Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

New Windstar policy allows close-in cancellation without penalty

Windstar in Alaska.jpg
A Windstar ship in Alaska
Windstar Cruises, which has canceled all 2020 Asia sailings, rolled out a new policy that allows travelers to cancel on short notice.

Travel Assurance Booking Policy

The new Travel Assurance Booking Policy addresses concerns about booking in advance due to coronavirus uncertainty.

For cruises departing on or after June 1, passengers can cancel up to 15 days before sailing without incurring a fee.

Automatically applies to departures from June 1

The policy automatically applies to new and existing cruises departing on or after June 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2021.

Travelers who cancel up to 15 days prior to departure will receive a 100% future cruise credit to be used on another cruise within one year of the issue date of the credit. The offer is good for the cruise fare only.

Coronavirus precautions

Like other lines, Windstar has implemented an enhanced health screening questionnaire for passengers and crew. Also, crew travel through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea has been suspended. No one will be allowed to board if they’ve been in or traveled from or through  China, Hong Kong, Macau or South Korea, or had close contact with anyone suspected or diagnosed as having COVID-19 30 days prior to sailing.

All passengers and crew are being administered a no-touch thermal scan to screen for fever, and will be denied boarding with a temperature of 38 C°/100.4 F°.