A Star is Born
Kris Thompson Page, Director of Marine Hotel Operations shares the story behind our gorgeous new refit to the Wind Star.
The wee hours of Monday morning, April 30, 2012
As I climb into bed, after serenading (and being serenaded!) at the new piano bar in the Wind Star lounge, I know –unequivocally—that the Star Treatment we have given the Wind Star yacht is a success.
We dubbed this evening, “The Crawl.” Starting with a 5:00pm Sail Away from Barcelona under a gorgeous sunny sky and a champagne toast on deck, our refit team made its way to the Lounge for the destination manager’s overview of tomorrow’s highlights in Palma de Majorca. We continued our jovial banter into the newly christened AmphorA Restaurant for a sophisticated dinner under twinkling, Venetian glass chandeliers, followed by a return to the Pool Bar for cigars and cognac under the stars. Come 11:00pm, our ultimate destination was realized at the Piano Bar, joining guests around Buddy the entertainer to belt out everything from Elton John to Amy Winehouse, with a few dance moves in between. What does this have to do with the Star Treatment, you may ask?
Everything.
The Wind Star has just undergone the most significant metamorphosis in the company’s history. Never before have we attempted a top-to-bottom refit, upgrading virtually all guest areas and public rooms including the Veranda, Lounge, Reception Lobby, Restaurant, Pool Bar, WindSpa, Library, all staterooms and suites, and alleyways. Nonetheless, the entire refurbishment was completed between March 30, the end of the Costa Rica season, and yesterday, April 29; the beginning of the European season. Please enjoy my quick snapshots, they truly don’t do justice to the beauty!
Indeed, the Wind Star has become a gorgeous, contemporary, upscale yacht for guests who discern and prefer stylish, relaxed fun as opposed to the cruise ship clichés and attractions. Our 140 or so guests can now savor the elegant, “market fresh” ambiance of indoor and outdoor dining in the Veranda; learn about upcoming ports of call with our regional experts in the sumptuous Lounge; marvel the stunning central Glass Aquarium sculpture in the Reception Lobby; enjoy delectable, five-star cuisine and a wine list to match in the newly-named ‘Amphora Restaurant’; the casual chic of alfresco dining in our Candles Grill; and last but certainly not least, revel in camaraderie and friendship around the Piano Bar. Enjoy them all. Everyone gets the Star Treatment on Wind Star.
-Kris Thompson Page
Director, Marine Hotel Operations
What’s the status on the Wind Spirit refit? I booked partly on the basis of your announcement that “Wind Star and Wind Spirit will also undergo
refurbishments of staterooms, owner’s suite, corridors, and public
spaces following their respective Costa Rica and Caribbean seasons. Wind Spirit will begin her Mediterranean season fully refurbished on April 15, 2012 and Wind Star on April 29, 2012”.
Hi Brian, thanks for your question and we look forward to welcoming you onboard! Wind Spirit has recently joined Wind Surf in the completion of its stateroom and corridor renovations; both will be fully renovated in December of this year. Their debut voyages will be December 1, 2012 for Wind Surf and December 22, 2012 for Wind Spirit. Please visit our Renovations landing page for updated information and please contact us at [email protected] or at 800.258.7245 if you have additional concerns. https://www.windstarcruises.com/ws-renovation.aspx
Best,
The Windstar Team
Can’t wait to see the new look! We will be honeymooning on the July 27th cruise!!
We can’t wait to welcome you aboard, Eric, and thanks for choosing Windstar Cruises! Visit us at Facebook.com/WindstarCruises when you’ve returned from your voyage and tell us all about your trip!
Thanks for your question and we look forward to seeing you aboard the Wind Surf! The upgrades to all the staterooms, corridors and new wood on the main deck are already completed. Remaining renovations to all public areas will be done toward the end of November. The first cruise with all renovations complete is on December 1, 2012. We assure you, you will have a wonderful voyage!
Please contact [email protected] if you have additional questions or would like further detail.
Best,
The Windstar Team
We can’t wait to sail with Windstar for the first time on the Wind Surf on 12/1! How exciting that we are the first to see all of the renovations!!
And we’re so excited to have you on board for the debut, Linda! We can hardly wait for December to come, surely you can relate 🙂
what about the safety in colon panama waiting to board the Wind Star?
Thanks for your question! When traveling internationally, particularly in urban cities like Colon, we always recommend that our guests research the area in advance. No matter where you travel (or even just walking down the street in your own city), there are always risks – being alert and prepared are the best ways to be in control of the situation. We also recommend that you look into our transfers, which are a safe, efficient way to get you from the airport to the dock. One of the benefits of sailing on a small ship cruise line, like Windstar, is that… Read more »
Do these boats have motors or just sails?
All of our yachts have motors to assist when conditions aren’t favorable to sailing. We do keep the sails up and the motor off as often as possible to deliver an authentic sailing experience.
After 5 cruises on the Windspirit I understand how this can happen. After a total of 26 cruises on most of the world’s cruise lines my five favorite cruises have been on the Windspirit.
We too have enjoyed five Windstar cruises – one on the ill-fated Song, three on Spirit and the last one this January on Surf. Windstar is absolutely the best choice anyone with reasonable means can make … the food, the ambiance and the company [both crew and fellow passengers] make for great memories as well as friendships that last well beyond.
Keep it up! And congratulations to the newly-weds!
PS Never seen this “Current” before! Don’t hide it … I’m sure you’ll get lots of similar comments.
We have a cruise booked on the Windsurf 10/29, will renovations be underway during that trip?