In this episode of Luxury Cruising, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes Sydney of The Poodle Booked It to share her experience aboard Windstar Windsurf. Sydney explains what makes Windstar different, from its intimate ship size and relaxed atmosphere to unique destinations, personalized service, and its distinctive marina experience.
What if the best luxury cruise experience isn't about the biggest ship, but about going smaller?
In this episode of Luxury Cruising, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes travel advisor Sydney of The Poodle Booked It to discuss her Windstar Windsurf experience. Sydney explains where Windstar fits within the premium and luxury cruise market, highlighting its intimate ships, relaxed yacht-club atmosphere, unique destinations, and signature marina experience.
Sydney takes listeners inside the Windsurf, covering its recently renovated public spaces, accommodations, dining, entertainment, open bridge, and high-touch service. She also shares what she loved, and didn't love, about the excursions, explaining why Windstar may be ideal for travelers who prioritize destinations and small-ship experiences over onboard entertainment and amenities.
Listeners will discover what makes Windstar unique, who it suits best, and how its relaxed luxury compares with larger cruise lines.
Episode Highlights:
About the Guest:
Sydney Schellinger is a lifelong cruiser who fell in love with river cruising in 2021 and set a goal to sail as many as possible. She created the River Cruising Masterclass Podcast to answer the many questions travelers have about the wide range of river cruise lines and experiences. As a travel advisor, she helps clients match their style, budget, and travel companions to the perfect river (or ocean) itinerary.
How to Connect with the Guest:
Website: The Poodle Booked It
Social media: @Traveladvisorsydney
Email: sydney@thepoodlebookedit.com
Podcast: River Cruising Masterclass podcast
About the Host:
Dr. Krystal Sodaitis is a pediatrician, executive, and life coach for neurodiverse physicians—and the passionate host behind Luxury Cruising. She brings expert insight and honest excitement to every interview, helping curious travelers elevate their adventures at sea.
📍 Website: luxurycruising.net
📧 Email: luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krystalsodaitis
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Looking for the perfect spa experience: Spa table
[00:00:00] Welcome back to Luxury Cruising. I'm your host, Krystal Sodaitis, and as promised, we have Sydney back from The Poodle Booked It to tell us all about her Windstar cruise. Sydney was on the flagship,
Windstar Windsurf. Sydney, please remind the audience of anything you want them to know about you.
Yeah. My name is Sydney Schellinger, and I am the owner of The Poodle Booked It travel agency. And so I very much focus on this, luxury cruising and river cruising, and kind of just how to make it a seamless process for everyone.
And when we talked last, I was literally heading on to a plane to go on the Windstar Windsurf, and so we had to come back and talk about it and kind of understand where it fits in this ginormous climate, which is luxury cruising these days.
Yes, absolutely. So let's start there, and just [00:01:00] tell the- y- this is the first episode I have, from anyone who has sailed Windstar.
And so let's just take a big step back and tell us w- what kind of, what kind of brand is Windstar?
Yeah. So for me, Windstar is very much a premium cruise line. So I'm not gonna put it in the same category as, like, Regent or Silverseas, 'cause that's not its clientele. But it's very much going to be your country club casual.
It's very relaxed in its nature. It was originally all Wind style ships, so they all had the sails. They are, like, getting into some newer things and some different kinds of styles of ships, but they're very much known for just very small ship cruising and going into those very unique destinations.
Because their largest ship, which is the one that I was on, only holds 342 people, and it goes all the way down to 148. So we're talking [00:02:00] very small river cruise,style, like, sizes, but for the ocean.
Yeah. And that's what I picture. When I think of a Windstar ship, I think of the giant masts with the sails.
exactly. And so that's what we were on. And what's really s- fun is that every time we leave port they have a song, and they do a full, like, unveiling of the sails. I got goosebumps the first time it happened, 'cause it's just cool to see it, and just kind of, like, the theatrics of it. I felt like I was in Pirates of the Caribbean.
That's awesome. Is it, like, really loud? Like, I know from when I've been on, like, smaller sailboats, when those sails go up and the wind hits it, it's like wow. It's like a drum.
It honestly wasn't anything obnoxious or loud in that front . I think it's just because most of it is You know, the boat also has a motor, and it's mostly powered by a motor.
So they [00:03:00] have the sails there to help guide, but it's not how it's getting most of its movement. And so I think that affects the noise as well.
Awesome. So what made you decide to finally try Windstar?
For me,I'm on a mission to go on every premium and luxury cruise ship.
it's, like, a hard goal but, like, someone has to do it, obviously. Let me just flip my hair as I say it. I had a friend. and so, we went on this trip. It was one of those things where it was a really unique area of Italy. It was the first time they offered this itinerary, and so they were kind of pushing it really well.
And I fell in love with the itinerary, when I went because it was the boot of Italy, so it was, like , the Puglia region. And such an untouched area of Italy and so I was really excited about that. but when it comes to Windstar, I think it has a really great, like- [00:04:00] market. I like the fact that, how small it is.
which I was really excited to try, which was the marina, and that's where you can literally jump off the back of the ship and into the ocean. I was obsessed about trying it. I planned on living all seven days out there if I could
Awesome. Let me ask you about the marina, because I have seen, renderings and pictures of some other, like, smaller luxury ships that have a marina.
And is it at water level? 'Cause when you said jump off, I was like, "Wow, is it, above?" Like you're, like, jumping off, almost like walking the plank, or is it actually at water level?
So it's at water level, but they call it the marina. But basically they have these huge floaties all out, and they also have kayaks, they have Zodiacs, they have all kinds of things, and so you can just, like, hang out.
the only thing it's missing, I'll be honest, is a bar. They have, like, soft drinks, but I would've loved a margarita or an Aperol Spritz in the, [00:05:00] um, marina. I guess it's a liability, but... no, basically they have all of these, uh, inflatables, and it takes them about an hour to set up every day because they have to anchor them, they connect them all together.
and so they have all of these little pieces that, honestly can comfortably probably fit comfortably for me means that people aren't, like, feeling close together, 20 to 30 people at a time, if everyone kind of had their own space. But it could easily hold 50-plus people on all of these huge inflatables if it needed to.
That's awesome. And so are you just hanging out? Is it almost like the inflatable on
the water and you're just-
Feeling the motion of the ship and the ocean while you're on this almost like a big floaty?
so first of it, part of it's a square, and then they have a little area you can swim in the middle. And then, connected about probably 50 yards away, they have one of those, bounce, uh, the trampolines for the ocean.
So they have a lot of things to keep you, like, [00:06:00] entertained, and you can just, like, swim. And then they have loungers. So you have things to do, not just be like, "It's a ginormous floaty," and that's it. No, it's basically, it's all those huge pool toys, but just, like, multiplied in size.
Wow, that's amazing.
And was that mostly what you did? Or were there also... I guess we'll jump to, like, the excursions and to the itinerary, but was that, like, on a sea day? When did that happen?
So on our trip, it happened four days out of the eight. Nice ... so it's not on sea days, but it's on days that we are tendering and that the port authorities will allow us to do it.
Because there was one port that we were supposed to be able to, to put the marina out, but the Port Authority said no. but yeah, so basically, on, Windstar's website, they do have it where it shows marina yes, marina no. and that changes all the time. And was talking to the captain, and he says that, like, when you [00:07:00] first look at it, if it's about a year out, it'll probably show, like, one or two days.
But the goal is, in the summer months, for it to be half of the time that there is a marina out, to play on.
That sounds awesome. That sounds amazing. So bring us into the inside of the ship. What was the decor, the layout? Tell us about the ship itself.
We happened to come at a perfect time for the interior because they just did a huge retrofit of the main areas and it was beautiful.
So on the Windstar ship, mind you, there's only 342 people, 340 whatever, and mostly everything is on decks four, five, and six. But the fourth floor is going to be where, like, everything is. They have the main restaurant. They have a huge lounge for, like, how small the ship is. It's absolutely [00:08:00] beautiful.
It's very coastal, muted themes. I guess I shouldn't have said a country club was how it feels. It's like a yacht club, right? So the whole ship gives yacht club vibes. It's the coastal. It's sand brown with your blues and your teals and your greens, and that's kinda like the flow that it goes through.
I mean, they have a gift shop. They actually have some pretty great things in the gift shop. I always look for a gift shop. You know, they have a reception. They even have a fun coffee bar that's open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM where you can always get snacks and drinks. ... And then you can walk all the way to the back and you are at the pool with the spa, and there's a bar there as well.
and so really that's, like, the main deck where almost everything happens
I love that there's also a pool. So like, it's not just you can swim in the ocean or you don't get in the water, but then there is also an option for just a regular pool.
Yes, there is an option for a pool. They even have a spa, you know, like that you would on any other ship .
They do have, I mean, a spa so you can get services done. and they have a [00:09:00] ginormous, which I was surprised by the size, the gym. The gym is very large for the size of the ship and,it has a lot of equipment, so if that's something that's important to you, that's really a good thing to look at.
And that is on deck five, and so that's where they have, the Compass Rose, which is like a bar. They'll have the gym and the spa. And then, on the front of the boat is where they have, the restaurant that you'd like breakfast and lunch at where they have, it's like a mix above a buffet as well as things that you can order, uh, from the table, on any given day.
Awesome. Mm-hmm. Bring us into the room. What was the room like? decor, any special touches in the room?
So this is where I can't say yet because they're doing a complete remodel in December of the rooms because the Windstar Windsurf is 40 years old. She's an old girl. she looks amazing for her age, but they are slowly doing the retrofit on it, right?
So what I described on decks [00:10:00] four, which is what they did they've done all the like, common spaces, they're now gonna be doing for the actual rooms. So the rooms that we had were older. They were very large though. So I'm very excited to see how they're going to do it because some of the things they're fixing which were a huge concern for us was that there was, no chargers near the bed or anything that's a USB connector.
Um, they're adding two chargers or two plugins per room. So again, a lot of things that weren't important 20, 30 years ago that are now very important now are things that they're going to be adding into the rooms. another thing to think about is because this is a sailing ship, there are no balconies.
I think there's, in the presidential suite, where there's a balcony, but there's like three on the entire ship. So if you're in one of these other rooms, you're not gonna get it, and so for some people that's a make or break because they feel very claustrophobic. For me, it's not like the end of the world, but that's [00:11:00] something that people should be aware of.
however, I did think the size of the room was very nice .
Awesome. anything like in the bathroom, was the bathroom kind of a typical... Did it get closer to a typical cruise ship bathroom or more like a, luxury size bathroom?
Yeah, it was in between. So the bathroom was in between because it had like these two separate areas for both the shower and then the toilet.
So it was more of almost like a triangle of sorts versus it being just like a small little piece. and I will tell you that I really enjoyed the shower pressure on the ship. I thought that they did a really great job with the shower pressure, on Windstar. I was very impressed with it and I didn't have any sort of thing.
and so I really liked that. I did a video on it on my Facebook because I was like, I know these are the questions that people, you know, want to know, but no one ever records. And so I did a video of it
Yeah, I'm very big on the water pressure, especially 'cause I have really thick hair.
Mm-hmm. And I'm like some cruise ships, like the [00:12:00] water is just it's hot, it's strong. I'm like, "This is the best shower of my life every single day that I'm on this ship."
No, I totally agree. And so that's one of those things that you just have to be aware of. We were in kind of like mid-level in terms of like the rooms, like two or three above just like the basic entry-level, and so we just had two little portholes, which is pretty typical for that style of ship .
So that's just one of those things. But, the room size I thought was decent. It's only for two people, but it had that extra little bit of room. It had a lot of storage space. Um, and so I thought it was decent.
Amazing. Did anything come with any amenities like Wi-Fi, drink package, anything like that?
Yeah, so that's one of those things that Windstar does, is they don't have that in their base package. they do have the non-alcoholic drinks and room service. But, the Wi-Fi and alcohol is not included [00:13:00] unless you get the all-in pricing. now I will say, tell you that's nice because it does also include a minibar in your room if you do that all-inclusive.
So you can just like pull it open, go ham with it, and kind of set it up. so that is where they, they don't have that in the base price. And so that's something that I think is a negative when you're in that premium and luxury space, that you're not including that.
But I know for some people who don't drink, it's something that they don't wanna pay for. So it's one of those things just to kinda think about. But yeah, so alcohol, Wi-Fi, and gratuities, similar to like the Princess Plus, is included if you get the all-inclusive package. It includes those three things.
Yeah.
And some people do like to unplug. I mean, I wonder, too, being so close to the coast most of the time, you know, how good or bad If you have, data through your phone carrier, potentially could you sort of like piggyback [00:14:00] off of the, whatever's available, whatever cell signal you could possibly get from the shore, and then maybe not have to get the Wi-Fi either.
I don't know. I think that's hit or miss. Sometimes, we tried that in Mexico when we were tendering to Cabo, and it was like, depending on what part of the ship you were on, you could get a stronger or weaker cell signal.
Yeah. it honestly just depends, because some of the areas we were in Italy, I had bad cell service when I was on land.
these were the, some super cute, itty bitty towns you never heard of before. and what I did really enjoy is Windstar is just known for staying late in ports, you know, and there were some ports that I would've loved to do, like, an overnight on. there was this really cute little seaside town called Otranto.
and my friends and I, we stayed in town and had dinner there, and got the last, last one back at 10:00 PM. And so we just explored and had this amazing lobster dinner, where it was $25 and they had a half a [00:15:00] lobster and they made it into, like, a lobster roll, but the, chef came out and, like, undid the lobster for us and put it all in there.
It was so cool. And so those are things that, like, you enjoy doing and when you have the time to experience the destination more when, if you're there longer, it's really nice.
Yeah, and I guess that's the benefit too of a smaller ship is you can get closer to these sort of off-the-beaten-path ports even the size of that ship you have to tender to.
I can only imagine a larger ship how far you would have to tender to try and get into that kind of port.
Yeah, I think it's that they can't even because, even to tender you still have to be a certain size to like for your anchor to like lock into certain places and set things up that way. it's really one of those things that, you do have to focus on that small ship experience to get it.
and so that's one of those things. I mean, another fun thing with Windstar is they do have an [00:16:00] open bridge, so we can go and hang out with the captain any time we want to and see how the full system works, and that is something that's really fun. Captain Matt was our captain, and he was a hoot. Um, and my friend and I, we hung out with him and, you know, we got to see how everything works, and it was really cool.
one of the mornings we actually were sailing past, uh, Mount Cannoli,
I think is what it was, in Italy. I know that sounds ridiculous, so I think I'm wrong, but one of the, volcanoes as it was erupting at 3:30 in the morning. But we were told ahead of time, and the captain was able to sit there for like 45 minutes for us to see how it... No, Stromboli. Mount Stromboli.
I knew it was close to Cannoli. so we were able to see that, and those are kinda another one of those really cool experiences that you're gonna not get with a larger cruise line.
Yeah. I love [00:17:00] that. I love that. since we are talking about the itinerary, did you go on any Windstar sponsored excursions?
yeah. Yes, I did
And what were they like? Did you feel like it was up level or special in any way because it was a Windstar excursion?
I mean, that's so hard because it's honestly, when it comes to the excursions, you know, they're, just, like, finding local distributors and they, you know, put their name on it.
I was disappointed with the Windstar excursion that I did I don't know if it was just that we picked wrong, 'cause what we did is we went and saw one of these really cute little towns that is all these, like, thatched roof and it all looks the same, and it has some very, you know, cool historical pieces to it and how it all works.
but It wasn't interesting to me at that point. and so I don't know if it was me or them, but we were all pretty disappointed with, the quality of the excursion. But I [00:18:00] know that there were people who did a couple of others who were really impressed. there was an olive oil tasting where they went into a cave and did this really cool olive oil tasting specific to that region that you could only get with Windstar.
So, they do have some good ones. But again, this region that we were in, there was maybe five to eight excursions per day at max because it was such an area that is not, that tourists don't go to very often. Yeah ... because, one of the ports, we are one of three ships that go there a year, or the Windstar ship is, you know, one of three.
So, like, they're not getting a bunch of the tourism, so it's hard for them to, like, make all of this stuff work.
So yeah, I mean, that excursion, you know, if they're working with locals, it could be that particular guide was not very interesting or, you know, was really just focused on whatever it was that they were focused on and didn't really read the room and [00:19:00] see, my tour group is not that interested in these little tidbits that I'm sharing."
Yeah. Uh, and that was kind of the feel. We weren't the only ones that broke off from the group to kind of just explore on our own. but I feel like that's gonna happen anyway, and it's just understanding where you are and what the tour is and kind of being able to... I have done it in the past where I'm like, "No, I paid for this.
I have to stay here." But I think I've come to the point where it's like if I'm not enjoying it, I'm not gonna waste my time 'cause that's worth more than the money. but yes, there weren't a lot of excursions and so a lot of the things that we did were more just on our own. you know, we also found a couple of things on like, Projects E- Expedition or things like that.
we rented a private boat one day, but that was a, hassle to get back because, where the boat was docked was not where we actually started our private boat tour. And we got a taxi on the way there, and on the way back we tried to get a taxi, but none of the taxi drivers or like [00:20:00] the Ubers, would accept our Uber, because of it being, it was literally 11 miles, but people in Italy, that's like going to another state.
They wouldn't accept it, so then we had to walk a mile into town to get the train, because, Windstar had a, shuttle service to the train station. so we had to do that on the way back. But that was just kind of us being able to, be a little ingenious on how we're gonna figure out how to get home.
Sounds like an adventure.
It always is
And that's also part of being in these small little Italian towns.
they're not used to driving, Well, 11 miles there could've been half an hour for all we know along their country roads, but their Uber is like, "Nope, not doing it."
I know. Our Ubers here would, and I was literally texting as soon as they'd accept. I was like, "I'll give you a good tip, I promise."
Back on the ship, what was the food like?
Yeah. [00:21:00] the food, was good. I enjoyed it.
they have three restaurants at night. So l- breakfast and lunch is kind of set up where you just have the main veranda. and then that is changed into Candles at night, which is their, like, steak house-ish restaurant. more high-end. And then they also have the Amphora, which is their main dining room.
they did have a French inspired cuisine, called Celebistro, which is their third restaurant, but that is being switched in December to the Bamboo, which is like, tapas, Mediterranean, very, like, Asian... it's got an interesting combination of what it serves in there, and it kinda changes every night.
But, they're changing it to that. So they are partnered with the James Beard Foundation, and so you do have an extra elevated level of food on board. I did think it was on par with all of its premium [00:22:00] partners like Oceania, like Azamara, Viking, and so it felt very much like that.
So again, if you are going to be coming from a Silverseas or, like, a Regent, I think you're gonna find the food lacking. But if you've been at that premium level, I think you'll really enjoy it and it's not going to be anything, bad. I thought it was really great.
There were some times that I would love some extra seasoning on things, and that's coming from me, and I, And so I would have loved some salt, some garlic pepper, some, anything thrown on. There was some shrimp that were just bland. But I'm gonna say 80% of the time I loved all the food, but there were just a couple of them that I was like, just love a little bit of seasoning."
Just kinda grab one of these little salt packets in my back pocket here and throw that on there.
I do have salt in my purse at any given time. Thank you for asking. Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. Could you [00:23:00] tell if the food was locally sourced?
they said it was. I didn't do, like, a tour of the kitchen.
But they did have things that were specific every night to, the region. so they'd have, one entrée and one appetizer that was localized, which was nice.
That's awesome. I love when you can get locally sourced food on a cruise. Just adds to the quality and the taste, and that's awesome.
Exactly, yeah. I really enjoy that.
Were there any specialty restaurants?
So those were the two that I had talked about, the, Candles and then Stella Bistro, which is now gonna be that bamboo restaurant. Um, those you do have to make reservations for, but it's not like they cost extra. It's just you have to make reservations, and they guarantee that you can go to each one at least once, on board.
But I will say that I enjoyed Amphora over Candles when we went. we went on the first night, though, and you know, the first night is always a hodgepodge You know, we're all kind of figuring out what it [00:24:00] all works, and people aren't following reservations like they should and just, dining.
So it puts a stress on the kitchen. but overall, I thought that the food was, good all the way around, and I didn't notice that the specialty dining was, like, far superior to Amphora. I thought it was, like, at the same level.
Got it. Got it. Good. so after dinner, something to do.
You know, on a ship with only 300-ish people, sometimes the entertainment can be thin. what was the entertainment like on the ship?
Yeah, so again, it is not going to be those full productions. They did try their hardest to do a lot of things. Like, one night we had a pool party, which was super fun.
They had, the band out there. They had games. They had light up sticks that we all could, like, play around with. they did a full thing there. we were supposed to wear white and so, you know, we had everyone kind of dress up, and we were dancing. and then they do have some [00:25:00] shows as well as, competitions.
Like, they did a, singing game where you had to guess the end of lyrics, things like that. they have the entertainment, like, manager, but they really don't have, like, a, a very large, dancing crew. I think there was, like, maybe one or two people that might do it on top of her as, like, a side thing.
So it's very low-key if you're going from a mainstream cruise line to this. I thought they did good with the, how small the ship was and doing, like, fun things because another one of their fun nights is they do, like, an open barbecue night where they barbecue underneath the stars. And so, the leadership serve you dinner they brought in, a really cool singing/dancing troupe from the city that we were in because we were there until midnight.
So the- came in, they did a full, like, dancing and singing. We got to kinda hear it all in Italian, and then we had the full dinner spread. Um, and so that was a lot of fun. and then, the last [00:26:00] night, or like second to last night, they do a crew talent show, which was phenomenal. and what I found out is that they actually, the crew is on rotation because all of them wanna do it so much that they have to take turns per sailing who gets to do what.
but there was a bartender named Bon Jovi, and he has his Bon Jovi band, and so he does Bon Jovi covers. Uh, and it was fabulous, and they just have all these different things. And a, a great variety of, like, they had some Cambodia and Thailand dance. they did some, other things and honestly, the crew just has so much fun with it, and so it was really cool to see, and that was definitely a highlight.
I love that. I love that. And you mentioned something too, because you are in port later, I'm sure that there's a smaller proportion of guests that are back on the ship at the time that they're doing entertainment. [00:27:00] So they have to take that into account as well, I'm sure.
Yeah. I mean, they do it after dinner, so it's like 8:30, 9:00 is usually when there's some sort of thing happening in the, like, main lounge.
but it's going to be very, like, relaxed in terms of it's not gonna be a full Broadway show. the biggest thing was, the crew talent show and then when they had the singers come from, Italy,
Well, that sounds like so much fun.
Anything else about Windstar that you think we should know that you haven't covered yet?
I think it's just a feel, right? So Windstar is going to be for a certain person. It's not gonna be for everyone because, I think it's great if you are very much focused on a destination. the ship, similar to like a river cruise, is going to take you to where you wanna go and have you spend the most time possible there.
It is a beautiful ship, and I'm really excited. So they have two new [00:28:00] ships in their, fleet, the Star Explorer and the Star Seeker, and those are going to be your more typical mega yachts. They're actually, Atlas Ocean Voyages ships that have been repurposed for, Windstar and completely like redone.
Like, this next one is just completely being redone for them. and that's where you're gonna get the balconies. You're gonna get all of that sort of thing and, like, really, set up. But again, they are known for bringing you into the destination, focusing on that, like, relaxed luxury. It's going to be for those people who are, wanting to see a lot, wanting to explore.
You know, you're tendering a lot of days. Uh, there's not a lot on board the ship because that's not what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to go out and explore these cute little areas and things like that
I love that. I love that. and yeah, it is very similar to that river cruise feel where the ship isn't the destination.
The ship is [00:29:00] really intended to get you to the destination, but have your room and you only have to unpack twice. Only have to unpack once.
Yes, exactly. And so if you do, like, the drinks package, I do, I will tell you the Marina is so much fun and I wanna do another Windstar Cruise specifically for that.
It does have the feel because it has the sails, it really has kind of like, when it comes into port, people are like, "Ooh, what is that? That's cool." and ... The crew know your name almost immediately, right? 'Cause it's almost a one-to-one on that. It's like a one to 1.43 or something.
Like it's really great on the customer service that you're receiving. It's kinda like, don't get so focused on the hardware when it's the software, when it's the customer service, when it's that like high-touch service is really what you are paying for when you go on that kind of trip, as well as just experiencing those small ports, as well as big ones, right?
Like we did a mix, like we went to Amalfi, but we started in Rome and ended in Venice. [00:30:00] And so in Venice we were able to actually sail into the city and port of Venice versus having to stop in the two larger ports which the big ships have to. So being able to sail past, you know, St. Mark's Square and see all of that at six o'clock in the morning, was having to get up early on this trip for all these scenic things.
being able to do that is something very unique, and there is not a lot of ships that can do that. And so that is what you are getting in the experience when you do a Windstar Cruise
Yeah, I absolutely love that. That sounds amazing. What is next on the itinerary for you?
I think I'm doing a river cruise down the Main on Viva Cruises in November, um, 'cause I'm headed to Poland for a tourism trade show.
but I'm really excited about it because my goal, again, as we said, is to go experience all of these [00:31:00] different cruise lines. And so my family gets mad at me 'cause I'll be like, "Oh, I really enjoyed this cruise line. We should go back on." I said, nope, I gotta try something else this time." I've gotta be able to compare it.
I've gotta know what Explora c- feels like versus Windstar versus Silversea's, 'cause that's just how I can, like... I don't have to experience everything to sell it to a client, but it really just helps me understand it so that I understand the value points. I was talking to a friend today, and it's the perfect example, and I'm using it for my own, like, social media, but I'll share it here.
because it's one of those things where it's hard to tell the difference and, like, you're like, "Okay, everyone's doing the same itinerary. Why is it that Royal Caribbean is X, you know, Windstar is X, and, like, Regent is X?" And I was like, it's kinda like a steakhouse, right?
you have, a Texas Roadhouse, you have Ruth Chris, and then you have that, super local steakhouse that uses the prime that no one knows about. each one of those steaks is a different [00:32:00] cost, but yet you know that the quality is different. But it's hard to explain it when you're like, "I'm gonna get a ribeye at each one of these."
but the quality and the preparing and that, extra stuff that goes into it and just, like, how it's made is the main difference. And so that's kind of what it comes down to with cruises, is the quality of the product you're getting is different even if you're doing the same itinerary. And so if those sort of things are important to you, like the customer service, the quality of the food, the farm to fork or, like, land to ship and, like, how fresh all of those ingredients are, the higher quality the ship, the more all of that stuff comes into play , and what they invest in for that experience.
Yes. Exactly. Exactly. It's those intangibles. It's like when people ask me, you know, "What is it about a luxury cruise?" And then I'm like, it's what is the difference between walking into, you know, [00:33:00] a Hampton Inn or a Hilton or, you know, the Four Seasons?" it's intangible.
Exactly. But the thing is, is I don't hate on anyone who enjoys the different styles of rooms or the different categories of things because each one of us understands value and luxury differently. And so it's just trying to understand where you fit in and how, you can have that best vacation for you, which is why there's so many cruise lines out there right now is because they're all marketing to a very specific person.
And if, what we've talked about here like, I have clients who are like, "Oh, your trip looked so amazing." And I was like, "It did, but it's not a trip for you." And she's like, "Why not?" And I'm like, 100% you'd want a, you'd want a balcony. Uh, they don't have butlers and you loved the butler on your last trip."
So there are things that, go into it that makes it an experience for other people. And I've had other clients where I'm like, "You should check out Windstar because I think you'd love [00:34:00] the relaxed luxury of it because it doesn't feel stuffy." Like, you're getting the small ship experience without the stuffy, interior and, like, the, feeling like I have to, like, perform or be whatever.
So it's an experience for that certain kind of person, and that's where, you know, you have to figure out what you're looking for to determine what's the best trip for you.
Yeah, absolutely. And that's why I know that you have said it and I have said it. It's like there's a cruise for everybody.
but not every cruise is for everyone.
And you just have to find, what fits.
Exactly, and that's why I go on all these so that I can... Basically, I'm a matchmaker, and so that's kinda what we, you know, people listen to this because they're trying to figure out on their own how to match-make themselves to the right cruise line because it's, every cruise is a lot of money.
if you get a balcony room on a Royal Caribbean ship, that is more than a river cruise sometimes if you have all the trimmings that you would- Depending on the ship,
yep.
Yeah, [00:35:00] like the Utopia of the Sea came out, it was insane how expensive that thing was. and so just understanding that will make it so that you have a better experience overall.
Yeah, I agree. I agree. So Sydney, if people want to follow your content, to See all of your experiences, follow your experiences, or maybe even consult with you about an experience for themselves, how do they get in touch with you?
Yeah, so on Instagram, I'm Travel Advisor Sydney, and,s- I think I'm the same on Facebook, but Sydney Scallenger.
And, you can also email me at sydney@thepoodlebookedit.com. but you can definitely follow along. I posted a bunch of videos from my trip to Italy and Windstar, so I kind of... I even did a full walkthrough of the entire deck four that we just talked about. So you can kind of visualize it if I wasn't really good at describing it.
And get a full kind of experience that way. But I'd love [00:36:00] for you to follow, 'cause, I just love to interact with people and see where they know me from.
Yes, that'd be so much fun. And also, you also have a podcast.
I do. Yeah. I've been on a little hiatus because, I have, like, I think 30% of my clients traveling in the next month.
we've took a fall break. But, uh, yes, I have a podcast on river cruising. It's called the River Cruising Masterclass. We are finalizing our series on all of the river cruise lines, and there's 15, so not just Viking. And then we are moving on, and we're gonna be doing a, river expose on the Danube, and I've been interviewing some,tourism boards and kind of elevating these ports that you'll be going to on the trip to, and how you can add pre and post to it.
and so that's what we're working on there
that sounds fantastic. People Need to follow and subscribe so that when all that drops, they can be notified.
Ugh, I know, and it's gonna be fun. I'm excited for what's to [00:37:00] come. just one day at a time is kinda what we're at right now.
thank you again for being here. I know that Viva is a practically brand new river cruise line. and I hope you'll come back and tell us your thoughts about Viva after your trip in November. Yeah. And to the listeners, thank you for being here. As always, I wish you safe and luxurious cruising.