Star Clippers Grenadines Overview: A Royal Clipper Journey

Think about occurring a cruise…and discovering it full of people that hate cruises. It’s a paradox, isn’t it? And but that’s precisely what I skilled on my first cruise with Star Clippers, a weeklong Caribbean journey aboard the Royal Clipper.

It started on embarkation day in Barbados. We had been standing on the Solar Deck, gazing up on the Royal Clipper’s 5 towering masts, when one in every of our fellow passengers nodded towards two large cruise ships within the harbor. “Aren’t you glad we’re not on a kind of?”

“We’re SO glad we’re not on a kind of!” I laughed.

This second repeated itself repeatedly all through the journey. Even when a medium-sized cruise ship popped up someplace, somebody would inevitably level to it and say, “Boy, am I glad I’m on this ship as an alternative.”

I’ve finished one massive cruise earlier than, and whereas I had enjoyable, I knew the entire time that massive ship cruising will not be my factor. However I’ve finished two small ship cruises earlier than — to Antarctica in 2018 and to Jap Canada in 2019 — and I discovered that small ship cruising is VERY a lot my factor.

Cruising on small ships means you’re in a position to go to tough-to-reach locations. You’re unlikely to expertise crowds anyplace. It’s a lot simpler to get to know your fellow passengers, and the environment is far quieter and extra intimate.

For years, I’ve been desirous to attempt a small ship cruise within the Caribbean, particularly one which visits tiny, hard-to-reach islands inaccessible to large cruise ships. And in my analysis I discovered Star Clippers, with their three beautiful tall ships and their Grenadines itinerary.

I reached out to Star Clippers and so they generously supplied to host me and Charlie on their weeklong cruise. I gave them loads of suggestions on our expertise, and also you’ll discover that honesty mirrored on this detailed overview.

This publish was revealed in February 2026, and our journey passed off in December 2025.

Crusing on the Royal Clipper

What I quickly discovered was that the Royal Clipper is the principle character of the journey. THIS is why folks e-book these journeys! They’re in love with the ship and the way it makes you are feeling.

In 2001, the Guinness Guide of World Data licensed the Royal Clipper because the world’s largest sq. rigger in service.

The Royal Clipper is the biggest of Star Clippers’ three ships, with a capability of 230 passengers; we had 199 passengers on our journey.

And that small dimension makes an enormous distinction. You don’t need to cope with among the drawbacks of enormous ship cruises — combating for deck chairs, infinite corridors, crowded excursions led by umbrella-waving guides.

One necessary factor to know is that the Royal Clipper will not be designed for a similar degree of accessibility as massive cruise ships. Many disabled vacationers select massive cruises for his or her elevators, huge corridors, and step-free entry all through the ship, however the Royal Clipper will not be constructed that approach.

There are not any elevators on board, and most of the staircases are steep. Among the doorways contain holding two doorways open in several instructions whereas stepping over a threshold step, which even I discovered difficult.

Moreover, most of the doorways are heavy (I caught my finger within the lavatory door one evening), and going ashore requires strolling down gangway steps and climbing into a young fairly than stepping or rolling onto a pier.

For that motive, I don’t suggest cruising with Star Clippers you probably have mobility challenges. The ship is gorgeous and the expertise is exclusive, however accessibility will not be its robust level.

That stated, in case you ARE snug with stairs, uneven surfaces, and an energetic ship setting, the Royal Clipper provides experiences you’ll by no means in one million years discover on a big cruise ship.

Listed here are a number of of the methods you possibly can take pleasure in this tall ship setting.

Mast Climbing

One particular factor that Star Clippers provides is an opportunity to climb the mast to the crow’s nest. (Me: “There aren’t…legal guidelines in opposition to this?”) As quickly as I discovered this was a factor, I knew I had to participate!

Mast climbing is often supplied two occasions through the journey; it was supplied 4 occasions on ours, solely when the ship was anchored. Round 5 folks go up at a time. You set your digital camera in a sealed bag in your again, placed on a harness, clip your self in, and climb the rope ladder to the crow’s nest.

From the crow’s nest, you will have panoramic views of the ship and no matter islands are within the distance. When you’re up there, you possibly can take your digital camera out and take as many images as you’d like earlier than happening once more.

Was this scary? There are occasions that I don’t love heights, however I didn’t assume this was scary in any respect! My harness was safe and the expertise felt well-managed. Total, the exhilaration was nicely price it.

(One other factor: a whole lot of images on this publish had been taken with my Insta360 digital camera. I completely LOVE touring with this digital camera, however I feel it’s at its highest on ships and boats. You will get a lot extra out of a selfie with a 360 digital camera than your cellphone.)

Swimming Off the Ship

However my absolute favourite exercise onboard was swimming off the marina platform behind the ship. The sports activities crew opens the platform once in a while whereas the ship is anchored.

The crew places out a rope connected to a number of floating rafts, and you’ll dive within the water, take a pleasant swim, or simply lie on the rafts and float away. Both approach, the spotlight is getting to absorb views of the Royal Clipper as you swim.

Simply being within the sea and searching upward at that spectacular ship — the masts, the strains, the gold lettering on the intense blue — is an expertise. You belong on that ship.

I had two swim periods — one in Martinique and one in St. Lucia — and so they had been SO filled with pleasure. Particularly in St. Lucia, as a result of we had a magical setting with panoramic views of the Pitons.

In the event you’re snug swimming in deep water, I extremely suggest you find time for no less than one swim off the Royal Clipper.

Photograph Safari

And on the ultimate day of your crusing, if situations are good, you’ll get to participate within the photograph safari! The crew gathers folks into the tenders and also you slowly circle the Royal Clipper because it raises the sails.

Our photograph safari passed off in Soufrière, St. Lucia, with the Pitons rising dramatically within the background. This was probably the most lovely place we visited over the previous week, and attending to {photograph} probably the most lovely ship in opposition to such an iconic backdrop, bathed in golden Caribbean mild, felt like a present.

Everybody on board was in an amazing temper, and it was the right method to commemorate our lovely week crusing by the Caribbean. I introduced my large Sony digital camera, my iPhone, my Insta360 digital camera, and my Osmo Pocket 3 video digital camera, and I used all of them nonstop.

Exploring the Royal Clipper

Royal Clipper Cabins

One large distinction from a standard mega ship is that cabins on the Royal Clipper are on the smaller facet, and only some have balconies. I do know lots of people are critical about their balconies, to the purpose that they wouldn’t go on a cruise with out one, however once more, the Royal Clipper isn’t a typical sort of cruise.

Our Class 2 cabin had a double mattress with one facet in opposition to the wall, a chair, and a small desk. There was ample cupboard space for our suitcases below the mattress, and we had sufficient drawers for all our clothes. Housekeeping is superb, and cabin stewards clear your cabin twice per day.

Sensible tip: watch out with the studying lamps above the mattress. They are often opened and adjusted into totally different positions, however the default place is correct the place you set your head, and cabin stewards reset them into this place after cleansing your cabin. I hit my head on these metallic, angular lamps greater than as soon as.

Our lavatory was small however purposeful, with all the pieces we would have liked, together with cleaning soap, bathe gel, shampoo, and conditioner.

One factor concerning the lavatory is that the ground can get QUITE moist, particularly in case you bathe whereas the ship is crusing, however typically even when it isn’t. I instructed to Star Clippers that they add a squeegee to every cabin — it will make it really easy to comb up all that water after showering.

I positively appreciated the quantity of toilet cupboard space — particularly as soon as I spotted the mirror was an arrogance that opened and saved issues securely behind it!

The ship makes use of European electrical retailers all through, so carry an adapter in case you want one.

Communal Areas

In the event you’re searching for a spot to hold on the Royal Clipper, you will have a number of choices. The Solar Deck is dwelling to a few swimming swimming pools, a lot of seaside loungers and umbrellas, a bar, and plenty of locations to hang around and take within the views.

The subsequent deck is the Principal Deck. Right here you’ll discover the Tropical Bar, which looks like the principle hanging-out spot on the ship, which is roofed however has open sides.

There’s additionally a small library, which is sweet and quiet and has a choice of books in lots of languages, and the Piano Bar. There’s an remark lounge, which was the assembly house of one of many constitution teams on our crusing, and there are a handful of cabins.

The subsequent deck is the Clipper Deck. This deck is generally filled with cabins, together with ours. There’s additionally the Sloop Store, promoting quite a lot of Star Clippers-themed clothes and a few small souvenirs, and the Tour Desk, the place you possibly can join excursions.

The subsequent deck is the Commodore Deck, the place you’ll discover the eating room and extra cabins. On the top of the ship, you’ll discover the marina platform (swim platform).

And one ground additional down, you’ll discover the Captain Nemo health club, lounge, and spa. The health club has a number of cardio machines and a few free weights; the spa has a hammam.

What sort of folks cruise with Star Clippers?

On our journey, many of the friends had been from the US or UK, with a smattering of different international locations represented. We met a number of German audio system, and our cruise director Monja did the bulletins in English and German. The literature we obtained every day was in English, German, and French.

Age-wise, most friends had been between age 55 and 75. Nevertheless, folks tended to be in respectable form, as you want to have the ability to climb a whole lot of stairs and maintain heavy doorways with a purpose to navigate the Royal Clipper.

There have been a handful of youthful folks on board. Some had been touring with their mother and father or households; there have been a number of youthful {couples} and buddy teams as nicely. Charlie and I ended up bonding with two of the youthful {couples}, one from the US and one from the UK, and the six of us “younger’uns” frolicked loads!

Are youngsters allowed on Star Clippers? They’re technically allowed from the age of six months, however there are zero child-centric services on board, so it’s not a preferred alternative for younger households.

As for range, I’m certain there have been loads of queer folks on board, however I didn’t discover any queer {couples}, and you possibly can depend the folks of shade on one hand.

You also needs to know that a few of your passengers could also be a part of an outdoor group. As we embarked, we discovered that an American Bible research group made up a very good share of our fellow passengers.

Now, I’ll be trustworthy — after I first heard this, I used to be a bit apprehensive. I questioned whether or not having a non secular group on board may have an effect on the general vibe of the ship.

Actually, it didn’t have an effect on the vibe by any means. Everybody was pleasant, respectful, and completely nonjudgmental. The truth is, the 2 finest pals we made on the ship had been a part of the Bible research group! It was a very good reminder to not make assumptions.

Total, I discovered the passengers on the Royal Clipper to be fascinating, well-traveled, and nice conversationalists. I at all times say that regardless of the place you go all over the world, 98% of individuals are fantastic and the opposite 2% are usually not, and that was actually true on our journey.

Meals and Drink on the Royal Clipper

Now, probably the most necessary features of any journey is the meals, and that is the place Star Clippers shines. We discovered the meals to be glorious throughout the board.

Star Clippers serves three meals per day. There’s a breakfast buffet from round 7:30-9:30 AM, a themed lunch buffet from round 12:00-2:00 PM, and a plated multi-course dinner within the evenings from 7:30-10:00 PM.

Along with the three principal meals, they serve a easy continental breakfast within the Piano Lounge from 6:30 AM-10:30 AM, mild snacks within the Tropical Bar from 5:00-6:00 PM, and late evening snacks within the Tropical Bar from 11:30 PM-12:30 AM.

Meals

I discovered the breakfast buffet to be fairly typical: sizzling trays of eggs, bacon, sausage, and beans for the Brits; a lot of pastries and baked items; yogurt and its many accoutrements; a lot of fruits; an omelet station with eggs to order.

Every single day, the lunch buffet had a theme: seafood, Italian, Asian. There can be trays full of themed dishes — meat, fish, and vegetarian choices — together with interactive stations like carving or pasta stations, and loads of salad stuff.

The buffet meals wasn’t fancy, nevertheless it was tasty for probably the most half.

However my favourite a part of lunch was the dessert buffet. THE DESSERTS WERE SO GOOD. And there have been so a lot of them! Piña colada mousse. Eclairs. Chocolate cake. Silky cappuccino cups. Tiramisu. All in little parts so you possibly can attempt all of them.

I additionally shortly discovered that the majority desserts didn’t make a number of appearances, so, nicely, I HAD to attempt all the pieces!

Dinner is a extra formal affair, with a number of programs. Most individuals gown up a bit of nicer than their day garments, and males are required to put on lengthy pants.

Servers sit you at tables with different friends, and I discovered this was the easiest way we received to know our fellow passengers.

Every evening, you possibly can select between two appetizers, one soup, one palate-cleansing sorbet, 4 principal dishes (no less than one meat, one fish, and one vegetarian), and three desserts (one is at all times a unique sort of ice cream). You can too order a salad of the day or cheese plate for one in every of your programs, and so they supply two wine bottle suggestions.

We’d often get an appetizer, both the soup or the sorbet, the principle dish, and the dessert.

Here’s a pattern menu:

The only smartest thing we ate on the Royal Clipper was this plate of roast beef. It was so tender, so flavorful, and I used to be impressed that each single plate was cooked to the correct temperature.

Charlie and I had been having dinner with a father and son from the US that night, and all 4 of us received the roast beef. Then as we completed, our server grinned and stated, “You need extra beef?” I declined, however the three guys all stated sure.

Effectively, our server introduced them not just a bit bit extra beef, however A SECOND PLATE. They had been as pleased as clams.

(And as quickly as we discovered this was a factor you possibly can do on the Royal Clipper, we could have ordered second plates a few times extra.)

Whereas the meals high quality at dinner was glorious, I felt like the meat dishes had been the very best of the bunch. Each steak I had was exemplary. Charlie, for his half, cherished the lamb dishes as nicely.

Whereas the meals was scrumptious, it was very Eurocentric, so don’t count on world delicacies. I might have cherished extra worldwide dishes than a single Asian-themed lunch (particularly since our cooks had been from the Philippines and Indonesia and will in all probability flip it out!).

Does Star Clippers cater to dietary restrictions? They do. We received to know a vegan visitor who had been on a number of Star Clippers cruises, and in her phrases, “They’ve gotten loads higher over time,” and “I can get by.”

At dinner, you at all times have the choice to order a consommé, pasta dish, or steak frites in case you don’t like something on the each day menu. We tried the steak frites one evening and loved it.

One random tip: attempt to have dinner with somebody celebrating a birthday! Each evening, the servers sang to these celebrating birthdays and introduced them a chocolate birthday cake to share with their desk mates. One evening we occurred to be consuming with somebody celebrating a birthday — and that cake was SCRUMPTIOUS.

Drink

Star Clippers doesn’t supply drink packages, which makes them totally different from conventional massive ship cruises. And I feel that’s a very good factor, because it retains the binge drinkers away.

So all the pieces is à la carte, however the drink costs are extraordinarily cheap. On our journey, gentle drinks had been €3, beers had been €4-5 every, home wines had been €4. Cocktails had been €8, the cocktail of the day was €7, and mocktails had been €5.

You can too order wine by the bottle, and we had been delighted to see that they weren’t marked up very a lot. One evening, we ordered a bottle of one in every of our favourite Italian reds, Brunello di Montalcino, for simply €42. That may in all probability value €35 on the winery.

And in case you order a bottle and don’t end it, they’ll put your identify on it and reserve it for subsequent time.

Filter espresso and tea are included totally free, however espresso-based drinks are additional (€2 for espresso, €2.50 for cappuccino). These coffees are made with Nespresso professional capsules. Charlie and I discovered this disappointing, as Nespresso is mediocre espresso, however as a result of George Clooney is of their commercials, folks assume it’s fancy.

I feel it will be clever for Star Clippers to put money into an actual espresso machine with respectable beans, and I talked about this with their crew. I feel that is a simple method to uplevel their service for a reasonably low value. Charlie and I might have purchased two or three coffees every per day if that they had been higher.

Actions and Leisure

As soon as once more, the Royal Clipper isn’t a megaship — don’t come right here in case you’re anticipating fixed actions all day. Folks come on the Royal Clipper to take in the vibe.

There have been a number of each day actions, although. Every morning, there was a yoga class and a “morning gymnastics” session (a body weight exercise adaptable for all health ranges) earlier than breakfast.

Sometimes, through the morning or the afternoon, the sports activities crew would supply mast climbing or swimming off the marina platform. By no means each on the identical time, as every exercise required the complete sports activities crew.

Captain Sergey did a number of “Story Hour” periods, telling tales from his life at sea. There was an engine room tour sooner or later (Captain Sergey: “I don’t perceive why individuals are at all times so on this, however you possibly can go see the engine room…”), which gave me a deeper appreciation for the hardworking crew.

There’s a spa on the Royal Clipper, with quite a lot of massages, facials, and physique therapies accessible, in addition to a hammam.

On our day in Tobago Cays, the crew did a barbecue on the seaside for everybody.

However there was at all times organized leisure within the Tropical Bar after dinner. One evening, it was a pirate occasion! Everybody dressed up of their most pirate-y outfits (I wound my sarong round my head; Charlie purchased a black bandana in St. Vincent, and the ship had loads of props to pose with), and we performed goofy video games for prizes.

One evening there was a expertise present (each crew and friends participated, and clearly, the Filipinos dominated the karaoke!). One other evening, a style present. Different nights, simply music and dancing.

However probably the most particular occasion was a Grenadian metal band efficiency. We had been anchored in Grenada till late within the night, so the ship was in a position to host an area band.

They usually had been so enjoyable! Beginning with “Dancing Queen,” they performed quite a lot of pop songs on the metal drums, and also you couldn’t hold folks off the dance ground.

Star Clippers Grenadine Islands 7 Nights Itinerary

Star Clippers’s Grenadine Islands 7 Nights itinerary begins and ends in Bridgetown, Barbados. (This cruise doesn’t enter any port within the US, so hold that in thoughts if that’s necessary to you.)

What I really like about this itinerary is that many of the ports are small, intimate, and inaccessible to bigger ships. We anchored at sea and took tenders in at each port besides Fort-de-France, the place we docked at a pier.

Right here is the itinerary:

• Day 1: Embark in Bridgetown, Barbados (afternoon)
• Day 2: Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (afternoon)
• Day 3: St. George’s, Grenada (afternoon)
• Day 4: Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (all day)
• Day 5: Kingstown (morning) and Bequia (afternoon), St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Day 6: Fort-de-France (morning) and Grand Anse (afternoon), Martinique
• Day 7: Marigot Bay (morning) and Soufrière (afternoon), St. Lucia
• Day 8: Disembark in Bridgetown, Barbados (morning)

Right here’s an summary of the locations and what we did every day.

Barbados

We spent 4 days in Barbados earlier than our cruise, and I’m SO glad we did. Barbados is an island with one million issues to do, in addition to some very nice white sand seashores. It doesn’t matter what sort of journey you need to have, you possibly can have it right here.

That stated, we discovered Barbados to be staggeringly costly in comparison with different Caribbean islands, so hold that in thoughts as you propose your journey. (How costly? At one cafe we received a breakfast sandwich, an order of waffles, and two cappuccinos and our invoice got here to $50 USD.)

My favourite experiences in Barbados had been taking a Barbados meals tour, which was enjoyable, instructional and scrumptious — I extremely suggest it! I took a full day around-the-island tour, which was good for photograph ops and attending to know a whole lot of the island (Rihanna’s childhood house is included!).

We additionally loved beaching and swimming at Dover Seaside and spending Friday evening on the Oistins Fish Fry, an island custom with a lot of meals, drinks, and music.

We determined to remain in a finances resort for this portion of our four-week Caribbean journey, and selected the Melbourne Inn. Let me let you know — this place doesn’t look fancy, however its punches approach above its weight! Comfy rooms with balconies, a surprisingly good pool space, and the friendliest, most fantastic workers.

And it’s in an ideal location close to Dover Seaside, near a grocery retailer, and strolling distance from The Cake Woman, THE finest spot for espresso, cake, and breakfast!

I extremely suggest including a number of days in Barbados earlier than or after your journey. However remember that in case your cruise leaves on Saturday, as ours did, you may need to come beforehand so you possibly can expertise the Friday Night time Fish Fry.

My buddy Nicola’s web site Subsequent Cease Barbados was a wonderful useful resource for planning our journey.

Embarkation

On the primary day of our cruise, we had been in a position to drop off our baggage on the Star Clippers stand at 12:00 PM, with boarding starting at 4:00 PM. Charlie and I dropped off the luggage promptly at midday and took a taxi from the port to Harrison’s Cave for his or her drive-through cave tour. It was a enjoyable tour and we paid for the motive force to attend for us, which was a stress-free method to get again on time.

The cruise terminal in Bridgetown has an out of doors bar that serves each meals and drinks, in addition to a handful of retailers. There’s free wifi in case you want it.

As soon as boarding started, we made our approach up the gangway onto the Royal Clipper, accepted a glass of champagne, and queued into the Piano Bar for check-in. This was the place we handed over our passports for the week, the crew ran my bank card for future bills, and we obtained our cabin task and ship card, which doubles as your room key and onboard ID.

Subsequent got here an important step: signing up for excursions on the tour desk on the Clipper Deck. Not like massive cruise ships, Star Clippers doesn’t supply advance tour reserving; you merely add your identify to the checklist after boarding.

Signal-ups are first-come, first-serve, and so they shut two days forward of time. I like to recommend signing up instantly, as common excursions — like our high precedence, the catamaran journey in Tobago Cays — refill shortly.

We unpacked, watched the protection video, had welcome snacks within the Tropical Bar with our fellow passengers, took a tour of the ship, and loved our first dinner on board.

However the actual magic occurred after dinner, when the Royal Clipper set sail for the primary time. The crisp sails unfurled in opposition to the inky blue sky and we stared at them in awe.

I used to be fully unprepared for the sheer majesty of crusing on a tall ship. Proper then and there, I spotted that this was why folks journey with Star Clippers repeatedly.

Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Union Island was our first cease amongst a number of within the Grenadines, and in case you’re searching for a laid-back island that’s off the crushed path, it’s an amazing spot. There’s virtually nothing on Chatham Seaside, the place we docked for the afternoon.

We had been directed to land on the seaside and switch left, and on the finish of the seaside we might discover a respectable snorkeling spot. The seaside was strewn with stones, however the snorkeling was glorious — I used to be stunned what number of cool fish we noticed!

There was a small bar on this facet of the seaside dishing up cocktails (playing cards and Apple Pay accepted, which stunned me!).

High tip: Apparently there’s a actually cool bar with a sizzling tub on the proper facet of the seaside as you land. Our pals found this after a tip from Captain Sergey, however we didn’t hear about it from anybody on the crew. So ensure you don’t miss it! I want we had identified about it.

St. George’s, Grenada

Grenada is the spice island of the Caribbean, with colourful properties tucked into the wild, jungly hills. We determined to take the Chocolate and Falls tour, which included visits to a waterfall and a chocolate manufacturing unit.

To be trustworthy, this was the one tour we regretted taking. It was a really lengthy drive in a small, cramped bus (although I appreciated the beautiful surroundings), and street works and accidents alongside the route delayed us much more.

Our first cease was Harmony Falls, with a waterfall flowing into an emerald-green pool. We watched an area man leap in from the highest. And whereas that was cool, he aggressively hounded everybody within the group for ideas. I truly put a tip within the field, and on the way in which out he glared at me and stated, “I didn’t see you give me a tip.” “I DID TIP!” I sputtered.

By the point we received to the Diamond Chocolate Manufacturing facility in Victoria, it was closed for the day and we couldn’t see any manufacturing. We did a fast stroll by the backyard and so they gave us chocolate samples to attempt within the reward store. That was it.

The chocolate was scrumptious, particularly the nutmeg chocolate, and we purchased some bars to take dwelling. However general, the tour fell wanting expectations, and that sentiment was shared by a lot of our fellow passengers.

On a brighter word, I did hear that folks on the snorkeling tour had a superb time, so in case you’re taking this journey, that may be a greater match for you.

Full disclosure: Star Clippers did checklist the driving time on the tour sheet, and it’s not like they may have predicted the delays, which added an additional hour of driving time. I did give the Star Clippers crew particular suggestions about this tour.

Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Now, in case you dream of crashing on a desert island within the Caribbean, Tobago Cays is the place for you! These islands really feel straight out of Robinson Crusoe, with pristine seashores and little or no improvement.

Charlie and I really like a catamaran journey, so we booked a catamaran crusing tour with snorkeling. This turned out to be the very best tour of our journey!

After touchdown on the island of Petit Rameau, we boarded the catamaran and sailed off for some snorkeling. The waters had been choppier than I anticipated, and the catamaran crew had us put on vibrant orange vests for visibility. The snorkeling wasn’t pretty much as good as Union Island, however we did see a number of cool fish.

High tip: there are a number of catamarans that do that tour, and so they all look similar. Ensure you memorize the identify of your boat so you recognize which boat to swim again to!

Subsequent, we landed off the island of Mayreau and swam to shore. And I fell in love with this tiny island! An ideal, quiet, sandy seaside with picket shacks dishing up freshly caught fish and rum punch. The vibes had been immaculate. We didn’t have a lot time right here, however I’d like to return for a full day.

Lastly, the catamaran sailed again to Petit Rameau, the place the Royal Clipper crew had arrange a seaside barbecue with burgers, sausages, rooster, fish, a bar, and all of the fixings. We ate exterior at picnic tables (although solely half of them had shade).

From that time on, we had loads of time to swim, stroll the seaside, and gallivant. A second group of passengers went out on the catamaran tour within the afternoon. When Charlie and I had had sufficient solar, we jumped on the tender again to the Royal Clipper.

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Kingstown, a metropolis situated on the island of St. Vincent, is the capital and transit hub of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Charlie and I hadn’t booked an tour, so we determined to only stroll across the metropolis a bit of bit. We strolled, visited some markets, took within the environment, and tried some native dragonfruit and pineapple sodas. We’d have visited the fort for the view, nevertheless it occurred to be closed for refurbishment throughout our go to.

We did hear from a number of passengers that the excursions right here had been glorious, together with an off-road journey and a go to to the botanical gardens. If I got here to Kingstown once more, I might positively do a kind of.

High Tip: the ferry terminal in Kingstown has a cute espresso store known as Carib-Beans that served THE finest espresso we had throughout our month within the Caribbean. Effectively price a go to!

Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Bequia was my favourite cease of the complete journey and the primary place I need to return to. In comparison with different islands within the Grenadines, it’s fancier and extra developed than Union Island or Tobago Cays, however not practically as luxe as Mustique, a favourite of the British Royal Household.

The ship anchored in Admiralty Bay and the crew gave us the selection of taking the tender to the port or Princess Margaret Seaside. We selected the seaside, and headed there with our 4 pals.

This seaside was DIVINE. Good gentle sand, clear turquoise water, lovely views of immaculate picket properties constructed into the hills. Better of all, there was truly respectable shade — the seaside is lined with thick, lush timber and loads of room to stretch out beneath them.

Did I point out this seaside ALSO had little stands serving up rum punch? “Day consuming within the Grenadines? We’re positively honoring Princess Margaret the appropriate approach,” I joked as we toasted.

After a number of hours of swimming and sunning, we headed again to the ship.

I might love to return again to Bequia for no less than a number of days. One in every of my blogger pals was right here across the identical time, and he cherished exploring the island by bike.

Fort-de-France, Martinique

I had no thought what to anticipate in Fort-de-France, however this metropolis ended up charming my pants off! Martinique is a part of France, and it’s apparent from the second you arrive, from the Renaults and Peugeots in all places to the BNP banks and the Galeries-Lafayette division retailer to the scent of butter within the air.

I really like visiting French abroad departments like Réunion and St. Pierre and Miquelon as a result of you possibly can at all times get basic French meals blended with contemporary native produce.

We did some analysis on the place to eat and had been the primary ones off the ship. Our first cease was Pâtisserie Hery, an artisan patisserie the place we loved genuine French pastries, together with a standard croissant and a supreme spherical croissant full of pistachio cream and dipped in chocolate. In addition they serve a scrumptious sizzling chocolate.

We strolled across the metropolis, photographing the road artwork and landmarks like Bibliothèque Schoelcher and Cathédrale Saint-Louis, and stopped for a cappuccino at a bit of cafe known as Jaden Centre-Ville.

We made our method to the Marché Couvert, the town’s coated market, and tried some contemporary fruit juices and acquired a number of postcards for our postcard wall at dwelling.

Whereas it rained for many of our time on shore, Charlie and I each really feel like we’d prefer to return to Martinique and discover far more.

Grand Anse, Martinique

We truly didn’t get off the ship right here. It was drizzling once we docked, so I figured we’d simply sit back for the afternoon. Effectively, quickly the solar got here out, and we went swimming of the again of the Royal Clipper! These hours had been nicely spent.

Marigot Bay, St. Lucia

In St. Lucia, we selected the Panoramic Tour tour, which picked us up in Marigot Bay and dropped us off in Soufrière, with some fascinating stops alongside the way in which. We had been virtually plastered to the home windows, because the surroundings was so beautiful! St. Lucia actually is the great thing about the Caribbean.

In Marigot Bay we stopped lengthy sufficient to eat some bananas, attempt some banana ketchup, and take within the view from above — and what a view it was!

Soufrière, St. Lucia

Soufrière, a city within the south of St. Lucia, is dwelling to the Pitons, the 2 conical mountains which are the image of the island. As soon as rounding the view pictured above — sure, we stopped for loads of images — we visited two locations in Soufrière: the Diamond Botanical Gardens and Qualibou Volcano.

Our information, Delicia, confirmed us by the botanical gardens and shared her favourite native cures. Charlie and I are literally going to attempt some at dwelling! Apparently once you grate nutmeg right into a bottle of vinegar and depart it for a number of weeks, it turns into a very good salve on your joints.

St. Lucia is dwelling to the one drive-in volcano on the planet, Qualibou Volcano. Don’t count on fiery lava right here, simply a whole lot of steam and that signature sulfur odor! You possibly can go in sulfuric mud baths right here in case you’d like; I didn’t partake, nevertheless it seemed enjoyable.

Our tour completed with an area buffet lunch overlooking one other view of the Pitons. Charlie took the time to get some aerial photographs along with his drone from right here, as St. Lucia is a really drone-friendly nation.

Total, I’m glad that we selected this tour. Delicia was a beautiful information, the surroundings was spellbinding, the bus was snug, and the gardens and volcano had been actually cool. Better of all, I received killer images of the Pitons!

The city of Soufrière itself wasn’t very thrilling, so we determined to return to the Royal Clipper. Later that afternoon, it was again onto the marine platform for an additional beautiful swim, adopted by our photograph safari, circling the Royal Clipper within the tender on the sails went up, bathed within the delectable mild of golden hour.

Debarkation

Debarkation in Barbados was easy and well-organized. On our final full day on board, we settled our invoice and added a gratuity for the servers and cabin attendants. That night, we left our baggage exterior the cabin, tagging our baggage with the colour similar to our chosen switch.

We joined the bus switch to the airport with a number of dozen of our fellow passengers. It is best to know that the bags is transferred individually — the bags truck arrived about half-hour later. That wasn’t a problem, as Star Clippers makes certain you get to the airport with ample time earlier than your flight.

Whereas ready to verify in, Charlie, our pals and I grabbed pizza and milkshakes at Chefette, Barbados’s most beloved quick meals chain. I’ve to say, that milkshake was precisely what I wanted after per week at sea.

And from there, the 4 of us stated our goodbyes and Charlie and I hopped on our flight to our subsequent vacation spot: the island nation of Dominica.

Kate’s Ideas on the Itinerary

It was this particular itinerary that attracted me to Star Clippers within the first place, and I cherished the locations we visited. I appreciated that we visited small ports and hard-to-reach islands. I feel the one port the place we noticed an enormous cruise ship was Grenada.

Just a few lightning spherical solutions:

Greatest seashores: Princess Margaret Seaside in Bequia, adopted by Mayreau island in Tobago Cays.

Greatest snorkeling: Union Island within the Grenadines.

Greatest metropolis: Fort-de-France, Martinique.

Greatest locations to discover independently: Fort-de-France and Bequia.

Greatest locations to discover by tour: Kingstown and Soufrière.

Greatest tour general: Catamaran journey in Tobago Cays.

After all, once you consider excursions and exploration, you possibly can have any sort of journey you need — adventurous, low-key, snorkel-y. I feel we had a very good selection all through our journey.

Journey Suggestions for Star Clippers Caribbean Cruise

Seasickness on a Star Clippers Cruise

Do you want to fear about seasickness on the Royal Clipper or some other Star Clippers cruise? Actually, seasickness can fluctuate loads from individual to individual, and it may be robust to foretell.

I’ll say {that a} smaller ship just like the Royal Clipper can usually really feel extra queasy than a big cruise ship, however once more, that is private. Charlie and I each had a number of moments of seasickness, however we received by them.

When crusing throughout mealtime, we discovered it extra snug to sit down going through the entrance or again of the boat, fairly than the edges.

I like to recommend bringing non- or less-drowsy movement illness medicine on the very least. (Or take a drowsy one and chase it with an espresso martini.) Some folks discover movement illness bands useful.

Alternatively, your physician can prescribe a scopolamine patch. I used these in Antarctica, however after a number of days I skilled the uncommon facet impact of blurred imaginative and prescient, so I switched again to Dramamine.

Web on a Star Clippers Cruise

Star Clippers has web packages accessible. The excellent news is that they use Starlink, so the web is quick, however the unhealthy information is that they’re data-based, which suggests apps working within the background can eat by your information in only a few minutes.

I personally by no means buy data-based packages because of this.

My advice? Get an eSIM card that covers many of the Jap Caribbean. We used this one from Airalo. It labored in each vacation spot besides Martinique (which we didn’t want anyway, because it’s a part of the EU and our Czech SIM playing cards labored there).

Whereas it didn’t work whereas we had been out at sea, we had web entry each time we had been anchored.

What to Pack for a Star Clippers Caribbean Cruise

Comfy informal clothes. What you put on is at all times a private choice. I just about dwell in merino wool year-round, so I wore 4 Wool& attire for many of the journey: the Camellia gown (my favourite sizzling climate gown) in teal and black, and the Isabelle gown in magenta and inexperienced.

I used to be glad to have a Wool& tank high, a pair of Wool& bike shorts, and closed-toe sneakers for mast climbing; I primarily wore deck footwear and Birkenstock sandals whereas on board.

Applicable dinner put on. There isn’t a proper evening, like on different cruises, however I did discover many individuals dressed up a bit for dinner. Ladies have a bit extra leeway, however males are requested to put on lengthy pants at dinner.

Lots of girls wore informal sundresses or tops with skirts or slacks. Lots of males wore short-sleeved button-downs with lengthy pants. It’s your name.

Water footwear. A good suggestion in case you’re snorkeling or beaching. The seaside we visited on Union Island had a whole lot of rocks and water footwear would have made it extra nice.

Reef-safe sunscreen. I like to recommend you carry reef-safe sunscreen as a default once you’re swimming anyplace, and that’s completely true for the fragile reefs of the Caribbean.

Solar safety. A large-brimmed hat, sarong, and a light-weight long-sleeved shirt may be very useful.

Reusable water bottle. The Royal Clipper has fountains within the Tropical Bar the place you possibly can fill your bottles with filtered water. Don’t add to the plastic drawback.

Dry bag or waterproof cellphone case. Whereas your electronics are fairly secure whereas on the tender, you may need to carry these for different boat journeys and when you could have to swim to shore (like on our catamaran tour in Tobago Cays).

Clothes for White Night time and Pirate Night time. You don’t have to decorate up, and so they have some pirate props for the occasion, however hey, you probably have a corset high and ruffly skirt you would like you possibly can put on extra usually, that is your probability!

Different Star Clippers Suggestions

Don’t do excursions each single day. I received this tip forward of time, and I’m glad I heeded the recommendation. Excursions are enjoyable, however they will eat up all of your free time.

I like to recommend doing a little bit of analysis and selecting out 1-3 excursions that you just need to do probably the most, and some ports that you just’d fairly discover by yourself. And if there are some that maintain no curiosity for you, you possibly can at all times keep on the ship and benefit from the environment.

If mast climbing or swimming off the marina platform are an choice, don’t wait — do them. These actions solely occur if situations are good, so this may be your solely probability.

Don’t overpack. There’s a moderately priced and speedy laundry service on board, and we used it 3 times. Simply wash what you want to be washed.

Is Star Clippers Value It?

Effectively, after studying this publish, you must have a fairly good thought of how a lot I cherished my time on the Royal Clipper! Charlie and I had a blast and have been speaking about this journey continuously.

The truth is, we’re already considering of doing one other cruise with Star Clippers — presumably in Europe this time. We just like the look of a few of their itineraries visiting Corsica and Sardinia. As soon as once more, it’s all concerning the small ports.

And if we might carry a gaggle of our pals on board? Even higher.

After I look again at my time on the Royal Clipper, my thoughts goes straight to mast-climbing, or swimming off the marina platform, and watching the sails go up at sundown. Greater than something, Star Clippers is concerning the magic of being on a tall ship — and that have is staying with me.

The Star Clippers Grenadines itinerary begins at €2,350 ($2,790) per particular person. You could find extra info on StarClippers.com.

Does this seem like your sort of cruise? Share away!