PHOTO: The Star Pride docked in Sete, France, on the first day of its inaugural voyage under the Windstar brand. (Photo by Theresa Norton Masek)
Windstar Cruises is entering a new phase of growth, thanks to the "unparalleled financial stability" of parent company Xanterra Parks & Resorts, which also allows the small-ship specialist to enter into new partnerships and add features such as private events.
"We all know how small niche tour operators and cruise lines can come and go but now we're part of Xanterra's unparalleled financial stability," Windstar CEO Hans Birkholz said in a press conference the day after christening the line's fourth ship, the 212-passenger Star Pride. "There is no debt on our balance sheet. … It demonstrates that we will be around through thick and thin." Xanterra, known primarily for operating national park lodges, bought Windstar in 2011 in bankruptcy court.
[BLURB]"The growth is validation that yacht-style cruising has legs in the marketplace. Customers are voting with their pocketbooks." - Windstar Cruises CEO Hans Birkholz[/BLURB]
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The expansion - Windstar also bought the Star Pride's two sister ships from Seabourn and they'll join the fleet in May 2015 - lets the company sail in new regions such as Southeast Asia, Arabia, Iceland and Tahiti, which is especially important in bringing back repeat customers.
The growth is "validation that yacht-style cruising has legs in the marketplace," Birkholz said. "Customers are voting with their pocketbooks."
Windstar next year will include a "Private Event" on every cruise to "give people something special," he said, describing them as "magical moments" or "iconic events that will bring the destination to life." The Private Events include a luau on a private motu in Bora Bora with fire dancers, a horse-riding show and sherry tasting in Southern Spain, and dinner under the stars at the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.
The focus on the destination is part of Windstar's branding. "We're very much driven by how we can bring the destination to life," Birkholz said. "We're parking right in town, not in a cruise terminal somewhere."
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The brand also focuses on personal service - "It's all about you," as Birkholz puts it - as well as a casually elegant ambience, no jacket or tie required.
Although the three new ships don't have sails - the hallmark of Windstar's original vessels - the onboard ambience is the same and the public spaces share names and décor, Birkholz said.
"The sails and suites are the only differences within the fleet," he explained. "We're transferring the same look and feel among the fleet."
Also, all of the vessels have an aft watersports platform that lowers down into the water when seas are calm and lets guests kayak, windsurf or even waterski right from the ship.
The ships also will incorporate local ingredients into the menus for a taste of the destination and the entertainment includes local performers or a pianist in the lounge. "You won't see Blue Man Group when you come on Windstar," Birkholz said.
Windstar offers an upscale experience but not an all-inclusive one. Birkholz calls it "Luxury As You Like It," in which guests tailor their vacation with beverage or laundry packages. "Some people don't like to pay for other people's bar bill," he said.
Also new is a partnership with VBT Biking and Walking Vacations, a sister company under the Xanterra umbrella. The companies organized a November biking cruise along the coast of Spain from Barcelona to Lisbon. "It's sold out," Birkholz said. "We're looking to do more of those kinds of partnerships."
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