I don’t know about you but there have certainly been cruises in my experience that have surprised me. You know, like the Windstar voyage a few years ago in Tahiti in which a set-up of three cyclones unexpectedly manuevered us on the path to the otherwise undiscovered Marquesas Islands (still one of the most amazing trips of my life). It was an outlier cruise, for sure.
And yet, here’s the thing: in the spirit of adventure, would you purposely set out on a cruise where you didn’t know where you were going? Yes! Windstar’s Star Legend is hosting the line’s first-ever totally planned “mystery cruise,” starting Saturday, April 19, and we’ll be onboard. All we know about our voyage is that we’re sailing round-trip from Athens. Every other port we’re visiting in the region is a mystery to all of us who have booked this cruise. Yes, we chose it on purpose, not knowing where we’ll be calling. And yes, too: this week’s voyage is born out of that successful Marquesas experience.
I love this explanation from a friend who’s a loyal Yacht Club guest: “I think the Mystery Cruise is a terrific idea — only really possible when you have a community of small-ship, and specifically, Windstar fans who are confident in the product and know it will be great, no matter where you go.”
And there’s this, too: I’m excited to reconnect with travelers-now-friends who shared our fabulously unplanned Marquesas’ experience. And I look forward to meeting new, like-minded travelers who travel with a similar spirit of adventure.
Wherever we go, whatever we wind up doing (even shore excursions are vaguely purposeful, focusing on culinary/wine, recreation, and ancient history without telling us where we’ll be), we can’t wait to share our adventures with you . We’ll be posting a blog every day throughout the cruise and hope you will tune in for the latest (and please, add any questions or insights in our comments section below) ….
