The ship attacked by pirates in 2005
On 5 November 2005, one hundred and fifteen kilometres off Somalia, two fast
boats opened fire on this ship, then named Seabourn Spirit. Automatic weapons
and rocket-propelled grenades. One grenade stayed lodged in a bulkhead. The
master-at-arms was wounded by shrapnel. No guest was hit, the master opened the
throttles and the ship escaped boarding. Two crew members were decorated by
Queen Elizabeth II in May 2007.
That was twenty-one years ago, on a ship that has changed name, owner,
engines and length since. But it is a matter of public record, and a client
searching this hull's name will find it.
A lengthened former Seabourn
Built in 1989 at a German yard as the Seabourn Spirit, she was bought by
Windstar on 6 May 2015. In November 2020 she was cut in half to take a new
twenty-five-and-a-half-metre section, fifty extra cabins and one hundred more
guests, bringing capacity to three hundred and twelve. The work was due to
finish in February; it was delayed by asbestos found in the engine room.
What the fare covers, and what it does not
This is where clients most often go wrong, because "small luxury ship"
suggests all-inclusive. Here the base fare covers meals, in every restaurant on
board and through suite service. That is all.
A daily service charge is posted automatically to your onboard account, per
person per night. It stays adjustable at the guest services desk, but you have
to ask. Drinks are charged, with a service charge added to bar purchases. Wi-Fi
is charged. Excursions are charged.
An optional package, called All-In, bundles drinks, Wi-Fi and the daily
service charge. It is bought before departure and it never covers excursions,
whichever way you buy it. Do the arithmetic before you sail rather than at the
counter: it is the only honest way to compare this fare with a genuinely
all-inclusive line.
Accessibility and comparison
This ship has a lift and cabins described as modified-accessible, though the
number is not published. The three sailing ships in the fleet, including the
Wind Star, have neither lift nor adapted cabin: that
is the first thing to check before comparing two fares. The
Star Pride and the
Star Legend are her sisters, transformed the same
way. All three come from Seabourn.
Booking from Quebec
The contract is with Windstar Cruises Marshall Islands, a Marshall Islands
company whose principal office is in Miami. The general maritime law of the
United States applies, and where it does not, the law of Florida.
A claim for personal injury, illness or death goes to the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, or to the courts
of Miami-Dade County. Every other claim goes to binding
arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in
Miami, and the contract imposes a class-action waiver.
The deadlines are short and they differ by claim type. Six months' written
notice and one year to sue, for personal injury. For everything else,
ninety days' notice after the cruise ends and six months to
start arbitration. The contract also excludes the carrier's liability for
communicable illness, including COVID-19, for emotional distress without
physical injury, and for consequential damages.
The carrier writes plainly that it does not guarantee the itinerary: it may
delay, change or cancel, and substitute another ship or another form of
transport. Nothing establishes a Quebec licence for it. Your protection comes
from here: Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from the Office de la protection
du consommateur, your payments pass through a trust account, and your departure
is covered by the compensation fund for travel agency customers.