On Wednesday (10 April), the US-headquartered luxury small-ship operator announced that two 112-suite Star Seeker and Star Explorer are to join the fleet in the next three years. 

Star Seeker is currently being built at WestSEA shipyard and Star Explorer is already operating for another line as part of a charter deal. 

Speaking exclusively to TTG, Lonsdale noted how Windstar is “very reliant” on bringing customers in from the river and expedition cruise sectors. 

“There’s not a particular market segment that we’re targeting but we can switch-sell from river and expedition because we offer a slightly softer expedition product,” he explained. 

“Everyone is building bigger ships so this is a great time to be a small-ship cruise line. The UK and Ireland is an incredibly competitive market place at the moment. We’ve seen the success that the river cruise sector is having and the exposure that it has had – and we want that for ourselves. 

“With these new ships, we have more capacity and we’re unlocking new destinations.”

Each ship has 112 suites, featuring private verandas and infinity windows. At the aft of the ships, there will be two new Owner’s Suites with wrap-around balconies where guests can have private dinners or evening cocktails. 

Star Seeker and Star Explorer will have ice-strengthened hulls meaning the line can potentially access new destinations. Full itineraries for Star Seeker will be announced in late June 2024. 

To minimise their environmental footprint, the ships have tier III Nox rated Rolls-Royce engines and can connect to shore power, minimising port emissions.

Windstar Cruises president Christopher Prelog said: “Our goal was to ensure these ships are unmistakably Windstar, and a significant amount of effort has gone into achieving this. 

“We are thrilled for this expansion, building on the success of our game-changing Star Class in small-ship cruising with guests and travel partners, while offering new experiences.

"This growth reflects the dedication of our incredible crew and team, allowing us to broaden our destination portfolio and even bring one of our Wind Class sail ships back to Tahiti.”

The fleet expansion also allows Windstar to bring back Wind Star to Tahiti where it will join Star Breeze, adding more capacity to a region where there is strong demand for French Polynesian sailings.