Windstar Cruises is quietly doing something almost no other cruise line is doing: getting smaller. The line's managing director for global commercial, Helen Beck, was in Australia recently and laid out a busy roadmap — a first new-build in nearly 40 years, a multimillion-dollar yacht makeover program, and a new category of sailing that blends river and ocean cruising.
The fleet expansion started with Star Seeker, the line's first purpose-built ship in almost four decades, which launched in 2025. Its sister, Star Explorer, follows in December with a Mediterranean maiden voyage after a refurbishment to match. Both carry a maximum of 224 guests, with five complimentary dining venues — including the Mediterranean-Asian restaurant Basil + Bamboo — two lounge-bars, a spa and the water sports platform Windstar is known for.
Money is also going into the older ships. Three original Wind Class sailing yachts are being redesigned under the Setting Sails program, with Wind Star already finished. The three Star Class ships, bought second-hand from Seabourn and famously stretched in length between 2019 and 2022, were part of an earlier US$250 million upgrade. Windstar's biggest vessel, the Wind Surf, still carries just 342 guests — and Beck argues the industry should stop calling ships with up to 1,000 berths "small". Her pitch: anything under 250 guests is boutique, and her line's crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1.5 is what makes the difference onboard.
The genuinely new idea arrives in 2027: river-to-ocean voyages on ships small enough to do both. Itineraries include the Garonne and Gironde around Bordeaux plus Portugal's Douro; a Montreal round-trip up the St Lawrence River; and Spain's Guadalquivir into Seville with calls across Iberia and Morocco. Because the ships top out at 15 knots and can squeeze through the Corinth and Kiel Canals — and even dock in central Venice — the itineraries reach places river ships and big resort ships simply can't. Beck sees it as a natural next step for river cruisers nervous about open water or big ships.
Elsewhere, 2027 marks Windstar's 40th year sailing French Polynesia, with two ships based there year-round — from seven-day Papeete round-trips to longer routes through the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Fiji and the Cook Islands. Direct Air Tahiti Nui flights from Sydney to Papeete make it easier for Aussies and Kiwis to get there. Star Seeker's first Alaska season drew strong feedback, with captains able to park near Dawes Glacier and open the marina for kayaks and paddleboards.
The small-ship access shows up in the port lists too: 32 calls in Italy, 26 in Spain and 26 in Greece, many off the mainstream map. New complimentary Destination Discovery Events for 2027 include an evening at the Tower of London with a private Crown Jewels viewing, plus events in Livorno and Dubrovnik.
Why it matters: if you've done river cruising and want to try ocean sailing without 3,000 shipmates, or you just want ports the megaships skip, Windstar is doubling down on exactly that — and 2027 is the year to look at.
