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Skagway

We were on the Wind Star, 4-masted sailing yacht .  While this is a ship that only holds about 150 guests, it seems like they have about 1 for 1 on the crew.  The ship is well taken care of in all regards.  The food is at least equal to bigger ships.  Our Captain was on her first cruise as Captain and was available, friendly and got us where we needed to go.

We found the cabins in the middle of the ship had less movement than those in front or back.  I have a walking problem and had my walker aboard.  While they have no elevators, a crew member offered to carry my walker up any stairs that needed to be traversed.  The rails are easy to hold onto and climb the stairs.

Dining was available in about three areas.  If you are interested in sitting outside, on top, you need to make reservations ASAP.  The food was excellent and very accommodative on a needed diet.  A lot of showmanship went into the meal.

While entertainment on board was limited, there were a couple of times the total crew was involved in entertaining us.  The big adventure was raising the sails every night and the music from "1492 conquest of paradise" and the total ship involvement.  Most of the time, we were worn out by the evening from all of the daytime activity. 

Probably the service was as fine as any I have had on a ship (other than the Paul Gauguin, in Tahiti).  There was always someone ready to help or fill a need every time I turned around.

If you have not done this, you should.  Don't let ADA scare you, but explore it!

First time on a small ship (146 passengers on a ship that holds 212) and did not miss the "floating city" experience of past larger ship cruises.  The staff were very friendly, helpful and attentive and the service was 1st class.  Very much enjoyed the population size of the small cruise ship and the opportunity to get to know many of our fellow passengers.

The cabins were very comfortable and we enjoyed spending a lot of time just enjoying the ocean breeze and sounds from the open window of the Juliet balcony in our suite. 24hr room service is AWESOME!

Some of the Ports on the "Best of the ABC Islands" cruise were not much to look at when waking up in the morning.  Unless you signed up for a ship excursion, trying to find some Island hideaway beach was difficult if not impossible. Even some of the excursions left folks wishing for some clearer waters to swim and snorkel and soft Caribbean sand under their feet. None of the ports allowed to do any swimming, sports and such from the much touted "sports deck". I had imagined being anchored in some bay by a lovely sand trimmed beach and hopping into a kayak from the ship's sport deck and paddling about looking at a dreamy beach. They did have the sports stuff all onshore in Mayreau; which was what I had imagined for a secluded beach that only a small ship could get to.  They had plenty of chairs, shade and set up a bar from the ship. 

Contrast that with the dreadful and depressing oil field lined dock we woke up to in Curacao ... yuck!  Barbados and Aruba are picturesque, but theses two ports start are bookends, so you do have to arrive at least a day before and stay at least a day after to enjoy them. 

The food and dining was less than expected.  Not 5 star; very similar to what I have had on the many other cruises aboard the large ships.  However, there was an on-deck BBQ which was, by far, the best food of the trip (accompanied by an AWESOME steel drum band that came onboard from shore).  Also, the coffee bar in the Yacht Club aboard ship was very nice; the coffee, the treats and the club itself.

The entertainment was half great and half OMG, take the mic away from that woman.  One duo was perfect for this ship, clientele and ambiance.  They were funny, had a diverse and enjoyable repertoire of songs and instruments and sounded great.  The woman that sang after the on-board BBQ was, well, let's just say no-one heard from her again for the rest of the cruise.  (I need to thank the person that took her microphone away).

The special event "An Antillean Evening" fell way short. The venue was very nice, but could not handle the 140 or so folks from the ship that attended.  I would hate to see what it would be like if a full ship of 212 passengers attended.  First, you had to go stand in lines at each "station" to get food on very small plates; which is the antithesis of the beauty of sailing a small ship – no lines! Second, once you got to the "station" half of the items were gone, not yet replenished, so more standing and waiting.  All the while standing in line, I am trying not to bump my backside into the face of someone sitting at a table (this was, alas, quite a challenge for me and my backside).  All this for so-so food and roasted meat you couldn't cut even if you borrowed a freshly sharpened jungle machete. Props to the Steel Drum Duo as they provided some Jazzy music that was wonderful. I wish the ship would have held a beach BBQ on Mayreau instead.

All in all, I am glad to have experienced a small ship and the Start Pride was nice and Windstar staff was superb.  I would not revisit this particular itinerary and do wish I selected a different trip. Not sure if I will travel Windstar again .... this trip left me hankering for a weeklong stay on a great beach with soft sand, calm waters, snorkeling, great food, some live music and a pool with a swim-up bar.

Star Pride, Best of the ABC Islands

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