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Windstar CruisesWindstar Cruises offers a truly unique cruise experience. In addition to giving passengers the delicious illusion of adventure on board its fleet of four- and five-masted sailing ships, they supply the ever-pleasant reality of first-class cuisine, service, and itineraries. This is no barefoot, rigging-pulling, paper-plates-in-lap, sleepon- the-deck kind of cruise, but a refined yet down-to-earth, yacht like experience for a sophisticated, well-traveled crowd who despises big ships and throngs of tourists. Still, this is not as luxurious an experience as that on SeaDream Yacht. On board Windstar Cruises, fine stained teak, brass details, and lots of navy-blue fabrics and carpeting lend a traditional nautical ambience. While the ships’ proud masts and yards of white sails cut an ever-so-attractive profile, the vessels are ultra-state-of-the-art and the sails can be furled or unfurled at the touch of a button. The ships are so stable that at times the bridge may actually induce a modest tilt so passengers remember they’re on a sailing ship. Under full sail, the calm tranquility of the cruises is utterly blissful. Pros • Fine cuisine. The ambience, service, and imaginative cuisine created by renowned Los Angeles chef Joachim Splichal is superb. Meals are looked forward to each day. Seating is open, and guests can usually get a table for two. • Informal and unregimented days. This line offers the most casual highend cruise out there—an approach much loved by passengers who like fine service and cuisine but don’t like the formality and stuffiness of the majority of high-end lines. It’s the most unregimented experience in a class of cruising already known for its unregimented atmosphere. • Unusual itineraries. Besides 1 day at sea (on most routes), these small ships visit a port every day of a week-long cruise, and many of the ports visited are less touristy than those visited on the megaship routes. Cons • No verandas. If they’re important to you, you’re out of luck. • Limited activities and entertainment. This is intentional, but if you need lots of organized hoopla to keep you happy, you won’t find much on these ships. THE FLEET
The Wind Star cruises year-round in Tahiti, while the other ships spend summers in Europe and winters in the Caribbean. PASSENGER PROFILE People who expect high-caliber service and cuisine—but detest the formality of the other high-end ships and the mass-mentality of the megaships—are thrilled with Windstar Cruises. Most passengers are couples in their 30s to early 60s (pretty evenly distributed across this range, with the average age about 48), with a smattering of parents with adult children and the occasional single friends traveling together. The line is not the best choice for families with children under 15 or 16. Overall, passengers are sophisticated, well traveled, and more down-to-earth than passengers on the other high-end lines. Most want something different from the regular cruise experience, and eschew the “bigger is better” philosophy of conventional cruising. These cruises are for those seeking a romantic escape, who likes to visit European ports not bombarded by regular cruise ships, including Portofino and Messina, Italy, and Bodrum, Turkey. About a quarter of all passengers have sailed with the line before, a figure that represents one of the best recommendations for Windstar, and about 20% are first-timers. There are often a few honeymooners on board. Windstar is an excellent choice for newlyweds, and was in fact voted as the top honeymoon choice on the “Today Show Throws a Wedding” series in 2001. To help romantics plan their trips, the cruise line in 2003 launched a special website, www.romanceundersail.com. Here you can find special romantic shore excursions designed for couples, contact a romance coordinator (who can help organize weddings and vow renewal ceremonies among other things), and learn about special services and amenities designed to add to your romantic experience on your Windstar Cruises.
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Today, Windstar Cruises fleet consists of
three ships, the 148-passenger Wind Star
and Wind Spirit, constructed for Windstar
and built in 1987 and 1988, respectively; and the
312-passenger Wind Surf, built in 1990
and sailed until 1997 as the Club Med I for Club Med
Cruises. The Wind Surf is the only one of the Windstar
ships to have a spa and to offer a substantial number of
suites (31).
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