Tradewinds Catamarans

[MarcyL]

Not sure I am putting this in the correct category. I own a week in Maui Hawaii that trades through II. I thought I saw SOMEWHERE that I could request a trade for a Tradewinds Cruise with II? I thought it only traded through RCI? I did investigate this once before and someone sent me an introductory referral but I did not follow up as I did not have enough vacation time. That might be what I want to do instead anyway, as I really want air conditioning and my impression is trading in gets the lowest level catamaran where it is the Captain's prerogative whether to use the air. Now I am retired (YAY!!) and interested in this again. Can someone direct me? Thank you in advance for any help and information. Marcy

 

[CPNY]

Not sure I am putting this in the correct category. I own a week in Maui Hawaii that trades through II. I thought I saw SOMEWHERE that I could request a trade for a Tradewinds Cruise with II? I thought it only traded through RCI? I did investigate this once before and someone sent me an introductory referral but I did not follow up as I did not have enough vacation time. That might be what I want to do instead anyway, as I really want air conditioning and my impression is trading in gets the lowest level catamaran where it is the Captain's prerogative whether to use the air. Now I am retired (YAY!!) and interested in this again. Can someone direct me? Thank you in advance for any help and information. Marcy

I believe it’s RCI only

 

[Eric B]

SFX has some arrangements with Tradewinds, too. I haven't explored that myself, though, so I'm not sure how it works.

Tradewinds | SFX Preferred Resorts

www.sfxresorts.com

 

[MarcyL]

So I have done a little investigation and it does seem "possible" to trade my Maui Schooner with SFX for a TradeWinds cruise, but not sure if that is the smartest thing to do, or whether to get a referral from someone here to do a discounted cruise directly with TradeWinds. I also think if someone refers me they get referral points, but possibly only if I buy in to the club? Is there a way to investigate this further? Help please from the TradeWinds experts! Thanks!

 

[SciTchr]

Hi Marcy,
We are Tradewinds owners. It is a unique and addicting vacation! We went on an RCI trade and bought in. To do a referral, a member would reserve a cabin for you from what is available. Tradewinds would then contact you to have you pay for the All Inclusive fee for your people. The member would receive 50K Plus Points if the referral buys into Tradewinds., which is not much, but I suppose it is somewhat of an incentive. In addition to the AI fee, you will also need to tip the crew. There are two dinners that are not provided and are taken onshore on your dime. They pick fun places for these while they clean and reprovision. On the second dinner ashore, Friday night, the guests usually chip in and pay for the crews' meals. You are correct about the classes and the AC. Cruise Class is the lowest and you may or may not have AC. We prefer Luxury Class. The next step up, with a higher AI, is Flagship Class. We have taken these a couple of times, but you get more bang for your buck on Luxury. These boats are very nice. If you have any other questions or if you want me to look for a cruise for you, just let me know. Oh, if you trade in with RCI or SFX you should count on receiving a Cruise Class boat and then be happy if they put you on a higher class. We got Cruise Class with our RCI trade.

 

[Limace]

What are the AI fees? My husband and I are very tempted by this.


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[SciTchr]

I should have said you have to pay the referral fee, which includes the AI fee.
High Season/Standard cabin:
Cruise Class: $3750 per cabin (2 guests)
Luxury Class: $4625
Flagship: $5450

Mid Season/Standard cabin:
Cruise: $3125
Luxury: $3950
Flagship: $4875

These trips are amazing.

 

[SciTchr]

Know that owners are paying more than the referral rate. I figured our cost with the AI, ”unlocking” points and the purchase cost of the points. Total is $5517 for a luxury high season cruise. The referral rate is a very good deal. Here is a comparison.

High Season Luxury
Owner Referral: $4625
Owners Cost Appx: $5517 (this depends on the cost of the owner‘s purchase points)
RCI: $3192 plus the cost of your timeshare maintenance fee + RCI membership fee (no guarantee of a Luxury boat.)

Plus we all pay for 2 dinners ashore two nights and a tip.

 

[RNCollins]

Hi @Limace & @MarcyL,
I am also a Tradewinds member. I met @SciTchr / Ruth here on TUG and I did a referral with her. I did the referral versus trading through RCI primarily because I wanted the option of having AC at night.

I pretty much knew that I would become a Tradewinds member before I even set foot on the boat. I love snorkeling, sailing and being out on the ocean so Tradewinds was the perfect fit for me. This May I had planned to go to Belize, but 6 days prior to embarkation I got COVID. That was a real bummer, but I will try again in the fall with a trip to the Exumas, Bahamas. Next May I have Croatia booked.

I usually travel in mid-season, which I usually book in May in the Caribbean. It’s not too hot yet at that time of year, the risk of a hurricane is very low, and I save points for a spurge for a special treat.

If you are planning to trade into Tradewinds via RCI, check RCI frequently because hard-to-get sailings do pop up infrequently.

 

[tschwa2]

I don't do well with heat. Are there any cruise locations that would be on the cooler side anytime of the year, like in the lower 70's or even a little cooler at night?

 

[RNCollins]

I don't do well with heat. Are there any cruise locations that would be on the cooler side anytime of the year, like in the lower 70's or even a little cooler at night?

I think the Croatia season opens in May. I understand if you go before summer it is cool in the evenings and night and comfortable during the day.

 

[tschwa2]

I think the Croatia season opens in May. I understand if you go before summer it is cool in the evenings and night and comfortable during the day.

That sounds nice.

 

[SciTchr]

We typically travel to the Caribbean in February. It has never been real hot, but as I am looking online the average high temp is 83°.

 

[MarcyL]

Thanks so much SciTchr, that break down is really helpful. Thanks so much everyone! I am very interested. If I go to the Caribbean should I avoid the fall time because of hurricanes? My II trade just came through for Curacao (hurray!) so we will be there in January. Curacao had the most amazing snorkeling I have ever done, plus I think I just loved everything because we were at the Royal Sea Aquarium with the dolphins, and that is where we are going again. We live at 7000 feet in Colorado, and we both HATE to be hot, so air conditioning is a MUST for sleeping. I realize it is a contradiction as I also love the tropics for sailing and snorkeling, but those activities give you the wind and ocean to cool off. We have never even considered a timeshare without AC. So here's another question about the boats. Neither of us smoke and we don't like the smell of it. We were shocked in St. Martin and Grand Cayman that smokers would be sitting at an adjacent table in a restaurant and blowing smoke right at you. I am guessing we are spoiled as smokers are pretty well confined to designated spaces in Hawaii. I didn't notice much smoking in Curacao (it was 2011) when I was there. Anyone know the rules for TradeWinds and smokers? Thanks again, gotta love TUG! Marcy

 

[SciTchr]

Hi Marcy, I live in Denver! We have been camping up in La Plata Canyon before. Love your area. Smoking is allowed on Tradewinds boats. Smokers are designated to smoke on the small rear platform with a ladder to get into water/dingy. I don’t care for smoke either, but it has not been an issue for us. No smoking in any other area of the boat when I have been aboard. We try to avoid hurricane season which is officially June 1-November 30. We aim for February.

 

[MarcyL]

Thanks again, SciTchr you have been extremely helpful. I noticed you were from Denver. I lived there in the early 80’s while attending med school. Yes I am old. But RETIRED and loving it. If you are ever in SW Colorado I would love to meet! Anyway, this smoking thing might be a deal breaker for my husband, and me too, although he is adamant and I love sailing much more than he does so I am willing to compromise more to get to sail every day. We were both really annoyed in St. Martin as we could not even sit on our balcony because there was so much smoke on every balcony around us. I wish I had a picture of us sitting on the balcony furniture inside the condo with the sliding doors closed so we could enjoy watching the ocean and the sailboats. Kind of cuts down on the “sea breeze” with the door closed however. Husband is also a big guy and he was resisting a little already because of the bed size. If anyone reserves a whole ”non-smoking” boat in the luxury or flagship class please consider inviting us! We never discuss religion or politics, and both have a wry sense of humor. Although I love the whole idea of being “waited on,” I am also interested in a bareboat charter. I will be in Hawaii in a few months and maybe I should take some more sailing lessons—it has been awhile. I really do need to get my captain’s license. OR maybe consider going solo on Tradewinds, I see several posters here have done that and enjoyed it. Thanks again everyone for all your helpful information. And I appreciate any more insight you are willing to share. Marcy

 

[ocdb8r]

Has TradeWinds stopped doing the Seychelles? I don't see it listed on their website. If not, anyone interested in doing a referral for me for Sept/Oct 2023?