SEATTLE — To emphasize the fact that the Caribbean is open for business following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Windstar Cruises President John Delaney will be sailing on the cruise line’s first cruise departing from San Juan this season on Nov. 25.
“Although areas of the Caribbean are still rebuilding after the recent hurricanes, so much of the Caribbean is open and welcoming visitors to their wondrous islands,” Delaney said. “Travellers should not be concerned about beginning or ending a cruise in San Juan, where the cruise terminal has been operational for weeks, along with the airport. I’ll be personally making the trip, arriving the day before my cruise to enjoy time in Old San Juan, giving updates on my Twitter account, and sharing first-person stories on Windstar’s Facebook page.”
To encourage clients to book the Caribbean, Windstar is offering a special ‘Caribbean Is Open Cruise Package’ that includes significant savings, a US$200 shipboard credit and free onboard Wi-Fi, with rates starting at $1,499 per person.
Moreover, for travel agents, Windstar’s ‘Caribbean Take 5’ offer awards agents with a complimentary cruise when booking five staterooms or suites on any Caribbean voyage.
With smaller yacht-like vessels (some of which still boast sails), Windstar can avoid overcrowded waterfronts and bring the much-needed vacationer to smaller islands and more intimate ports of call, contributing to the greater economy of the region. For example, Windstar just announced it will call at Anse Mitan in Martinique and Deshaies in Guadeloupe. While many ships will chart a course towards familiar harbors in the Western Atlantic and Western Caribbean, Windstar is going in the other direction to smaller, rarely visited jewels of the Caribbean islands.
“Windstar can offer experiences and destinations others logistically can’t,” said Delaney. “We also do things many travellers think are long gone, like our open bridge policy, private beach barbecue experiences, and a water sports platform to jump right into the blue waters the Apollo astronauts swooned over from space. Not everyone has to chart the same course.”
