SEATTLE — With Windstar’s new Travel Assurance Booking Policy, clients can cancel up to 15 days before their cruise departs without incurring a cancellation fee.

The cruise line says the new policy “acknowledges the challenge of booking vacations in advance and aims to allay travellers’ concerns about losing money due to unexpected illness or other world events.”

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

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

Windstar notes that it has implemented an enhanced health screening questionnaire for guests and crew to screen for possible coronavirus COVID-19. Additionally, crew travel through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea has been suspended.

No one will be allowed to board a Windstar ship who in the 30 days prior to embarkation has been in or traveled from or through China, Hong Kong, Macau, or South Korea, or has had close contact with anyone suspected or diagnosed as having coronavirus COVID-19.

Prior to boarding a ship, all passengers and crew will be administered a no-touch thermal scan to screen for fever. Anyone with a fever (≥38 C°/100.4 F°) will not be allowed to board the ship.

As well, out of an abundance of caution, Windstar has cancelled all Asia sailings in 2020.

The cruise line says “the safety and security of guests and crew are the utmost priority at Windstar Cruises. Windstar’s knowledgeable team may make additional deployment changes based on current events.”

Windstar’s fleet of six small yachts carry from 148 to 342 guests on voyages around the world.