Star Clipper

My favourite way to cruise. On these beautiful clipper ships you can visit the small intimate ports of the Caribbean or in my case the Mediterranean that are not accessible on the larger ships. There was nothing better than sitting in the window net (an over-the water hammock at the front of ship) with Vangelis 1492 playing in the background as the huge sails were unfurled and we sailed off into the sunset. I also loved participating in the water sports off the back of the ships whilst anchored in beautiful bays. For anyone wanting the full clipper experience there was also the opportunity to climb the rope to ladder to the crows nest or to participate in the hoisting and winching of the sails.

Our cruise on board the Star Clipper was phenomenal! We have never experienced ultra luxury quite like it. We are well seasoned cruisers but we were utterly astounded at the level of service and the sheer elegance of the Star Clipper. The bathroom was the crowning jewel in the crown – it was absolutely beautiful; the marble effect throughout the bathroom was wonderful, (it gave me some great ideas for ours at home!) The ports of call were very intimate and exclusive which was splendid, especially as we have visited many of the larger ports a number of times. Yithion was my husband’s favourite by far; it was such a beautiful port that was steeped in history with exceptional views. We are very keen to go on another cruise with Star Clipper. The itinerary through the Caribbean seems very appealing, especially the Tobago Cays; it seems like a perfect little getaway which will be ideal for relaxation.

My husband and I have recently returned from a 7 night Caribbean voyage to the Caribbean on-board the Star Clipper. We had reservations about cruising on such a small ship. We have cruised with many cruise lines over the years and usually cruise Seabourn, Silversea and Celebrity when travelling with the family. My husband suggested we try a Clipper cruise as we have been looking for a different type of holiday but find it difficult to move away from cruising.

We thoroughly enjoyed out trip, it was excellent to get into such small ports as Terre-de-Haut and Falmouth Harbour in Antigua which was our favourite. The food was excellent and had a local flavour which we enjoy, the swordfish in particular was fantastic and there was always plenty of options to choose from. They also offer open dining which is a must for us. We loved the tall ship yacht feel and she really did look stunning.

The boat had a more sailing than cruising feel to it we found hard to adjust to but did enjoy it and like I mentioned earlier we had been looking for an alternative cruise experience which they certainly provided. We booked early and managed to secure a category 1 stateroom on main deck which was nice if a lot smaller than we have had with other cruise lines, the stateroom was clean and comfortable with a marble bathroom and did the job well, Star Clipper does not have balconies but our stateroom opened out onto the deck and being so small we easily found quiet and peaceful areas to sit so was not a major issue however we did miss the balcony at times. We spoke to several guests who stayed in other grades and all enjoyed their rooms however most also agreed more space would have made for a better experience, that said they did all seem to enjoy the voyage and we did not hear of any complaints.

If you do want the Category 1 staterooms though booking early is a must. Our cruise departed from St Maarten so we had indirect flights via Paris with Air France who were okay, we flex in their premium section and the leg room was fine but we do prefer Virgin and definitely prefer direct routes however they did the job and we had 3 nights in St Maarten to get over the flight, the return flight was also earlier than most Caribbean/US departures so that made up for the plane change and everything was on time and our luggage made it both ways. We loved St Maarten and the island has a real French flavour. We stayed in the hotel L’Esplanade which was located in the resort of Grand Case, the hotel is set on a hill side so not ideal if mobility is an issue but not to steep and provided excellent views. Our apartment was great and very clean. The hotel grounds were lovely and well maintained and location ideal. The only downside to the hotel was aircraft noise but this is what you get on a small island and you soon adapt, the airport is also not to busy and my husband actually enjoyed this. The hotel is small and friendly so if you wants a huge typical Caribbean hotel then probably best to look at departures from other islands but it suited us well and if anything we wished we had booked a couple more nights. We arranged our own transfers locally as advised by our agent and this was easy to do on arrival and good value so no issues there. We also heard from other people who had transfers arranged that they had issues finding them so we were glad we just jumped in a taxi on arrival and paid a few dollars.

Overall this was a very enjoyable experience, we may not do it again as we like a balcony and have got the “new experience” thing out of our system so will probably revert back to our normal cruise lines for our next voyage however in a few years who knows we may take the plunge again.

My favourite way to cruise. On these beautiful clipper ships you can visit the small intimate ports of the Caribbean or in my case the Mediterranean that are not accessible on the larger ships. There was nothing better than sitting in the window net (an over-the water hammock at the front of ship) with Vangelis 1492 playing in the background as the huge sails were unfurled and we sailed off into the sunset. I also loved participating in the water sports off the back of the ships whilst anchored in beautiful bays. For anyone wanting the full clipper experience there was also the opportunity to climb the rope to ladder to the crows nest or to participate in the hoisting and winching of the sails.

Our cruise on board the Star Clipper was phenomenal! We have never experienced ultra luxury quite like it. We are well seasoned cruisers but we were utterly astounded at the level of service and the sheer elegance of the Star Clipper. The bathroom was the crowning jewel in the crown – it was absolutely beautiful; the marble effect throughout the bathroom was wonderful, (it gave me some great ideas for ours at home!) The ports of call were very intimate and exclusive which was splendid, especially as we have visited many of the larger ports a number of times. Yithion was my husband’s favourite by far; it was such a beautiful port that was steeped in history with exceptional views. We are very keen to go on another cruise with Star Clipper. The itinerary through the Caribbean seems very appealing, especially the Tobago Cays; it seems like a perfect little getaway which will be ideal for relaxation.

My husband and I have recently returned from a 7 night Caribbean voyage to the Caribbean on-board the Star Clipper. We had reservations about cruising on such a small ship. We have cruised with many cruise lines over the years and usually cruise Seabourn, Silversea and Celebrity when travelling with the family. My husband suggested we try a Clipper cruise as we have been looking for a different type of holiday but find it difficult to move away from cruising.

We thoroughly enjoyed out trip, it was excellent to get into such small ports as Terre-de-Haut and Falmouth Harbour in Antigua which was our favourite. The food was excellent and had a local flavour which we enjoy, the swordfish in particular was fantastic and there was always plenty of options to choose from. They also offer open dining which is a must for us. We loved the tall ship yacht feel and she really did look stunning.

The boat had a more sailing than cruising feel to it we found hard to adjust to but did enjoy it and like I mentioned earlier we had been looking for an alternative cruise experience which they certainly provided. We booked early and managed to secure a category 1 stateroom on main deck which was nice if a lot smaller than we have had with other cruise lines, the stateroom was clean and comfortable with a marble bathroom and did the job well, Star Clipper does not have balconies but our stateroom opened out onto the deck and being so small we easily found quiet and peaceful areas to sit so was not a major issue however we did miss the balcony at times. We spoke to several guests who stayed in other grades and all enjoyed their rooms however most also agreed more space would have made for a better experience, that said they did all seem to enjoy the voyage and we did not hear of any complaints.

If you do want the Category 1 staterooms though booking early is a must. Our cruise departed from St Maarten so we had indirect flights via Paris with Air France who were okay, we flex in their premium section and the leg room was fine but we do prefer Virgin and definitely prefer direct routes however they did the job and we had 3 nights in St Maarten to get over the flight, the return flight was also earlier than most Caribbean/US departures so that made up for the plane change and everything was on time and our luggage made it both ways. We loved St Maarten and the island has a real French flavour. We stayed in the hotel L’Esplanade which was located in the resort of Grand Case, the hotel is set on a hill side so not ideal if mobility is an issue but not to steep and provided excellent views. Our apartment was great and very clean. The hotel grounds were lovely and well maintained and location ideal. The only downside to the hotel was aircraft noise but this is what you get on a small island and you soon adapt, the airport is also not to busy and my husband actually enjoyed this. The hotel is small and friendly so if you wants a huge typical Caribbean hotel then probably best to look at departures from other islands but it suited us well and if anything we wished we had booked a couple more nights. We arranged our own transfers locally as advised by our agent and this was easy to do on arrival and good value so no issues there. We also heard from other people who had transfers arranged that they had issues finding them so we were glad we just jumped in a taxi on arrival and paid a few dollars.

Overall this was a very enjoyable experience, we may not do it again as we like a balcony and have got the “new experience” thing out of our system so will probably revert back to our normal cruise lines for our next voyage however in a few years who knows we may take the plunge again.