Just a quick update - as we are looking forward to our 12th Windstar cruise (MSY Wind Spirit, Lv Istanbul Aug 7 - Arv Athens Aug 14, via Kusadasi, Rhodes, Bodrum, Santorini, Mykonos) on a WS alumni cruise. We've done this cruise in the opposite direction, and decided to do it this way too. (We sometimes take the offered, extra fee, land excursions, but often dive - though this is not generally offered other than in the Pacific and Caribbean cruises - or do our own thing; on Rhodes, it's on our own and a taxi or driver to dine at the divine
Ta Kioupia.)
We've spent time on 7 and 14 day cruises on MSYs Wind Star, Wind Spirit and Wind Surf since my last post, and I must say much of what made Windstar cruises enjoyable has been kept in place. The ships have all been refurbished, spas have been added as well as an outdoor dining venue (not so great on the Surf, really a glorified barbecue with grilled fish and neats on offer, better on the two smaller ships).
They still offer SCUBA diving, and in November / December we cruised from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Grenada, Venezuela, Curacao, Panamá and Costa Rica, with scuba diving in some interesting venues on the MSY Wind Star, the original / prototype of the three smaller (138 pax) Windstar ships (the MSY Wind Song, our favourite of course, is no longer.
The food is still excellent, and the outside booked venue doesn't cost any more - nor does the upscale dining on Wind Surf, which we took in 2008 in the Adriatic. Service is still quite good in the cabins and dining venues, but has slid at the home office IMO.
They have indeed implemented the new tipping / fee policy, though they say if you do not like the service you can choose to cancel the $11 per person per day service charge. It does make me wonder if they somehow use this fee to offset wages... but we love Windstar, as it's really more like cruising on a large yacht - and it's always nice to run into crew we have sailed with previously; they seem to all remember, and it personalizes it all for us.
In August, I will have to post a trip report.