Windstar Cruises has celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first ship, the Wind Star, which originally entered service in 1986.

The 148-passenger ship is currently undergoing a modernization project in drydock at the Navantia shipyard in Cádiz, Spain.

Windstar marked the occasion with a celebration at the facility that included a photoshoot featuring the vessel’s team and a birthday cake.

“Our Executive Chef made the celebration just as spectacular as the ship herself, with an amazing cake to mark the occasion,” the company said in a social media update.

The Wind Star is being refitted as part of the Setting Sails initiative, which is introducing enhancements to the company’s three sailing ships.

After undergoing Phase 1 of the project in late 2023, the 5,703-ton vessel is now seeing updates from the initiative’s Phase 2.

The refurbishment will introduce refreshed staterooms and update spaces, with areas like Amphora and Veranda being redesigned with a focus on what the company calls a yacht-inspired style.

The Wind Star is scheduled to resume service on April 7, 2026, kicking off its summer season in the Mediterranean.

For its first cruise in the region, the vessel offers a 10-night cruise that sails between the Spanish ports of Málaga and Barcelona.

The ship is then scheduled to reposition to Piraeus in early May for a series of seven-night cruises to the Greek Islands and Turkey.

In November, the Wind Star is set to return to the Caribbean for a winter season that also includes itineraries to the Panama Canal and Central America.

In related news, Windstar recently cancelled a trans-Atlantic crossing onboard the Wind Surf due to an extension of the ship’s planned drydock.

Following the Wind Star, the 1990-built vessel is scheduled to undergo Phase 2 of the refit later this year.

Sailing to St. Maarten, the 14-night repositioning cruise was scheduled to depart from Lisbon on December 5, 2026.