Wind Surf Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband and I have traveled a lot, but never cruised. We weren't interested in large ships, so our first cruise was on the Wind Surf in May, 2023, Italy and Croatia. In spite of very bad luck with the weather, we loved the experience and are already planning our next Windstar trip. The ship is older and shows signs of wear if you look for it, but that didn't bother us a bit...we loved the really nautical feel and particularly the layout, light and spaciousness of the public spaces. As everyone always mentions, the crew is just fantastic...whatever they're paid, I'm sure it's not enough. Their attitude goes a very long way towards making the experience relaxed and enjoyable.
It was very easy to meet other passengers, but you could also get alone time if you wanted it. Apparently, there were 240 passengers on board so around 80 under capacity. Never stood in a line for anything other than very short lines boarding the tenders.
We found the food to be very good, most of the time not anything exceptional. But more than fine. Seemed that, for dinners, there was always one or two elements - maybe appetizer or dessert- that excelled if the main dish didn't.
Cabin Review
Suite
We had Suite port side, slightly aft. Very quiet. The A/C was really blasting and too cold, so we called and there was one fix which didn't really do the job. But after a second call, technician came in and adjusted something in the air duct, and then it was perfect.
Port Reviews
Rovinj
We booked the Experience Istria excursion through Windstar. Very enjoyable, and ended with an excellent lunch at a local restaurant up in the hills. Expensive like all ship excursions, but not a bad deal with this lunch.
Split
We booked a tour with a private company and went to Togir and Split. Only 4 of us on the tour. Very enjoyable towns, even if touristy
Kotor
Spectacularly beautiful bay when you pull in. This was one of the very few ports where Wind Surf docked instead of tendering, so was great to just step off the ship and walk right into town. We walked some fortress walls until it was more than our ability, and then walked around town and had lunch. Definitely one of very favorite stops.
Taormina (Messina)
Booked a ship excursion since it was a relatively short day at port. Very pretty place but somewhat marred by cool, drizzly weather.
Sorrento
Semi-disastrous experience. Rained steadily every single minute we were there. Booked ship excursion to Pompeii which I was so looking forward to. Supposed to be 1 hour drive from Sorrento to Pompeii, took over 2 hours. So an already short time at Pompeii became even shorter. Pompeii was very crowded, so basically had to dodge umbrellas everywhere. Not at all the experience I was looking forward to.