Windstar Cruises marks 40 years of Wind Star service with major refit and refurbishment

Windstar Cruises has marked the 40th anniversary of its first vessel, Wind Star, as the ship undergoes a major refurbishment programme ahead of its return to service in April 2026.

The 148-passenger sailing yacht, which entered service in 1986, is currently in drydock at the Navantia shipyard in Cádiz, Spain, where it is receiving the second phase of upgrades under the company’s Setting Sails initiative.

The milestone was celebrated onsite with a crew gathering and commemorative event.

“Our Executive Chef made the celebration just as spectacular as the ship herself, with an amazing cake to mark the occasion,” the cruise line said in a social media post.

Wind Star is the original vessel in Windstar’s fleet and remains central to its sailing yacht product. The ship previously underwent the first phase of refurbishment work in late 2023, with the current phase focused on interior enhancements and updates to guest spaces.

The refit will introduce refreshed staterooms and redesign key public areas, including Amphora and Veranda, with an updated aesthetic aligned to a yacht-style concept. The work forms part of a broader fleetwide investment covering Windstar’s three sailing vessels, aimed at extending their operational lifespan and maintaining consistency across the onboard product.

Following completion of the refurbishment, Wind Star is scheduled to resume service on April 7th, 2026, beginning a summer deployment in the Mediterranean. The vessel’s first sailing will be a 10-night itinerary between Málaga and Barcelona, marking its return to revenue service after the drydock period.

The ship is then due to reposition to Piraeus in early May, where it will operate a series of seven-night cruises to the Greek Islands and Turkey during the peak summer season. This deployment reflects the continued importance of the Eastern Mediterranean to Windstar’s small-ship programme, particularly for port-intensive itineraries.

Later in the year, Wind Star is scheduled to return to the Caribbean for the winter season, with cruises that include sailings to the Panama Canal and destinations across Central America. The seasonal shift follows the company’s established pattern of alternating between Mediterranean summers and Caribbean winters.

The refurbishment of Wind Star comes as part of a wider upgrade cycle across the sailing fleet. Sister ship Wind Surf is also scheduled to undergo Phase 2 of the Setting Sails programme later in 2026, following an extended drydock period that has already resulted in the cancellation of a planned transatlantic repositioning cruise.

The affected sailing, a 14-night voyage from Lisbon to St. Maarten departing December 5th, 2026, was withdrawn as a result of the extended yard schedule.

Windstar has not detailed the specific scope of the additional work required, but the adjustment reflects the complexity of the ongoing refit programme.

With Wind Star approaching four decades in service, the current upgrades are intended to ensure the vessel remains competitive within the small-ship cruise segment, while retaining the sailing yacht characteristics that define the brand’s core offering.