Before the pandemic, we took many cruises including 10 on Windstar. While we also enjoyed sailing on other cruise lines, we choose Windstar mainly for dining and relaxing. We loved the elegance and size of the Star ships before the stretch. When we heard that the ships were being stretched, we wondered how it would change the ships. Would there be enough space to accommodate more passengers? ...
Our experience started out really rough at the Port in Vancouver. No one seemed to know what the heck was going on and where to send us. There was a lot of walking involved and a lot of waiting! We arrived two hours after our embarkation time and still had to sit and wait at least 45 minutes to board. We found there to be little to no direction throughout the cruise. When in port they ...
We heard a lot about the quality of Windstar cruises and decided to check it out. It certainly met out wildest expectations .
We took a 5 day land tour of. Denali before embarking on the cruise in Juneau. The small ship provided a great intimate experience. The ship never felt crowded and we did not feel like we were in a herd of tourists. We were able to easily meet and make friends with ...
The Star Legend will be in dry dock soon to completely refurbish it and add 100 staterooms. And it need it. Everything was from gently to quite worn. Seals were broken on three large windows in the Yacht Club lounge, obscuring the view.
That said, the staterooms were quite comfortable and the house staff attentive.
Excursions are extremely expensive. Choose wisely. It’s much more fun to ...
This was our second Windstar cruise following last summer’s Norway/Iceland voyage which was marvelous. Sufficiently marvelous that we invited three friends from NYC to join us this time. We previously sailed once on Regent which was but decent and once on Silversea which was slightly better than decent. Windstar ran rings around them on both our sailings aboard Legend and Pride.
See our cabin ...
We chose this itinerary as we wanted to return to Alaska, the Bering Sea was enticing and we love sea days. Japan ports Kishiro and Miyako were an added bonus. When we arrived at the port in Seward we were pleasantly surprised to see the Legend alongside the enormous NCL ship. It is a beauty with clean clear lines. Granted there are some rust spots, but remember it is a ship in the salty ocean ...
Star Legend is not suited for Alaska but rather warmer climates. For example the only indoor bar area, the Compass Rose, was so cold at night that they were actually handing out blankets to try and keep passengers warm. Other ships we have been on have entertainment at night but all Star Legend had was a duo who sang and unbelievably on some nights were scheduled to perform on the open deck at ...
This cruise went to Alaska. Chose Windstar because of port visits. This is my fifth cruise to Alaska; before this always the same ports. Windstar substitutes smaller towns — Haines, Sitka; and Wrangell.
The main problems are passenger comfort and excessive nickel and dimeing. The ship, in an apparent effort to save costs, is too cold. Most passengers wear winter coats to the longes, casino, ...
Overall-
Very good service and excellent crew; highlights were the
exceptional nature staff for lectures and tours. Nice
introduction to Inside Passage and Alaska small town life.
Small ship with interesting guest interactions.
Service: excellent
Food: very good: served dinners, breakfast and lunch buffets
Ship: old ship and good condition; elevators; meeting rooms ...
The pre-cruise land tour spent most of its time figuring out how to fill time instead of showing us the sights. The guide was less than knowledgeable. We paid a great deal, but were often told to go out and get our own meals at our expense. It became obvious that the person in charge of the tour had no interest in the excursions nor any knowledge of how good they were. This characteristic ...