Windstar to Add Two New Ships to Fleet, Including First Star Class Newbuild

Windstar Cruises knows how to keep a secret. Despite having sat down with Christopher Prelog just two months ago to ask about expansion plans, the cruise line’s president stayed mum on what would become one of the biggest news stories of the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference. Windstar is indeed growing, adding two new ships to its fleet, including one newbuild that is currently under construction.

“This is really going to allow Windstar not only to grow but go back to favorite destinations where we have been before and explore new destinations. This is an amazing opportunity for us and we’re really excited,” Prelog said during a Windstar press conference in Miami Beach.

“Xanterra Travel Collection owns Windstar. It’s one of the many brands and at least this week, it’s my favorite brand,” said Andrew N. Todd, president & CEO of parent company Xanterra Travel Collection. “We’ve been wanting to grow Windstar, the brand and the fleet for some time. Now we have these ships… We’re excited about it. We’re committed to growing Windstar. We hope this is a kickoff for the beginning, that we plan to add additional ships…”

The line is purchasing the ships from Mystic Invest, a Portuguese shipbuilder that also owns Atlas Ocean Voyages. Star Seeker was originally intended for Atlas Ocean Voyages (under the name World Seeker). It will be the first to join the fleet in Dec. 2025. It is currently under construction at the WestSEA shipyard in Portugal.

The second ship, Star Explorer, will join the fleet in Dec. 2026. That ship is currently operating for Quark Expeditions as World Explorer. It will undergo a largescale transformation before entering the Windstar fleet to add specific amenities that are integral to Windstar’s Star Class including an aft marina and watersports platform, forward whirlpool, two-level spa and fitness facility, two Owner’s Suites, and space for a specialty restaurant and the Star Grill. (All of this will be found on Star Seeker as well.)

“Our goal was to ensure these ships are unmistakably Windstar, and a significant amount of effort has gone into achieving this,” said Prelog.

Each ship will have 112 suites, featuring private verandas and infinity windows, with a total capacity of 224 passengers. The staff to guest ratio onboard will be one to two.

New for the cruise line, both Star Seeker and Star Explorer have ice-strengthened hulls, which will allow the line to offer new destinations. However, Prelog was clear that the line has no intention of moving into expedition cruising, and while Alaska, Norway, and Greenland might be in the deployment plans, Antarctica and the far Arctic are not.

“I don’t think we will explore deep exploration. We’re doing more the soft exploration… I don’t think we’ll go quite to the poles,” he said. 

Full itineraries and booking details for Star Seeker will be announced in late June 2024. 

Sustainability features include tier III Nox rated Rolls Royce engines and the ability to connect to shore power where available.

Doubling down in Tahiti
With the new capacity – representing a 30% increase for Windstar – the cruise line will be able to do something Prelog has dreamed about since joining the cruise line – put two ships in Tahiti.

“When we started earlier this year moving our Wind Spirit [out of Tahiti], we didn’t really say good-bye. We said ‘until we meet again,'” Prelog said, before announcing that the Wind Star will relocate to Tahiti in 2027 marking the first time the cruise line has operated two ships – one sailing ship and one superyacht – in the region.

“We’re really excited about that, because it offers the romance of the sail ships as well as the luxurious amenities of the Star Breeze in Tahiti and we can do multiple different cruise lengths and destinations in French Polynesia,” he said during the Seatrade press conference.