by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:20 PM ET, Thu October 19, 2023
Windstar Cruises announced it would be forced to cancel its
inaugural season in the Middle East next month due to the ongoing conflict in
the region.
According to a statement sent to TravelPulse, Windstar was
set to deploy Star Legend from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a series of itineraries
set to begin on November 23 and conclude in April 2024.
Unfortunately for travelers, the cruise line said “the
evolving circumstances in the region” have forced Windstar to postpone the season.
As a result, the scheduled 10-day Sparkling Sands debut voyage
between Dubai and Muscat, Oman, will be moved to next year, with the new itinerary
setting sail on November 24, 2024.
The inaugural cruise will still boast specially planned
events and executives on board.
“Given the current environment and uncertainty of what is
developing in the region, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the
inaugural season until fall 2024,” Windstar Cruises President Christopher
Prelog said.
“We understand the impact this change has on our guests’
vacation plans, especially over holidays, so we are making this decision now to
allow time for people to change plans,” Prelog continued.
Windstar is contacting all impacted travelers and offering
them the chance to move their sailing to a 2024 date. Customers also have other
destinations to choose from to make up for the canceled season, including the
Caribbean, Panama and more.
The 312-guest Star Legend, one of the line’s newly
transformed Star Plus Class ships, was set to sail in the Middle East and will
now be redeployed for winter 2024. The Windstar itinerary planning team is
working on a new schedule.
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