QuirkyCruise Reader Review: Vela in the Caribbean (ISLAND WINDJAMMERS) By Tim B.

QuirkyCruise Reader Review: Vela in the Caribbean (ISLAND WINDJAMMERS) By Tim B.

Vela in the Caribbean Reviewed by Tim B.

REVIEWER

Tim B. from the USA.

CRUISE LINE

Island Windjammers.

SHIP

Vela.

DESTINATION

The Caribbean from St. Lucia to Grenada.

# OF NIGHTS

6.

DEPARTURE DATE & PORTS

Aug 2018, from Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.

OVERALL RATING

5 out of 5 stars (5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=poor, 1=terrible)

-Food Rating: 5

-Cabin Rating: 5

-Service/Crew Rating: 5

-Itinerary Rating: 5

HOW MANY SMALL-SHIP CRUISES HAVE YOU BEEN ON?

1.

REVIEW

It has been a many-decades long dream of mine to sail the Caribbean. I never quite got around to it when I was young enough to captain my own sailboat. As we are all aware, such fantasies are rarely matched by the reality of the eventual trip.

So as a 70 year old, reasonably fit traveler, off I went, and I can report that this trip, in all ways, exceeded my long held tropical sail dream.

Some opinions on a few important general items:

—This is not a cruise ship, and will likely not appeal to those who love the big cruise ship experience. The crowds and lines and glitz and glimmer of large ships have never appealed to me, so this was really my cup of tea (or glass of rum).

—This is a sailing vessel. There is considerable rocking and rolling during transit. The weather and seas were fairly tame as open-water sailing goes. Four of the 16 guests  developed mild seasickness early in the voyage. None had to miss any meals or activities. Do bring sea sickness meds that you have tried out before the trip if you think you might be prone, and plan on exercising some caution as you walk about the ship during transit, especially for the first day or two.  The captain always anchors the ship in protected harbors or leeward locations, so most of the time things are pretty calm and stable.

—As an older somewhat overweight guy with 2 knee replacements, I had no difficulties with any of the activities. You do need a degree of flexibility and fitness to navigate the fairly steep stairway down to your cabin, to get on and off the dingy (excellent assistance from the crew with this maneuver), and to enjoy the hikes and snorkeling.

—I loved the activities on this trip, but other reviewers seem to have expected more of a cruise ship experience. Expect time on gorgeous beaches, time swimming and snorkeling in amazingly clear and warm water, lounging on deck, and visiting small towns at your various island anchorages. The only “optional tour” on our passage was an island tour of Bequia, where we rode in the covered back bed of a small truck and visited small local attractions (model ship builder, turtle sanctuary, whaling museum. Our driver and guide was one of the last members of an extant whaling family, and his whaling history talk was fascinating). At $30, this was a great experience and a great value.  The other notable activity was the optional after dinner dingy rides ashore to visit local bars.  These trips were as much about the local culture as about drinking, and quite a rich experience.  Just don’t expect casinos, floor shows, spas, and tour busses.

As others have noted, you will likely become good friends with your fellow passengers, and the crowd that chooses this kind of vacation tends to be a pretty unique and interesting group. That being said, we had a couple of passengers who preferred to spend more alone time, and there was plenty of space and support for that experience also.

Some reviewers have mentioned the small cabins. Having sailed before on a smaller boat, I found my solo cabin to be quite adequate and comfortable. It was actually charming and cozy.  The bathroom with combined sink/toilet/shower was very functional. Pack everything in a soft-sided carry-on and you will be fine.

As others have mentioned, the food is remarkable for such a small ship.  Portion sizes are just right, and you are always offered seconds.  In addition to the three meals, excellent appetizers and rum punch were served every afternoon during “cocktail hour.” The vinophiles on our trip described the house wine as fairly decent, and there were opportunities to buy premium wines along the route of sail. I’m a beer snob, and found the local lager (Piton), stocked on the ship, to be excellent. On one occasion, the crew prepared and delivered an excellent “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” feast to the beach where we were spending the day. When anchored, dinner on deck was a real treat.

One of the keys to this cruise being so outstanding is the crew. We had 16 passengers and 10 crew. Each crew member was always busy tending to their duties, which often centered around the comfort and enjoyment of the passengers. They were personable, fun, yet professional. Our activities director was great, and gave us full briefings of the day’s activities.  She also accompanied us on most of our onshore adventures.

I have never done a mega-cruise, and have only heard of the hassles on embarkation and disembarkation days. Getting on and off Vela was quick, simple, and well organized.

Oh, and did I mention that this truly is a barefoot cruise? Except for the one island tour, I did not wear shoes from the time I boarded Vela until the time I got ready to leave for the airport.

QuirkyCruise Review

 

 

reader reviews logo hi resContribute to our pool of honest reviews by real passengers. QuirkyCruise wants to hear about your latest small ship cruise for our Reader Reviews, a growing reservoir of opinions by small ship cruise lovers around the world. We don’t edit or sugarcoat, we just present QuirkyCruise reader reviews straight from travelers to you.

Click here to fill out a QuirkyCruise Reader Review FORM.

And here’s an INDEX of ALL our Reader Reviews. Have a look at what fellow travelers have to say and see what floats your boat.

 

 

Don’t miss a post, subscribe to QuirkyCruise.com for monthly updates! 

 

© This article is protected by copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the author. All Rights Reserved. QuirkyCruise.com.

About The Author

QuirkyCruise

Ted & Heidi are long-time travel writers with a penchant for small ship cruising. Between them they've traveled all over the world aboard hundreds and hundreds of small cruise ships of all kinds, from river boats to expedition vessels and sailing ships.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Write A Review

CruiseCompete

CruiseCompete ad for QuirkyCruise

UnCruise BF Ad

UnCruise Ad Jan 2024

SLCL BF Ad

SLCL Black Friday offers Nov 24 2023

2023 SATW Lowell Thomas QC Win

SATW Lowell Thomas Award winner

2023 SATW Lowell Thomas QC Win 2

2023 SATW Lowell Thomas QC Win for Heidi

SC & PK’s YT Channel

PK YouTube Sea Cloud

Adsense

Sign Up box

QC Sign Up Ad Sept 22

bird

Travel Without the Crowds

SATW Proud member

Adsense

About Us


Heidi and Ted HEIDI SARNA

I'm up to 78 countries and 110+ cruises worldwide, and it's the small ship journeys that I love writing about most. And so QuirkyCruise.com was born, an excellent research tool for planning your own unforgettable small ship trip.

THEODORE W. SCULL

I have traveled between all continents by sea and cruised along three dozen rivers. Ships and travel are in my blood, and so is writing. My journeys have translated into many books and many hundreds of articles.

More...

Our Small Ship Cruise Reviews & Articles

If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.

9 Of The Best French Barge Cruises You Should Know About

9 Of The Best French Barge Cruises You Should Know About

Best French Barge Cruises By Heidi Sarna I've enjoyed small-ship cruises of all kinds all over the world, but I'm particularly partial to barge cruises along the canals of France. Everything I truly desire when traveling is offered on a barge cruise: Delicious healthy...

American Queen Voyages Shut Down Operations

American Queen Voyages Shut Down Operations

American Queen Voyages Shut Down Operations by Ted Scull, Karl Zimmermann, Anne Kalosh & Heidi Sarna Update March 22, 2024 — Bids close March 25 for American Queen Voyages' vessels. More details from Anne Kalosh's Seatrade Cruise News reporting HERE. A deep-felt...

  • Subscribe

    Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get insider reviews, tips & deals on unusual & small-ship cruises.

  • * I would like to subscribe to the QuirkyCruise newsletters. QuirkyCruise.com will not sell your email. See PRIVACY POLICY

vegasgg

gas138

bimabet

megahoki88

kdslots777

jakartacash

coin303

caspo777

big77

max77

autospin88

gopek178

monsterbola

wajik777

vegashoki88

dolar138

bigdewa.epizy.com

dunia777.epizy.com

kencana88.epizy.com

koko138.epizy.com

harmonibet.epizy.com

bolagg.epizy.com

mayora88.epizy.com

ligagaruda.epizy.com

babe138.epizy.com

money138.epizy.com

dog69.epizy.com

situs toto

www.linkpragmaticdemo.com

www.livecasinoonline.games

nusa365

www.judibolaparlay.id

www.roletonline.org

www.slot88rtp.net

batman138

situs toto

dphokathmandu.gov.np

www.luxury333slot.com

https://www.megawin77.id/

https://www.prada88gacor.com/

https://www.asiabetslot.com/

https://www.angkasa138.id/

https://www.vip303.co/

https://www.judicuanslot.org/

https://www.fit88.co/

https://www.pragmatic77slot.com/

https://www.slot99jackpot.com/

https://www.agen388.id/

https://www.hoki303slot.org/

https://www.dewa99.id/

https://www.garuda99slot.com/