By
Alex Smith |
Windstar Cruises operates a fleet of six cruise ships, which sails throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and North America. Each of its ships carries between just 148 and 342 guests on each voyage, and the cruise line takes advantage of their small size by prioritising lesser-known destinations in their itineraries. “We want our ideal destinations to be small and off the beaten path if possible, but not so small or underdeveloped that there’s nothing for our guests to do there,” says Kristin Badgett, vice president of revenue and itinerary planning at Windstar Cruises. “We’re always looking for places that are either emerging or re-emerging destinations before the rest of the cruise industry goes there.”
However, like the rest of the industry, the cruise line has faced significant challenges to planning itineraries because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Overcoming these obstacles has required Windstar to constantly adapt to the quickly shifting landscape.
“In the short term, the trend is flexibility,” says Badgett. “I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to redeploy our fleet, make changes to itineraries, and adjust our itinerary planning due to the ever-evolving nature of governmental regulations, rising and ebbing cases in each country and region, the availability of vaccines, and other factors that come into play while cruising amidst a pandemic. We have had to be incredibly flexible, patient and persistent in updating our deployment – we view it as an ongoing process.”
Despite these challenges, Windstar has not stopped searching for new experiences. In 2022, it will debut its first-ever itineraries to New Zealand and Australia onboard the newly renovated Star Breeze, calling at destinations such as Middle Percy Island and Thursday Islands along with overnight stays in Brisbane, Port Douglas and Sydney. In North America, a new seven-day ‘Scenic Alaska’ itinerary will cruise along the Canadian Inside Passage, while in Northern Europe the new ‘Impressionist France’ itinerary offers a chance to travel from Bordeaux, France, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, with an overnight in the French city of St-Malo and scenic cruising on the Seine River.
Badgett is particularly anticipating Windstar’s return to the Black Sea in 2022, along with a transit of the Panama Canal planned for 2023.
“We will be sailing from Istanbul in Turkey, which I am personally excited about,” she says. “My first Windstar cruise was in the Greek Isles and Turkey, and I absolutely fell in love with Istanbul. Meanwhile, I think the new ‘Spanish Treasures via the Panama Canal’ itinerary, visiting Bocas del Toro and San Blas Islands in Panama, Cartagena in Colombia, and Aruba, is an excellent mix of interesting cultural sites and gorgeous beaches.”
Windstar has also announced that it will be embarking on its longest ever voyage, the 79-day ‘Grand European’ cruise. The itinerary will span 22 countries through the Baltic, Northern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea, and will include 71 days in port. This will include the cruise line’s first visit to Germany and the ports of Hamburg and Binz.
“The cruise is part of a push by Windstar to offer more luxury-focused experiences,” says Badgett. “It’s also indicative of a growing trend of extravagant voyages and world cruises created to satiate a travel-starved cruise audience that is ready to book a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”
Having recently relocated to Miami, Florida, where Windstar will be headquartered from 2022, Badgett is excited to sample the itineraries herself.
“I want to take all of them!” she says. “I just returned from one of the first sailings of the newly transformed Star Breeze. I was absolutely amazed at the how the ship delivered the destination and at the tremendous excitement of the crew. I have a few trips planned to look at some possible new destinations for Windstar’s 2024 season, but no cruises planned until Star Pride departs from Barcelona in April of 2022. However, that can change tomorrow!”
This article was first published in the 2022 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
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