To provide clarity on its voyage plans, small-ship cruise line Windstar Cruises has released a new printed voyage planner brochure with nearly 200 pages detailing offerings from when its first yacht will set sail on May 1, 2021 through May 2023. The “coffee-table publication is meant to educate and inspire people about Windstar,” said Windstar Cruises’ president, Chris Prelog, in a press announcement.
Of note, the new Voyage Collection brochure details sailings through May 2023, giving travelers a chance to plan ahead with a comprehensive reference in hand.
The Windstar Voyage Collection 2021-2023 includes the following news and updates:
New Yachts
The transformation of three Star Plus Class ships (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, more deck space and al fresco dining, and a guest capacity of 312 per yacht.
New Itineraries by Region
Alaska
- Windstar sails in Alaska from late spring through summer. Voyages are scheduled beginning in 2022 aboard the newly transformed all-suite Star Breeze.
- In 2022, a new, shorter seven-day “Scenic Alaska” cruise will include coastal wilderness cruising along the Canadian Inside Passage.
Star Legend in Alaska
Asia
- Windstar will sail in Southeast Asia on limited voyages in late 2021/early 2022 and will return to comprehensive sailings in Asia with five brand-new itineraries beginning the fall of 2022.
- In 2022, “Island Hopping through Japan” and “Windstar Crew Hometowns: Philippines & Indonesia” are new standouts.
Australia and New Zealand (New Destination)
- In 2022, Windstar will debut its first-ever comprehensive itineraries to Australia and New Zealand aboard the transformed Star Breeze, visiting small, less-visited ports of call like Middle Percy Island and Thursday Island. Overnights in Brisbane, Port Douglas and Sydney, plus a late-night departure in Melbourne are other highlights. Guests can pick from eight itineraries in the region.
Canada and New England
- Windstar sails in Canada and New England in the fall aboard the newly transformed Star Pride.
- In 2021, a new Iceland-to-Montreal itinerary will focus heavily on Greenland, including several days of scenic fjord cruising, and a revamped New York-to-San Juan sailing has two overnight stops in Bermuda, plus a day in St. Kitts and St. Barth’s.
- In 2022, a new Boston-to-San Juan offering includes a Bermuda visit on the journey.
Caribbean and Central America
- Windstar sails in the Caribbean from late fall to spring, but in 2021, Windstar will also sail its waters throughout the summer season aboard Star Breeze.
- In 2021, Windstar will make first-time visits to Miami and Key West in December.
- In 2022, Windstar will offer new sailings in Mexico, on both the east and west coasts, including an option from Cozumel to St. Maarten with rare Windstar visits to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and tiny Cayman Brac.
- In 2023, the new “Spanish Treasures via the Panama Canal” starts on the Pacific side of the canal before heading to Panama’s Bocas del Toro and San Blas Islands, Cartagena/Santa Marta in Colombia, and ending in Aruba.
Star Breeze
Mediterranean and the Holy Lands
- In 2021, Windstar returns after a several-year absence to Ashdod and Haifa in Israel; Alexandria and Port Said in Egypt (including Cairo and the pyramids); and Istanbul, with an overnight stay. Windstar will also make inaugural visits to Odessa, Nessebar, Bucharest, Sochi, Batumi and Sinop on its new Black Sea voyage. There are also new cruise tours to the Douro Valley, Lake Como and Meteora.
- 2022 brings a variety of new sailings in the region, including “Island Gems of Spain & Portugal,” with stops in the Canary Islands and Madeira, and a new eight-day sailing along the coastlines of Greece, Cyprus and Israel. There is also a new Athens-to-Istanbul itinerary (including a transit of the Corinth Canal) with a first-time port in Turkey’s Çanakkale.
Northern Europe
- Windstar sails in Northern Europe in the summer and early fall, including Scandinavia and the Baltic, Europe’s West Coast and the British Isles aboard the newly transformed Star Legend and Star Pride.
- In 2021, the popular “Around Iceland” itinerary returns with five sail dates, as well as a new option to be experienced as a cruise tour. Other new offerings in the region in 2021 include “Norway’s Famous Fjords” and “Scandinavian Capitals & Fjords,” which combines iconic Northern capitals with a handful of smaller, less-visited ports.
- In 2022, Windstar’s new “Impressionist France” brings a chance to travel from Bordeaux to Amsterdam with an overnight in Saint-Malo and a cruise on the Seine River, plus first-ever Windstar stops in Caen and Rouen (an overnight, as well).
- A comprehensive journey around Spain is another highlight.
South Pacific
- Windstar maintains a year-round presence in Tahiti and will resume sailings in May 2021.
- In September of 2021, Star Breeze will begin sailing in Tahiti (through March 2022), giving guests a chance to sail on the larger, all-suite, newly transformed yacht in this destination for a limited engagement.
- In 2021, Windstar’s Wind Spirit will sail from Tahiti to Australia, stopping at the small island nation of Vanuatu and tiny Pantara Island at the outer fringes of New Caledonia, among other off-the-beaten-path South Pacific islands.
U.S. West Coast
- Windstar sails the West Coast of the U.S. (and Mexico) in the spring and fall. Sailings will resume there in 2022.
- In 2022, Windstar debuts several brand-new itineraries, including “Baja Blue Water & Treasures on the Sea of Cortez” and a “West Coast Epicurean Extravaganza” with new stops in Victoria and Santa Barbara.
New Policies and Procedures
Windstar’s updated Travel Assurance Booking Policy allows cancellation up to 48 hours prior to departure on 2021 cruises.
Windstar consulted with the epidemiology department at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center and developed a new “Beyond Ordinary Care” program with hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus electrostatic sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout the yacht.
The brochure will begin to land in mailboxes this week, and those interested in requesting a copy or viewing a digital version can access it via www.windstarcruises.com.
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