Windstar Cruises has a new program for travel agents, new itineraries, and a new v.p. of travel agency sales.
Rising Star’s Travel Agent Challenge
A new program for agents, the Rising Star’s Travel Agent Challenge, gives top-selling agents of the cruise line’s new all-suite power yachts the opportunity to win a red carpet weekend in Hollywood during the 2015 Emmy awards. The top four agents who generate the most bookings on the Star Pride, the Star Legend, and the Star Breeze now through July 31, 2015, will win a VIP experience the weekend of Sept. 20, 2015. The VIP weekend includes two tickets to the 2015 Emmy Awards gala and pre-show, two nights at the local Ritz-Carlton, dinner for two on Saturday and Sunday nights, transfers between airport, hotel, and ceremony, and complimentary air credit for a Windstar getaway. For more information on the challenge, visit windstarcruises.com/risingstars.
New 2016 Sailings & Events
Windstar has added 11 new voyages for its 2016 offerings and 30 new ports of call, including the line’s first time sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The itinerary includes a stop at Little Bay, Montserrat, where Windstar will be the first cruise line to make regular calls there since the 1995 eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, which buried the island’s capital city. New offerings also include voyages that highlight the ABC Islands, and the European collections includes a 7-day circumnavigation of Iceland.
Additionally, each sailing now features a private event with a region-specific experience, allowing guests to dive into the culture of the area a bit more during their sailing. Royal chef Darren McGrady will be on board the June 19 Idyllic British Isles sailing, and will attend the private event at Picton Castle. On board, chef McGrady will prepare a 3-course royal feast for guests, while explaining each course and the cooking techniques, as well as sharing experiences from his time as the chef at Buckingham Palace. He will also host an afternoon tea on board.
New V.P.
Steven Simao has joined Windstar Cruises as the new v.p. of travel agency sales, overseeing the domestic and international sales for the line’s retail travel agency channel. Simao brings with him 20 years of cruise industry experience, most recently as the director of international sales for Holland America and Seabourn.
A Godmother is Named
Star Legend’s godmother, Gloria Bohan, is the CEO of Omega World Travel, the largest travel agency founded, operated, and majority-owned by a woman. “Thank you for highlighting the work a travel agent does,” says Bohan, who first cruised with Windstar in November 2014. “The passion that ignited me [to become a travel agent] was the cruise industry,” she adds. Windstar will unveil the Star Legend on May 25 at a christening ceremony in Rome.
In addition, the Star Breeze was christened on May 6 in Nice, France, marking the ship’s inaugural voyage through France, Monaco, and Italy. Wendy Perrin, TripAdvisor’s first-ever travel advocate and the founder of wendyperrin.com, serves as the godmother. The ship will continue to sail in the Mediterranean during the summer after its inaugural voyage, and in the fall it will set sail on Windstar’s latest Caribbean itinerary—Icons of the Dutch Caribbean—and then continue sailing in Panama and Costa Rica for the winter season. For more information, call (800) 258-7245 or visit windstarcruises.com.
