{
 "schema": "hk.cei.card/v1",
 "entity_id": "BR39",
 "name": "Windstar Cruises",
 "parent": "Xanterra Travel Collection",
 "peer_group": "Luxury / ultra-luxury ocean",
 "primary_segment": "Luxury small-ship ocean",
 "core_geographies": "Caribbean / Mediterranean / Alaska / Tahiti / Asia",
 "release": "cei-2026-q4",
 "edition": "Q4 2026",
 "methodology": "v2.1",
 "grading_scale": "v2.1",
 "score": 81,
 "grade": "C+",
 "rank": 16,
 "of": 50,
 "peer_rank": 7,
 "peer_size": 10,
 "confidence": {
  "score": 93,
  "method": "counted_citations_v1",
  "counted_citations": [
   "WIND_25",
   "BR39_PXFLEET",
   "BR39_PXAWARD",
   "BR39_PXRATE"
  ]
 },
 "summary": "A distinct small-ship experience and a repeat-rich guest base. Smaller scale can weaken marketing efficiency against luxury groups. Scores for Windstar rest on four counted sources.",
 "narrative": "Windstar Cruises runs seven small ships across a broad geography, with an eighth, Star Explorer, due in December 2026. It pairs yacht-like intimacy with mainstream luxury distribution, and its guest base is rich in repeaters. The cost of small scale is marketing efficiency, where larger luxury groups have the edge.",
 "strengths": [
  "A distinct small-ship experience and a repeat-rich guest base.",
  "A seven-yacht fleet with a clear small-ship identity and broad geography.",
  "Balances yachting intimacy with mainstream luxury distribution."
 ],
 "fragilities": [
  "Smaller scale can weaken marketing efficiency against luxury groups.",
  "Private ownership means outside reads lean on reviews, such as 4.1/5 on Cruise Critic.",
  "Windstar must keep the small-ship offer sharp against more specialized luxury lines."
 ],
 "what_moves_this_letter": [
  "Whether long booking curves and affluent demand keep supporting Windstar's luxury rate power.",
  "Whether Windstar's repeat guests keep booking through the next planning window.",
  "Whether small-ship identity stays clear enough to protect Windstar's lane."
 ],
 "pillars": [
  {
   "id": "demand_quality",
   "name": "Demand Quality",
   "weight_pct": 13,
   "score": 86,
   "class_median": 81.0,
   "evidence_mode": "high_confidence_proxy"
  },
  {
   "id": "pricing_revenue_integrity",
   "name": "Pricing & Revenue Integrity",
   "weight_pct": 13,
   "score": 87,
   "class_median": 83.0,
   "evidence_mode": "high_confidence_proxy"
  },
  {
   "id": "destination_itinerary_advantage",
   "name": "Destination & Itinerary Advantage",
   "weight_pct": 13,
   "score": 85,
   "class_median": 82.0,
   "evidence_mode": "official_source_snapshot"
  },
  {
   "id": "product_experience",
   "name": "Product & Experience",
   "weight_pct": 12,
   "score": 80,
   "class_median": 80.0,
   "evidence_mode": "multi_source_primary"
  },
  {
   "id": "distribution_channel_productivity",
   "name": "Distribution & Channel Productivity",
   "weight_pct": 9,
   "score": 72,
   "class_median": 75.0,
   "evidence_mode": "official_source_snapshot"
  },
  {
   "id": "ancillary_onboard_monetization",
   "name": "Ancillary & Onboard Monetization",
   "weight_pct": 9,
   "score": 76,
   "class_median": 73.0,
   "evidence_mode": "official_source_snapshot"
  },
  {
   "id": "crm_loyalty_ltv",
   "name": "CRM, Loyalty & LTV",
   "weight_pct": 9,
   "score": 84,
   "class_median": 79.5,
   "evidence_mode": "official_source_snapshot"
  },
  {
   "id": "commercial_execution_discipline",
   "name": "Commercial Execution Discipline",
   "weight_pct": 13,
   "score": 81,
   "class_median": 79.0,
   "evidence_mode": "official_source_snapshot"
  },
  {
   "id": "strategic_flexibility_resilience",
   "name": "Strategic Flexibility & Resilience",
   "weight_pct": 9,
   "score": 73,
   "class_median": 74.0,
   "evidence_mode": "high_confidence_proxy"
  }
 ],
 "card_source_codes": [
  "WIND_25",
  "BR39_PXFLEET",
  "BR39_PXAWARD",
  "BR39_PXRATE"
 ],
 "guest_rating": {
  "source": "Cruise Critic member reviews",
  "value": 4.1,
  "reviews": 969,
  "url": "https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/windstar/reviews",
  "read_on": "2026-09-17"
 },
 "developments": [
  {
   "date": "2026-04-21",
   "headline": "Wind Star completes two-phase Setting Sails refit",
   "detail": "Wind Star is the first Wind Class ship to finish both refurbishment phases. Wind Surf completes phase 2 in December 2026 and Wind Spirit in March 2027.",
   "source_id": "WIND_WSTAR26"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-03",
   "headline": "Inclusive-fare promotion through 17 November 2026 with $150 deposits",
   "detail": "Windstar's promotion for bookings made 1 July to 17 November 2026 includes unlimited Wi-Fi, gratuities and select drinks, with a $150 per guest deposit.",
   "source_id": "WIND_AUG26"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-05",
   "headline": "Wind Spirit refit to finish spring 2027; Wind Star ratings up after refit",
   "detail": "Wind Spirit enters drydock in Europe in early 2027, then sails a four-night Malaga roundtrip from 7 March 2027 before year-round Europe deployment. Windstar says the refitted Wind Star has earned some of the fleet's highest guest ratings.",
   "source_id": "WIND_SPIRIT26"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-19",
   "headline": "Cruise Critic snapshot: 4.1/5 across 965 reviews",
   "detail": "A Cruise Critic search-index snapshot showed Windstar at 4.1 of 5 (Very Good) across 965 reviews.",
   "source_id": "WIND_CCUS26"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-08",
   "headline": "kreuzfahrten.de rates Wind Star 4.5/5 on about seven reviews",
   "detail": "German review site kreuzfahrten.de showed Wind Star at 4.5 of 5 from about seven reviews on 8 September 2026. The sample is too small to weigh.",
   "source_id": "WIND_KFDE26"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-17",
   "headline": "Product & Experience pillar added",
   "detail": "Cruise Critic members rate the line 4.1 of 5 across 969 reviews. Seven yachts in 2026, including new-build Star Seeker (December 2025); the eighth, Star Explorer, debuts December 2026. The three Wind Class sailing yachts are in a two-phase refit: Wind Star finished in April 2026, Wind Surf completes in December 2026 and Wind Spirit in March 2027. Won Best Value for Money (luxury) in Cruise Critic's 2025 Best in Cruise Awards.",
   "source_id": "BR39_PXFLEET"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-22",
   "headline": "2028 Europe season opens with 348 itinerary combinations",
   "detail": "Windstar opened summer 2028 Europe for sale with five ships including Star Explorer. It added a Germany programme (Kiel Canal, Elbe) and a Circumnavigate Ireland itinerary.",
   "source_id": "WIND_EU28"
  }
 ],
 "current_sources": [
  "WIND_AUG26",
  "WIND_CCUS26",
  "WIND_KFDE26",
  "BR39_PXFLEET",
  "BR39_PXAWARD",
  "BR39_PXRATE",
  "WIND_WSTAR26",
  "WIND_SPIRIT26",
  "WIND_EU28"
 ],
 "sources_verified_on": "2026-10-01",
 "sources": {
  "WIND_25": {
   "title": "Windstar Cruises Company Overview",
   "date": "accessed 5 September 2026 (original path 404; now the fleet page)",
   "url": "https://www.windstarcruises.com/ships/",
   "label": "Windstar Company Overview"
  },
  "BR39_PXFLEET": {
   "title": "Windstar's Wind-Class Refurbishments: What to Expect",
   "date": "accessed September 2026",
   "url": "https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/windstar-wind-class-refurbishments-what-to-expect",
   "label": "Windstar's Wind-Class Refurbishments: What to Expect"
  },
  "BR39_PXAWARD": {
   "title": "Cruise Critic's 2025 Best in Cruise Awards",
   "date": "December 2025",
   "url": "https://www.cruise-collective.com/article/cruise-critic-s-2025-best-in-cruise-awards-the-ships-and-lines-that-came-out-on-top",
   "label": "Cruise Critic's 2025 Best in Cruise Awards"
  },
  "BR39_PXRATE": {
   "title": "Cruise Critic Member Reviews",
   "date": "read 17 September 2026 (site blocks automated re-verification; read in a browser 1 October 2026)",
   "url": "https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/windstar/reviews",
   "label": "Cruise Critic Member Reviews"
  },
  "WIND_AUG26": {
   "title": "Windstar Cruises Gives Travelers More Reasons to Say Yes to Yacht Voyages Through 2027",
   "date": "August 3, 2026",
   "url": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/windstar-cruises-gives-travelers-more-reasons-to-say-yes-to-yacht-voyages-through-2027-302841149.html",
   "label": "Windstar Cruises release: yacht voyages through 2027 (PR Newswire)"
  },
  "WIND_CCUS26": {
   "title": "Windstar Reviews: What Cruisers Say (CruiseCritic)",
   "date": "search-index snapshot accessed 19 August 2026 (site blocks automated re-verification; read in a browser 1 October 2026; 4.1 of 5 across 970 reviews)",
   "url": "https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/windstar/reviews",
   "label": "CruiseCritic: Windstar Cruises reviews"
  },
  "WIND_KFDE26": {
   "title": "Bewertungen und Erfahrungen mit Wind Star (kreuzfahrten.de)",
   "date": "live fetch 8 September 2026 (returned 403 to automated re-check on 1 October 2026)",
   "url": "https://www.kreuzfahrten.de/bewertungen/windstar-cruises-wind-star-666.html",
   "label": "kreuzfahrten.de (German market): Windstar Wind Star reviews"
  },
  "WIND_WSTAR26": {
   "title": "Wind Star First in Fleet to Complete Two-Phase Redesign",
   "date": "21 April 2026",
   "url": "https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/04/wind-star-first-in-fleet-to-complete-two-phase-redesign/",
   "label": "Cruise Industry News: Wind Star completes Setting Sails"
  },
  "WIND_SPIRIT26": {
   "title": "Windstar Adds Short Voyage to Showcase Wind Spirit's Refit",
   "date": "5 August 2026",
   "url": "https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/08/windstar-adds-short-voyage-to-showcase-wind-spirits-refit/",
   "label": "Cruise Industry News: Wind Spirit refit voyage"
  },
  "WIND_EU28": {
   "title": "Windstar's 2028 Europe: 348 Itineraries",
   "date": "22 September 2026",
   "url": "https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/09/windstars-2028-europe-348-itineraries/",
   "label": "Cruise Industry News: Windstar 2028 Europe season"
  }
 },
 "unresolved_source_ids": [],
 "card_url": "https://hawkeskwortnik.com/commercial-excellence-index/industry/#brand=BR39",
 "page": "https://hawkeskwortnik.com/readings/cei/windstar-cruises",
 "data": "https://hawkeskwortnik.com/data/cei/cei-2026-q4/BR39.json",
 "method": "https://hawkeskwortnik.com/readings/method",
 "license": "CC BY-ND 4.0, attribute to Hawkes & Kwortnik with the edition",
 "note": "Copied from the data the live report card renders. Ungraded or missing values are null, never imputed."
}