Windstar Cruises has alerted guests and travel advisors that it is pushing back its restart of operations from May to June 2021.
After carefully assessing multiple factors, Windstar Cruises has announced it is canceling May sailings and will restart operations in June 2021. The decision was made after reviewing current information on COVID transmission rates, travel restrictions and government regulations. The line will re-start cruise operations in a phased manner with initial cruises at a reduced guest occupancy, some modified itineraries, and enhanced health and safety protocols.
New timeline for resumption of operations:
- Wind Spirit – June 10, 2021 – Tahiti
- Star Breeze – June 19, 2021 – Caribbean
- Wind Star – June 19, 2021 – Mediterranean
- Wind Surf – June 29, 2021 – Mediterranean
- Star Legend – July 4, 2021 – Mediterranean
- Star Pride – July 14, 2021 – Northern Europe/Iceland
Wave Season Offer Extended
Windstar Cruises announced it will extend its wave season offer through March 31, 2021. The offer encourages prospective cruisers to book early so as not to miss out amid the coming rush of travel planning. The ‘Sail Small, Live Large with Big Perks’ offer lets travelers choose from a set of complimentary perks plus a reduced deposit of 5%.
Relocating to the center of the cruise industry
Windstar Cruises also announced it plans to relocate its office from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida. The Miami office will accommodate mostly cruise operation functions and some direct supporting teams to operations. Other functions such as marketing, revenue, accounting and IT will have the opportunity to move to parent company Xanterra’s Denver office to collaborate with team members there. Windstar Cruises is owned by Xanterra Travel Collection, a group of global hospitality and travel companies, based in Denver.
“Windstar is poised for success in the small ship cruise segment,” said Andrew N. Todd, CEO of Windstar Cruises and Xanterra Travel Collection. “Our expert team is nimble and adaptable with many years of experience. We are looking forward to the advantages of a new Miami office, combining teams in Denver and collaborating remotely as we have done this past year.”
Windstar plans to open the new Miami office and transition shared/support services to Denver in June 2022. Windstar expects some employees will choose to work remotely from the Seattle area and others to relocate to Miami or Denver depending on job function.
Prelog says that as the center of the cruise industry in the U.S., a Miami office will be beneficial for building industry relationships and attracting new talent. It will also enable operations employees in Miami to be closer to the line’s ships and crew as they pass through Florida and shorten up flight times to the ships in Europe and the Caribbean.
For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit windstarcruises.com.