Just back from another great Windstar cruise (our 14th). This time we took a back-to-back Star Collector 14-day cruise from Barbados on the Wind Spirit. We were on the Wind Spirit last May (also reviewed) with some friends so I will just highlight some of the changes we noticed since then. This time we sailed as a couple. All-in-all, a nice relaxing cruise. Lo and behold, we chose this cruise not because of the itinerary but because we wanted to take it easy after finalizing a major house project and the cruise was cheap (relatively speaking). There was also a very good promo on it (All-in package combined with a low fare and OBC’s) and it was on the smaller Wind Spirit. We had been to all the islands on the itinerary and knew which ones we wanted to get off and the ones where we would likely stay onboard to take advantage of the ship’s facilities (Pool, Marina, Spa, Galley Tour, glass of rosé, ice cold Red Stripe or a late lunch). We were in room (BX) which was well positioned, not noisy and located next to stairwell and thus not impacted by watertight door closures coming into and out of ports on deck 1. We travelled on a carry-on only as you get free laundry on Star Collector cruises (which we used every day). As mentioned earlier, we had been to these islands and only went off the ship on St. Vincent, Mayreau, Grenada, Bequia, St. Kitts (came right back on the ship, too many people), Les Saintes, Anse Mitan and Pigeon Island. The first leg has 2 days in St-Lucia at the start and that is too long We flew Quebec City to Barbados via Toronto and arrived one day early. Usually stay at the Hilton as it is conveniently located not far from the port but this time it was full, so we tried the Savannah Beach Club located just down the road from Hilton. Average and in need of a large reno. OK just for one night. Cab from hotel to the port was US$25 (from airport to port: US$50). Boarding was a bit confusing as there were several larger ships in town which were also on a turnover day (P&O, Star Clipper, Seabourn) and the pier to the ship is narrow with limited 2-way traffic. As a result, we waited a bit for the shuttle and finally got onboard only around 2PM when we had showed up just after 1PM. We were welcomed by Captain Belinda Bennett and a glass of bubbly and a cold washcloth, got our picture and passports taken, picked up our snorkel gear (in the Lounge), dropped luggage in the room and off we went to lunch…all in less than 10 minutes. 122 pax onboard the first week and 99 on the second week with about 30pax doing back-to-back. Itinerary/Weather: Weather was beautiful with occasional showers (mostly at night and morning) which did not hinder any activities (lucky on 2nd Deck BBQ night). Temperatures were hot and humid ranging from 29-32C (85-90F) every day. A bit of a swell (2m, 6ft) between Barbados and the other islands on both legs, but other than that, seas were relatively calm with Captain Bennett making minor adjustments to the schedule to ensure swells were limited at night. There were other ships in port on all of the stops, but they were mostly small to mid-sized. Busiest was St-Kitts with 6 ships in town, although 4 were smaller ships (less than 1000 pax). Deck BBQ’s were held on the night in Grenada on the first leg and Les Saintes on the second one. Both were excellent and although there was a rain shower right after everyone had eaten in Les Saintes, everyone took shelter under the pool bar and the crew still did their line dances in the rain and guests followed them, the band kept playing as people danced away in the rain and clapped along. It was one of those what I like to call “Windstar Moments”. Everyone with a smile on their faces (incl. crew) and just pure fun like one big happy family. Hard to describe. Beach BBQ’s were held in Mayreau (the beach still nice even following the hurricane) and on Pigeon Island second week (beach OK). Despite Mayreau not having any umbrellas, there was plenty of trees with shade for chairs if needed. Umbrellas were provided on Pigeon Island. Both BBQ’s featured local steel bands playing throughout the lunch. It had rained a lot overnight when we got to Dominica so most of the water related excursions were cancelled that day (River tubing, Titou Gorge swim, snorkel) Booking: Booked this cruise only 3 weeks in advance directly with Windstar. Great promotion with All-in package free laundry and $200 ea. in OBC’s. Onboard: Ship still looks good even though it’s about to go into dry dock in March. Yes the teak flooring on the Veranda and pool deck “swishes” water (part of drydock changes) but the ship is still well maintained in a vintage old wooden trims style (which will also change in the drydock). The furniture on pool deck has just been replaced with more contemporary models (same style as Star Bar/Grill on Star Class ships) with several loungers, sofas and comfy sun beds. Cabins and bathrooms are clean and partially redone with plenty of storage. The sails were out often throughout the cruise, but winds were not strong enough to allow us to go under sail power only. Our Room Attendant Asep was very good and responsive. We had issues with vacuum toilet a few times and these were quickly fixed. We used laundry extensively for everything and had no issues. Left bagful in the morning and all came back following afternoon either on hangers or folded (your choice). On 2 occasions an item of ours was taken with the towels (once at the pool and once in bathroom) and both times on within hours, they were found and returned by our Attendant. Thanks Asep. We had dinner outside at Candles 3 times during the 2 weeks and we were also invited to join the Captain Bennett’s table for dinner on the second week (also had dinner with Destination/Front desk Managers Melissa and Joanna the first week). Both were very fun & interesting evenings (we were the last ones out). Usually had dinner around 7h30-7h45 every night with no issues getting a table for 2. Food at Amphora was always delicious and included salmon, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, seared tuna, osso bucco & risotto, veal scaloppini, lobster, pastas, seafood and much more. A choice of home baked breads is offered and changes every night!! Food presentation was picture perfect and portions adequate. Not a bad dinner onboard for the both of us. Candles menu is also very good with perfectly cooked filet mignons (6 or 8 oz), rack of lamb, fish of the day and veal chop. Also, great sides of prosciutto parmesan potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and onion rings and a choice of 5 sauces (my favourite is cabernet reduction) For breakfast, Veranda could be a bit crowded in the mornings when looking for a table in the shade but there was always plenty of room inside. Last May, I had mentioned the reduced selection of fruits (lots of melons and canned fruits) at the buffet in the morning. This was still the case this time around although in the second week we saw kiwis, grapefruits and sliced oranges more often but little in the way of berries or mangos. Fresh squeezed OJ was good. The rest of the buffet is fine with bakery (all sorts of croissants, muffins, breads, bagels and English muffins including some gluten free options), cheeses, smoked salmon, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal. No issues with hot items either from buffet (great bacon) or from the menu which include waffles, French toasts (both with real maple syrup this time), eggs Benedict as well as omelettes and eggs made to order. The caffe lattes at both the Veranda and Yacht Club (from 6AM) were delicious in the morning. Lunch at Veranda is always less busy than breakfast as lots of guests are out and it’s easy to get a nice table outside. On the menu front, selections seem to have improved with several options incl. cold and hot buffet items changing every day, carving and cooking stations (pasta, souvlaki, fajitas etc) plus an à la carte menu which includes a make your own poke bowl, smash burger as well as a fish and a pasta of the day. Always good with a nice glass of rosé (which they had plenty of onboard) Yacht Club sandwiches and treats were all delicious in the afternoon when Veranda was closed. Again, we did not use room service, but it was used often by guests coming back too late for lunch and having food delivered at the pool. Bars and Entertainment Entertainment was limited to one musical duo who were very good but only saw them a few times playing outside by the pool. We think they should be there just about every day around 4h30 for an hour which would allow them to play their regular set in the lounge after 6PM. No entertainment director or limited trivia/games at cocktail time given small size of ship. Cocktails were taken at pool bar or the lounge after dinner. On a few nights, there was a bit of dancing, but it remained subdued compared to other cruises. Both Crew Shows were excellent Wine selection is good and the wines included in drink packages are decent and varied. We had lots of Provence rosé, California Chardonnay, NZ sauvignon blanc, California Cabs and Zins, as well red Bordeaux and Aussie Shiraz. Sail Aways were always well attended and as mentioned earlier, Captain had sails out more often than not. Went to the bridge every day and had interesting conversations with captain and officers on duty. Marina was open 5 times (excl. beach BBQ days) over the 2 weeks: open in Pigeon Island (2 days) and Bequia during first week and Les Saintes and Anse Mitan in week 2. Tendered ports were: Pigeon Island, St Vincent (normally docked), Mayreau and Bequia in week 1 (Grenada was the only docked port) and all ports in week 2: St Kitts (all 4 piers taken by larger ships), Les Saintes, Dominica (normally docked but already 2 ships), Anse Mitan and Pigeon Island. Ports of Call: Day 1 (Pigeon Island St-Lucia): This is where the beach BBQ is normally held but not on this itinerary as beach BBQ is in Mayreau (much nicer location). Aside from excursions not much to do in Gros-Islet and public beach is busy. Day 2: Castries St-Lucia: We were supposed to sail a few miles south in Castries on Day 2 but because of high winds and the narrow channel to get into Castries, Captain decided to remain anchored in Pigeon Island (Rodney Bay/Gros Islet) instead. All people that had shore excursions booked with Windstar in Castries were taken to the city by complimentary shuttle while independent travellers would have to hire their own cabs to get to there unless they were able to set up a new meeting point in Gros Islet. We stayed on the ship the 2 days and enjoyed the pool, went swimming at the Marina and just took it easy. Ship left Pigeon Island at 3PM and stopped by the Pitons at the south end of St Lucia for about an hour at sunset with the sails out. Great pictures. Magical Day 3: St Vincent: We hired a cab (just the 2 of us) for about 2.5 hours (US$75) to replicate one of the Windstar tours: First, Fort Charlotte with sweeping views of Kingstown and its bay. The Fort is closed to tours due to ongoing repairs but remains open for individuals or small groups. We showed up and a guide was waiting for us (US$10). We were alone Then it was on to the botanical gardens for about an hour: US $6/pers entry fee plus US$6/pers for an optional guide, which I suggest you take as it will make your visit that much more interesting. Very well-maintained property and interesting flora. Finally, we went to Belmont viewpoint which allowed us to cross to the more rugged Atlantic coast of the island and enjoy sweeping few of that coast. All-in costs for the day were US$100 vs US$138 on ship. Day 4 Mayreau: Beach BBQ. Great beach with plenty of trees for shade. Beach still looks good despite Hurricane Beryl last summer. Water nice and clear. Beach toys were out and there were plenty of tables in the shade for lunch. Great stop Day 5 Grenada: Docked at the old dock downtown. Normally go to Magazine Beach but decided to try a different place at the north end of Grande Anse Beach near 61West restaurant. Would not recommend this part of the beach as water was murky and beach was busy with 2 larger ships in town. Lunch was OK. Deck BBQ was held that evening Day 6 Bequia: Ship was leaving early at 2PM (still don’t understand why given the relatively short distance to Barbados) so not enough time to go to the beach. We therefore decided to just stroll in town along the beautiful Belmont walkway. Came back on the ship and went swimming at the Marina. We really like Bequia as it remains fairly quiet, but this time around, we were surprised to see a lot of day-trippers coming from a Kingstown St-Vincent cruise ship (only a 10 n.m. ferry ride away). Had never seen Bequia like this and it felt different. Still a very nice stop but leaving at 2PM does ruin the day a bit. Day 7 Barbados: about 90 people left the ship today and another 70 came on. We stayed onboard (very quiet) as we have seen much of what there is to see from previous stays. Star Pride was docked next to us so we asked our Reception crew if they could arrange a tour for us (we wanted to see how the ship looked since we last went on it 2 years ago). In the end, 7 of us went to visit. The ship still looks great and we look forward to going back on a Star Class ship soon Day 8 Sea day: nice sea day on our way to St Kitts. Sails were out all day. No hassles with deck chairs, plenty of room for everybody. Day 9 St Kitts: 6 ships in town so it was busy at Port Zante and its souvenir shops. Went to shore, stayed an hour, just a few nice shops and lots of people so we went back to ship. That sums it up. There are things to see here but you need to get out of the port area. Brimstone Hill Fortress, a Unesco site and its sweeping views is worth doing and also the interesting old cane train ride around the island. Lots of nice beaches: Busy Frigate Bay and South Friars/Carambola beaches are closest to pier while Cockeshell and Turtle beaches are at the far south end facing Nevis with nice vistas along the way. Day 10 Les Saintes Guadeloupe: We like Les Saintes for its French flair, lack of traffic and well-maintained buildings and the fact that it remains small. This time we just walked the main street which is filled with lovely little shops and restaurants. Very nice linen shop (Maogany). Did not go to Fort Napoleon or Pompierre beach, both very nice places we had been to before. Went to the Marina. Deck BBQ was held that night as ship left port late. Star Flyer in port with us. Day 11 Dominica: As stated earlier it had rained all night when we got to Dominica (we could see the brown water from the Roseau River making its way far into the ocean). Since we had visited the island a few times and the iffy weather in the morning, we stayed on ship. There were 2 other ships in town (Aida and Regent). Had tried to book the Windstar whale viewing tour but could not get to the 25 pers. minimum required. A lot of tours did not happen (snorkel and river tubing) and even though Titou Gorge was open, only a few people from the boat went in the cave as current was strong (even though you are provided with a life jacket) Day 12 Anse Mitan Martinique: We had extra OBC’s and wanted to go around the island so we used them for an excursion which took us (approx. 20) around the less developed southern part of the island through Les Anses D’Arlet, Le Diamant and Les Trois Ilets. Steep winding roads through lush forests. Stopped at the Cap 110 Memorial near Le Diamant, at a nice Rum distillery in Trois-Rivières and also at the well preserved Cane Sugar Museum. Day 13 Pigeon Island: Beach BBQ. Beach had cloudy water (which happens often at this location). Great location for the BBQ itself in the forest behind the beach. Excellent food and drinks (shrimp Mac & Cheese). Sailed by the Pitons again but no stopping as we were on our way back to Barbados. Day 14 Barbados (Debarkation): Stayed on the ship until 10h45AM as we had late flight. Hopped on a shuttle bus but again as there were several ships in town, there was some confusion and we got dropped off at the wrong place and thus had to walk around a bit. Great cruise but we thought the entertainment to be lacking a bit around the pool in the late afternoon. We did ask a lot of new cruisers what they thought of their cruise and all were ecstatic so they continue to do things right.

After our positive experience with the Wind Spirit last December in Tahiti we decided to go with them again for this cruise. We were not disappointed. Actually ended up with the same waiter (Sunu) and bartender (Felix) and Table 13 in Amphora . Captain Mark and his team were outstanding. Our room attendant Tuti couldn't do enough to help. All comments on my Tahiti review were the same here. The passengers on this cruise were very laid back and got along well. Just a positive vibe throughout the ship. Captain Mark did a wonderful service Remembrance Day service. We were fine with the shore excursions. Bianca went out of our way to help us. We had a great time. Can't comment on the nightlife as we're over 80 and we're done by 9! I would add that we did have difficulties in the customer service in Miami as they dropped our Barcelona pick up and told us to work it out on the ship. Actually taxi was cheaper and the ship gave us credit,

Background: We've done LOTS of cruises but nothing like Windstar, including Holland America, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, NCL (Suites and regular), MSC Yacht Club, and most recently Explora. Windstar is our favorite of all! What we liked: 1. The service. Warm. Sincere. But also laidback. Soooo laidback and casual. They don't rub "luxury" in your face all the time the way Explora does. The Captain is everywhere. The officers are everywhere. The hotel manager will sincerely ask you about your day and if if there's anything he can do for you. They respond to feedback (if you have issue, like we did, they deal with it immediately). The open bridge is awesome. Got an issue? Go see the Captain! Staff are experienced (many are older including waiters, stewards, etc.) and the vast majority are AWESOME. They seem happy and well cared for themselves. 2. The food. ALMOST as good as Explora and that's a huge compliment as Explora is the best in the world in the food department (at least until they cut it back which I suspect they will). Fresh, tasty, delicious. No bad meals. Some exceptional ones. Best Eggs Benedict and Pancakes I've had maybe ever... Candles is almost Ruth's Chris quality. Note: the food is simpler than many lines which I like... I like fresh, simple, but tasty and HIGH QUALITY. Windstar does this VERY well. NOTE: We took on fresh food in many of the ports (even on a seven day cruise)! We saw fresh fish delivered multiple times, and even fresh cheese! I've never/rarely seen this on larger ships which load up once a week. 3. The vibe. Hard to put into words. Everyone is so friendly and happy to be aboard. You really do make new friends. 4. Being able to swim off the back of the ship is a HOOT. Can't wait to do that again!!! 5. Old-school but fun entertainment. We loved stargazing with the officers on the bow in the middle of the ocean (PITCH BLACK). Wow. The singers were honestly just OK but they tried hard. The crew show was so fun. 6. The ship. Yes it's old. Yes it needs a renovation (it's getting one soon) but it's so classic and comfortable. Simple. Charming. No it's not an Explora floating hotel/palace but I don't care. I'd take this over Explora any day of the week. The sails are gorgeous too. What was just OK/Didn't like: 1. Ummmm we really liked it all and I can't remember the last time I felt that way about a cruise!! Honestly after the refit this ship will be as close to perfect as I can imagine. It's not bad now. I haven't even mentioned the ports. One got cancelled. So what did Captain do? FOUND US A BETTER PORT! Yes. He is THAT empowered and the replacement port was better the one originally scheduled. You rock, Captain Mark!!!

This was my first time traveling with Windstar and it probably won't be my last. I loved the size of the ship which allowed us to get into smaller ports, but also the small passenger count. Many of the crew members learned our names (especially the bartenders) which really personalized our experience. The ship is set for drydock next year I believe and a refresh is definitely needed just to provide some updates. The rooms are typical of a mid-level cruise, a bit on the small side, but there is plenty of storage. We had an adjoining room with friends which gave us the option to close off the exterior door and leave our individual doors open. Since it is such a small ship with only 2 floors, there are only portholes in the rooms. But we didn't mind because you spend so little time in your room. We did use the fitness center which was small but adequate. The drink package is a must buy! Wifi is very spotty so may not be worth the added cost. We had rain our first few days but had a lovely time playing cards in the private library. The ports were simply amazing and we appreciated being on a small vessel that allowed us to tuck into ports. It rained in Mallorca and Menorca so we didn't venture out too much. The winds were too strong to get into Corsica so the captain surprised us and took us to Porto Cervo in Sardinia and it proved to be the highlight of our trip. Everyone loved this port so much that the captain hopes to make it a regular stop. Portoferraio on Elba was a very welcome surprise. We did a wine tour which took us across the island and the scenery was stunning! We skipped a few of the planned excursions and decided to do our own thing which turned out to be a great, more relaxing, way to see the island.