Author: U.S. Coast Guard

One of the most popular aspects of Windstar’s partnership with the James Beard Foundation is its chef-led culinary cruises.

Onboard, these chefs, all part of the James Beard Foundation, lead chef demonstrations, host a culinary evening in all the ships’ restaurants, and work with the ships’ culinary team to craft distinctive new recipes. And guest chef-led market visits in port are among the most popular off-the-ship activities. Later that day, the ingredients that guests and the chefs have chosen find their way into a festive galley buffet where all aboard can taste and sample.

Curious to hear what it’s like for the guest chefs who participate, we reached out to Jennifer Hill Booker, who traveled to Northern Europe on Star Legend. She shared some insights and experiences about what it’s like to host these voyages that go way beyond the actual activities’ menu.

The owner of Bauhaus Biergarten in Springdale, Arkansas, she headed to northern Europe’s Baltic. Her restaurant is a German- style biergarten that specializes in imported German and European beers and authentic German cuisine, so she was particularly excited about making new discoveries on the 11-day voyage from Stockholm to Copenhagen, with calls at Helsinki, Estonia’s Tallinn, Latvia’s Riga, Sweden’s Visby, Lithuania’s Klaipeda, Poland’s Gdansk and Germany’s Warnemunde.

The assignment:

I hosted two full-on cooking demonstrations, led guests on a tour of the local market in Tallinn and prepared a tasting menu from the food we bought there. I also created a chef’s dinner that we served in all three restaurants and loved meeting and greeting everyone throughout the night. Best dish? I absolutely loved the braised short ribs with pimento cheese grits and tobacco onion. Also on the menu was snapper papillote poofed up with the steam before presenting it. It was a dramatic reveal and fun to see how guests responded to the spectacle.

Favorite moments:

II really enjoyed simply meeting and chatting with our guests and the ship’s chefs. Windstar Cruises will spoil you for any other kind of cruise experience. The staff, always happy, was so engaging helpful and gracious, I felt like part of the crew and also part of the guests.

One of my favorite parts of each day was heading to the lounge every day at 5 p.m. for trivia. Then we’d change for dinner and have a pre-dinner cocktail, connecting with other guests along the way. That was really the best down time every evening.

Tell us about the market where you led your chef’s tour:

Tallinn’s Central Market really surprised me. From the outside, it looked rustic and outdoorsy and yet inside, it was gleaming and contemporary. We bought so much! Cheese, produce, seafood, chocolate, sausage, and patisserie. We also brought back pesto, pickled herring, and fresh cherries….

Was there a teachable moment in any of your cooking demos (either for you or for travelers?):

During my cooking demonstrations, my style is informal and interactive, and in both cases I asked for a volunteer to assist. For guests, one teachable moment was, when demonstrating a recipe for citrus brined shrimp with sun dried tomatoes, Rob, my helper-guest and I had an impromptu competition – on plating.  The visual appeal – after all you eat with your eyes first so plating, or arranging the presentation – is an important part of the meal. In the end, mine had height and color and garnish; his was just three pieces of food flat on the plate. We all had fun with it.

For me: Corporate Executive Chef Georg is an exacting German, especially when it comes to measuring ingredients for a dish. And all of Windstar’s recipes were in metric, not imperial measurement. “Freedom measurements,” as he called out the way many American chefs cook by eyeballing ingredients, “are not exact.”

Which ports did you like best?

My first favorite was Finland’s Helsinki, a cute city right at the wharf. A lot of locals were on vacation catching the ferry to the island where Korkeasaari Zoo is located. Bordering Helsinki’s South Harbour are two markets: The historic Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli), features locally prepared dishes and has cute little cafes inside. Just around the corner is the Hakaniemi Market Square, outdoors, and it also sells freshly prepared Finnish traditional dishes but as well has some really interesting souvenirs made of reindeer bones and wood, like handcrafted wooden buttons.

In Germany’s Warnemunde, an idyllic seaside town, we hit all the grocery stores. I love to look at butcher shops and bought a chunk of smoked bacon with a rind. It was very different from the bacon we buy in America; it was lean and the fat was creamy. The running joke was I was going to try to sneak it home, but we stayed in Copenhagen a few extra days after the cruise and I cooked it there.

We tasted beer in every port of call, sampled bratwurst, and checked out all the chocolate and coffee we could. The countries that make up both the Baltic region and Scandinavia have become very focused on farm to table ingredients and the produce was so fresh and vibrant it was even better than the best farmer’s market at home.

The trip has inspired me to import a couple of new beer discoveries, and I adored the Danish “Smørrebrød,” open-faced sandwiches on sturdy grain bread with a shrimp or fish topping. We may well introduce a pop-up at our biergarten in Arkansas and serve them there.

And if you visit Copenhagen, you’ve got to try the incredible Danish hotdogs. I also recommend a visit to Magasin, the city’s historic department store. For culinary enthusiasts, we loved Mad&Vin, its vibrant food market in the basement, and the Danish cafes on the top floor.

One last question: Any Windstar advice you want to share?

You’ve got to incorporate Windstar’s fabulous laundry service into your travel budget. I felt so pampered, and loved how it was delivered, neatly tucked into boxes and packages (or in hanging bags). It’s the ultimate luxury, a real game changer.

The post Where Fine Dining Meets the Open Sea: A James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise appeared first on Windstar Cruises Travel Blog.

I’m not very good at relaxing on vacation. Invariably, I bring a new book, determined to spend quiet time reading. I imagine myself sitting back, soaking up the sun, dozing off here and there to the lullaby of lapping waves. And the book comes back unopened. It never even leaves the bag. Instead, my camera roll is loaded with photos of activities and adventures, and I often need time to recover from my vacation.

So when we booked a cruise to Tahiti, I found myself asking … What are we going to do on the cruise?

What I didn’t know at the time, was that this was no ordinary cruise. We had booked Windstar’s Dreams of Tahiti, a seven-day sailing from Papeete on Star Breeze, a small ship hosting up to 312 people, and I was about to discover that a voyage around the islands definitely had an  adventurous side. (Editor’s Note: Wind Star, the line’s 142-passenger sail class ship, will also be sailing this itinerary from March 2027).

Our week aboard Star Breeze was by all means luxurious, indulgent, rejuvenating, and yes, relaxing. But it was also full of activity with countless opportunities to get off the ship, onto land and into the water, and to make the most of this magnificent spot in the South Pacific.

We took full advantage of the activities offered. Each one was perfectly planned, led by expert and local guides. With every detail set in place, we only had to show up, board the tender on time, and set out for a new adventure custom made for us. As this was a first-ever Polynesian cruise for my wife and me, we chose a perfect itinerary for neophytes to the region. Dreams of Tahiti’s weeklong length (we intend to make our next cruise there a longer one now that we’re hooked) involved calls at places like Moorea, Huahine and an overnight in Raiatea, where Windstar guests celebrate an evening at the private Motu Mahaea in nearby Tahaa. And there’s an overnight in Bora Bora.

There was never a dull moment.

In Bora Bora: one afternoon, a tranquil lagoon, and the ride I still think about

A towering figure in life and lore, Bora Bora is a stunning spire rising from the sea. An ancient volcano, the island is all that I had imagined: lush, rugged jungle lifted straight from a postcard. The best way to see the island of Bora Bora is from the lagoon, a glassy expanse of aquamarine water sheltered by a coral reef. And what better — and more fun — way to explore the lagoon than on a jet ski?

Why should you travel on Windstar’s Dreams of Tahiti?

• A small ship experience means Star Breeze and Wind Star (which begins sailing from Tahiti in March 2027)are the perfect size for exploring French Polynesia’s intimate Society Islands like Raiatea, Bora Bora and Moorea.
• On each 7- to 10-night voyage, a pair of Destination Discovery events offer culinary and cultural immersion. Held on private motus (islands) with gorgeous beaches and forests, these include a lunchtime barbecue and a Polynesian dinner and a high-speed, acrobatic fire-dance performance in local culture
• Want to stretch your visit? You can combine your cruise with overwater bungalow stays on Bora Bora.

We met our local guide Maui at the pier, and after a short lesson and game of keep up, we went full throttle and found ourselves somehow gliding across a kaleidoscopic sea. Colorful coral beds dotted the white sands underwater as we zipped around the lagoon. The views of this otherworldly island shifted as we went, seeing different angles and stopping at different spots. We took a break on a small motu across the water, where Maui cracked fresh coconuts, a gentle rain passed, and we awed at the surreal scenery.

Eventually, we would make a full circle of the island on this four-hour excursion. And we’d return to the ship having a hard time believing what we’d just experienced.

In Tahaa, we discover that its coral gardens will make you forget the surface exists

Often, the most colorful coral beds are found in shallow water, and the coral gardens at Tahaa, are no exception. After a short boat ride to the far side of this island, we walked across an uninhabited motu and masked up for a magical tour of this underwater wonderland.

Flowing with the current, we drifted through small canyons of coral reef, with an amazing array of bright and spirited fish peeking out from the folds and gliding around us. The reef’s shades of purple and red and green resembled a technicolor film. While we were carried on the current, we had to be careful not to touch the coral. And at the end of the canyon, we were able to walk back and do it again.

Snorkeling in this type of water is a special experience. And this particular spot is unique in all of Polynesia for its pristine reef and colorful variety of tropical fish.

How an e-bike unlocked Huahine, French Polynesia’s most underrated island

While it’s great to get into the water in French Polyne a, it’s also fun to explore the islands and experience a slice of local life on land. Not as steep and mountainous as the other islands, there is something very special about Huahine. It feels so real, so relaxed. From the friendly French woman who had left Paris to raise her family in this paradise, to the warm greetings we received from people tending their gardens, to the school boys jumping off the dock and playing in the sea together. We were treated to a slice of local life here.  It’s a peaceful place, lost in time, and unbothered by the mass tourism found in large ports in other parts of the world.

Here on Huahine we joined a small group tour with eight other passengers to ride e-bikes around the island. With just one road circumnavigating it, we glided along the coast under towering palms and past colorful homes, as residents tended to their gardens, fed their chickens and went about their daily lives.

The scenery changed from flat coast to rocky coves. We easily climbed hills to spectacular sea views. We stopped for a fresh fruit juice and chance to wade in the crystal clear shallows. And from the top of the island, the Windstar small-ship difference was clear, as  we were able to see our ship, anchored alone in a small cove.

With the motorized bikes, it was as easy as pushing a button and enjoying the ride. Whether you want a physically demanding outing or an easy island ride, just about anybody can enjoy the three-hour e-bike tour. It was an amazing way to see the island up close.

The underwater side of Bora Bora and Raiatea is where the real luxury hides

And then, of course, there was the scuba diving. With a number of outings available —  including beginner courses and shallow introductory dives for beginners — I chose two different two-tank dives, at Raiatea and at Bora Bora (where we had an overnight stay and so had a couple of days to play). With the dive guides and gear already set up, I simply had to show up and jump in.

After a stop at the small local dive shop, we motor to the outside of the reef for a 50-foot dive along the coral wall, surrounded by dozens of tropical fish of every shape, color and size. Parrotfish, pufferfish, wrasse, and more slowly swam by, as curious about us as we were about them. A half dozen black tip reef sharks circled, harmlessly approaching within arm’s reach to have a look. It was a great first dive and introduction to the area.

The dives at Bora Bora were even more wonderful. A shallow dive to the manta ray cleaning station found us admiring these giants up close as they slowly glided by, just five feet above. And the deeper dive took us into sea floor canyons where large schools of fish moved in perfect unison through streaking rays of sunlight. Moray eels, crabs, and bright red fish the size of my thumb played hide and seek in the coral.

Our fellow divers were all very experienced and had come on this trip specifically for the diving. It’s an experience I’ll always remember, as much for what we saw under the waves as for where we were when we came back up.

Absolutely in paradise.

If you go

In 2026, Star Breeze sails year-round in Tahiti, offering a blend of great-for-first-timers options, 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.

With two ships in French Polynesia in 2027 and 2028, Windstar can offer a wide variety of itineraries in the region. Among them?

• The seven night Dreams of Tahiti itinerary is, as author Brendan Harrington notes above, the perfect introduction to French Polynesia. There’s another great option for new-to-Tahiti travelers, too. The 10-night Māori Storytellers and French Polynesian Treasures offers insights into South Pacific cultures in the Cook and Society Islands.
• For a broader regional experience, consider the 13-night Flowers of the Pacific cruises between Fiji’s Lautoka and Tahiti, with stops along the way in the Cook Islands. Craving an even more in-depth experience? Windstar’s 20-night Star Collector Star Collector, Legends of the Pacific includes additional immersive experiences in Fiji’s lesser-visited ports such as Taveuni, Savusavu, and Dravuni, along with Tonga. You’ll also take in the Cook Islands and French Polynesia’s marquee destinations, like Raiatea, Bora Bora, Rarotonga and Moorea.
• One of our best ever experiences on Windstar in French Polynesia was a trip to the oh-so-remote Marquesas Islands. The two-week Star Collector: Extended Tahiti & Tuamotu Adventures voyage, roundtrip from Tahiti, includes visits to the Marquesas’ Hiva Oa and Fatu Hiva, as well as the Society Islands of Moorea, Fakarava, Raiatea, Huahine, and Bora Bora.

The post For Adventure Travelers in French Polynesia, Tahiti Is Just the Beginning appeared first on Windstar Cruises Travel Blog.