Having done this exact cruise last year, albeit a little later in the Spring, and enjoyed it so much we booked it again when offered. In full disclosure we got an AMAZING deal that we couldn't pass up. The crossing was originally scheduled for the end of March but was moved up two weeks. We found out at the end of the crossing that it was to complete a 10-day dry dock before SP began her Med season. Only 62 people were onboard compared to 168 last year. Did it make a difference? Yes, in that there wasn't enough for the crew to do, and it seemed they got a little bored. Can't blame them. With the exception of the trivia games and "name that tune" the guests didn't seem to want to participate a lot - maybe they were a little bored too. The Spa was rarely used as was the gym. Several times on leaving the gym in the late afternoon the hair salon area was dark and there was no one at the front desk. Rarely saw anyone in the casino (which we heard is being eliminated during the "stretching"). Cruiselines use the days at sea to get done repairs, both cosmetic and mechanical, that couldn't be completed during the ship's Caribbean season. This resulted in some noise, loud at times, that really bugged some people - us not so much. After receiving complaints the ship did the best they could to complete the repairs when guests weren't on deck. As another reviewer wrote Star Pride is showing her age and isn't due to go into full dry dock for "stretching" until 2020, so it's no wonder WS schedule a mini-dry dock now. Hopefully these repairs will be enough to see the ship through. The crew was fantastic! Learned your name quickly and your preferences for things like coffee, wine, etc. They were always smiling and always greeted you by name. With only one exception, we felt they worked hard and enjoyed what they did. We couldn't say the same for our stateroom attendant. Nice guy but seemed not to have been well trained. The food was outstanding and, we both agreed, actually better this year than last. Really it was the highlight of the trip. Our stop in Horta was pretty worthless, although it was nice to get onto dry land for a few hours. We ventured forth and found the grocery store to buy some liquor to take back on with us for the remaining 3 days. We had taken liquor on in our bags when we boarded so we thought this wouldn't be a problem. I understand the liquor confiscation reasoning and policy, especially for Caribbean cruises, but with only 3 days left it would have been nice if someone had told security to waive it. Instead we didn't get to enjoy drinks in our room and went to the Compass Rose instead. In fairness the port that we had also brought and was confiscated with the liquor, was returned to us that same afternoon. Still, we kind of resented what we felt was petty on WS's part. SP is an older ship and I'll be interested to see what she looks like after her "stretching" in 2020. We won't do another crossing though. Even at a great price it just lacked anything that would compel us to return. Read Less

Our first Windstar cruise, based on a recommendation from a friend who knows that we like smart and engaging people, don't like rowdy drunk crowds, and want a genuine experience. We learned a lot and immediately signed back up for more Windstar! What can I say other than "amazing!". While the large ship experiences bring their own attributes, this ship size, itinerary, and staff have us sold on Windstar, since they brought so many terrific benefits. I could go on forever, but I'll limit it to a few key topics, and a story of special coverage by the crew that was exceptional. SHIP: small, as cruise ships go, but never felt crowded, never waited in lines (except for the topside cookout in which everyone rushed the line but ten minutes later was cleared). There are plenty of places to get alone by yourself, do morning stretches, have a quiet moment with a loved one, etc. BARS: the outdoor topside bar was by far the most popular given weather, ability to spread out, but also to meet nice and interesting folks. FOOD: Terrific all around! Main dining Amphora was stellar every night. Candles night was intimate, delicious, and fantastic! Breakfast and lunch buffets are great, fresh, and the staff is totally focused on making your meal ideal, so just ask for anything special. All-day breakfast and sandwich counter made a great fill-in when we got back from sightseeing. OFFICERS, CREW, & STAFF: This is where I have to focus most. Incredibly nice, friendly, accommodating, and professional from top to bottom. Every individual we met was terrific. But the real story was about a bad situation that they made infinitely better. Just prior to the cruise, a family friend passed away, who was not only my godfather but also as much a father to me as my own, and in recent decades more so, and a dear friend. Our families consider each other extended family. The funeral had to occur during our cruise, on Day 8 of 10, so we worked with Windstar to allow us to disembark in Grenada, fly home to make the funeral, of which i was to officiate and sing. Needless to say, a very emotional situation. We had shared the fact that we were leaving early with staff that would be affected or those that simply asked and expressed condolences. We disembarked, went to the airport, and long story short, found that our flight was cancelled, and at 5pm found out that we would NOT be able to leave the island until the following afternoon, thereby missing the funeral we worked so hard to coordinate to make. With literally NO time to spare, we called the ship, asked if we could reboard, sailed through customs with the help of American Airlines staff, had a cab fly through town, and we made it to the pier with just minutes before Sail Away. Although devastated by the events so far, the next 24 hours were incredible. The Chief Pursor, front desk staff, Hotel Manager all met us and assured a smooth process, even to the extent of them asking if there was anything at all they could do to help. They were amazingly empathetic, and genuinely worked that day and the next to give us every assistance we could want, including calls, Internet, etc. The Dining staff gave us special attention, delivered us a wonderful in-room meal, and the bar staff brought us wine as we "licked our wounds". The next day, every staff member we came into contact expressed genuine concern, and went out of their way to help us enjoy this day at sea with tons of kindnesses and support. We were incredibly moved at the empathy and wonderfulness of the entire crew including officers, the bar team, the dining team, the breakfast cooks, and so on. While they may have forgotten us as they move forward to accommodate every guest every day, we will never forget them. Thank you Windstar! Read Less

I’ve been on one of windstars Mediterranean sailing cruises and it was wonderful, but the star pride Caribbean cruse has been a horrible waist of money. Not a nice experience at all. Unlike the sailing ships the star pride is run down. They run the engine so hard at night we can’t sleep because our bed shakes so bad. Not rocking of the boat or poor weather but engine rattling that makes your teeth chatter. Our shower has a back flow issue and we come back to find it filled with mearky water even when we haven’t been using it. The worst part is that the cruise is full of drunk rude and rowdy teenagers. They will keep serving the 16 year olds alcohol as long as the parents say it’s ok. But the parents don’t watch them and let them have the run of the ship. I didn’t pay $2000pp for the spring break in Tijuana experience. If I wanted that I’d go on a cheaper large cruse. This makes it a terrible cruse for couples dealing a quite nice experience. Communication with the crew is poor. Many of them don’t speak much English. I also get the feeling many of them are unhappy and probably live in terrible conditions from our interactions. The excursions are really disappointing for the money. We landed in Monserrat and they didn’t tell us until the night before there is no was of getting around the island and nothing to do unless you had booked one of the booked out excursions. We paid $100 per person to book the last remaining activity and it was just a drive to a place where you can see a few posters explaining the volcano and watch a 30 minute video. You couldn’t even see anything else. Then you get driven to a very small garden and told it’s another $10 to go in. The other “snokeling” excursion at St. Thomas was just a booze cruse. The boat is crowded and eating onboard for breakfast and lunch is fine because it’s a buffet but dinner is very slow. We wait on average an hour for our entrees. My husband has a special diet due to a very serious health condition but the crew we interact with don’t have strong enough English to understand what he needs. They run out of things constantly. Imagine being on a cruise where you can’t get any olive oil, only dressings with sugar on your salad. We tried ordering inadvance but it does no good. He still gets the wrong things when it comes time for dinner. Also it’s very hard to eat healthy on board we’ve found a lot of things have corn starch in them. The food it’s self is still pretty good for someone with no dietary needs. Read Less

We picked this cruise for the ports, price and small ship experience. With 210 passengers it was a clear change from the 23 previous cruises we have had on nearly all the major brands, sans Carnival. The week after Thanksgiving is a more affordable time to cruise the Caribbean. You WILL pay more to sail on Windstar. The price we paid is what made this particular cruise appealing, plus the fact there were no sea days. Be warned - sea days on the Star Pride would prove quite boring. Our entertainment at night was limited to four musicians performing in two separate groups. Nothing more. Most folks are in bed after dinner. Our cabin was quite spacious and of course clean as a whistle. We did miss having a balcony, but we would not have used it much anyway since we were busy in port during the day and the sun sets early in November.. The food and service were the best we've had a cruise - bar none. It is a major focus for Windstar. Can't say enough about how great it is. Fellow guests were for the most part quite sociable. You see the same folks at different venues and that results in pleasant shared experiences. Bottom line: If you find a cruise you like on a Windstar ship at the price you are willing to pay - go for it. But beware of sea days! Read Less

My husband and I had an excellent time on our 14 day southern Caribbean cruise. We spent one night pre-cruise in San Juan. Embarkation and disembarkation were flawless. The ports of call were fun and new places to explore. We especially enjoyed our time at Maho beach in Saint Martin, Princess Margaret beach in Bequia and Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. The weather was great but the highlight of the ship was the service and the food. The staff are so well-trained to provide very personalized service without being in your space. The food was by far the best food I’ve had in 80 cruises. We loved the sailaway ceremony in each port. Swimming off the back water sport deck is a fun way to end the day’s activities. WindStar has become our new top cruise line after having sailed many mainline larger cruise ships. The decor and the flexibility of being on a smaller ship fit our cruising lifestyle perfectly. Read Less

The Star Pride, food service and crew met all of our expectations and are the reason we continually pick Windstar. On board services were first class. Now for the cons: Since space is not available for a large swimming pool, the Swim Tub is a good idea; however, most passengers use it as a second jacuzzi and just sit there. This means that those of us wanting to swim, have no facility. Windstar needs to figure his out. We would like to see more reasonable priced ship sponsored tours that are comparable to local tours obtained through services like trip advisor. Our biggest grip and disappointment on this cruise was most port stops the first week did not met what I would call Windstar standards. We suggested to Windstar the following:(like they would listen to me.) No visits to St Thomas on Sunday , or better yet, none at all. Town completely closed down and a waste of time to visit. Folks in town that I spoke to said,” there is no way they will open on a Sunday to a 200 passenger ship”. Poor port choice. No stops in Montserrat, Little bay. Nothing, absolutely nothing to do but see the volcano.and exclusion zone. Waste of time. Roads are poorly maintained and dangerous to drive on. Taxis in poor condition. Why not cruise off shore from volcano, explain eruption and exclusion zone on speaker system and continue on to next destination. Very poor port choice Josh Van Dyke. worst port of all. Too devastated, a shanty town. White beach okay but figure out how to get tender there instead of docking on out skirts of town and then forced to take a taxi to beach. Virgin Gorda another do nothing stop. The chosen beach BBQ area was picturesque and fully functional but immediate surroundings were devastated by the hurricane. Due to rough seas we had an fabulous BBQ on the ship. Poor port choice. It feels Like no one from Windstar has really assessed the Montserrat, Jost Van Dyke or the Virgin Gorda environment. Very, very poor port choices Conclusion is Windstar must do a better job in selecting ports of call on the first week of the San Juan and Virgin Islands itinerary,especially for islands affected by Hurricane Irma. We were very displeased and disappointed. Our stops on the second week, Windward Island surf and Sunset cruise were far better than first week.In fact, if I would have known how badly devastated some areas were the first week, We would have only booked the Windward Islands segment.Shame on me, should of done my home work, I hate learning the hard way. I also feel more reasonable beverage prices would be appreciated . $7.99 for a mini bar beer is outrageous and gouging. I stopped drinking the second week. Beverage packages are not designed for those of us that have partners who do not drink or for those who have a couple drinks a day. Dress codes are hard to enforce but at times there are violations that should to be addressed. For instance every night at dinner either at Candles or Amphora, their are guests wearing shorts, or blue jeans, tee shirts and sandals. Windstar is a cut above the rest and dress code violations should not be permitted or Windstar should change the code. Overall we have graded this cruise experience as a 3 out of 5 due to the first week’s choice of ports. We have done four Windstar cruises this is our the first “3”, all the rest graded “5+”. Read Less

Embarkation is a walk right on, and too long of a wait. They have different stations to visit, port excursions, spa, drink package, etc. They take your credit card and give you your key and you are free to go to your room and wait for your luggage or go to lunch. Our bags came just as we were about to go to lunch, so we unpacked and barely made lunch. We chose this cruise for the islands. It left and returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and stopped in St. Maarten, Guadaloupe, Bequia, Grenada, and St. Lucia. The food was amazing, and the service is impeccable. They really do anything they can to make you feel like family. So genuine. The entertainment is not that of a larger ship, but there was usually one or two places you could go hang out with live music, dancing, or a hilarious game. The staff puts on a dance/singing show one night, also. It's a bit quieter than a large ship because there are not as many people on board. We enjoy being able to get on and off the ship without ever waiting in a long line. Even on days where they tender you off. We really enjoyed St. Maarten, Bequa, and Grenada the most for the beaches. In Guadaloupe we rented a scooter. Very small island! Just know that they close for siesta between 12 and 2:30, so don't expect to turn your golf cart or scooter in during those times. We were hunting for a rental place during that time and found one still open. Good way to go to the top of the fort, but they were closed too! We found a beach for the day. We got chairs on Bequia at Fay's and had rum punch all afternoon. We walked over to Jack's and had a delicious lunch. Walked back to the ship after a lazy day in the water and on the beach. Some friends took a cab back. The day we were supposed to have a shore excursion on Grenada through Windstar, it got cancelled the night before due to not enough people. You would think they would've said something earlier so we could recruit, but we enjoyed our beach day. We took a cab to the beach and a guy was delivering rum punch to us on the beach. Grand Anse is beautiful! St. Lucia (Pigeon Island) was lovely. It rained off and on, but there was a wonderful beach party bbq lunch. The property is next door to one of The Sandals Resorts. We had a fun day in the water, and floating lilly pads and trampoline. You can walk up to a fort but we didn't because we thought it would be too slippery with the heavy rain. It was beautiful! There are locals with jewelry set up as you are walking to the private beach. Windstar also was selling bug spray, sunscreen, sweatshirts. They had steel drum music being played, too. At Disembarkation, we signed up for a Windstar Old San Juan Walking Tour. Could have done that on our own for way less and seen more because our tour got cut short due to someone not able to walk any further and the van picked us all up and took us to our hotel or airport depending where you were going. Oh well! This was our 2nd Windstar Cruise, as we did Tahiti last year and loved it! Yes we are hooked. I don't love waiting in lines or crowds. I enjoy finding a lounger at the pool when I feel like going out on the deck. Nobody hogging them with their towels all day long and nowhere to be seen. We had a fun time! Read Less

We wanted to try a transAtlantic cruise and the 13-day trip from San Juan to Lisbon seemed perfect. We had delightful weather the first 10 days, interesting weather the last three. Our bad that we didn't realize that the trip was as much for maintenance as for our pleasure, so we can't complain that deck crews were occasionally in the way of outside activities. The cuisine was perfect. The wine list was very interesting. Crew were positive and professional. We didn't expect to be entertained, so the daily astronomy lectures, French conversation and trivia competition were a nice surprise. We will go again. If there was one small quibble, it is the antiquated wiring in our cabin. A lot has changed in the 30 years the Pride has been sailing. Most of us carry a variety of electronics, all of which need plugging in at some point. Our suite had three outlets, two in the living area and one in the bathroom. The 220 in the bathroom didn't work and the 120 in the main cabin couldn't seem to get a steady grip on the plug. It seems like rewiring the ship would be a daunting project, but something akin to the Bose docking station that sits in front of the old sound controls might make ours lives easie - a nicely installed power strip if the electrical system is up to it.. One other quibble: Embarkation was slow, hot and frustrating. The ship began boarding an hour after hotel check-out, so passengers were left to their own devices to find shade until the gates opened, which a hundred meters of shade beckoned just beyond the gate. Wait! One more tiny quibble: TV selection was pretty good with reasonably current movies, but one can watch the same documentary about the Panama Canal so many times. Read Less

We got an offer from WS for the Eastbound TA as a prior cruiser and it truly was an offer we couldn't refuse. We had always wanted to try the power yachts (or as someone I know calls them "baby Seaborns" since the boats used to be owned by SB). We opted for a BS1 on Deck 5. Up front let me state that we have already booked the same crossing for next year in the same cabin - we loved it that much! We flew down to San Juan and stayed at the El Convento right in the heart of Old San Juan - highly recommended. San Juan looks good, but in reality there was a lot of damage. We went to the pier at 11:00 and were told we could drop off our stuff but that they wouldn't be ready for boarding until 1:30. So we walked around, did a little shopping (including buying some booze to enjoy in our cabin) and arrived back around 2. After a little wait we were on board and another little wait while people checked in. No problem for us. There were 163 (?) passengers on the ship. In a nutshell this was the perfect escape. Great crew, very good food, nice entertainment and enough things to do if you wanted or nothing to do if that's what you needed. Bar and restaurant crew were all outstanding. Spa/gym was fine for what I needed (although an elliptical would be great!); men's shave done by the Spa Manager was one of the best treatments I've had on a ship. So why only 4 stars? There were some things operationally that WS didn't think through: it became evident, based on the Captain's daily report, that we were going to be running into some not so great weather as the days went on. Knowing that WS should have rescheduled some things, especially the Deck BBQ that EVERYONE was looking forward to. They should have moved it up when the weather/temps were favorable, but instead kept to the routine which meant it was on dreary, rainy and windy day so that they had to improvise and move it indoors. I understand the weather is out of WS's control, but they knew what was coming (since we were told every day to expect worsening conditions). The result was less than stellar food - Budhi, the head chef, and his crew did his best but - of no fault of his own - the event was just disappointing. This was the head office's call and they blew it. If they weren't aware of the situation then there was a breakdown in communication. This criticism may be nitpicking but on a crossing - when very few "special events" are expected - the special events that they did have should have been well executed. It wasn't. Again - we loved the crossing, met some nice people and just reveled in the sheer monotony of the day to day repetitiveness: wake up, eat, lay on deck, eat, read/nap, shower, drink, eat and go to bed. Get up and do it all over again. Not for everyone - totally for us! Hopefully next year these decisions will be made with a little more foresight. Regardless, I am hoping to see many of the crew that we met when we are onboard again - they really made the experience phenomenal. Read Less

Great trip! Thirteen days at sea and away from chaos of USA. The crew were phenomenal and really care about customer service. Beautiful suite with Juliet balcony. It was really nice to sleep with door open and the sound of the waves. We had smooth sailing virtually the entire trip. Being in the middle of the Atlantic and waited on so well was such a wonderful experience. The meals, particularly dinner, were outstanding. Everything is made on demand and plated with style. Single seating wherever and whenever you want in the dining room. My wife is a vegetarian and commented on quality and variety. Perhaps the most wonderful thing on this ship is that there are virtually no lines from boarding to departure. Our voyage had 163 passengers and 150+ crew on board. I enjoyed the entertainment, especially Greg Redfern who spoke almost every morning about space and the stars. His night time star gazing session with deck lights off was amazing. I would love to do another crossing on Star Pride. Read Less

For those of you who want 'the scoop' and are waffling whether to cruise on this type of ship - here's a summary: 1. Don't book if you're disabled, seriously. There's elevators, but they don't go everywhere, and ALL PORTS were TENDERED. The tender at times is a challenge to get into/out of. And a lot of the ports require walking, have hills, or focus on water sports. Also, the captain did an incredible job in keeping that vessel stable in the swells that we had, but it's not a 130k ship, so of course there's more movement. 2. Don't book if you're looking to nag at everything that's less than perfect and 5-star - they do an awesome job but it's not Regent or whoever they are. Also no formal gowns here. The destination talks will not be done by highflying scientists. 3. Don't book if you need constant entertainment, shopping, exotic stuff to do and if you must spend your time using wifi.. They make many stops so the shop is often closed (-by law-), many people are active and go to bed early, and there's no flowrider, climbing wall or ice rink :] Wifi is expensive and slow, TV very limited. Perfect if you love reading or watching DVD's or lie out on deck and relax. 4. While not formal, they WILL send you to your room to change if you wear shorts to dinner. They let the flip-flops slide... 5. Smoking is very limited (thank God!) - so if you are a smoking-in-casino type, probably not the ship for you. We booked this Windstar cruise just a few months prior to departure since our planned St. Maarten vacation had to be changed due to the hurricane damage. Due to the date, the price was right and we wanted to try a small ship. Went from the airport directly to the pier since we had seen San Juan before. We had not booked a transfer with Windstar which was probably a good idea since we would have waited at the airport for everyone to arrive, and instead we could embark and enjoy our cabin. Of course embarkation in San Juan is a breeze (it even was on the 960-passenger Viking Star), more so on a ship with only 212 passengers. It took all of 10 minutes to walk to the check-in area, get our ship's card and our photo taken at the gangway. Our room (lowest category) was incredible - the largest we've had, a true suite with comfortable sofa, a window sill you can sit in/on, 2 more chairs and accent tables.. the bathroom...! double sinks, marble, deep tub/shower... wow. TV turns to sofa or the bed. We don't do much drinking or entertainment, so can't comment on bars etc, but the library was great, you can take books or DVDs to watch in your cabin. Service is unsurpassed - everybody knew our name by day 2 or 3, and nothing was too much of a bother. Even though breakfast/lunch are buffet, they will bring you anything you ask for that could be available. Very mixed bunch of passengers, age, backgrounds and otherwise, from kids, to boozing rednecks , to gay couples, families, groups, elderly, people from US, Canada, Australia, Fiji, India, Cuba... even an autistic girl who was just a joy to be around. Everyone was lovely with her. We didn't do their shore excursions since (except for the unplanned St.Kitt's stop) they were quite expensive - perhaps due to the small group sizes. Ports, see below. Several of us became "Windstar converts" others will probably not return. That depends whether it's a good fit for you or not. Read Less

This was our first small ship cruise, and we enjoyed it. The onboard experience was excellent. However, I’m not sure I would book another cruise on Windstar, due to the multiple frustrations of dealing with their business unit. The cruise itself was great. We loved the spacious cabin, with the biggest bathroom we’ve ever had on a cruise ship — double sinks even! The walk-in closet was great for keeping things organized. We didn’t miss having a balcony as much as I’d expected. The toiletries were lovely L’Occitane products. We did learn to shower at less popular times if we wanted hot water. I especially appreciated the unlimited laundry package. For a very reasonable $10 per day per cabin, we were able to reuse clothes as often as we wanted, and to arrive home with a suitcase full of clean clothes, not nasty smelly ones. The only thing we didn’t like about the Star Pride were the low ceilings. My 6’3” hubby banged his head on several doorways and stairwells. He couldn’t use the treadmill in the gym because he hit his head on the ceiling with every stride. Advice to Windstar newbies: have seasickness meds available, and use them proactively! We have taken numerous ocean cruises with never a bit of discomfort, but we failed to anticipate how different a small ship would feel. The first day, a sea day, was very rough. As soon as I woke up, I felt ill. I could not even sit up in bed without vomiting. Hubby was also affected, but luckily not so badly. He was able to make it to Reception and get meds. We both had to lie in bed until afternoon, missing breakfast and lunch, but were able to enjoy dinner. After that, we took meds in advance of every sailing. The last day was still a little nauseating, but otherwise we had no further trouble. The staff were excellent. They knew everybody’s name by day 2! Also your cabin number, your favorite drinks and sides, your hometown, and so much more. We have never had better food on a cruise ship. The deck BBQ was one of the highest quality buffets we’ve ever enjoyed. We appreciated the small, unusual ports. Our favorite was the rustic and charming Les Saintes, Guadeloupe. We also especially enjoyed Anse Mitan (with the help of a private guide), and Falmouth, Antigua. One of the most impressive service incidents was when we were delayed from docking back in San Juan at the end of the cruise. We were supposed to dock at 7:00 AM, but even though the Coast Guard cleared us to dock, the harbor pilot refused to work in rough seas. We sailed back and forth outside the harbor for hours, until Windstar finally found another pilot who got us to the dock at 1:30 PM. Amazingly, the crew managed to serve a last-minute, unscheduled lunch. We’re not talking a tray of sandwiches! It was a full, normal hot lunch with cooking stations, and including complimentary beverage service. Kudos to the chef, kitchen staff, and serving staff for pulling off that feat! So the cruise was great. However, virtually every interaction we had with Windstar the company was a hassle. Here are just a few of the worst issues: 1. They overcharged us at final payment. The invoice they sent us showed a payment due of NEGATIVE $845. Even though their own invoice showed the error, it took two weeks to get a refund. 2. We were supposed to have an onboard credit of $500. It never showed up. Our travel agent contacted Windstar, and reported that they saw where it dropped off and were “seeing what they could do”. Every time we asked for an update, we got the same answer. I tried to contact Windstar, but they said they could not discuss it with me, only my agent. Five weeks later: still no answer, no $500. 3. The price of our cruise dropped $600 per person at the last minute. Since we booked under the old Price Assurance policy, we were eligible for an adjustment. Windstar denied us the adjustment. I asked our agent to remind them that we booked under the old policy, but she never followed up. Another couple on our cruise, who also booked under the old policy, received this adjustment. Our agent was negligent in following up, but that wouldn’t have mattered if Windstar had done the right thing, as they did for other passengers. I could give numerous other examples of Windstar HQ messing up our booking and excursions. Virtually every interaction we had with them was frustrating. So, even though we enjoyed the actual cruise, I would be very hesitant to book another Windstar cruise. I cannot recommend the company due to the hassle factor, even though we enjoyed the actual cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on both the timeframe and the destination. Our departure port was Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and arrived a day early to have a photo session with a photographer in Old San Juan, explore the city and also stay at our first Airbnb (on a rooftop - so amazing!!). Getting on the ship went smoothly and we felt welcomed and appreciated as soon as we arrived. The ship is mostly made of couples who don't have children, and it offers a small pool and a hot tub on deck. I love the fact that it is a small ship with only a few hundred people on board. It gives a special and more intimate feel to the whole trip. Everything felt clean and well prepared to accept guests, and it stayed that way our entire cruise. The dining was exceptional, and we always felt as though we were at a 5 star restaurant. The waitstaff and maitre d also took the time to get to know our names and welcome us. We only chose room service once, but that also was exceptional. I love that they utilize James Beard Foundation recipes, and our chef really cared about the ingredients! While on board we were able to see (and sample) a culinary presentation by the chef, tour the galley, see an emotional and hilarious show put on be the crew and view the secrets of folding the adorable towels by the housekeeping staff. Oh! And how could I forget the mixology presentation by the bar staff (with samples!)? We explored many of the islands on our own, but I truly enjoyed the fact that there was a port talk the night before we arrived on any island. It really helped us wrap our head around sights we wanted to see. One excursion we tested out was zip lining in St. Lucia. Everything was very well organized, and we truly enjoyed ourselves. The staff and service was beyond excellent. We also enjoyed visiting the bridge on several occasions, which was truly a treat and a learning experience. It's just another perk about a smaller cruise ship. The ports were well chosen, and Windstar doesn't always dock at major ports, which is so nice! Most of our ports were smaller in size, and at times we also set anchor and took a tender boat to and from the island for an exceptional experience. I would DEFINITELY choose Windstar again. This was our second time with them - the first was over a decade ago. I guarantee it won't be that much time in between cruises again. I am already planning our next trip! And speaking of that, it really amazed me how many guest on the boat were repeat cruisers. That says a lot about Windstar itself! :) Read Less

First - Windstar engages in flat out False Advertising (in our case -$200 in ship board credits per passenger). They were given ample opportunity to make this right and simply could not find a way to make it right. First - and last - time Windstar customer and they couldn’t care less. Business must be great when you can alienate new customers so easily Second - communications are horrendous. In the above issue it was raised with an officer - the top guy in charge of the hotel side of things - he said he would fix it. He didn’t and we never talked to him again. This on a ship that was maybe 75% full ( 150 people). Issues were raised post cruise with HQ and the email response was that we would hear back in 1 week - that was two weeks ago. crickets - chirp, chirp, chirp. We’ve heard zip Third - ship issues -our room was never adequately supplied with AC. Issue was raised on day 1 - never really fixed but I think it was an underlying operational issue. The front 1/3 of the ship was noticeably warmer than elsewhere. Most of the trip it was tolerable to barely intolerable. The last two nights it was flat out intolerable. On other sites, I’ve seen posts questioning the financial viablity of Windstar and I am beginning to think that may be the issue. It is a big world and there are a lot of small ship cruise operators. In the future, I am going to try Windstars competitors. I will not travel with Windstar again and I will share my experience with all my friends looking for small ship cruises. Oh - the shipboard crew -absolutely fantastic! To bad they lack the management and leadership they deserve. Read Less

Prior to this cruise I had taken maybe a dozen Caribbean cruises. I chose this cruise primarily because I had never visited its five ports of calls and secondarily because I thought that it would be a step up from the norm in terms of luxury. Following Hurricane Maria, Windstar changed the first two ports of call. In exchange, however, they agreed to upgrade my room one category from S1 to S2 and give me a $200 on board credit. The room was really nice. The food was excellent. We always ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet restaurant. The choice and quality were very good. In addition to the buffet items, you could order a select number of items from a menu e.g., pancakes, eggs, hamburger and fries. The dinners at the Amphora restaurant were outstanding. I sometimes ordered two entrees or two desserts. One memorable dinner was the best that I have ever had on a cruise ship. Overall the staff was outstanding -- everybody from the waiters, cooks, and steward to the men who helped us to board and alight the tenders. Other plusses: morning stretch with the Fitness Center trainer; exercise walks around the top deck; good internet connection in the computer room; Deck 5 hot tub; scones and tea in the Yacht Club bar. Minuses: There was not much to do in the evening. The two musical duos were OK, but we mostly retired to our room shortly after dinner. I would have enjoyed lectures, dance lessons, wine tastings, etc. Suggested beaches: Pointe du Bout on Martinique; Pain-de-Sucre and Pompierre on Terre de Haut; Shell Beach and Nikki Beach on St Barth. Read Less

We had been on a windstar cruise nine years ago and had always wanted to go on another, but before there were no elevators and we have mobility problems on stairs and walking long distances. We had booked a regular suite, but after my husbands trip to the emergency room from a fall incapacitated him further, we asked for and were upgraded to a handicap accessible room. These are not equipped for wheelchairs, but have accessible showers rather than a tub/shower combination, and this cabin upgrade saved our trip. One note, however, you do have to go up and down stairs to board the ship and to board the tenders, which was difficult for us and discourage from getting off of the ship for many of the ports. The employees and the passengers were so nice and helpful, that it made our trip enjoyable even though we did have some mobility issues. The adults only policy was a plus for us. The small ship size made it easy for us to get around to all areas on the ship. The cabin was very spacious with draw curtains that divided the sitting area from the bed area. Although we did not have a balcony room, we had a large picture window for viewing the scenery. I thought the food was excellent and better overall compared to other ships we have been on. I personally liked the entertainment of two different singing duos, but others may find the limited on board entertainment to be lacking. We had booked two independent shore excursions, but due to the rough seas and bad weather, the Montserrat stop was cancelled, so we only went ashore on Martinique, but we enjoyed that island very much.The beach bar-b-q was also moved onto the ship due to rainy weather. We were compensated with on board credit for these, which was totally unexpected and more than you would receive on most other cruise lines. This will probably be our last cruise due to mobility issues and age, but I consider this to have been one of the most enjoyable cruises we have ever taken. Read Less

We sailed round- trip from San Juan Puerto Rico on the Star Pride from 12/2/2017 to 12/9/2017. Embarkation: The port appeared to be in good shape, we arrived by cab around 1:30 PM. After clearing port security and a quick baggage search, our bags were tagged and taken by Windstar staff. Aboard the ship, we were greeted with a rum punch and the check in in the lounge was quick. We were able to make reservations for our preferred night at the specialty restaurant- Candles and information about amenities like beverage packages and the spa was available. Dining: Veranda- We ate the buffet breakfast and lunch each day and enjoyed the food selection and made to order eggs/omelets. The service staff was great and the chef even accommodated our request to make an impromptu olive tapenade to pair with the delicious French baguette and charcuterie that we bought in Les Saintes- what a treat! Amphora- We enjoyed the varied and delicious selections, the attentive staff and the accommodating maître D. We dined alone for our wedding anniversary and we met new shipboard friends when we asked to be seated with other passengers. We thought that all the meals were very good and the selection was great, it was nice to have the “classics” menu available…sometimes you just want to have a steak or a piece of fish that is not fussy. Candles: We ate at Candles once during the cruise. The ambiance was very nice and the meat/ side dishes were excellent, our only issue was that the portion sizes were very large for us and we felt bad about wasting some of that wonderful meal. Yacht Club- We enjoyed coffee and snacks here several times. Great services and coffee with a view and air conditioning. What could be bad about that? Beach and Deck Bar-B-Q: Unfortunately, the beach party was rained out on our sailing, but shipboard we enjoyed the usual beach party foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled fish and all the trimmings. We had perfect weather for the entire cruise except for that day…sometimes mother nature just does not cooperate with our plans. It is no wonder that St. Lucia is so green and lush! The Deck bar-b que was a highlight of the cruise. It had great selection with lots of seafood, meats and a whole roast pig. It was nicely done and festivities were enjoyed by all. It was fun to see our cabin steward and our favorite crew members line dancing. Entertainment: There were two duos on our sailing one that performed on the deck in the afternoons (Northern Lights) and one that performed in the Compass Rose at night (Alzucar Duo). We went to the Compass Rose every night, but felt that it was under- attended. Most nights it was just a few passengers and one night were the only passengers there. Alzucar Duo were very accommodating, taking our request when they knew them and they even played some upbeat music that had a few of us dancing one night. We did attend the Liars club and crew talent show and enjoyed them both. It was fun to see our cabin steward and our favorite crew members dancing at the deck bar- b- que. Extras: We were given the beverage package as a “perk” when we booked our cruise nearly a year out and we purchased the laundry package. We enjoy our cocktails on vacation and the bar service was excellent with a good selection of liquors and wines by the glass. We felt that the package would have been a good value even if we had purchased it and it was nice not have to review a long list of room charges at the conclusion of the cruise. The laundry package was wonderful, all our laundry that was out by 9:00AM was back to us the same day clean and pressed. It was so nice to pack lighter and go home with a suitcase full of clean clothes. Itinerary notes: We only took one organized excursion, in Martinique, the Diamond Rock catamaran cruise. This excursion had a lot of variety: after a scenic sail, we stopped in a small village to explore, enjoy the beach or snorkel. Then, there was more sailing with potent rum punch and variety of snacks cooked for us by the on- board chef. There was another stop to snorkel or swim with turtles and a third stop to take a look at a bat cave, then more sailing and back to the ship. Captain Vincent and the crew were great. Our favorite port was Les Saintes, it was what I imagined that the “old” Caribbean would be like. The French influence was wonderful, quiet lanes, quaint buildings and churches, unique boutiques, bakeries with fresh baguettes, wandering chickens and waterfront bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, sea conditions did not allow our sailing to tender in to Monserrat, so we sailed on to St Barths and were able to spend both an afternoon/evening and the following morning there before sailing back to San Juan. Windstar gets an A+ for their handling of the missed port, they kept everyone informed, the Captain bought drinks at happy hour and they even gave us an onboard credit. In conclusion, we had a great time thanks to the wonderful crew. I don’t know how they can remember all of the passenger’s names and preferences… they are truly amazing! Gretchen, who works at the reception, even remembered me from the prior cruise that I took on the MS Windstar one year before. We were already discussing which Windstar Cruise to take next year, before we even arrived home! Read Less

I chose this cruise because a) I am hooked on Windstar cruises and b) I wanted to see what an ocean crossing is like. Wow, wow and wow! I loved this adventure....14 days on the open sea, whale and dolphin sightings, fun and games and the BEST customer service you can imagine. I traveled on the Windsurf last fall and was sold on Windstar cruises already. An ocean crossing is different from a cruise with ports-of-call. The Star Legend is a beauty of a ship with a crew to love. 139 pax. (22 solo) and 150 crew left San Juan on April 9 and arrived in Lisbon on April 23. The cruise exceeded my expectations in almost every way. ( weather could have been just a little better). I was a solo traveler, but quickly found dining partners by asking to be seated at a large table. Merrick, dining Officer, was extremely accomodating and genuinely cared about guests' happiness. There were so many activities to keep me busy that I often had a hard time deciding between that or a few relaxing hours on deck or in my luxurious cabin. This cruise is not for the following: late-night partiers, kids, those who need shows at night or those who like to dress to the nines. Captain Reville was very gregarious and accessible. In fact, by the end of the crew I felt like I knew most of the officers. I loved the captain's high noon time check, followed by our voyage data (i.e. Miles traveled) and his marine "trivia"....interesting facts about the cruise, the ocean, marine life, etc. And visiting the bridge, chatting with the officers and cadets, and learning about the ship was a special treat......Windstar has an open bridge policy when at sea. The dining servers and bar, wine stewards are THE BEST!!! They always adress you by name with a warm smile and after 14 days, friendships are formed. Our newly formed group of diners always chose the same table and were thrilled to have Cayah as our server and Sammy as our wine steward, who both knew what we liked and took very, very good care of us! EVERY ONE of the dining and bar staff were incredible. But I most fondly remember, of course, Cayah and Sammy, but also Gusti, Kristi, Gino, Deva and Dyan. Too many to list here. The food (cooked to order) is top-notch, gourmet. In-room dining is also excellent. Every officer and crew member on this ship made me feel appreciated. I miss everyone's smiles and laughter. Happiness!! That's the overwhelming feeling from them and what they made feel. The ship is a beauty with a large Yacht Club at the bow....beautiful view with a coffee and sandwich bar and a place to relax and read or play cards. The Compass Rose is a beautiful lounge where a lot of daytime activities took place and at night became a lounge with bar and entertaining duo. The Star Bar is an outdoor bar that is enjoyable when weather is good....also with a great duo to entertain. As I said, this type of cruise is not for everyone. But if you are looking for some down time and want to arrive in Europe with no jet-lag, this is awesome. I would definitely do an ocean crossing again, but only with Windstar!! Read Less

We sailed on March 25th, from San Juan. Our 4th Windstar cruise but 1st time on the Legend. We’ve been on the “Star” once and the “Surf” twice. As always, every day was perfect except 1 – a day with light rain. It’s funny how that happens to us every time. And as always each port was perfect – they all had at least 1 beach & a few bar destinations. On this trip we landed on 2 new islands for us : Montserrat & Culebra. I truly love the typical sailing ships of Windstar but really wanted to try their 1 of the new ships – one without wind-power. I will say, now, that I prefer these new ships a little more. The only time that I missed the sails was during the “sail away” at each port. The music that is played while the sails un-furl makes me a little misty, and I don’t know why. But on the Legend, it just doesn’t provide that same romantic, emotional feeling. Other than that…. The Legend was very easy to manage, short walks to everything (we were on floor 5, rm 210), and the layout seemed to make sense to me – every bar, dining area, reception, the gym & the casino were where they should be. The areas for entertainment where setup perfectly and again made total sense as to their locations. The rooms had more space, the bathroom was much larger with a tub(who would use a tub?), and we had a little balcony. The balcony isn’t much more than a step but you can slide open the doors and stand on the platform or pull up a chair. The balcony is worth the extra cost in my opinion. The staff were all SUPER nice, helpful, and always pleasant – all of them. My guess is that the age of the guests were mostly in their 50’s & 60’s. We happened to be on a cruise with a large group of “parrot-heads” – they were an enjoyable group. The Windstar ships are always at a port each morning which I find awesome. This trip, for the 1st time, we stayed on the ship until about 1pm (while in Philipsburg (we’ve been here at least 6 times)). We had the entire top deck to ourselves! It was like our own private ship – really a special feeling. There is no pressure to get on or off the ship. With only 200 passengers, it’s never a battle for a tender or the stairs. The casino is small but it was fun. 2 tables and maybe 20 slot machines. The gym was adequate - has 3 treadmills and 2 bikes, but not any weight lifting equipment to speak of but enough to keep you lifting a little during a week of vacation. The Star deck has snacks from 6 to 6 and some of the sandwiches were very good. The main dining room was great with plenty of variety. Room service was very fast to deliver but very slow to answer the phone. Breakfast on the Veranda was typical Windstar – which I love. Lunch – we only did once but had almost everything, and was very good. The deck Barbeque & the Island party were both very nice. The crew put on a show, as always, however it’s the 1st time we’ve gone to watch, which is our loss – it was so good! It’s not to be missed. Windstar continues to be my favorite Cruise Line. The quality of the staff, food, guests(yes, the fellow passengers), and ports of call continue to be top notch. If you can, on this ship, get a balcony. Other than that, don’t hesitate to book any room. It was a very enjoyable cruise. Read Less

Beware. Do not book this cruise over Spring Break- Caribbean. Beware of other voyages as well since Windstar apparently caters to these types of events and is oblivious to the impact on their repeat customers. Check if there are any large groups booked on your ship. The cruise we were on during Spring Break 2017 was terrible. The cruise was taken over by an outside party band and it was NOT family friendly. The staff did nothing and there is no recourse once you are on the ship. Lots of drinking and vulgar activity. No class at all. We couldn't even use the pool or hot tub most of the time. The groupies took over the hot tub and pool almost every day yelling woo-hoo and drinking out of king size 7-11 cups. It was unbelievably rude and obnoxious. The entertainment from the cruise was often substituted with the "band" which was mediocre at best. Like seriously, how did this happen? This is a top of the line Cruiseline and they took it down at least 1000 levels. We had sailed on a previous Windstar cruise and it was top notch. Windstar catered to this group band and deteriated their entire reputation. We will never book a Windstar cruise again. This was a self-proclaimed "booze cruise" and Windstar should be ashamed. What a disgrace to allow families to be part of this. At the bare minimum, Windstar should have disclosed that this group was the majority of the cruise and any other passengers would be outnumbered. If you want a low-class, booze cruise, look no further. Read Less

We booked this cruise for the "small port" experience and the Windstar style of cruising. Also we had not been to the B.V.I. before. We had sailed once to Costa Rica with the ship Wind Star. After a long trip from the west coast, we checked in to the Sheraton Puerto Rico hotel and got some much needed rest. The next morning the Wind Star bus picked us up and we took the short trip to the ship for a very nice orderly embarkation (one of the many reasons we chose Windstar) and short meeting with our cabin steward - his name was Dulyani and he made our trip so special and personal. We then took a local cab to the nearby fort for a quick tour then walked back to the ship after a lunch break in San Juan old town! So glad we did! Okay, now the real the trip begins! We ate dinner in the main dinning room the first night and the Windstar brand of service began immediately! These people are really amazing from the dining room mgr. to all the servers -- they are top notch. Shout out to Richard and Arnell for great service - most do double duty in other bar areas during the day. We also looked forward to seeing Gino in the Star Bar at the end of every day. He was just great. We made some great new friends at that bar. The food overall is very good but not excellent 5 star fare. If you require that level, book a much more expensive trip. We also dined two different nights at the Candles Veranda for a special treat. Entertainment was good but not a strong suit - possibly needed one more music group that could do double duty for a small later- night show for those of us that stayed up. Please do visit the open bridge and meet with the officer in charge. This is a nice Windstar touch and they were so friendly and informative. I actually had a chance to visit with Captain Griffiths a couple of times and he couldn't have been nicer. He also thanked us personally on debarkation - a very nice touch indeed. The shore excursions had plenty to offer -- all types at every port. The one I would definitely recommend was the Americas Cup racing in St. Martin - too much fun. To sum this up - great staff who were always helpful, friendly and professional. They offer great ports to explore every day with very good food options. Overall this cruise is an excellent value! Thanks Windstar for an awesome anniversary trip. I would definitely recommend this trip!! Read Less

I’m a bit late with my reviews, time got away from me… My wife and I were on the Star Legend , Windstar Cruse from January 28 - February 4, 2017. I have been on numerous cruises, Norwegian, Carnival, Disney, Celebrity, etc. I wanted to do a cruise for my birthday and had originally planned to go on Celebrity. I very much like Celebrity, their food, wine ships etc. but there weren’t any itineraries that I had not been on many times before. Looking at 7-10 days, I eliminated the all-inclusive ships because they had longer trips. I was very interested in a smaller ship experience, did a bunch of research and settled on the Start Legend, 7-day cruise out of San Juan. I have always liked days at sea which was not an option but I was willing to trade that for atypical cruise ports, only one of which I had been to before (St. Maarten) I was one of the first to book this cruise 6-months in advance and got the (French) Veranda room C223 which I selected because I have been prone to seasickness and it was in the middle of the ship… more on that later but it wasn’t a problem for me. We arrived in San Juan the day before and stayed in a hotel in the Old Town. We like San Juan and knew we would like visiting again and more importantly it lowers the travel stress for me tremendously knowing we have time to spare if there are travel problems… which there were. I’m going to take a little detour to mention how great Southwest was on this trip, skip this paragraph if you’re not interested. Before I go into detail, all during the flight ordeal, I never complained or yelled. We were on vacation and had time to spare so I simply remained polite and when we were accommodated I thanked the Southwest people many times. As a result they returned the friendliness and everyone went out of their way to help us. We flew Southwest from New Orleans and as we drove there, I started receiving emails that our flight was delayed over an hour, which meant we would miss our connection in Orlando to San Juan. We tried to change flights out of Orlando to in the morning over the phone, but while the Southwest agents were extremely helpful, it was too close to departure and we could only make changes at the airport. Not that big a deal, plenty rooms at the Orlando Airport Hilton and plenty of seats on first flight out the next day. Since we know we would be late we had a long NOLA lunch with cocktails and eased to the airport where we were able to get a reservation on the morning flight to San Juan. Once in the air it looked like we just might make it so I went up to talk to the flight crew and as it turned out the San Juan flight wasn’t going anywhere until we got there… that flight also had our crew! Once we landed, we went to the gate to try and get our seats back on the evening flight, they were almost fully booked and it was all messed up because we had switched just hours before, but with a few nice words from our flight crew, we we had seats just not together. Off we went, next thing I know I’m getting free drinks from our new friends on the crew AND our bags were the first off in San Juan, much to our surprise. Huge appreciation to everyone we worked with at Southwest (and the folks at Decanter Hotel in San Juan), they made what could have been a very stressful trip come back together terrifically. We had a very nice day walking around San Juan, buying Panama hats at Ole, drinking Mojitos and getting souvenirs for the family. We have learned to do the gift buying right away, you might find a better deal later on but you don't have to worry about it the rest of the trip and the recipients don’t know the difference anyway. One of the nice things about this cruise is you could board as late as 5 pm which meant we had a relaxed day of shopping and sightseeing. We took a taxi to the pier and dropped off right at the curb were met by an port agent with a checklist with our names and cabin on it. After a short walk down the pier to the terminal, were greeted by a ships agent with the same list and were warmly welcomed. Dropping our luggage at the scanner, we were directed to the gangway… talk about easy. Knowing I could bring two bottles of wine I ran into the duty free store in the terminal and bought two bottles of Prosecco, (which we didn't even finish on the cruise). The wine was a decent price but if you want to bring wine on board I would recommend the duty free store at the airport where they have remarkably low prices. We headed up the gangway and were guided to the small room to do our paperwork while sipping the complimentary champagne. One staff member and the two of us, wow so easy and relaxed. One new thing, they did keep our passports which was a little bit of a surprise but I keep copies so NBD. Heading to our cabin you appreciate how small the ship really is… it’s right down the hall. SHIP & SHIPS STAFF: The ship is very nice but older and it is quite small compared to large cruise ships. It was so easy to go up or down a few stairs and be at the bar, restaurant or whatever. It’s also fun to watch the ship go chugging right into small channels and harbors. Given the few passengers and comparatively large staff they quickly learn your name (Mr. Robert in the southern tradition) and your drink, food and other preferences. I spent a lot of time at the Star Bar and like they do on all cruise ships, the bartenders encourage you to get the drink package which you can do through the first whole day on the ship and any drinks already purchased will be included in the plan. Usually I don't buy a drink package but this trip I decided to and was glad, some things are not on the package but there are premium liquors on the list so I didn't miss anything. They have very good wines by the glass so we also didn't miss getting bottles of wine at dinner. We actually tried more wines and drinks and I enjoyed not waiting for or worrying about the tab when ordering. There are only a few bartenders so they quickly get to know you, I also think since we were on a package, the bartenders tended to do big pours and the bar service was just so simple after a day or two you don't even have to show your card anymore. We were also able to get the mini bar steward (who was also a Bartender) to load it with only the drinks we wanted, that were also on our drink package, and she kept it stocked and ready to go. I did additionally tip these especially attentive crewmbers. At the same time it’s a bit puzzling, there is not a lot of guidance given on the ship you have to figure out a good bit by yourself and most of the time the staff does very well, anything you ask, you are quickly taken to, or gotten whatever you need. First time cruisers might find the lack of information disconcerting. I also strongly agree with other reviewers, it is not a good ship for mobility impaired folks, especially getting down to the ships tender dock, onto the tender, to shore and off at the pier, which we did everywhere except St Maarten. We experienced this directly since my wife’s back “went out” the morning we arrived at Prickly Pear. She took some medication and rested a few hours and felt like she wanted to try to go to the Beach BBQ. We headed to the ladder to get a tender to the beach and were told there were no tenders because both were being used to take people on excursions, but we could ride in on the 14 foot RIB alongside. It’s 1:00 the time for the start of the BBQ and no tenders for 30-45 minutes. The tenders can be a bit difficult to get on but with a bad back no way was my wife getting on a RIB and neither was the older couple who came up soon after we did. I get they had to take people on excursions, but no tender at the start of the BBQ? such poor organization. We eventually got to the beach and the BBQ was in full swing but there was not a covered lounge chair available anywhere for my wife so we had to sit at a table. DINING: The personal service extends to the dining room, you can choose to dine just together (as long as you don’t during a sudden wave of diners) or with a random group. Most nights, we wanted a table for two and we quickly learned to ask for the same waiter every time, otherwise he would be heartbroken. So much so that he even got us moved when there didn't appear to be a table in his section. He was a bit hard to understand sometimes but was so helpful and responsive we managed very well. The same goes for the drink staff in the dining room, who were also bartenders, so most nights the guy pouring my wine made my drink earlier in the day. We also had a few nights we dined with a group which was very enjoyable. We are not the most outgoing people so we used it as the opportunity to meet some interesting people and since there are so few people on the ship you see them several times a day. The food was excellent and we made a point to try the dishes with an Indian flair which was a pleasant and unconventional alternative to typical cruise dining options. Several days we ordered room service for breakfast, The typical arrangement of filling out a card the night before with your desired time and we even added a juice or condiment not on the menu which we were given. If we chose 7:30-8:00 it would arrive promptly at 7:30, but it took a day or two to figure out the door bell and if it was ours or our neighbor. When we ate breakfast at the Compass Rose, we usually ran into “our” waiter where he served us “the best coffee in the world” (a Windstar joke I think) which really was very good. We almost always got a table by the rail and usually we had the buffet which was very good and fresh but small and a little disorganized, including how to hold your plate, hold up the lid on the chafing dish and spoon your eggs. When we ordered Eggs Benedict or an Omelette off the menu it tended to take a little while if we arrived at a busy time, and it was one of the few times there was a bit of a “crowd” such as it is on a ship with only 220 passengers. We didn’t eat lunch on the ship much, usually sandwiches from the Yacht Club and we did order Burgers & Fries from the Room Service menu and they were perfectly cooked and delicious. ACTIVITIES, EXCURSIONS & PORTS: We don’t gamble or participate in “Night Life” activities so I can’t add anything there. I didn't plan any tours from the cruise, instead booked my own since I am comfortable booking with companies that are aware of cruise ship schedules and the cruise ones are pricey and restrictive. The ports and schedule were one of the best things about the cruise Because of the unusual ports and schedules, organizing your own excursions is very easy to do. Early arrivals and late departures are sooo nice and most places are much less crowded you can be much more relaxed walking and getting transportation. Unlike big ships where if you are late back to the ship you might get left in port (we’ve all cheered & jeered those folks racing up the pier), I think the Windstar crew actually would start calling your cell phone and track you down instead of departing without you. We did go on excursions in Culebra and Montserrat which I reviewed on Trip Advisor. We also liked the sport deck on the back of the ship including taking out the small Hobie sailboat. It was comical because I’m a good sailor and once away, I promptly headed upwind which was toward the bow of the ship to give myself some room while I figured out the sailboats’ quirks. I got several hundred yards away and was thinking about circling the ship when I see the crew member on the deck waving at me, and seeing an officer about to get in the rib. Puzzled I sailed back toward the sport deck, the officer went back inside and the crew scolded me that I was too far in front of the ship and needed to sail closer, back and forth abeam of the ship, which I dutifully did. After a while they seemed to be aware I knew what I was doing, and was able to sail around and amongst the boats in the harbor but still where the crew could easily see us. CABIN: Our cabin was BIG compared to large ship regular balcony cabins… so much more room, about as big as a Carnival Ocean Suite. I need fresh air and we usually spend allot of time sitting on the balcony so I was a little nervous about the French Balcony. While it was different of course, we could sit in a chair or on the couch with the door slid open, which was over half the width of the cabin, and didn’t miss the balcony at all and I could lean out and look around when I wanted a better view. We even slept with the door open several nights and it felt like we were almost on deck. We did experience heavy seas one night and the ship does move around allot more than a big ship. Being a small boat sailor I actually enjoyed the motion, probably because we were mostly pitching and the cabin was in the center of the ship. Talking to other folks they did have some anxious moments but I believe motion sickness medication did the job for all of them. Our Cabin steward was sweet and for my birthday she made a birthday cake out of towels and made a nice card she also made the usual towel animals regularly. However, this is an area I’ll echo other reviewers, she was very nice but not so good at her job, obviously from a lack of training and supervision. It didn’t ruin our trip because it was mostly a bunch of little stuff, not paying attention to where we put things, not replacing dirty glasses or removing dirty plates, not enough of certain towels and we noticed part way through the cruise she turned our bottom sheet around such that our heads were where our feet had been. Compared to Celebrity where you see supervisors among the staff checking things that kind of attention was not apparent at all. SOME NEGATIVES: As good as the trip was there are times you can get quite frustrated on the Star Legend… Like with the tender situation at the BBQ, or our Cabin Steward, when they do fail, they fail spectacularly. Other things were kinda like this. The daily “bulletin" has little new info every day and is poorly organized you really don't look at it after the first day. But, when they do put some very important information in it, like when to pick up your passport so having ignored it all week on Friday you realize you should have paid more attention to that last one. After the first day it also doesn't include any information about the island you are visiting. For 3 days I went to the shore excursion desk to look for a map or whatever to find nothing…. until I happened to be at the Service desk and there they were. We wanted a bite to eat and it was after lunch one day, we thought about doing room service and were wandering around so my wife asked and she was quickly led to the Yacht Club snack bar in the back corner of the room which we had no idea was there. Along these lines being a sailor, I was charting and navigating along with the Captain so I went to the bridge to visit with the officer and see what the wind was blowing, he would hardly talk to me and was a bit surly. I made another attempt and met a nice officer who was very engaging and showed me the charts, radar etc. Then a third time it was surly guy again so I didn't stay. Candles was also a similar experience, Windstar seems to be trying to emulate the grill on the top deck of Celebrity ships, which is very nice, we eat there 2 or 3 times on a Celebrity Cruise. Instead as other people said you get iffy service, just ok food and a very noisy smoke stack right above your head. Our waiter in Amphora tried to tell us not to go on the last night but that was the only time that was available, so as a result we missed the Prime Rib. Also, a personal thing, smoking. I understood when I booked that smoking was allowed in a specific area on deck, port side near the Star Bar (though not in cabins, important because we leave our door open most of the cruise). It’s a small ship so there’s not much space for smokers to get far away, but smokers are expected to be considerate and non-smokers tolerant. However, one of the smoking tables is under the deck overhang next to the Star Bar, right beside the door to the restrooms and Yacht Club in the bow. Departing Montserrat, the ship goes around the island so you can see the devastation caused by the volcano. During the several hours while we were cruising past the island, a gentlemen was smoking a cigar right next to that door while the side of the ship was lined with folks looking and taking pictures until it got too dark. The strong cigar smoke was wafting over everyone watching the island go by. If you wanted a drink or to go to the bathroom you had to go through the plume of smoke and every time the door was opened the smoke was drawn into the Yacht Club and the bathrooms. I even mentioned to the Captain when I ran into him on a stairwell that he should consider not allowing smoking at that specific table, but the ash tray was on the table the remainder of the cruise. Another situation where attention to detail is lacking. ON THE OTHER HAND… We had a great time and most everyone was terrific, including the Casino staff. I didn't realize I needed $200 cash for an excursion and even though I wasn’t gambling they gave me a cash advance, something they would normally only do for a player. In another instance we were climbing in a pool when it appears the Hot Tub was closed but not the pool. We got some confused stares from the maintenance crew (I think there was a language barrier there) and were lounging away when an officer came up and explained they needed to cover the pool for the deck party and could he please help us move to the pool/hot tub at the bow while making sure a bar waiter would be available to serve us drinks.. which of course we did. I mention this because the maintenance crew handled the situation beautifully, they didn't get worked up and try to kick us out, they let us stay a few minutes and then got some help… and retrieved my hat from the edge of the ship before it blew overboard. IN CONCLUSION… Because of the small number of passengers, there is a comfortable easiness among everyone. It feels so ordinary, starting up conversations with perfect strangers, sharing your birthday cake with another passenger also on a birthday cruise and then smiling as you regularly see people on deck or at breakfast. I would certainly go on Windstar again and recommend it for anyone wanting a easy relaxed cruise and does not have serious mobility issues. Read Less

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We took this cruise to get a chance to travel with friends and not have to deal with the crowds on the giant ships. And we did have a GREAT time with our friends! With so few passengers and so many crew, you get a chance to get to know other travelers and you also receive EXCELLENT service! Never again will we choose the big ships. No lines at all from start to finish. There were weather issues during this week. The crew did an excellent job adapting our itinerary to make the best of conditions as they were. There was a big rain storm at the time of the Deck BBQ, and the food and tables were moved under cover but still on the deck. The Deck BBQ food was amazing, and the service was excellent. With perfect weather, it would no doubt have been more fun, but the crew did make it the best that was possible. We were unable to go to Virgin Gorda, Prickly Pear Beach due to bad storms. We diverted to Tortuga instead, and had a great time. The islands and water were beautiful, the ship is great, the food is delicious and plentiful, and the service was excellent. Who could ask for more? We have no complaints about this cruise at all, and look forward to traveling with this Windstar line again to different locations. Read Less

The Star Legend sails in a galaxy far far away from her sister ship, the Star Pride. Windstar has done a superb job of updating the Star Legend, giving new life to an old beauty that was lacking in the Star Pride. The suites are spacious and elegant, full of well-designed features for a pleasant cruise. A curtain divides the suite into a sitting area with sofa and desk, and a sleeping area with the bed and vanity. The TV is mounted in the middle of the suite, and swivels so that it can be viewed in either area. The bath has a marble tub/shower, sink set in a long counter, and lots of storage space. The walk-in closet is the best surprise - lots of hanging space and handy hooks, and a large safe set on top of a chest of drawers. Our suite was adjacent to the elevator, and we were concerned that it might be noisy - but we never once heard the elevator, and it turned out to be a really convenient location! Many other areas of the ship have been thoughtfully redesigned. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style on the veranda at the stern of the ship. The indoor buffet area has been expanded to include a number of tables, while the open air tables at the rear have been covered with white sun shades resembling sails, creating an airy feeling. A new area with additional tables has been created at the entry to the veranda, open air and covered with the same attractive sun screens. It wasn’t used much during our cruise, but would be very welcome in wet weather. There is a new raised jacuzzi and small plunge pool in the center of the ship, overlooked by an expanded Star Bar and sun deck. The many lounges and tables were often used during our Caribbean cruise. The forward Jacuzzi was also a favored spot for unwinding after a day of touring. AmphorA - the main dining room - has been beautifully redecorated in a very light, open style. Dinner in AmphorA usually featured several appetizers, soup and salad, and a good selection of entrees and desserts. The food on Star Legend was very good and attractively presented, and servers were prompt and knowledgeable. At night, the Veranda transforms into the alternative Candles Restaurant, with reservations required and a steakhouse/fish menu. We especially appreciated the fresh vegetables available at both dining venues, and the great salad bar available for lunch. Windstar offers excellent food and makes healthy dining easy and painless. Our main complaint on this cruise (and also on our previous Star Pride voyage) was the drinking water. There are large glass bottles of water provided in the suites, along with glass barware. During rough seas, we were worried the bottles would break when they rolled onto the floor at night. We always like to have plastic bottles of water at our bedside, and to take a bottle with us when leaving the ship. Plastic bottles of water were not provided. When I requested bottled water at the reception desk, I was told that bottled water was available only to guests on Windstar-sponsored shore excursions. There were plenty of soft drinks in our suite’s mini-bar - but water was hard to obtain, even by request. This issue is so easily corrected - why does it still exist? It would also be nice to have self-serve coffee and tea available in the Yacht Club. Room service provided water for my tea when requested, but it would be nice to get my own tea water in the evening, or a quick cup of coffee in the morning! On the positive side, the crew and service are still wonderful. On our first WindStar cruise, we used to joke that by the end of the first day, the servers knew your name. On the second day, they knew what you wanted to drink and where and when you wanted to drink it. By the third day, they knew what you wanted to drink before you did! And this super service is still there on Star Legend. Windstar crews are still the friendliest at sea. Read Less