Windstar Cruises is quietly becoming the line to watch for travellers who like their ports after hours. The small-ship operator has announced three new complimentary Destination Discovery Events for early 2027, taking its shore-side programme to seven events across seven destinations for the year.
The idea is simple: instead of another generic shore excursion, guests get a landmark to themselves for an evening. And the new additions are genuinely tempting.
In Livorno, Italy, passengers on the Europe's Winter Riviera itinerary will be welcomed into the 16th-century Fortezza Vecchia after closing time for Tuscan canapés, cocktails and live music inside the old Medici fortress, with local guides on hand to tell its stories.
In Dubrovnik, two Adriatic itineraries — Iconic & Hidden Croatia and Off the Beaten Path Adriatic — include an evening that starts with sparkling wine and traditional klapa singing in a 15th-century Dominican cloister, then moves to the historic Marin Držić Theatre for Croatian music and dance.
The rarest of the three is in London: a sunset visit to the Tower of London after the public has gone home. Guests on three 2027 sailings get a private viewing of the Crown Jewels, access to the White Tower and the Battlements, tales from the Yeoman Warders and a British-inspired reception in the New Armouries Courtyard. It's attached to a seven-night Tulip Season in Holland & Belgium sailing departing April 29, a five-night Northern Europe sailing departing May 13 (both aboard Star Pride, with the Tower event on May 6 and May 17 respectively), and Star Explorer's 10-night Christening Voyage circumnavigating Ireland, departing June 1.
That last ship is the other big story. Star Explorer enters service with a maiden voyage from Barcelona on December 28, 2026, spending early 2027 in the western Mediterranean before a northern summer covering the British Isles, Ireland, Norway, Scotland and the Baltic, then back to the Mediterranean in autumn. Windstar's 2027 Med itineraries lean heavily into its "Local Season" concept — overnights in port on most sailings, later departures and double overnights in both Venice and Barcelona — so passengers can see cities after dark rather than rushing back to the ship.
Why it matters: these events come at no extra cost to guests on eligible voyages, which is unusual for experiences of this calibre — an empty Tower of London is not something money typically buys easily. They suit travellers who have already "done" the highlights and want a different angle on famous places, and the small-ship format plus extended port stays make the winter and shoulder-season Med sailings worth a closer look. Book early for the Ireland christening voyage if the Tower evening is the draw; capacity on a sailing-sized ship is limited by definition.
Story via Cruise Industry News.