Author name: Carolyn Spencer Brown

Carolyn Spencer Brown has, for the past 20-plus years, been one of the cruise industry’s most knowledgeable journalists, first as a staff writer at The Washington Post and later as a longtime editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. Over the past two decades she’s traveled on more than 300 cruises on ships big, small and downright tiny. An award-winning editor as well, her cruise stories have appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Town & Country, and London’s Sunday Times.

From the Shipyard #2: Star Seeker is Completing the Steel Work

If you’ve followed the construction of new ships with as much fascination as we do, you’ll know that there’s a whole lot of steel to see for Star Seeker (check out the “finished” look of Star Seeker, which debuts in December 2025. Its sister ship, Star Explorer, launches a year later) and yet – there’s

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Windstar Reveals Details of its First-Ever President’s Mystery Cruise

If you had a chance to take a cruise without knowing exactly where you were heading, would you? Chris Prelog, president of Windstar Cruises, is betting that at least some of us are up for the challenge. In an entirely new twist for Windstar’s annual President’s Cruise, an eight day voyage departing on April 19,

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From the Shipyard #1: What’s New in the Development of Windstar’s Star Seeker and Star Explorer?

For sure, Windstar’s announcement that it is acquiring two vessels – the 224-guest Star Seeker and Star Explorer, which debut respectively in December 2025 and 2026 – has generated a ton of excitement. We plan to keep you updated with new developments on a regular basis, so keep checking in. And don’t be shy. Please

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Windstar Expands its Fleet. Of Course We Have the Inside Scoop

In April, Windstar President Chris Prelog shared a now-official and no-longer-secret announcement of good news: Windstar has acquired two motor-yacht ships, to debut in December 2025 and 2026. The 224-passenger yachts, one of which is new and the other, identical in design, just a few years old, will increase capacity by 33 percent over the

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Plan Your Port: Greece’s Pátmos

Like many of the islands in Greece’s Dodecanese, a group of 12 islands, Pátmos’ appeal lies in its whitewashed villages infused with lush, ancient olive groves roamed by goats, picturesque tavernas and a series of beautiful sun-drenched beaches. What’s different? This hideaway for famous celebrities and royalty is an intimate place, uncrowded and not yet discovered by larger cruise vessels.

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In Tahiti, a Magical Mystery Cruise on Star Breeze

We all expected that Star Breeze’s cruise in February, as it began sailing year-round in French Polynesia, would be something special. The ship, replacing Wind Spirit as the line’s 12-month designate in the region, would begin its homeporting there with an 11-night trip around the Society and Tuamotu Islands, featuring some of Earth’s most beautiful

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In Tahiti, Windstar’s Wind Spirit Hands Over the Year-Round Reins to Star Breeze

In a festive celebration tinged with just a hint of sentimentality, Captain Belinda Bennett, who has served at the helm of Wind Spirit throughout its most recent year-round series of seasons in French Polynesia (the ship has served the region for ten years), handed over the ceremonial French Polynesian flag to Star Breeze Captain Terry

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Have You Seen These Suites, Inspired by The Broadmoor and Sea Island?

Imagine that your suite evokes memories of the stately Broadmoor Resort or the lush and sunny vibe of the salt marshes at Sea Island, two prominent land-based resorts in America. Actually, there’s no need to imagine. Windstar was inspired to create suite accommodations that mirrored the Colorado and Georgia resorts, sister companies to Windstar, for

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Our Travel Guide: A Cruise Around Iceland

Iceland is one of my favorite places in the world, and over the past 30 years  I have cruised, explored on land, and combined cruises with land tours. Every time I’ve visited I’ve discovered new surprises, from fabulous cosmopolitan bookshops to Michelin-starred restaurants, and from spectacular sea-snow-mountain vistas to lava rock canyons that you travel

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Windstar Introduces Transformative, Wellness-Themed Voyages in 2025

Debbie Dixon recently returned from a two-week Atlantic crossing on Wind Star and was still feeling the glow from the trip, which she describes as transformative. “It was such a great place to change the dynamic of what cruising is,” she tells me a few days after arriving home. “It’s an opportunity to lean into

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