Please enter your review. I cruised on Windspirit from Athens to Istanbul from August 22 to Aug 30, traveling by myself. The ports and final destination are the highlight of this cruise: Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum, Kusadasi for Ephesus, at sea,and then Istanbul. Most passengers stayed in Istanbul several days at the end of the cruise. Being on a small sailing ship between those ports captures the real feeling of those islands and their history. The service was the best I have ever had on any vacation land or sea:expert, friendly but unobtrusive. The food was delicious, the open seating dining and breakfast and lunch was perfectly managed, the small number of people made it possible to have your breakfast eggs prepared exactly the way you wanted without holding any one up.The breakfast and lunch buffets had a nice choice of items and included food in the local style. Dinners were gourmet and the food was arranged with artistry. Room service was available but the dining rooms were too pleasant to miss. The ship's shore excursions were well thought out and well executed and came with a bottle of water included. You could also go out on your own and not have to compete with 3000 people for taxis. When you returned to the ship, you were met with ice cold wet towels and ice tea,a most welcome touch since it is very hot in August in that part of the world. There was a small spa with excellent massage.In the afternoon there were sandwiches, desserts and tea and coffee on the pool deck.In the evening in the lounge there were delicious appetizers before dinner while we enjoyed the piano music and the informative talk on the port call for the next day. In Rhodes and in Bodrum local dance troupes came on ship and performed before our late evening sail away. Then there was the ship's open air barbeque with everything you could think of, including perfectly done lobster tails. There was a casino and a library/internet room, but aside from the piano music, evening entertainment was using your cabin's DVD and flat screen TV and choosing from 500 available DVDs or a number of TV channels and movies changed everyday. The passengers were more friendly to each other than on any other ship I've been on. One of the highlights was the spirited "Name that Tune" competition in the lounge.I was very happy on this ship. But if you want your cruise to provide extravagant decor, pool or other games, professional evening shows and a variety of places to go on board, this is not the ship for you-you should cruise on a larger ship which has what you want.

I used the cruise line's air and transfer arrangements which were very smooth. Just outside of Customs and Immigration in Athens, I found the Windstar rep who put me into a taxi that went straight to the air conditioned cruise terminal. While there were several hours before embarkation, a Windstar rep took my luggage, so I was free to walk around the terminal or the outside neigborhood.Embarkation was also smooth and friendly and the luggage arrived at my cabin promptly. Disembarkation was also smooth and efficient and a full breakfast was served early enough to enjoy it and return to your room for your luggage.