Windstar Star Explorer is the newest ship in the Windstar Cruises fleet, and in one sense that is true: she has never sailed for Windstar. But the hull is not new. Star Explorer is the former World Explorer, built in 2019 and bought by Windstar from Mystic Cruises. She has already sailed for Nicko Cruises, Quark Expeditions and Rivages du Monde. She is now in the West Sea shipyard at Viana do Castelo, Portugal, being converted. Her helipad is coming off, her bow is being redesigned and new staterooms are going in. She debuts on 28 December 2026 with a nine-night round trip from Barcelona.
That history is the most interesting thing about her. A seven-year-old expedition-built hull, converted for warm-water cruising, is a sensible way to add a small ship quickly. It also means Star Explorer comes with a strengthened, go-anywhere hull that most small Mediterranean ships do not have.
Windstar Star Explorer: Key Facts
- Debut: 28 December 2026, nine nights round-trip from Barcelona
- History: built 2019 as World Explorer; converted at West Sea shipyard, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
- Guests: 224, in 112 all-suite accommodations, including two Horizon Owner’s Suites
- Suite sizes: from 203 sq ft (Oceanview) to 548 sq ft (Horizon Owner’s Suite), nearly all with verandas or floor-to-ceiling windows
- Crew: 130
- Size: 9,923 gross tons, 131.5 metres (431 ft)
- Dining: Amphora, Basil + Bamboo, the Yacht Club and the Lido Café
- Onboard: World Spa by Windstar, a fitness centre, and a Marina water-access platform
What the Conversion Changes
According to the shipyard work reported so far, the conversion adds staterooms, reworks the public areas, removes the helipad and redesigns the bow. The result is an all-suite ship of 112 suites. Nearly all have a veranda or what Windstar calls infinity windows, floor-to-ceiling glass that opens up the view. Dining follows Windstar’s familiar pattern. Amphora is the main restaurant, Basil + Bamboo the speciality venue, and the Yacht Club and Lido Café cover the casual hours. There is a Marina at the stern for water access, although Windstar has not yet listed the toys that will go with it. There is no scuba programme.
A Winter Mediterranean Season, With Overnights
The maiden voyage calls at Valencia, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Málaga (two days) and Palma de Mallorca, with an overnight in Barcelona. The rest of the winter season is built around overnights in Florence, Barcelona, Nice, Venice and Rome, plus Carnevale and Greek Epiphany sailings. On 14 September Windstar added three new Destination Discovery Events for 2027:
- a Medici wine tasting in Livorno’s Fortezza Vecchia
- a “Spirit of Croatia” evening in Dubrovnik
- an after-hours visit to the Tower of London, including the Crown Jewels, on three sailings only, one of them Star Explorer’s departure of 23 May 2027
Why It Matters
Winter is when the Mediterranean is at its quietest. It is also when most small luxury ships leave for the Caribbean. A 224-guest ship staying behind, with overnights in Florence and Venice, gives the region’s off-season a small-ship option it rarely has. But the word “newest” deserves precision. This is a well-planned conversion of a 2019 ship, not a newbuild, and at just under 10,000 gross tons it is a small ship rather than the yacht Windstar’s marketing suggests.
The Lens I’m Reading This Through
I spent a week under sail in Greece on Le Ponant, a 32-cabin three-master where the food was superb and the real question was value. My review asks whether it is worth twice the price of Ponant’s other ships. I have also sailed Le Bougainville, Ponant’s Explorer class. Star Explorer lands between the two: more suites than Le Ponant, far fewer than a mainstream ship, and a winter season when both the sailing yachts and the big ships are elsewhere. What I would check first is the thing Windstar’s base fare leaves out, which brings me to price.
Prices and How to Book
Windstar’s UK site lists the maiden voyage from £3,125 per person. It does not say which suite category that covers, so read it as an entry-level fare. Windstar’s all-inclusive package, which adds drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities, is not part of the base fare. Price it separately when you compare Star Explorer with lines that include those as standard. Windstar Star Explorer’s winter 2026–27 Mediterranean season is on sale through Windstar and cruise specialists.
This article contains affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t sailed aboard Star Explorer yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
