Mystic Cruises’ CEO Mário Ferreira has updated the status of the conversion work currently being carried out on the World Explorer.

Set to be delivered to Windstar Cruises later this year, the 9,300-ton vessel was sold by the company as part of an agreement announced in early 2025.

Ferreira said that the ship is going through a series of updates at the West Sea shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

“It’s undergoing a major transformation that includes expanding the number of staterooms, the removal of the helipad and a change to the ship’s bow,” he explained in a video posted on social media.

Ferreira said that the update to the bow design is aimed at making it more similar to other ships in Windstar’s fleet.

“The work is progressing well, and the ship will be delivered this December,” he continued, noting that the Explorer was the first ship built for Mystic back in 2019.

“People ask me why we are selling this ship if we continue to build vessels and what we are doing is that we are replacing it with a larger ship of a new class,” Ferreira continued.

He said that the new Atlas Adventurer, which is set to be built in China, will be three times larger than the World Explorer.

“At 30,000 tons, it will have twice as much passenger capacity, so the guest-space ratio will be far superior compared to our first vessels,” Ferreira explained.

With a design highlighted by sustainability and wind-powered propulsion, the Adventurer is scheduled to enter service in 2028.

Sailing for Mystic’s Atlas Ocean Voyages brand, the 400-guest ship will operate itineraries to destinations in Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean.

The Explorer will make its debut for Windstar in December, kicking off a winter season in the Mediterranean.

Following its sister ship Star Seeker, the 200-passenger ship will become the second to debut for the luxury brand in two years.