The Windstar Cruise Star Legend :
a sense of family, hospitality, with award-winning cuisine… sail to exclusive destinations in extreme luxury
Choose A Destination
When selecting a vacation destination, many factors may come into play. Intriguing destinations, activities, rustic ambiance or a more elegant feel, ease to get to, and cuisine are among the many options. No doubt there are many types of vacations to choose from and among those… cruises!
Some people love cruising, as it is called amongst the regular cruisers, while others prefer land-based vacations. Still others, like me, have kind of been somewhere in the middle; while they enjoy visiting many ports and locations to get a sampling of the local culture and history, sometimes a destination draws a person in creating a desire to stay for an extended period of time. In order to more thoroughly dive in to savor different types of restaurants, explore the community a little more in-depth, visit historical locales, speak with people native to the area, and of course, visit the local shops, an extended cruise is a great option!
The Windstar Star Legend gives you a little bit of everything. Arriving into port early and departing late providing a full day on most occasions to dine, shop, and explore.
About the Ship
The 440 foot Windstar Star Legend is an all-suite ship. With ocean view suites, balcony suites, classic suites with private verandas, and owner’s suites, the Windstar Star Legend carries just 212 guests and 153 crew members. The ratio of crew to passenger pretty much guarantees a pampered feeling and experience while cruising on this elegant beauty. Beautiful ship it is, but even more important than the beauty of the ship and its equally stunning destinations is the personalized service.
From the moment you arrive on the ship, the crew already knows your first name. Sure, they read it off the passenger list the first time, but after that, the “where everybody knows your name” sensation is felt no matter which of the 6 decks guest decks you enjoy. This harmonious welcoming feeling is truly special and something you will not find on what is deemed a mega-ship, a ship typically carrying over 3,000 passengers. In my opinion, a mega ship is a ship carrying over 1,000 passengers, but that is, of course, my opinion.
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
From the stateroom staff to the wait staff to the General Manager and even the Captain, the Windstar takes pride in getting to know the passengers. Shares Hotel General Manager Guenther Kopf, “We seek service-oriented people with positive attitudes. Skills can be perfected.”
Taking into account personal preferences to tastes in cuisine, type of coffee, favorite wines, activity preferences, the crew invests a sincere, uplifting interest in your onboard experience. To say the Windstar crew is friendly is an understatement. They go above and beyond to ensure your needs are taken care of in a fun, inviting manner, and they also make your health and safety their highest priority.
Beginning with the Captain and flowing right down to the crew assisting with the boat tenders, safety is of utmost importance. Captain Mark Symonds stated, “We take our duty to ensure the safety of each of our passengers very seriously. Also, we take people to the places they want to go. We assess the ports, make sure their paperwork is up to date, we have people look ashore,” continues Captain Symonds. “If [the port] is not safe, we won’t go in there.”
Welcome Aboard
Let the fun and adventures begin! Once the door opened to our stateroom balcony suite, I was already in love with Windstar. We were greeted by a welcome basket of exotic flowers, champagne, macaroons, fresh fruits, chocolate dipped strawberries, and a personal note from the staff.
We were greeted by the delightful Hotel General Manager, Guenther Kopf. Originally from Norway, Guenther has a long term successful relationship with mega ships having worked with Princess Cruise Lines for over 15 years. To our great pleasure, he was swept up by the Windstar line to manage the “hotel”.
The Title Says It All
Don’t you love that the ship General Manager is referred to as the Hotel General Manager? I never gave much thought to a ship being a 5-star hotel, but it is! A floating hotel with all of the deliciousness we love in a 5-star hotel and layering in the luxury of transporting us safely (and healthily fed) from beautiful island to beautiful island.
“Food and wine are in my heritage,” shares Guenther. “They are a musical match. Food is the lyrics which represent the passion for cooking and the savory palate. The wine is the melody that accompanies the lyrics blending in the experience.” Call it musical or magical, the food, beverage selections, and service are divine.
The Cuisine
Whether a frequent cruiser or not, food is always one of, if not the, most important elements of any cruise experience. To my delight, Windstar is the official cruise line of The James Beard Foundation. Working with Windstar Corporate Executive Chef Graeme Cockburn, the Star Legend Executive Chef Nilesh Kanvinde is a gourmand’s dream.
Born in India, Chef Nilesh was inspired by the culinary creations of his mother. “Combinations of herbs and spices are a part of nearly every dish in traditional Indian cuisine,” said Executive Chef Nilesh. “The wonderful element about the Windstar Star Legend and Hotel General Manager Guenther Kopff is that Guenther has first-hand experience in freshly prepared gourmet cuisine. He understands the need for exclusivity and at the same time, deliciousness, fresh, quality ingredients, and embracing the local cuisine culture while keeping with the ship’s culinary protocols. He is highly supportive of sourcing ingredients from local markets when in port.”
And that culinary uniqueness shines through on every menu from breakfast through to dinner.
Local Fare
In addition to menu items outlined by Corporate Chef Graeme, Chef Nilesh searches local markets for specialty items such as fresh fish, spices, herbs, and seasonal vegetables.
“Because we are not a mega ship,” shares Chef Nilesh, “we have the ability to create specialty dishes relative to the local culture. As well, all of our breads and desserts are made in-house.” Among some of the dishes are Tuna and Sesame Poke with Sweet Soy Glaze, Palm Heart Romesco with Endive with Pink Grapefruit Cloud, Wild Rice with Curried Shrimp and Housemade Naan, Duck L’Orange, Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souffle, Sweet Potato Soup Puree, Herb Crusted Seared Lamb Chops, and Blackened Grilled Salmon.
Lavish Buffet
One evening, the main deck was transformed into an elegantly lavish buffet featuring two 60-pound Kingfish that were flown in. Dishes like paella, lobster tails, short ribs, and a huge Wild Berry Pie amongst other delectable desserts including Chocolate Mousse Cake, Lemon Cheesecake, and artisanal housemade cookies had each guest relishing in the joy of fine cuisine that can only be found on the Windstar Star Legend.
Healthy Dining Options
No matter what time of day, the Star Legend cuisine emphasizes the utmost in freshness. Enjoy al fresco-style dining with panoramic sea views in the Veranda restaurant.
Breakfast highlights include:
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- freshly made-to-order eggs
- three different variations of Eggs Benedict
- French Toast
- assorted housemade muffins
- smoked salmon
- fresh buffet options such as:
- steel cut oats
- Muesli
- fresh wild berries
- melon
- bacon
- sausages and more
For lunch, one can order from the menu or enjoy buffet-style selections of a carving station, charcuterie and deli meats, cheeses, fresh salad options, pastas, vegetable dishes, and soups.
Vegans will also feel at home on the Star Legend as Chef Nilesh and his team have over 75 recipes for the vegan palate. Prefer to rest in your suite? The in-room dining menu is available 24 hours a day.
Ready for Dinner?
For dinner, dine in the elegant AmphorA dining room or upstairs in Candles, the indoor-outdoor al fresco dining room which is home to breakfast and lunch during the day and romantically transformed into a candlelight private dining deck for dinner. One feature that is quite nice about the Star Legend is there are no appointed dinner seatings. During the designated dinner hours, arrive whenever you like, perhaps after a luxurious nap or relaxing massage in the spa.
The VIP Experience
Lending to their exclusivity, the Windstar Star Legend hosts private cocktail parties, dinners with the Hotel General Manager, Captain and private dinners on deck in the exclusive gourmet restaurant. Inquire with your booking concierge for availability. And, they offer exclusive on-board tastings such as the Port Wine tasting and “class” we enjoyed after dinner one evening. The tasting was led by Sommelier Kishor Subramani. Kishor was so incredibly knowledgeable and took our palates to new levels with a flight of six ports including one of my favorites, the Warre’s 10 Year Tawny. The Port wine class alone is a reason to choose the Windstar Star Legend.
Beautiful Destinations
The Windstar offers the finest in luxury, cuisine and takes you to some of the most highly desired destinations in the world. On this journey, our port destinations took us to Gustavia, St Bart, Little Bay, Montserrat, St Maarten, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola (by way of Virgin Gorda), and back to the historical, tropical San Juan, Puerto Rico where we chose to stay in Old San Juan, a beautiful and convenient stones throw from our hotel to the ship.
Niche Ports of Call
Speaking of port destinations, the Windstar ships have a shorter draft which equates to the depth of the ship underwater – watch video for more entertaining dialogue from Captain Mark Symonds. This shorter drafter allows the Windstar ships to cruise into both traditionally known ports and niche ports that the mega ships are not able to navigate. Before sailing, guests have the option to select planned onshore excursions.
For our first port, St. Thomas, we opted to explore on our own and were delighted to find an open-air taxi that seats 8 for $25 per person – deal! – and a 3-hour personalized tour of the island. Not only was Naomi, our driver and guide, super knowledgeable, she stopped at multiple locales, atop hilltops with panoramic views of the island, and allowed us time to shop, take a bathroom break, and even get a cocktail!
Sailing Races
While in St Maarten, we selected the America’s Cup Sailboat Racing excursion which I highly recommend. ‘Tis true, we sailed on the world-famous Stars and Stripes! In a sort of mock America’s Cup Race, we competed with the True North yacht and well, they raised the white flag so we won by default. Kidding! They out-sailed us by about 35 seconds only because our Captain Morgan (that is his REAL name!) was busy teaching us how to sail! Yes, you get to actually be the Back Grinder, Mid-Grinder, Port Winch, Starboard Winch, beer (or water) gal or guy, and more. The experience is not to be missed whether you are 35 seconds ahead or not. By the way, we sailed in the middle of November and my sister and I, along with another lovely couple, dove in and swam in the coziest water ever. Note to self, always be bikini ready.
The Magic of St Barth
Another gorgeous island destination took us to St. Barth. This beautiful island you will also see mentioned by name as St Barths, Saint Barthelemy, St Barts… no matter how you pronounce or spell it, the island is the gem of the French Caribbean. What an incredulous day it was! One of the most luxurious resorts in the world, Eden Rock, was enjoying their grand re-opening since Hurricane Maria over 2 years before.
Eden Rock
When we arrived on the island, even the locals were not aware the resort was hosting their first day back in supreme opulence since the hurricane nearly wiped them out 2 years before. Al fresco dining, an elegant bar, panoramic beach and Caribbean sea views, stylish, friendly wait staff, welcoming luxury, fine cuisine, and luscious cocktails embraced us with open arms. We were gifted by a tour of the newly invigorated resort which offers supreme luxurious suites with the finest of linens, stunning views, privacy, and naturally, jewelry and resort-wear that oozes bliss. Can I move in?
Congratulations, Eden Rock St Barth’s, on your grand re-opening. Glad to have you back in all of your elegant glory and can’t wait to visit you again soon.
Jost Van Dyke
While every port has a lovely story to tell, Jost Van Dyke is not to be missed. We caught a catamaran ride for a snorkel and sail day with the most fabulous crew. Cocktails were served AFTER snorkeling. Enjoy a beach stroll after swimming to the remote tiny island. Snorkeling in clear, warm water is delightful. Local fish naturally shine like organic neon signs, spiny lobster is found under rocks, and eel go slithering by. Once back in Jost Van Dyke, a stop at the Soggy Dollar Bar is in order where the people may be soggy and the drinks are alert. Meaning, cocktails in hand while wading in the warm sea, playing “corn hole” in the sand, and chatting with new friends is a way of life. For tourists and locals.
Sister Ships in Port
Back on ship, the Windstar hosted an on-deck barbecue. A rare experience, we connected with the sister ship, Star Pride, for a two-ship, on pier sunset cocktail party and dancing. This extravaganza occurs perhaps once every 5 years when the two ships are in port together. What a special occasion where guests from each ship mingled with each Captain and crew!
On Deck Fitness
More special Windstar gifts?
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- on-deck sunrise yoga
- fitness center
- spa
- beach yoga
- swimming
- kayaking off the back of the ship
- fitness pool
- live local reggae music on deck
- en-suite movies with popcorn delivered to your suite
- puzzling and books in the ocean view library
- 24-hour gourmet room service
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Raising the Flag
The Windstar Star Legend is, to my knowledge, the only ship when leaving port (each and every port) that raises the flag to the traditional song played when Christopher Columbus set sail centuries ago. See video for a glimpse of that experience.
Setting Sail on Windstar Star Legend
The Windstar Star Legend staff is extraordinary and their desire is for a high end, full luxury experience. Check with the cruise line and concierge for details on packages. I recommend the Captain’s Beverage Package which includes cocktails, laundry daily, and wi-fi. Reach out to the Account Manager for details on current pricing, inclusions, and how to order.
BIG NEWS!
Windstar is cutting three of their ships in half and adding a new section, which will bring 50 new suites, two new restaurants, a new spa/fitness center and other improvements. They are all debuting later in 2020. However, don’t fear! The Windstar line will still have the same intimate, private, exclusive feel as the current ship onboard experience!
The Fleet
Windstar has six ships total – three with sails and three without. The three ships that don’t have sails are the Star-Class ships: Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride. These are the ships that are being cut in half and having a new section of ship inserted. The new section brings 50 new suites thus taking their capacity from 212 to 312 passengers and adding crew to keep their same guest to service ratio.
This also brings other improvements like a new spa and fitness center, two new restaurants – a barbecue concept from grilling authority Steven Raichlen, as well as a modern Spanish restaurant from acclaimed chef Anthony Sasso – and more upgrades such as brand-new engines, new bathrooms in each of the suites.
Innovation on the Seas
These updates are being helmed as the most innovative ship stretching project ever taken because of the new engines and hardware. No doubt the re-launch of the refreshed ships will be a huge celebration. Customers and staff alike are thrilled in anticipating the expanded luxury. The Star Breeze is the first to undergo what we in Beverly Hills would deem a “ship-lift” and is currently in the shipyard getting the work done in Sicily. Work done in Sicily? Soon after the Star Breeze is “lifted”, the already gorgeous Star Legend is next!
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Windstar Cruises
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More fun times on the Windstar Star Legend:
