Star Flyer Questions

Hi All,

We cruised around French Polynesia (Tahiti, etc.) on the Tahitian Princess last January and had a wonderful time. We were very excited to hear that Star Flyer will be sailing in Tahiti. We much prefer smaller ships and won't miss the nightly shows, huge buffets, etc. The whole notion of sailing is very romantic - especially in French Polynesia.

That being said, can anyone let me know their thoughts and experiences on the Star Flyer? Was it enjoyable? Were the cabins comfortable? How was the food? Did the crew seem happy to be there? Was the ship in good condition? Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

We are definitely going back to French Polynesia - it's just a matter of choosing the right ship again.

Thanks.

I've sailed on the Star Clipper which is an exact duplicate of the Star Flyer. The rooms are small but well-appointed. The food is good, but definitely not super showy. Breakfast is particularly wonderful. The ship is all about the sailing, and if you like the idea of a tall ship you will be 100% in love with this ship. Our original cruise on this ship was around the Caribbean; we're going on another this summer from Cannes to Dubrovnik. We can't wait.

We sailed the Star Flyer last spring through the Greek Islands, loved it so much that next week we'll be on the sister ship, Star Clipper, from Lisbon to Cannes.

We were impressed with the crew of the Flyer, very eager and helpful, the officers always available to answer questions and they had plenty of fascinating stories to tell. Food was good, nothing exceptional but pleasant, cabins are small but clean and efficient, other passengers are usually fascinating and engaging. Cannot wait to board Sar Clipper, only one more week to go.....

We cruised the Greek Isles on Star Flyer last summer. Have booked Star Clipper for France, Spain, Morroco and Poutugal this fall. Both ships are identical. We loved the whole thing. Good and plentiful food, GREAT staff attitudes, and that super sailing experience. Not at all like some with engines and pieces of canvas hung aloft for looks. We were category 2, because category one cabins open onto the main deck and there's some privacy lost there.

We're very interested in crusing the Star Flyer in the Pacific in 2007.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Sounds like we'll be booking the Star Flyer soon!

Star Clipper/Flyer are awesome. We are coastal sailors, have done our share of bareboats and cruises. We did like Renaissance line. We have done the clipper cruises in the Caribbean and the Med and have loved them.

We signed up for the Tahitian Princess (old Renaissance) Feb 07, before the announcement of the Clippers there. Stay tuned.

Star Clipper/Flyer are awesome. We are coastal sailors, have done our share of bareboats and cruises. We did like Renaissance line. We have done the clipper cruises in the Caribbean and the Med and have loved them.

We signed up for the Tahitian Princess (old Renaissance) Feb 07, before the announcement of the Clippers there. Stay tuned.

TAKE THE STAR FLYER!YOU WILL LOVE IT! My wife and I have been on the Royal Clipper twice and are going to be on the Star Clipper in February. the FIRST time they raise the sails and the engines stop, an eery quiet descends, and then you hear the wind catch the canvas, and the sails POP tight ,and suddenly the ship is moving under wind power alone! There is no way to explain how really really cool it is to sit in the bow net with a school of dolphin surfing the ship's bow wave below you! Or the stars at night! We would spend an hour or so every night after dinner, sipping wine and watching/counting the shooting stars. After the first night, we had so much company for star gazing that it turned into a nightly after dinner party. people are very friendly, crew is great. Food is good, drinks are plentiful. All the Star Clipper ships are beautiful inside and out!! I am SURE you will have a GREAT time!

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Hi, My husband I am just got back from the New Years' trip in the Far East on the Star Flyer. We had a fabulous time. It was about our 10th or 12th cruise but our 1st on Star Clipper cruise lines.

Generally I agree with what everyone else has said: the cabins and food are perfectly fine but not over the top super special. (I would say a notch below Windstar if you are familiar with that line.) The crew and passengers were very friendly. It was a wonderful sailing experience. (My husband is a sailboat racer and he loved it.) We loved having so much open deck area, although sometimes there was not enough shade on board. We had mostly sun and great weather and calm seas. We saw dozens of dolphins and some great snorkeling sites. Some people complained about the engine noise in their cabins but it didn't bother us. (We had cabin 332.) I would be glad to try to answer any specific questions you might have while everything is still fresh in my mind.

Our trip had only 10 Americans and 160 people of other nationalities, mostly European, which was great fun. I don't think it is usually that way though. We had about 60 Germans aboard plus Brits, Swedes, Italians, Australians, etc. One slight disadvantage to us is that all onboard charges and tips were in Euros, which is expensive compared to dollars. (e.g. most things like drinks and wine seemed priced the same in Euros as they would have been in dollars so that translates into quite a bit more in dollars.) One exception was that spa treatments were 48 Euro for an hour massage. That seems good value to me although I did not take advantage.

By the way, I highly recommend the Singapore to Phuket trip (although we had a special 11 day holiday itinerary) I especially loved Panang Island and the city tour in Georgetown.

Hope this helps!

Hi Patty! We just reserved this trip for Dec. 07 (Singapore to Phuket). We are VERY excited, and you are the first post I've seen recently about this itinerary. I see you mentioned the Georgetown tour and Panang Island. Any other "can't miss"-experiences? Any advice for things to bring/wear/buy? I would appreciate any info...we don't really know what to expect. Not worried at all about the boat itself (I lived on a sailboat for 4 years, and this one is HUGE, obviously.) Thanks in advance! -Courtney

We just finished the Aegeab cruise on the Star Flyer. As first time cruisers we were hesitant and now we cant wait to sign up again. The sailing ship was romantic and the small group was so friendly.

Food: 3.5 to 4/5. Other couples who had used bigger lines said it wasn't as good as these, but they were still very happy with it. I am a dedicated foodie, so I was very anxious about this, but I had no complaints.

Wine list: 4/5. Eclectic selection from around the world. The drinks were reasonably priced (in Euros).

Staff: 5/5. All were friendly and helpful, always smiling. The bar, wait and hotel staff were particularly excellent. The sport team seemed a little less enthusiastic at times, probably because with the mostly older clientelle (> 55 years) they didnt have much to do, but were always helpful and friendly.

Rooms: 3.5/5. We had a category 4 and were very pleasantly surprised. Good size, comfortable, clean, desk, TV, DVD, plenty of storage.

Shore excursions: 3.5/5. We only went on 2 of them because we wanted to explore alone and not sit on a bus. The two we did (Rhodes and Dalyan) were excellent value with bilingual guides.

Languages: they make an effort to ensure that everyone can understand. On our cruise it was almost entirely English, German and French speakers and these were all catered for in ship announcements and tours.

On-board entertainment: well....either a 1/5 or a 5/5. It depends on your sense of humour. There are no shows, so the crew entertain you in the evenings...if you have a sense of humour then the fashion show, talent show, quiz show and frog racing is hilarious and great fun. I loved it.

Other passengers: I am 28, and was the youngest on board by quite a few years. Everyone smiled and said hello in the mornings, danced together at night and was great fun. We made some great friends.

The overall experience was wonderful, they make a real effort to talk about and recreate a genuine sailing experience with lectures, informal "story time", a photo-safari so you can take pictures of it under full-sail. You are also allowed to help with the sails, steer the ship and climb the mast.

I miss it already. :)