STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION
Seeing is believing as Porthole Cruise and Travel goes behind-the-scenes behind- the- scenes of Windstar Cruises’ latest enhancement efforts.
There’s nothing quite as fascinating as witnessing the stretching of a cruise ship, and Windstar Cruises’Windstar Cruises’ Star Plus Initiative has been a remarkable process to see firsthand from start to finish. In its simplest form, the lengthening of Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride is not unlike the crafting of a limousine. Each ship is cut in two down downthe the center and pulled apart, then a prefabricated midsection is inserted and fastened into place. But the enormous scale of it all is just astonishing, and being able to experience each stage — from personally sailing on one of the motor yachts prior to its stretching; visiting the shipyard for the initial cut, separation, and insertion; and now seeing the completed product — has a wonder worth sharing.
Prep Work
Even before a penny of the initiative’s $250 million was spent, a vessel like Star Legend was already a beauty, impressing guests with understated elegance, spacious suites, classic venues, delicious cuisine, and exceptional service. As I experienced on a September 2019 sailing for its final Alaskan cruise of the summer season, perhaps the finest element was the ship’s intimate capacity of 212 passengers, which has since undramatically increased to only 312. It never took (and still doesn’t take) a hike to get from one’s suite to the Yacht Club Café & Library, or from the Compass Rose to the Veranda. Meanwhile, Windstar’s ace amenities stood out, including the James Beard Foundation partnership enjoyed at the Amphora Restaurant, Candles, and beyond.
Even then, the refurbishment had begun as contractors were replacing old glass panels in the Yacht Club during our cruise. However, for posterity, the mission was predominantly to explore and document the areas of Star Legend that were set to change.
Take the library, for instance. Its displaced books are in the observation lounge and digitized movies are on demand, as the library was slated to make way for the enhanced Signature Shop, and the initial retail store would soon free up room for the new Cuadro 44 by Anthony Sasso restaurant. The two aft-most lifeboats were to be consolidated into new larger ones to further carve out extra deck area for each of the venues.
Similarly, the Veranda was later reconfigured and expanded out to the scenic edges of the ship one level above, bringing what was forward outdoor seating inside as part of the updated buffet line.
Mind the Gap
But before any of that, the biggest step towards crossing the finish line was sailing the vessels to the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy, to receive their modifications. By October 2019, Star Legend’s sister ship — Star Breeze — was dry-docked and ready to go. The voluminous concrete basin contained the propped-up vessel, and off its starboard bow was the new 84-foot midsection awaiting placement.
Fincantieri has several Italian shipyards, including ones dedicated to new-builds, but founded in 1898, the historic Palermo one is most known for stretching ships and barges. Before we saw Star Breeze itself, an exclusive tour of the yard showcased two smaller blocks (preassembled structural ship sections) that were earmarked for installation on board.
Previously, the trio of motor yachts each carried six primary lifesaving craft: two standard lifeboats and an offboard motorboat on either side. As part of the ship’s overall reconfiguration, the updated passenger capacity has been newly assigned to two larger 90-passenger tenders and two lifeboats. Consolidated to just four hoisted craft positions, the former rear davit pockets were opened up to accept the aforementioned pair of blocks.
Also ready for insertion was a shapely hull extension of the curved bulbous bow — the forward protrusion below the waterline that makes water flow more efficient — to correspond to the ship’s new length.
Additional heavy machinery dotted the yard in preparation for Star Breeze’s ambitious engine replacement. Above and beyond the stretching, each Windstar motor yacht swapped its power plants with environmentally-friendly alternatives (four new engines per ship) as well as received SCR (selective catalytic reduction) systems, ideal for sailing to sensitive destinations like Alaska.
Wide openings were made into the side upon examination to prepare for the engine modification, as were nearly 5,000 feet of cuts spanning the entire height of the midship superstructure. Consider the massive undertaking of severing not only existing steel but all plumbing, electrical, and ventilation systems that must then precisely match up with fresh equivalents.
After making the final incision, Star Breeze’s bow half was shuttled forward and the new midsection was ready to jockey in between. A set of heavy-duty motorized casters was remote-controlled by an expert operator, slowly but surely sending 84 feet of sheer structure sideways down the basin. To me, the lateral move looked like a partial ship docking at a pier, and then on a dime, as if by bow thruster, it turned 90 degrees with just enough corner clearance to slip into place.
As seen from the upper edge of the dry dock, the prepainted midship had yet to receive its balcony doors, windows, and portholes, but protectively wrapped cabin components were awaiting final fitting. Each ship has now introduced 50 added suites, including a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom Grand Owner’s Suite totaling 1,374 square feet, and all existing suites were enhanced with fully remodeled bathrooms. Plus, all balcony suites replaced their sliding patio doors.
The shifted spaces also required Amphora to be entirely rebuilt in the new section; the displaced former restaurant made way for the debut of Star Porthole Suites featuring beds adjacent to the windows. To offer further variety from the original suites with couches next to windows and balconies, new Star Ocean View Suites, Star Balcony Suites, and Deluxe Suites highlight beds closest to the view as well.
Shortly thereafter, the machined steel was scribed and perfectly welded to the original ship as arterial systems were also reconnected. Then after all outfitting was done, the once-again waterproofed vessel was floated out in order to greet its latest guests.
The Home Stretch
Now that all is said and done, Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride each measure in at 522 feet in length and 12,995 gross registered tons in overall size, but they retain their intimate status with an excellent passenger-to-crew ratio of 1.5-to-1. Besides sporting a rebuilt main dining room, the ships newly showcase Cuadro 44 by Anthony Sasso for Spanish tapas and the Star Grill by Steven Raichlen for upscale barbecue overlooking the freshly elongated pool deck and its elevated infinity edge–style water feature and hot tub.
Literally no detail has gone untouched. Facilitating the new pair of tenders is a brand-new midship embarkation platform, and an extra ADA-compliant elevator (plus modified accessible suites and ramps) makes navigating all the decks more convenient. On deck seven, the fitness center has been significantly enlarged. Additionally, public restrooms were updated, the entire exterior was sandblasted and repainted, and any imperfect puckered steel was altogether cut out and replaced.
Windstar Cruises spared no expense, effectively investing $267,000 per berth to complete the extensive Star Plus Initiative, and the end goal of a motor-yacht fleet that appears nothing short of brandnew was undoubtedly achieved.