Dec 7, 2007
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises is communicating again -- and the news isn't good
Ever heard of the "Coconu Telegraph" (found at www.coconutelegraph.com)? It's a little-known Windjammer website that often carries items that don't appear on its main website (www.windjammer.com,). A current press release is awfully discouraging:
Dear Shipmates,Write and read comments about this post.
We are contacting you about an important change to your upcoming cruise. We regrettably must inform you that S/V Legacy will not sail the week of December 8th, 2007. Unfortunately we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to overcome the vast difficulties and roadblocks that have hampered our operation of late; with enough time for this cruises to sail. We are and will continue to endeavor to bring Windjammer back and offer the great vacation we all want and deserve. We truly apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
If you choose to reschedule, we will gladly re-accommodate you on a future sail date, past April 2008. If you are unable to re-schedule your cruise for a later date and decide to request a refund, please know, that in time, we will issue you a complete refund of your paid cruise fare.
Regrettably, Windjammer Barefoot Cruises will not be able to cover any air or hotel costs incurred and associated with this or another sail date or ship. We are also unable to cover any air costs if you request a cruise refund, unless air was booked with Windjammer directly.
Please contact our Customer Service line at 1 (800) 327-2600, if you chose to reschedule your cruise. Otherwise, we will process your refund in full.
Once again we are truly sorry for any inconvenience this matter has caused you. We hope you will be able to re-schedule your cruise.
Labels: windjammer
Nov 2, 2007
Oops! They're off again. Windjammer Barefoot Cruises cancels its "restart" sailing of November 3
What was once simply a tragedy is fast becoming a farce. After announcing a November 3 sailing of their ship, the Legacy, the son and grandson of Windjammer's founder, the legendary Captain Burke, have cancelled the November 3 departure and announced that they really will be re-starting the line during the week of November 17. The plan to use Pay Pal to collect $399 payments for the November 3 cruise is apparently no longer being mentioned, according to www.modernagent.com, source of the original news about the November 3 "restart".
Need we add that you would be well advised to await a more formal announcement, buttressed by many details and assurances, about Windjammer's future? There are apparently investors willing to take on Windjammer, but they are also apparently having problems reaching agreement with the Burke family (which obviously wants to retain control). It's a sad, sad situation, and we've tried to keep you up-to-date.
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Need we add that you would be well advised to await a more formal announcement, buttressed by many details and assurances, about Windjammer's future? There are apparently investors willing to take on Windjammer, but they are also apparently having problems reaching agreement with the Burke family (which obviously wants to retain control). It's a sad, sad situation, and we've tried to keep you up-to-date.
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Labels: cruise, windjammer
Oct 31, 2007
Stop the presses! A Windjammer website is reporting that one ship will sail on November 3, at a price of only $399 per person (if you book today)
I'm holding my breath, and am cautiously skeptical, but the reputable Travel Pulse Daily, reporting on news announced in a Windjammer-associated website, is claiming that the son and grandson of Captain Mike Burke (founder of Windjammer) have arranged a November 3 sailing from Costa Rica of the line's Legacy flagship. And to fill that ship, they are announcing a one-day sale today of $399 per person for any one-week sailing in the coming months. You pay via Pay Pal.
You can access this news directly at modernagent.com. I'm carefully expressing a cautious hope that the efforts of these two young heirs will succeed. But: Caveat Emptor.
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You can access this news directly at modernagent.com. I'm carefully expressing a cautious hope that the efforts of these two young heirs will succeed. But: Caveat Emptor.
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Labels: cruise, windjammer
Oct 26, 2007
The staff of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises are currently advising passengers that they can't comment on any aspect of Windjammer's difficulties
Here, as reported in Cruise Critic News, is the text of responses made in October by staff of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises to requests for refunds by passengers on cancelled sailings:
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I am sorry that Windjammer has not processed your refund yet. I have been advised that accounting has hundreds and hundreds of refunds that they haven't been able to process in the past months due to operational issues.It doesn't look good.
Please know the company is in the process of being sold and until that process is completed, the employees of Windjammer are not able to take reservations. We are not able to answer any questions regarding refunds or reimbursements. Also, we are uncertain of any future cruises.
We have no answers for you at this time and until we are given further direction from the Operational Manager and are certain that the company will regain full operational capabilities under new ownership, we have no news.
Windjammer's situation is certainly at a critical stage. The employees (myself included) are truly at a standstill with regards to information and our hands are tied. I am truly and absolutely sorry for this inconvenience. I feel terrible about having to respond to passengers with such uncertainty but I don't have any other information.
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Labels: cruise, windjammer
Oct 11, 2007
Ever heard of Canadian Sailing Expeditions? It's apparently a viable alternative to Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
With Windjammer Barefoot Cruises in such difficulty (it has now definitively cancelled its sailings of October 14 and 21), a great many fans of these devil-may-care, passenger-carrying, large sailing ships will now be looking for tropical substitutes this winter. The single alternative I've found is a thriving firm called Canadian Sailing Expeditions, whose fleet of eight sailing ships is mainly maintained in the Canadian Atlantic or Europe, but which has assigned one of its ships -- the 245-foot, 77-passenger Caledonia -- to weekly, seven-day cruises of the French Caribbean and Dominica (Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Marie-Galante, Dominica) starting December 22 and continuing through May 3. Rates are $300 a day per person for most cabins (they have upper and lower bunks at the $300 rate), and though the clientele seems a tiny bit older and more sedate (but how serious can a sailing passenger be?) than the insouciant crowd which used to book Windjammer, its sailings seem otherwise similar to those of the troubled American line. Take a look at www.canadiansailingexpeditions.com, or phone tel. 877/429-9463 or 902/429-1474 for more information. Incidentally, in a press release just issued, the grandson of Windjammer founder captain Mike Burke, who is Danny Walsh, writes that "We are actively working with several investor groups on a viable plan to continue the Windjammer tradition." Keep watching for the (possible) reinstatement of the full-scale Windjammer website.
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Labels: cruise, windjammer
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
