heart123

This is a first cruise to celebrate our first annivesary--given time constraints and the weak dollar, we have been drawn to the idea of cruising --the premise of Windstar is intriguing in that you are able to go into smaller ports of call and travel with a smaller group--that being said it is our first cruise--both of us have fished on high seas perfectly happy while also curiously experienced seasickness on larger "cruise to nowhere" type expeditions on larger boats-the cruise is in August 2008 and while we would never consider that time to travel this region on land, we are thinking that on a ship might be interesting and no different from NJ ;-) so your thoughts regarding sealegs, overall experience with Windstar and itinerary (Amalfi,Sorrento,Capri,Mahon,Palma de Mallorca, Tarragona and Barcelona
would be greatly appreciated

juliaelzie

Hi,

Windstar is a wonderful cruise line, casual elegance, open seating, relaxed setting and it is excellent for visiting small ports. There are several wonderful cruise lines that have a yachting/sailing feel, but the amenities and luxuries of an upscale cruise. The ships are smaller, so it might be similar to your fishing boat experience. But, take a small supply of motion sickness medication, or get an acupressure band to wear on your wrists. It also works to eat saltine-type crackers, or basic breads with apple juice to settle seasickness.

Best Regards,
Julia

charli47

Hi. My husband and I took the Windstar (smaller version of Wind Surf) in October 2005 and absolutely LOVED Windstar experience. A couple of pointers:

the cruise terminal is about a 90.00 cab ride out of Rome.

once the cruise ends in Barcelona you feel like a lost child after you have to get off the boat. We stood in line for a long time waiting for cabs to come to the terminal. We also had to wait to check in our hotel for about 3-4 hours.

Things we would do differently: not necessarily go in October because a number of shops were closed in late October. August could be very crowded for you since that is when everyone takes their vacation in Italy.

Your itinerary is a bit different but we started and ended in the same place. I like your itinerary even better than ours.

Bottom line is you will love Windstar!

heart123

thanks for the input--your advice is consistent with tripadvisor as to the service and the commitment to the passenger but the biggest concern I am seeing is that the timing might not be the best to actually experience the ports given the crowds, etc--we are re-thinking

hanabilly

We cruised in 2006 on the Windsurf and absolutely loved our experience. I think the best is the casual atmosphere as well as the super-friendly and attentive staff. It would be great to have a balcony - but oh well. Fortunately the walk to the decks is very short, and, unlike the big ships you're not half a mile above the water. I didn't experience any seasickness. On small boats like fishing boats I have always taken a pill, so I can't compare. One night they were expecting winds and swells, and they passed out seasickness medicine. I didn't take any and was fine. We went in October and the weather was absolutely PERFECT. This year - this time the first week in November- we will be sailing on the Wind Spirit from Rome to Barcelona. We are looking forward to the even smaller ship.
The itinerary is a little different. I think this is the last cruise before they sail back to Caribbean for the winter. We will go to Ischia, Corsica (two ports/two days) a day at sea (SPA TIME!) Majon and Mallorca. Cannot wait.