It is with great excitement that we announce Windstar Cruises was just named World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards. Not only did Windstar’s winning score place us #1 in small ship cruise lines, it also ranked us #2 overall among small, midsize, and large ocean going cruise lines.
We cannot say thank you enough for the support we received from you, our most loyal fans, in voting for us. We are honored to have our unique style of yacht cruising and genuine personal service recognized by our guests and Condé Nast Traveler. Our teams both onboard and onshore continually strive to create memorable experiences for you, and it’s an inspiration for us to be acknowledged by the people we serve every day.
We would also like to recognize both our onboard crew and shoreside office for all of their hard work. Windstar’s success would not be possible without our team’s innovation and dedication as well as the support of our parent company, Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
The past few years have seen Windstar Cruises enter into an unprecedented era of innovation and expansion. Earlier this year the company launched Private Events, a complimentary, exclusive onshore event, crafted to give an in depth and authentic local experience unique to each voyage. Other product enhancements include a series of Cruisetours through Asia; Local Dining Tips Curated by SAVEUR, a one-of-a-kind platform to uncover the world’s most delicious destinations for culinary travelers; as well as a fresh Windstar logo.
In 2013, the line announced it was doubling the size of the fleet from three sailing yachts to six ships. Star Pride, the first of the three power yachts, came on board in May of this year in a celebratory christening ceremony in Barcelona, Spain. Star Breeze and Star Legend will join the Windstar fleet in May of 2015 following a $12 million, three week dry dock.
Windstar continues to introduce new global itineraries, focusing on smaller ports that large ships can’t visit and voyages that feature trade winds optimal for sailing. In 2014 Windstar returned to the islands of Tahiti with the 148 passenger sailing yacht Wind Spirit. In October Star Pride will begin its transit to Southeast Asia, visiting ports in Arabia and India along the way, a first for the company.
These changes are being recognized among guests and the travel industry alike. Last month Windstar Cruises won a Gold Award for Market Leadership in small ship cruising from Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards as well as SAVEUR’s Culinary Travel Award as an Outstanding Culinary Cruise Line. In July, Windstar was recognized as #2 Small Ship Cruise Line in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.
We remain committed to providing you the best cruise product in the world. We look forward to seeing you on board soon.
We’re happy to have contributed – in a very small way – to the significant success of Windstar…our three (3) cruises in the last 20 months aboard the very best sailing yachts in the industry attest to that 🙂 🙂