Windstar expands fleet with first newbuild since the ’80s
2026-01-19
Windstar Cruises on Jan. 15 christened its first newbuild in nearly 40 years, marking a critical expansion of the small-ship line.
The Star Seeker, equipped to carry 224 passengers, is now grouped with Windstar’s Star-class ships that don’t feature sail propulsion (Star Breeze, Star Pride and Star Legend). On Dec. 28, the ship embarked on its maiden voyage, a transatlantic crossing from Spain to Miami.
The Star Seeker is spending its initial winter in the Caribbean. In April, it will transition through the Panama Canal to Alaska for the summer season, and then move on to Japan, a destination not visited by Windstar in a very long time, Windstar president Chis Prelog said.
“Having a ship that can sail to Japan, or sail to Alaska, without compromising any existing destinations was just the right thing,” Prelog said. “We can offer more destinations to our guests and they absolutely love it. We are sold out for this year.”
The Star Seeker and a ship following in December 2026 were acquired from Mystic Invest Holdings. Steel had been cut for the Star Seeker, but assembly had not begun when a deal was reached.
The second ship, of identical size, is already in service. It debuted as the World Explorer in 2019, sailing for Mystic’s German brand, Nicko Cruises. After the cruise industry’s pandemic pause, the ship was chartered out to other operators, most recently Quark Expeditions. It will sail for Windstar under the name Star Explorer year-round in the Mediterranean.
The ships were designed for polar waters. To adapt them to Windstar’s profile, a water sports platform was added aft and a more yacht-like profile was created for the bow. An area reserved for a helipad was repurposed into ten additional aft cabins.
Prelog declined to say how much Windstar paid for the two vessels. The conversion process required a significant investment beyond the purchase price, Prelog noted.
The vessels new to Windstar will increase its capacity by 30% from 1,500 berths to 2,000.
Windstar’s previous newbuilds were its original sailing ships, Wind Star and Wind Spirit, delivered in 1986 and 1988, respectively. Since then it has expanded through used tonnage, including the three Star-class ships acquired from Seabourn in 2013 and the sailing yacht Wind Surf from Club Med in 1998.
The 9,315-gross-ton Star Seeker was named at a PortMiami ceremony by godmother Libby Anschutz, the daughter of Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz, owner of Windstar parent company Xanterra Travel Collection.
“May Star Seeker carry people to breathtaking destinations towards friendships, stories and memories that will last a lifetime,” Anschutz said, before pressing a button that sent champagne swinging toward the hull.
Windstar’s website relaunch
Prelog said that ships are not the only news at Windstar. The company is also looking forward to an imminent relaunch of its website, something that a number of travel advisors have requested, Prelog said.
Courtesy of Travel Weekly
