46 Star Seeker, the first of two 224-guest yachts to be built for Windstar Cruises by West Sea shipyard in Portugal, will spend its maiden season sailing itineraries in the Caribbean, Alaska, Japan and Southeast Asia in 2026 following its December 2025 debut. “We saw a lot of demand from our guests for itineraries in Alaska, Japan and Southeast Asia,” says Jess Peterson, director of destination experience and itinerary planning at Windstar Cruises. “We’ve been to Japan and Alaska before but the feedback from guests showed they wanted the opportunity to go back; the cruises are on sale now and have done much better than we expected. We’re delighted by how popular, all of those destinations are with our guests, in particular the Southeast Asia itineraries, which are a new product for us, are doing really well.” The ship’s maiden passenger voyage is a transatlantic crossing from Europe to Miami, where the ship will be christened on 15 January 2026. “I am thrilled by how well this maiden voyage sold,” says Peterson. “A lot of people really wanted to be on the ship’s first voyage, even if it’s across the Atlantic with not many port calls. We’ve timed Star Seeker to be in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands at the same time as our other ship Wind Star on 31 December, which will be a pretty cool experience for anyone onboard.” After its eight-day christening cruise from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January, Star Seeker will sail three Caribbean itineraries: the seven-day ‘San Juan and the Virgin Islands’, the seven-day ‘Windward Islands Surf and Sunsets’ and the 14-day ‘Lovely Leewards’ itineraries, until the end of March. The ship will then sail a 49-day repositioning itinerary, ‘Star Collector: Grand Caribbean and Americas Explorer’, which will take it from San Juan in Puerto Rico to Juneau in Alaska. The itinerary, which is available in shorter segments, will feature visits to numerous destinations, including the US Virgin Islands, the Panama Canal, Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Seattle, and Vancouver in Canada. From May to August, Star Seeker will sail seven-, 10- and 11-day cruises between Juneau or Seward in Alaska and Vancouver. “I’m really confident in our Alaska programme,” says Peterson. “We have our signature expeditions Windstar Cruises’ new 224-guest yacht will debut in December 2025 before spending its maiden season sailing itineraries in the Caribbean, Alaska, Japan and Southeast Asia Star Seeker MAIDEN SEASON The Shukkeien Japanese Garden in Hiroshima, Japan “ From the feedback, these itineraries are really resonating with guests”
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