Windstar Cruises … Love your cabin, love your cruise!

Windstar Cruises … Love your cabin, love your cruise!

On a great cruise I usually don’t spend a lot of time in my cruise ship cabin.  It’s true.  But an “ideal” cabin which responds to my every need can speak volumes about what my actual cruise will be like, from the attention to detail on board ship to the cleanliness, quality of service and even the general aura of the cruise itself.  Welcome to the warm and friendly hospitality of Windstar Cruises where the smiling staff aboard “my” luxury yacht magically knows my name and takes great pride in surpassing my expectations with first-class personalized service.

Denis and I loved our cabin aboard the Windstar Cruises Star Legend!  Our first impression was spacious, warm and inviting, charming, elegant and luxurious.  As we unpacked, our mood just got better and better.  And our life onboard the Star Legend continued to improve as we savored our dinner that evening at the ship’s signature al fresco restaurant, Candles.  The superb quality of the ingredients, from the black angus filet mignon cut from the tenderloin and the USDA prime 10 ounce veal chop to the extremely fresh produce, was a perfect match for the professional quality of the preparation, the artful presentation and the superb service.

The endgame for our dinner, of course, was the taste … and the new Windstar Executive Chef and Sous Chef team did not disappoint.  So delicious was our meal that we finished every last bite despite the generous portions … from the deconstructed Caesar Salad and superb bread basket of freshly baked breads and lavash to the main course and onto dessert.  Of course, the ambiance was ripe for enjoyment as well.  As we sailed away from the twinkling lights of Barbados, the soothing rocking motion of the ship and the warm, gentle sea breezes of the Caribbean relaxed us and the full moon rose in the sky.  Memorable, pampered, delicious and very romantic.

But I digress from describing our fabulous Windstar Star Legend cabin.  As I entered the cabin, my eye fixated on the glass doors opening out upon the French balcony which we left open regularly while we were in the cabin during the cruise to enjoy the ocean breezes, the sound of the waves and the beautiful views.

In the next instant after entering, I took in the whole picture … and quickly realized that this cabin is designed with great attention to detail and ultimate comfort and beauty in mind.   Spacious and comfortable – there is room for everything, room even to relax with a few guests invited in for cocktails.  And there is a large bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne chilling for us along with chocolate-covered strawberries.  My kind of welcome.

The layout is perfection.  Essentially, the cabin is divided into a living area with a wide French balcony and a sleeping area, off of which is a walk-in closet and a bathroom.

The living area, comfortably illuminated with recessed lighting, table lamps and wall sconces, is at the far end of the cabin.   The French balcony just off the living area has generously proportioned floor-to-ceiling sliding doors offering awesome views.  Once opened or with the curtains pushed aside, sunlight or moonlight floods the cabin and seems to welcome us to paradise.

Furnished with comfy seating for 5, the living area also features a bar with a refrigerator stocked with soft drinks in the bottom encasement and Reidel glassware in the top encasement.  The bar is restocked twice daily with purified water and ice by our devoted cabin attendant who also keeps the bar stocked with large salted peanuts at our request.  Opposite the bar is a coordinating console with a DVD player above which is a flat screen TV which comfortably services both the living and sleeping areas. Fresh fruit is always on the central coffee table.

Dividing the living area from the sleeping area or “bedroom” is a curtain which provides a degree of privacy between the 2 areas — so my early-riser husband can comfortably hop out of bed and move just a few feet into the living area while he puts out some tweets and I continue to get my beauty rest – undisturbed.

The bedroom has a very comfortable bed with a thick mattress, luxurious bedding, and a dressing table/desk with a large mirror and outlets for both European and American plugs.  As with the living area, the lighting is thoughtfully designed, providing excellent illumination both at the dressing table and each side of the bed where there is both a reading light and a night light, supplemented by recessed lighting.  Night-tables with both a spacious drawer and a shelf complete the perfectly sized furnishings.

Off the bedroom there are 2 doors.  One leads to a large walk-in closet very well fitted-out with automatic illumination and lots of drawers for storage.  Awesome — it comfortably holds the rather large amount of clothes I brought for just a one week cruise.  Plus, the closet also features waffle-weave robes and slippers for us.   While you can store empty suitcases underneath the bed, there is also plenty of room in the walk-in closet to store them there, which is what we did and we still had empty space to spare.

My favorite aspect of our cabin?  Yes, I’m saving it for last.  It’s that second door off the bedroom — the marble bathroom!  Equipped with a combination bathtub & shower which has superb water pressure, it is fabulously designed with ample shelving on either side of the vanity for his and her toiletries, a mirrored encased storage area with 3 shelves suitable for large size bottles, and additional shelf space below the vanity for cosmetic and toiletry bags.

This ideal cruise ship bathroom also features a large free-standing make-up mirror, lots of plush Egyptian cotton towels, L’Occitane toiletries, and that elusive but oh-so-appreciated bathroom feature – natural lighting.  If you are wondering where the hairdryer is … you will find it in a drawer of the dressing table opposite the bed — a much safer spot to blow-dry your hair than the bathroom.  And if you like to have your bathroom generously stocked with towels and toiletries, your cabin attendant who comes at least twice/day to refresh your room will respond to your every need.

In terms of my cabin favorites — sleeping well aboard the Windstar Star Legend is a close second to enjoying the master bathroom.   Not just because the bed and bedding are so comfy, which of course is a factor, but especially because I am rocked asleep every night as our ship cruises from one Caribbean port to another.  Perhaps there is a special secret to captaining the ship aboard Windstar Cruises, or some fairy dust sprinkled nightly which puts passengers to sleep soundly … as both their cruise ships and their sailing ships have the most appealing feature of cradling me gently as I easily fall asleep.  Pleasant dreams.

Did I love my cabin so much that I lingered there longer than I would normally on a cruise?  Probably not.  But I will tell you that the attention to detail and the devotion to comfort, quality and service which characterizes the cabin is indeed representative of the entire ship, and definitely enhances the luxurious lifestyle onboard the Windstar Cruises Star Legend.  The cabin may have been my first impression of Windstar Cruises focus on luxury, attention to detail and service onboard the Star Legend, but it certainly was not the last.

The final verdict?   Smiling crew offering warm and friendly hospitality that includes a fair amount of pampering … all leading to a most memorable cruise where the “happiness” factor is contagious.  Did I mention that we celebrated Valentine’s Day aboard ship?  So, do add “romantic” to the list of what I enjoyed most about my Windstar Caribbean Hideaways cruise.

Our cabin aboard the Windstar Cruises Star Legend was “Balcony Suite” category.  For more information about enjoying Windstar Cruises’s awesome hospitality in the Caribbean, please visit Windstar Cruises Caribbean Cruises.

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