Posts in category: Windstar Cruises

Whether you’ve booked yourself a Windstar cruise already, or you’ve got one lined up that you’re about to secure, you’ll want to know whether or not the all-inclusive package is worth the extra cost.

Any kind of cruise holiday is going to be relaxing, but an all-inclusive one? That’s even better – as long as the price is fair. So let’s find out whether Windstar Cruises’ all-inclusive package is worth it, or not.

Windstar Cruises are NOT all-inclusive.

You do get a lot included in your standard cruise fare, but there are some extras that you’ll need to pay for – including alcoholic drinks, shore excursions, WiFi, laundry and tips for the crew.

Windstar is a luxury cruise line in terms of the style and size of the ships, and the incredible service you get onboard.

You then have the flexibility to choose whether you pay for the additional elements of your cruise individually, or you pay an upgrade to make your cruise almost all-inclusive.

Here’s what’s included in the ticket price of a Windstar Cruise…

A standard Windstar cruise fare includes:

• All of your food (including room service, snacks and speciality dining)
• All non-alcoholic drinks
• Onboard entertainment
• Use of the watersports platform on the ship (on applicable itineraries)

Typically, Windstar includes a lot more than many other cruise lines – you won’t pay anything extra for food at all on the ship, whereas other ships have cover charges for some restaurants and a fee for room service.

And you also won’t pay for your coffee, your sodas or even your bottled water – all of these cost extra on the majority of competitor cruise lines.

Read more: What does Windstar Cruises include?

The Windstar All-Inclusive Package

You can upgrade your cruise with Windstar’s All-Inclusive Package.

It costs $89 per person, per day and it covers your drinks, your WiFi internet access and your gratuities onboard, including your beverage service fee.

Here are the details of exactly what you get for your $89…

1. WiFi

You get unlimited WiFi internet access with the All-Inclusive Package on a Windstar cruise. Unlike other cruise lines, there aren’t different internet packages to choose from – it’s just one standard WiFi connection. 

Windstar has been busy installing Starlink on every ship in the fleet – this technology uses advanced satellite connections to offer significantly faster WiFi speeds than were available previously.

So you, in theory, should be able to stream and enjoy video calls when you book the All-Inclusive Package.

However, in practice, the quality of the WiFi varies depending on how many people are using it. In the morning when most guests had left the ship, I was able to use the WiFi to work with no issues.

However, on a sea day, the WiFi was barely usable. And it certainly wasn’t possible to upload or download video content.

2. Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package

Included as part of the All-Inclusive Package is the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package.

This is the better of the two drinks packages you can get on the ship, and it includes all alcoholic beverages by the glass.

So that’s a wide range of beers, 33 different wines including sparkling options, spirits, cocktails and all drinks in your minibar too. The only drinks not included as part of the package are wines by the bottle.

Windstar’s cocktail menu is huge and the cocktails are the best I’ve enjoyed at sea.

3. Hotel and Beverage Service Fee

The All-Inclusive Package covers your hotel and beverage service fees. The hotel service fees are essentially your gratuities – they’re added to your account automatically, and unless you dispute them and change the amount, you’ll be asked to pay them at the end of the cruise.

The beverage service fee is an 18% service charge that is applied to every alcoholic drink you order on your cruise.

If you’ve bought the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package, you also have to pay the 18% gratuity on top of every drink you order.

But, if you instead opt for the All-In Package, that 18% is covered and you don’t have to pay it.

Windstar’s All-Inclusive Package Terms

There aren’t too many terms and conditions to worry about with the All-Inclusive Package but there are a couple of important things to note.

Firstly, the price of $89 per person, per day only applies if you book the package at least five days before you sail.

You can still get the package after this date, up to the first day of your cruise, but you’ll be paying $99 per person, per day.

You also have to book the package for your entire cruise – you can’t book it for part of the cruise only. That’s why you have to book it no later than the end of the first day of your sailing.

How About Laundry?

Laundry is not included in the All-Inclusive Package. It used to be, so you may still see some marketing materials that advertise it as being included. However, it was removed in 2022.

You can pay extra if you want all-inclusive laundry though. There’s a package for $19 per couple per day that lets you have your clothes cleaned and pressed as frequently as you’d like during your cruise. It’s available for $9.50 for solo travellers.

Suggested read: How To Do Laundry on Cruise Ships: The Ultimate Guide

Is Windstar’s All-Inclusive Package Worth It?

Whether or not the All-Inclusive Package is worth it depends on the type of cruise passenger you are, and how much you would use the individual services.

Firstly, let’s just take a look at the cost of each element:

• Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package – $65 per person, per day
• WiFi internet access – $35 per day
• Hotel Service Charge – $16 per person, per day

So the total cost of those alone, if bought individually, is $116 per day. Booking the All-Inclusive package would therefore save you $27 per person, per day.

For two people cruising on a 7-night voyage, that’s a saving of $378.

And that’s before you factor in the Beverage Service Charge too. Let’s give a conservative estimate of two glasses of wine each per day – with an average cost of $10 per glass, that’s $20 total, which means the 18% service charge would be $3.60.

Multiply that by two people, over 7 nights, and it’s an extra $50.40 you’ve saved, for a total saving of $428.40.

And that’s if you only have two drinks per day. The savings soon rack up if you’re having a lot of drinks.

So, it’s worth it, right?

Well, before you dive in, let’s delve a little deeper to be sure…

Drinks Prices on Windstar

The average cost of a bottle of beer on Windstar is $7, while wines, cocktails and spirit-based drinks will typically cost around $10-11.

So you have to consider how many drinks you’re likely to have – if you only want one or two per day, and you’ll stick to non-alcoholic beverages for the rest of the time, then the package probably isn’t the best option.

You’re not getting the $65 value of the beverage package, you’re getting maybe $22 of value at best – plus the $4 or so that would be the Beverage Service Charge.

It gets a little more unclear if you think five drinks sounds about right. If you have five drinks costing $11 each, then it’d cost you $64.90 with the Beverage Service Charge included.

So you need to weigh up how many drinks you think you’ll have, and decide from there whether the All-Inclusive Package represents good value for you.

It’s worth recapping that the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package can also be bought on its own for $65 per day – but then you also have to pay the beverage service charge too on every drink you buy.

Which means it doesn’t represent good value. You might as well get the All-Inclusive Package since you’d be paying $16 per day for the hotel service charge too. For the drinks package and hotel charge, that’s $81 per day. 

You may as well pay the extra $8 per day and avoid the beverage service charges on each drink, especially if you’re drinking enough to justify the beverage package in the first place.

Takeaway – Don’t get the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package, the All-In Package is better.

WiFi Prices on Windstar

WiFi costs $35 per day, but Windstar doesn’t always ask you to pay for the entire duration of your cruise. You have an alternative option – paying for data packs.

Doing this regularly wouldn’t be cost-efficient, but if you only want to get online for a couple of hours, you can pay for the Email plan ($60 for 200MB of data) or the Surfing plan ($120 for 500MB of data).

Here’s the info from the TV in my suite..

Again, you need to evaluate how much you think you would use the internet on your cruise. If you’ll be on the internet every day, then the All-Inclusive Package represents good value.

If you just want to check your emails once midway through your cruise, and perhaps use 4G data or local WiFi when in port, it definitely isn’t worth it from a WiFi perspective.

Hotel Service Charge

The Hotel Service Charge is something you’re expected to pay on the cruise – the crew rely on this as a large part of their pay.

So having it included with the All-Inclusive Package makes sense, since it’s just one element paid for that you would be paying anyway.

The only exception would be if you planned to remove the charge or change it. This isn’t recommended, but you are within your rights to do so.

If you think you’re the type of person who might do this, then the All-Inclusive Package isn’t right for you because you can’t take out the package and then ask for a refund of the service charges later.

Example Scenarios

Let’s look at some quick examples to work out whether the cost is worth it to you.

Windstar Cruises already offer excellent value, since you get all of your food and entertainment included as well as anything non-alcoholic – that’s more than most other cruise lines offer as standard.

But, if you’re someone who’ll use the WiFi a lot and who enjoys a couple of cocktails or glasses of wine each day, then the All-Inclusive Package is great value too.

It only leaves you with laundry services and shore excursions to pay for, and neither of those are essential – you can wander off the ship and explore at your own leisure if you prefer. So you can end up reaching the end of your cruise with no bill left to clear.

It’s not right for everyone though, and paying for each element may work out better value – so make sure you check before you book.

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

The Windstar Cruises fleet is unique among cruise lines – it has a distinctive split between two classes of ship, but offers a very similar experience across them all.

If you know a little about Windstar then you’ll know about one of the key defining features of half the fleet, but in this guide I’m going to take you through all of the ships, explaining what makes them unique, and we’ll find out if there’s a single ship that’s the best.

How many ships does Windstar Cruises have?

There are currently six ships in the Windstar Cruises fleet – three ships in the Wind Class that use sails, and three Star Class ships that used to sail for Seabourn, and joined the fleet since 2014. A former Wind-class ship sank in 2003.

Windstar Cruises was known for over 20 years as the cruise line with ships that had authentic working sails. And those ships do still sail for the cruise line.

However, the more recent addition of three sail-less cruise ships doubled the size of the fleet and helped reshape the cruise line to one that is now best known for the luxury experiences onboard.

Two more Star Class ships are due to join the fleet, in 2025 and 2026 respectively – Star Seeker and Star Explorer.

Windstar Ships By Age

Here’s a look at all of the Windstar ships by age, from oldest to newest.

Of the six ships currently sailing for Windstar, only two were built originally for the cruise line – Wind Star, and Wind Spirit. 

The third Wind-class ship, Wind Surf, was actually originally built for Club Med and sailed as the Club Med 1, after being originally built under the name La Fayette. Nine years later, she was sold to Windstar and adopted the name Wind Surf.

How old are the Windstar ships?

The Windstar ships are all more than 30 years old, having been built between 1986 and 1990. However, thanks to careful renovation and consistent maintenance, they don’t show their age – they are still some of the most luxurious ships sailing the world.

That’s helped by their smaller size – it’s easier to maintain the ships of this. So while the ships certainly have a classic feel to them, especially the sailing ships, they don’t feel worn or tired.

What is the newest Windstar ship?

The newest ship sailing for Windstar Cruises is the Star Legend. She’s both the youngest ship, having been built in 1990, and the most recent to join the fleet alongside Star Breeze, when both were transferred from the Seabourn fleet.

That will change when the new Star Seeker and Star Explorer launch.

Windstar Ships By Size

Let’s take a look at the Windstar ships ranked by size, from biggest to smallest.

The Wind Surf is the largest ship in the fleet, although the identical Star-class ships aren’t too much smaller. It hasn’t been announced whether the newer Star Class ships due to launch will be a similar size to the existing ones or not.

What is the smallest Windstar ship?

The Wind Star and the Wind Spirit share the title of smallest ship in the Windstar fleet. Both are exactly the same size with a volume of just 5,307 GT – that’s around 2% the size of the largest cruise ship in the world. The two ships have a maximum capacity of just 148 guests.

How many people are on a Windstar ship?

Windstar ships don’t accommodate many guests at all – four of the ships carry between 300 and 350 passengers at maximum occupancy, while the two smallest ships in the fleet have space for only 148 passengers.

Accommodation

The experience across the Windstar ships is broadly the same, but there are some differences beyond just the size and age. Let’s look at accommodation options first.

Do Windstar ships have balconies?

The older Wind-class ships in the Windstar fleet don’t have balconies, even for the top-level suites on the ship. On the newer Star-class ships, many of the suites offer balconies, although some are only French balconies with no space to actually sit outside.

This is one of the biggest differences between the ships and is likely to influence your decision most when booking a Windstar cruise. Most modern cruise ships have at least some balcony stateroom or suite options – so for the Wind-class ships to offer none could be a dealbreaker for you.

It’s worth noting that there are no Inside categories across any ship in the Windstar fleet – you will always have some form of ocean view.

Wind Spirit and Wind Star

These identical ships have the fewest choices for accommodation. They each have:

• 73 x Deluxe Ocean View Staterooms with a picture window
• 1 x Owner’s Suite, which again has picture windows

Suggested read: What Is A Picture Window On A Cruise?

Wind Surf

The Wind Surf has four different categories of accommodation:

• 150 x Deluxe Ocean View Staterooms (with a picture window)
• 10 x Deluxe Ocean View Suites (with picture windows)
• 2 x Deluxe Ocean View Bridge Suites (with picture windows)
• 1 x Officer’s Suite (with picture windows)

The Deluxe Ocean View Bridge Suites are, as the name implies, close to the bridge on the ship, while the Officer’s Suite is situated amongst the officer’s quarters. So if you want to stay amongst the action of the ship, these are definitely interesting choices.

Star Pride, Star Breeze & Star Legend

These ships are all-suite – there are no regular staterooms onboard. The options are:

• 10 x Star Porthole Suites (with a porthole window)
• 58 x Ocean View Suites ( with picture windows)
• 21 x Star Ocean View Suites (with picture windows)
• 36 x Balcony Suites (with French balconies)
• 22 x Star Balcony Suites (with French balconies)
• 3 x Deluxe Suites (with French balconies)
• 2 x Classic Suites (with veranda)
• 4 x Owner’s Suites (with veranda)

When I cruised on Star Legend, I stayed in a Star Ocean View Suite. The room eas incredibly spacious with a bedroom, living room, walk-in closet and bathroom with two sinks.

Dining

Despite their smaller size, all of the Windstar ships offer a choice of dining options. There are at least three restaurants on every ship, along with the option of in-room dining.

But some of the ships have additional, speciality restaurants. Here’s a quick breakdown of the dining options across the fleet:

Amphora

Amphora is the main dining room across the Windstar fleet. It only serves dinner, unlike the main dining rooms on many other cruise lines. It offers a wide-ranging menu, though you can also order from the room service menu while dining here.

Candles

Candles is a speciality restaurant serving a good range of dishes, primarily meat- and seafood-based. There’s no cover charge to dine here, but you do need a reservation.

Veranda

Veranda is the main casual dining restaurant on the ships, serving breakfast and lunch. A buffet is provided but there’s also a small a la carte selection you can order from.

Yacht Club

The Yacht Club features a coffee counter that offers a small selection of continental breakfast items, before then offering sandwiches, cookies and cupcakes through the rest of the day.

Stella Bistro

Available only on Wind Surf, Stella Bistro is a speciality restaurant serving French cuisine. Again, there’s no extra charge to eat here but you do need to book a table.

Star Grill

The Star Grill is an outdoor (covered) venue on the Star-class ships offering breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. Breakfast is continental and includes English muffin options, while lunch is all about hot dogs, burgers and a buffet of grilled items.

Cuadro 44

This is a Spanish-themed restaurant for dinner, available on the Star-class ships. Dishes are primarily focussed on seafood and pork, with some vegetarian choices too. Tapas are available.

Deck BBQ

Once per cruise (itinerary dependent) there will be a BBQ served on deck with a party atmosphere. Steaks, chicken and more will be grilled to order for you.

In-Room Dining

Each of the ships offers 24/7 in-room dining, with a wide range of choices including salads, snacks and meals.

Entertainment

Entertainment is one area where the ships aren’t really that different. Windstar Cruises keep the evening entertainment fairly relaxed, with live music and dancing in the lounges, and the crew showing off their range with their own talent show too.

Daytime entertainment across the ships tends to include lectures from guest speakers across varied topics, many of which will be tied into the itinerary or the local culture.

There are also cooking demonstrations on cruises too, where guests can learn tips on preparing the gourmet quality food that they’d be served at dinner.

Each of the ships also has a watersports platform, offering lots of fun opportunities to try kayaking, snorkelling and more. The platform is only used on certain itineraries but guests can still borrow the snorkelling equipment when they go ashore as well.

There are also lots of board games, chess and jigsaws that guests can use throughout the day.

The only real difference between the ships is in the size of the venues – the Wind Surf and the Star-class ships have bigger lounges and more spacious bar areas. But the entertainment program is essentially the same.

Destinations

Here’s a breakdown of the destinations visited by every ship. Bearing in mind that these could change for future cruise seasons.

Wind Surf

The Wind Surf is scheduled to sail in the Mediterranean for the next couple of summers. Some itineraries are focussed across the Med while others primarily sail around Italy. In the winter months, the ship crosses the Atlantic to offer exciting Caribbean sailings.

Wind Star

The Wind Star is another ship that cruises around Europe during the summer, but she instead sails mostly around the Greek Isles, with some port visits to Turkey. During the winter she crosses the Atlantic but her sailings are focused more on Central America including the Panama Canal.

Wind Spirit

The Wind Spirit is another ship to offer a variety of sailings around the Greek Isles, but some of her cruises also head to the Adriatic Sea and explore Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. During winter months she sails the Caribbean from Barbados. 

Star Pride

Star Pride has a great selection of cruises to choose from. Some are purely focussed on Iceland, sailing around the country to explore smaller ports. She also heads across the Atlantic for Canada & New England sailings, before travelling down to the Caribbean and Central America.

Star Breeze

Most of the Star Breeze’s sailings are based around Tahiti and other islands in the South Pacific. But before she bases herself there long-term, she has cruises available in Alaska, East Asia (primarily Japan) and then Australasia.

Star Legend

The Star Legend is another ship with lots of varied cruise itineraries to choose from. She has cruises across Europe (including the Greek Isles, the Med, Northern Europe and the UK), along with cruises around the Middle East.

Do Windstar Ships Actually Sail?

The Wind-class ships in the Windstar fleet – Wind Surf, Wind Star and Wind Spirit – do have working sails and they do use them in favourable conditions. But sometimes the ship relies on typical engine power.

Guests have described the experience under full sails as magical, and explained how the ship is super-quiet, making for a really peaceful experience.

What Is The Best Windstar Ship?

The best Windstar ship depends on what you’re looking for. If you want the classic sailing ship experience, choose a Wind-class ship – Wind Surf is the biggest but carries twice as many guests. If you want the most modern ships, choose the Star-class ships.

Some passengers will prefer the very small ships of the Wind Star and Wind Spirit, but others may prefer the wider range of dining choices on the other ships. And if you want a balcony for your room, you’ll need to choose a Star-class ship – and make sure you get a top suite if you want a full veranda.

Summary

While the newer Star-class ships don’t have the classic sails of the Wind-class, they have been renovated to offer the same onboard experience as the other ships in the Windstar fleet. As such, the typical experience you’ll have with Windstar doesn’t vary greatly regardless of the ship you’re on.

If you really want to try the sailing experience then go for a Wind-class ship, but otherwise all six offer fantastic food and service, so the destination, date and price might be the biggest factors in your decision.

I recently cruised on Star Legend and had a wonderful time. Read my Windstar Cruises review to see what it was like.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me