5 masts, 56,000 sq. ft of sails, a stiff breeze, and a rolling sea. This was the recipe for an thrilling, Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Clipper, the flagship of the three-vessel Star Clippers line.
What’s It Like on the Royal Clipper Crusing Ship?
Commissioned in 2000, the 4,500-gross ton ship is a standard clipper — a reputation given to high-performing, square-rigged crusing vessels within the mid-Nineteenth century on account of their velocity. They may journey the most important commerce routes quicker than most service provider ships, usually reaching 18 mph and efficiently “clipping” the size of a voyage, saving ship house owners and clients money and time.
Royal Clipper is a duplicate of Preussen, a steel-hulled ship inbuilt Germany that entered service in 1902 and sailed for eight years earlier than a collision sank her within the waters off Dover, England.
The tall ship cruise expertise one finds right now aboard Royal Clipper is a world other than the up to date ships operated by fashionable manufacturers like Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean, and even different small ship strains resembling Windstar Cruises.
The four-deck Royal Clipper, with a capability for simply 227 company, has one eating room, one indoor lounge, two outside bars, and a small library. With out an elevator, the ship is a problem for anybody with mobility points, for the reason that solely method to navigate the vessel’s inside is by climbing up and down slim and steep stairways.
Ultimate for crusing fanatics and people on the lookout for a distinct type of cruise journey, Royal Clipper delivers a singular twist on fashionable cruising. With the romantic environment of a bygone period, the simplicity of her design permits company to expertise the true nature of a crusing ship.
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Royal Clipper is 480 ft lengthy, roughly double the wingspan of a 747 plane, and sports activities a slim beam of simply 54 ft. I embarked the ship in Bridgetown, Barbados, and from the cruise terminal I might see her rocking backward and forward on the pier as a gradual wind blew.
On the subsequent berth, P&O Cruises’ 185,000-gross ton Arvia dwarfed Royal Clipper, and I started to wonder if my sea legs would carry me by way of the 7-night crusing that was about to start.
How A lot Wind Is Too A lot?
Our cruise in mid-December 2023 known as at Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Iles des Saintes, and Martinique. December falls smack in the midst of the Southern Caribbean’s moist season, and the climate was true to its fame.
We had rain showers on and off all through our weeklong crusing, however loads of sunshine, too. What caught most company off-guard, nonetheless, was the presence of a phenomenon known as the Christmas Wind.
These east to west commerce winds had been exceptionally sturdy and regular, and induced giant swells that made the ship rock just about nonstop. On among the most windy nights, Royal Clipper was up in opposition to 40 knot gusts, which stored many company awake and reaching for his or her movement illness meds.
Apart from the uncomfortable overnights, the excessive winds stored company off the Solar Deck, the place the ship’s three small swimming pools had been closed in the course of the roughest days.
Cruisers on the lookout for a clean crusing aboard Royal Clipper in winter most likely ought to ebook from mid-January by way of March, after the winds have settled and the moist season has ended, among the crew suggested.
On the up-side, the windy climate enabled the captain to sail the ship by wind energy alone for about 65% of our cruise route, a unprecedented document and one that can attraction to environment-conscience cruisers. Mills remained on for lodge operations when the ship was below full sail energy.
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A lot of the 150 company on our cruise took the wind in stride, and appeared to turn into accustomed to the ship’s rocking. Holding onto handrails and bannisters grew to become second nature, however sadly, the sturdy drive of the winds put the kibosh on particular occasions, like a barbecue lunch beachside and using the ship’s fold-down water sports activities platform on the ship’s stern.
A Preponderance of Brits
The demographics of our cruise had been fascinating and, we had been informed, typical. The lion’s share of company had been British, adopted by People, Germans, French, and Canadians. Friends had been principally middle-aged and older, with a number of of their 80s and even 90s. Sadly, these older of us appeared unable to soundly navigate a lot of the ship.
Our crusing had a number of youthful {couples} and a few singles, who had paid hefty single complement charges to affix the voyage. The ship just isn’t conducive to youngsters, because it provides no programming or services. On our cruise, there was one younger couple with a child who gave the impression to be below 1 yr outdated.
Friends doted on the cute tyke, who was simply making an attempt her first steps. On a kind of windy nights, her father quipped, “I hope she doesn’t be taught to stroll on this ship, she’ll end up trying like a drunken sailor.”
Excessive Marks for Royal Clipper’s Chef
The one factor that Royal Clipper has in widespread with the up to date mega-ships is the fixed availability of meals.
Continental breakfast is obtainable within the Piano Lounge beginning at 6 a.m., adopted by a full breakfast buffet within the eating room from 8 to 10 a.m.
Buffet lunch is served within the eating room from midday to 2 p.m., and a considerable array of afternoon snacks is about up within the Important Deck Tropical Bar at 5 p.m. Then it’s a multi-course dinner within the eating room from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the night closes with a midnight snack, once more on the Tropical Bar.
Breakfast buffets are typical, with a good selection of cold and warm gadgets, however there have been a number of oddities, resembling no fresh-brewed decaf espresso — solely on the spot was out there.
Lunches had been themed, Caribbean specialties someday, Mediterranean the subsequent, then seafood, and many others. Dinners had been glorious, and the chef outdid himself each night time. Multi-course menus with salads, soups, appetizers, sorbets, primary entrees, cheese plates, a collection of pastry desserts — all had been excellent.
Dinner entrees featured sea bass, duck breast, roast beef, and coco vin, plus vegetarian choices resembling mushroom quiche, vegetable stews, and spinach cannelloni. Total, I’d give the meals excessive marks.
Wine was out there by the glass and the bottle. We discovered the costs to be truthful, and as with different cruise strains, unfinished bottles are saved for the next night time’s meal. Within the eating room and the lounge, bartenders supplied a beneficiant pour, and cocktails price about 8 euros.
The road doesn’t supply beverage packages for particular person company, though one might be obtained for teams.
Brother, Can You Spare a Drawer?
Royal Clipper has 114 staterooms, and most of them are fairly tight. There are two proprietor’s suites, 14 deluxe exterior balcony staterooms, two deck cabins, 90 exterior doubles and 6 inside cabins.
Outdoors doubles have portholes and vary from 118 to 145 sq. ft. Inside cabins attain simply 108 sq. ft, and the deck cabins are 156 sq. ft. For 2 average-size adults, these are all difficult areas.
Balcony staterooms are considerably higher, providing 280 sq. ft, and the proprietor’s suites measure 430 sq. ft.
I used to be booked into an outdoor double. Loos, that are included within the sq. footage, had been hardly giant sufficient to show round in. Shelving below the sink works effectively for storing gadgets, however the sink high is miniscule. Showers are separated from the lavatory space by a low lip on the ground, which does little to forestall water from spilling into the principle space.
Accumulating water is an issue, and in my cabin gave the impression to be the reason for rust stains alongside the decrease ranges of the lavatory partitions. The bogs are in want of upgrades, no query, however the water within the bathe is constantly sizzling, and one does get used to the cramped house.
One closet, with a protected, together with a small dresser and two further drawers rounded out the cupboard space. Suitcases had been hidden below the double mattress, and a small chair on the foot of the mattress got here in helpful.
A couple of of the company I talked with had been disenchanted with the dimensions of their lodging, however most others took a constructive view, saying that the distinctive elements of the ship made up for the staterooms’ shortfalls.
A Good Number of Shore Excursions
Many company had regarded ahead to the water sports activities platform on the stern of the ship, hoping to swim, kayak, and maybe paddle board off the platform in among the quiet harbors on Royal Clipper’s itinerary.
None of that occurred because of the sturdy winds, which stored the platform closed throughout most of our crusing. Nonetheless, most shore excursions went ahead as deliberate, and all kinds of excursions had been supplied.
Island excursions by mini-bus (from about 45 euros), hikes by way of the islands’ nationwide parks, snorkeling journeys, velocity boat rides, kayaking on rivers and in harbors (about 85 euros), and a few cultural actions, resembling rum-making (72 euros), had been supplied.
There isn’t any advance-booking choice for excursions aboard Royal Clipper. Friends merely add their title and cabin quantity to sign-up sheets situated on the cruise director’s desk, and tickets are delivered to their cabins.
Onboard our Royal Clipper cruise, probably the most difficult each day duties was navigating the gangway and climbing on and off the tenders, for the reason that unrelenting wind induced big, harmful gaps between the ship and the tender craft. There was no avoiding it, since tenders had been used at each port name.
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The flexibility of the crew helping company on and off the tenders was glorious, however I do know I used to be not the one one worrying about whether or not I’d be capable of safely take the massive step to board or exit the tender. Every time I made the leap felt like a significant accomplishment.
In actual fact, simply crusing on this ship felt like an accomplishment. Royal Clipper was positively not the best trip at sea, but it surely was simply probably the most memorable.
The ship is crusing 4 itineraries by way of winter 2024, all roundtrip from Barbados, and can depart the Caribbean on March 30, heading to the Mediterranean for the summer season 2024 season.
