Our cabins were spacious and luxurious. There was a king bed, walk-in wardrobe, lounge area with two-seater sofa and two chairs, and a fully stocked mini bar. The bathroom with twin vanity and there were cabins you could choose to have either a bathtub or just shower. There were French doors leading out to a Juliette balcony.
We took the all inclusive package which included beverages, Wi-Fi, gratuities and laundry. What a treat to fill our laundry bag and put it at the door in the morning and come back after a day out to find it all washed, pressed and hung up. If only this service could be replicated at home!
For a small ship there was a good selection of restaurants and bars. The Veranda is a casual indoor and outdoor area for breakfast and lunch. You can choose to have a continental breakfast with lots of fruit, breads and cereal or go the whole cooked option and order your omelette from the chef. Lunch is a variety of salads and cooked options as well as desserts.
At night The Veranda is converted into Candles, a white tablecloth steakhouse but it also caters for vegetarians and other dietary requirements easily catered for. Amphora is the main dining room. There are no set dining times so you can just turn up. The menu is changed daily and there is always something interesting on there and a Qualified Wine Sommelier who will select Wine to match your menu you've selected for your meal.
Quadro 44 is a cosy Spanish restaurant lending itself to share plates of tapas and main meals of seafood. Spa Grill is on deck 8 outside but undercover serving BBQ inspired meals for lunch and petering into the afternoon, where you can order a cocktail by the bar and snack during the afternoon sail or after a day ashore or for a pre-dinner drink. Compass Rose is for after dinner drinks and dancing. They also have some fun quiz entertainment earlier in the night.
There are no Broadway-style shows. Instead, the Lounge features nightly performances by the crew which could be anything from singing, comedy acts or dancing but always entertaining. Wherever possible they bring on local talent like a belly dancer we had one night. It was hilarious when the men were pulled up from the audience to participate.
Deck 7 houses the main swimming pool and 2 whirlpools. Just inside is the gym and spa with a dry sauna, steam room and the heated tile beds. All complimentary. If you want a quiet place to have coffee and a light snack or just sit back and watch the world go by, The Yacht Club is the place to go.
We had the most amazing journey visiting the ports of Mykonos, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Rhodes and Santorini. One of the benefits of being a small ship, was being able to come right into these ports, providing easy access and maximising time ashore.
We thank Windstar for our opportunity to sail on the beautiful Star Pride and can recommend this cruise line to those who enjoy the finer things and wishing to experience destinations up close with ease.
