S/V Polynesia: The Definitive Review
Written: Apr 16 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful, historic sailing vessel. Good, well-cooked meals. Port-intensive sailings.
Cons: Certain areas of ship are worn, need repair. Stateroom service/condition.
The Bottom Line: S/V Polynesia is a beautiful, classic schooner that offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is the type of adventure everyone should try at least once.
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| garykool81's Full Review: Windjammer Polynesia |
S/V POLYNESIA: THE DEFINITIVE REVIEW
Note: Ratings assigned as follows for services listed at end of review…
POOR – Far below expectations and not acceptable
BELOW AVERAGE – Did not meet expectations
AVERAGE – Meets expectations, but not out of the ordinary
GOOD – Exceeds expectations
EXCELLENT – Perfect in almost all regards and greatly exceeded expectations.
Photos accompanying this review can be found at:
Gallery One: http://cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=3381
Gallery Two: http://cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=3382
INTRODUCTION
In an age where cruise ships continue to increase in size dramatically every few years, the common traveler’s limited pocketbook spending power is hard pressed to find a line offering boutique-style atmosphere and camaraderie among fellow passengers. With the modern cruise market of today, passengers instead must all too often choose between oversized mass-market ships ferrying upwards of 2,000 guests or high-priced, opulent getaways aboard five-star luxury lines that feature a smaller, exclusive fleet aimed at those well above the median income level.
That is where Windjammer Barefoot Cruises enters the picture. Featuring a fleet of four schooners, many of which are rich in history dating back as far as the 1920s, the family-owned company has been in business since 1947, making it one of the oldest, independently-operated lines aimed at the North American market.
More unique than its heritage, however, is the line’s historic fleet of true, wind-powered sailing vessels unlike anything else in modern-day cruising world. While other lines certainly present themselves and their schooner-like ships as sailing vessels, Windjammer’s assorted, aging fleet is one of very few left in the world today so rich in history.
Higher priced lines such as Windstar or Star Clippers offer a similar experience, albeit higher on the luxury end of things, but closer examination will expose that much of their fleets consist of cruise ships disguised as schooners through the use of decorative, yet useless white sails.
While Windjammer does not come close to matching the comfort and luxury provided to guests aboard lines such as Sea Cloud, Star Clippers or Windstar, the company has truly carved itself a niche market for those guests interested in a casual, intimate cruise vacation that takes them closer to nature and the adventure of being on the sea than any large cruise ship ever could.
S/V POLYNESIA
Many previous “Definitive Reviews” have focused in great detail on the interior public spaces aboard larger cruise ships. Because Polynesia and her sister-ships lack the grand foyers, marble staircases and multi-story dining rooms complete with neon lighting found aboard the modern-fleet of today’s mass-market cruisers, this section of the review will instead focus on her limited public spaces and the history of the ship that has become Windjammer’s S/V Polynesia.
Constructed in 1938 as a four-masted fishing vessel named Argus, the ship that would go on to become Polynesia plowed through the waters of the Grand Banks as part of the Portuguese fishing fleet. One of the last schooners to serve with that fleet, Argus attracted international attention when she was featured in a lengthy article in National Geographic in 1952. Later, maritime author Allen Villers would go on to write a book about the legendary schooner entitled, “The Quest for the Schooner Argus.”
After she was retired from the Portuguese fishing fleet, Windjammer purchased the historic vessel in 1975. After massive reconstruction and remodeling that included the addition of passenger cabins with more modern amenities and adding an upper deck spanning the entire length of the 248-foot ship, Argus was re-launched as Polynesia under the Windjammer banner and has been plowing through Caribbean waters ever since.
Weighing in at 430 tons, Polynesia is literally dwarfed by even the smallest of mass-market cruise ships she anchors near. With room for only 112 passengers and a crew of 45, her four decks, two of which are exclusively passenger cabins, provide ample space for guests to get to know one another. Or, if they prefer passengers can easily locate a quiet corner to curl up with a book during the hours spent at sea.
Her public spaces are extremely limited, and passengers used to hours of exploring the fourteen deck behemoths that make up most of this industry will find themselves quite comfortable with the layout of Polynesia in only a few minutes. Aside from a small bar and dining saloon where all meals are served, the only other public space aboard the former Argus consists of a large, uncovered teak deck sprawling the length of the ship.
Her décor, if one insists on even using that term, remains fairly unison from room to room. Apparently, she was renovated at a time where supply of teak wood was ample. Passenger staterooms, the bar, saloon and top deck are all coated in virtually nothing but wooden panels that have been slathered with varnish week after week. While it might sound unattractive, the real wood and authentic feel of the historic ship provides a welcomed retreat from the glitz and glamour of her larger 90,000+ ton cousins. More importantly, the interior décor of Polynesia is completely appropriate for a vacation where the adventure of sailing, not plowing, through the high seas is front and center.
Below top deck, which is where passengers can help hoist sails or listen to a 30-minute morning briefing by the Captain, guests will find a small bar and the dining saloon. Directly in front of the tiki-style bar is a small teak floor measuring no more than 25 feet squared. While small, the space frequently becomes a dance floor or hotspot for socializing for those wishing to escape the blistering sun on the top deck.
Behind the bar and located at the very aft of Polynesia is her dining saloon. While those used to “normal” cruising may at first be put off by the appearance of the space, which features long bench-style seating in a very utilitarian setting, most quickly warm to the charm of dining at the aft of the ship, surrounded with a panoramic view of the ocean.
OTHER INTERESTING TIDBITS
Was that a cat that just ran by? Yes, something else that truly sets Windjammer’s Polynesia apart from today’s cruise market is the presence of a furry staff member guests will find nowhere else in the world. A young, calico, female cat named Nevis has virtually full-run of the 248-foot vessel. With her friendly, playful personality she provides a welcome addition to the ship that reminds guests yet again that they are on a vacation that is truly unique.
While she boasts no casino, guests wandering towards the aft of the top deck can try their luck at the wheel. A true departure from anything that would ever be permitted aboard today’s ultra-high-security cruise ships, passengers aboard Polynesia are actually invited to step up to the helm and steer Polynesia as she glides through the turquoise Caribbean waters at a calm six to seven knots. Because of the intimacy of their fleet, guests can stay at the wheel as long as they like, whether it be five minutes or a full hour.
Crew members provide a brief lesson on the two or three simple instruments charting compass heading and rudder direction, and then observe the novice seaman for a few moments to make sure he or she is capable of controlling Polynesia.
After school is complete, the crewmembers frequently walk off and leave the guest to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience as they steer the massive schooner towards her next port-of-call.
Upon sail away from any port that contains a large cruise ship, Windjammer’s feisty crew will quickly raise sails, turn on adventurous pirate-music and fire their cannon (Yes, there is a cannon.) at what the line and their frequent passengers have dubbed “foo-foo” ships. Don’t worry, the canon fires blanks.
Meanwhile, a group of passengers is convinced by crewmembers to stand atop benches overlooking the railing of the top deck, pull down their trousers and moon the onlookers glaring with envious eyes from their “foo foo” ship balconies.
Above guests heads near the top of her foremost mast is a black pirate flag, complete with skulls and crossbones. Scrawled text across the top and bottom reads, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
It is that sense of humor and unapologetic political-incorrectness that truly sets this line apart from the entire industry.
Speaking of time in port, passengers aboard most Windjammer cruises will notice that they have ample time to explore the cities they visit during their week-long trip. The small Windjammer fleet typically plies waters in a closely-knit chain of islands within sight of each other. While the sense of adventure from traveling hundreds or thousands of miles might not be present, the privilege of visiting small, hard to reach ports that passengers aboard S.S. Fatcow will never see is a ripe reward.
Because of the short distance between ports of call, guests frequently go to sleep while the ship is still docked in one city, then wake up to find themselves in an entirely new harbor. Rather than trying to cram the excitement of exploring a new town into four or five hours, guests with Windjammer enjoy an entire day from dawn until midnight in almost every city their ship visits.
One area of slight disappointment on Polynesia is the lack of true, wind-powered sailing. With expectations set high for some time at sea without the diesel engine noisily chugging along, Polynesia rarely seems to truly sail under wind power. In fact, during this week long voyage, the sails were not raised once except for cases of mere decoration. Even then, only the lower set of four sails was hoisted on a ship that has space for more than ten.
While this may not be a letdown for cruisers with a line such as Windstar, where it has become fairly common knowledge that the sails cannot really pull such a massive vessel through the ocean, Polynesia is a true schooner. In conditions that were absolutely perfect for sailing, with a strong tail wind, the captain of Polynesia still kept only her decorative bottom four sails hoisted while the vibrations from her dirty, diesel engine continued to chug the 430-ton ship through the ocean.
DINING EXPERIENCE
You can’t worry about missing breakfast when a crewmember runs up and down your quiet hallway ringing a cowbell and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Unlike virtually the entire cruise industry of today, Windjammer’s marketing gurus and their ships officers make absolutely no promises of gourmet; five-star dining that they know darn well cannot be delivered. Instead, passengers boarding Polynesia are well-informed that they will be dining in buffet-style for most of the cruise.
While she might not offer white, crisp linens accompanied by fine china, Polynesia does provide her guests with a solid dining experience. Veteran cruise passengers might in many a case quiver at the idea of being fed “buffet quality” food for an entire cruise, conjuring up in their minds memories of the lido buffet on their previous mass-market ship.
Rest assured, the food on Windjammer is leaps and bounds above the quality found in most mass-market cruise ship buffets. In part, because the crew is responsible for serving such a small number of passengers, Windjammer is able to offer three meals a day with food that is properly cooked to order.
Breakfasts typically consist of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, breads and several cereal choices. The occasional surprise of French toast or pancakes appears once or twice a week. Unlike her larger cruise ship brethren, eggs aboard Polynesia are actually cooked properly. Scrambled eggs are not burned, not runny, but cooked as one would expect they should be in any decent restaurant. Likewise, bacon is not overdone nor fatty and undercooked.
Lunch tends to be a more mundane meal of the cruise, since many passengers instead choose to dine ashore at the day’s port-of-call. Hamburgers, hot dogs or “make it yourself” sandwich trays appear day after day. On this particular itinerary, hamburgers were noticeably dry and perhaps overcooked. An assortment of cookies or brownies greet guests at the end of the buffet line.
When Windjammer tells passengers to leave their gowns and tuxedos at home, they aren’t kidding. Dinner aboard Polynesia is extremely informal and relaxed. Dressing up for the evening means nothing more than changing out of a sweaty t-shirt and salty bathing suit and into a clean pair of shorts and short-sleeved shirt. There is absolutely no sense of pretense or formality whatsoever onboard any part of Polynesia, not the least her dining venue.
That said, dinner is surprisingly good for those who have come onboard with realistic expectations. Unlike breakfast and lunch, dinner is frequently served to passengers in two to three courses as they sit at their long, cafeteria-like tables with comfortable bench seating. Don’t expect a menu, though. Dinner frequently consists of two choices for an entrée and absolutely no say in what guests receive for their soup or salad. Like it or leave it is the mantra many guests find themselves following, without complaint.
Evening dining typically includes a soup, salad and fish or meat choice, such as a Red Snapper or New York Strip Steak. Meats are cooked to order in most cases with no error. Surprisingly, dinner entrees were frequently as high in taste quality as those found aboard mass-market lines billing themselves as gourmet eateries.
Dessert with dinner usually involves a choice between two or three pies or cakes that the kitchen has prepared. They tend to be quite fresh and tasty.
While food was certainly never presented, or attempted to be presented, in a manner that would suggest high-class dining, food quality was quite acceptable. Steaks were tender, juicy and properly seasoned. Soups and salads, likewise, might have lacked the presentation found aboard lines such as Carnival or Norwegian Cruise Line, but were still just as tasty as many of the appetizers found in those lines’ dining rooms.
Passengers aboard Polynesia and other Windjammer ships will note that her seating-assignments are just as casual as her dress code – there are none. Passengers dine wherever they wish to in the dining room and with whomever they would like to eat with.
Because of the large number of guests who choose to eat dinner aboard rather than ashore, the evening meal is frequently broken into an early and late seating. Which passengers are in the early seating is quite simply determined by whoever makes it to the dining room first. Those who aren’t quick enough simply get to wait outside, where a drink from the bar is likely to help pass the time.
A weakness of the small-ship experience with Windjammer can also be a lack of dining options. Aboard the so-called “foo foo” ships, passengers returning from a late shore excursion can always rest assured that the 24-hour pizzeria or buffet is open for a snack or meal. Aboard Windjammer, though, the threat of missing breakfast or lunch is very real. The ships mealtimes are set in stone, and there is no alternative eatery for those who want to sleep in or come back late from a guided tour.
Guests deciding to sleep in until 9:00AM after weeks of getting up early to go into the office will find themselves waiting until lunch on an empty stomach. Likewise, passengers not back to the ship by lunch or dinner time will need to find an alternative on-shore.
Occasionally, the captain of the ship may mix things up and invite guests to join him and the crew ashore for a beach barbeque. It is again these small, but important, details that set Windjammer aside as unique in today’s cruise market.
Overall, the dining experience aboard Windjammer’s Polynesia is rated as AVERAGE.
ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE
Guests sailing aboard Polynesia who have an ample supply of large-ship cruising under their belt will note a lack of theater-style entertainment, for better or worse, aboard these small schooners.
Windjammer’s passengers are mostly reliant on themselves for excitement or fun during the daytime and evening, with exception to the occasional on-deck party or local entertainment, such as a single musician, invited onboard. Crab races have become a favorite pastime of Windjammer passengers, with guests placing small bets on their preferred “jockey.”
The need for high-end entertainment simply doesn’t exist on a line such as Windjammer, however, where most passengers aboard turn their noses up at the idea of being treated like a cruise ship passenger. Most guests enjoy spending their entire day ashore, or simply conversing with one another during the limited time spent aboard Polynesia.
As with the dining experience, passengers who have taken the time to properly research what Windjammer does and does not offer as a cruise line should not have their expectations crushed by the lack of Broadway-style Theater.
Polynesia earns a rating of AVERAGE for her entertainment experience.
STATEROOM CONDITION/SERVICE
If there is one area where Polynesia truly needs a refurbishment, it is with her passenger cabins. While guests might equate sailing with Windjammer to “camping on the ocean,” it doesn’t have to be as uncomfortable as pitching a tent in West Virginia.
Bedding is quite frankly outdated and uncomfortable, with guests being offered a bunk-bed style arrangement (Taller passengers, you’ve been warned.) on narrow mattresses that measure just over six inches deep. That translates to a rather “firm” sleeping arrangement.
While linens and blankets are adequate, it is obvious that they are quite worn and need to be replaced in the future. Linens are quite well maintained for their obvious age, and in most cases free of any stains. Blankets, however, look as though they just reared their ugly, shag-style heads out of 1975.
Storage in the small cabins is virtually nonexistent. No worries, you won’t need it. Passengers packing anything more than a swimsuit, shorts and a few t-shirts on this trip have simply brought along too much.
Surprisingly, cabins are equipped with modern electrical outlets that will work with any U.S. appliance.
Stateroom bathrooms are ample in size, yet quite simple and “functional” in appearance. Opening the door to the bathroom reveals that the toilet, vanity area and shower are all in the same, undivided space. Translated, this means that guests taking a shower will soak virtually everything in the bathroom, including the perhaps not so clean toilet.
Water pressure and hot water availability can also be a weak point of sailing aboard an older vessel such as Polynesia. While the captain clearly explains at the beginning of the cruise when and when not to take showers if you want ample hot water, passengers still express frustration at turning the hot water knob around 5:00PM and watching nothing more than a few drops seep from the showerhead.
Even when hot water is in decent supply, the overall water pressure in Polynesia’s showers can only be equated to someone pouring a cup of water slowly onto their own head. Washing of hair quickly becomes reliant on hard scrubbing rather than blasting away shampoo with jets of water, as guests may be used to from home.
Cabin turnover service is also somewhat inconsistent. Passenger staterooms are made up once, and only once, per day. Guests are instructed to place their towels on the floor if they wish to have them replaced with new ones. Unfortunately, the new towels do not always appear after the old ones have been removed. In one case, several complaints had to be made before the towels were replaced the following morning. Snafus in service such as this, especially when they occur multiple times, are simply not acceptable even at Windjammer’s level of cruising.
Most disturbing, the ship is in need of an insect extermination. Through her cabin corridors, dining room and other public spaces, roaches were spotted almost once per day. This may not be a “foo foo” ship, but passengers are certainly not looking to share their beds and meals with disease-carrying bugs.
Overall, Polynesia receives a score of BELOW AVERAGE for her stateroom condition and service.
OVERALL RATING
While she is in need of a refurbishment in her staterooms and other areas where age is beginning to show its face, Polynesia overall is in superb condition for a vessel out of 1938. The vessel is charming, rich in history and offers cruise passengers a true departure from the rest of the mass-market industry.
Quirky qualities such as a house cat, firing of a canon at large cruise ships and being able to take control of Polynesia’s classic, wooden wheel set the line apart from the pack and create a memorable experience for passengers.
Dining aboard is surprisingly good for a line that offers buffet-style cuisine, with meals cooked fresh with solid, quality ingredients. Gourmet presentation might be lacking, but the actual taste tests scored quite high in most cases.
Perhaps the only major disappointment is her cabin comfort. Stateroom service and condition is simply not on-par with expectations of guests who are frequently paying in excess of $150 per person, per day to sail onboard the schooner.
Overall, S/V Polynesia receives a rating of *** (THREE) or AVERAGE/MEETS EXPECTATIONS.
PREVIOUS RATINGS/REVIEWS:
Sun Princess ***
Norwegian Spirit ***
Oceania Regatta *****
Celebrity Millennium: ****
HAL Zuiderdam: ***
Celebrity Mercury: ****
Celebrity Galaxy: ***+
Norwegian Sea: **+
Norwegian Majesty: ***+
Carnival Holiday: **
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
garykool81
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
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