Windstar is right to pass on short U.S. cruises

Windstar’s ships need roughly two days to get beyond the Bahamas to destinations such as the Dominican Republic. That is a lot of travel time to squeeze into a short cruise, and a good reason to leave those sailings off the schedule.

I’m with Windstar on this decision. Smaller ships can reach harbors that larger vessels cannot, but that advantage needs an itinerary with enough time to use it.

Chief Operating Officer Stijn Creuplandt addressed short cruises from U.S. ports during an Oct. 8 media call, pointing to the company’s destination-focused approach. “Miami, Bahamas, that doesn't really resonate,” he said. “It's not really a Windstar product.”

Chief Commercial Officer Janet Bava was less absolute. “We have evaluated. We're just not keen on doing it, but never say never,” she said.

The Caribbean business gives Windstar room to hold its course

Windstar is not reporting the downward pressure on Caribbean cruise pricing seen across the wider market this fall and winter, President Chris Prelog said on the call.

“In fact, we're doing the opposite and have been able to raise prices in the Caribbean,” he said. The company has also secured multiple charters in the region.

Windstar’s ships accommodate approximately 148 to 342 guests. “Our smaller harbors are helping us probably sell our Caribbean season so much stronger,” Bava said, contrasting Windstar’s island choices with the narrower selection of ports available to larger ships.

That is a concrete selling point. Ship size earns its keep when it changes where passengers can go. Higher Caribbean prices make that distinction worth protecting, though the link between harbors and sales is Bava’s assessment.

More winter destinations, rather than a shorter trip

Windstar is also broadening its winter program with the Canary Islands and winter Mediterranean sailings. Prelog said guests want new destinations, while the Caribbean remains part of the offering.

He cited the Canaries’ Spanish and Portuguese art, culture and food, along with terrain ranging from mountains to black-sand beaches. Prelog said he spent much of his childhood in the islands.

Access matters, too. Bava pointed to increasing direct air service from Montreal and Toronto to the Canaries, giving Canadian travel advisors another winter option for snowbird clients beyond the Caribbean.

The 224-passenger Star Explorer, scheduled to launch in December 2026, will spend its first winter in the Mediterranean. Its program starts with a New Year’s sailing departing Dec. 28, and the winter itineraries include Carnival in Venice. Bava described the deployment as another alternative to a Caribbean cruise.

I like the specificity of that choice: another place to spend winter, with an itinerary tied to something happening ashore. It gives the destination-focused pitch substance.

Short U.S. departures would face a less forgiving constraint. Windstar can reconsider them whenever it likes, but a shorter itinerary will not erase the two-day transit. It will just leave fewer days on the other side of it.

Compare Windstar sailings by price on Cruise Lookup.