For certain, Windstar’s announcement that it’s buying two vessels – the 224-guest Star Seeker and Star Explorer, which debut respectively in December 2025 and 2026 – has generated a ton of pleasure. We plan to maintain you up to date with new developments on a month-to-month foundation, so preserve checking in. And don’t be shy. Please put up your questions within the feedback beneath and we’ll dig up solutions to seem in a future weblog put up.
Right here’s what we already know: The pair of ships (Star Seeker is simply now being constructed, Star Explorer debuted for an expedition line a couple of years in the past) share a design that can be considerably modified to adapt to Windstar’s personal fashion. Every ship will function 112 suites, most of which have full balconies, and a handful with infinity home windows. There can be two proprietor’s suites with wrap-around balconies. Each Star Seeker and Star Explorer may have a signature Windstar watersports platform, the comfy Yacht Membership café and lounge and a beautiful, expanded spa and health facility.
And Windstar has already introduced that Star Seeker’s itineraries, in 2026, will embody Alaska (Might – August) and Japan (September – November).
As all the time, although, don’t all of us need to know extra? Final week, I had an opportunity to speak with John Gunner, Windstar’s vice chairman of growth tasks, who’s main the trouble. As a result of these ships have been both constructed or designed for an expedition cruise line, he tells me, “We’re making quite a lot of modifications.”
And he supplied up some fascinating particulars for individuals who need to comply with alongside because the ships develop.
“We’re remodeling Star Seeker and, in a while, Star Explorer, in fairly a substantial approach by making quite a lot of structural and design transformations. The ship will look fairly totally different, even from a profile perspective, and naturally onboard. We’re additionally adapting its interiors; initially designed to sail expeditions, we need to soften her ambiance so it resonates with Windstar’s present Star Class ships. “
Extra particularly: From an exterior perspective, “the explorer-style ships don’t actually appear like cruise ships. We’re including a ducktail and what meaning is we’ll have a super-yacht fashion stern with a watersports platform, accessed by steps.”
What’s a ducktail? It’s an appendage, Gunner tells us. It’s a metal construction hooked up to the strict. “It offers the swimming platform which we positively needed to duplicate from our Star Class vessels. And it additionally helps with stability and gas effectivity. The appendage is being fabricated from metal on the shipyard, situated in Portugal, proper now.
“We’ll additionally lengthen and alter the bow to make it narrower and longer, so it appears to be like extra yacht-like. Proper now it’s a bit stubby as a result of it was constructed initially for robust climate in areas like Antarctica.”
What else is going on simply now?
- Windstar’s outfitting workforce is creating renderings that can seize the essence of what the interiors will appear like (we’ll function these renderings in an upcoming put up).
- A two deck auditorium that’s a part of the unique design goes to be decreased to 1 deck, Gunner says, noting that the spa is the beneficiary of the additional deck.
- On these ships, the mud room (an integral facility on an expedition ship however in no way vital for a basic ocean-going vessel) can be transformed to crew lodging for additional crew. One other alteration: On what has been a helicopter deck (with storage beneath for Zodiacs), top-class suites with massive balconies or infinity home windows can be added.
- The pool space can be utterly reconstructed; devoted to the design on the Star Class swimming pools. And there’s extra excellent news: the whirlpool space on the bow, deck 5 ahead that quite a lot of us love on Windstar’s Star Breeze, Star Legend and Star Satisfaction, can be replicated on the brand new ships.
Windstar plans to have Star Seeker’s new deployment particulars, together with Alaska and Japan, on-line and bookable in August 2024.
Keep tuned as we proceed to comply with the event of Star Seeker and Star Explorer (and don’t overlook to put up your questions within the feedback beneath – we’ll present solutions in future posts).
