ABOARD THE STAR BREEZE -- After 14 months, the resumption of cruising finally seems to be at hand. But some of the first departures have shown that restarting all of the machinery of cruising won't be easy.
The good news is that the public is so starved to get back out to sea that it will overlook some level of inconvenience to do so.
Windstar Cruises bills its "Beach Fun & Sun" itinerary as one of "secret beaches" and "destinations only private yachts can visit" on islands such as Anguilla, Tortola, and St. Barts. But several days before departure, guests who had booked the June 19-26 Star Breeze cruise got a phone call informing them that nearly all the ports of call had been canceled because of crew vaccination issues.
The cruise was made free for anyone who wanted to continue, which 55 of the booked guests did. Only a dozen or so canceled.
For David Hakimian, a Chicago area oncologist, the cruise dates coincided with a scheduled week off, so he decided to go. "We didn't really care about the ports of call," said Hakimian, who was traveling with his wife Suzy. "We just wanted to be on a ship."
The Hakimians have sailed with Windstar before, mainly in the Mediterranean. "We're very happy with the product," David Hakimian said.
While aboard, they enjoyed leisurely meals, and lounged around the pool and took excursions in St. Maarten just to get off the ship. "The way we looked at it, it's like summer camp on a ship," Suzy Hakimian said.
Instead of its original itinerary, the Star Breeze spent a sea day near Montserrat and Nevis/St. Kitts before returning to anchor in Simpson Bay on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, where the watersports platform was deployed. The 312-passenger ship also spent two days docked at the A.C. Wathey Cruise Pier in St. Maarten to permit excursions before a final day at Simpson Bay.
With its multiple days aboard ship and small passenger contingent, the voyage reminded some of a transatlantic repositioning cruise.
Most of the passengers were Windstar veterans, but for Brent and Kerry Russ of Raleigh, N.C., it was only their second cruise, and their first with Windstar. The couple were coming two days early and had reservations at a resort.
The Star Breeze with its watersports platform deployed off Simpson Bay in St. Maarten. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
"We had been planning on doing this," Brent Russ said. "The very next day we were going to be flying out to stay at Oyster Bay. So we didn't want to change the plans. We were going to come regardless."
But getting to St. Maarten required jumping through a lot of hoops. In addition to having proof of full vaccination, the couple had to have a negative Covid test to be admitted to St. Maarten. They waited anxiously to get the results in time for their flight from Raleigh. Then a Delta Air Lines rep told them they also had to fill out a form for St. Maarten, upload their vaccination documents, and get it all cleared, which they managed to do from their phones while they waited to board.
Once in St. Maarten, they had to show all of their Covid proofs and government documents, plus their passports. Then at the pier, they had to have another Covid nasal swab to board the ship, where face masks would be mandatory in public areas of the ship.
Despite the hurdles, the Russes were impressed with how politely and efficiently Windstar handled the process. "It was nice how they did it," Kerry Russ said. "We're looking to book a second [Windstar] cruise," she added. "It's first class."