Tradewinds

[Dancingfish]

Has anyone ever done one of the Tradewinds Catamaran vacations?

I'm curious!

 

[jlp879]

Old thread https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/tradewinds-bvi-2017.278380/#post-2253680

 

[RNCollins]

Has anyone ever done one of the Tradewinds Catamaran vacations?

I'm curious!

Hi Dancingfish, Welcome to TUG!
I am the writer of the review of the other post. I’m a member of Tradewinds. What can I help you with?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I have done 27, soon to be 28.

What do you want to know?

 

[TravelTime]

I did one to the Grenadines last May. We are doing a similar sailing catamaran trip this week in the BVIs with Dream Yacht Charter. The issues I had with Tradewinds are 1) they are a sailing timeshare and make a hard sell when you are on the boat and you can’t escape and 2) their member pricing is really high. We are paying $2700 for two people on DYC. The quality of the sailboats look a little better than TW but we will see this week. Does anyone else know the difference between TW, DYC and other sailing trip that you can purchase by the cabin?

 

[Sandy VDH]

now that TW has eliminated all of their older boats, (or at least nearly all) getting a nice boat is pretty much near a guarantee, I still do not like the 2 50' Cruising class we have at all. I do like the 52' which have a lot of. Only bad thing is the mid port cabin. No floor space at all. 2 standing in the cabin at the same time might be difficult.

I enjoy TW for the variety of locations. NO experience with DYC but I do see them from time to time.

 

[RNCollins]

I’ve only been on the ‘59 foot Luxury Class Boats. Since I travel single they give me the smallest room. I usually go to the Caribbean in May before the storm season starts.

 

[TravelTime]

I was on a cruising class last year in the Grenadines with Tradewinds. I loved it. I did it as an RCI getaway and that is only allowed 1:4 years. So this year, I was looking at sailing companies that rent by the cabin. TYC was very affordable for what looks like the equivalent of TW’s luxury class. The sailboat is 60’ with 6 guest cabins and 2 crew members. Trying out the BVI itinerary this time. This is only my second sailboat cruise. Hoping I love it as much as last year.

To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.

 

[RNCollins]

To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.

Hi TravelTime,
I have only been on two sailings so far with Tradewinds: BVI and Antigua. I enjoyed the snorkeling more in the BVI but that was right before the hurricane, so I don’t know how the reefs are now. We saw quite a few turtles in Antigua, and I enjoyed the excursions for both trips.
I’m going to St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, and Belize and Abaco, Bahamas in 2020. I think my favorite sailing from all the feedback I’ve heard will be SVG.

 

[Sandy VDH]

To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.

I have a Fiji trip booked in 2 months time. I have it booked again for next year if I like it. Still want to redo French Poly again, that trip was fantastic. I am booked to return to Bocos del toro on Flagship. I was there with an old boat, got on the boat the same morning my Dad died. It was a bit of a surreal week for me. I figure I needed to go back, with AC this time, and get a chance to revisit it.

I am also planning on trying to get in most of the full time bases I have yet to, Abacos is really the only outstanding one. I want to try to time it with an Exumas as a back to back.

I did Exumas and Thailand last year. Thailand was on the circumnavigation. I would have loved to do Maldives again. on TW this time, but no cabin every opened up that I discovered and I did not get one at all when they came available.

I have done BVI about 10 times, and I still love St Vincent and the Grenadine but getting there is a pain.

Any location sailing is generally a good week LOL.

 

[TravelTime]

I have a Fiji trip booked in 2 months time. I have it booked again for next year if I like it. Still want to redo French Poly again, that trip was fantastic. I am booked to return to Bocos del toro on Flagship. I was there with an old boat, got on the boat the same morning my Dad died. It was a bit of a surreal week for me. I figure I needed to go back, with AC this time, and get a chance to revisit it.

I am also planning on trying to get in most of the full time bases I have yet to, Abacos is really the only outstanding one. I want to try to time it with an Exumas as a back to back.

I did Exumas and Thailand last year. Thailand was on the circumnavigation. I would have loved to do Maldives again. on TW this time, but no cabin every opened up that I discovered and I did not get one at all when they came available.

I have done BVI about 10 times, and I still love St Vincent and the Grenadine but getting there is a pain.

Any location sailing is generally a good week LOL.

I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?

Members who have points they can not use will rent them out. Owners weeks that you rent have no restrictions.
You can do a referral once, but not if you have already sailed, those are a good deal. A member can arrange those for anyone interested.

But RCI exchanges are cheaper, followed by referrals, then owner rentals, and then direct from TW customer facing (Non-member) website. With RCI you are restricted to 1 in 4 years, and its for ALL of Tradewinds. Use anothers membership who is not going then.

 

[TravelTime]

Members who have points they can not use will rent them out. Owners weeks that you rent have no restrictions.
You can do a referral once, but not if you have already sailed, those are a good deal. A member can arrange those for anyone interested.

But RCI exchanges are cheaper, followed by referrals, then owner rentals, and then direct from TW customer facing (Non-member) website. With RCI you are restricted to 1 in 4 years, and its for ALL of Tradewinds. Use anothers membership who is not going then.

Thanks Sandy. Are you able to do owner referrals?

 

[Sandy VDH]

Thanks Sandy. Are you able to do owner referrals?

yes

 

[TravelTime]

yes

I will PM you

 

[LisaH]

I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?

Could you tell us why you prefer TW over DYC?

 

[TravelTime]

I preferred TW because customer service and welcome was better. More attention thoughout the sailing. Seemed more personalized. The big advantage with DYC is their boats are 62’ and perfect. Also they are much more affordable that TW. We paid about a little over $3000 for a week in the BVIs including cash box. TW has more intineraries for by the cabin charters. For example, TW has Fiji but DYC does not have it by the cabin. We are only 2 people so we can’t charter a boat ourselves. The chef and captain were better on TW. The camaraderie is better on TW. DYC fills every cabin so we has 12 people and 2 crew on the boat. It felt crowded and it was very noisy. This could just be comparing our specific cruises since we have only been once each on TW and DYC. Our Grenadines itinerary was much better than BVIs. Also TW only had 5 guests and 2 crew including us. Smaller boat but more space per guest, it seemed. It felt like a private sailing. Now I am less concerned about price and more interested in the quality and service.

 

[SciTchr]

We are Tradewinds owners also and have sailed from many bases. We just returned from St Vincent & Grenadines and really loved the sweet island of Bequia for time after our Tradewinds cruise. We love exploring the islands before or after our TW cruises. We have done referrals for TUG people and others before and are happy to help. Just PM me.

 

[turkel]

How do you get to SVG?

If you were choosing a Caribbean location on Tradewinds which would you choose?

What would you consider a fair price to rent from an owner with extra points?

 

[SciTchr]

We flew into Barbados on American Airlines, spent one night at a great and cheap VRBO apt. for six of us and went to Bequia the next morning on SVG Air. It is pricey but has a reputation for being on time. You also can fly into St. Vincent and take the ferry over to Bequia. You might need to spend one night on St Vincent. Bequia is a really sweet island and I would recommend some time there afterwards. We stayed at the Bequia Plantation Hotel that is in walking distance to the Tradewinds base and lots of neat restaurants, plus Princess Margaret Beach. We went back to Barbados after that and stayed 5 days on Barbados. Flew home American Airlines. It is not easy to get to, but so far SVG is my favorite Tradewinds cruise. We also enjoyed the BVI's (especially if you have never been there before. Lots going on. And Antigua was really nice, too. If you dive, SVG is wonderful. We have not been to Guadeloupe yet, That is our next trip.

You would be better off taking a Member Referral than renting from a member. An RCI Exchange is the cheapest, but you can't control the class of boat you would get. The Referral price includes the All Inclusive Fee for two people, which is what drives up the cost for buying points. PM me if you want me to look into the cost for the member referral for you. I have done a referral before and it is easy.

 

[turkel]

Can you do a member referral if you have already traded in thru RCI? We have a Tradewinds cruise in French Polynesia booked in August 2019.

 

[RNCollins]

If you have sailed with Tradewinds through RCI you are not eligible to sail again for the referral rate.
An option would be to sail as a guest of a member.

 

[RNCollins]

If you were choosing a Caribbean location on Tradewinds which would you choose?

I met Ruth / SciTchr here on TUG and I got a referral from her to sail on a Luxury Catamaran to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). I think my mind was already set on joining Tradewinds before stepping onto the boat. I have only done 2 trips so far: BVI and Antigua. Both bases are easy to get to from the US. I feel BVI offered a good introduction to Tradewinds: relaxing, swimming, snorkeling and diving, shopping, short hikes, excursions to the Soggy Dollar or Willy T’s Bar, and the dinners offshore.
Next year I’ll be in Abaco, Bahamas, and Belize, then in 2021 it’s St Vincent’s and the Grenadines (SVG).

The best thing about going as a referral is you can pick your class of boat (to increase your chances of having AC at bedtime and during the night), and you can choose the time/season of year.

 

[melissy123]

Has anyone sailed to BVI after the hurricane in 2017? We were in St. John just recently and almost cried when we saw that pretty much all the coral in our favorite places had been wiped out. Saw a few turtles, and a little bit of fish, but it will take years for that coral to recover. I would think the coral around the BVI fared the same or worse, since I believe the hurricane hit BVI first.

 

[SciTchr]

Carol,
I am so glad you bought into Tradewinds. Isn't it addicting? We are going to Guadeloupe in 2020 and back to the BVI's in 2021. My sister in law and TWE partner has not been there, so we will go again with them. I agree with you that the BVI's are the perfect first trip. Soggy Dollar is a favorite. We wear our SD hats and people recognize it all over the world. It has been rebuilt and it's in business again.