{"id":70209,"date":"2021-03-30T13:57:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T17:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/?p=70209"},"modified":"2021-03-30T13:57:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T17:57:57","slug":"windstar-cruises-will-require-covid-19-vaccination-to-sail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/windstar-cruises-will-require-covid-19-vaccination-to-sail\/","title":{"rendered":"Windstar Cruises Will Require Covid-19 Vaccination to Sail"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE, Wash., March 30, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Until further notice, Windstar Cruises<\/a> will require proof of a current COVID-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard Windstar\u2019s yachts. The cruise line arrived at the decision in the best health and wellness interests of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit. Many Windstar destinations and some airlines have announced or are considering vaccine mandates, providing further support for the new Windstar policy. Windstar is a leader in small-ship cruising with six, boutique all-suite and sailing yachts (carrying fewer than 350 guests each) that access the smaller ports, waterways, and destinations the large cruise ships cannot.<\/p>\n

\"Wind<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at the science behind the virus, we see consistent recommendations for wearing masks, social distancing, testing, and enhanced cleaning. In response, Windstar developed a new Beyond Ordinary Care<\/a> program, which is a multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus backpack sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout our yachts,\u201d said Xanterra and Windstar Cruises CEO Andrew Todd.<\/p>\n

\u201cVaccination is another layer of safety for all of us, and it\u2019s the responsible course of action as our yachts resume cruising and our guests travel the world,\u201d said Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises.<\/p>\n

Current government and news reports about increased vaccine availability in the United States and abroad give Windstar confidence that guests who wish to sail with the line will have time to be vaccinated before travel. Crew members will be required to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them. This Windstar standard is subject to change as CDC guidelines change. Windstar will periodically review this and all other COVID-19 policies for updates as the pandemic evolves.<\/p>\n

Windstar will restart operations in June 2021 in a phased manner, with initial cruises at a reduced guest occupancy, some modified itineraries, and with enhanced health and safety protocols. To provide guests with greater flexibility, Windstar has moved the final payment date from 120 days to 60 days prior to cruise departure.<\/p>\n

The timeline for resumption of operations is:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Star Breeze<\/em> \u2013 June 19, 2021 \u2013 Caribbean
\nWind Star<\/em> \u2013 June 19, 2021 \u2013 Mediterranean
\nWind Spirit<\/em> \u2013 July 15, 2021 \u2013 Tahiti
\nWind Surf<\/em> \u2013 August 8, 2021 \u2013 Mediterranean
\nStar Legend<\/em> \u2013 Sept 4, 2021 \u2013 Northern Europe
\nStar Pride<\/em> \u2013 November 3, 2021 \u2013 Caribbean<\/p>\n

At the cruise terminal prior to embarkation, guests will be required to provide proof of a completed current vaccine course (one or two shots, depending on the brand) finished at least 14 days prior to the guest\u2019s embarkation date. Negative COVID-19 test results will also be required prior to embarkation.<\/p>\n

For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit http:\/\/www.windstarcruises.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: Find downloadable images<\/a> here: https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/sh\/ngv8gihjkgimihc\/AABlIB61TD1TZbPb35z8u_PRa?dl=0<\/a><\/p>\n

Sarah Scoltock, Director of Public Relations, Windstar Cruises \/ <\/em>sarah.scoltock@windstarcruises.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Sally Spaulding, Account Director, Percepture \/ <\/em>sspaulding@percepture.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

About Windstar Cruises<\/strong><\/p>\n

Windstar Cruises operates a fleet of six boutique all-suite and sailing yachts carrying 148-342 guests. Small ship cruises sail throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, Asia, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada and New England, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Mexico and U.S. Coastal and Australia. Windstar launched the $250 Million Star Plus Initiative<\/em> to transform the three Star Class ships with new suites, restaurants, and a world-class spa and fitness center. The award-winning line is known for immersive experiences, destination authenticity, port-intensive itineraries, exceptional service, and an innovative culinary program. Windstar Cruises is part of the Xanterra Travel Collection, a group of global hospitality and travel companies, one of which traces its history back over a hundred years of operating our country\u2019s iconic national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, Death Valley, and many others. Xanterra Travel Collection is owned by The Anschutz Corporation, the ultimate owner of the Broadmoor, Sea Island, and entertainment giant AEG, Anschutz Entertainment Group.<\/p>\n

*PHOTO link for media: https:\/\/www.Send2Press.com\/300dpi\/21-0330s2p-wind-surf-capri-300dpi.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE, Wash., March 30, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Until further notice, Windstar Cruises will require proof of a current COVID-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard Windstar’s yachts. The cruise line arrived at the decision in the best health and wellness interests of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit. Many Windstar destinations and some airlines have announced or are considering vaccine mandates, providing further support for the new Windstar policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8349,"featured_media":70207,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,12804,682,1,547,354],"tags":[15746,12279,12706],"class_list":["post-70209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-news","category-ap","category-boating-marine-news","category-business-news","category-seattle-news","category-washington-state-news","tag-small-ship-cruising","tag-xanterra-travel-collection","tag-yacht-vacation","has-post-title","has-post-date","no-post-category","no-post-tag","no-post-comment","has-post-author"],"acf":[],"views":7423,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}