Like nothing you’ve ever seen. Twenty feet in the air, the amazing, climbing goats of Agadir are feasting on the fruit of the argan tree. Sunlight is streaming over the horizon and the azure sky is brushed with rose-gold. And here you stand, in the center of it all, with the feeling that anything could happen next.
We have recently launched a new advertising campaign emphasizing Windstar’s uniqueness and differentiation from the rest of the cruise industry. The campaign is about Windstar’s focus on doing things differently – 180 Degrees from Ordinary. From our calls to off-the-beaten path harbors to our immersive shore excursions with locals, and our beloved crew show to our Open Bridge, sailing the world with Windstar brings a new perspective – an unexpected perspective of cruising.
To capture that perspective, we went on a photoshoot to Agadir, Morocco to take pictures of some less-expected sights and then to Portofino to meet Star Pride. We scouted for two days in Agadir, looking for places where we would find the famous argan tree climbing goats, camels, authentic markets, and a Moroccan tea ceremony. This gave us the opportunity to be welcomed into locals’ houses and to trek into hidden corners that most tourists never get to see. Whenever we went to a local’s house – they would freshly brew Moroccan mint tea, bake fresh flatbread, bring out a huge basket of their finest mixed nuts, and invite us into their homes as if we were family even though we had all just met 5 minutes before and had only announced our arrival minutes before that. Their hospitality was unparalleled and even though there was a huge language barrier, the smiles and open hearts were not lost in translation. After two days of shooting, we headed to Portofino to meet the ship.
Aboard Star Pride, we were greeted by Hotel Manager Frank Hasenwinkel, who made sure we had everything we needed for the shoot. 
From our chat with Captain Alan MacAry on the Bridge to tea on the teak deck, we experienced Windstar’s unparalleled hospitality. Additionally, we wanted to capture the excitement of the Watersports Platform and even took some of the stand-up paddleboards directly into Portofino marina. Although we had some choppy waters, we were able to get some great shots! Since Chef Graeme was on the ship prepping for our first James Beard Foundation Culinary Collection cruise, he made 13 dishes, including a tiramisu as a local dish and his famous poke, for us to tell the story of our culinary excellence. 
While we all wished we could have stayed and sailed with the ship for a few days, we had to return home after 10 days on the road.
The entire photoshoot crew took away something special from this shoot – seeing the world through Windstar’s perspective. What we experienced and loved on our journey, was exactly the experience that Windstar is striving to deliver. I hope that this comes through in our upcoming campaign and I can’t wait to share our final images with you. In the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes shots.
Unexpected Sweepstakes – Take the Quiz & Enter to Win a Cruise to Morocco
Windstar’s Unexpected Sweepstakes entrants learn about Windstar’s upscale cruise experience through taking a quick “fact or fiction” quiz. The grand prize is a suite for two aboard Star Breeze on the 10-day Island Gems of Spain & Portugal cruise sailing round trip from Lisbon in April 2018. Find the sweepstakes on Facebook here, as well as via multiple entry points across Windstar’s social media channels. If you haven’t entered do so today, Unexpected Sweepstakes ends Nov. 13, 2018!
Unexpected Shipboard Credit
Embrace that feeling, because your next great adventure is waiting for you on one of our new extended voyages — particularly our Star Collector Voyages — that will bring you more of the moments that will stay with you forever, like the lush gardens of Belfast, the night markets of Brunei, and the Myvatn Nature Baths of Akureyri. And for a limited time, all voyages 14 days or longer will earn you a shipboard credit of up to a $1,000 value.
14 – 21 days: $400 shipboard credit per guest
22 – 29 days: $600 shipboard credit per guest
30+: $1,000 per shipboard credit per guest
Seize your opportunity to experience unbelievable, unexpected moments with Windstar. Call your travel agent or Windstar Cruises at 855-419-3877.
About The Author
Jessica Chiang, Director of Marketing Communications
