Windstar Cruises announced today the 148-guest Wind Spirit will be its first ship in its fleet to resume sailing after suspending operations.
The Wind Spirit will resume sailing in Tahiti with its first cruise departing on September 3, 2020.
“We have taken extraordinary measures to operate our yachts safely,” said Xanterra and Windstar Cruises CEO Andrew Todd. “While we look forward to welcoming guests aboard again, we believe this further suspension of operations is the responsible action to take. We have laid plans for a resumption of small ship cruising beginning in September.”
Schedule:
Wind Spirit: Resumes sailing September 3, 2020 in Tahiti on previously scheduled itineraries.
Wind Surf: Returns November 29, 2020 sailing in the Caribbean on previously scheduled itineraries before heading to the Mediterranean in April 2021.
Wind Star: Resumes sailing January 16, 2021 with Costa Rica and Panama Canal sailings and then heads to the Mediterranean in April 2021.
Star Breeze: Due to a shipyard delay in Italy, sailings in Asia, New Zealand and Australia are canceled. Star Breeze will begin sailing October 27, 2020 in the Mediterranean before moving to the Caribbean in December 2020 to pick up sailings from Star Legend and Star Pride. Then the Star Breeze will offer a few new Caribbean itineraries until June when it heads to Alaska. A new 10-day Alaskan Splendors sailing was added on June 3, 2021 after which it resumes its previously scheduled Alaska itineraries.
Star Legend: Due to a shipyard delay in Italy, some sailings are canceled and others will be picked up by the Star Breeze. Star Legend begins sailing March 1, 2021 in the Mediterranean and will pick up some sailings previously scheduled for Star Pride.
Star Pride: Due to a shipyard delay in Italy, some sailings are cancelled and others will be picked up by Star Breeze. The Star Pride will begin sailing July 5, 2021 in Northern Europe.
Windstar’s yachts are undergoing a major renovation adding additional suites, new restaurants, an expanded pool deck and other amenities. Due to the pandemic, the shipyard in Italy closed for several weeks and is now on a reduced workforce schedule to provide a safe working environment for their employees. As a result, completion of the Star class ships will be delayed.
Guests on cancelled cruises will receive a Future Cruise Credit valued at 125% of all monies paid on the booking to Windstar.
Guests who prefer a refund can request their FCC be converted to a refund equal to the amount paid on the Windstar booking once they receive their FCC. Guests will have 24 months to book and embark on any available Windstar cruise using their Future Cruise Credit. Windstar will protect Travel Advisor commissions on the affected bookings following the normal policy for cancelled bookings.
