Windstar Cruises has been working hard on their shore excursion program, doubling its offerings to nearly 2,500 choices. The easy to define part of that increase came by sailing to more places around the world. The rest is all a part of being a travel company that does things a bit differently.

Sailing to new regions like Alaska, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and the Holy Land added a number of new off-ship experiences. Expanding the the program on established itineraries added more. How much more?

Windstar now sails to over 330 ports of call worldwide, with 700 cruise departure dates available through 2021. The company’s global expansion offers cruise guests itineraries that are immersive in a particular region or country. Highlights of the global exploration program include

• Late Departures and Overnights– Nearly half of Windstar’s itineraries offer late night departures and overnights in port for more diverse excursion selections
• Discover Destinations After Dark- Choices include evening tours and overnight or multi-day options.
• The Right Tool For The Job- Windstar’s smaller ships that can access and stay longer in smaller ports,
• Not Like Other Cruise Lines– Windstar’s shore excursions are authentic and personalized, allowing time and space to explore local cultures.
• A Wide Variety- Many more choices match shore excursions to traveler interests in three shore tour categories. Beyond Ordinary Tours join Windstar’s Concierge and Essentials Collections that are offered in every port.

Speaking of Windstar’s Beyond Ordinary tours, these are the most over-the-top experiences, those that deserve to be called “once in a lifetime.”

Windstar has introduced a total of ten (out of nearly 2,500) experiences that qualify as Beyond Ordinary Tours. The one-of-a-kind tours, bookable now, are designed for sophisticated travel tastes.

Windstar’s Beyond Ordinary experiences include

1. Málaga & Almeria, Spain, Beyond Ordinary: Alhambra In Depth & Insider’s Granada Overnight Tour
2. Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala, Beyond Ordinary: Tikal National Park
3. Portimao, Portugal, Beyond Ordinary: Algarve Premium Race Tour
4. Ashdod, Israel, Beyond Ordinary: Masada Flightseeing & Jerusalem Exploration
5. Haifa, Israel Beyond Ordinary: Jerusalem, Masada Dead Sea, and Petra Overland
6. Melbourne, Australia, Beyond Ordinary: Decadent Wine & Foodie Experience by Helicopter
7. Bergen, Norway, Beyond Ordinary: Helicopter to Baroniet Manor with Horse Carriage
8. Heimaey Island, Iceland, Beyond Ordinary: Snowmobile & Helicopter Glacier Adventure

The intimate capacity of Windstar’s elegant, small cruise sailing and all-suite ships, each carrying just 148 to 342 guests, allows the company’s Product Development team to craft tours that visit exclusive and unusual sights and out of the way local favorites, personalized for much smaller groups as few as 2-4 guests.

Windstar has doubled its Concierge Collection excursions in two years to more than 110 tours featuring intimate experiences that typically range in size from four to 16. Concierge tours present off-the-beaten path experiences, whether visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, discovering street art with artist Eduardo Hermida in El Ferrol, Spain; taking a “tree to bar” chocolate-making class in St. Lucia using prized trinitario cocoa beans or exploring remote Dry Tortugas National Park by seaplane.

Examples ofnewly developed and popular Concierge Collection tours include:

Adelaide, Australia Concierge Collection: Sea to Wine Biking Tour — An easy bicycle ride from gorgeous Henley Beach traces the River Torrens right into the heart of Adelaide, where a private wine tasting is arranged at the National Wine Centre with a myriad of South Australian wines to learn about and enjoy. After tasting, guests stroll through the Botanic Gardens for a picnic lunch in the park.

Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm, Alaska – Signature Expedition Tracy Arm Kayaking— Windstar Signature Expeditions operate directly from the ship and are led by Expedition Leaders who provide insight, education and commentary while exploring Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness.  Kayak in front of the South Sawyer Glacier or Dawes Glacier, both actively calving tidewater glaciers, spot harbor seals hauled out on ice floes, or mountain goats high on vertical granite cliffs that rise from the sea and spout waterfalls. John Muir referred to this area as “a wild, unfinished Yosemite.”

San Francisco, California – Concierge Collection: Sonoma Wine & Olive Oil Tasting with Lunch — Guests are whisked away by luxury van to the Gloria Ferrer Winery for a private cave tour followed by a wine and cheese tasting. Enjoy lunch in quaint downtown Sonoma Square before traveling to Figone Olive Oil & Production Mill for a private tour and tasting of olive oil and balsamic vinegars, finished with another private winery tasting. This tour offers a full day of classic California wine country experiences.

Balboa, Panama – Concierge Collection: Coffee & Chocolate Foodie Experience — At Casco Viejo, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, guests enjoy a walking “foodie” experience starting at a coffee house with a focus on Geisha coffee, famed for being the most expensive on earth. Naturally next stop is a chocolate shop with an expert chocolatier to guide tastings. The experience finishes in a rum distillery that uses sugar cane cut by hand in a small farm in Chiriqui. The rum tasting is complemented by local ceviche and traditional Panamanian snacks. 

Cozumel, Mexico – Concierge Collection: Chichén Itzá Overnight & Sunrise — Guests head to the Hacienda Chichén Resort for a delicious dinner from acclaimed Mayan chefs serving up exclusively organic and local fare. After a restful sleep at the eco-resort, guests rise by dawn to hike and catch the first sun rays touching the Chichén Itzáruins, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Maya, before the grounds are open to the general public.

Geiranger, Norway – Concierge Collection: Geirangerfjord RIB Adventure — On a RIB (rigid inflatable boat), guests zip through Geirangefjord with a chance to get up close to the famous waterfalls in the scenic fjord, as well as the hauntingly beautiful abandoned farms.  

Hubbard and her team travel the globe to hand-select tour components and operators that are a unique fit for Windstar guests, testing and fine-tuning to ensure each location, activity, meal and experience is the best representation of each port of call. The tour development process, while sounding glamorous, relies on years of expertise and relationships with partners around the globe, Hubbard notes.

Windstar’s aptly named Essentials Collection offers an abundance of options for guests to maximize time in port and truly “see the sights.”These tailored tours guarantee an authentic taste of regional geography, culture and cuisine, and are deemed “must do” activities for first-time visitors providing classic experiences and a comprehensive overview.

Windstar offers more than 1,900 Essentials Collection tours, such as visits to mystical ancient Olympia, or an underwater coral garden in Bora Bora. A few of the new Essentials Collection tours include:

Lembar, Indonesia – Essentials Collection: Sasak Traditional Village & Kuta Beach — Experience the rural lifestyle of a traditional Sasak village in Central Lombok, while your guide shares insights on local culture and architecture. Kuta Beach offers the best seascape in Lombok, and an Indonesian buffet lunch is served at a beautiful tropical resort, with ample time to enjoy the beach.

Istanbul, Turkey – Essentials Collection: Turkish Bath Experience — Relax at the Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Turkish bath, where guests are welcomed in Hammam Square with takunya (wooden sabots) and pestemal (loincloth) then ushered to heated ‘gobektasis’ for a rub down massage and bath.

Messina, Italy – Essentials Collection: 500 Vintage Tour— Visit hidden gems of Eastern Sicily while driving a classic vintage car (Fiat 500) along the beautiful Taormina seafront to the town of Savoca, Francis Ford Coppola’s infamous setting for “The Godfather.”  

Windstar’s “Destination Event” Offers Up to $1,000 Shipboard Credit per Suite to Spend on Shore Excursions and more— In celebration of Windstar’s 2,500 shore excursions, the line’s “Destination Event” is offering cruise guests who book late summer and into fall, a shipboard credit to spend on board on shore excursions, alcoholic beverages and spa services. The up to $1,000 per suite shipboard credit is available on more than 700 voyages to more than 330 ports of call on sailings through 2021; credit varies based on length of cruise and cabin category:

Voyages 14 days or more:

• $1,000 SBC per suite ($500 per guest) for Premium Suites
• $400 SBC per suite ($200 per guest) for Standard Suites & Staterooms

Voyages 5-13 days:

• $400 SBC per suite ($200 per guest) for Premium Suites
• $200 SBC per suite ($100 per guest) for Standard Suites & Staterooms

Premium Suites include: Owner’s Suites, Classic Suites, Officer’s/Bridge Suites and Wind Surf Suites. To use the shipboard credit for shore excursions, tours must be booked on board. 

Windstar’s immersive shore excursions feature smaller groups and smaller ports around the world, and have been honored as the best in the business, recently given the following accolades in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2019 Hot List for Best New Cruise Ships & Itineraries: “As far as Alaskan expeditions go, this itinerary gives passengers more access to so many aspects of the state’s culture than any competitor.” 

To learn more about Windstar’s 2,500 shore excursions and authentic small ship cruising, contact a travel advisor or Windstar Cruises at 1-800-258-7245, or visit www.windstarcruises.com.