SMALL SHIP CRUISING
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO CRUISE ON AN OCEAN GOING SHIP WITH ONLY 100 STATEROOMS?
Pretty incredible! Before going on the Windstar Pride, one of their “power yachts”, I was curious what it would be like on a ship that small. I’ve been on many European river cruises that hold less than 200 passengers. Would the size of the Pride feel similar? It did not.
Cruise ships are rated by their gross registered tonnage, or GRT. This is not the weight of the ship but a measure of the volume of space on the ship. The ratio of the GRT vs passenger count tells us how crowded the ship will be. The Windstar Pride has a space ratio of 39. Compare that to a river ship with a space ratio of 18. The Windstar Pride has double the space ratio per passenger than the river ships. The Pride’s staterooms are twice the size and there is more public space. More room to move around!
All 200 rooms on this ship are suites. Every suite has with a “French” balcony or a large picture window. The Windstar Pride has one main dining room plus one inside/outside casual dining room for breakfast that turns into a specialty restaurant at night. There is no assigned seating. Everyone is invited to have dinner at 7:00 pm and sit wherever
you’d like. That makes it easy to dine with new friends you’ve met while you were on a shore excursion or in one of the two lounge’s each night that has live music. There are no formal nights on Windstar.
The six Windstar ships, three yacht style ships and three sailboats, all have sports deck. You have unlimited use of paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkel equipment, sailing, swimming, water skiing and wind surfing. They also offer a compressive dive program.
A very small casino offers two blackjack tables and a few slot machines. The bridge is always open for you to visit. There are few children on board. Those under 8 are not allowed.
The small size of the ships allow them to dock in ports the large ships can’t get to.
Windstar offers a luxury experience but is not all inclusive. Internet, alcoholic beverages, shore excursions and gratuities are all additional. Their cruise price therefore is less than an all inclusive luxury cruise.
Give me a call if you’d like to learn more about Windstar.
Next Month: Great Britain