As Chris Prelog and his workforce at Windstar Cruises ponder not simply what shall be stylish in journey for 2025, they’re additionally pondering far more long term. How will journey proceed to evolve into the subsequent decade? We had an opportunity to sit down with Chris, president of Windstar Cruises, and discuss a wide-ranging sequence of ideas, points, and contemplations.
The place will vacationers most need to go in 2025, and what’s spurring their curiosity?
We’re seeing loads of enterprise in and round of Europe and the large information for Windstar is that we’ve expanded to year-round cruising within the Mediterranean. Star Legend is providing winter-in-the-Mediterranean voyages and we’re discovering that our vacationers, most of whom have already traveled broadly in Europe, love the concept of visiting locations like Good, Marseille, Barcelona and Rome at a really totally different time of yr. In December, the Christmas Markets had been an enormous draw (and that’s taking part in out in strong 2024 winter bookings for the approaching December) and we’re seeing loads of curiosity in exploring cities which are open for enterprise, with out crowds.
Iceland is one other vacation spot in demand, and we’re completely satisfied to see that the volcano eruption that occurred over the previous two months is not affecting life on the island. The Blue Lagoon, which had been closed for a month (and is a favourite place to go to for our vacationers in additional temperate seasons) has reopened.
For our vacationers, notably North American visitors who’re in search of new discoveries in Europe, we’re additionally seeing enormous curiosity in Canary Islands cruises. This archipelago of Spanish islands, off the west coast of North Africa, is primarily a draw for nature lovers and there’s additionally loads of tradition, principally influenced by Spain, and even very unique kinds of wine making. It’s humorous that for Europeans, the Canaries are a part of a longtime journey map (I first began touring there from my hometown in Austria as a younger boy) and there’s a lot to love, together with volcanoes, seashores, camels, foliage, a wealthy tradition that has a sure slower high quality of life than you’ll find in Spain.
And I can’t totally reply your query about 2024 – and past — with out speaking about French Polynesia, which is a primary vacation spot for Windstar. We now have a ship change arising in February with Star Breeze changing Wind Spirit. This doubles capability in a area the place we’ve been crusing for over 35 years and a ship really is one of the simplest ways to expertise Tahiti. It’s additionally very aggressive from a worth proposition.
What has Windstar – and the cruise business – discovered from the worldwide conflicts of the current previous and the way will these learnings pertain to 2025?
If the assorted international occasions have taught us something, it’s to stay versatile, agile and be fast to adapt to any modifications coming at us. You don’t know what occurs tomorrow/subsequent week and naturally the newest trigger to alter course has been the battle between Israel and Gaza, which has affected our Center East itineraries.
Our workforce has develop into an knowledgeable at, with lighting velocity, having the ability to regulate our program and cruises. They make it look simple and belief me, it’s not, however on this case we shifted Star Legend to year-round Mediterranean, and the season is progressing properly.
In Iceland, current eruptions have captured international tourism – all quiet, now – however there’s positively extra curiosity in Iceland due to the volcanoes. We use the time we’re there to indicate the fantastic thing about Iceland to visitors – its waterfalls, underground volcanoes, lagoons, the pure variety.
For me, life’s largest luxurious is peace, and luxury, clearly, but in addition time. There’s nothing extra luxurious than peace and time.
Chris Prelog
And we’re at all times seeking to present our visitors locations they maybe haven’t seen. The Canaries lend itself so properly to our Wind Class of ships as a result of, properly, it’s at all times windy. You get the Sahara winds that blow from Africa over the Atlantic (the seashore in Fuerteventura is purple due to the sand). Related in reality to the Greek Islands expertise on a crusing vessel. It’s all about offering intriguing vacation spot with the best ship designed for his or her areas.
How has the onboard expertise, not simply at Windstar but in addition on different luxurious and small ship cruise traces, advanced in 2023 and the place do you see it persevering with to alter shifting ahead?
For us, an experiment to create new ambiences onboard advanced from a partnership with two sister resorts: Colorado’s Broadmoor and Georgia’s Sea Island. Each properties have compelling ambiences – very totally different – and we’ve designed present suites on Star Breeze and Star Legend to evoke their sensibilities and create a hyperlink between land and sea. They’ve been massively in demand and we’re increasing the redesign to different ships within the fleet. In reality the hassle was awarded the very best suites design on small ships from Cruise Ship Interiors (CSI).
Past that, we’re at all times evolving our onboard product. After we determined to renovate the suites, we didn’t need to do like for like, we wished a theme. It comes from a spot of being 180 levels from unusual.
One other onboard spot we’re focusing is the marinas which are on all six ships within the fleet. One visitor was standing on the marina, and commented “now I’m heading into my pool” and that pool was the ocean – the largest pool there’s.
In different methods, an enormous evolution within the cruise business is that this: There’s now a cruise for just about each model of journey. There are cruises for conventional vacationers who like to go to sea the way in which they’ve at all times been going, and there are voyages that attraction to new-to-cruise vacationers who’re drawn by smaller ships and expeditions. Many vacationers at present crave port-intensive schedules, and by that I imply not hustling from one place to a different every single day however to have extra high quality time to spend in ports themselves.
Theme cruises have taken on an entire new which means too. From the early days, the place they had been primarily centered round meals and wine (and these are nonetheless extremely standard), we’ve seen nice attraction of themes corresponding to System One. Sports activities is a theme that we’re persevering with to discover, starting from collaborating in occasions to creating extra lively experiences that permit vacationers to be extra engaged in locations. We’re additionally creating alternatives which have particular impression – and likewise create highly effective recollections. It’s not nearly donating funds – although we consider that’s necessary, too – but in addition about exposing visitors to distinctive initiatives that provide new views for them Our partnership with Coral Gardeners in Moorea is one such instance.
For me, the largest luxurious is peace and luxury, clearly, but in addition time. There’s nothing extra luxurious than peace and time.
What shall be new for Windstar this yr?
Before everything, we’re so enthusiastic about Star Seeker and Star Explorer, our new ships. Star Seeker debuts in December 2025 and Star Explorer launches a yr later. Each ships carry 220 visitors – so are proper in step with Windstar’s different vessels. And but they’ll have some contemporary new choices, too.
We now have been sharing rather a lot in regards to the in-the-shipyard expertise of Star Seeker and I hope you might be following alongside. And launching a brand new ship means we have to make numerous different choices, too, from selecting Star Seeker’s government management workforce and to planning itineraries. At this level, Star Seeker’s first yr or so will see it within the Caribbean, Central America, and Alaska, and within the fall the ship strikes to Asia, the place there are itineraries that target Japan in addition to others in Southeast Asia.
The place will you trip in 2025 and why did you select the journey?
Subsequent yr I promised a faculty good friend of mine to come back and go to her at a particular trip place in Austria. As a local Austrian, it’s thrilling to make discoveries there and my spouse, Silke, and I are spending per week at Montestyria in Mariazell, Austria. This can be a implausible property constructed out of a number of particular person chalets the place you possibly can hire a chalet, have pool and full lake entry, you possibly can hike, get wonderful meals and be in complete peace and tranquility.
And I feel that our want for a “slower journey” trip mirrors what we’re listening to from loads of our visitors, who’re craving a little bit of peace and quiet together with discovering new locations and experiences. In reality, that’s fueling a renewed curiosity in longer itineraries – and impressed us to create our 55-day 2026 Grand Caribbean Journey.
