By Gerry Barker
Photos/Video by Gerry and Pamela Barker
“Where are the crowds?”
That’s a question we heard over and over during our European travels in late January. For example, at Pompeii, our guide told us we had it all to ourselves, versus “a river of people” during the summer months. That’s the beauty of off-season travel, and what better way to experience it than a cruise?
To that end, we took a flight to Venice to board Windstar’s Star Legend for its nine-day “Winter Italy and Dalmatian Coast” cruise, with planned stops in Zadar and Dubrovnik, Croatia, Messina in Sicily, Naples and Rome.
Windstar has been a leader in small ship cruising for over 40 years. Their ships — which they call yachts (an app description) — accommodate from 148 to 342 passengers. Three are masted, sailing yachts, and three are power yachts. Star Legend is in the latter category. In 2021, Legend, along with sister ships Star Pride and Star Breeze, were refurbished as part of Windstar’s $250 million Star Plus project.
“Plus” is right. Each ship was literally cut in half and a new mid-section added that increased guest capacity from 212 to 312. One of the questions the captains like to playfully ask guests is if they know where the seams are from the stretch.
If you haven’t discovered the joys of small ship sailing, you’re missing out, and Windstar has perfected the experience of “180 degrees from ordinary.” Much like a yacht, Star Legend’s eight decks are easy to navigate, and the personal attention offered by its 212 crew is second to none. Every day onboard we found them so welcoming and friendly I could swear they start each morning taking a happy pill.
There are other advantages as well. Windstar’s smaller ships can go where the big ships cannot. For example, in Venice — which has banned large cruise ships — Star Legend was able to sail up the Giudecca canal, giving us a great view of St. Mark’s Square and the surrounding areas on our way to Croatia.
Instead of trying to provide an amusement park at sea, the focus here is on comfort, relaxation, great food and a wide range of shore excursions that can immerse you in the culture of the regions. You won’t find a casino on Star Legend, but it does have a full-service spa, fitness room, swimming pool and hot tubs, plus a boutique gift shop on deck 6 by the Compass Rose lounge. The centerpiece of Star Legend is its beautiful atrium, with its skylight and spiral staircases
It’s an all-suites ship, and our balcony stateroom was on deck 6. At 277 square feet, it offers plenty of room to relax, a queen bed, a French door balcony, walk-in closet and dual-sink bath with an upscale, walk-in shower featuring L’Occitane amenities. The flat screen TV is your go-to for daily activities, ship info, a limited number of TV channels (sorry — no way to watch the NFL conference finals, but with the time change, it would air in the middle of the night anyway) and a full slate of on-demand movies and TV shows. We loved walking in to fresh flowers and a bottle of wine as well.
There was plenty of storage for our two large suitcases of clothing, plus a good number of power outlets, including USB. We did find ourselves needing an extra plug-in, and reception was able to supply us a European adapter.
Food of course is always front and center for cruise passengers, and Windstar — as the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation — consistently served great meals throughout our nine-day voyage. Their varied menu also includes a number of vegetarian options and room service is available 24/7.
Breakfast and lunch are served in the Veranda, an indoor/outdoor venue on deck 7. Sipping coffee against a backdrop of Venice or Naples isn’t a bad way to start the day. Amphora on deck 3 is the elegant main dining room, where dinner is served nightly. Topside you’ll find the Star Grill, where you can get breakfast or lunch and dine al fresco on her teak deck.
There are two specialty dining options, both included in your fare. At night, the Veranda is transformed into the romantic Candles, featuring steak and seafood, and on deck 6 you’ll find Cuadro 44 by Anthony Sasso, specializing in Spanish dishes and tapas. Both require reservations.
Light bites, cookies and coffee are also a feature of the Yacht Club. This beautifully-appointed space, forward on deck 8, serves as an observation lounge and reading room, and includes a table for guests who enjoy assembling large puzzles. Be aware it can get crowded, especially on sea days or when there’s bad weather.
Trivia competitions and nightly entertainment are staged in Compass Rose, on deck 6 aft. Our sailing featured two very talented musical acts: Dr. Flavor, a band from the Philippines who played pop and rock, along with the Harmony Duo. The larger lounge on deck 5 played host to a very entertaining Crew Talent Show, as well as a visiting folk band from Croatia and a cooking demonstration from Executive Chef Joseph.
Weather-wise, late January in the Mediterranean means chilly days and a chance of rain, with temps ranging from the 40s in Venice to the high 50s in Naples. In Venice, a blanket of fog delayed our departure by almost a day, so we missed our stop in Zadar. But otherwise, we had smooth sailing for the most part.
We used the extra time in Venice to visit St. Mark’s Square (we’ve never seen it so empty) and enjoy coffee and dessert at the Old Florian. One nice touch when returning from a chilly outing: The crew had warm towels ready at the gangway. Kudos, Windstar.
This was out first time in Croatia, and staying overnight in Dubrovnik gave us ample opportunity to visit the walled Old Town section with its amazing sea views, not to mention the shopping, where Pam added several necklaces to her collection. Croatia and Dubrovnik were used as locations for HBO’s popular “Game of Thrones,” as evidenced by all the souvenir shops we saw.
Taormina street scenes
Another first-time stop was Sicily, where we took a tour to the enchanting city of Taormina, where we saw historic churches, the ancient theatre of Taormina, built by the Greeks in the third century BC, and sweeping views of the sea. Of course, it’s also known as the setting for the second season of HBO’s “White Lotus,” filmed at the Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace.
At Naples, we took an excursion to Pompeii, which has always been on our must-see list. It truly is awe-inspiring to witness a day in Roman life, frozen in time by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Our guide, Luka, did an excellent job of showcasing important aspects in the brief time we had, including an unexpected bonus: A tour of the ongoing excavation site, where no pictures or video is allowed.
Other takeaways from our cruise:
— There were 229 guests onboard, with almost 200 coming from the U.S. The next largest group was from Canada (22) and the United Kingdom (5). Many were return cruisers, with one couple who had spent 207 days aboard Windstar ships.
— The dress code is resort causal, but most people dressed up for the evening meals.
— The Wifi is serviced by Starlink, and performed well.
— Your fare includes your meals, entertainment and coffee/tea. Extras include alcoholic drinks, Wifi, gratuities, the spa and laundry service.
— In Dubrovnik, we joined a group led by Chef Joseph to go shopping for food. We stopped at a green market, a butcher shop and a bakery, where the chef bought up ingredients he would use to prepare regional dishes. In case you wondered, during our cruise, the kitchen staff would serve 23,000 meals using 1,000 pounds of seafood, 2,000 pounds of vegetables and 6,000 eggs.
— We also learned more about two new ships joining the fleet: Star Seeker, late this year, and Star Explorer, in 2026. Each all-suite ship accommodates 224 guests and feature ice-strengened hulls, which opens up potential cruises to the polar regions.
In summary, winter may be the perfect time to see Europe if you want to be far from the madding crowd — we even breezed through airport security and customs in Amsterdam and Rome. And a Windstar cruise is a perfect choice if you want the experience the joys of a yachting vacation with the friendliest crew at sea.
Until we meet again, arrivederci!
(Our thanks to Windstar Cruises for hosting us
Splash Magazines
Be the first to comment