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Wind Surf |
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| The 312-passenger Wind Surf, the flagship of the Windstar Cruises fleet, is nearly three times the size of the other Windstar ships (the Wind Spirit and Wind Star). The result of this is lots of wide-open deck spaces and more features than the other Windstar ships. Wind Surf used to be known as the Club Med 1, prior to Windstar's 1998 acquisition of her from Club Med Cruises. What's a Windstar cruise all about? Meeting interesting people, visiting amazing ports of call (with great shore excursions available) and enjoying a casual, yet elegant, vacation. Wind Surf is a romantic vessel that is quite popular among couples (including honeymooners) and experienced cruisers looking for an intimate vacation with great service and food. Windstar happens to have a loyal following of well-traveled cruisers that value the excellent itineraries, featuring ports of call that larger ships cannot reach. Because of the casual and intimate onboard atmosphere, the staff and guests often end up knowing each other on a first name basis (which is quite nice). The large, usually computer operated, white sails of Wind Surf are beautiful, and only add to the great atmosphere onboard this ship. Wind Surf is sometimes referred to as a motor-sailed-yacht (msy), because of her unique rigging. Her eye-catching white sails unfurl in only two minutes, with the simple touch of a button. This ship doesn't have all of the bells and whistles (such as multi-level show lounges and rock-climbing walls) that some larger ships do, but does feature more onboard amenities than the other (smaller) Windstar ships. For example, there is a large spa and casino onboard Wind Surf (whereas such features are quite small on the other Windstar ships). One of the most popular onboard features of Wind Surf is her water sports platform, found at the rear of the ship. When the ship is at anchor (weather-permitting) passengers are able to take part in a wide range of complimentary water sports, such as kayaking, waterskiing, windsurfing and sailing. |
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| Wind Surf will be featuring cruises in the following regions (subject to change, based on the cruise line's discretion): 2010: Mediterranean, Southern Caribbean, Transatlantic, Western Europe |
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| Being a smaller vessel, there isn't large range (or supply) of accommodations onboard Wind Surf. Some of the staterooms can accommodate a third passenger. All of the staterooms onboard Wind Surf have queen beds that convert into two twin beds (except room numbers 101, 102, 157, 301, 302, 341, 501, 502 and 503). All staterooms have an ocean view and also include a private bathroom, WiFi (wireless internet access) and flat-screen TV, while suites also feature an extra bath, TV and sitting area. Unfortunately, there are no balcony accommodations onboard Wind Surf, which is a negative in comparison to some other upscale cruise lines that do have them. Staterooms: Windstar simply refers to the category A and B staterooms onboard Wind Surf as "staterooms." The only difference between them is that the category A staterooms are located on deck two, while the B's are on deck one. All of these staterooms have porthole windows and are 188 square feet in size. Suites: The most basic suites onboard Wind Surf are simply called "suites." Such accommodations are located on decks two and three, and are 376 square feet in size (double the size of a standard room). The most premium accommodations onboard Wind Surf are her two Bridge Suites. Such suites are 495 square feet, and are located on the Bridge deck (the fifth deck onboard Wind Surf). Bridge Suites have a separate bedroom with walk-in closet, complimentary bottled water in the room, as well as a marble bathroom with whirlpool tub and separate shower. |
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| Windstar Cruises has a single open-seating dining setup onboard all of their ships. This means that you can find where you want, when you want and with whomever you want (during the designated dining hours). The cuisine served onboard all Windstar cruises is top-notch, and is one of the highlights of a Windstar cruise. The Restaurant, located on the Main deck, is Wind Surf's main dining venue. It's an elegant restaurant that only serves dinner (unless weather dictates that a different meal must be served there). The Veranda, located on the Star deck, is a nice indoor/outdoor buffet-style venue that has an optional menu (that changes daily). This restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch. Degrees, also located on the Star deck, is unique to Wind Surf (as it's not featured elsewhere in the Windstar fleet). The menu at Degrees changes each night. For example, on one night French cuisine might be served, while Italian cuisine might be served on another night. It's an intimate venue that can get booked up, meaning that reservations are highly recommended (and it's best if you make your reservations at least on the day prior to, or morning of, the night you wish to dine). Two new dining venues onboard Wind Surf, as of October 2008, are Le Marché and Candles. Le Marché is a seafood bar located on the Star deck, featuring a nice selection of fish and shellfish. Candles is a poolside grill, located on the Main deck, that offers fine steaks and skewers. Each of these new venues can only accommodate about 30 guests per night, so reservations are highly recommended. The Lounge will occasionally feature a buffet, featuring a show performed by some of the crew members. 24-hour room service is available to all passengers. There is a nice complimentary menu available, that's a convenient option for a late night snack. During the lunch and dinner meal times of the restaurants you're able to order from their menus to your room. There are a few items on the menu that you can order at an additional cost, such as bar drinks. |
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| Before dinner on each evening of the cruise, a cruise host has a gathering with most of the passengers onboard, talking about the port that will be visited the next day. On a Windstar ship, you're not going to see many of the typical onboard activities and regimented schedules found elsewhere (such as bingo and art auctions). Passengers are usually quite friendly with each other on a Windstar cruise, and social gatherings are a major aspect of this ship's onboard lifestyle. The first deck of Wind Surf is where all of the category B staterooms are located. One deck up you'll find category A staterooms, as well as the WindSpa, salon and water sports platform (which is located at the rear of the ship). The spa offers a nice range of spa and salon services, such as facials, massages, aroma stone therapy, hair styling, pedicures and manicures. Children 12 years old and younger must be accompanied by an adult while in the spa. Complimentary water sports (such as waterskiing, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, swimming and scenic boat rides) are provided by Windstar when Wind Surf is at anchor (and when such activities are permitted by local government regulations). Snorkeling is not available from the water sports platform (for safety reasons), but is provided as a shore excursion. Complimentary snorkel gear is provided to all passengers. Windstar offers an excellent scuba diving program (referred to by them simply as SCUBA) in the Caribbean and Costa Rica. On deck three you'll find a few category A staterooms, as well as all of the ship's standard suites (except one). The Main deck is the next deck up. On that deck is The Restaurant, the reception desk, Signature Shop, Candles, a pool (with two hot tubs and a bar nearby), Yacht Club (an area for reading and game playing, that also features several computers with internet access), Espresso Bar (featuring gourmet coffee and pastries), photo gallery, casino (featuring a selection of slot machines and gaming tables) and The Lounge (a spacious area that has a bar, stage for live performances and dance floor). On deck five (the Bridge deck) of Wind Surf you'll find (not surprisingly) the bridge, as well as one standard suite and the ship's two Bridge Suites. Also on that deck is the Nautilus Room and the indoor/outdoor Compass Rose (which features live performances, typically singers, and sometimes dancing). The Star deck is the highest deck onboard Wind Surf. On this deck is Degrees, Le Marché, The Veranda, the Aqualift Pool, the Fitness Center (a large area featuring a nice selection of machines and dumbbells, as well as optional fitness classes for a fee) and the Terrace Bar. Also on this deck is an outdoor seating area, great for bathing in the sun, enjoying the ocean breeze or snacking outdoors. In the case of an emergency or if you need medical attention of any sort, there is an infirmary onboard. Please be aware that Windstar will charge you for any services rendered onboard, and it's not usually cheap. That's why traveler's insurance is highly recommended for all cruisers...it's a small purchase that might end up saving you a lot of money! Guests can borrow iPods, which are already loaded with a ton of songs, from the front desk at no charge. |
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| There's a casual dress code onboard Windstar's ships, in fact they refer to their onboard experience as "Casual Elegance," meaning that guests should dress stylish, yet comfortable. An easy way to think of what to wear would be to think of how you'd dress at an elegant resort. For women's daytime wear Windstar suggests walking shorts, skirts, sarongs, lightweight tops and cover-ups. For women's evening wear Windstar suggests: sun dresses, pants, informal cocktail attire. Windstar suggests the following for Men's daytime wear: walking/Bermuda shorts, polo shirts, khaki pants; For the evening Windstar suggests the following for men: lightweight trousers and short-sleeved dress/polo shirts. No suits or ties (although some men will still wear such attire on occasion). And no shorts, jeans, or t-shirts in The Restaurant or Degrees (formerly The Bistro) during the evening. |
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| Windstar's cruises are typically considered voyages for adults. As such, there are no children's programs or facilities onboard their vessels. In fact, on Windstar's website is says "children, especially infants and toddlers, are not encouraged aboard Windstar cruises. The intimate ship size and unregimented atmosphere are adult in orientation and do not provide for the care, supervision, or entertainment of children...Windstar will not accept reservations for infants who will be 24 months or younger at the time their travel with Windstar commences." |
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| Windstar automatically charges each passenger a Hotel Service Charge, in the amount of $12 per person per day. This charge is automatically applied to each passenger's onboard expense account. This charge is used to compensate the various crew members that service you during your cruise, such as beverage servers, your wait staff, room stewards, laundry staff and galley staff. You are free to increase or decrease this charge, if you choose to do so (at the end of your cruise). You can do this by going to the main desk and requesting this to be done. Windstar also adds a 15% Beverage Service Charge to any bar charges and dining room wine purchases. |
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| For alcoholic beverages, the minimum drinking age onboard all Windstar cruise ships is 21 years of age. Only wine and champagne can be brought onboard the ship by passengers, for consumption in their staterooms. Windstar charges a $15 corkage fee (subject to change), for consumption of your wine or champagne in the ship's restaurants or bars. |
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| You must be at least 18 years of age to gamble onboard a Windstar cruise. |
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