ACCESSIBLE SAILING

At Windstar, we endeavor to provide the most extraordinary and pleasurable sailing experience for everyone. You can help us by working with us in advance. Our team will discuss your needs and expectations so that they can arrange a sailing experience tailored to your specific needs and will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your requests. If we are notified in advance, Windstar’s crew will have notice of your requests and will also be able to assist you with your needs on the vessel.

We are happy to have our dedicated and specially trained team of professionals assist you with your request for accommodations to meet your specific needs. You can reach us at (206) 733-2789 or via email at wsresoperations@windstarcruises.com.

We ask that you complete a Guest Accommodation Request Form online so that we can arrange appropriate accommodations for any special needs in advance of your cruise because some requests may not be able to be fulfilled if we receive notice closer to your cruise. Accordingly, Windstar recommends that the Guest Accommodation Request Form be filled out online or we can email it to you upon request. The form may also be faxed or mailed to you upon request by calling us at (206) 733-2789 or emailing us at wsresoperations@windstarcruises.com.. You can also request these forms by filling out the below request(s).

Click here to access and fill in the online Guest Accommodation Request Form

Click here to download the online Guest Accommodation Request Form in pdf format

Planning Ahead

While we don’t require information about the type or extent of your disability, the more information you share with us about your specific needs, the better we are able to assist you. We encourage you to notify us of your needs at the time of booking. Please provide at least:

• 30 days’ notice if you need sign language interpreting services;
• 14 days’ notice if you need special equipment or services (see list below) to accommodate your disability;
• If we do not receive sufficient advance notice, we will make every reasonable effort to provide the requested equipment or services, but we cannot guarantee they will be provided.

Equipment and Services Requiring Advance Notice

In order to be able to best accommodate your specific needs, below is a list of equipment and services that require advance notice:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at (206) 733-2789 or email us at wsresoperations@windstarcruises.com.

MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS

Accessible Cabins Our Star Plus Class ships (Star Breeze, Star Pride and Star Legend) have accessible suites (4 each) equipped for guests with mobility disabilities or other disabilities who could benefit from the features of an accessible cabin. These accessible staterooms are 277 square feet, offer an accessible bathroom with shower only (with small lip into shower), one (1) sink, a step into the bathroom with portable ramp, widened interior (30”) and exterior (34”) doorways. Wheelchairs Wheelchairs are provided for emergency use only. If you would like to use a wheelchair or scooter during the cruise, you are welcome to bring your own or rent one from one of the companies below which will deliver it to the initial embarkation port.

Scootaround Phone: 888-441-7575
Local: 204-982-0657
Fax: 204-478-1172
E-mail: info@scootaround.comSpecial Needs at SeaPhone: 800-513-4515
Local: 954-585-0575
Fax: 800-513-4516
E-mail: info@specialneedsgroup.com

Mobility Assistive Devices You may bring and use wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other mobility assistive devices onboard our yachts that are less than 26 inches wide. Mobility assistive devices must be stored and recharged in your room so that fire doors and corridors are kept clear for emergency evacuation. When not in use in the public spaces throughout the yacht, they must be left out of the way to allow safe and easy access by other guests and crewmembers, including other guests with mobility assistive devices.
Wheelchairs may be difficult to accommodate in embarkation and disembarkation in certain ports and in tenders or rubber inflatable rafts (“RIBs”).

Note: Crewmembers are not permitted to lift mobility assistive devices weighing over 50 pounds. Services Provided

• Early embarkation and disembarkation
• Boarding and departure assistance

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form. We encourage you notify us of your needs at the time of booking to guarantee availability of specific equipment or services. Segway and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices No devices powered by fuel or combustion engines are allowed on the yachts and depending on the type, size and weight of the device, it may not be accommodated on the yachts. Two wheeled mobility devices such as Segways® are generally not capable of being accommodated on all of Windstar’s yachts due to limited storage capabilities, but we may be able to arrange the use of Segways with our shoreside partners for use onshore.

BLIND OR LOW VISION

We're determined to make your sailing experience as convenient and enjoyable as possible for guests who are blind or have low vision. VISUAL FEATURES/ACCOMODATIONS

• Large-print menus
• Service animals are welcome onboard: a relief area can be provided upon reasonable notice
• Qualified Readers
• Upon request, a yacht orientation and cabin tour
• Upon request, a private muster drill

To tailor your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form. We encourage you notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability of specific equipment or services. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested equipment and/or services.

DEAF OR LOW HEARING

We strongly encourage Deaf or Low Hearing guests to contact us prior to your cruise so that your specific needs can be discussed prior to your cruise. Many different options are available prior to your cruise and needs vary from guest to guest. We'll make every attempt to make sure all guests enjoy their yacht experience to the fullest.
HEARING FEATURES/ACCOMMODATIONS

• Upon request, on embarkation day you can meet with a staff member who will see to your accessibility needs while on the yacht.
• A portable room kit in your cabin is available, which includes a visual-tactile alert system that provides alerts for door knocking, telephone ringing, alarm clock and smoke detector.
• Amplified telephones can be made available in the cabins and public areas.
• Closed-captioned televisions are available in all cabins. Please note that only select programs are captioned.
• Sign language interpreting services will be provided upon request for deaf guests who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary means of communication. A request for sign language interpreting services should be made at the time of booking but no later than 30 days prior to sailing. Requests are subject to availability of interpreters and cabin space.

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form. We encourage you to notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability of specific equipment or services. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested equipment and/or services.

FOOD ALLERGIES AND OTHER DIETARY REQUIREMENTS

Windstar can provide guests with meals suited to the following special dietary needs:

• Alcohol Free
• Celiac
• Dairy Free
• Diabetic – Diet Controlled
• Diabetic – Insulin Controlled
• Food Allergy
• Gluten Free
• Lactose Intolerant
• Low Carbohydrate
• Low Cholesterol
• Low Protein
• Low Sodium
• Other Dietary
• Sugar Free
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Wheat Free Diet

Our chefs will make every effort to fulfill your requests and will gladly prepare options that meet your dietary needs.

We encourage you to notify us of your needs and to discuss your food allergies or medical dietary needs at the time of booking to guarantee availability of your dietary requirements prior to your cruise. Special dietary requests should be submitted at least 7 days prior to sailing. Any requests made less than 7 days before sailing cannot be guaranteed. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to meet them, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so as it gets closer to sailing.

If provided advance notice, we will arrange for our crewmembers to set up a meeting on the ship with the chef to go over your food allergies and/or dietary requirements for your meals.

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form. We encourage you to notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability services. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested services.

COGNITIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL IMPAIRMENTS

Upon request, every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations that will meet the needs of guests with cognitive, intellectual and development disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. Some of these accommodations can include: early embarkation and disembarkation, boarding & departure assistance and special dietary needs. Please contact us for any needs you may have.

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form. We encourage you to notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability services. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested services.

SERVICE DOGS

Windstar welcomes service dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability on its yachts, but we do not accept pets. Pets, or service dogs in training, are not allowed aboard. Service dogs are not considered pets. Emotional support dogs, which are not recognized by the Department of Justice, are not permitted on our yachts.

Rules for Service Dogs Onboard

• Service dogs are permitted to accompany a guest with a disability in all public areas. While in public areas, service dogs must be on a leash, harness or other restraining device unless being tethered would interfere with the service dog’s work or your disability. In that case, you must maintain control of the dog through voice, signal or other effective controls. Due to health regulations, service dogs are not permitted in pools, whirlpools or spas.
• Care and supervision of the service dog is the sole responsibility of the owner. The yachts and crewmembers are not required to provide food or care for the dog.
• If the guest chooses to disembark the yacht at a port at which the service dog must remain onboard, the guest must ensure that the dog is cared for. Note that the yacht’s crewmembers are not required to care for the dog, nor can the dog be left in your cabin unattended.
• Guests are responsible for the behavior or damage caused by their service dog. A cleaning fee may be charged to the guest's account.
• If the service dog's behavior creates a fundamental alteration or a direct threat to the safety of others, the dog may be denied boarding or removed from the ship along with the owner at the guest's expense. Examples include, growling, barking excessively, initiating unsolicited contact, biting other guests and/or crewmembers, failure to use designated relief areas, sitting on furniture, eating from the table, etc.

You are responsible for ensuring compliance with these rules. Please make sure you have reviewed the procedures for disembarking your service dog in the applicable tendering port and your dog's documentation is correctly completed.

Please notify us at the time of booking but no later than 14 days prior to sailing if a service dog relief area is needed. Upon notification, we will provide a box with cypress mulch or turf to accommodate your service dog in a public space on the vessel.

Guests may bring a reasonable quantity of food and bowls for the dog onboard the ship. If refrigerated space is needed, notify us at the time of booking but no later than 14 days prior to sailing.

Guests are responsible for obtaining all required documents for your service dog to depart the yacht in all ports of call. A copy of these permits must be carried on the yacht, and a copy left with the Access Officer upon boarding the yacht. The documentation and immunization requirements are established by government authorities and not Windstar. Please note requirements are subject to change without notice.

So that we may provide you with any additional information you may need in order to sail with your working service dog and make arrangements in advance of your cruise, please contact us directly or have your travel agent contact us. We also ask you to complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form.

PEOPLE OF SHORT STATURE/PERSONS OF SIZE

We want to make sure height doesn’t get in the way of an extraordinary sailing experience. To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form online, contact us directly or have your travel agent contact us.

PERSONS OF SIZE

Larger guests are always welcome onboard. Armless chairs and special seating are provided throughout the yacht and in various venues for your comfort and convenience. Larger guests may find our accessible cabins with wider doors, roll-in showers and grab bars more accommodating.

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please contact us directly or have your travel agent contact us. We also ask you to complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form.

MEDICAL CARE, DIABETES, DIALYSIS & OXYGEN

Medical Care Please be aware that our yachts do not have full medical services. In case of a serious medical emergency, guests are referred to shoreside medical facilities. Medical evacuation during the cruise, whether at sea, by tender, or by deviating from the scheduled itinerary, may create an increased risk of harm and may not be feasible for a variety of reasons.

We strongly encourage guests to carry a copy of their medical records (e.g., a list of medical conditions, allergies, names, and medication dosages as well as the name and contact information of their primary care and other physicians). Diabetes For guests who are traveling with injectable medication and need a Sharps disposal container, please alert us prior to your cruise so that we can arrange to have a mini refrigerator placed in your cabin for your medication. If you need a low sugar diet or have any other dietary needs, please notify us of this and all of your other needs by filling out our Guest Accommodation Request Form online, contact us directly or have your travel agent contact us. Dialysis Guests with medical conditions that require the use of dialysis should contact us at the time of booking to discuss bringing the appropriate equipment onboard. Please notify us of this need by filling out our Guest Accommodation Request Form online or by contacting us directly. Guests requiring continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis are welcome onboard. Guests should bring onboard, or arrange to have delivered, all necessary supplies and equipment needed to perform the dialysis. Please have your supplier contact us to request clearance for port delivery.

We are unable to assist or administer hemo-dialysis treatments. However, guests using self-administered hemo-dialysis equipment are welcome to sail under certain requirements; contact us for details. Otherwise, guests requiring physician assisted dialysis may make arrangements by contacting Dialysis at Sea at 1-800-544-7604. Dialysis at Sea specializes in the treatment of hemo-dialysis care while onboard along with trained doctors and nurses and provides dialysis equipment and supplies. Oxygen Guests with medical conditions that require the use of oxygen should contact us at the time of booking to discuss bringing the appropriate equipment onboard. All types of oxygen are permitted onboard. Please notify us as to quantity, type, and delivery schedule.

ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

ASSISTANCE AT THE PIER We offer boarding and departure assistance to guests in wheelchairs or with mobility disabilities. To request assistance at the pier, contact us 30 days prior to your cruise so that we may prioritize your assistance to go onboard.

We will make reasonable efforts to assist our guests, but for safety reasons, our staff is not permitted to lift guests or equipment. Assistance with manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc. will be provided. SHIPBOARD ASSISTANCE We will provide reasonable mobility assistance to guests in accessing areas of the ship that are not accessible.

ANY OTHER SPECIAL NEED

If you have another type of medical condition that has not been mentioned, please inquire how we might make reasonable accommodations to meet your specific needs. Please note that not all accommodations may be able to be provided. Please also note that guests should be fit for travel. We do not require guests to travel with a companion; however, our personnel are not required to perform personal tasks.

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Accommodation Request Form, contact us directly or have your travel agent contact us.
 

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We encourage you notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability of specific equipment, services foods or any other request that we can reasonably accommodate. Please provide 30 days advance notice if you need sign language interpreting services during your cruise, 14 days advance notice if you need special equipment or services to accommodate your disability during the cruise. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested equipment and/or services. NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ACCESSIBLE SAILING? Contact us at (206) 733-2789 or via email at wsresoperations@windstarcruises.com, or have your travel agent contact us.

Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific Time).