We boarded in 30 minutes flat from shuttle to the port in Charleston to the ship. We had picked an early boarding time (11:30 a.m.) so this may have helped. We took a shuttle from our hotel with free parking for our car during the week. This allowed us to avoid the delay in the lineup for parking at the port. The port staff was great and efficient, our bags were taken and we had a short walk to the ship.

Upon boarding food on the Lido deck was already available, so we had a great meal to pass the time until we were able to access our room. Luggage arrived in a timely fashion. Crew was working hard to distribute it to the cabins. We loved the amazing service on board ship, our cabin was great and roomy for a cruise ship even though we had chosen an inside room as we were watching our pennies. Our room steward William (R142) made us towel animals and attended to everything including ice every day.

Loved the food on board as mentioned, but especially the fine dining in the Windstar Dining Room. Such a selection and wonderful service! The pool was rarely crowded despite the fact that there were many families on board – the new slide was busy. When we needed downtime the Serenity deck on board provided a quiet area to relax in sun or shade – drinks can be ordered and delivered to you by a waiter who circulates from one of the bars, or you can climb one flight of stairs to buy a drink for yourself. I can recommend the Lido deck buffet also for any meals or snack time; the food was always fresh and replenished quickly. We were not provided with a room service menu but we called room service anyway. They were most helpful in suggesting choices and sent the food very promptly along with a room service menu for next time. Read more