One-on-One With Windstar Cruises’ Chris Prelog

In an interview with AGENTatHOME, Windstar Cruises President Chris Prelog provided tips on what distinguishes the line from its competition, how travel advisors can boost their business with the line and more.

Windstar’s fleet includes three Star Plus Class yachts – Star Pride, Star Breeze and Star Legend – which underwent a $250 million renovation that increased guest capacity from 212 to 312, added new dining experiences and created enhanced suites.

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The fleet also includes three Wind Class sailing yachts, including the 342-passenger Wind Surf and the 148-passenger Wind Star and Wind Spirit.

What has been the response to the three stretched Star Plus class ships?

Simply amazing! Our guests have been so excited and supportive of these new products. We are seeing our highest guest satisfaction surveys ever on the new Star Plus Class yachts, with the highest net promoter scores in our brand’s history.

What distinguishes Windstar from its competition?

Windstar Cruises offers a more casual and customizable experience than most luxe lines – we are a full-service luxury brand without the stiff formality of many other brands in our category. Instead, there is amazing food at sea as the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation and highly personalized, intuitive service from a genuinely caring crew who will remember your clients’ names and preferences before the first day is over.

On Windstar, your clients will enjoy a very relaxed social ambiance with like-minded cruisers who are educated travelers, not tourists. Windstar’s sailings target customers who are looking for customizable, high-end experiences that encourage local immersion. It’s a mix of luxury and authentic elegance without pretension that you don’t find elsewhere in the industry.

Windstar also offers choices. Guests can now choose to book their cruise as an all-inclusive with crew gratuities, all drinks and WiFi included, or as cruise-only and go a la carte on board.

What types of clients should agents target for Windstar?

Most guests are 50-plus years of age and well-traveled. They enjoy exploring ashore in smaller towns and they appreciate the casual, intimate atmosphere on board. They are often foodies who really enjoy Windstar’s elevated dining experience.

What advice can you provide advisors on how to boost their Windstar business?

Since we all started traveling and cruising again, people are spending more on board, booking higher-category suites and longer voyages when traveling long distances. Suggest longer cruise tours. We have expanded our land-tour program and have more options now. Be aware of this trend to stay longer in a destination and ask the right questions to help clients extend their trip.

We are also seeing many more people booking back-to-back cruises for 14-plus days.

Groups are another way to boost your business. Think about family groups, affinity groups or people celebrating special occasions who may want to bring a group of friends together.

We also believe the new option to purchase an all-inclusive cruise or to go a la carte is a real bonus. Explain the benefits of going all-inclusive and try to sell that first. But if a guest doesn’t want that, then we have a cruise-only fare.

Advisors can reach out to their regional sales manager to promote a Cruise Night event, use our Advisor HUB filled with marketing materials and sail with special travel advisor rates to experience the Windstar difference.

Another easy way to increase visibility online is to follow Windstar on social media and reshare our posts with your own message.

How was business in 2022 and going forward into 2023?

Business in 2022 was solid and 2023 is going to be stellar. My advice is to book early and take advantage of our Wave Season offers to make sure your clients have a spot if they want to sail in 2023.