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This past season, I had the chance to experience two radically different styles of cruising. One was a journey through the Mediterranean aboard the 300 passenger Wind Surf, a graceful sailing yacht measuring 14,745 gt. The other was a whirlwind…
The Hostile Takeover That Almost Sank Royal Caribbean In 1988, the cruise industry was a hotbed of ambition and intense rivalries. The biggest showdown was between two companies in positive growth mode: Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.…
Royal Caribbean’s visionary project that gave us the Oasis of the Seas was born from a desire to not just build a bigger cruise ship, but to completely redefine the cruise vacation experience. The result was a floating city that…
I’ll be setting out soon on a short two-day cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas. The itinerary is simple—just one port, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. It will be interesting to see just how much one…
Star of the Seas, debuting in August 2025, is Royal Caribbean’s second Icon-class cruise ship and one of the largest passenger vessels ever built. Constructed at Meyer Turku in Finland, the ship measures about 250,800 gross tons, with capacity for…
Windstar Cruises’ flagship is unquestionably the MSY Wind Surf. (If you haven’t seen the MSY prefix before, it’s not all that common. It stands for a Motor Sailing Yacht.) Before we go deck by deck through the interiors, I wanted…
A cruise line like no other, Windstar Cruises. Windstar Cruises stands out in the cruise industry—rooted in bold innovation, boutique luxury, and a unique heritage. Here’s the full story: where it began, who founded it, and how it evolved into…
CruiseInd is heading back to sea—and this time, we’re trading in megaships for masted sails. Next week, we will be boarding a Windstar Cruises voyage through the heart of the Mediterranean, tracing a classic route along the storied Riviera aboard…
Star BreezeStar Breeze, originally built as Seabourn Spirit in 1989 and acquired by Windstar in May 2015, underwent an 84 ft mid‑ship lengthening in early 2020 as part of the “Star Plus” initiative. The yacht now measures 522 ft LOA with a…
Star SeekerStar Seeker, Windstar’s first new-build superyacht, is scheduled for delivery in December 2025 from WestSEA Shipyard in Portugal. The vessel measures approximately 9,934 GT with capacity for 224 passengers in 112 all-suite accommodations—all ocean-view, featuring private verandas or floor-to-ceiling…