Windstar Announces 2012 Schedule

Windstar Announces 2012 Schedule
By Donna Tunney (Travel Weekly)

Windstar Cruises announced its 2012 sailing schedule to the Caribbean, Baltic and Mediterranean seas, Costa Rica, Italy and the Greek Isles. The Seattle-based line operates three luxury yachts: the Wind Surf, the Wind Star and the Wind Spirit.

The Wind Surf will operate seven-day Flavor of Caribbean cruises roundtrip from St. Maarten January through March. In July and August it will sail 11-day Treasures of Northern Europe from Lisbon, and seven-day Capitals of Scandinavia cruises from Oslo, Norway. Also in August it will operate two Best of the Baltic cruises from Stockholm, Sweden, with an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Wind Star will operate six Panama Canal cruises. The seven-day sailings will depart from Costa Rica. The ship also will sail a 21-day transatlantic cruise on March 31 from Panama to Lisbon.

The Wind Spirit will sail a series of seven-day Greek Isles and Mysteries of Malta cruises June through October, from Athens. All three ships will offer seven-day Islands of Italy voyages from Rome, with departures in April, August and October.

Windstar’s parent company, Ambassadors International, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 1 and plans to sell the cruise line to Whippoorwill Associates, a White Plains, N.Y.-based private investment firm. Ambassadors has said that the line is operating normally while the acquisition is under way. The sale is expected to be completed by May 23.