Caribbean/Royal Clipper: How casual and general ages of pass?

Hi All -

We're looking to do a Caribbean itinerary in 2015, likely one on the Royal Clipper. We're new to smaller ship cruising and are (like most who enter this market) comparing Star Clippers and Windstar. Of most concern to us:

(1) How casual is the typical passenger dress on Royal Clipper when she sails the Caribbean? Truly, I hate the formal dress code thing on a Caribbean cruise. My husband hates it more. I mean, slacks and a jacket in that tropical heat?!

(2) We are late 30s (38 and 39 by the time we would sail) - is the general range 40-50s or does it trend higher? It won't really color our decision that much but I like to know.

Thanks!

We've sailed on the Star Clipper twice, in Caribbean, and on Star Flyer once for Panama to Costa Rica (just last Nov). We haven't sailed on Royal Clipper, but I've only heard positives.

Dress: casual. Although shoes required in the dining room, even for the buffets. For dinner, they like to call it "resort casual," with men are asked to wear long pants of some kind. Windstar specifies collared shirt with the long pants, but that was not the case with our Star Clipper ship sailings.

Age: from 30s on up. We started sailing on these ships in our late 40s, and still sailing in our mid-60s. You'll find most passengers on these ships to be friendly, fun, adventuresome, interesting, regardless of age. And you'll also find that many of them may be from European countries, since the Star Clippers are based there and their crews come from there. We have really had a blast meeting folks from England, Germany, France, plus Canada, Australia.....

There always is a crew-passenger talent night, and that is really a whole lot of fun and very good! All-volunteer, no one forced, but you'll see some very talented folk!

If you want the really really casual Caribbean sailing, consider one of the windjammer-style tall ships with far fewer passengers.....and your suitcase need carry only shorts, swimsuits, tops and flip-flops. No formal dining rooms. Islandwindjammers.com and sailwindjammer.com

We've sailed with Island Windjammers 3 times with a 4th coming up later this year. Totally casual, beautiful, well-appointed ships, great crews and very good food. And all port fees and drinks onboard are included in your fare (beer, wine, rum, sodas). If you don't like what they have, you're welcome to bring on what you want! Their 2 ships carry 12 and 24 passengers.

We haven't sailed Sail Windjammer yet, but we have sailed on her ship (Mandalay) when she was a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise ship. And she, too, is gorgeous. 60 passengers. Alcohol not included in fare.

I wish you best of luck choosing a tall ship......it IS the best way to cruise!

And starting with a Star Clipper ship is a good way to test the waters.

Thanks SailorJM - you pretty much reinforced my impressions. I've definitely looked at Island Windjammers and Sail Windjammer before. Those look like a blast, but right now we have young children so when we get away for a week with just the two of us, we want a higher level of comfort than those smaller ships can provide, speaking specifically of bathrooms and bed sizes in the cabins.

Both have great itineraries offered. We've done the BVI/USVI before so we'd like to branch a bit further south, see maybe Martinque, Iles Des Saintes, St. Lucia, etc. Star Clippers does have an 'air inclusive' price for our gateway airport, Atlanta, so from that perspective it's a bit more appealing than Windstar. However, it appears Windstar is under new ownership and has really upped its game - those ships are beautiful inside, especially the cabins.

I'm sure the passenger mix is good on both. We tend to be adventurous, and while we drink, we're way past the get wasted and be obnoxious phase. I feel as if we may have more in common with Star Clipper passengers - I believe these trips attract adventurous types.

You definitely will be catered to more on Star Clipper or Windstar ships than on a windjammer-style ship, with Windstar a bit more upscale. And you'll have very nice cabins on either SC or Windstar ships. I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy whichever line you choose. We've sailed each several times.

However, you may have some misconceptions about Island Windjammers. The ships have nicely appointed cabins, altho yes, they are cozy. They have double-bed and queen bed cabins. Each has its own bathroom and A/C controls. No one was getting "wasted" on any of our cruises. But it was nice to be able to have a rum drink or a beer without thinking about a bar bill at the end of the cruise. I can't speak from experience about Sail Windjammer, other than to say that their Mandalay's cabins are quite nice, each with own bathroom and A/C controls, too.

Star Clippers are beautiful ships, as are the Windstar ships, with larger cabins. I last sailed Windstar in 2010, and sailed Star Flyer last Nov. I'd put the Star Clipper ship's cabins on a par with Windstar's: very, very nice....but I haven't seen a Windstar since the renovations. I can't imagine how their cabins could be nicer than they were, actually.

Hi All -

 

 

(1) How casual is the typical passenger dress on Royal Clipper when she sails the Caribbean? Truly, I hate the formal dress code thing on a Caribbean cruise. My husband hates it more. I mean, slacks and a jacket in that tropical heat?!

 

(2) We are late 30s (38 and 39 by the time we would sail) - is the general range 40-50s or does it trend higher? It won't really color our decision that much but I like to know.

 

Thanks!

We have been on the various Star Clipper ships for 6 cruises and thinking of another one.

Tell your husband that for dinner long pants (docker's or whatever) and a polo or Hawaiian shirt are the norm. I have some light weight nylon tropical pants that look decent and pack well. Dinners are sort of European in style and quite nice. The dining room is air conditioned but tends to warm up as the meal progresses. The wine list is definitely European but prices are reasonable.

Daytime, incl meals, shorts or bathing suits, t shirts are normal. (Sometimes the Germans wear less while sunning on deck:eek:.) The passenger list is always very international with American's being maybe half of the crowd(or less). This is part of the charm for us. Announcements are sometimes made in 4 or 5 languages. There is a considerable age range but the average is probably around 55-60.

These are true sailing ships unlike the Windstar cruise ships. The Royal sets 22 sails in a traditional square rigger layout- windstar has 4 sails stuck on top of the lido deck. That means you may have to move your lounge chair so the crew can work the sails and that you will have an opportunity to climb the mast. Just a very different experience. Real sailing but with nice amenities.

Enjoy!