Our one week Italy and Spain cruise on Windstar's Windsurf came to an end today. My report card follows:

1. Cleanliness – A: The ship was kept immaculate at all times.

2. Staff – A-: Staff was uniformly friendly and accommodating. They could do a bit better at remembering names.

3. Cabins – B: Even the smallest cabins are roomy. The architecture is so good that they seem even roomier. The only problem is that they have no private decks which is the current vogue for cruise ships.

4. Restaurant ambiance/decor – A: Surprisingly there are four dinner venues which is considerable for such a small ship. Two are outside and have the feel of being on a private yacht.

5. Food – C-: Lunch is by far the best meal. Dinner is marginal at best.

6. Spa – B: It is clean, neat and tidy. They are a bit disorganized on scheduling however.

7. Gym – B-: The gym has quite a bit of equipment for a small ship, but it is feeling its age.

8. Sports Platform – A: When weather permits and the ship is anchored at port, a water sports platform is put into place that allows many water activities. It is populated in direct proportion to how many kids are on a given cruise.

9. Dress Code – you pick it: The dress code is casual. No coats are needed let alone ties. Some think this is heaven; others prefer to dress up.

10. Entertainment/lectures/activities – C-: None to speak of. They do have a large DVD selection and nice TVs in the room though.

Overall the Wind Surf is a good value for people looking for a casual, smaller environment than many other ships and who can entertain themselves. It doesn’t have the elegance of similar sized ships such as those on Seaborne or Silver Seas. However it gives up nothing in the clean or friendly department. It also cost much less.

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