Windstar Cruises has cut the first steel for the new mid-section of Star Legend, which will soon be cut in half and ‘stretched’ to offer more staterooms and public areas.
Star Legend is the second of Windstar’s three Star-class yacht-like cruise ships to be lengthened as part of the line’s US $250-million Star Plus Initiative.
Christopher Prelog, Vice President of Fleet Operations for Windstar, pushed the button that began the steel cutting process, more than two decades after he began his career in the cruise industry as Hotel Manager aboard the ship.
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“Today is an especially proud moment for me personally, as Star Legend was the first ship I ever worked on in the cruise industry, two decades ago,” he said.
At the time, Star Legend was called Seabourn Legend, all three ships were purchased from Seabourn back in 2013.
“A project of this magnitude takes time to realise and unfold,” added Prelog. “We’ve accomplished so much already on the first ship, Star Breeze, along with our partners at Fincantieri, that it makes the excitement for Star Legend that much greater.”
“She is a beauty and the coming transformations are going to be truly amazing, for our guests and all fans of Windstar to see,” he said.
The massive refurbishment project will see Star Legend’s passenger capacity increased from 212 to 312. She will emerge from the shipyard with the new mid-section in late June and debut in Barcelona on July 2nd, 2020.
Star Grill by Steven Raichlin will be introduced aboard the stretched ships
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Star Breeze’s mid-section is already almost complete and will be inserted in mid-October, she will sail from Barcelona to Lisbon on February 20th, 2020, and celebrate re-inaugural activities in North America at the Port of Miami on March 19th, 2020 after her dry docking.
Star Legend will complete her refurbishment in late June, 2020 and debut in Barcelona on July 2nd, 2020, while the third and final ship Star Pride will leave the shipyard in the fall of 2020, with her first cruise sailing from Barcelona on November 20th, 2020.
MSC Lirica was cut in half and lengthened at Fincantieri in 2017
Fincantieri has become the ‘go to’ shipyard for this kind of refurbishment work. The Italian cruise line MSC turned to Fincantieri when it decided to lengthen it’s four Lirica-class cruise ships (MSC Lirica, Opera, Sinfonia and Armonia).
“As the reference point worldwide for this kind of highly complex operations we are very proud to partner with Windstar for such an ambitious programme,” said Andrew Toso, Vice President Ship Repair and Conversion of the Fincantieri Services Division.
“The milestone we are celebrating today is the best proof possible of our commitment and successful project management we are bringing in,” he added.
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