That one’s too big! This one’s too small! But Star Pride, I discover, is just right.
I used to feel like Goldilocks when seeking the perfect-size ship for my next cruise vacation. Those behemoths with a dozen or more passenger decks and thousands of shipmates were overwhelming, while the tiny yacht-like vessels seemed limiting in terms of public spaces and activities. Star Pride, I found, is the answer: A little of slip of a thing that manages to incorporate a whole lot of big ship choice into a compact little 12,995 grt, 312-guest package.
Not New … But You’d Never Know It!
Star Pride gleams beneath the Mediterranean sun as my taxi speeds me to the Piraeus terminal to board the ship’s inaugural sailing. This “inaugural” is just the latest for the luxury vessel that first emerged from the shipyard in 1988 to sail under the Seabourn Cruise Line banner as Seabourn Pride. Twenty-five years later, rechristened Star Pride, the ship joined the Windstar Cruises’ fleet which soon announced big plans for her (and sister ships Star Breeze and Star Legend) in the form of the Star Plus Initiative, a complex and aggressive $250 million renovation program that would lengthen the ship by cutting it in half and inserting a new 84-foot section that would add 50 suites, dining venues, an infinity pool, and an expanded gym and fitness center. And the initiative would go behind the scenes as well, replacing the ship’s engines and adding technical bells and whistles that make Star Pride more environmentally friendly.
The result, even from a distance, is breathtaking: A stunning ship with classic lines, her only frill the iconic and elegant Tiffany-blue stripe that identifies Star Pride as a member of the Windstar fleet.
Stellar and Spacious Digs
Yachts and small ships offer the intimate atmosphere I crave but, with space at such a premium, I’d learned to accept snug accommodations and a bathroom with a cramped little shower that makes leg-shaving an exercise in contortion. Not so aboard Star Pride. Today, I open the door to a generous living space with a queen-size bed dressed in luxury linens, an ample sitting area, and a roomy walk-in closet. My suite has a little Juliet balcony, too narrow for furniture but perfect for gazing out to sea. Even the bathroom is a stunner, completely modernized and as functional as it is beautiful, with a full shower with both hand-held and rain shower options and a selection of high-end L’Occitane toiletries.
Mine is an original Star Pride suite, something that is distinguished by the placement of the bed near the suite’s entrance. Suites added during the Star Plus Initiative feature a sleeping area alongside the window or balcony for those who prefer to wake with a view of the ocean. But, most astonishing of all is that suites aboard Star Pride begin at a generous 277 square feet!
Like a Big Ship … Only Smaller!
Is this an optical illusion?? As I roam Star Pride, I find spacious lounges and showrooms, an observation library, specialty restaurants, a quirky alfresco bar, fitness center, spa and salon, sizable deck space, and an infinity pool. How is this even possible aboard such a small ship?
I’ve always believed that there’s nothing that can’t be improved by subtracting thousands of people from it and a cruise aboard Star Pride proves I’m right. With her low passenger capacity, Star Pride has no need for the endless corridors of suites and cabins found on large ships, nor a soaring atrium that rises through multiple decks. What remains is an easy-to-navigate ship that offers in six passenger decks everything that the large ships do (except a casino). It’s perfect for those who don’t want a 20-minute commute back to their suite should they arrive at the pool to discover they forgot their sunglasses.
Yet, at the same time, some of the best features and experiences found aboard yacht-like vessels abound. Star Pride’s retractable marina, for example, opens…
By Judi Cuervo
