Trip Report - Royal Clipper Windward Islands

[TheTwinsMom]

My husband and I took our first Star Clippers cruise on February 4th, 2023. We have previously only cruised on large cruise ships (generally Royal Caribbean). Here are some thoughts about our trip.

 

The main reason we choose this cruise is for the sail experience and it did not disappoint! Watching the sails go up was wonderful every time. It was easily the best part of the experience for us. We were worried about the motion of the ship. My husband can get seasick. I generally don't. But we both took non-drowsy Dramamine as a precaution. Neither of us had any problems. Sailing out of Barbados (and back) were the rockiest part of the journey. The ship was really swaying. It was pretty funny seeing the water hitting the porthole windows in the dining room during dinner.

 

The ship was beautiful. I for some reason thought it would be more rustic than it was. It was a gorgeous ship. There are plenty of stairs and no elevators. The dining area is a bit cramped but workable. Our cabin was bigger than I expected and had everything we needed. There is not a lot of storage space. We were able to slide our bags under the bed. There was a safe. The Library had books and a few games. They didn't have any cards, so bring your own if you want them. It was mostly empty the entire cruise. Most people hung out at the Tropical Bar or inside at the Piano Bar. 

 

Staff: The staff was hard working, friendly and polite. 

 

Entertainment: This was an area I was disappointed in. We don't care about the entertainment on the big cruise lines. The Star Clippers website says they bring in some local entertainment and the crew does activities. This sounded great. But they did not bring any local entertainment onboard. The only class they mentioned was a cocktail making class. When we showed up, Calvin said there weren't enough people to do it. Eventually, we pulled in enough people that they did do it. There were no other things listed. They did allow the people who wanted to to climb the mast (to the first platform). They did have evening entertainment after dinner (typically around 10 pm) with a talent show and pirate games.) The other guests really enjoyed them. (We are early risers and went to sleep too early to participate.) But none in the daytime. I do want to say the duet that performed music throughout the cruise was great. We really enjoyed them. 

 

Food: At 6:30am there was a small selection of croissants/pastries and coffee/tea. The breakfast buffet usually started at 8am. The buffet had a good selection. My husband really enjoyed the omelet bar every morning. Lunch was typically from noon til 2pm. They had a snack in the Tropical Bar from 5-6pm. And dinner was usually from 7:30pm til 9:30 pm. We both thought the food was good and a nice selection. It was a nice touch that they put the meals out beforehand so you could see some of the selections. They have a watery sorbet every night and it was often pretty strange (tomato vodka sorbet, I don't recommend it). But the fruit ones were great. But the meals were interesting and well cooked. Overall, I give the food high marks. The coffee is consistently strong but there is milk and hot water. They had some really excellent desserts. 

 

Excursions: There is a folder with a signup sheet on a desk on the Clipper deck. You can go right after you check in to sign up. I'd recommend studying them before you go and signing up immediately for anything important to you. A few completely filled up the first day. We enjoyed the 2 excursions we did. (Snorkeling with the Rays in Antigua. Which was really walking with the rays as the water is about 3 feet deep. And a tour of St. Kitts.) 

 

Ports: We weren't particularly thrilled with the ports. We had a lovely beach BBQ in Antiqua. St. Kitts was also interesting. Overall, I think we'd pick a different itinerary in the future. I was also pretty disappointed that this itinerary didn't do a photo op. But I did get nice photos from the tender when the sails were down. Tendering was a bit treacherous at times. But it was usually easy if you are in good shape. I had to look away as an older woman with a cane was boarding on a really rough day. The crew was great at supporting her. But I was terrified she was going to fall in with the tender moving so much. They do say up front that you need to be mobile. They mean it. 

 

Prices: We are used to cruises being cheap and everything on board being expensive. So this was a really nice surprise for us. The cost of drinks was reasonable. It was about $3.50 for a glass of wine or beer and about $6 for a mixed drink. The wi-fi was $6/hour. I did not use it. The excursions were reasonably priced also. 

 

The Marina Platform: This was something we got all wrong. We planned on spending a lot of port time snorkeling from the platform. We could do it. But they told us that since they anchored at depth, there really wasn't much to see. It was also really choppy. They suggested we go to the beaches. We only saw one person use it the entire cruise. I think this may be different if we were sailing in the Med. but not sure. 

 

Deck: There were plenty of deck chairs. They were comfortable. Take a towel band or clip as it is windy. Also be prepared to move. We watched several people go sliding across the deck in their chairs. Almost no one went up on deck at night. It was great to go up and look at the stars. But it is very windy while moving. 

 

Passengers: We really enjoyed this aspect of our trip. The people were consistently interesting and loved to make new friends. Dinner takes about 2 hours. You spend most of that time chatting with your table mates. 

 

Dress code: They specifically state that men need to wear pants to dinner and everyone did. It wasn't fancy. The older gentlemen tended to wear a sport coat and a dress shirt. But many men were in polo shirts and khakis. They also say that tennis shoes are not allowed. However, while most men were in boat shoes, many wore fashion tennis shoes (not athletic ones). 

 

Hints: We took a few magnetic hooks that came in handy for hanging things. I'd also suggest a lanyard for your room key. (You need it to open your cabin door and whenever you are getting on and off the ship.) There were a lot fewer people wearing lanyards than on the big ships. Bring a reusable water bottle. You can fill it up near the Tropical Bar. 

 

Last thoughts: Overall this was a great trip. We came for the sailing and really enjoyed it. It is a European crowd and the late night schedules reflect that. Come expecting to make your own entertainment during the day. If we go again, it will probably be in the Med. We were told it was a great itinerary but often doesn't have the wind. So think about the time of year you choose. I'm happy to try and answer any questions. 

[Cotanomore]

Thank you for the wonderful trip report.  Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[janecambridge]

Great, thank you. 
We did Royal twice from Barbados on different itineraries. The Caribbean is choppy! One thing we loved was that being on a small ship (compared to large ships), we docked in smaller harbours and before the large ships emptied out. 
Whilst at sea, another clipper came up beside us (The Star) and we had a great race!! 
The back deck into the sea was used alot on our cruise. We loved it. 
We are off to Costa Rica in a few weeks,  on Star Clipper so will report back. 

Our amazing agent, has organised  4 days land tours across Costa Rica first. 
 

Twinsmom, I think your review is a fair review and what we too experienced. It is truly a great experience. Thank you.. 

[TheTwinsMom]

4 hours ago, janecambridge said:

...
Whilst at sea, another clipper came up beside us (The Star) and we had a great race!! 
The back deck into the sea was used alot on our cruise. We loved it. 
We are off to Costa Rica in a few weeks,  on Star Clipper so will report back. 

Our amazing agent, has organised  4 days land tours across Costa Rica first. 

...

We had a meeting with the Star Flyer. It ended up being a 2+ hour event because they missed the timing. The Royal Clipper turned around and went back to meet up with them. I was really impressed at how the ship can turn. I also have to admit it was funny watching sail boats and other ships coming up to the RC to take photos of us. Felt like we were in a parade. LOL 

 

Speaking of photos... I didn't mention that I really struggled on whether to take my DSLR on this trip. I ultimately decided not to. There were some great photo moments, but my phone handled them beautifully. My hopes to take photos at night would not have panned out. There is just too much movement while we are sailing at night to do any kind of long exposures. (We also had a full moon.) I did love one of the first photos I took when they were putting the sails up on the first night. They turned out a lot of the deck lights and I managed to get Orion over the top corner of the sails. 

[Blighty770]

Lovely review, TheTwinsMom. We shall be on the same itinerary in mid-March and are really looking forward to the sailing. Hopefully there won't be quite as much chop, but if there is that's all part of the experience. 😄 It will be the first time on a clipper ship for us, so it's very exciting.

Thanks for your feedback and helpful tips, too. Btw: your photo of Orion over the sails is great...I'm really looking forward to the nightly unfurling of the sails!

[JeanKC]

Thank you, that is really helpful particularly around the potential day trips and getting our name down early if we do want to do any. We sail in 10 days and I am so excited!! 

Edited February 15, 2023 by JeanKC

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Great review!  Brought me back to our New Years Eve cruise.  Thank you!!

[Psoque]

On 2/13/2023 at 2:39 PM, TheTwinsMom said:

My husband and I took our first Star Clippers cruise on February 4th, 2023. We have previously only cruised on large cruise ships (generally Royal Caribbean). Here are some thoughts about our trip.

 

The main reason we choose this cruise is for the sail experience and it did not disappoint! Watching the sails go up was wonderful every time. It was easily the best part of the experience for us. We were worried about the motion of the ship. My husband can get seasick. I generally don't. But we both took non-drowsy Dramamine as a precaution. Neither of us had any problems. Sailing out of Barbados (and back) were the rockiest part of the journey. The ship was really swaying. It was pretty funny seeing the water hitting the porthole windows in the dining room during dinner.

 

The ship was beautiful. I for some reason thought it would be more rustic than it was. It was a gorgeous ship. There are plenty of stairs and no elevators. The dining area is a bit cramped but workable. Our cabin was bigger than I expected and had everything we needed. There is not a lot of storage space. We were able to slide our bags under the bed. There was a safe. The Library had books and a few games. They didn't have any cards, so bring your own if you want them. It was mostly empty the entire cruise. Most people hung out at the Tropical Bar or inside at the Piano Bar. 

 

Staff: The staff was hard working, friendly and polite. 

 

Entertainment: This was an area I was disappointed in. We don't care about the entertainment on the big cruise lines. The Star Clippers website says they bring in some local entertainment and the crew does activities. This sounded great. But they did not bring any local entertainment onboard. The only class they mentioned was a cocktail making class. When we showed up, Calvin said there weren't enough people to do it. Eventually, we pulled in enough people that they did do it. There were no other things listed. They did allow the people who wanted to to climb the mast (to the first platform). They did have evening entertainment after dinner (typically around 10 pm) with a talent show and pirate games.) The other guests really enjoyed them. (We are early risers and went to sleep too early to participate.) But none in the daytime. I do want to say the duet that performed music throughout the cruise was great. We really enjoyed them. 

 

Food: At 6:30am there was a small selection of croissants/pastries and coffee/tea. The breakfast buffet usually started at 8am. The buffet had a good selection. My husband really enjoyed the omelet bar every morning. Lunch was typically from noon til 2pm. They had a snack in the Tropical Bar from 5-6pm. And dinner was usually from 7:30pm til 9:30 pm. We both thought the food was good and a nice selection. It was a nice touch that they put the meals out beforehand so you could see some of the selections. They have a watery sorbet every night and it was often pretty strange (tomato vodka sorbet, I don't recommend it). But the fruit ones were great. But the meals were interesting and well cooked. Overall, I give the food high marks. The coffee is consistently strong but there is milk and hot water. They had some really excellent desserts. 

 

Excursions: There is a folder with a signup sheet on a desk on the Clipper deck. You can go right after you check in to sign up. I'd recommend studying them before you go and signing up immediately for anything important to you. A few completely filled up the first day. We enjoyed the 2 excursions we did. (Snorkeling with the Rays in Antigua. Which was really walking with the rays as the water is about 3 feet deep. And a tour of St. Kitts.) 

 

Ports: We weren't particularly thrilled with the ports. We had a lovely beach BBQ in Antiqua. St. Kitts was also interesting. Overall, I think we'd pick a different itinerary in the future. I was also pretty disappointed that this itinerary didn't do a photo op. But I did get nice photos from the tender when the sails were down. Tendering was a bit treacherous at times. But it was usually easy if you are in good shape. I had to look away as an older woman with a cane was boarding on a really rough day. The crew was great at supporting her. But I was terrified she was going to fall in with the tender moving so much. They do say up front that you need to be mobile. They mean it. 

 

Prices: We are used to cruises being cheap and everything on board being expensive. So this was a really nice surprise for us. The cost of drinks was reasonable. It was about $3.50 for a glass of wine or beer and about $6 for a mixed drink. The wi-fi was $6/hour. I did not use it. The excursions were reasonably priced also. 

 

The Marina Platform: This was something we got all wrong. We planned on spending a lot of port time snorkeling from the platform. We could do it. But they told us that since they anchored at depth, there really wasn't much to see. It was also really choppy. They suggested we go to the beaches. We only saw one person use it the entire cruise. I think this may be different if we were sailing in the Med. but not sure. 

 

Deck: There were plenty of deck chairs. They were comfortable. Take a towel band or clip as it is windy. Also be prepared to move. We watched several people go sliding across the deck in their chairs. Almost no one went up on deck at night. It was great to go up and look at the stars. But it is very windy while moving. 

 

Passengers: We really enjoyed this aspect of our trip. The people were consistently interesting and loved to make new friends. Dinner takes about 2 hours. You spend most of that time chatting with your table mates. 

 

Dress code: They specifically state that men need to wear pants to dinner and everyone did. It wasn't fancy. The older gentlemen tended to wear a sport coat and a dress shirt. But many men were in polo shirts and khakis. They also say that tennis shoes are not allowed. However, while most men were in boat shoes, many wore fashion tennis shoes (not athletic ones). 

 

Hints: We took a few magnetic hooks that came in handy for hanging things. I'd also suggest a lanyard for your room key. (You need it to open your cabin door and whenever you are getting on and off the ship.) There were a lot fewer people wearing lanyards than on the big ships. Bring a reusable water bottle. You can fill it up near the Tropical Bar. 

 

Last thoughts: Overall this was a great trip. We came for the sailing and really enjoyed it. It is a European crowd and the late night schedules reflect that. Come expecting to make your own entertainment during the day. If we go again, it will probably be in the Med. We were told it was a great itinerary but often doesn't have the wind. So think about the time of year you choose. I'm happy to try and answer any questions. 

What category on which deck did you stay in?

[TheTwinsMom]

Psoque, 

Cat 3, room #231. I was the last Cat 3 room when we booked. I was a bit worried about it being a bit smaller. But we had plenty of room. I also really liked its position on the ship. I'd say the fact that the bed can't be repositioned could be a problem for some people. The bed is up against the wall. So that can make it difficult for 2 people if they both get up in the night. 

[donaldsc]

On 2/13/2023 at 11:39 AM, TheTwinsMom said:

 

 

 

 

Last thoughts: Overall this was a great trip. We came for the sailing and really enjoyed it. It is a European crowd and the late night schedules reflect that. Come expecting to make your own entertainment during the day. If we go again, it will probably be in the Med. We were told it was a great itinerary but often doesn't have the wind. So think about the time of year you choose. I'm happy to try and answer any questions. 

 

We did 2 weeks in the Greek Islands in October on the Star Flyer.  Does that count as the Med.  We sailed most of the time heeled at 10 - 15 degrees.  We had a wind gust one time that blew out one of the main sails but that gave us the opportunity of seeing the sail master or whatever they call him to spend a week mending the sail.  We missed 2 ports because of the wind and had to switch to other ports.  We had one night where there was a big crash in the kitchen.  We did almost all of our travel under sail.  We loved it but we definitely had wind.

 

DON