Star Pride

The 1988-built (as "Seabourn Pride") cruise ship Star Pride is the first of all three identical Windstar yachts - together with the fleet mates Star Breeze (Seabourn Spirit) and Star Legend (Seabourn Legend).

History - construction and ownership

Windstar Cruises is a luxury travel brand operating a fleet of smaller-sized ships (mega-yachts) with capacity up to 340 passengers. The company call at 150 ports throughout the Caribbean, Central America, South Pacific, Asia, Europe. Currently, Windstar is a subsidiary of Xanterra Parks and Resorts (USA's largest national and state park concession management company).

The 340-passenger ship Star Pride was purchased by Windstar in 2013. The boat was then leased back to Seabourn Cruises (her operator since 1988) for a year, until the transfer was completed in May 2014. Star Pride set sail as the first Windstar new power yacht, out of three.

Decks and Cabins

Star Pride staterooms (156 total, in 13 grades) are all outside and in suite categories - the lowest being Porthole Suite (10 cabins). All cabins are with modern amenities including fully-stocked minibars, Wi-Fi Internet, smart HDTVs (infotainment system), spacious wardrobe with electronic safe box, phone (direct dial), large bathroom (double-sink vanity, bathtub, shower, WC-toilet, L'Occitane bath products), premium bedding sets (top-quality pillows and linens), fresh fruits and flowers.

The largest accommodations are the 3-Bedroom Grand Owners Suites (1375 ft2 / 128 m2 with included outdoor terrace).

The boat has 8 decks, of which 6 are passenger-accessible and 4 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Star Pride guests may choose from various inclusive dining options - AmphorA Restaurant, Yacht Club, Sky Bar & Grill. Windstar travelers usually like to dress up. There are 2 formal nights on weeklong cruises and 3 on fourteen-day voyages. On these nights, a lot of the men wear tuxedos. Women wear luxury cocktail dresses or ball gowns. Other nights are casually stylish (jacket for men, but tie optional; nice outfit for women), or casual (no jacket for men; sundress or slacks for women). For those who do not like formal nights, the Veranda Cafe offers a casually stylish alternative.

Follows the complete list of Star Pride restaurants and food bars.

• AmphorA Restaurant (ship's dining room, open-seating; offers 5-course gourmet dinner menu which is changed daily; along with onboard-made bread, in all ports of call the executive chef goes to the local markets to shop for fresh ingredients)
• Candles Cafe & Veranda (a smaller "dining room" which offers buffet-style breakfast and lunch, as well as a la carte menu through the wait staff; its indoor area is called "Candles Cafe" and features floor-ceiling panoramic windows; the outdoor seating area is called "Veranda" - in the evenings, it transforms into "Candles Grill" al-fresco steakhouse)
• Star Bar (serves the top deck open-air-area).
• Cuadro 44 by Anthony Sasso (deck 6 aft-portside-located specialty restaurant with an Iberian food menu)
• Star Grill by Steven Raichlen (deck 8 midship-located alfresco dining venue serving complimentary BBQ food)

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

While Star Pride offers the signature Windstar experiences (as the famous deck barbecue), she also promotes the company's product development initiative - intimate access to call ports, themed sailings and active interaction with villagers. Activities onboard are very limited and range from food market purchases to performances by local musicians. Public areas include the casino, library, computer center, WindSpa, fitness center, pool and three whirlpool tubs. The marina offers complimentary watersport equipment.

Follows the complete list of Star Pride lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Marina (retractable watersports platform for water skiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, kayaking; the ship provides water rafts, wakeboards, paddleboards and a water trampoline island; the steel cage forms a swimming pool in the sea)
• A Whirlpool (with sunbathing area and lounge chairs)
• Card Room (bridge and board games); Library; Screening Room
• Computer Center (discount Internet packages and rates per minute)
• Lounge (ship's theatre/main show lounge for live evening entertainment)
• The Boutique Shop (now Signature Shop) sells duty-free luxury fashion clothing and accessories
• The Casino (gaming lounge aft on deck 6, with blackjack/roulette gambling tables, slot machines) was replaced with the Cuadro 44 restaurant.
• Compass Rose (ship's main bar lounge with grand piano)
• The Wellness Centre (WindSpa, Beauty Salon, Gym). WindSpa (operated by Steiner) has treatment rooms (for massages), Saunas, Steam Rooms.
• The Fitness Center (with floor-ceiling windows; has free weights, treadmills, elliptical machines; offers complimentary exercise classes); Courtyard
• Pool Area (with one rectangular swimming pool, two whirlpools on platforms and a 3rd whirlpool at the ship's bow, sunbathing and shaded areas)
• The Yacht Club (Constellation Lounge with floor-ceiling windows for 270-degree views)
• The Sun Deck (with padded luxury sun loungers and deckchairs).

Itineraries

Star Pride itinerary program is based on Asian cruises with departures from Singapore and Hong Kong. The Windstar Pride ship also sails in the Eastern Mediterranean from Venice, Athens/Piraeus and Istanbul, with Suez Canal transit on repositioning.

Star Pride was acquired from Seabourn Cruises and renamed from "Seabourn Pride". In 2013, Windstar announced that Seabourn Pride will be renamed "Star Pride" in May 2014. The ship left Seabourn on March 30, 2014, and entered Windstar's fleet on May 5. Seabourn Pride, just like the sisterships, was fitted with LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) - a non-lethal method created to fend off attackers.

In 2006, an article at the Forbes website declared Seabourn Pride's "New Year Cruise" the world's most expensive one in its cruising category.

Ship's June 2016 drydock refurbishment cost USD 4.5 million and included a full renovation of 2x Owner Suites (cabin amenities, fore-located private sundecks), redesigned AmphorA restaurant, renovated public spaces (Screening Room, Reception, lobby area, corridors and hallways). Ship's two Owner Suites were fully renovated, including their fore-located private sundecks.

WINDSTAR cruise ship reconstructions 2019-2020 drydock refurbishments review

On November 15, 2018, Windstar Cruises announced company's "Star Plus Initiative" - drydock refit and refurbishment program budgeted USD 250 million. The project was partially financed through Export Credit facility guaranteed by SACE Italy (financial and insurance products and services). The "Star Plus" drydocking project includes enlarging (stretching) and engine upgrades for fleet's three Star-Class vessels (in brackets - completion dates) - Star Breeze (February 20, 2020), Star Legend (July 2, 2020) and Star Pride (November 20, 2020).

Windstar's "Star Plus" project increased the fleet's capacity by 24%. When completed, the project will result in bigger capacity (254 to 320 passengers, 140 to 190 crew), increased GT tonnage/volume (9975 to 12995 tons), increased length (134 to 159 m), more staterooms (106 to 156), adding new venues and public spaces, machinery upgrades (new Wartsila marine diesel engines). The project was scheduled for the period October 2019 through November 2020, at Fincantieri's shipyards in Palermo (Sicily Island, Italy) and Trieste (Italy).

The ships' drydock lengthening includes cutting each vessel in two and installing a new (prefabricated) midship section with length 25 m (83 ft). Vessel's LOA length will be increased from 134 m (439 ft) to 159 m (522). The midship section has an additional elevator. These sections were built (pre-fabricated and assembled) in Trieste, then barged to Palermo to be inserted into the vessels.

Following the drydocks, each ship will have 2 new dining venues (Cuadro 44 by Anthony Sasso, Star Grill by Steven Raichlen), new / expanded retail shopping space (Signature Shop), enlarged Gym (Fitness Center with Motion Studio for classes), expanded wellness complex (WindSpa by Steiner), new bar lounge (deck 5), larger sundeck and swimming pool (deck 7), new tender loading area (deck 3 midship), two new tender boats (90-seat each), new whirlpool and enlarged swimming pool (on deck 8), expanded and upgraded staff-crew areas and crew cabins. The two new dining venues are a specialty restaurant (Cuadro 44, aft-portside on deck 6, the former Casino area) and a casual outdoor BBQ restaurant (Star Grill, adjacent to Star Bar on deck 8).

Cruise ship's powerplant will be upgraded from the current four Bergen diesel engines (model B33:45, combined power output 7,3 MW) to 4 Wartsila engines (model Wartsila 46F, combined output 5 MW) running on the cleaner ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel) fuel.

Each liner will receive 50 new cabins (to a total of 156), which (based on the total investment) means shipbuilding cost per berth USD 267,000. Among the new cabins are two Midship Owner Suites and two enlarged Forward Grand Owner Suites - all located on Deck 6. All existing staterooms will be completely refurbished, including bathrooms, balconies, sliding doors, furniture, equipment. The new public spaces and staterooms were designed by the NYC-based "The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry".