Windstar Cruises Luggage Policy: Baggage Limits, Cabin Storage & Prohibited Items
Windstar Cruises does not enforce a strict numerical bag limit or charge luggage fees on its yachts. The practical limit on your luggage comes from stateroom storage space-primarily under-bed clearance-and the baggage rules of the airlines you fly to reach the port. Terminal porters deliver tagged luggage directly to your stateroom on embarkation day, and crew members collect it on the final night for pier pickup.
Baggage Allowance Snapshot
Windstar does not limit the number of bags you bring onboard, and there are no cruise baggage fees. Your main restrictions will be under-bed cabin clearance and commercial airline baggage limits.
What can change: Independent flight rules, transfer charter limits, port authority security screenings, and itinerary-specific tender operations.
Official Source Verification
Baggage rules can vary by itinerary, ship class, transfer flight, and port regulations. BaggageBase separates confirmed operator rules from practical travel guidance.
Luggage Allowance: Onboard Policy vs. Flight Limits
Windstar Cruises operates a boutique fleet consisting of sailing yachts (Wind Surf, Wind Star, and Wind Spirit) and all-suite motor yachts (Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride). Because Windstar operates luxury yachts rather than commercial airlines, the line does not weigh bags at the gangway or charge fees for second or third suitcases.
However, your baggage volume is constrained by two real-world boundaries:
- Commercial Airline Allowances: Most Windstar voyages depart from international turnaround hubs like Athens, Civitavecchia (Rome), Papeete, Reykjavik, or Bridgetown. Commercial airlines strictly limit checked baggage, usually capping standard economy bags at 50 pounds (23 kg) and charging steep fees for overweight items. Any chartered regional flights included in specialized itineraries may enforce even tighter baggage limits.
- Stateroom Storage Space: All luggage you bring on the ship must stay inside your stateroom or suite. Windstar does not have external baggage storage lockers for guest use during the sailing.
Star Plus Class vs. Wind Class Cabins
- Star Plus Class (Star Breeze, Star Legend, Star Pride): These all-suite motor yachts feature large walk-in closets with built-in shelving and ample under-bed clearance. Standard upright rolling bags fit easily.
- Wind Class (Wind Surf, Wind Star, Wind Spirit): These classic sailing vessels have functional, nautical-style built-in wardrobes. Closet space is more compact. Packing in soft-sided, collapsible luggage makes it much easier to unpack and store empty bags out of sight.
Embarkation Day: Pier Drop-Off, Tags & Stateroom Delivery
On embarkation day, passenger luggage is handled through a coordinated transfer system designed to let you board the yacht hands-free.
1. Print and Attach Luggage Tags
Before you arrive at the port terminal, print the personalized luggage tags included with your electronic travel documents (e-documents). These tags display your:
- Full legal name
- Ship name
- Sailing date
- Stateroom or suite number
Staple or secure these tags around the top handles of each bag you plan to check with the pier handlers. Do not attach these tags to your personal carry-on bag.
2. Dropping Bags with Pier Porters
When you arrive at the cruise terminal, hand your tagged, large suitcases to the port porters (stevedores) stationed outside the check-in hall.
- Porters are terminal workers, not ship crew; customary tipping applies.
- Your checked bags go through shoreside security screening, get loaded onto the yacht, and are delivered directly to your stateroom by the ship’s crew, usually by late afternoon or early evening.
3. Your Embarkation Carry-On
Keep a separate hand bag, backpack, or small rolling tote with you as you check in and walk up the ship's gangway. Because your delivered bags can take several hours to reach your stateroom, your carry-on should hold everything you might need through your first evening.
| Luggage Category | Handled By | What to Pack Inside | Key Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embarkation Carry-On | Kept with the passenger | Passports, visas, boarding documents, prescription medications, jewelry, phones, cameras, change of clothes | Must pass through standard terminal X-ray scanners; must be carried personally until cabins open |
| Pier Checked Baggage | Port stevedores and shipboard crew | General clothing, footwear, extra toiletries, formalwear | Must have Windstar tags affixed; no fragile valuables or essential medicines |
| Disembarkation Baggage | Crew members and port handlers | Packed suitcases placed outside cabin door on the final evening | Tagged with color-coded tags; claimed inside the terminal after customs |
Forbidden Items & Stateroom Electrical Restrictions
To protect the ship and crew, international maritime safety rules strictly prohibit high-heat appliances, open flames, and hazardous items onboard. Ship security screens all bags before loading them.
Prohibited Heat-Generating Appliances
- Clothing Irons & Garment Steamers: Travel irons, flatirons, and handheld clothes steamers are forbidden in staterooms due to fire risks.
- Cooking Devices: Hot plates, immersion heaters, portable burners, and electric kettles are not allowed.
- Candles & Incense: Any item with an open flame or exposed heating element is strictly banned.
Wrinkle-Free Alternative: Windstar staterooms do not provide irons, but the cruise line offers full laundry, pressing, and dry-cleaning services for a fee. On select ships, a guest laundry facility with an iron may be available.
Power Strips and Surge Protectors
- Surge Protectors: Standard household power strips equipped with surge suppression are strictly prohibited at sea. Marine electrical grids handle grounding differently than land-based grids, and surge protectors can cause electrical feedback and fire hazards.
- Permitted Outlets: Windstar cabins provide standard 110V (US-style) and 220V (European-style) outlets. Guests may bring non-surge-protected multi-plug adapters and standard USB charging hubs.
Weapons and Controlled Substances
- Cannabis Products: Recreational and medical marijuana, including CBD oils and gummies, are strictly illegal onboard regardless of local laws at the port of departure or arrival.
- Weapons: Knives, firearms, ammunition, martial arts equipment, and realistic replica weapons are barred from the ship.
- Drones: Drones cannot be launched or flown from any Windstar yacht. If you bring a drone for use ashore, you must register it with ship security upon boarding. Depending on the itinerary and port rules, security may hold the drone until you go ashore.
Bringing Alcohol & Beverages Onboard
Windstar allows a small personal beverage allowance on embarkation day, subject to clear limits:
Wine and Champagne Allowance
- Embarkation Allotment: Guests of legal drinking age may typically bring a limited quantity of personal wine or champagne onboard at initial embarkation, usually up to two 750ml bottles per stateroom.
- In-Cabin Consumption: Drinking your personal wine inside your private stateroom or suite is completely free of charge.
- Dining Venues & Corkage Fees: If you take your personal bottle to a shipboard restaurant or bar (such as Amphora or Candles), a corkage fee will be charged to your onboard account. This fee typically ranges from $15 to $25 per bottle (official verification required).
Spirits, Beer, and Non-Alcoholic Drinks
- Beer and Liquor: Guests may not bring beer, hard liquor, or spirits onboard for personal consumption.
- Port Purchases: Spirits or wine bought ashore in ports of call will be collected at the gangway by ship security, stored safely during the sailing, and returned to your stateroom on the final evening.
- Water and Sodas: Windstar provides filtered water, tea, and standard coffee throughout the ship. Guests can bring modest quantities of personal non-alcoholic beverages in their hand luggage at embarkation, but commercial bulk cases are not permitted.
Cabin Storage Realities & Luggage Dimensions
Because Windstar’s fleet consists of small ships, optimizing your stateroom space keeps your living quarters open and comfortable.
Under-Bed Measurements
The space under stateroom beds is designed to fit standard travel luggage. The clearance height between the floor and bed frame is approximately 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm).
- Thick, Hard-Shell Suitcases: If an expanded hard-shell suitcase is thicker than 11 inches, it may not slide closed under the frame. To fix this, open the suitcase flat like a book and push it under the bed open.
- Soft-Sided Bags: Duffels, canvas bags, and soft-sided rolling cases compress easily, making them the best choice for small-ship cruising.
Wardrobe Space
- Staterooms feature hanging closets and built-in drawer units.
- If you run out of wooden coat hangers, ask your stateroom steward on the first afternoon, and extra hangers will be provided.
- Star Plus Class suites feature walk-in closets with built-in shoe shelving and room to stand an empty suitcase upright in the corner if needed.
Disembarkation Luggage Procedure
Disembarkation luggage handling operates in reverse to keep the gangway clear of heavy bags on the final morning.
1. Color-Coded Luggage Tags
Toward the end of the cruise, your stateroom steward will deliver an information sheet and color-coded luggage tags.
- Tag colors correspond to independent departure plans, airport transfers, or flight times.
- Attach these tags to all large bags you want the crew to carry off the yacht.
2. Night-Before Bag Collection
On your final evening, place your tagged, packed luggage in the hallway outside your stateroom door before the cutoff time (normally between 10:00 PM and midnight).
- Crew members collect the bags from the corridors and transfer them to the staging area overnight.
- Keep Out Essentials: Do not pack your passport, government ID, flight tickets, prescription medications, keys, or the clothing you plan to wear off the ship the next morning.
3. Claiming Bags in the Terminal
On the morning of disembarkation:
- Leave the ship via the gangway at your scheduled departure time.
- Enter the baggage claim area inside the cruise terminal.
- Locate your bags in the section marked by your tag color.
- Clear port customs and immigration, then proceed to your airport transfer or ground transportation.
Windstar Cruise Luggage Checklist
Use this pre-sailing checklist while packing to ensure smooth transfers at the pier and compliant luggage onboard.
- Print your e-document luggage tags. Staple or attach your official Windstar tags to all checked bags before arriving at the cruise terminal.
- Pack an embarkation day carry-on. Keep your passport, cruise vouchers, medications, phone chargers, and a fresh outfit in a hand bag you carry yourself.
- Leave travel irons and steamers at home. Pack wrinkle-release spray or plan to use the onboard laundry and pressing service to avoid security confiscation.
- Weigh your bags against airline rules. Check commercial airline weight limits (typically 50 lbs / 23 kg) so you do not get charged excess fees on flights to your port.
- Choose luggage with an 11-inch profile or less. Pick soft-sided or nesting bags that compress easily under the 9- to 11-inch stateroom bed frame.
- Keep wine bottles in your hand luggage. Carry your allowed wine or champagne bottles through terminal security yourself rather than placing them in checked bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Windstar Cruises have a weight limit for luggage?
Windstar does not enforce a luggage weight limit or charge fees for heavy bags onboard. However, guests must follow commercial airline weight limits-usually 50 pounds (23 kg) per checked bag-when flying to and from embarkation ports.
Can I bring my own alcohol or wine on a Windstar cruise?
Yes, guests may bring a limited amount of personal wine or champagne onboard at embarkation, typically up to two 750ml bottles per stateroom. Drinking this wine in your cabin is free, but dining venues charge a per-bottle corkage fee. Beer and hard liquor cannot be brought onboard for personal consumption.
Are clothes irons or garment steamers allowed in staterooms?
No. Clothes irons and garment steamers are banned across all Windstar yachts due to maritime fire codes. Security will confiscate these items at embarkation. Windstar provides paid pressing and laundry services onboard instead.
Where do I store my luggage inside the cabin?
All luggage must be stored inside your stateroom or suite. Bed frames have 9 to 11 inches of floor clearance, allowing most standard suitcases to slide underneath. Soft-sided bags can be folded flat or nested inside larger cases.
Can I bring a drone on a Windstar cruise?
Drones cannot be launched from any Windstar ship. If you bring a drone to photograph destinations ashore, you must declare it to ship security when you board. Some yachts and regional port authorities require drones to be held in secure ship storage while at sea.
What should I pack in my embarkation carry-on bag?
Keep your passport, visas, cruise boarding passes, prescription medications, jewelry, electronics, and a change of clothes in your hand bag. Delivered bags take several hours to reach your stateroom, so keep all critical items with you.
What happens to luggage on the final night of the cruise?
On the last night, you attach provided color-coded tags to your large suitcases and leave them in the hallway outside your stateroom door before the evening cutoff. The crew carries them off the yacht overnight, and you pick them up inside the terminal baggage hall after disembarking.
Baggage policies, beverage rules, and safety regulations can vary by ship class, port authority, and itinerary. Always review your official Windstar Cruises voyage documents before departure, as the operator's official terms of carriage govern your sailing.
