Royal Clipper in Cruise Travel

[Cruise Arizona]

Hey folks, did any of you see the article in Cruise Travel Magazine about the Royal Clipper?

 

I've never done a sailing cruise, the whole bare-foot thing always sounded too much like camping, but this Royal Clipper really looks special, and I'm just curious about there more up-scale sailing lines.

 

It seems like they would be a bit more of the "Getting away from it all" type vacation rather than the constant entertainment and activity of a tradtitional cruise.

 

Anybody ever done a sailing cruise? What are the advantages of the sailing cruise over the mass market ships?

[caviargal]

I did a Med cruise on Star Clipper in the early 1990s.

 

It was really different but not something I would do again.

 

WHen the seas were rough, they were REALLY rough and I had problems with the amount of movement.

 

The cabins were really small, though nicely appointed.

 

Meals were mostly buffet and the dining room felt kind of "tight". Food good and fresh but not special.

 

No fitness facility was the thing I missed the most. They had a morning aerobics class on Deck but it was not enough for me.

 

You could help sail if you wanted to and many did.

 

It was WAAYYYY nicer than the Windjammer boat I toured once in Nassau, that was a dump! And I am happy that I did it. I have seen lots of pics about Royal Clipper and she looks beautiful but it just was not for me.

 

CG

[mikiew]

We did two weeks on the Royal Clipper, and it is really first class. I would recommend it to anyone, and I am very picky. The food was excellent, the staff could not have been better, and we love small ships. This is not a barefood cruise.

[mikiew]

"What are the advantages of the sailing cruise over the mass market ships?"

 

 

Sorry, I missed that part of your question. It is personal, not just another mass of people. The food was much better, and the captain was available all the time. It is a total different experience, and I highly recommend. As we sailed.......really undersail, out of Barbados it was breathtaking to see the sails go up. The captain played the bagpipe.........trust me, it was special.

 

We have done the big ships, and really do not like them. There was tons to do on the Royal Clipper..........

 

With only 100 people on board, the buffet breakfast and lunch was very relaxed. Dinner was always special, and we loved all the interesting people we met.

 

Next month we are doing the Clipper Odyssey..........different cruise line.......but small.........no sails.............in Australia.

 

There is something to be said about first class small ships.

 

Try it sometime........you will be pleased.

[Mike2131]

Did you also post this to a board other than the Celebrity board? You might get more responses with firsthand knowledge of Star Clippers.

[Cruise Arizona]

I got confused, so I asked question first on Clipper, and then found out it was Star Clipper. My question was there for about a day with no responses, so I thought I'd try over here.

 

Thanks for all info Mikiew, my Dad and I were just talking last week, before the magazine came, about how he had always wanted to do a Sailing cruise. But the only line he knew of was Wind Jammer, and he felt like he wanted to be more pampered (in his old age). He's got a problem with his foot right now, but maybe when it gets better he could think about the Royal Clipper. My husband and I might think about something like this for our next no kids cruise. I love Celebrity, but having a sense of adventure, I like to try new things every now and then. The other "different" cruises that I have wanted to try is a French Barge cruise or a Rhine River Cruise.

 

Love to hear from anyone else who's done a Royal Clipper cruise.

[alpal1993]

Yes I read the article and it does look like something my DH and I would love to do in the future.I also have looked into winjammer cruises.I would really be nice to visit some of the more remote islands that the bigger ships visit

[badney]

My grandparents (ages 57 & 79) took a 40 night cruise on the Star Clipper last October-November. They started in Rome and ended in Phuket. Absolutely loved it. There were only 150 passengers and everyone knew everyone. The majority of the passengers were European, but a good mix of Americans and Australians also. Very intimate setting, my grandmother said she even became friends with the crew, including the captain and the bird (who bit her severely on the last night and thus ended that friendship!) They highly recommended the ship and to stay on as long as you could afford!

[Cruise Arizona]

I went to http://www.starclippers.com and took the virtual tour. The rooms look much better in these pictures than the dinging pictures in the magazine. The two that were on the specs page looked kind of shabby. But, oh, 360 degree photo's make the rooms look beautiful. I was kind of hoping that the price included tips and wine with meals, but it looks like that is all extra just like a mass market cruise.

 

I would even think that a cruise like this would be a good way to spend quality time with the kids, but with the rooms only set up for a tripple max, it would be just too expensive to pay four full fares at at least 2k per person, that would be an 8k vacation, before tips, excrusions, and drinks. As a couple's get-away, I think the price is fine, especially if it a special occasion like an anneversary or honeymoon.

[voyageur]

We took the Royal Clipper for our honeymoon 3 years ago... since then we've been unable to go back to the larger ships. It is a great getaway... I don't think there's room or activities to amuse children. It's very peaceful and intimate. There's nothing like being on the top deck in the starlight under the sails... all you see are the stars and all you hear is the wind. Absolutely amazing. The food was great, and the passengers were from US, Canada and many European and British countries. I found the price very reasonable for what you get.

[Cruise Arizona]

Well I was thinking that something like this would be more like the family time we spent last year in the mountains.

 

We went up an rented a cabin at ten thousand feet here at Hannigan Meadow, Arizona with no TV and no cell phone service. It only had two rooms, but luckily two baths, a small galley kitchen, a huge fire place and two gas heaters. There was about 3 feet of snow on the ground. We could cross country ski, snow shoe, and inner tube sled during the day. We brought about 10 different board games and card games, and sat by the fire and played games all after noon and evening. It was real family together time. The kids keep asking when we can go up to Hannigan Meadow again. It was a very special trip for them.

 

So I was thinking that a small ship cruise, would be more condusive to this kind of family time, than the mass market ships. and there would be a lot better service on the ship. We ate pretty well up in the cabins, as my husband planned and cooked some very nice gourmet meals, but there was only one dish washer....me. It took forever to wash and dry all the dishes by hand. (next time we'll bring paper plates and plastic silverware) I was thinking it would be nice to spend some care free time with my kids and l be in a luxury setting instead of roughing it. That cabin was about as roughing it as I'll go.

 

I am looking foreward to the up-coming Celebrity Hawaii cruise, but it is just a different kind of fun with the kids, with them doing their own thing for much of the cruise. We still plan to bring along some of our favorite board games for the days at sea, but we're not sure they'll want to leave the kids program to join us.

 

So I guess I'm thinking it would be a nice change or alternative if we could find a small ship cruise that had quad rooms.

[mikiew]

I would not recommend this for children. It is really for couples.........

 

 

Also, the wine was very reasonable compared to most ships, and the couple tours we took were not bad.

 

It is a lovely vacation.

[Cruise Arizona]

Your probably right, that's why they don't have quad rooms, it dicourages families.

 

Any body know of a cruise style that would be like what I described above. A cruise that would be an alternative to the mass market cruises with the structured kids program .....that has no formal programs for kids and would be more condusive to family time together but still provide a pampered setting?

 

I know my kids will love the Celebrity Kids program, but they also cherish the times when we just do family stuff, expecially board games or family outings.