Exclusive: You could get a free voyage with this Windstar Cruises 'treasure hunt'
Windstar Cruises has cooked up something fun to celebrate the comeback of cruising -- a "treasure hunt" that has a free cruise as a prize.
The small-ship cruise specialist will launch the nearly-month-long event, which will start with an online puzzle, on Friday.
Would-be cruisers who solve the online puzzle, which will reveal the location of the as-yet-undisclosed "treasure," can earn up to $200 in onboard credits that can be used on a Windstar sailing and will be entered in a contest to win a Windstar cruise for two.
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The winner of the Windstar cruise then will search for the treasure while on the sailing.
Windstar is staying tight-lipped about what region of the world the treasure will be located and what it might be, but it says the free trip to find it will be "an exotic cruise to a fabled port-of-call" and the treasure will be "massive."
The contest comes as Windstar approaches having its entire fleet of six ships back in operation.
Related: Everything you need to know about Windstar's loyalty program
Windstar restarted sailings in June with two ships, the 148-passenger Wind Star and 312-passenger Star Breeze, operating in the Greek Islands and the Caribbean, respectively. It added a third vessel, Wind Spirit, to operations in Tahiti in July and a fourth vessel, the 312-passenger Wind Surf, to operations in the Mediterranean in August.
A fifth Windstar vessel, the 312-passenger Star Legend, will resume sailings on Sept. 27 in the Mediterranean. The line's final ship to restart operations, the 312-passenger Star Pride, is scheduled to resume trips on Nov. 20 in the Caribbean.
How the treasure hunt will work
To find the location of the hidden treasure, participants must go online and watch 11 short videos hosted on Windstar’s social channels and on the treasure hunt landing page, windstarcruises.com/treasurehunt (note that this page won't be active until Thursday).
Each video will contain a number, letter or symbol that, strung together, form a Google Plus code revealing the destination of the treasure.
Once players crack the code, they can earn up to $200 in onboard credits and are entered to win a Windstar cruise. The cruise winner and a partner will then search for the treasure while on the free sailing.
The initial part of the treasure hunt will continue through Oct. 1. No purchase is necessary to enter. For official rules and to get started, visit the treasure hunt landing page noted above starting Thursday.
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- 6x points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4x points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer expires 11/2/22.
- 6x points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.
- See Rates & Fees