A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of touring Windstar Cruises’ MV Star Pride while it was docked at Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New York City. I’d never had the pleasure of being on board a Windstar cruise, but I’d only heard good things, so I was eager to see the ship for myself.

As you scroll down and enjoy some of my pictures from the ship, I wanted to share a few things that stood out to me:

• The fitness center was quite spacious and well equipped. While I’m not sure that would be my first stop while cruising somewhere fabulous, I was impressed with the offerings.   
• I think it’s a fun feature for cruisers that they can access the control room and chat with those manning the ship. I had fun sitting in the captain’s chair for a few moments.                 
• All of the cabins felt spacious, but those with outdoor space were quite nice and, I imagine, worth the extra money.          

As guests of the event, we had the opportunity to sample some bites from the cruise line’s exclusive partnership with the James Beard Foundation. As the official cruise line of the foundation, Windstar corporate executive chef Graeme Cockburn prepared hors d’oeuvres recipes from other James Beard chefs. My favorites were the tortilla catalana with paprika aioli from chef Anthony Sasso, the gambas al ajillo with white bean purée from chef Hugh Acheson, and the tomato and watermelon salad with burgos cheese and shaved onion from chef Annie Pettry.

— Kim Krol, editor in chief