Lisa

My husband and I would like to cruise around Greece next summer. At first, we were seriously considering the Windstar line. It seemed like it would be very romantic to actually sail around the island on a small, intimate ship. It also gave us the opportunity to try something new and different, and to be able to add days onto Athens and Istanbul. <BR><BR>The problem is that I have read many mixed reviews. Some people love it, some people dislike it, many people feel that they are not getting their money's worth because the food isn't what they expected for the price, and the ships are older and, some say, shabby. Also, several who know the line from years back say that the line doesn't hold a candle to its reputation of old.<BR><BR>The Windstar cruise that I am looking at is 7 nights and begins at Athens and continues to Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum, Kusadasi, an at sea day, and ends up in Istanbul. The early booking rate would be $3132/person. If I do this cruise I would add a couple of days onto Athens and possibly onto Istanbul. <BR><BR>I have been doing some research and, as an alternative, I found a 12 day itinerary with Royal Caribbean. This cruise has 3 days at sea, begins and ends in Barcelona, and stops at Villafanche (Nice), Livorno (Florence), Civitavecchia (Rome), Mykonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Piraeus (Athens), Santorini, and Naples. This cruise, on Brilliance of the Seas, in a cabin with deluxe oceanview and balcony, is $3024/person. <BR><BR>I have cruised 6 times, 3 of which were with Royal Caribbean. I enjoyed all of them, although the last wasn't quite as good as the first two. I found the food to be less interesting and not as well prepared, and the service was less personal. But, all in all, I enjoyed all 3 cruises with RCI. I have read mixed reviews about the Brilliance, though.I've also cruised with Celebrity and Princess.<BR><BR>The RCI cruise is a much better value than the Windstar, unless the food, service, and excursions are of a much higher caliber on the Windstar line. I am hoping that someone who has experienced both can tell me if the extra cost with Windstar is a good value.<BR><BR>A couple of other points are that oceanview on Windstar means 2 portholes rather than the balcony I would have on Brilliance. I would stop at more ports on the Brilliance, although I have been to many of these already. I would not be able to extend my stay in Athens and Istanbul on the Brilliance, which was a plus when I was considering Windstar. There is very little to do on the Wind Spirit when not in port. This could be a peaceful advantage but I don't know since I have never sailed on a very small ship. The chance of seasickness is greater on the Wind Spirit. The service is more intimate, I'm sure, on the Wind Spirit.<BR><BR>Paul, and all others who have sailed these ships, please share your knowledge and opinions. They will be greatly appreciated. And, hopefully, they will help me to make the right decision.

Paul Therault

Hi Lisa,<BR><BR>It is difficult to compare a cruise ship to a masted sailing vessel.<BR><BR>Windstar is extremely elegant and the service is impeccable.<BR><BR>Although I did not sail Windstar recently (Windsurf 1998), I did not see any shabbiness. I have not recently heard of any deterioration.<BR><BR>I sailed the Windsurf in 1990 when it belonged to Club Med. It was of course new then. I was attracted and will be in the future, to the sports platform.<BR><BR>Granted it is not as exciting a cruise and the cabins are elegant but with portholes, the experience is entirely different than a cruise ship and that may be the reason some pople do not like it.<BR><BR>The food is extraordinary but limited. For example, only one appetizer, one soup, one salad and about 4 entrees. The breakfasts are out of this world.<BR><BR>Possibly people do not like the idea of the casual elegant dress at dinner.<BR><BR>I think it is well worth the money and a far cry from Windjammer. Also you do not have to wait in long lines for anything.<BR><BR>Maybe someone else can help with their experience.<BR><BR>Paul

cash

Lisa,<BR>I agree with Paul, you cannot compare Windstar to RCCL - the apples vs oranges thing. I have sailed Windstar ships 3 time and have enjoyed every one and will sail on them again sometime. I have also sailed cruise ships 6 or 7 times (Princess, Renassaince, etc) and 3 or 4 river cruises - all different ways of water travel. I think perhaps you are relying too much on listening to what others think and everyone has different expectations and needs and trying to make decisions on someone else's choices. Think about what is most important to you and go for it. If a balcony, entertainment, lots of food choice is your thing and very important to you - do RCCL; if you want to try sailing under the stars, can entertain yourself, dinners for 2 occasionally,and a lovely small ship - Windstar. Bottom line is, it is your cruise, your vacation, think about what you want and go for it. Take the info on this forum for what it is - other peoples opinions which do not necessarily match yours.

Lisa

Paul, thank you for your reply. The vessels that I have read complaints about are the 3 older, smaller ones -Wind Star, Wind Song, Wind Spirit. I have read only positive reports regarding the Wind Surf. Unfortunately, the Wind Surf does not sail in Greece. If it did, there would be no question for me; I would definitely sail the Wind Surf. I think the Wind Surf would be a great transition from the larger ships because it is larger than the the other 3 Windstar vessels and, thus, offers more options.<BR><BR>The water sports deck is a nice bonus with Windstar, although I don't know how much it can be utilized in Europe. When you sailed with Windstar in 1998, where did you sail? I am wondering if this type of cruise might be better left for a Caribbean destination, rather than European. Also, I have read that Windstar offers only 1 or 2 excursions per port. A larger selection might be nice for Europe. By the way, I find that the casual dress is VERY appealing. After touring in Europe all day, the last thing I enjoy doing is having to get dressed in formalwear.<BR><BR>I have a few other questions if you don't mind. Do you think that it is necessary to stay a couple of extra days in Athens and Istanbul, or will I be able to see enough of Athens during a full day of touring? Also, is Istanbul a must -the Brilliance does not offer it as a port of call. Also, I do not usually suffer from seasickness, but I am concerned about it on a small vessel such as the Wind Spirit. Should this be a concern? <BR><BR>And, finally, if I do choose to sail on a larger ship, is there a significant difference between the Golden Princess and the Brilliance of the Seas? I remember you posting, at one time, that Princess is the best in the Med. The only reason I am considering the Brilliance rather than the Golden is the difference in itineraries. The Brilliance spends more time in Grecce and other ports that I am more interested in. But, if the food, service, and the ship itself with Princess are truly superior to RCI, it might be worthwhile going with a less desireable itinerary. <BR><BR>Paul, thank you again for shating your knowledge and opinions. I will be looking forward to your reply.<BR><BR>Cash, your points are well taken. I also agree that the comments on this forum can only be so useful because everyone's tastes and needs are different. At this point, I am not sure what I am looking for, and am hoping that specific answers to my questions will help me decide. As I said, I think that sailing under the stars with wonderful, attentive service and top notch food sounds wonderful. I also love the casualness of the Windstar line. But, I am concerned about the lack of space and excursion choices, as well as seasickness. And the water sports platform sounds like great fun, but will we be able to utilize it in Europe? <BR><BR>Cash, I would love to know where you sailed with Windstar, on which ships, and how recently. Thank you again for your help.

Athena

I'd like to put my 2¢ in, for what it's worth. There is another allternative. it doesn't have to be a choice between Windstar with 148 passengers,. and Brilliance of the Seas with 2000+. What about the Radisson Diamond (twin-hulled for more stability), or Song of Flower (only 180 passengers, a real jewel), or Seven Seas Mariner (all suites- all balconies)? These are small ships with huge staterooms, balconies, elegant service, amazing food with all the coices your could possible want, complimentary wine and spirits, free soft drinks, bottles water, no tipping. This is one of the best values in cruising. Have a look at the web site: http://www.rssc.com <BR>

Lisa

Athena, I agree that Radisson is a good value for what you receive. Unfortunately, Radisson doesn't seem to sail to Greece, which is where my husband would like to visit this summer. The Brilliance will take us to 3 ports in Greece and 1 port in Turkey, which is more than any other Med. cruise I have found, aside from Windstar.<BR><BR>I am hoping to try Radisson in the future, though. thanks again for your advice, though!

Paul Therault

Hi Lisa,<BR><BR>I believe you are now getting totally confused and are about ready for the "home."<BR><BR>I believe you should make a decision to do either the Greek Islands or the Med. You should not really do both during one cruise. They are two different and unique areas.<BR><BR>In Athens you should of course see the Acropolis (in the morning) and the Plaka (old town) in the afternoon. If only to see the changing of the guard at the Parliament. This is not a regular changing of the guard. It is something you will remenber for the rest of your life. It would be nice to stay overnight if you wish to browse the Plaka and walk up to the top and eat in a real Greek restaurant overlooking Athens with the Acropolis all lit up. Keep in mind, if you wish to go on your own to the Acropolis, most tour operators are not licensed to take you up to the Acropolis.<BR><BR>If you study Istanbul, you will see it is a port that should not be missed. You could see quite a bit in one day if you do not spend a long amount of time at each stop, but two days would be better. You can spend an awful lot of time in the Bazaar since it is so huge. Best not to take a ship's tour there, but go by private car or cab. You may have to wait for hours for bus passengers who are "shopping."<BR><BR>I really never thought about using the sport's platform in the Med until you brought it up. I did the Portugal, Morocco, Spain, France itinerary. You have to remember the Windstar ships to not tie up at a pier as a rule therefore the sport's platform is always available for snorkeling, scuba, sailboards, water skiing, kayaking and boating.<BR>I doubt anyone will be doing this in Istanbul or Piraeus. Monte Carlo would also be a too-busy port. Santorini would be great as well as Mykonos. <BR><BR>I chose Windstar since I like to try all ships. I personally do not care for the lack of excitement but do care for the sport's platform.<BR><BR>Stock up on your linens and silks for the dinners.<BR><BR>You should sail the Brilliance for the itinerary since it is a mass-market value type cruise. Do not expect the service and the food to be up to par with Princess by any means. Just go to enjoy the itinerary.<BR><BR>Me, I would do the Royal Olympia Voyager or Explorer for the Greek Islands. Windstar is perfect too since the romance of the ship matches the romantic and haunting Greek Islands. I would sail the Grand or Golden Princess for the Med. <BR><BR>Decisions, decisions, decisions.<BR><BR>If you e-mail me I can give you the names of a couple of my associates for the Med who can give you fabulous tours at a reasonable price.<BR><BR>Paul

dellk

If you're going to Greece, go with Royal Olympic. They are small (around 900 passengers) fast Greek ships, new, spotless,and they treat their passengers very well. Also, they have security that is visible at all times. The food is fairly good, even the buffet.<BR>I booked through the cruise line for Carib this summer and got a better price than most vacation sites, their NYC 800 # is on their web site. <BR>Enjoy!

Jane

$3132 for Windstar seems a bit too much. You should sign up for their e-mails so they can notify you when they have sales. I'm not sure if you are flexible with dates. Summer is generally more expensive to cruise on Windstar but I've found that sailing before June 15 will save you money on air and cruise due to lower demand. After June 15 school is out and everyone is on summer vacation thus high demand.

Cruiser

Be careful with Royal Olympic. I have been on some real rust buckets with them. Check the date when the ship was built then you should be okay.<BR> The Greek Isles ARE gorgeous!

Lisa

Jane, I am a teacher so I can only go during the summer. I do receive Windstar's e-mails and the fare I mentioned includes an early booking discount of $350/person. I usually have to pay a premium when I travel since my vacations are always during premium travel periods. I'll have to wait until I retire, in the distant future, to take advantage of off-peak travel. <BR><BR>Thanks again for your suggestion.

Lisa

Paul, thanks for the offer to e-mail your associates' contact information. I e-mailed you yesterday. I look forward to receiving the information.