2/28/2024 0 Comments Royal clipper cruises 2021![]() We crawled into the bow net one day, just for the thrill of it, gingerly straddling the bowsprit boom before climbing into the spongy net and splaying out in the warm sun for a spell. As we all did, she became quite entertained by the ship itself. 4: “Wow, it’s adventurous like a real yacht!”ĭolan’s pre-cruise fears of seeing Kathy Lee stroll past in sequins crooning show tunes wore off quickly, and she was relieved to see the Royal Clipperdidn’t have a gltizy casino clanging away the hours or Vegas-style shows to fill up the evenings. All that communing with nature made us a bit peckish, so good thing Addy passed around homemade banana bread and passion fruit juice at the end of the tour. In the thick of it, our guide Addy had our small group of 10 pause for 5 minutes of complete silence to listen to the sounds of the pristine jungle and give the natural world time to really soak in. We were impressed with the rainforest tour in St. We spent the next hour quietly reading at the water’s edge and revelling in our good fortune I couldn’t help but hear Dolan sigh like a woman in love.Ĭute but pesky goats on Les Saintes. On French-flavored Les Saintes, a darling little speck of an island surrounded by candy-colored wooden fishing boats, we set off on foot down a gently rolling road through picture-postcard countryside and ended up on a slice of quiet beach at the other side of the island.Ī family of hungry goats was already there, and didn’t budge even after we climbed a tree to finish the baguette and cheese we had purchased from the cute old man selling them nearby. The Royal Clipper’s ports of call aren’t tourist-clogged, Disneyified islands, but instead exotic little pockets of palm tree paradise where your ship is often the only one in sight and you can blend into the local culture in a way you never could if you arrived on a ship carrying thousands.ĭolan the rookie cruiser was smitten. Still, despite the cushy amenities, the atmosphere is homey and the dress code is casual, though some men do wear jackets on the night of the captain’s cocktail party. On the lowest deck, there’s an underwater observation lounge (with below-sea-level portholes for spying flood-lit fish) and a mini spa and gym (careful with those barbells!). The spacious piano bar, which wraps around the top level of the atrium, is equally as refined as the restaurant and filled with comfy upholstered and leather seating, and on the same deck is even a clubby library with a fireplace (faux, of course). Vegetarian Dolan always had one or two dishes to choose from, but you don’t go on a Star Clippers cruise for the food. Likewise at mealtime, there’s no roughing it, though don’t expect anything too exotic as the chef needs to please a very international crowd, heavy on the Europeans.Ĭuisine is continental and dominated by cheeses, marinated fish, potato salad and meats at the breakfast and lunch buffets, along with basics at dinner like Fussili in a tomato sauce, grilled Norwegian salmon, and a herb crusted rack of lamb, accompanied by a decent wine list. With its three-deck atrium and its multi-level restaurant done up with plush red velvet chairs and banquettes, white-fluted columns, and frilly ironwork railings, you could forget you were on a sailing ship if it weren’t for the very ship-like creaking and rolling. ![]() Launched in 2000 as the third build for Star Clippers, which introduced the 170-passenger Star Flyerin 1991 and sister-ship Star Clipperin 1992, Royal Clippertook the line’s comfort standard up a few notches. She was seriously thumbs-up about our room: the cool portholes, the all-day movies on the TV and the pillow chocolates at night.įor a tall ship, the cabins are very comfortable! * Photo: Heidi Sarna 2: “ Whoa, are these things comfy!”ĭolan didn’t expect the cabin, outrageously roomy for a tall ship at 148 square feet, to have a marble bathroom and such smart finishings, with its navy-blue and gold fabrics, nautical prints, and wood paneling. That’s what makes a journey on this ship so wonderfully different than on a 2,000-passenger mega, where you’re just another face in the crowd. As with all small ships, the atmosphere on the Royal Clipper is intimate and socialable, and everyone gets chummy fast. We raised our glasses with a group of fun-loving Austrians at the bar and gossiped with a young couple from New Jersey on their honeymoon. We hiked up to Fort Napoleon on Les Saintes with an endearing Chicago couple, a wise-cracking salesman and his doting young wife, and shared a meal with a charming, French Ben Kingsley lookalike and his glamorous wife, who had sailed with Star Clippers many times before. Young hunks aside, we made lots of new friends from all walks of life.
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