Maiden Voyage Malaga to Miami, Windstar Star Seeker

Published on Dec 30, 2025, 4:04 pm CST

4 min read

Key points

Windstar's Star Seeker departed Málaga, Spain, on December 28, 2025 on a transatlantic maiden voyage to Miami, Florida
Star Seeker's christening is scheduled in Miami on January 15, 2026, with Libby Anschutz serving as godmother
The Star Seeker Christening Sailing runs January 15 to January 23, 2026 from Miami to San Juan with ports in the Dominican Republic and the British Virgin Islands
Nearly all of Star Seeker's 112 suites include either a private veranda or a floor to ceiling infinity window
After its Caribbean inaugural season, Star Seeker is scheduled for Alaska in summer 2026 and Asia later in 2026 and 2027

Impact

Miami Embarkation Logistics: Plan to arrive in Miami at least one day early if you are flying in, especially if you have a fixed hotel, tour, or event tied to embarkation day
Suite Category Tradeoffs: Choose between veranda and infinity window layouts early because the new categories on a first season ship can sell out unevenly by deck and location
Caribbean Itinerary Planning: Expect a port intensive week with Dominican Republic and British Virgin Islands stops, so build shore time and tender flexibility into your plans
Air Connections And Misconnect Risk: Use same day flights only with wide buffers and avoid separate tickets when connecting onward after the San Juan arrival
Looking Ahead To Alaska And Asia: If your goal is Alaska or Asia on a small ship, monitor the first season performance and booking pace because Star Seeker capacity is limited

Windstar Cruises' new Star Seeker left Málaga, Spain, on December 28, 2025, beginning a transatlantic crossing to Miami, Florida, ahead of the ship's public christening. The sailing is the first guest voyage for Star Seeker, Windstar's newest 224 guest, all suite yacht, and it functions as both a debut and a repositioning move into the line's Caribbean winter network.

Windstar has scheduled the christening ceremony in Miami on January 15, 2026, and named Libby Anschutz, the daughter of Windstar owner Phil Anschutz, as godmother. After the ceremony, Star Seeker is slated to transition directly into its inaugural Caribbean season, starting with the christening sailing that runs from Miami to San Juan.

Who Is Affected

This update matters most for travelers booked on the transatlantic crossing from Málaga, Spain, travelers joining the Miami embarkation for the January 15, 2026 christening, and anyone holding space on the first Caribbean itineraries that follow. It also affects travelers planning pre cruise and post cruise flights because the maiden voyage terminates in Miami, and the christening itinerary ends in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which can create one way airfare and hotel night decisions.

For air planning, the practical pinch points are Málaga Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) for anyone positioning into Spain, Miami International Airport (MIA) for embarkation logistics, and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) for the San Juan disembarkation. Even when the cruise itself is seamless, tight flight plans can fail if a traveler has no buffer for same day baggage, traffic, or late arrival into the ship's check in window.

What Travelers Should Do

If you are sailing the maiden voyage or the christening week, lock down your flights and a pre cruise hotel now, then align your arrival time with the ship's published embarkation guidance instead of assuming a standard cruise terminal flow. Build extra slack if you are flying into Miami, Florida, because the christening date is fixed, and any missed embarkation can become a same day scramble that is expensive to unwind.

If your current plan relies on same day arrival, set a clear threshold for changing it, for example, any itinerary that lands after early afternoon, any plan that depends on checked bags, or any plan that uses separate tickets for a connection. In those cases, arriving one day early is usually the cheaper decision than trying to self rescue at the last minute, especially during winter peak demand in Miami and the Caribbean.

Over the next 24 to 72 hours, monitor Windstar's guest communications for terminal specifics, timing changes, and any inaugural events tied to the christening sailing. If you are choosing between voyages, watch booking trends and cabin availability by category, since new ships can see uneven sell through as travelers prioritize specific layouts and decks.

Background

A ship christening is a ceremonial naming event, but for travelers it also marks the operational handoff from final delivery preparation to a live schedule with guest service, provisioning, and port turnarounds happening on real timelines. With Star Seeker, the immediate first order effect is new capacity entering Windstar's small ship network, starting with a Miami based Caribbean season, then a full Alaska season, and then longer range repositioning toward Japan and other Asia itineraries. Those moves influence flight demand patterns, hotel nights around embarkation ports, and even shore excursion inventory on small ship heavy port days.

Star Seeker's onboard setup also changes the choice set for travelers who care about cabin design. Windstar has emphasized 112 ocean view suites, with nearly all offering either a private veranda or a floor to ceiling infinity style window, plus new categories such as the 548 square foot Horizon Owner's Suite with a wrap around balcony, and Infinity and Oceanview suite designs that highlight larger windows and mosaic glass showers. In practical terms, travelers comparing price tiers should focus on whether they want outdoor balcony space versus a larger window experience, and whether they value the additional living space that appears in the top categories.

For forward planning, Star Seeker is also part of a two ship expansion. Windstar has said the sister yacht, Star Explorer, is scheduled to debut in December 2026, with an inaugural sailing date of December 28, 2026 shown in its voyage listings. That matters because it signals that Windstar intends to grow this small ship footprint across multiple regions, which can shift availability, pricing, and the best booking windows for travelers who want specific seasons such as Alaska or winter Mediterranean sailings.