I'm at the end of the Tauck Treasures of the Mediterranean cruise and want to post my thoughts about the Wind Star ship while my memories are fresh.
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In about 1976, when I was in the beginning of my career, I upgraded from a 1962 Volkswagen Bug to an almost new Honda Civic hatchback. The Civic was a good reliable car but it was basic. It had roll up windows, a manual transmission, AM radio, and rubber floor mats – no air conditioning. But it got me where I wanted to go and it was very reliable. The designers could have made it more basic, like a military vehicle which has only the absolutely necessary features and functions, but they didn’t. They tried to make it attractive as well as reliable, while still meeting their chosen price point.
I drove that car for many years and then sold it to my sister who passed it along to each of her kids as they reached driving age.
Twenty-five years later, I bought a Mercedes S-430. Very different car, with lots of creature comforts, automatic transmission, electric windows, air conditioning, nice interior, air suspension, etc. But, like the Honda, its function was just to get me where I wanted to go, perhaps in greater comfort.
The Wind Star story is similar when compared to one of the luxury cruise lines, such as Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, or Regent Seven Seas. The Wind Star was built in 1986 and was probably built to the standards of luxury at that time. But that was 38 years ago and what is considered “luxury" in a cruise ship has moved on.
The regular cabins on the Wind Star are small, the bathrooms are very small, and there are just port holes to the outside – no balconies. Closet space is limited. It’s like the Honda Civic – it has everything you need, but nothing extra.
The ship itself was designed to a similar minimalist ethic. For example, there’s no elevator, just stairs to go between decks. To reach the Veranda restaurant you must go outside. I don’t know what they do if it’s raining. [Side note: I asked what they do if someone has mobility issues. They said they tell that person not to book on this ship.]
Being small, the ship moves quite a bit more in rough weather.
It has all the required things, a restaurant, a lounge, a coffee bar, a gift shop, etc. And the staff has been excellent.
The ship has been renovated recently, 2018 I think, but there’s a limit to what you can do in a renovation. It would be difficult to reconfigure the cabins to make them larger, for example.
The ship does what it was designed to do, get you to the various islands and ports on your itinerary.
In the end, it all depends on what you want. The Wind Star can provide a nice cruising experience, but it cannot provide the luxury experience you’d get on one of the modern luxury cruise lines.
