I don’t know about you but there have certainly been cruises in my experience that have surprised me. You know, like the Windstar voyage a year ago in Tahiti in which a set-up of three cyclones unexpectedly manuevered us on the path to the otherwise undiscovered Marquesas Islands (still one of the most amazing trips of my life). It was an outlier cruise, for sure.

And yet, here’s the thing: in the spirit of adventure, would you purposely set out on a cruise where you didn’t know where you were going? Yes! Windstar’s Star Legend is hosting the line’s first-ever totally planned “mystery cruise,” starting Saturday, April 19, and we’ll be onboard. All we know about our voyage is that we’re sailing round-trip from Athens. Every other port we’re visiting in the region is a mystery to all of us who have booked this cruise. Yes, we chose it on purpose, not knowing where we’ll be calling. And yes, too: this week’s voyage is born out of that successful Marquesas experience.

I love this explanation from a friend who’s a loyal Yacht Club guest: “I think the Mystery Cruise is a terrific idea — only really possible when you have a community of small-ship, and specifically, Windstar fans who are confident in the product and know it will be great, no matter where you go.”

And there’s this, too: I’m excited to reconnect with travelers-now-friends who shared our fabulously unplanned Marquesas’ experience. And I look forward to meeting new, like-minded travelers who travel with a similar spirit of adventure.

Wherever we go, whatever we wind up doing (even shore excursions are vaguely purposeful, focusing on culinary/wine, recreation, and ancient history without telling us where we’ll be), we can’t wait to share our adventures with you . We’ll be posting a blog every day throughout the cruise and hope you will tune in for the latest (and please, add any questions or insights in our comments section below) ….

Day Four: Our Mystery Cruise Introduces Us to Puglia’s Taranto

You know that when your tour guide/winery owner, the visionary behind Campi Deantera,  introduces himself by saying that he created his winery out of a mid-life crisis, that it’s going to be an interesting tour. And it most definitely opened hearts and minds on so many levels.

One of a handful of shore excursion options Windstar offered from Taranto, a first-ever port visit for the line (it will be part of new itineraries focusing on southern Italian ports) what was fun, sure, was tasting his wines. And yet, even more fascinating was his story: Mauro Di Maggio had run a big wine-making conglomerate in Puglia and decided he wanted to abandon the administrative life of a CEO and get back into the business of simply making wine. To do that, he bought back his family’s one-time palazzo, about 20 minutes outside the Ionian Sea’s Taranto, and ultimately combined that with another vineyard estate just across the peninsula, on the Adriatic coast. 

While touring the garden and vineyard itself, where the bitter and also sweet smell of oranges ripening on trees was an aphrodisiac about rediscovering life outside the rules, he shared his journey and his struggles and his optimism about transformation. In doing so, he gave us an experience so much more broadening than simply tasting a few different styles of wine (the wine was delicious, by the way, and a bottle of Campi Deantera’s rose is currently sitting in my mini fridge). 

In his candor, he connected us – who doesn’t have a journey to share – into a world both familiar and exotic. “We think there is still something to tell about our landscape,” we learned there, “with the ideas, words, stories and scents of those who, aware of their roots, are able to imagine new horizons.”

This was our introduction to Puglia, and Taranto. 

Creating magic out of total trust:

Our visit to Taranto (my first time in Puglia), just the kind of place unfamiliar to me, was exactly what I hoped for when I signed up for Windstar’s first-ever Mystery Cruise. The city itself, home to 200,000 residents, has its charms. It’s a mélange of Greek and Roman civilizations with a strong dose of contemporary Italian lifestyles. Its economy is driven more by maritime trade (it’s home to the largest naval base in Italy) and fishing and agriculture than it is by tourism. 

On our long day (and into the evening) port call here, friends, both established from other Windstar cruises and new ones, shared different experiences. Some simply ambled into Taronto, a nice mid-sized city, to admire its churches, its National Archeological Museum (MArTA), and the Aragonese Castle, with its Italian renaissance architectural style. It’s got a broad, pedestrian-only boulevard, lined with shops and cafes, that offer a low-key glimpse into an Italian city not yet defined by tourism. 

And yet, according to Emiko Davies, an Australian-Japanese food writer, photographer and cookbook author who has been based in Tuscany for the past few decades (and whose cookbooks sit on a shelf in my own kitchen), “Taranto isn’t the first place people tend to visit when they arrive in Puglia in search of white washed towns, crystalline beaches and abundant good food (though the first two are close and latter there is definitely no shortage of). It’s a bit rough around the edges (a true port city is with a crumbling, half-abandoned old town, a history of corruption and Ilva, the largest steelworks in Europe, polluting the otherwise charming skyline.”

Indeed. 

Over dinner last night, a lot of us compared notes on the experience in this mysterious port, primarily because it was an absolute discovery to just about everyone. It brought home that the concept of a mystery cruise has, in Windstar’s telling, encouraged us to broaden our boundaries in a way that feels both adventurous and safe. 

And one more thing:

On our first true Mystery Cruise port, before we even set out to explore Taranto, there was word of a special event: an 11 a.m. folkloric performance onboard by a group called Terra Ross. It was the usual effort that cruise lines make – or so I thought – to bring a bit of historic culture onboard for a show. What stood out about this one? It certainly celebrated the region’s art of music and dance but with a couple of extra oomphs. First, they performed the Tarantela, which is a nod to tradition, and that tradition is marked by a flirtatious energy and choreography. Definitely alluring. What else? We were all encouraged to dance along with them, to make up our own versions of the Taranetela, to absorb the sensual elegance of the music (which seemed to have a Celtic mood to it, in my mind, though when I asked them about that they were fairly puzzled).

That morning effort presaged what made Taranto – and its status as one of Windstar’s Mystery Cruise destinations – such a rewarding port experience. Why? Because all day it was all about helping us to forge our own connections with a new place. Isn’t that what travel should be?

Tomorrow’s Mystery Cruise port is not necessarily as off-the-grid as Taranto has been and yet I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Taormina (and Giardini Naxos, the Greek/Sicilian resort town where we’ll anchor). Both are places I know from surface visits. I’m certain I’ll learn something new there, too. 

Day Three: We Relax Aboard Star Legend

“In a world of many possibilities, maybe the greatest opportunity of all is trusting travel on a whole new level.” –Teijo Niemela

As I’ve been posting updates on the blog on various social media platforms, I’ve really appreciated your suggestions for mystery ports (Amanda Bateman, would love to visit the Isles of Scilly someday but I’m guessing it’s too far away for this itinerary) and comments. The quote above, which appeared in the comments on Windstar Cruises’ Official Yacht Club Members page, from a traveler who’s not on our trip but following it, really moved me. It absolutely nails why this experience has already been special. The atmosphere onboard is joyful, open-hearted, lighthearted. The “mystery” of our ports has brought passengers together in a way that I haven’t experienced on a cruise (since, perhaps, the Marquesas trip).

Meanwhile, because of the Corinth Canal disruption, today is an unexpected day at sea since Star Legend is headed from Piraeus back to the Ionian Sea – the long way. We’re on the way to Taranto, with the craggy landscapes of various Greek Islands on our starboard side for most of the day.

It has been a beautiful, relaxing sea day, and I’m resting up for the exciting adventures that start tomorrow in Taranto, in Italy’s Puglia. And, in the meantime, we’ve learned about our next port; on Wednesday, Star Legend calls at Sicily’s Giardini Naxos. To me, it’s the jumping-off point for Taormina, Italy’s St. Tropez. But there’s so much more….

Day two: we spend the day provisioning in Pireaus before heading to our first Mystery Cruise port

The big event of tonight’s 6 p.m. pool deck cocktail gathering is this: it’s the reveal of our first clue to our first mystery port. Clearly, no one wanted to miss this, and the deck pulsed with energy, excitement and anticipation. To get into the spirit of things, we raise the specially-designed President’s Mystery Cruise flag.

Now mind you, each day this cruise, starting this morning, we’ll receive a card that offers some hints and tips for the next port. On this first call, the tips were both specific (“an ancient city boasts a bridge that swings, a castle stands guard and a history that dates to the Spartans) and vague (“known for a rich maritime heritage). Most bets I heard were centered on Greece’s Lefkada.   

Windstar’s itinerary gurus weren’t going to make it easy for us.

Which was half the fun.

The announcement: we’re going to Italy’s Taranto. Where’s that?

“Do you know the actor Quentin Tarantino?” said Captain Pinto, proffering a sealed envelope containing the name of the port. “How’s this for a clue for the next port?”  At that point, fellow mystery travelers were looking around, as if to communally ask, “but Tarantino is not Greek, is he? Isn’t he Italian?” Indeed. “Our next port is in Italy,” the Captain said, “and it’s called Taranto.” (Also known as Tarantino and also Tarantula, and indeed, the actor’s family’s original home).

At that moment, there were cheers and clapping, possibly because everyone is excited to be going to Italy.  (“Toronto, did I hear right?” said a lady behind me; that would have been quite the journey). Also, the enthusiasm was high because it was such a new place for most of us and that kind of discovery is what has driven so much interest in Windstar’s Mystery Cruise.

Then the Captain quipped that in ten minutes the shore excursion briefing would begin, once Felipe, Star Legend’s destination manager, had a chance to Google Taranto so he could tell us more about it (I’d guess though, since Felipe’s presentation was as on-point and compelling as the usual Windstar port talk, he’d had a little bit of warning).

What do you need to know about Taranto?

In a quick sketch – we’ll have more information for you after our visit — Felipe shared with us that Taranto, located in Italy’s Puglia (the boot), dates back to the Spartans in 8^th century B.C. Located on the Ionian Sea, it’s got the Ponte Girevole, a swing bridge that traverses two bays, the Aragon Castle and an old city with Greek ruins. Tour options that go beyond Taranto include adventures in wine tasting, a trip to Ostuni “the white lady,” a white-washed village, and another foray to the wilderness outside the city. For food enthusiasts, its cuisine is driven by fresh seafood, especially “cozze alla taratina,” which is fresh mussels with spices and tomatoes.

Our Mystery Cruise, in just a few days, has been a long and winding road. Windstar President Chris Prelog shares some pretty quirky details.

Part of the presentation of our first port was a colorful chat with President Chris Prelog about what inspired the Mystery Cruise in the first place – and insights on the challenges posed by the abrupt scrubbing of the time-saving Corinth Canal (which affected the most recent cruise’s return to Piraeus, and our own sail-away to the Ionian Sea).

Our day (and night) in Piraeus:

It being Easter Sunday, when just about everything but churches was closed (and even church doors were locked after the service ended), many travelers rambled around the port of Piraeus or enjoyed a “sea day” with perfect weather to lounge by the pool. We loved the moody sunset over mountains. Dinner at Cuadro 44, Star Legend’s Spanish-focused restaurant, was just as delicious as usual.

After Taranto, where do we go next?

Day one, departure day: we head out from Athens. And Windstar’s Mystery Cruise is already surprising us

Many of us have arrived a day or two early in Athens, leading up to our Mystery Cruise, to indulge in a little bit of the predictable: a night or two at a lovely hotel (in our case, the St. George at Lycabettus, located in the delightful downtown neighborhood of Kolonaki. It’s the kind of neighborhood that’s so close to Athens’ city center that you are photobombed at every turn by the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

All has gone just as planned, which, to be honest for someone who’s so totally embracing the concept of a mysterious travel experience in which nothing is as it seems, feels a bit predictable. Mind you, I am not saying dull.

However, “predictable” didn’t last long. Today, Saturday, our embarkation day, we all had a planned half day to explore various bits and pieces of Athens before boarding a transfer for the short drive to the port city of Piraeus. And yet, last night at the St. George, we learned of a little shake-up. Star Legend, just finishing up its Istanbul to Piraeus (Athens) voyage, was delayed.

“In a true twist worthy of our journey,” Windstar tells us in an email, “the Corinth Canal is unexpectedly closed today, April 18^th, forcing Star Legend to make a detour. But never fear, the adventure is still very much on! Tomorrow’s embarkation will now take place in Greece’s Katakolon instead of the original embarkation in Piraeus, Greece.”

Essentially, the last night of the last cruise was meant to be a short hop from Greece’s west coast to Athens, on the east, especially facilitated by the narrow and craggy Corinth Canal (pictured in the hero image, above). It connects the Ionian Sea to the Aegean, which funnels cruise ships into Piraeus. It cuts hours off the journey (sort of like how the Panama Canal means that vessels don’t have to cruise around South America’s Cape Horn). The fact that the water levels are suddenly too low to allow even a yacht style ship like Star Legend, one of the few small ships in cruise that can even transit here, is so unusual it was a wow moment (and we imagine it was a super-turbo-charged wow moment for the captain and his navigation team, too).

In our case, we boarded motorcoaches at our hotel for a four-hour, scenic ride to catch our ship, where the highlight was not crossing the Corinth Canal from within but riding above it (and a great stop there to admire it). As I’d expect from Windstar, the motorcoaches were first rate; there were phone chargers, electric outlets, multiple bottles of water, and even two stops at highway-side cafes that sold things like fresh squeezed orange juice and soulfully deep espressos.

If today didn’t roll out quite as expected, we got here to Star Legend. We were welcomed with warm greetings and even hugs by those crew members we’d sailed with before, just as always. And we enjoyed our traditional raise-the-flag Star Legend sailaway.

What’s Next? A little while later, our captain came onto the intercom to share the reveal of the first port of our Mystery Cruise. “We are going to Piraeus, for Athens,” he says – acknowledging that that’s precisely  where we had come from earlier in the day.

We had come this far to return to our original homeport. This Mystery Cruise started out with a mystery, involving the redeployment because of the Corinth Canal closing, that none of us could possibly have anticipated.

The gift of this first mystery port? Having been to Piraeus so many times, I booked myself a massage treatment in Windstar’s World Spa.

And if the Mystery Cruise is having fun with us a bit earlier than we anticipated, we’re strong. We’ll take anything karma wants to test us with. Bring it on. After all, Windstar’s totally-planned first-ever Mystery Cruise was billed as anything but predictable. We’re okay with that.

Tomorrow’s Teaser: Each night, a teaser card is delivered to our suites that gives us some clue to where we will be visiting next — and provides some colorful details. Can you guess where we’re going after our sea day on Monday?