41 the scenes too. “Better service areas, smarter layouts and other little details all make their day easier,” says Prelog. “Those things may be invisible to guests, but they never are to the crew. When operations run smoothly, our people can spend more time doing what they do best: taking care of guests. That’s the part people remember.” In addition to diversifying itineraries and building new ships, Windstar Cruises is part-way through a multi-year, multimillion-dollar project to extensively refurbish its three Wind-class ships. “We’ve never believed in standing still,” says Prelog. “Our goal is to stay ‘180 Degrees from Ordinary’, and that means constantly asking ourselves how we can make a great experience even better. Guests love our yachts because they feel personal, not because they’re flashy, so when we invest, it’s never to make a change for the sake of change. It’s because we’re asking questions like, ‘Can this space work better?’, ‘Can the crew deliver service more easily?’, or ‘Can we make guests feel even more at home?’ We’re always looking ahead. Ships aren’t something you finish – they’re something you keep improving, and fortunately we haven’t run out of ideas yet.” Windstar Cruises is also investing in new technologies to assist crew with everything from provisioning to food service and operational planning. “When those systems work well, our crew spends less time chasing paperwork and more time connecting with guests,” explains Prelog. “On our newest yachts, we’re also introducing hybrid propulsion technology and shore power capability so we can operate more efficiently while reducing our environmental footprint. If guests finish their cruise thinking everything just felt easy, then we’ve done our job.” Windstar Cruises has also partnered with software firm Cresta to develop an agentic artificial intelligence (AI) solution that gives contact centre employees real-time insights into every guest interaction, enabling faster, more accurate and personalised responses. “AI isn’t replacing the human side of hospitality; it’s helping us become even better listeners,” says Prelog. “Every conversation with a guest tells us something – maybe it’s what excited or surprised them, or perhaps it’s something small we could do better next time. AI helps us spot those patterns much faster than we ever could manually. Hospitality is still a people business – AI just gives our people a better map. “Together, investments like these give us more ways to do what Windstar Cruises has always done best: help our guests experience destinations in a more personal way.” The new Star Seeker features Windstar Cruises’ popular Yacht Club, which has been updated and now opens in the evenings for cocktails and live music Star Explorer will be purpose-built to travel along rivers then sail into coastal destinations, such as Genoa, Italy
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