A collection of cruise blog entries across all cruises on the CruiseReport website.

Rickee Richardson 11/25/16 Rickee Richardson 11/25/16

Day 10 - Disembarking Star Pride

We disembark Star Pride in Aruba and spend one night before flying home to DFW.

This morning, Star Pride arrives in Aruba for the conclusion of our 9-day cruise.

Our two large pieces of luggage were tagged with black luggage tags last night and placed outside our suite. The "black tag" group is scheduled to disembark at 8:30am for hotel transfer, so we had time this morning for our ritual of disembarkation-day breakfast. By the time we arrived at Veranda, the restaurant was pretty crowded. There were no tables outside, so we found a table for two inside. A waitress brought us coffee and juice and we went to check out the buffet. Rickee and I both ordered eggs cooked-to-order at the egg station.

The breakfast buffet has anything you could want. There are all kinds of fresh fruit, cereals, breads, bagels, scrambled eggs, bacon, two types of sausages, beans, pastries and much more. By the time we finished breakfast, it was time for us to go to Reception to pick up our passports. Our passports had been stamped by Aruba Immigration and were ready for us.

The rest of disembarkation went very smoothly. Groups were called by tag color over the ship's PA system and, because this is such a small vessel, there are no huge crowds of people pushing and shoving to get off the ship. We left our suite when our group was announced and getting off the ship was a very leisurely process. As we exited Star Pride for the last time (at least on this journey) and walked down the gangway, the Captain and Hotel Manager were at the entrance to the cruise terminal to bid guests farewell.

*Exiting the ship to the Aruba Cruise Terminal*

After saying goodbye to Captain MacAry and Hotel Manager Marotos, we entered the terminal and quickly found our luggage. We then exited the terminal and boarded a motor coach for the transfer to our hotel. Windstar offers transfers to the airport, or to hotels for guests who are extending their vacations. When we originally booked our return flight to Miami, it was scheduled to depart at 9:15am, so we did not feel that we could get to the airport from the ship in time; therefore, we booked a night at a local hotel.

Our hotel, Renaissance, was the first stop on the transfer. We were in the hotel lobby by 9:00am but the room will not be ready until many hours later. The rest of our story really is about the hotel and Aruba, which is for another time. For now, we want to begin work on our review of Star Pride and reflect on the past nine wonderful days. Be sure to watch for our in-depth review of Star Pride on CruiseReport.com.

Rickee Richardson 11/24/16 Rickee Richardson 11/24/16

Day 9 - Curaçao

Star Pride docks in Willemstad, Curaçao, and we take a stroll into town.

This morning, I happened to be on deck as Captain MacAry and his Bridge Crew guided Star Pride to our dock position in Willemstad, Curaçao.

*Captain MacAry docks Star Pride in Wellemstad*

By 10:30am, we were off the ship and walking toward town. We stopped at a local market where some vendors were selling souvenirs.

We found a hand-painted Christmas ornament with "Curaçao" printed on it and the lady who painted them agreed to customize it by painting "2016" on it, a reminder of when we visited Curaçao. We then crossed the pontoon swing bridge than connects to Willemstad's city center.

The Dutch heritage of the island is evident in the architecture of the buildings, designed to imitate the rooftops of Amsterdam.

After we cross the bridge, we are in the middle of the city, amidst numerous shops, restaurants, cafes and government buildings. We walked for several blocks, taking in as much of the local atmosphere as we could. It was very hot and humid here today, so we took a slow pace.

Even though the photo above does not reflect it, there is a large Holland America ship docked here today and some of the streets were crowded. You will find all of the typical Caribbean shopping places here, like Diamonds International, Carihola, DelSol, etc. But, there are a lot of local shops, too.

By noon, we started making our way back to Star Pride. Lunch in Veranda is served from 12:30 until 2:00pm, and we arrived back just after service began. We enjoyed another delicious lunch today including a wonderful Chicken Noodle Soup.

After lunch, we headed back to our suite to begin packing (yuck). This is our last day aboard Star Pride and there is nothing more depressing than having to pack for a trip home. But, our room steward, Anto, has the luggage protectors on the bed in anticipation of our packing duties. I find Anto in the hallway and present him with a CruiseReport cap, which he dons as I take his photo.

This evening, everyone was invited to the Lounge for a disembarkation talk. Gonzalo gave us all of the pertinent information after which Captain MacAry introduced many members of the staff. It was one last opportunity for the guests to show appreciation for the great service we have received over the past nine days.

*Staff members receive a standing ovation*

We decided to have one last meal at Amphora Restaurant. We got our favorite table for two (table 89) and Trishna was our waitress. Rickee had a duo of fresh fish (salmon and halibut) while I enjoyed the lamb chops. The meal was excellent, as all meals have been in Amphora.

Tomorrow, we will disembark Star Pride in Aruba and transfer to the Renaissance Hotel for a one-night stay before flying home to DFW. It has been a wonderful nine days aboard Windstar Star Pride. Work now begins on our final, in-depth review, so watch CruiseReport.com for more coming soon.

Rickee Richardson 11/23/16 Rickee Richardson 11/23/16

Day 8 - Bonaire

We get off Star Pride to explore Kralendijk, Bonaire, on our own.

This morning, Star Pride is docked at Kralendijk (prononced "crawl en dike"), Bonaire. This is our first visit to Bonaire, so we wanted to get off the ship and do some exploring on our own.

As one might deduce from the name "Kralendijk", Bonaire is a Dutch island. As such, it is very clean and very safe for tourists. After disembarking the ship, we walk down a pier to the security gate exit into the city.

*About to exit the security gate at the pier*

After you exit the security gate, if you walk to the right, you will find the post office, a bank and a nice tourist information center. Walk to the left, and you will be headed past restaurants and shops and will eventually arrive at a nice public beach. However, if other ships are in port, this beach can get crowded pretty quickly. A better, albeit more costly option, is to take a taxi (about $5 for two people) to Spice Beach. Spice Beach is a private beach that charges a nominal entrance fee, but that fee is applied to any food purchases at the restaurant there.

Bonaire is one of the world's top diving and snorkeling destinations. So, if you are SCUBA certified, or just want to float on top of the water, this is the place to book your water excursion. Windstar offers a variety of snorkeling and SCUBA tours here.

If you are looking for souvenirs (as we always are), there is a small shopping mall just down the street from where the ship docks, right on the waterfront. We found a beautiful shop, "MG Bonaire", that had everything we were looking for at reasonable prices. Another plus is that the US Dollar is the official currency here, so when you pay with dollars, you will get dollars back in change!

*A great place to find souvenirs just a short walk from the ship*

There is a nice wide sidewalk that runs along the waterfront, all the way to the public beach. There are lots of benches along the way where you can stop and take a short break if necessary and just admire the beauty of the ocean. We enjoyed taking a stroll along the waterfront, stopping periodically to look at some colorful fish through the crystal clear water.

*Star Pride docked in Kralendijk, Bonaire*

This evening, we walked around the outer decks of Star Pride at sunset to get some photos. It was a perfect Caribbean sunset after a brief rain shower cooled things off.

We end up at the Star Bar, as most guests do at sunset. This is the best place to be on Star Pride at sunset to meet for cocktails and conversation.

The Star Bar at sunset

We decided to skip dinner this evening. We have been enjoying ourselves a little too much at the dinner table! The food is good and we have little self-control. Another walk around the deck to burn off a few calories is in order.

Deck 8 after a brief shower

Tomorrow, Star Pride will dock in Curacao.

Rickee Richardson 11/22/16 Rickee Richardson 11/22/16

Day 7 - At Sea

We spend a relaxing day at sea aboard Star Pride.

Today, Star Pride is sailing the calm waters of the Caribbean toward the island of Bonaire. This is our only day at sea on this cruise, so we are going to take full advantage of it!

*With a balcony cabin, you can enjoy the ocean breezes without leaving your room*

I tried to get into the 9:00am Galley Tour this morning, but so many people showed up that I decided to skip it and let the other guests enjoy the show. Chef Stany said that the galley can only handle 15 guests per tour, and there were more than 25 who showed up. He scheduled a second tour for 1:00pm for those who missed the morning tour. Instead, Rickee and I decided to attend a towel folding demonstration conducted by the ship's housekeeping staff in the Lounge on Deck 5.

*Room stewardess shows how to create a towel animal*

Each room steward(ess) took a turn at showing how to create a cute animal from nothing more than a hand towel and washcloth. Guests got to join in the fun as we tried to replicate the process.

Our room steward, Anto, helps Rickee create a polar bear

Everybody had great fun learning how to turn towels into the friendly animals that greet us each evening when we return to our suites.

*Rickee created her own menagerie of towel animals*

Almost immediately after the towel folding demo, the galley staff begin setting up the Lounge for a cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Stany. The chef began the demo by showing how to prepare Chicken Tikka using a marinade made with yogurt and spices. Everyone in attendance had an opportunity to taste the chef's Chicken Tikka. Next, Chef Stany showed how to make Butter Chicken, a popular Indian dish with Chicken Tikka in a rich, tomato-based gravy.

*Chef Stany prepares the marinade for his Chicken Tikka*

After Chef Stany's cooking demonstration, two of the Sous Chefs showed their amazing skill at carving fruit and vegetables. One chef turned a pineapple and canteloupe into a friendly owl in less than three minutes.

*Chef Loi shows how to create an owl from a pineapple*

After the excellent cooking and carving demos, it was time for lunch. Even with a full ship (day at sea), we were able to find a nice table for two outside at Veranda. Our favorite part of the Veranda buffet is the variety of fresh salads, and of course, the amazing bread. The bread on this ship is dangerously good. Prepare to gain weight.

I attended the port talk for Kralendijk, Bonaire, (tomorrow's port-of-call) in the Lounge where, beforehand, we were treated to the musical talents of Mistura Fina.

*Mistura Fina performs in the Lounge on Deck 5*

Gonzalo, the ship's Voyage Leader, conducts a Port Talk each day in the lounge to discuss the next day's activities. We find the talks to be an invaluable resource for guests who are deciding what to do in port the following day. A slide show gives pertinent information such as local cuisine, currency, tourism information centers, local attractions, transportation services (taxis) etc.

*Slide show provides valuable local port information*

We were invited to have dinner this evening with the ship's Hotel Manager, Savvas Marotos. As requested, we met him and the group of invited guests at the bottom of the stairs outside of Amphora Restaurant. A large table for eight had been reserved for us. We enjoyed sharing cruise stories with the other guests at the table, as well as with our host. For dinner this evening, I ordered the Curry Duo, a combination of Chicken Tikka, Curry Shrimp, Jasmine rice and Naan bread. It was delicious.

Rickee ordered the less exotic, but no less delicious, Lobster and Beef combo.

After dinner, we were all invited back to The Lounge for the Crew Show. We have attended quite a few crew shows over the years, but this one was probably the most energetic. There are some crew members with real talent! Everyone had a great time and a lot of laughs.

It has been another incredible day aboard Star Pride. Tomorrow, the ship will be docked in Kralendijk, Bonaire.

Rickee Richardson 11/21/16 Rickee Richardson 11/21/16

Day 6 - Mayreau

We spend a glorious day at the beach on Mayreau.

Nothing symbolizes a Caribbean vacation like a day at the beach. Windstar has taken the day at the beach to a whole new level with its signature Beach BBQ Party on Mayreau, a tiny island in the Grenadines.

We took a ship's tender to the island and were greeted with a cool, refreshing punch drink when we disembarked the tender.

*Rum punch is served to arriving guests*

As soon as we hit the beach, we found a couple of open loungers (there were plenty available) then headed straight for the kayaks. Star Pride crew members have brought all of the water toys over from the ship for guests to enjoy from the beach.

We each put on a life jacket and a crew member helped us get the kayak into the water and handed us the paddles. The waters are very calm close to the shore. However, the crew member warned me not to take my camera just in case we "tip over". So, no photos of the actual kayaking. We paddled around the area, staying within 300 yards of the shore, for about 30 minutes. When we returned the kayak, Rickee decided she wanted to try out the paddleboard.

*Rickee tries the paddleboard for the first time*

After Rickee's paddleboarding adventure, it was time to check out the Beach BBQ. The crew has set up a massive buffet with burgers, hot dogs, Jerk chicken, fish burritos, a variety of salads, delicious shrimp mac & cheese, and more.

*Crew keep the jerk chicken warm under the foil*

Rickee and I filled our plates and found a table in the shade to enjoy our lunch. We have been to dozens of beach BBQs over the years with a variety of cruise lines. I must say, I think the facilities at Mayreau are some of the nicest we have seen. And, the Beach BBQ was very well executed. The surfboard cookies were a cute touch.

After lunch, we just laid around on the beach, Rickee in the sun and me in the shade. An occasional dip in the ocean to cool off is in order.

Our social media logo traced in the sand

We get back on board Star Pride around 3:30pm and get cleaned up for the rest of the afternoon and evening. As the Caribbean sun begins to set, we step out on our balcony to shoot some photos.

*An “ussie” taken on our step-out balcony at sunset*

Tonight, we go back to dinner at Amphora Restaurant and get a great table for two at the back of the dining room. We enjoyed another amazing meal with a huge slab of perfectly cooked Prime Rib.

It has been another amazing day aboard Star Pride.

Tomorrow is our first, and only, day at sea on this cruise.

Rickee Richardson 11/20/16 Rickee Richardson 11/20/16

Day 5 - Tobago

Today, Star Pride is anchored off the coast of Tobago. We spend four hours in our suite listening to my laptop, but why?

This morning, Star Pride is anchored in Man-O-War Bay, Tobago. It is very warm and sunny today, much like the rest of the cruise has been so far.

I think it is safe to say that this particular itinerary is very appealing to the snorkeling and SCUBA crowd. We can overhear many of the guests telling stories of their snorkeling adventures. In our attempt to engage in water sports, we visited the ship's Marina in hopes of doing some kayaking around the ship. The main Marina was closed, but a smaller platform was open on the port side of the ship.

The marina attendant mentioned that the current was a little strong today for kayaking and that we might be better off waiting until tomorrow. We decided to wait. Rickee has been talking about trying out the paddleboard. I will have the video camera at the ready should she take the leap.

We decided to make our way back up to the pool deck where we found a couple of open loungers to enjoy the warm morning sun (or shade, in my case). Our loungers were on the port side of the pool deck, where smoking is allowed. A lit cigar soon sent us seeking refuge in another location. Instead of going to lunch in Veranda today, we thought we would try out the ship's room service. Rickee found some sandwiches in the Yacht Club (Deck 8) to her liking, along with some deliciously cute strawberry cupcakes.

*Strawberry cupcakes from the Yacht Club*

I placed an order with Room Service for a cheeseburger and fries. Now, you may ask why we would want to stay in our suite for lunch today. I will give you a hint: it is Sunday. Still can't figure it out? Another hint, we are from Dallas. Seriously, you don't get it? The Cowboys are playing today! I was able to figure out a way to listen to the game live over my laptop using the ship's Internet. Now, why they did not have the game on the ship's TV, I cannot tell you. They seem to figure out how to get that European soccer on the TV. Seriously, who watches that? I may have to talk with the Captain about getting the Cowboy came on Thanksgiving day.

Nevertheless, my burger arrived hot and delicious. They actually have a very good burger and fries here. I enjoyed my burger while we listened to our Cowboys defeat the Baltimore Ravens. Now THAT's how you spend a Sunday on a cruise ship!

After the game, we started getting ready for the Yacht Club Reception (repeater's party) to be held in Compass Rose. We arrived right on time at 6:00pm. Glasses of wine and champagne were waiting our arrival, along with 60 other loyal Windstar guests.

*Wine and champagne await Yacht Club Members*

Rickee quickly selected a glass of champagne and I was able to order a Crown Royal at the bar. A waitress came by with a tray of hors d'oeuvres.

The Captain, Hotel Manager, Chief of Housekeeping, Guest Services Manager and Gonzalo (Voyage Leader) were all on hand to greet and visit with guests. Entertainment was provided by Mistura Fina. The cocktail party is Windstar's way of thanking their loyal repeat guests. It was a very nicely-done repeater's party. After the party, we walked down to Deck 2 where we visited Amphora Restaurant for the first time this cruise. We were pleasantly surprised to find the venue to look completely renovated. We were quickly seated at a table for two and the Maitre 'd noticed that Rickee was wearing black slacks. He replaced her white napkin with a black one to match! I don’t think that I have ever seen that attention to detail before.

For dinner this evening, I ordered the crab cake starter and Rickee had the French Onion Soup. Both were very good. In fact, my crab cake was much better than the one I had last week at Pinnacle Grill on Holland America!

For a main course, I ordered the Osso Bucco and Rickee had the Asian Sesame Crusted Tuna with Soy-Lime Reduction. My Osso Bucco was very good, but Rickee's tuna stole the show. The tuna was covered with black and white sesame seeds, perfectly seared Medium Rare and served atop creamy Wasabi mashed potatoes. It was the standout dish of the night!

*Sesame-crusted seared tuna in soy-lime reduction*

Our first visit to Amphora certainly won't be our last. So far, we have been very impressed with the food quality on this cruise. It has far exceeded our expectations.

*About to enjoy a great dinner at Amphora*

Tomorrow, Star Pride will be in Mayreau for the signature Beach BBQ.

Rickee Richardson 11/18/16 Rickee Richardson 11/18/16

Day 3 - Bequia

We make our first-ever visit to the island of Bequia.

When we wake up this morning, Star Pride is already preparing to anchor off the coast of Bequia. Pronounced "bek-way", Bequia is the second largest island in the Grenadines at 7 square miles. It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately 15 kilometers from the nation's capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent.

We spent the morning on Deck 8 soaking up some sun (or shade, in my case). There are lots of empty loungers and umbrellas with many guests off the ship on excursions.

At 12:30, we make our way down to Deck 7 aft for lunch at Veranda. We find a nice table for two outside.

The salad bar offers a colorful selection of salads, including a Greek Salad and Tuna Salad, both of which were delicious.

*Colorful and tasty salads offered at Veranda*

In addition to a selection of hot dishes on the buffet, there is an a' la carte menu on each table. I ordered the Lamb Tikka Masala burger, and it was juicy and delicious. It was served with an order of hot and crispy French fries. Beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs are available every day at Veranda.

I somehow found room for dessert, something I rarely order. But, the chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate chip cookie were calling my name.

Later this afternoon, we decided to hop on one of the ship's tenders for a ride over to the island of Bequia and the town of Port Elizabeth.

We step off the tender at a pier that is right in the middle of town. We are on the hunt for souvenirs and postcards, but there are not a lot of souvenir shops.

The main street in Port Elizabeth runs right along the shoreline and the town looks much like many other small Caribbean towns. There are local artisans selling their wares on card tables set up along the street. Facing the shore are many colorful shops and restaurants, but no souvenir shops.

There is really not a lot to see in Port Elizabeth, at least not when you visit on a cruise ship. Guests would probably be better off taking one of the ship's excursions here. A quick walk through town is always something we like to do. We did find a small shop selling mostly clothing that did have a few souvenirs. We were able to obtain a refrigerator magnet and a Christmas ornament for our collection.

*Local clothing store with a few souvenirs*

Walking down the street a couple of blocks brought us to the Bequia Tourism Association where we were able to purchase postcards and postage. I doubt that this is an "official" government tourism office; nevertheless, they had what we needed and even mailed our postcards for us.

Of course, just across the street, had we taken the time to look, is the local Post Office, so we could probably have bought postcards there as well.

We probably stayed in town less than 45 minutes before we caught the tender back to Star Pride. One nice feature of a Windstar cruise is the continual tender operations. It seems that there is always a tender available when you need one. The sun is beginning to set as we approach Star Pride in the harbor.

*The sun is setting on Star Pride as we return*

When we re-board Star Pride, I head to the Compass Rose to work on my blog and Rickee heads to the Lounge to hear Gonzalo do a port talk on St. George's, Grenada.

*Gonzalo conducts port talk in The Lounge*

Tomorrow, we will be docked in Grenada where we will be doing a Glass-Bottom Kayak tour!

Rickee Richardson 11/16/16 Rickee Richardson 11/16/16

Day 1 - Star Pride Embarkation

We fly from Miami to Barbados where we embark Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride.

Our Uber driver picked us up from Trump National Doral right on time for the 20-minute ride to MIA, about seven miles from the hotel. The Uber ride was a new Lincoln MKX and was spotlessly clean. The driver even had bottled water for us. The ride was $18, compared to more than $45 for a taxi. I think we are now Uber fans.

We arrived at MIA in plenty of time to check in and boarded our flight on time. I was next on the list for an upgrade to First Class, but alas, it was not to be. We did, however, enjoy the extra legroom of the exit row in the ancient Boeing 757. It is a good idea for parents to take their children on these planes for a history lesson so they can see the old tube-style TVs still in use hanging from the aircraft ceiling. We landed in Barbados about three hours later, around 2:10pm. After exiting Immigration and Customs, we were greeted by the Windstar Cruises ground transfer representative.

*We wait outside the airport for the transfer bus*

There were six of us in the minivan for the 40-minute ride to the pier. After checking in at the Cruise Terminal, we boarded a port shuttle that took us to the ship. We caught our first glimpse of Star Pride sitting dockside in Barbados.

We boarded the ship by walking up the gangway. Note: be prepared to carry your own hand luggage up the gangway. Once on board, were were invited to the lounge to complete the check-in process. I am pretty sure we were the last group to board the ship, so check-in went very quickly. After check-in, Gonzalo, our Voyage Leader, gave a presentation on all of the upcoming ports-of-call and the excursions available in each port.

After the port talk, we had just enough time to unpack before sailaway. I was able to snap a photo of the aft section of Star Pride as we sailed away from Barbados. In between the two stacks, you can see Adventure of the Seas being left behind.

*We leave Barbados and Adventure of the Seas behind as we sail away*

During sail away, D'Harmony entertained in the Star Bar as Barbados disappeared in the distance.

After sailaway, we changed clothes in preparation for our 7pm dinner reservation at Candles, Star Pride's indoor/outdoor dining venue. During the day, Candles is Veranda, the ship's buffet breakfast and lunch venue, but in the evenings, it is converted into a romantic bistro. As we enter Candles, we see a display of the meat items available on tonight's menu.

*Selection of steaks and chops offered at Candles*

We were seated outside at a table for two overlooking the stern. Our waiter soon arrived with a beautiful basket of delicious, warm bread and our menus. There are basically three courses served here: a starter, the main course and dessert. Rickee and I both ordered the Shrimp Cocktail Shooter Skewer, which were two skewered shrimp wrapped in Proscuitto ham and sitting in a shot glass filled with a spicy BBQ cocktail sauce. They were very good.

Soon after the skewer plates were cleared away, our main courses arrived. I ordered the 10-ounce Veal Chop and Rickee had the Grilled Sea Bass. My veal chop was cooked perfectly (medium), was juicy and tender. A variety of sauces were offered and I chose the Chimichurri. Rickee's sea bass was cooked perfectly and she really enjoyed it. We also tried a variety of side dishes, all of which were very good. Our favorite was the Creamy Mushrooms and Leeks.

We decided to skip dessert, but the Red Velvet Cake for Two was very tempting. After dinner, we headed back to our suite to complete our unpacking.

Tomorrow, we will be anchored off the coast of St. Lucia and will take the ship's tender into Pigeon Bay.