Windstar Cruises Will Require COVID-19 Vaccinations for All Guests
by Daniel McCarthy /
Windstar Cruises on Tuesday announced that “until further notice” the cruise line will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard its yachts when it restarts in June 2021.
Windstar, and its parent company Xanterra Travel Collection, said that the decision was made “in the best health and wellness interest of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit.” The line believes that, with the increased vaccine availability in the United States and abroad, guests will have time to be vaccinated before travel.
Windstar will also require crew members to be vaccinated “as soon as the vaccine is available to them.”
“Vaccination is another layer of safety for all of us, and it’s the responsible course of action as our yachts resume cruising and our guests travel the world,” said Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises.
Outside of the vaccination requirements, Windstar will install a new health and safety system called its Beyond Ordinary Care program, which it calls a “multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus backpack sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout our yachts,” Andrew Todd, CEO, Windstar and Xanterra Travel Collection, added.
As Windstar starts to ramp up, operations Star Breeze in the Caribbean and Wind Star in the Mediterranean ( June 19, 2021) followed by Wind Spirit on July 15 in Tahiti, Wind Surf on August 8 in the Mediterranean, Star Legend on Sept 4 in Northern Europe, and Star Pride on November 3 in the Caribbean.