I went on my first ever sailing ship cruise expecting something magical, different, and perhaps even better than a regular cruise ship. Instead, after the very first night, I was seriously wondering if I had made a huge mistake. After more than 130 cruises on ocean ships, river ships, expedition ships and even a tiny 14-person barge in France, I finally decided it was time to try a sailing ship. I booked an 8-night Venice to Rome cruise on Windstar’s flagship Wind Surf, one of the world’s largest sailing ships, to find out what this kind of cruising is really like. But the reality was not what I expected. In this video, I reveal what surprised me, what disappointed me, what went wrong in my cabin, how much the cruise really cost, what sailing ships do and do not actually do with their sails, and why the experience depends far more on the weather and itinerary than I had realised. I also look at the big claims made about sailing ship cruising, including whether they really can get you into better ports, whether the smaller passenger numbers make a big difference, and why so many passengers I met absolutely loved the experience and keep coming back. mentioned in the video: SEA CLOUD SAILING SHIPS: Footage of Sea Cloud sailing ships in video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHSOfRky-HA and to find out more visit https://www.seacloud.com/ For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers * Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bembridge ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 120 cruises I have done to date. #cruisetips #CruisingTips #cruisetipsandtricks 00:00 Start 00:27 Which One? 01:49 Not The Best Start! 06:42 Sailing 10:05 Sail Port Myths 12:00 Passengers My first sailing ship experience almost ended after just one night. I have done over 100 cruises, but this ship was different. In this video, I break down why I considered leaving the ship early during my first sailing cruise. If you are curious about what distinguishes a traditional sailing ship experience from a standard cruise vacation, this honest review covers the specific challenges I faced during my first night on board. It is essential viewing for anyone considering booking a sailing ship cruise for their next vacation. I share exactly what went wrong and why a sailing ship experience is not for everyone, despite how romantic it might appear on brochures. By the end of this video, you will understand the reality of sailing ship travel so you can decide if it suits your personal travel style or if you should stick to traditional cruise ships.
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The part on why passengers liked sailing ships was very helpful. One of the reasons that I like your videos, Gary, is that you don’t just focus on what you don't like. You provide what other passangers do like. For me, I have no interest in a casino. For you, a casino is more important. Your videos always give a very clear idea of what the cruise would be like for us. Keep on crusing and enjoying your trips.
These are basically motor vessels with decorative sailing gear. As sailboat they look like they would not perform well in many conditions.
I have cruised Wind Star a couple of times. Loved it. I am NOT your average cruise ship passenger. I do not like the big ships with all of the crazy amenities. I like simple sea time, the ports are nice but I love being at sea. The minimal entertainment was low key and fun. I have crossed oceans on my own 44’ sailboat with just my wife and I aboard. So Wind Star is a wonderful relaxing way to spend time at sea and eat amazing food. And I don’t have to fix the engines, mend the sails, do the navigation and weather routing etc! Love it. Also love the small passenger count and the open bridge.
I think there are two types of cruisers. One type (which I think you fit into) loves the experience of cruising, being at sea, having the varied experiences of larger ships. I've seen such cruisers, as soon as they board, relaxing into the fact that they're in their "happy place." I'm the other type of cruiser. I much prefer traveling on land, staying in a hotel in the center of where I want to be ... or a resort in the island destination I want to visit. I prefer boutique hotels (under 200 keys), so a ship like Windstar feels more like what I'm used to. When do I prefer a cruise? If it takes me on an itinerary you could never experience on land — like the Baltic Sea ... or Sicily and Malta (those being the two Windstar cruises I've sailed on). And a smaller ship allows you to get into lesser-visited ports. For the typical Windstar cruise customer, it's more about the itinerary and the destination and less about the ship itself. The food is perfectly fine, the crew provides gracious hospitality, and I really don't care about elaborate shows. Your report was very fair and balanced. Windstar is definitely a great option for the right customers. Not so much for folks who cruise for the love of just being out on the ocean. thanks!
That sounds like a high price for the overall experience onboard.
A really well balanced review - excellent as ever Gary.
You should have chosen Star Clipper ships. REAL sailing ships!
We hugely prefer small-ship experiences and information-heavy cruises. No casino, no shows, minimal shopping, no problem. A balcony does improve the relaxation and good food is a must, but we like to learn on trips and even search for scholarly opportunities. It's good that there are different types of sailing venues out there and that you recognize your own biases, which are natural given your experience.
Is such a shame that these smaller ships that are not just focused on partying and with just more relaxed vibe are so expensive. I feel like a lot more people would cruise if they didn’t feel like they were going to a frat party.
Thank you Gary for taking that particular cruise so I don't have to.
I wish you had tried Star Clippers. I've been on 5 of their cruises and the camaraderie among the guests and crew is unmatched. I have decades long friendships from Star Clipper and I have had known crew even among different ships. And the port advantage is welcome.
I could think of nothing worse than going on a cruise with 3000 people, this is precisely why we LOVE Windstar.
Room with extra cold AC should be offered to women going through perimenopause 😅
Having sailed on Windstar sailing ships over 300 days, I think you provide great reasons why you should stick to the big ships you enjoy so much for all the activities you seek and enjoy. Like many loyal Windstar cruisers, we value different aspects than you do abour cruising. These wonderful ships which most likely will never be built again. Repeat Windstar passengers are well traveled and are not seeking to be entertained, we don't want to spend time gambling in casinos and we prefer to curl up with a good book or enjoy conversing with the well educated, well traveled passengers. We love children, but don't want to sail with them. We love being able to swim off the stern when the ship is at anchor. We love being able to talk to the crew and officers, and to walk on the Bridge anytime, day or night execpt when the ship is in port. We love the intimate layout of the ships. Unlike you, I still find the well designed cabin very comfortable, the bathroom layout inspired especially the shower. I appreciate your positive comments about the outdoor dining areas and public areas. I'm a HAL 5 Star Mariner, Princess Elite and have sailed on Silver Seas, P & O and Regent ships too. Loyal Windstar cruisers vastly prefer the overall preice-pont, personalized service and atmosphere over other cruise ships. I'm sorry you omitted any mention of the outstanding crew and how personalized their high level of service is. I've known many of the crew who have been on these ships for decades. They remember how I like my coffee, they anticipate guests needds and call you by your name if you are willing to interact with them as people, rather than as just "another crewmember". You are entirely correct about the importance of picking your itinerary on these ships. Pick itineraries in climates that afford plenty of good weather, that take you to the ports and places the big ships can't reach. Thankfully, there are many cruise experiences and cruise lines to choose from and it appears you are someone who is best suited for larger ships with lots of venues. Enjoy and happy cruising.
Great review Gary. I was not familiar with sailing ship cruises, so thank you for sharing the pros and cons from different opinions.
I LOVED Royal Clipper.
As usual, I’m discovering that I have expensive taste😊 This kind of cruising sounds great to me because of the ability to get closer to better ports. The smaller cabin wouldn’t bother me but the smaller ship size could be difficult if the ship had to miss a port. I think cruising will always have pluses and minuses no matter what cruise line or ship you choose.
To pay a lot of money and not have a comfortable cabin is unacceptable for me. The noisy and uncontrolled air conditioning would be a deal breaker. I’ll stick with Oceania cruises - the new Allura and Vista with 1200 passengers and. beautiful and comfortable ship. But to each their own.
We've been on Windstar once (ship without sails) and we thought it very nearly a perfect trip. Prices are much lower on the Windstar ships without sails The cruise was all about the ports and not about the ship. We spent very little time on the ship. That being said, the food on the ship was some of the best we've ever had. To us it's all about the itinerary and the fact that we went to places that the bigger ships couldn't get to and, therefore, the crowds were non-existent. I think we had 250 passengers on board for our cruise. We would definitely do Windstar again but I am not sure that just adding the sails makes the cruise that much better to justify the higher price.
11:28 i’m not sure how you didn’t see this coming? Europe in Summer will always mean crowds, no matter how you get there 🤷♀️