Windstar Cruises is welcoming the 212-guest Star Pride back to its fleet after an extensive $4.5-million refurbishment that remodeled public spaces, suites, and the ship’s outer decks. She now features the same amenities that her fleetmates Star Breeze and Star Legend received before they entered service. The total investment Windstar has made on these three ships, acquired from Seabourn back in 2013, now exceeds $21.5 million dollars.
“We are extremely pleased with the extensive yacht refurbishment of Star Pride and are excited to be welcoming guests aboard in Windstar’s private yacht style as the Mediterranean cruise season gets under way,” remarked Andrew N. Todd, president and chief executive officer of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, parent company of Windstar Cruises.
So what’s changed? For new and past Windstar guests alike, there’s plenty to enjoy about the new, remodeled Star Pride:
Suite Upgrades: Two Owner’s Suites were completely rebuilt with a new indoor-outdoor floor plan and interior design featuring new linens, towels, furnishings, windows and drapery. Guests staying in one of the two exclusive suites will enjoy a new, extended private deck area with spectacular views over the bow of the ship.
In addition, all luxurious guest suites on the yacht received stylish new coffee tables, and new flat screen televisions. Comfortable sofa beds were added in the living rooms of 12 select suites now offering triple accommodations.
Public Spaces: All guest stairways and hallways were redone in Windstar blues and earth tones, conveying a unified nautical theme throughout the elegant yacht. New carpets and tile flooring were also added to stairwells and all indoor public spaces.
- The Lounge: the former entertainment lounge now includes new flooring, lighting, sound system, and furniture. The newly created elegant ambiance makes the show lounge an amenable space for entertainment, meetings, and small gatherings.
- Veranda: the restaurant in the aft of the yacht expands its outdoor seating to a new courtyard area, complete with a succulent garden wall.
- Star Deck: the top outdoor deck expanded by four feet on each side, giving additional space for guests to relax on deck chairs. The Star Deck also offers a new counter-current pool and whirlpool.
- Library: the Library has been updated with softer colors, new furnishings, and new artwork.
- Star Screening Room: the space transformed from a card room to an intimate screening room where guests can watch the latest movies and play video games.
- Fitness Center: the new gym layout includes new flooring, wall coverings, and window treatments for a cooler and more refreshing wellness atmosphere.
The ship’s Amphora Restaurant also benefited from this recent refit, with new flooring, wall treatments, lighting options, and a redesigned seating layout. A new public bathroom was added outside the restaurant’s main entrance, which is sure to please guests who, in the past, had to hike up one level of the spiral atrium staircase in order to use the restrooms. The Veranda now features sliding glass doors and an aft glass windscreen, while Star Pride now boasts an expanded outdoor courtyard with virtual garden wall, bringing her in-line with sisters Star Breeze and Star Legend.
Star Pride’s upper Sun Deck was also expanded by four feet on either side, following similar renovations to Star Breeze and Star Legend. On the pool deck, a new swim-against-the-current pool has also been installed, keeping her in-line with her sister ships.
Star Pride commenced her first Mediterranean sailing of the year on June 9 from the port of Piraeus. She spends her summer in the warmth of the Mediterranean, before setting out across the Atlantic Ocean in October with a relaxing transatlantic crossing. Star Pride returns to the Caribbean briefly, operating Windstar’s popular Best of the ABC Islands itinerary that operates from Oranjestad, Aruba to Bridgetown, Barbados, and its Jewels of the Windward Islands sailings from Bridgetown.
In early 2017, Star Pride returns to operate Windstar’s Costa Rica & the Panama Canal itineraries before setting out across the Atlantic again in April.
contributed by Aaron Saunders
An avid traveler and an award-winning journalist, Ralph Grizzle produces articles, video and photos that are inspiring and informative, personal and passionate. A journalism graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ralph has specialized in travel writing for more than two decades. To read more cruise and port reviews by Ralph Grizzle, visit his website at www.avidcruiser.com.