Royal Clipper Grenadines Jan. 24, 2015

We have a hold on this sailing, but don't see anyone else posting a roll call for it - trying to decide between this and Wind Star. Any comments?

We have been on the Royal Clipper several times but not on Wind Star although we have seen it during our travels. Some relatives have been on Wind Star (or, maybe a similar ship in the same fleet) and they reported well on that. Some friends have been on the Clippers and on one of the Wind Star line ships. We know that they like the Clippers and they reported positively on their Wind Star trip - I sensed that they preferred the Clippers. Reviews on Wind Star are usually good - as they are with the Clippers. There is, however, a significant difference between the ships. I describe the Clippers as true sailing ships with auxiliary engines and Wind Star as a "cruise ship" with auxiliary sail power. Also the Royal Clipper is the largest in commission sailing ship in the world. I sense that you are inclining towards the Royal Clipper. Our next trip on the RC is on the 28th February on the Windwards itinerary.

You will enjoy that, Jo. We did the Windwards with the RC. Great!!! Doing the Grenadines this year in December. Can't wait!!

Thanks for your opinion on the two lines -- we have decided to go ahead with our deposit on Clippers on Monday and am looking forward to a true "sailing experience " as I want to climb the mast and get up on the crows Nest. We are looking forward to the camaraderie with other pax and also the view at night below the water line at the fish illuminated by the ship in some locales. This will be my 21st cruise and I am always excited about upcoming cruises but this will be a new experience and I am so looking forward to this one. I may start a roll call for this sailing date

as I truly want to converse with others on the sailing.

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Muskatnuss Please post a review of your cruise on cruise Critic as I want to get your ideas.

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Mimi A - nice to see that you have opted for the RC. As it is your first time on the RC perhaps I could let you have one or thoughts to get you started? Boarding usually starts at 4.00 p.m. and the compulsory lifeboat drill may be around 6.00 p.m. Dinner starts at 7.30 p.m. and I suggest that you go in to dinner promptly and leave by about 9.45 p.m. Then make your way up to the open part of the bridge ready for sailaway at 10.00 p.m. The first sails will be being raised as the ship leaves the Port. Listen as well as watch.

Sailaway. Imagine this:- a warm tropical breeze, the stars shining above, tens of thousands of square feet of sail above you and what you hear when "listening". Yes - that will be you there - it can be quite emotional!!

muskatnuss - We have also done the Grenadines on the RC - excellent - would be nice of you to start a thread in due course. Hopefully I will too nearer the time for our Windwards trip. Have a super holiday.

We have a hold on this sailing, but don't see anyone else posting a roll call for it - trying to decide between this and Wind Star. Any comments?

I have started a ROLL CALL on this same forum (different thread) today. Please start posting on that one entitled January 24, 2015 Royal Clipper ROLL CALL as we have completed our deposit on that cruise.

Mimi A - nice to see that you have opted for the RC. As it is your first time on the RC perhaps I could let you have one or thoughts to get you started? Boarding usually starts at 4.00 p.m. and the compulsory lifeboat drill may be around 6.00 p.m. Dinner starts at 7.30 p.m. and I suggest that you go in to dinner promptly and leave by about 9.45 p.m. Then make your way up to the open part of the bridge ready for sailaway at 10.00 p.m. The first sails will be being raised as the ship leaves the Port. Listen as well as watch.

 

Sailaway. Imagine this:- a warm tropical breeze, the stars shining above, tens of thousands of square feet of sail above you and what you hear when "listening". Yes - that will be you there - it can be quite emotional!!

 

Thank you JOBAKE for all your comments - I have spent the last 24 hours viewing multiple YouTube videos of the Royal Clipper and am quite aware of the music and that the other sailaways are usually at sunset at the other ports. In fact I have teared up while watching these videos as I am in great anticipation of the upcoming cruise and I don't know how I can wait 4 months!!!!! It will go by quickly as the last months before a cruise usually do and so much will happen between now and then with the holidays, various birthdays, etc. I thirst for info and do a lot of research prior to my cruises and my husband says I am obsessive to that end. Please join me on the new thread for the Roll Call I have set up with further comments - you will be welcome. :) Enjoy your sailing to the Windwards in February.

It appears as though this is considered a Roll Call thread as Star Clippers has a link under other cruise lines from "P-Z" -- I have cut & paste what I did on the attempted Roll Call page on my other thread and post here and we will use this thread. Not sure if I can delete the other thread I started earlier.

So this is the ROLL CALL for the Jan. 24, 2015 sailing to the Grenadines from Barbados on the Royal Clipper -- please post if you are going. I love to discuss with future pax things to do in ports, past cruising experience, favorite ports, etc.

I'll start by saying my husband and I are from western PA and are fairly frequent (about every 9 months or so) cruisers. We are looking for something a little different; hence, Royal Clipper sailing yacht. I personally am SSSSOOOOO looking forward to this cruise due to its nature and also to see the beautiful Grenadines. Our last cruise was in April on Celebrity Summit from San Juan and it was our first visit to Grenada (we also love Celebrity and smaller cruise ships). We want to return there as well as St. Lucia (I have not been able to actually see the Pitons on our previous visits there), Martinique and Barbados and see all of the Grenadine islands we are scheduled to stop at. We love port-intensive itineraries and the southern Caribbean in general and of course we love to get away from PA winters in January or February. We are avid snorkelers so I plan to be in the water most everyday. We are in our early to mid 60s (Dave's 64th birthday is this Friday 9/12 and he is still employed full-time); I have retired.

Please feel free to post whatever is on your mind and we will be happy to answer questions if we can (this will be my 21st cruise and my first was when I was 8 years old sailing for a month from NYC down the east coast of S. America including some Caribbean on the SS Brazil).

Then make your way up to the open part of the bridge ready for sailaway at 10.00 p.m. The first sails will be being raised as the ship leaves the Port. Listen as well as watch.

 

Sailaway. Imagine this:- a warm tropical breeze, the stars shining above, tens of thousands of square feet of sail above you and what you hear when "listening". Yes - that will be you there - it can be quite emotional!!

 

muskatnuss - We have also done the Grenadines on the RC - excellent - would be nice of you to start a thread in due course. Hopefully I will too nearer the time for our Windwards trip. Have a super holiday.

Jo!!! You forgot the Champagne at Sailaway. I love to stand there, listen to Vangelis and watch the Sails as I sip a glass of Schampus ( as we say here). Tear-jerking!!! Yes!!! :o

I will start a Roll Call. I like it here. Usually it is more frequented in this area.

Till then!!!

I found this list of port times on another forum I believe from JoBake - thanks.

Saturday - Barbados All aboard 21.30 Sailaway 22.00

Sunday - Union Island / Chatham Bay Grenadines. Arrival 12.00. Last Tender (back to the ship) 16.30. Sailaway 17.00

Monday - Grenada - St. Georges Arrival 12.00 All on board 23.00. Sailaway 23.45

Tuesday - Tobago Cays - Arrival 09.30. Last Tender 16.30. Sailaway 17.00

Wednesday - St Vincent and Bequia. Arrival Kingstown, St. Vincent 08.00. Last Tender 12.00. Departure 12.30....... Admiralty Bay Bequia Arrival 14.00. Last Tender (18.00 Beach. 18.30 Port). Sailaway 19.00

Thursday - Martinique. Fort de France arrival 08.00 Last Gangway 11.30 Departure 12.00. Anse d'Arlet - Arrival 13.00 Last Tender (18.00 Beach. 18.30 Port) Sailaway 19.00.

Friday - St. Lucia. Marigot Bay Arrival 07.30 Last Tender 11.30 Departure 12.00. Soufriere Arrival 13.00 Last Tender 16.30 Sailaway 17.00

Saturday - Barbados - Arrival 07.00 :)

Jo!!! You forgot the Champagne at Sailaway. I love to stand there, listen to Vangelis and watch the Sails as I sip a glass of Schampus ( as we say here). Tear-jerking!!! Yes!!! :o

 

I see you are quite accomplished with Star Clippers -- I hope you continue to post on this forum any info you think would be helpful. THANKS MUCH.

We love Star Clippers!!! At least once a year!!! So lovely. And the People are Darling!!! The Roll calls are better here. Wait a bit. On the real Roll Call list, we are not listed. So not too many find Star Clippers. I will get one started here soon.

Take care!!!

Mimi A - when the RC calls at Souffriere they usually take (weather permitting) those passengers who are interested on a RIB to where a beach meets the foot of one of the Pitons as it drops down in to the sea. The snorkelling there is the best I have ever had! A land tour may be offered taking in some aspects of the Pitons. Marigot Bay ( a small but attractive area) is well known to yachtsmen as a haven in which to shelter from storms and, thus, is a great destination for yachties, even "in season". The music that is played at each sailaway is, as indicated by muskatnuss, Vangelis 1492 The Conquest of Paradise - which is also known as "Columbus" !!!.

muskatnuss - sorry I forgot to mention the complimentary champagne on boarding. Did remember to drink it however!!

Mimi A - when the RC calls at Souffriere they usually take (weather permitting) those passengers who are interested on a RIB to where a beach meets the foot of one of the Pitons as it drops down in to the sea. The snorkelling there is the best I have ever had! A land tour may be offered taking in some aspects of the Pitons. Marigot Bay ( a small but attractive area) is well known to yachtsmen as a haven in which to shelter from storms and, thus, is a great destination for yachties, even "in season". The music that is played at each sailaway is, as indicated by muskatnuss, Vangelis 1492 The Conquest of Paradise - which is also known as "Columbus" !!!.

 

:D Sounds wonderful! What is a RIB? I am guessing "they" refers to the Clippers staff. I have never seen the Pitons up close in the two previous visits to St. Lucia and I am excited to be able to snorkel there as well. In our last visit, we did a snuba (snorkeling/scuba) excursion at Pigeon National Park and the first time, we did a drive around plus visit the town at the main docking area in Castries. Soufriere will be new to us. Thanks for all your tips as I definitely want to see the best snorkeling available as I plan to get my money's worth (everyday if possible). :)

RIB means Rigid Inflatable Boat - small boat with inflatable rubber hull powered with an outboard engine. If you go on one of those there is a good chance of getting wet from the spray as it zips along. Yes "they" are the crew members including the sports team. Talking of Castries, there is a beautiful long beach, with lots of shade, between the headland and the Rendezvous Hotel. On one of our RC visits to St Lucia it was too rough to stop at Marigot Bay / the Pitons so the RC went in to the port at Castries instead. As we know the area to some extent we walked to that beach (less than a mile from the Port) for a swim and despite the fact that there were several large cruise ships in Castries, guess what? - we were, literally, the only people on that beach - wonderful.

Something you might not normally do on holiday! Running parallel to that beach is the road to the small local airport and about half way along, between the beach and the road, is the local Cemetery. Part of it is separated off and that is because it is the St Lucia War Graves Cemetery. If my memory serves me correctly I counted 42 war graves there covering the First and Second World Wars. The impact of those terrible days spread a long way!

Picked this up on another thread for those needing conversion rate:

Most of your stops use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, which is fixed to be US$2.70.

The Barbados Dollar is fixed to be US$2.00