Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Katherine Needham
Email: kneedham@star.net
Age: 27
Occupation: librarian
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: StarClipper-StarClipper
SailingDate: April 27, 1996
Itinerary: Grenadines
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 75
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 70
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Sep 1996
Time: 11:39:44
Remote Name: 199.232.114.248
Remote User:

Comments

This is a good cruise for those people who want to experience sailing on a real sailing ship; it is
truly beautiful. The cruise is much more casual overall than most cruise lines; dressing for dinner
means only that men must wear a shirt with a collar. The food is not as good as on major cruise
lines, nor is the variety, but there should be something acceptable to most people. There is no
casino, no beauty salon, no exercise room, and no fancy stores. However, there is a piano bar, a
tropical bar, a nice library, two small pools, and a beautiful deck on which to relax and watch the
ocean.

The ports of call are different than what you will find on many other cruise lines. We visited
Carriacou, Grenada, Canouan, St.Vincent and St. Lucia. Carriacou and Canouan are not touristy
islands at all; basically you are tendered to a beach, where you will be served lunch, and they
provide watersports such as waterskiing and banana boating. The beach on Carriacou was lovely,
and we heard the one on Canoun was also nice; we were sunburned and skipped it. The other 3
islands offer a choice of usually 2 excursions. I recommend the speedboat tour on St. Vincent; that
was a great experience. If you are not interested in taking a tour, you can either walk or take a
tender to shore, depending on the port, and tour on your own.

The atmosphere on board is casual and convivial. There are no assigned seats at meals, so you can eat whenever you want during meal hours and with whomever you want. We found ourselves eating with the same 2 couples most of the time after meeting by chance, and enjoyed their company at meals and during other activities. There was a wide range of ages represented, and a number of nationalities as well. One downside for me, although my husband was unaffected, was that I felt quite queasy the first and last days on board, although I was taking Bonine. Going to and from Barbados is the roughest part of the trip. While there were a number of us affected, others were not, and I gather it depends a lot on the weather at the time.

Overall, we had fun, and enjoyed having a different cruising experience. Watching the sun set and dolphins swimming alongside the boat was something I won't forget!

Name: Donal Mullane
Email: donal.mullane@lineone.net
Age: 34
Occupation: Banker
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: StarClipper-StarClipper
SailingDate: 7th Nov '98 - 14th Nov '98
Itinerary: Grenadines
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 79
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Apr 1999
Time: 05:15:53
Remote Name: webcache02p.cache.pol.co.uk
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I are in our early 30's and this was our first visit to the Carribean and our first cruise. After the Star
Clipper we would definitely go again. We went with a larger group with the intention of spending one week on the
Star Clipper, and the second week in a beach resort in Antigua. 4 of our party of 20 chose to stay on the Star
Clipper for the second week because they did not want to get off!

The Star Clipper is an exceptional ship, and a truly romantic experience. It is really aimed at adults rather than
children. Its passengers seem to come not only from the US, but also from the UK, Germany and France.

Our itinerary was very good - Tobago Cays being the best - however, we learnt from the staff that the itinerary
which takes in the Virgin Isles was better, and would recommend this instead. Being a small ship (compared to the
floating city's which comprise most cruise ships) we could get to where larger ships could not.

The ship used its engines to get from one island to another during the night (hence, if you were unlucky with your
cabin location, you might find it noisy). The best part undoubtedly was during the early evening (ca. 6pm) when the
ship would unfurl its sails and sail under canvas. As a passenger, we all looked forward to this daily experience and
gathered on the deck sipping cocktails and helping (if we wanted to) to hoist the sails, steer the ship (under
Captain Uli's guidance), and even to climb the masts (with safety harnesses etc): This was pandered to by an
operatic theme playing over the p.a. which will always remind me of this holiday. There was a sense of superiority
in sailing in and out of our destinations, and one of the highpoint of our trips was sailing away from one island past
another cruise ship (The Windjammer - a quasi-sailing ship) showing them what a real sailing ship was like.

Remember this is a sailing ship, not a cruise liner and so cabin sizes and facilities reflect this. We were in a
category 4 Cabin. There appeared to be no benefit going for a larger cabin, albeit I would not want to go for a
smaller one, and beware engine noise during the night. The swimming pools are mainly for ornamentation and not
really used. There is little in the way of night-time entertainment. Food was generally very good and plentiful - NB
caviar is only available on the Saturday Evening welcome buffet, the rest of the week you will be eating a la carte.

The bottom line is that we got brochures for other Star Clipper sailings immediately upon our return to the UK.
They are launching a new ship this year - the Royal Clipper - and that looks fun.

Name: Katherine Albitz
Email: kra@sdd.hp.com
Age: 38
Occupation: Software Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: StarClipper-StarClipper
SailingDate: April 10-17, 1999
Itinerary: Grenadine Islands
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 89
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 83
ShoreExcValue: 93
GoodForHoneymoon: 92
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 10
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 93
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 79
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Apr 1999
Time: 14:10:30
Remote Name: hpsdlo.sdd.hp.com
Remote User:

Comments

Review of Our Star Clippers Cruise to the Grenadine Islands, April 10-17 1999

My husband and I sailed on the Star Clippers cruise line this month to the Caribbean aboard their ship, the Star Clipper.
Since I have seen very few reviews of Star Clippers, I thought I'd offer our experiences. If you manage a FAQ or cruise
review web site, feel free to include this review.

The Ship

The Star Clipper (like her identical twin, the Star Flyer) is a magnificent sailing ship. It is truly a square rigged clipper ship (as
I, a sailing no-nothing, understand it). The ship is beautifully maintained and lovely, inside and out. It contains
accommodations for approx 170 passengers and 70 crew. It has an elegant dining room that can hold very nearly all the
passengers. There is a split bar, part of which is outside on the Tropical Deck and part of which is inside where there is a
piano that the crew musician plays in the evenings. There are two small sea water pools, several sun decks, a small shop
and a small enclosure on the top deck where the masseuse/manicurist works. There is a small library with books, games and
a PC. The ship is done in rich dark woods and brass, with sailing-themed art.

The Accommodations

The cabins are rated from the cheapest, category 6 to the most expensive, category 1. Plus there is an owner's cabin which
can be rented out when the owner is not on board. We initially booked a category 2 cabin, with a double bed and a little
bigger bath room. However, a few weeks before the trip we were offered an upgrade to a category 1 cabin which has a
bigger bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, with a handheld shower you use sitting on the tub seat, and a mini-bar. There was also a
complementary bottle of champagne waiting for us. These cabins are on the main deck, and open right onto the open deck.
The room was very nice. It was spacious, elegant and comfortable. However, there were disadvantages to the category 1
cabins. Because the cabin is on the main deck, it is very noisy. We could easily hear our neighbors on both sides in their
rooms, and there was plenty of noise on the deck right outside our door to keep us from sleeping well, especially after
around 6am. Passengers came and went. Crew came and went. There was a maintenance area right outside our door and
often the crew was using power tools in the early morning. We could hear the crew hose down the deck in the mornings and
several times at night we heard the water slosh out onto the deck from the nearby pool.

We had a chance to see a category 2 room and decided that if we ever went again, this would be a better choice. The room
occupants said it was very quiet. It was not quite as elegant or as well decorated but was plenty nice enough for us. And the
things it didn't have, the mini-bar and the tub are not things we really wanted or needed anyway.

The Food & Dining Room

The food was plentiful and always very good, but not excellent. There were moments of excellence, including a wonderful
salmon at lunch one day, great lamb chops one evening. All in all though, we were very happy with the food. There was a
continental breakfast in the piano bar at 6am. 8-10am was a breakfast buffet in the dining room. Breakfast always had a
selection of fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, breads and pastries, scrambled, soft and hard boiled eggs, bacon, sausage and a
cooked-to-order omelet station. Plus there was a daily special such as broiled tomatoes, baked beans, pancakes or french
toast.

Lunch was 12-2pm and was either a themed buffet or was a BBQ on the deck or on the beach. Themes were Oriental,
Italian, Seafood, etc. There were always fresh fruits, cheeses, breads, meats and a selection of desserts, in addition to the
main offerings.

Dinner was 7:30-10pm. Dinner the first night was a buffet, but after that it was order off of the menu. There were always 1-2
appetizer selections, a soup, a salad and 3-4 entree selections, almost every night including a vegetarian choice. There
were always 3 desserts offered. Most of the dinners were very good, with moments of only-OK and moments of excellence. I
especially liked several of the soups and salads. The meats were often in the good-but-not-excellent category.

The dining room seating was always open seating at tables of 6 or 8. The dress code was open at breakfast and lunch. At
dinner they requested 'casual elegance' which translated to: no shorts, t-shirts or bathing suits. A pair of slacks and a polo
shirt was the most common dress for men and the same, or a casual dress for women. The only exception was the next to
the last dinner, the 'Captain's Dinner.' For that the dress was more dressy, with many women wearing cocktail dresses and
many men in dress shirts, some even with ties and jackets. However, we had no warning that this event would occur, so we
were not prepared with anything better than khakis and polo shirts, and we weren't the only ones to be unprepared.

Normally the officers, including sometimes the Captain, would eat with the passengers. At the Captain's Dinner the Captain
had the head table with his invited guests. The only problem was that he and his table were seated fairly late and everyone's
dessert was delayed until his table was finished and he gave his speech. We didn't know that and arrived at 7:30 for dinner
and had to sit for about an hour between our dinner and dessert. Unfortunately we had a dinner companion that night who
spoke nearly no English (and we spoke no Swedish) so it was not a fun wait.

The Itinerary & Excursions

The Itinerary we had was the Grenadine Islands: Antigua, Dominica, St. Vincent, Bequia, Tobago Cays, St. Lucia,
Martinique, Iles de Saintes and back to Antigua. Nearly every day there was a choice between 2 to 4 excursions, beach time
and time in the town. We didn't get off of the ship in Dominica, we were busy just decompressing and relaxing. However,
several people who went to the beach told us that it was very dirty, with garbage strewn around. This was the only report of
a dirty beach we got that week, everything else was very nice, although some of the towns were somewhat poor. But the
people were always friendly.

Neither Tobago Cays nor Iles de Saintes had excursions offered. Tobago Cays was just a beach day (with a lunch BBQ on
the beach), there was no town. And Iles de Saints was beach and town on your own. These two stops were nicely spaced in
the week (Tuesday and Friday) so you didn't feel like you were on the go non-stop.

The two excursions we went on were both excellent. In St. Vincent we went on the speed boat tour. We were taken on an
hour ride around the island on a speed boat to a small beach spot where we walked a short distance inland to a lovely
waterfall where we swam a bit. On the way back, we stopped at a volcanic black sand beach for a little beach play time. All
told, it was about 4 hours.

In St. Lucia we took the nature hike. It was a moderately strenuous hike into the forest with four native guides to point out the
various plants. There were mango trees, coconuts, cashew trees and many others we'd never heard of. Halfway through we
stopped at a sulfur water waterfall and pool where we were able to swim a bit. On the way back we stopped at a plantation
house and looked around the grounds a little. The whole thing took about 4 hours and was lots of fun.

As we compared notes each night at dinner, we found that people generally enjoyed their excursions and thought they were
worth- while. The only little problem was that the crew tended to over- state the physical difficulty of some excursions and
that lulled people into not being prepared for the excursion that was actually strenuous, the nature hike. Several of the
people who went on it probably shouldn't have.

On most of the beaches we stopped at, the sports crew, The Three Vikings (young good-looking Nordic fellows), provided us
with beach toys, windsurfers, little sail boats, etc. They also had two speed boats from which we could water ski or ride the
five- person banana boat, pulled behind.

Several places there was snorkeling but the best was on the back side of Tobago Cays (a very short walk) and a snorkel
safari off of the tender boat (in deep water) at Iles de Saintes. You could use their snorkel equipment, which appeared to be
in good condition. We brought our own mask and snorkel and used their fins, which we thought was a good decision
because we could be sure of a good fitting mask. The best thing we brought with us, besides the snorkel/mask, was water
shoes. Several places were rocky and having the water shoes made our water play much safer and easier. For $10, they
were an excellent investment.

On Board Activities

There was an on-board Thai masseuse/manicurist who worked out of an enclosed area on the top deck. We didn't utilize
her, but we heard only glowing reports from those who did.

Every night at 10pm there was some kind of activity or entertainment on the Tropical deck. One night it was hermit crab
races (complete with betting), one night was a team event with ship-related trivia questions and team tasks, one night was
the talent show with acts from crew and passengers. According to reports (we don't know this first hand) the party sometimes
didn't end until 4am. However, even though our cabin was on the same deck, we weren't disturbed by party noises.

Several days, in the late afternoon, we were allowed to climb the mast, to the first of three crows' nests. We were in
harnesses and tethered to a safety rope. It was a fun, if somewhat nerve- wracking climb. (On our climb it was windy and was
starting to rain -- which stopped quickly, but left the ropes wet and slippery.) Also fun was the bow net. This is the net that
hangs on either side of the beam that extends out from the bow of the ship. It is there to hold those sails when they are
down, but when the sails are up, we were allowed to climb out onto the beam or lay in the nets, like big hammocks. This was
undoubtedly the best place to sit on the ship. You could lay there and stare up at the sails, watch the sunset, nap, or just
hang out over the water.

Tipping

We were provided with envelopes for our room steward and for the wait staff. Since dining room seating was open, tips were
pooled for the whole wait staff. We were gently advised to tip the steward $3 day/person, and the wait staff $5 day/person.
There was a 'Crew Gratuities' box near the Purser's office where we could deposit our envelopes. It was all done in a very
civilized manner, I thought. Bar gratuities were added to your bar bill automatically.

Misc

One thing I really appreciated about the Star Clippers cruise was that I didn't feel that I was being gouged for every extra
dollar they could get out of us. Everything to be bought on board, drinks, wine, toiletries, massages, excursions, etc. was
reasonably priced and we felt that we got our money's worth. The drinks were generously poured, the souvenirs were
reasonably priced, etc.

We made our own flight reservations, which cost more, but gave us complete control over the flights. However, we didn't
hear anyone complain about their cruise flight packages, so we assume they were ok.

The officers and crew were great. Captain Uli gave talks every evening as we raised the sails (whether or not we were going
to be able to sail). His talks were always informative and entertaining. Other crew members gave talks, there was the star
gazing talk, the engine room tour, etc. Upon raising the sails nearly every time, they played a Vangelis song from the
Columbus movie '1492'. It was very majestic and inspiring. But by the end of the week we got tired of it. I can only imagine
how the crew feels about that song.

Our cruise director, Monika was very good. She kept us informed (in 3 of her 7 languages) and made sure things went
smoothly. Monika left the ship late in the week and was replaced by Alain who was also good (and multi-lingual -- as were
most of the crew, who seemed to have at least two languages each.)

We sailed several different times, whenever the winds were right for where we were headed, which was a lot of fun. However
we used the engines a lot, to get us to our next destination on time. Captain Uli seemed to run a tight ship. If he said we were
to arrive at 8am, then by God we did.

In summary, it was a very enjoyable trip. We greatly enjoyed the ship, the ports and the activities. We would consider going
on another Star Clippers cruise in the future, perhaps on their new five masted ship, the Royal Clipper which is due to sail
next year. I would recommend Star Clippers for anyone looking for a cruise a little different than the several-thousand
passenger, floating- hotel, cruise ships that are more common in the cruise industry. (Although to be fair, I have never sailed
on one of those, this was my first cruise of any kind.)

This review is copyright of Katherine Rives Albitz. It may be copied, distributed or included in any FAQ or review site as long
as it is included in its entirety, including this paragraph.

Name: Kathryn Tisdale
Email: KATisdale@wilkes.net
Age: 54
Occupation: Nurse
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: StarClipper-StarClipper
SailingDate: 10/8/2000
Itinerary: Grenadines and Windwards
Cabin: 120/4
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff: 
PrivateIsland: 
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 50
BeautySalonStaff: 
EntertainmentLounges: 
WheelchairAccess: 0
ExerciseFacilities: 
EntertShowLounge: 
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 
EntertainmentPoolside: 
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities: 10
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 70
ShopsOnBoard: 10
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Nov 2000
Time: 20:44:30
Remote Name: dial-28.r10.ncwtmc.infoave.net
Remote User: 

Comments

This is the most romantic cruise we have been on. Being on deck as the sun sets and the sails are
raised or at night when the moon and stars are out is a magnificent experience. Overall we were very
pleased with our two weeks on the Star Clipper. Neither my husband nor I are bothered by sea
sickness which might be a problem for others and I would not recommend this ship if that were a
problem. The positive aspects for us included the fact that the line was running a two-for-one special
which allowed us to spend two weeks touring the islands of the Caribbean. Each day we were in
another port while the evenings were spent traveling from one island to another. We went to large
islands such as Barbados as well as less visited islands such as Iles des saintes, Bequia, and Union.
Of special interest to us was the excellent snorkeling program. The ship provides snorkel safaris at
many locations as well as providing free use of snorkel equipment. The food was good at all times and
was sometimes excellent. The breakfast and lunch buffets were especially well done. The dining room
staff was outstanding as was the cabin steward. They were pleasant, polite, attentive, and seemed to
genuinely want our vacation to be wonderful. Our only negative was that the cabin was quite small. It
was however quiet and clean. This cruise is not for people with disabilities. There are no elevators and
the stairs are quite steep. The captain of the vessel was a part-time replacement who was neither
personable nor charming. At the first Captain's dinner he lectured us on being too old to be on the
cruise. On the second dinner, he complained that the group was not drinking enough. He gave none
of the nightly lectures on astronomy, navigation, or sailing that we had expected. He was the only
disappointment on an otherwise excellent two weeks. We enjoyed the varied people who took this
cruise. It was not just Americans. We had British, German, and French travelers. It was great to have
open seating at dinner and meet people from all over.

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