Writers Theresa Morrow and Bill Ristow based this independent review on their 7-night Costa Rica cruise departing from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica.

Wind Star is not your grandfather’s cruise ship, and that’s exactly why she’s so popular with her extremely loyal passenger set. The ship’s trademark white sails unfurl to the swell of grand music as the ship leaves every port, and hearts swell right along with them. They are a romantic backdrop for the intense sun, bright sunsets, and starry nights of the unusual itineraries, many of which include small ports where you never see another cruise ship. If the sails are large, almost everything else is small on these cruises, where the passengers number a friendly 148. This is all about pretending you are on your own chartered yacht with no dining lines, no crowds, and no cares.

Why Wind Star?

• Sailing action: Wind permitting, the captain cuts the engines and the wind takes over as the beam swoops out over the teak deck -- just as on a billionaire’s yacht.
• One big happy family: With only 148 passengers and a staff of 90, everyone is on a first-name basis from the first day. Return passengers greet the staff and each other like long-lost relatives.
• Small ports and outdoor focus: Wind Star’s shallow draft means she can poke into tiny coves and anchor for the day, carrying passengers into dock via tenders or zodiacs (for “wet” landings -- the boats pull right up onto the beach). A water sports platform folds down from the aft of the ship at calm anchorages, and out come the kayaks, banana boat, and even water skis. Swimmers can dive right off the platform to cool off.

Who should go
Wind Star is for healthy, fit travelers who want to be immersed in the outdoors, but not give up too many creature comforts. The young to middle-aged crowd (average about 50 but with plenty of 35ers) would rather wear Tevas than tuxes and make their own entertainment instead of be entertained.

Who shouldn’t go
Steer clear if you want scheduled activities on a daily basis: The accoutrements of other ships are either nonexistent or tiny representations. Wind Star is not very accommodating for those with disabilities; there is no elevator and transportation from an anchorage can be demanding. Children? Leave them at home.

Heard on the deck: “We took our family of eight along, and when my wife saw the bill she said, ‘Where’s the new car?’ But it was worth every penny.”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: The BBQ fare includes lobster tail, barbequed fish, and even a whole suckling pig. The crew lets their hair down and the evening ends with dancing under the sails.
• Best part of the ship: The pool bar is where the action, such as it is, occurs. The pool itself is tiny, but the tables and lounges surrounding it are close enough to contribute to the general camaraderie. It’s not unusual for a couple of crew members to give an impromptu musical performance, to whoops of delight from the crowd.
• Best experience: Passengers can wander into the open bridge anytime (except when entering or departing a port) and the officer on duty will explain what all those dials and compasses are about.
• Best shipboard activities: Meeting new friends is a serious activity on Wind Star, where passengers quickly create their own “cliques” and, in many cases, continue the friendships long after the cruise.
• Needs improvement: A full-length mirror would be nice, as would complimentary ice water in the cabins. A few passengers complain about minimal light from the portholes (as opposed to windows found on other ships).
• Activities to skip: Most activities revolve around food (e.g., tapas and crab cake events), so skip one or two if you are on a diet!

Heard on the deck (when asked if they had been on other types of cruise ships, one couple responded with a rather puzzled look): “This is our 4th trip on Windstar. We’re not cruise people.”

How to meet the captain
At the captain’s reception on the second night, you will hear how everyone is family, and the captain is just about as accessible as daddy. You are likely to see the British officer in his crisp white uniform (sometimes Bermuda shorts and knee socks) at the captain’s table at dinner, or you can see him at work just by peeking into the bridge when pulling into or out of port. How to have dinner with him? Become a Windstar repeat customer. After about four cruises you’ll get an invite.

Tips:

• The officers on the bridge don’t have a lot to do in the evenings, and they know their constellations. Ask them to point some out for you. (They also have great stories about past sailings.)
• Tipping is optional, but everyone wants to give a little something extra to their favorite staff members. Bring cash as most tips cannot be added to shipboard accounts. Past passengers recommend $100 per week for your cabin steward, and another $100 divided among waiters, assistant waiters, bartenders, and anyone else who added a little something extra.

Since everything on Wind Star has a sailing theme, it’s no surprise that the cabins follow suit. There are two portholes instead of windows, a little galley-style table that is hidden in a cabinet and folds out neatly into the room, and cubbyholes everywhere for storage. The closets are not big, but once you figure out where all the hidden drawers and shelves are, you realize you’ve put everything neatly away. (The trick is in remembering in which compartment those shoes ended up!) There is one chair and a padded stool in addition to the bed. A minibar and desk are also folded away in a cabinet. The safe is small -- too small for a laptop, and barely big enough for a small purse. The bathroom is compact but roomy enough, and includes both handheld and overhead showers, a sink, a toilet, and plenty of cabinet space. Many cabins have adjoining doors, and some can accommodate a third berth, though it would be a squeeze to have three in one cabin.

Heard on the deck: “What I like about this ship is that you really get to know the crew.”

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Wind Star is not a good place for anyone with even a small infirmity. There are no elevators, and with three levels of winding stairs and many excursions reached via tender, the onboard environment could be challenging. None of the cabins is outfitted for people with disabilities.

Tips:

• All cabins except the Owner’s Suite are the same. The first-deck cabins are so close to the water surface that waves sometimes splash on the portholes -- an interesting effect that might not be welcome to anyone with a squeamish stomach. (If that’s the case, book on the second level!) The Owner’s Suite is slightly larger than the other cabins and includes a sofa bed.
• Since there is little formal entertainment, passengers check out movies to watch on the in-cabin, flat-screen plasma TVs. The library has a good selection of new and classic movies.

There’s a mix-and-match atmosphere in the dining areas of this casual ship. Cruisers start off just meeting others at the tables, but before long connections form and pretty soon the dining room manager is scratching his head trying to find tables for groups of 12. You can sit where and with whom you like, and if you want a table for two every night, that’s fine too (although you may have a wait for that). In warm climates, the menu always includes a chilled soup and fresh fish with spicy or buttery sauces. The five-course meal has plenty of rich dishes -- think Gourmet magazine -- and there’s also a “sail light” menu. At lunchtime, the bread pudding is a ship tradition.

The Restaurant
Warm, mahogany-hued walls and deep blue fabrics set the scene at the Restaurant, with the rope-twined pillars completing the sailing motif. The dining room is not so much pretentious as friendly elegance; it’s not unusual for a waiter to try some magic tricks at the table. The Restaurant is open for dinner only, with five courses offered each night. The wine list is respectable but not as snobbish as one might expect; there’s usually a nightly special for $20 or so per bottle.

Veranda Restaurant
The Veranda has indoor and outdoor seating for breakfast and lunch. Both meals feature buffets as well as entrées served at your table, and a chef’s station for omelets made to order or daily hot lunch dishes. Specialties include daily fruit smoothies at breakfast and assorted bread puddings for lunch. Once during the cruise the chef sets up a BBQ lunch complete with ribs and corn on the cob.

Other dining options

• Wind Star Lounge: The lounge is the evening gathering spot, with dancing, cocktails, and cushy couches and chairs. Favorite appetizers include prosciutto-wrapped baby romaine and shrimp in phyllo.
• Pool bar: Besides being the spot for the BCC (Bartender’s Choice Cocktail) and other specialty drinks, this is the site of a daily continental breakfast and afternoon tea with appetizers and sweets.
• Room service: Watch a movie from the library and order the Wind Star popcorn to get the whole experience. A special room service menu is available 24 hours at no fee.

Best dining

• Dish: For meat lovers, the roasted duck breast on sweet potato, wilted spinach, and sour cherry sauce wins. The lamb shanks run a close second.
• Dessert: Try the warm chocolate soufflé cake with fruit sherbet.
• Food seminar: Sign up for a cooking lesson ($18) with the ship’s chef and you can don a white hat and apron too. Beware though: If not enough people sign up, the class will be canceled. However, if there’s something on the menu you love, you will run into the chef at just about every meal and you can ask for instructions.

How to…

• Get a table for two: Just ask -- since there isn’t assigned seating, you can often get one easily (though you may have a short wait some nights).
• Celebrate a birthday/anniversary: Tell the dining room manager about the event and you’ll get a small cake and a song. The waiters sing “Happy Birthday” no matter what event you are celebrating, but that’s fun too.
• Change seating: All seating is unassigned, which means you just show up at the dining room and the manager will ask if you want to sit with others, and how many; or if you want a table to yourselves. You can end up sitting with different folks every night if you want.
• Dress: Every night is casual night, which means different things to different people. Some women wear chic dresses or designer blouses with skirts, while others stick to resort-wear pants and tops. Men usually wear khakis and loose cotton shirts or polos. While you might see a little glitter, there’s not a tux or suit in sight.

Tips:

• The dining room manager is a good guy to know: Seats are unassigned, and tables are first come, first served. But if you have an eye on a special table, he can make it happen. Just try to find him a bit before dinner and ask if he can reserve it for you. Sometimes he’ll say he can’t guarantee it, but it usually works out.
• Try this at home: Chilled avocado soup includes 5 avocados to 2 cups vanilla ice cream and water to preferred texture. Whip it all together and chill.

Normal cruise ship entertainment just doesn’t happen here, and that’s how the passengers like it. There is a teeny casino -- and it can be jammed at night -- but it’s a miniature version of those in the big ships. There are no shows other than the crew performing at BBQ night on Pool Deck, though a duo sings lounge numbers for evening dancing, and a singer plays poolside late afternoon. The big stars are the waiters who sometimes are willingly enticed to sing, much to the delight of the crowds who really do love these wanna-be performers. Artwork includes computer-aided ship design blueprints; you can follow the building of Wind Star by computer, or via photos of her in the shipyard and at launch. There are also framed navigational charts, and some historic photos.

Bars, lounges, and casino
Pool Bar by day, Lounge Bar at night, or sometimes Pool Bar day and night… these hangouts have waiters at the ready. There are daily specialty drinks of the tropical frou-frou kind as well as the usual concoctions. Most popular? The beer of the locale always wins. You have to laugh when you first see the casino, which is squeezed into a corner of the lounge and includes 11 slot machines and two blackjack tables. The two dealers offer lessons and tournaments, and everyone knows when the house is hot and when it’s not. And because this is a small and friendly crowd, the aficionados have fan clubs.

Heard on the deck: “That casino is so small you could put it in your pocket.”

Swimming pool
The swimming pool is affectionately referred to by the crew as an “Olympic-sized birdbath,” but no one seems to mind. Don’t plan on doing laps or demonstrating your diving abilities in this saltwater pool; it’s really more for cooling off and is not used very much (most passengers opt for the water sports platform). The hot tub also isn’t very popular in hot climates.

Shore excursions
Shore excursions are on the active side. In Costa Rica, the most popular is the canopy zip line, where you zip on a cable from treetop to treetop, imitating the monkeys you see elsewhere on the trip. You won’t see much wildlife on this particular excursion -- the monkeys are undoubtedly laughing at the humans from hiding places, but they don’t make themselves known. On other itineraries, hiking, horseback riding, and cultural tours are available. In the more exotic itineraries excursions include little-known hikes, zip line tours, and scuba dives. On all itineraries, the onboard naturalist is extremely accessible and versed in the culture and natural environment, as well as the excursions at various ports. In Costa Rica, he goes into the beaches first so that he can answer questions about where to hike, what to look for, and what to be careful of. Onboard, he has maps and slide shows and gives a couple of lectures.

Weddings and vow renewals
The captain cannot marry couples, though some couples arrange ahead of time to get married at a certain port. Vow renewals need to be arranged as part of a package before the cruise.

Heard on the deck: “You can’t get married onboard, but you can propose!”

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: The bow at night -- where the only sounds are the waves and the sails occasionally slapping.
• Liveliest spot: After an exerting excursion, everyone gathers to recover with a drink at the Pool Bar, where conversation vies with music to be heard.
• Most popular activity: Talking. People lean across the table to talk to the couple at the next table at the Veranda, they go to the bridge to chat with the officers, they greet each other in the Restaurant… it might not sound like a lot of activity, but it is!
• Best view: Red sails in the sunset -- they really do exist!
• Best show: The music from the movie 1492 is the theme for the raising of the sails, and everyone gathers to hear it and watch. The CD is also for sale at the reception desk.
• Best drink: The BCC (Bartender’s Choice Cocktail) calls out to be tried daily. Try the Bailey’s with crème de banana and coconut/pineapple mix for something that tastes like a milkshake with a kick.

Tips:

• The Costa Rica zip line excursion sponsored by the cruise line seems exceptionally safe; you are fastened to cables the entire time and the staff is very solicitous. While other cable line operators are not recommended because they don’t have insurance or specific safety credentials, the line seems to have done its homework. Safety aside, if you are nervous about heights and speed in general, you might want to choose a different excursion.
• There is an instruction wheel on the flying bridge where officers give occasional sailing lessons -- but only in the Mediterranean. Apparently, the waters of the Pacific, Caribbean, and Atlantic are not suited for letting the passengers sail.
• Most romantic moment: Get a glass of wine from the bar in the evening and take it to the bow where you can lie on a chaise and watch the stars while sipping. Everyone strolling by will be envious.

Spa and salon
There really isn’t a spa onboard Wind Star; there are merely limited services at the tiny salon. And the salon is really two adjoining cabins: One for things such as nail or hair services and the other for massage. There is a staff of only two, so be sure to sign up as soon as you are onboard to get a preferred time. The salon is right in a stairwell, so you can look in on customers as you pass, and sometimes see staffers getting their regular haircut. No one pushes product on you as happens on bigger ships; remember, it’s family.

Fitness areas
Like everything else, the fitness area is tiny compared to those on larger ships, but it’s recently been refurbished and includes two stair steppers, two treadmills, two exercycles, a Universal gym, and assorted weights and a bench. (Formerly it included a sauna, but no longer, on the premise that it isn’t necessary in the warm climates of Wind Star itineraries.) There are no classes or organized workouts.

Tips:

• Since nothing on this cruise can really be called an organized activity, it should come as no surprise that fitness is also self-directed. There is plenty of opportunity for activities off the water sports platform, and occasionally equipment is available at beaches. The ship’s staff also recommends snorkeling sites and provides equipment for the entire cruise.
• The water sports coordinators are also PADI scuba instructors. Several dives leave right from the ship, some to truly exotic spots. Most dives are $70, including all equipment, and you have to be a certified diver to participate. There’s also a Discover Scuba Diving Program offered for beginners.
• There are two exercycles on Deck 3 aft where you can exercise and watch the wake at the same time. It’s nice and quiet back there, and if you’re lucky, you might see dolphins playing in the wake.

The Signature Shop is a tiny store crammed with logo shirts and hats, as well as a limited assortment of jewelry and clothing (mostly Tommy Bahama). There are also some sundries like sunscreen. Shopping is not a major onboard event, though there are daily specials. If there are more than three people in the store, you have to wait for someone to leave so that you can squeeze in. There are no art auctions or gold-by-the-inch sales, but there are excursions to local markets, and no one checks to see if you are bringing liquor back onboard.

This ship is really geared toward adults. There are no organized camps or classes for kids, and really nothing for children to do, since even the pool is deep and small. No one is available to watch for child safety either, and this is a sailboat, after all. The youngest passengers are often in their mid 20s.

Wind Star starts the year in Costa Rica, then heads through the Panama Canal in March to cross the Atlantic and spend the summer in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean cruises include the Costa del Sol, Italian Riviera, and Greek Isles. She heads back through the Canal to Costa Rica in November and December (there’s a holiday cruise over Christmas). Note: The ship was in Tahiti in the past, but is no longer including that itinerary, though it’s possible she will return to Tahiti in 2007 since many past cruisers are requesting it.

• Cruise line - Windstar
• Ship name - Wind Star
• Type of cruise - Casual Elegance
• Total cabins - 74
• Private balcony cabins - 0
• Total crew - 88
• Passenger capacity - 148
• Ship size - Small
• Officers nationality - British
• Registry - Bahamas
• Tonnage - 5350
• Year entered service - 1986
• Ship length - 440