Windstar Cruises may operate small cruise ships with sails and all-suite yachts, but it’s going digital in a big way. The new Voyage Collection brochure that details and brings to life the cruise line’s 2021 through spring 2022 sailings and cruise tours is 100 percent online. It’s easy to navigate, visually stunning, and environmentally responsible – a Windstar hallmark. Brand-new itineraries include California and Baja’s Sea of Cortez, along with fresh options in the South Pacific, and the Black Sea.
Windstar is using the online piece to showcase the programs, shore excursions, and amenities, as well as the diverse destinations where Windstar sails. Its much-anticipated transformation of three all-suite yachts, renamed the Star Plus Class (with new restaurants, suite choices, and environmental improvements), will come to fruition in 2021 and will be a major development for the line, offering a range of upgraded experiences as well as increased capacity from 212 guests per ship to 312.
Because many of Windstar’s new itineraries for 2020 were canceled due to the pandemic, 2021 has many undiscovered ports and new itineraries, including several selections in Alaska (like a shorter, seven-day cruise that’s perfect for working families), comprehensive itineraries surrounding the Black Sea, cruises that access the Holy Lands, as well as additional ports and offerings in Canada and New England following a one-year hiatus from visiting the region. More cruises departing from U.S. ports include two yachts sailing Caribbean cruises roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 2021/22 Voyage Collection also includes more Cruise Tours than ever before, which is in response to increased guest demand for those comprehensive itineraries.
Also of note, Star Breeze, the first Star Plus Class ship to emerge from the extensive transformation in the fall of 2020, will be sailing the new itineraries in California and Sea of Cortez, along with “filling in” for Wind Spirit, which typically sails year-round in Tahiti. While Wind Spirit undergoes regular maintenance at a scheduled dry dock, Star Breeze will sail Wind Spirit’s usual itineraries like the seven-day Dreams of Tahiti, giving guests a one-time chance to experience this all-suite ship in the South Pacific. On Wind Spirit’s way to Indonesia and back, there is a rare opportunity for visiting beautiful islands and tiny ports like Port Vila, Vanuatu and crossing the Coral Sea.
“The global cruise industry is facing its biggest challenge yet, but we’re incredibly optimistic for the future of small ship cruising and Windstar,” said Andrew Todd, CEO of Windstar Cruises and parent company Xanterra Travel Collection. “That’s why we’re excited to put out this brochure – because dreaming about and planning the next trip is a hopeful and uplifting experience. We want to celebrate that travel promise and also give our customers the confidence needed to book, along with the assurance that we will protect their investment should plans change.”
Windstar recently announced a new Beyond Ordinary Care program, which is a multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus EvaClean with PurTab to sanitize all surfaces throughout the yacht. The company hopes this extra effort to provide a healthy environment on board will also give consumers and travel agents confidence to book, paired with a Travel Assurance Booking Policy that gives the flexibility to make plans and update them if things change.
Windstar operates a fleet of six small yachts carrying from 148 to 342 guests and is known for visiting small ports and hidden harbors around the world. The 148-guest Wind Spirit will be its first yacht to resume sailing on October 15, 2020 in Tahiti. Other Windstar yachts will start cruising in the Mediterranean in October and the Caribbean in November, while others will come online in 2021 following scheduled transformations. For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit www.windstarcruises.com.
