News
It's not unusual for the President of a US-based cruise line to make an annual visit to the UK to show their face, make a few cobbled-together announcements, claim to be committed to the growth of the UK market, and generally press the flesh. In contrast, it is always refreshing to see the slightly off the wall President of quirky cruise line Windstar Cruises, Chris Prelog. Here's all the latest news from Windstar...
Chris is highly entertaining, has plenty to say, and always needs another member of Windstar staff to be present as a minder, to stop him blurting out all the future plans and secrets. This year, though, he had so much to report that he could hardly manage to tell us everything!
Accompanied by Chief Commercial Officer Janet Bava, and local sales chief Augustus Lonsdale, he invited us to the O2, which seemed a bit out of the way, but when we got there, we found out why. Windstar Cruises are now the Main Sponsor of the O2 Arena, which means there will be advertising everywhere, on the billboards and tickets, as well as a ship model in the smart Qatar lounge, the Ninety Third.
This may feel a bit out of nowhere, but less so when you realise there is a link via their common billionaire owner, Philip Anschutz, who keeps within his stable the O2, AEG and the Xanterra Travel Collection, including many of America's national parks, a couple of hotels, a selection of specialist tour operators as well as (the jewel in the crown in our opinion) Windstar Cruises.
Chris Prelog, a graduate of one of the prestigious Austrian hotel schools, started his career working on board luxury ships. His hands-on management of Windstar Cruises reveals his passion for this little company, and he is clearly very excited that their deep pocketed but astute owner is so committed to future growth. A conversation with him feels therefore very far removed from the Corporate America presidents beloved (understandably) of the markets, with their backgrounds in corporate finance and business analysis.
The intimate sailing ship Wind Star will be operating Canary Islands cruises next winter (2026/2027) - a lovely winter sun option for Brits who don't want to fly long haul.
And, there will be two ships in Tahiti from 2027, one motor yacht and one sailing ship: for those who have not yet visited the extraordinary paradise islands of French Polynesia, this is a must do destination: and to justify the long flight, don't just go for the one week options, but look at longer itineraries which include the Marquesas or Cook Islands.
Year-round departures in the Mediterranean give a lovely winter alternative to the river cruise Christmas Markets, or indeed a city break: enjoy being away from the crowds, getting easy access to museums and sites, and a warm welcome from bars and restaurants.
The Wind Class ships are all being refreshed, which means that the multimillion dollar upgrading of all six ships in the existing fleet is nearing completion. Aficionados return time and again to these intimate ships with their quirky style and friendly service.
The new ships Star Seeker and Star Explorer are on their way, with Star Seeker joining the fleet imminently - in December this year! She will cross to the Caribbean to meet up with many of her sisters before a summer season in Alaska, then locating across the Pacific to Japan and South East Asia.
The new Asia programme incorporates Japan, the Japanese tropical islands, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. The itineraries are very unusual, and very Windstar: lots of tiny ports, and for the marquee calls, the ship is small enough to go right into the centre of the city, for example Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok - rather than being a long drive away. They can combine beautifully to create some great value port intensive longer journeys well worth a closer look, and land add-ons further enhance the whole trip.
Finally, just to round off the news bulletin in true Windstar style, they have acquired a horse! Called Windstar, it is a showjumper, and they are hoping it will compete in the Olympics in 2028. You can follow it @windstar.eq.
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