What a year it’s been.
Our 20th wedding anniversary has come and gone. Our son graduated from high school and launched off to college. Our daughter, in her senior year of high school, is working through the excitement and anxieties of her own applications. Our aging parents need endless time and support. We had some real 50-something health challenges ourselves. And the story about my brother, well, we’ll save that one for another day.
We needed a vacation. In a big way. In that way that only overwhelmed, middle age, sandwich-generation couples with a full-time career who take care of everything for everyone can understand.
But even the idea of planning a vacation was too much to handle. Where should we go? Where do we stay? What do we do? Dining reservations, activities, transportation…. It’s just too much right now. My wife Stephanie and I are accustomed to endlessly researching trips and planning every detail. We have always enjoyed it and considered ourselves fiercely independent travelers. How can we truly vacation, disappear, and relax without having to plan a thing?
“What about a cruise?” It felt like a daring suggestion.
Stephanie looked at me like we’d never met before. Our friends cruise. They love the water slides, the family pools, movie theater, driving range, all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffets. One ship even had a roller coaster. Towering hives of hustle, like small cities on the water, they never have to leave the boat. And if they do, it’s with 3,000 other people descending into a crowded port for a few hours.
“Cruising’s not for us,” she said, as if it were obvious. And, for sure, we enjoy getting into the action, exploring a place, meeting new people. We like to be on our own schedule, and be able to venture where we want, when we want.
But this trip would be different. My knowledge had broadened beyond the big ship style of travel that was mostly what we knew. Perhaps lesser known, and for us absolutely more enticing, was a luxury cruise on a small ship. “What if we tried,” I said, and this time more confidently, “for a small ship cruise that can drop us into sweet little ports and let us explore or relax however we want?”
And so we booked Windstar’s Dreams of Tahiti trip. Booked the flights. Marked the calendar. And forgot all about it.
No Plan? No Problem.
Without planning a single , we showed up to the port in Papeete to board the ship for seven glorious days of sailing the Society Islands. We didn’t know what to expect, but what we discovered would change our perception of what a cruise can be — and what a vacation should be — forever.
The level of exceptional and highly personal service was evident from the beginning. In no time, we were greeted by first name by smiling staff at every turn. We were invited to choose from an array of activities and dining options to suit our taste. And left to make our own adventures, design our own vacation, at our own speed and on our own schedule.
The week would become a free flow of fine dining, relaxation, adventure, and stunning scenery in an otherworldly part of the world that we’d be hard-pressed to see any other way. The mornings were leisurely, sipping coffee in the lounge, reading, enjoying the day’s slow start on the front deck. On our own time, we would board the tender and putter to the port with a handful of people for that day’s activity.
There was the beach day at Moorea where we slipped away to a sandy cove and snoozed under the palms, all by ourselves. There was the e-bike tour of Huahine, where we glided along the coast with a small group learning about life on the island. We went snorkeling through a shallow coral garden, enjoyed a magnificent sunset cruise serenaded by local musicians. And, of course, an unforgettable play day at the private Motu Mahaea where the crew set out a bountiful l, replete with island fare like fresh seafood, delicious jerk chicken, perfectly ripe fruit and a full bar serving all manner of warm weather libations. They had brought out the paddleboards, kayaks, and of course lounge chairs from Star Breeze’s marina so we could spend the day under the palms, lazing in crystal clear waters along a white sand beach.
Each day, people set out for their own excursions, dispersing across the islands to whatever experience they had chosen. Never crowded, never hurried, the days were relaxed and easy, customized to our own agenda.
And after a day playing in the sea and sun, we’d return to the ship to find our cabin diligently cleaned, with a small gift on the bed. And (undoubtedly my wife’s favorite part) our laundry was clean and pressed, and waiting for us on the bed (or hung in our walk-in closet). Every other detail was tended to as well, right down to a new bookmark slipped into my wife’s book on the page where she left it open.
At night, with a drink in hand, we would sit out on an outside deck and watch the sun slip below the horizon for one spectacular sunset after another. Golden rays darting across the waves, a reflection on the day, a reflection on us. A chance to slow down, reconnect and revisit all that we are, do and love in our busy lives at home.
New Perspective
And then to the evenings. We would dress for an elegant dinner, meet with new friends and share stories of the day. Our favorite restaurant, Amphora, featured a new menu every night, including specialty dishes prepared by James Beard Award-winning chefs exclusively for Windstar.
Each evening was unique, and a perfect way to cap a wonderful day. An after-dinner stroll on the deck. The full moon rising behind the towering spire of Bora Bora or the lush mountains of Moorea. These are nights and sights that we will keep with us forever.
“Cruising’s not for us,” we had originally thought.
But this was no ordinary cruise. A fact confirmed time and time again.
Throughout the week, people asked if this was our first Windstar cruise. “It’s our first cruise of any kind,” we’d answer. And the reply was a universal “wow.” Then, the experienced cruise travelers they were, they’d share their insights. We had started at the top. We spoiled ourselves for any other. Picked the best one. There’s no going back now. This is as good as it gets.
As the trip wound down, and we pulled back into Papeete, we were sad to leave our new friends, staff and travelers alike. Our bookmarks hadn’t moved, a sign of a week well spent exploring the world. The time had gone fast, full of new people, places, and phenomenal experiences. And as we disembarked, relaxed, refreshed, and ready for the full life we lead back home, we both agreed.
We may not be ‘traditional’ cruisers. But we are definitely Windstar cruisers.
If you go
In 2026, Star Breeze sails year-round in Tahiti, offering a blend of great-for-first-timers, such as Dreams of Tahiti, and more exotic forays to the Marquesas Islands and the Cook Islands. In 2027, Windstar’s 148-guest motor sailing yacht Wind Star will join Star Breeze in the region, offering two special ships on which to experience French Polynesia.
