RateItAll: The Opinion Network

They are having major financial problems - they owe us money and will not return calls etc. If you are going to give them money for a cruise next year - make sure you buy insurance !!

Recently (12 to 25 March), my wife and I travel on Windjammers Amazing Grace. The advertised itinerary listed a transit from Freeport to Trinidad with stops at 9 to 12 Islands. Unfortunately, on arrival, we received a letter stating that Amazing Grace would transit only as far as Sint Maarten owing to an emerging port engine problem, which would reduce ships speed to about six knots. We had booked the trip because of the breadth of island coverage promised, but were presented with a fate accompli; i.e.; take the cruise of lose everything. Later, we learned that the engineering problem was one of longstanding. Given the availability of both telephone and e-mail communications, Windjammer could have contacted us at home and offered options, e.g.; cancel, select another sailing, or sail on another ship. Instead, Company Headquarters choose to let us proceed without warning. We wrote Windjammer twice and have not received a reply. Those shipmates who Windjammer answered have not been satisfied. Though we are not necessarily seeking compensation, we would like to pursue the matter to a somewhat satisfactory conclusion so others might not have to suffer similar disappointments. Any information concerning Amazing Grace problems (e.g., engineering failures, reduced speed, heavy soot from operating engine, missed ports) would be most appreciated. Windjammer claims they do not own the ships. Court documents prove otherwise. Burke family does own the ships. That fact adds fuel to our fire.

I've been on a couple of different cruises, and Windjammer is the only one that I would ever do again. Instead of being on a huge, sterile ocean liner, you are on a wooden sailing ship. Caribbean law dictates that 80% of the crew need to be from the Islands, so there are a lot of people from the Islands sailing the boat, which adds a lot to the overall experience. And because the ship is much much smaller than say a Carnival Cruise liner and the clientele in general a little more adventurous / interesting, you will bond with the other passengers. I highly recommend it.

If you want to sail a tall ship through the caribbean, this is the trip for you! Not a luxury cruise on a floating hotel, but an old sailing vessel, you can choose to help hoist the sails, or just sit back and watch. Since the boats are smaller, they are able to go to some of the smaller islands that the big ships can't go to. These cruises are very casual, all you need is your swim suit, t-shirts and shorts. The cabins are small, and air conditioned, but you really only need them for showering, changing and sleeping. I have been on 2 of these cruises, and love d them both, hope you do too.