Royal Clipper - Grenadine Islands - 6 February 2016 -

Starting this roll call in hopes of meeting some of my fellow cruisers... This cruise was a 'bucket list' item for me. Have cruise before but never on a sail ship. Cruising solo but my friend Mary from England is joining the cruise as well.Been retired for a couple of years and trying to make the most of it :-)

Francois

Boy o boy... lonely on this roll call :D

My friend and are on the cruise as well. I am from Canada and she lives in the USA. This will be my 2nd cruise on the Royal Clipper and I am looking forward to sailing on this beautiful ship again.

I am currently planning activities for us and comparing ship's tours to things we can do on our own.

Hope you're still checking this board.

I would not worry about the lack of people in here. You will have a great time and meet really interesting people. You will definitely not be lonely on the ship.

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My friend and are on the cruise as well. I am from Canada and she lives in the USA. This will be my 2nd cruise on the Royal Clipper and I am looking forward to sailing on this beautiful ship again.

I am currently planning activities for us and comparing ship's tours to things we can do on our own.

Hope you're still checking this board.

Good day...

Was away on TA and Southern Caribbean cruise so missed your message... Great to know someone who has been on previously... obviously you liked it :-)

I just downloaded their list of excursions yesterday and am in thee same process. Could not find scheduled times of arrival and departure from ports of call though so have written Star Clippers to ask if those are available.

I'll be in cabin 228 and travelling solo although a travel friend of mine has also booked the cruise. Mary is from England.

Which cruise had you done before?

Francois

I would not worry about the lack of people in here. You will have a great time and meet really interesting people. You will definitely not be lonely on the ship.

 

 

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:D:D:D

Expect the cruise will be fine... Txs

Francois

Hello Bajnok. 2 years ago I did the Windward Islands cruise on the Royal Clipper. I think I would go just about anywhere to be back on that ship!

I am behind on my tour planning but perhaps we can exchange ideas. Are you planning on doing mostly ship's tours or are you considering doing some touring on your own?

Did Star Clippers send you the list of port times? That would be very helpful for planning private tours.

Hello Bajnok. 2 years ago I did the Windward Islands cruise on the Royal Clipper. I think I would go just about anywhere to be back on that ship!

 

I am behind on my tour planning but perhaps we can exchange ideas. Are you planning on doing mostly ship's tours or are you considering doing some touring on your own?

 

Did Star Clippers send you the list of port times? That would be very helpful for planning private tours.

Yes they did... Here they are

Sat

6-Feb-16

Bridgetown, Barbados

ETA 07.00 ETD 22.00

Sun

7-Feb-16

"Capt.'s best", Grenadines

ETA 12.00 ETD 17.00

Mon

8-Feb-16

St. George’s, Grenada

ETA 12.00 ETD 23.45

Tue

9-Feb-16

Tobago Cays, Grenadines

ETA 09.30 ETD 17.00

Wed

10-Feb-16

Kingstown, St. Vincent

ETA 08.00 ETD 12.30

Admiralty Bay, Bequia

ETA 14.00 ETD 19.00

Thu

11-Feb-16

Fort de France, Martinique

ETA 08.00 ETD 12.00

Beach, Martinique

ETA 13.00 ETD 19.00

Fri

12-Feb-16

Marigot Bay, St. Lucia

ETA 07.30 ETD 12.00

Soufrière, St. Lucia

ETA 13.00 ETD 17.00

Sat

13-Feb-16

Bridgetown, Barbados

ETA 07.00 ETD 22.00

I know that in Grenada my friend Mary and I were looking to do a tour with Mandoo Tours. Did one this November and it was great. For the rest nothing decided yet, Looking to the ship ones but did note that a number of them seem quite strenuous... Mary and I both in good shape but not looking for trouble :D As I do not get to stay in Barbados either pre or post cruise, I'd like to do a tour there at least. I saw Star Clippers offers two but both seem to be post cruise... Possibly looking to our own for Martinique and St Lucia and Kingstown... I am a big foodie so would like to try a good restaurant possibly in Martinique... To be honest it is pretty much all up in the air at this time. Some stops definitely sound more suitable to just beach, snorkel and relax than anything else, i.e. Becquia? Tobago Cays?

Francois

I know that in Grenada my friend Mary and I were looking to do a tour with Mandoo Tours. Did one this November and it was great. F

 

Francois

Mandoo tours is http://grenadatours.com/half.htm

We have done the Spice Plantation Route... contacted Mandoo recently and he offered the Garden Route which covers a different part of the island...

Francois

Thank you for the port schedule list Francois. That will be very helpful. I have sent it to my friend along with the Link to Mandoo's tours. Very highly rated company on Trip Advisor.

I noticed the word "strenuous" a lot as well for the ship's tours. I do have knee replacement that works very well but at this stage I don't take chances, particularly when away from home. I do think they want to make sure that they are "covered" if someone gets hurt on a tour due to mobility issues.

Have you ever taken a taxi tour negotiated at the dock? I have friends who frequently do this but I usually like to plan ahead.

Hi All, We will be on this cruise as well as the following one. These will be our 7th and 8th Star Clipper cruises. This itinerary was our first one in 2005. It appears that Star Clipper is a bit more organized now than it was then. We did not get any advance port times or excursions until we were on board. All to the good but I would take the port times with a grain of salt. We will be there when we get there :).

As to biotech's questions:

*Yes, some of these tours are quite strenuous. The cruise director will probably be able to give more specifics.

*As to the liability question - please buy your own travel insurance that includes medical care and evacuation.

*Taxi tours can be had in some of the ports. Some, like Tobago Cays, are pure beach stops with no towns at all. You can also walk to the sights in some stops and/or pick up a local guide at the port. Both of these approaches are for the adventurous and confident traveler. We have done this all over the world but there are always some risks. The cruise director may be able to give some guidance but I suggest you do some web research before hand if you are considering this. The port calls section of this web site and Tripadvisor are good places to look.

Finally, you may or may not know this but be aware that Americans and Canadians will likely be in a minority on this cruise. Expect to see lots of Brits and Germans and to have some very interesting conversations. One of the best parts of the cruise.

Hi All, We will be on this cruise as well as the following one. These will be our 7th and 8th Star Clipper cruises. This itinerary was our first one in 2005. It appears that Star Clipper is a bit more organized now than it was then. We did not get any advance port times or excursions until we were on board. All to the good but I would take the port times with a grain of salt. We will be there when we get there :).

 

As to biotech's questions:

*Yes, some of these tours are quite strenuous. The cruise director will probably be able to give more specifics.

*As to the liability question - please buy your own travel insurance that includes medical care and evacuation.

*Taxi tours can be had in some of the ports. Some, like Tobago Cays, are pure beach stops with no towns at all. You can also walk to the sights in some stops and/or pick up a local guide at the port. Both of these approaches are for the adventurous and confident traveler. We have done this all over the world but there are always some risks. The cruise director may be able to give some guidance but I suggest you do some web research before hand if you are considering this. The port calls section of this web site and Tripadvisor are good places to look.

 

Finally, you may or may not know this but be aware that Americans and Canadians will likely be in a minority on this cruise. Expect to see lots of Brits and Germans and to have some very interesting conversations. One of the best parts of the cruise.

Hi Robbie21... thanks for the information...and welcome to the roll call :-)

Francois

 

Have you ever taken a taxi tour negotiated at the dock? I have friends who frequently do this but I usually like to plan ahead.

Not really...I amnot very good at wheeling and dealing so I tend to prefer to have my stuff lined up ahead of time... :-)

Francois

Hi,

Just returned from the Royal Clipper Grenadines route Dec 12 -19th. Not all tours listed as strenuous were considered strenuous by the passengers who took them. The most strenuous was reported as the volcano tour which had 5 participants. Towards the top it became quite rocky. I had dinner with 4 of the 5 people who just returned from that tour. Some commented that they had wished they had hiking boots for it.

Bajnok my friend and I are interested in the Grenada Garden tour that you have booked. Do you have a full group or is there room for two more people?

We're looking forward to the cruise and hopefully meeting some of you:-)

Bajnok my friend and I are interested in the Grenada Garden tour that you have booked. Do you have a full group or is there room for two more people?

 

We're looking forward to the cruise and hopefully meeting some of you:-)

I'm stumped... following my initial inquiry, had a reply from Mandoo offering the Garden Tour... all attempts to contact him since (at least 4 e-mails) have gone unanswered... I have sort of given up and will start looking at alternatives for a similar tour... will let you know what I find out ok?

Francois

That is rather upsetting! I wonder if his email address may gave changed? Thanks for your reply and I will check back to see what's happening. I believe I saw a good review for another tour operator and O will check it out and let you know if I get an answer.

Mary

That is rather upsetting! I wonder if his email address may gave changed? Thanks for your reply and I will check back to see what's happening. I believe I saw a good review for another tour operator and O will check it out and let you know if I get an answer.

 

Mary

Hi Mary

What about a car/driver from Sunsation Tours and make up similar itinerary to what might have been done with Mandoo Tours? $30 USD per hour for up to 4 persons? If you want to discuss you can e-mail me at bajnok@videotron.ca

Francois

Francois, I am definitely interested In doing this tour! I will contact you by email later today. Thank you for researching this company. They certainly look very good and reliable.

How did you all enjoy your cruise? Any words of wisdom for folks who haven't yet cruised on Star Clippers? What was the food like? We're the other passengers interesting? Did they have a dress up night? Did you do any of the shore excursions?

We enjoyed it a lot. The food was excellent. The current head chef is really the best we have seen on Star Clippers. Bar service and wine list were very good and very reasonably priced by cruise ship standards.

The passenger's average age was markedly older than on our previous cruises on this line. There were several people with canes who had considerable difficulty getting up and down stairs. There was at least one bad fall - he told us this was to be his last cruise. There was the usual mix of Americans, Brits, Germans, French, Etc. with English being the majority language but US passengers well under 50%. We enjoy meeting and talking with folks from other countries so we had lots of fun dinner conversations. Announcement were made in English and German on this leg with French added on the next cruise. (The French on this cruise graciously acknowledged that they understood English.) I think because of the age there was a bit more dress up at dinner. Perhaps 8 or 10 men wore sports coats which is more than I remember. That's out of about 200 passengers. The rest of us in mostly sports shirts and dockers. (lots of Hawaiian shirts). Ladies all looked good. :D

The ports were the usual Caribbean - not all that interesting. The beach day at "Captains Choice" was awful. Dirty, spooky locals, cloudy water. They need to find a new place. Note that on the next cruise (Windward Islands) the beach stop in Antigua was lovely.

The current cruise director, Monja, was not so good at keeping us informed. There was often confusion over tender schedules to beach or town and very little or no information provided about the facilities at either the town or the beach. Sometimes the info was wildly inaccurate. I usually cornered one of the sports team to get the local skinny. Excursions seemed well organized overall but, as usual, at the mercy of the weather and the local contractor. Some good, some bad - use your own judgement. The entertainment was, as usual, pretty lame. The staff musician, a pianist/singer was pretty good. But you make your own entertainment, mostly.

The ship is, of course, lovely as always. We were quite content to remain on board if we found the port or the beach uninteresting. Sailaways under full sail with the music was always fun and an evening walk around deck to view the stars and the lights on the islands was always romantic.

Hope this helps you to understand the experience.

How did you all enjoy your cruise? Any words of wisdom for folks who haven't yet cruised on Star Clippers? What was the food like? We're the other passengers interesting? Did they have a dress up night? Did you do any of the shore excursions?

Thanks to robbie21 for the excellent summary... ditto to all except the beach at Captain's Choice... stayed on board so wouldn't know... This is definitely something I would like to do again...the absence of constant onboard activities and PA announcements for same was a blessing...

Enjoy...

Francois

Thanks Robbie21! That does help a lot. We've cruised a lot but on the big cruise ships, so this will be a totally new experience for us. I'll love it, being a sailor, but I'm hoping it will be nice for the (non-adventurous) wife too. But she says she just likes to relax on board the ship....

That is very good news about the Chef. We like to eat. ;-)

We'll both love to talk to the other passengers, though it will be hard for me to get a word in edgewise. ;-) We've had many non-Americans at our dinner tables in the past and we've always found it fascinating and that they were easy to talk to.

I've read about a pirate night, but I'm not sure what to do for that. Most of the women's pirate costumes seem to be designed for teenagers, not sure the wife will wear any of those.

Some of the shore excursions sounded interesting but I've heard some people didn't think they were worth it. There also did not seem to be much to pick from.

LOL, I think this will be an adventure cruise. :-)

As I said, the entertainment is pretty low key. Relatively few participate in "Pirate Night", the rest of us just watched. The talent show was all crew on this cruise (which can be both interesting and painful to watch) although we have seen some good singers on past cruises. The "fashion show" night is just to display and sell stuff from the ship shop. There was a steel band that was pretty good one night but, to me, it all sounds the same after the first song:D. All the entertainment is in the outside tropical bar. Alternatively you can sit inside in the lounge or on deck for drinks and conversation.

Shore excursions on any cruise line are a gamble - more so in the Carib. The snorkel excursion to Horseshoe Reef was a bust because the weather prevented going there and the alternative was poor. However, the snorkel trip on St Vincent was terrific. You are unlikely to get any useful information from the cruise director but sometimes someone on the sports team will know something.

Enjoy your cruise!