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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| 10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
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Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
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The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023