Windstar’s Star Seeker nears delivery as construction enters final stage in Portugal

Star Seeker is receiving its final finishing touches at the West Sea shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, ahead of its scheduled delivery to Windstar Cruises on December 15th, 2025.

The 9,300-ton vessel is set to become Windstar’s first new ship to enter service in a decade, marking a significant milestone for the small-ship cruise operator.

Originally ordered by Mystic Cruises, Star Seeker was acquired by Windstar in 2024 while still in the early stages of construction. Following the acquisition, the vessel’s design and specifications were modified to align with Windstar’s operational and guest experience requirements.

Mystic’s CEO and President Mario Ferreira, who has overseen the building process, described the completion of the ship as a particularly demanding project.

“It is always a moment of great satisfaction to see the completion of a project, but this one was particularly challenging due to its technological complexity and the originality of the requested changes,” he said.

“Congratulations to everyone, from the teams at Mystic to those at the shipyard and Windstar,” Ferreira added.

Following delivery, Star Seeker is scheduled to welcome its first guests on December 28th, 2025, when it departs Barcelona on its inaugural voyage.

The 220-guest ship will undertake a 16-night transatlantic crossing to North America and the Caribbean. The itinerary includes calls in Spain and the Bahamas before the vessel arrives in Miami in early 2026.

After completing its transatlantic debut, Star Seeker is set to operate a series of cruises in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. In April 2026, the ship will transit the Panama Canal before continuing its deployment into new regions. Later that year, the vessel is scheduled to offer a summer season in Alaska, ahead of repositioning to Southeast Asia.

Star Seeker will be the final vessel in the Explorer series, according to Ferreira. With construction now nearing completion, the West Sea shipyard is expected to shift its focus to another project involving Mystic and Windstar. The World Explorer, a ship built in 2019 and currently in service for Mystic, is also owned by Windstar and is scheduled to undergo conversion work at the yard next year.

After completing an existing charter contract and a subsequent refit, World Explorer is expected to enter service for Windstar in December 2026. The conversion will further expand Windstar’s fleet of small ships designed for destination-focused itineraries.

The delivery of Star Seeker represents a key step in Windstar’s fleet renewal plans, as the company prepares to expand its deployment across multiple regions from late 2025 onwards.