Where the Wind Takes You

The first hint that you’re not on a typical cruise comes long before the ship sails away from the pier. It happens the moment you step aboard — no jostling crowds, no echoing announcements, no endless hallways vanishing into anonymity. Instead, you’re greeted by name, handed a cappuccino crafted at the Yacht Club Café, and escorted into a world where the sea feels close enough to touch, and the journey is as intimate as a whispered secret.

In a cruise industry with options seemingly more numerous than waves lapping the shore, Windstar Cruises stands apart. The line’s elegant, yacht-style ships—each no longer than 535 feet and serving fewer than 342 guests—slip into hidden harbors and off-the-radar ports where the big ships simply can’t go. “Three hundred passengers is the sweet spot,” says Windstar President Christopher Prelog. “Guests want a smaller, less-crowded experience.”

He’s right. The small-ship scale allows something rare in modern travel: true personalization. With a guest-to-crew ratio topping out at 1.5:1, friendships form naturally. Crew members remember your name, your favorite cocktail, your morning order. Guests bond easily on shore excursions and while lingering over dinner. It feels less like a cruise and more like traveling among a close-knit community of curious explorers.

Daily life aboard a Windstar yacht is a quiet celebration of indulgence. Your cabin is stocked with L’Occitane bath amenities, robes, and slippers. The espresso bar hums softly as you savor your morning coffee. The cuisine, a centerpiece of the Windstar experience, is extraordinary. As the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, Windstar spotlights innovative, locally sourced cuisine developed with over 20 acclaimed chefs. On themed culinary itineraries, guests can attend cooking demos, sip hand-selected wines, and shop local markets with the executive chef to source ingredients for that night’s menu.

Every warm-weather sailing features Windstar’s storied barbecue under the stars, where the ship’s crew transforms the open deck into a glowing alfresco feast, a tradition that draws passengers together for a single, communal evening of laughter, dancing, and sea breezes.

And then there’s the Marina — Windstar’s signature watersports playground that unfolds from the stern when the ship anchors in warm waters. Suddenly, you’re swimming off the back of your yacht, paddling across turquoise bays by kayak, drifting on floating loungers, and tasting the thrill of the open sea — an experience no pool can match!

Even the Bridge is open, most hours of the day. Guests wander in to chat with officers, examine charts, or pose in the captain’s chair — a surprisingly intimate glimpse into the soul of seafaring.

Windstar’s eight-ship fleet comprises two distinctive classes, each offering its own style of adventure, all with ocean view staterooms

The Wind Class: Romantic Sailing Yachts

These original sailing ships—Wind Star, Wind Spirit, and the flagship Wind Surf—are the line’s beating heart; their white masts rising like poetic brushstrokes against the horizon. Designed in Finland and built in France, the smaller Wind Star and Wind Spirit carry just 148 passengers each. They travel under both wind and motor power, their teak decks and open-air nooks offering classic romance for travelers who like to feel the sea.

Wind Surf, the largest of the trio at 615 feet, is a five-masted icon serving 342 guests in expansive style, with three dining venues including the French-inspired Stella Bistro.

Cruise writers Shirley Slater and Harry Basch have described these ships as “sleek and sexy… their long, trim hulls cutting through the indigo sea like a knife through silk.”

The Star Class: All-Suite Motor Yachts

Windstar’s original all-suite Star Class ships—Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride—ushered in a new era for the brand. Recent updates to these yacht-style vessels include the addition of 50 new suites each, expanded public spaces, and two standout restaurants: Star Grill, serving slow-roasted meats and grilled specialties, and Basil + Bamboo, a Mediterranean-Asian fusion concept.

Each of the three sister ships now serves 312 guests in roomy, 277-square-foot suites. With sleek new silhouettes and expanded pool decks, they feel like boutique hotels at sea.

In 2024, Windstar introduced the next evolution of its fleet. Launching in December 2025 and 2026, Star Seeker and Star Explorer are exceptionally luxurious, thoughtfully designed ships, with many of their staterooms offering French balconies or Infinity Windows that lower to welcome in the sea breeze. Each accommodates just 224 guests across a range of spacious suite categories, including 30 stunning Infinity Suites with windows that glide halfway down at the touch of a button. Guests can also choose aft-facing Owner’s Suites with sweeping wraparound balconies, dine at an expanded Amphora with outdoor seating, and enjoy a beloved Windstar hallmark: a hot tub perched right at the bow.

With these new ships, Windstar’s global reach expands once more. “When we go from six to eight ships, we can move the pieces around the board a bit more,” explains Jess Peterson, Director of Destination Experience and Itinerary Planning. The new builds can slip into narrow rivers and niche ports, giving guests more flexibility in where—and when—they travel. And with Star Explorer now positioned to remain in the Mediterranean year-round, the possibilities broaden even further.

Windstar’s partnership with the James Beard Foundation, a decade-long collaboration rooted in the line’s earliest culinary ambitions, imbues every ship with fine-dining sophistication. Menus at Amphora feature nightly highlights from James Beard Foundation-affiliated chefs, while special itineraries bring these culinary stars on board.

Imagine sailing from New York to Quebec alongside Chef Amy Brandwein, stopping at markets en route to select fall harvest ingredients. Or wandering Venetian alleys with Chef Jennifer Jasinski before sailing to Athens, pairing her cuisine with complimentary onboard wine seminars.

On shore, Windstar’s food-forward ethos continues: tasting olive oil at an Elba farmhouse, sampling fresh-pressed wines, or entering a cooking challenge in Malta led by a local chef.

Ultimately, Windstar wins hearts because of where it can go — and how it gets there. With more than 330 ports on its global map and a philosophy built around port-intensive exploration, these yachts venture far beyond the typical cruise circuit.

Yes, Windstar visits storied cities like Santorini, Bangkok, and Singapore. But it’s the smaller, seldom-visited ports that linger in memory:

• Wrangell, Alaska, home to the Anan Bear Observatory
• Limnos, Greece, a kite-surfing and history-rich island few cruise lines touch
• Panama’s San Blas Islands, a biodiverse archipelago of gin-clear lagoons
• Docking by London’s Tower Bridge, thanks to the ability to sail up the Thames — impossible for larger ships

Windstar has also cultivated a deep expertise in Tahiti, serving the region since 1987—longer than any other cruise line—offering a uniquely authentic South Pacific experience.

Shore excursions are small, adaptable, and immersive, designed to connect travelers with the real soul of each destination. And for families and groups, bespoke private tours can tailor the day to individual interests.

In an era of megaships carrying thousands of guests and floating cities that rarely touch the sea, Windstar offers something beautifully different: a journey measured not by size, but by connection. To the water. To the world. To one another.

Windstar’s ships don’t just sail — they slip, glide, and whisper from port to port, inviting you to taste, feel, and experience each place with rare closeness. They make travel feel personal again.

And once you’ve sailed this way, with sails rising like romantic whispers and teak decks warm beneath your feet, you realize something:
This isn’t just small-ship cruising.

This is the way travel was meant to be.

For more information about Windstar Cruises, WindstarCruises.com