Windstar Cruises has taken delivery of its all-suite Star Plus Class Star Pride yesterday at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The yacht is the third and final of the line’s Star Plus Class yachts to be stretched and transformed over a multi-year, $250 million project that is considered to be the most complex and comprehensive renovation project ever undertaken in small ship cruising.
“We are thrilled to have all three of our yachts completely reimagined, from the new, more environmentally-friendly engines to the gorgeous new restaurant spaces, spacious suites, and romantic spas,” said Windstar President Christopher Prelog. “We couldn’t be happier with the results. Our passengers who are already sailing with us on these transformed yachts are raving, giving us higher customer experience scores than we’ve ever received in our company’s history.”
Star Pride will remain in Italy until the yacht resumes guest operations in April in the Mediterranean. Sister yacht Star Breeze begins sailing in Tahiti next week, while Star Legend is completing a short season in the Mediterranean before sailing to the Caribbean in November.
All three yachts increased in maximum capacity from 212 guests to 312 and now provide more of what Windstar’s customers want, like additional dining experiences (one is an outdoor barbecue concept with grilling guru Steven Raichlen and the other a Spanish small plates restaurant from Anthony Sasso, one of the youngest chefs to be recognized by the Michelin Guide), a true spa and fitness center, an elegant infinity pool, and more outdoor deck areas. These three all-suite yachts, together with Windstar’s three classic sailing yachts, remain small enough to continue to visit the special small ports and waterways of the world.
In addition, due to the pandemic, Star Pride and all of Windstar’s yachts received renovations to update HVAC systems, adding new hospital grade high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filters along with a UV-C air zapping process (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) to clean the air on board.
For more details on Windstar Cruises, visit www.windstarcruises.com.
