Small cruise ship line Windstar Cruises has announced a new sponsorship deal with global entertainment company AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), which owns The O2.
The partnership with the world’s busiest arena – which hosts more than 200 events a year and is also a leisure and retail destination – coincides with the line’s plans to boost awareness in the UK cruise market and, for the first time, have a ship based in the UK. In 2026 the 312-passenger Star Pride will homeport in London and offer a new series of three to four-day round-trip cruises departing from Tower Bridge.
At a launch event held at The O2, Windstar President Christopher Prelog said:
“We are thrilled to be showcasing our brand in this iconic venue and to be reaching new prospective guests for Windstar. AEG, The O2 and Windstar are all leaders in their respective categories, and we feel this is a great first step in a meaningful and rich collaboration.”
Visitors to The O2’s newest exclusive access premium space The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways, which includes panoramic views of every show and fine dining, will see a Windstar ship model on display year-round.
Mr Prelog said that while UK travellers make up the second largest group of passengers on Windstar’s six-strong fleet of cruise ships and sailing yachts, which will grow with the launch of Star Seeker this December and Star Explorer in 2026, the line was keen to grow the market further.
Other new initiatives include working with luxury cruise specialists The Cruise Line, which recently launched a new UK website with pricing in pounds. In addition to the ex-London sailings, other itineraries designed to appeal to UK travellers include winter sun cruise in the Canary Islands and easily accessible sailings in the Mediterranean and Greece aboard the ships which carrying between 148 to 342 guests.
Nathan Kosky, Vice President at AEG Global Partnership, added:
“We warmly welcome Windstar Cruises, our newest sponsor to The O2, as they explore new opportunities for their expansion. We look forward to working together to showcase their offering to the millions of fans who visit the venue every year.”
In further news, the expansion of the Windstar fleet with the additional two ships will allow the line to double its presence in exotic French Polynesia. It presently has one ship sailing out of Tahiti and from 2027 it will have two vessels based in the region.
Author Bio:
Known as the ‘River Cruise Queen’, Jeannine Williamson is an award-winning travel writer, cruise expert and our cruise correspondent, who has clocked up thousands of nautical miles.
Images courtesy of Windstar Cruises
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