generally onboard the ship. Top tip are spare towels are kept hidden under the bar area.

Apart from the main restaurant the Amphora there are two speciality restaurants on the Windsurf the Stella Bistro and candles which is the outdoor area of the veranda restaurant where breakfast and lunch are served. We were not advised that we needed to book our reservations for these two speciality restaurants immediately otherwise there may be difficulty obtaining reservations for them even by the next day. Luckily we saw a queue of people gathering and realised what was happening so we managed to secure a reservation in both restaurants. However it was obvious that some people didn't manage to get reservations and daily we heard complaints at the reception desk.

Not quite sure Windsurf lived up to the 180 degrees from ordinary.

Intimate size, excellent service, great food, and good wine list.  Our suite was nicely configured and second bathroom a real plus.  Menu lacked sufficient variety by week's end and some staff were difficult to understand.

Windstar from Istanbul to Athens offered more interesting posts of call.

My husband and I really enjoyed this cruise.  The ports chosen, service and food on board were outstanding.  There were many opportunities to meet and enjoy conversations with other passengers or spend time alone.  I especially would like to applaud the friendly and helpful staff on board.

This was the best cruise i have taken. I felt I was travelling with like minded people. No small children underfoot. Food was great, but what made it the best was the staff, everyone from the captain to the engine room workers. Service was exceptional, the ship was very well kept. I was proud to tell people in our ports - that is our ship! Looking forward to sailing with Windstar again

After taking big ship cruises every year, this was quite a pleasant surprise.  The crew was phenomenal, food outstanding.  Can't say enough good things about the cruise.  Will definitely go WindStar again!  Can't wait!

Staterooms, food, bar services, staff, dining, entertainment are all very good. The dining staff is very unorganized. Lots of people running around but nothing getting accomplished. No set assignments, very slow to clear tables. The Veranda is not set-up well for breakfast or lunch if cold or inclement weather.

Perfect size, great atmosphere.

How thrilling to see the Wind Surf for the first time as we approached berth. Check in was a little disorganized onboard but after that we were very happy with everything. Top notch food served in main, specialty and all fresco. All no extra charge. Pleasant entertainment especially crew talent show. Drop down aft sports platform is so much fun. Complimentary wind surfers rafts boats. U r welcome on the bridge while underway. Spectacular excursions not included in price but very complete. We dove on Dominica zipped and soaked in sulphur baths on st lucia,had a food demo and,fort tour on Guadeloupe. Dropped anchor just off there for dinner on the deck that night. Sailed right up to the Grand Pitons. Beautiful cabins. Did not miss a balcony at all. Small ship 2 minutes we were on deck.

How to describe this cruise..first of all, the ship is so intimate and calming..there were only about 300 people on this cruise. No kids, and we love kids! NO bright lights etc, it was so relaxing to have the sails brought out and the music so exciting and the captain so accessible! The food wonderful, the staff excellent and so friendly and fun to chat with! Also the state room was nice and well maintained! The ports of call were the very best!

If you love to cruise, try this cruiseline out...Sailing yachts!  We were so impressed our friends went the next year!

We were in suite 503 and it way lovely. I would book it again!

Windsurf is a beautifully put together Yatch. You feel the ambiance without the formality! It was kept imaculate and all the staff and ships personnel go out of their way to make you feel special.

This ship was very nice, clean and well maintained

We recently sailed on the WindSurf (their Rome/Monte Carlo voyage) and had a wonderful time. The staff were extremely warm and attentative, the food and entertainment was terrific . . . it was truly the best experience of our lives. We'll be booking another cruise this summer.

We love Windstar and this was our 5th. cruise with them. Embarkation was exceedingly smooth. We arrived by private taxi and were able to board immediately. The room was very clean and everything worked well. As always, our cabin steward was a dream. They learn your comings and goings immediately and are never intrusive. Dining room service was also very good. The stewards are very eager to please and try to accommodate everyone. We often bring our own wine, purchased locally, and pay a $10 corkage fee. The menu is varied and the food is good, but not great. If you request a dish of caviar or 5 lobsters, they will always try to grant your wishes. Service was occasionally a little slow but the Dining Room Managers always go our of their way to make the experience exceptional. Morning room service was always punctual.The band was very good for a small ship and they were able to get everyone up to dance. Unfortunately they always retired at 12:00AM, even if there were people in the lounge. The duo in the bar was also enjoyable. The ports could have been a little better, especially Rostock, Germany and Latvia. Talinn, Estonia was wonderful, but we only spent 1/2 day there so that we could get to St. Petersburg early the next morning. This is one of the drawbacks in sailing on a smaller ship. We rarely take the tours but did so in St. Petersburg because we did not have Russian visas. The tours, run by Baltic Travel, were great. All in all, we had a wonderful experience and found all of the crew friendly and helpful, as always. The only inconvenience was when we disembarked. We have learned that it is rarely necessary to buy ground transfers and prefer to leisurely take our own taxi. In Copenhagen, we were only a 10 minute ride from the hotel. The bus for the people utilizing the ground transfer service never arrived, so the member of the Wind Surf social staff commandeered all of the taxis, leaving the rest of us to wait in a long line, after rushing to get us off of the ship. It would have been a little classier if they had allowed us a little more time to linger over breakfast.

We waited at the airport for transportation to the ship. No one greeted us.Embarkation was disorganized. We arrived early (based on their travel arrangements), only to be refused boarding for several more hours.Since we had traveled all night, this was extremely difficult.The ship looked old, but was maintained okay (not great though). The stateroom was adequate, but small, the pillows and linens were no different than those of other "ordinary cruise lines."The room would not cool properly. We had to request three times that it be corrected, eventually it was. Other service also required several requests.The food was good, but not better than we had with Celebrity Cruises, or even Disney. There was no flexibility on the preparation, something we experienced on the Celebrity cruise. The service was fair, one evening we left before dessert because no one came to take our order.Room service was used one morning, we waited 45 minutes, only then to be told they only had two people delivering and it may take longer. When the food arrived, the order was wrong.The ports were great and the casual atmosphere was very enjoyable. I would recommend the ship for the itinerary, not the amenities. Overall, we did not feel anything was outstanding, we felt it was just ordinary.

Again, this was everything we hoped for and were rewarded with they are still the best line.

We had a wonderful experience on the Wind Surf. This was our first Windstar Cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. The passenger to crew ratio is much better than the large cruise ships we have been on. We much prefer the small personalized ship. We already reserved a spot on a future Windstar Cruise.

Had been on the smaller Wind Song and Wind Spirit ships so we were uncertain on how we would like the larger Wind Surf. It was great. 300 passengers and rarely saw a crowd except at dinner and daily talks. Shore excursions are expensive, we booked 2 excursions before we traveled for the exact same ones the shipped offered and they were less than half the price. Beverage packages should not be part of an upscale cruise. Charge a little more and make it all inclusive. Crew was its normal Wind Star fantastic.